Is shame the name of this game?

The hottest topic ever... How could I have not blogged on it? So the games preparation is pretty much as screwed up as practically possible... There are bridges falling, canopies collapsing, false ceiling tiles crashing, beds giving way from under your bums, dogs availing the hospitality of the games village, what all and what not. Crazy. Unbecoming. And frightening. Till now the worst we had heard was the wrong national anthem being played. This has redefined all that was known to go bad. But what I actually intend to address and answer are two basic questions.

First one is moral. As a responsible citizen that I claim myself to be, should I blast open whatever happens that is derogatory to my pride as an Indian? Or should I ignore all that and keep goody goody stuff in the front of my mind and presume that all will be well through the hifi jugaad technology and spread the joy of the games? Well, I think patriotism is tough love. Unless we point out what is wrong in us, how do we go ahead? I would rather face the shame that is very real than indulge in blissful ignorance, 'All iz well' types. If the preparations are bad, so be it. I will hate it and feel ashamed about it.

Which brings me to the second question, which makes more sense to me and my life. Where did we go so wrong that when the pot boiled over, there was no way to plug anything? I feel there are two reasons. Firstly, we are so used to things happening wrongly that we sincerely believe that something or the other WILL be wrong. And we ll fix it at the last moment. Jugaad. We need to learn that the times are gone when it could work. Today's projects are not delivered like that. Second reason is management philosophy. We have all seen that in complex projects, privatization alone works. The public sector machinery is neither agile enough not equipped well to handle them, because the best talent is no longer there.

So far as my blog title goes, no, I don't think that shame is the name of the game. The damage to Indian pride is irreparable but can be compensated if games go well. But the lessons from the debacle are, in my opinion, too valuable to be forgotten. Best of Luck to the games. They need it a lot.

Ye kahaan aa gaye hum

Things I could do better when I was in college
1. Painting / Drawing
2. Slog mentally
3. Play Volleyball
4. Make jokes
5. Manage events
6. Run complex design softwares
7. Write papers
8. Manage people and teams
9. Keep myself updated
10. Have crushes
Most importantly, Enjoy life! College times are best.

Of kidney stones and dear friends

Just came back yesterday after spending two and half eventful days in a nearby hospital for a mini-stone in kidney (if you may) that got easily flushed out without any surgery or even laser.

It was actually a wonderful time spent... idling on weekdays, TV all day, reading to my heart's content, homemade food from frnds' and relatives' homes, calls all day, jolly visits from friends who ran early from office to see me, so on and so forth. The home-made treat continued even a day and a half after I had been officially discharged.

At another level, it made me realize that the real take-away from the last few years of my life is not a degree from one of the best colleges, not my name on the domestic terminal, not the salary that they pay me for it, but the friends that I made in the period.

Love u all... I couldn't have done anything without you. You turned it into a picnic rather than an ordeal. Can't thank you enough.

Why to hang Kasab immediately

7 reasons why Kasab should be hanged without any delay

• Because he dared to change so many lives forever, and leave a permanent scar on the face of Mumbai.
• Because he already has lived longer than he should have. He should have died at the hands of Karkare or ATS.
• Because he and his colleagues were responsible for deaths of so many of our Jawans.
• Because an acquittal will be a ridicule all over the world in general, and in Pakistan in particular.
• Because we already saw what happened when terrorists were not killed immediately and went back to Pakistan through IC814 hijack.
• Because if he is not hanged immediately, he will invite the 'sympathy' of so called 'human rights champions' and ensue stupid ideas of human justice and the like.
• Because he is an enemy of India, and should be given a lesson, although belated.

And one reason why he should not be hanged

• He is the only man alive who knows what happened to the crew of the boat that they came in, and till date their families have not got compensation promised by the government, since in the eyes of law, they are still not dead. Holy Crap!!!

On a different note, the hurt Indian in me wants him to be left out in public for an hour. I know he won't  last an hour, though. 

A true Invictus

There are so many times we feel that we need a reason to be happy, but we become sad spontaneously.  Without any apparent reason.

Then there are people like the one in the below video. 

No arms, No legs, No worries

Please see the full video, it truly deserves your time. 

Celebration of a dream

This post is one week late, attributed to the fact that I left for IIM Indore even as the inauguration ceremony of the new Domestic Terminal at Mumbai Airport was still underway, and got to pen down just now. Took this pic from my mobile camera on the morning of the completion. Looks beautiful, at least to me :)

Even though the euphoria in my heart has died down, I dont think I will ever forget the feeling as I left the terminal building on 17th April 2010, knowing that all those little battles and all those days (and nights) of fighting against all odds have borne fruit.

Below is the same area 20 months ago (The pic will be replaced in better resolution soon...)

Even as I have celebrated the moment, reminisced on the memories, remembered fondly all the sleepless nights and tough days, I dedicate this post to all these feelings, since the photo on top will never be able to reflect any of the things I talked about later. I am surely going to miss the moments I spent on this project.

Of social responsibility and irreverence

Yesterday, 74 jawans were trapped by Maoists and ruthlessly murdered, many of them in cold blood. Print media had accounts of survivors, pointed fingers towards a failed intelligence and  carried statements of national leaders on the matter. TV media, on the other hand, seem so much gung-ho over Sania and Shoaib that 'Aaj Tak' proudly declared that the entire day will be full of that crap only.

C'mon... more people are dying in maoist violence than in Kashmir terrorism. Almost a third of India's geographical area is affected by them. And some part of the world still cares where two sportsmen-in-love went late night to enjoy themselves.

Sometimes I wonder what incentive drives TV channels to put such useless crap on national television. Do they get more money? Higher TRPs? more sense of satisfaction? Whatever happened to the supposed social responsibility of Media? Thankfully, print media has still retained the good sense in a more fitting manner.

Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna

It was this day, 79 years ago, when three brave sons of India walked proudly towards the ultimate sacrifice. Singing 'सरफरोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है' as legend has it.

I dedicate this post to the three of them, as well as an entire generation of lesser known Indians who chose the path of fighting for what they believed was right, against all odds, driven only by a fire fueled by desire to see the country independent.

Also, Bhagat Singh being my idol, this is in remembrance of the maturity, grit, tact and foresight shown by this great leader, visionary and thinker who gave the freedom struggle its cutting edge and brought it to the foreburner of day to day politics. All at an age of 23 years.

I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if he was saved (I believe Gandhi could have) and having a firebrand like him in the first cabinet to run the nation. However, none of this happened and India was deprived of somethings he was definitely capable of.

Signing off with the below lines which I sincerely wish were true but are not. Sadly, hardly anybody remembers our martyrs.

शहीदों की मजारों पर लगेंगे हर बरस मेले
वतन पर मिटने वालों का येही बाकी निशाँ होगा

Of unsung heroes and glamorous underachievers

The Sunday Times of India, March 21 2010 was not a paper I was looking forward to. Mumbai Indians, ‘my’ team simply because it is led by Sachin, had lost meekly to Royal Challengers Bangalore, and that was a reason enough. However, as I read through mechanically to ease off a lazy Sunday morning at home, there was one piece that caught my eye between the loud and glitzy IPL coverage

Milkha Singh, the flying Sikh, has decided to hand over his life story for a movie being made. All for a sum of One rupee. Sheer greatness. Here is a man who in 1947 saw his parents murdered in front of his eyes, hid among corpses in a train to escape to India, ran barefoot in initial competitions, and went on to win Asian Games, Commonwealth and later on an Olympics record. Today also, he stands tall as he runs a distress helpline. 20% of film’s profits will go there.

What a pity, icons like him are hardly known of amidst the shrill and glitz of things like IPL which, at best, is a murky money minded madness with a little bit of sport thrown in.

Hats off to this proud son of the soil, quite literally.

Atithi tum kab jaaoge

Admittedly, I am no movie buff. Back in college, I used to be the last guy to be seen near a theater. Further recently, my movie sprees are limited to 'No other option available' scenarios. Similar was my today's encounter with this movie.

However, this is one impressive movie, though I guess is is not gonna be a respectable hit. With witty references to a common Indian's psyche, the movie goes on to touch pretty much all the unexplored areas that we either don't know about, or are not interested to touch. This includes the self induced aloofness of our lives from our famed family systems, utter disregard for little pleasures and pains of life that go on adding up, and in some cases, sheer indifference towards the values that we pick up and impart subconsciously.

At least in my case, this one managed to inspire some thought and introspection. Must watch if you are looking for light humor and substance packaged into one.

A different 'Jeetega Bhai Jeetega'

There is probably no Indian who doesn't relate to the three words in the subject line... Whenever Sachin takes guard, whenever Zaheer starts run-up, whenever Dhoni rallies his troops on ground, whenever the most prolific team India makes a circle after rounding another wicket, the chants rule the ground. But today, I insist on a different one... a 'Jeetega bhai Jeetega' for our national sport.

The Hockey world cup has been ridden with controversies, ironies, rumors and what not. Ironically, cricketers, shooters and actors had to be roped in for advertisements since, sadly, no hockey face is advertise-able. But all that is in the past now.

This is to a team that stood together against callous management, critical media, blatant officials and tentative sponsors, and finally stands tall, amidst chants of famous 'Jeetega Bhai Jeetega', trying to win hearts of Indians like ever before. To try and relive the lost glory of four decades of unquestioned world domination, unparalleled by any other sport (Including Cricket) played in this country of one billion. 

Sorry, I dont know my hockey. I dont know who is in playing eleven. I hardly know the captain's name. But nevertheless, I cheer for this Team India. For the records, we are 4-1 leading Pakistan as of now.

And the crowd is chanting.... 'Jeetega Bhai Jeetega!!'

Tribute to Team India

A living legend sends the opposition on a leather hunt, like he has done for 20 long years
A maverick continues to redefine the boundaries of scoring rate
A braveheart bowls his heart out before subsiding with an injury
A charismatic captain leads from the front to devastate a world class bowling attack
A team becomes the best team in the world… again

Cheers to Team India for regaining the No 1 Slot.

P.S. When I said last week that we will win the next one, few believed

Invictus... Beautiful Words

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeoning of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Of Heroes and Senas...

So finally, the long drama surrounding the SRK and his famed release seems to be ending, with the sena clearly and emphatically being shown its place in the dustbin of Indian History. With effigies of Thakre scions being burnt, the common Indian has shown that the sounds of hollow rhetoric and unwarranted hate propaganda do not make sense to the major chunk. This is the third major reversal for the sena in recent days, the others being the utterly mistimed attack on Sachin Tendulkar - the God of Cricket and the forgettable duel with Rahul Gandhi - the emerging youth icon.

This leaves just one thing to be pondered over. Even though it is amply clear that the concept of 'Mumbaikars only in Mumbai' is totally impractical, unwanted and unworkable, why is it that it gets so much mileage? Has the Indian social fabric, with all its famed ethics and morality, become so feeble that it is unable to filter out the good from the bad?

I remember the blasts in Sankat Mochan, a major temple in Varanasi. After that, Vinay Katiyar gave a hateful speech directed (or misdirected) against muslims. However, the 'Mahant' of the temple got him out of the mandir campus, called upon the 'Imam' of nearby mosque and gave a message of togetherness. The degree of appreciation was immense, and disgraced face of Katiyar made it to the news nest day.

But are these pockets of sanity enough? How to tackle this social menace of regional politics? Is it a major flaw of our educational system which, by emphasising on local language, creates a cultural rift that widens with time? Today seems to be a day of questions. Maybe someday I will post an answer.

All time Favorites

Luck...

        He worked by day, and toiled by night...
        He gave up play, and some delight...
                Dry books he read, new things to learn...
                And forged ahead, success to earn...
        He plodded on with faith and pluck...
        And when he won, Men called it luck!!!

And miles to go...

        The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
        But I have promises to keep, 

        And miles to go before I sleep

Don't Quit 

        When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
        When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
                When the funds are low and the debts are high,
                And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
        When care is pressing you down a bit,
        Rest, if you must, but don't you quit 

Random thoughts of a fluttering mind

Don't have anything else to do, and hence this random blog...

Yesterday was the Birth Anniversary of one of the greatest sons of Indian soil. One who did for India what most others would have thought as impractical, maybe even insane. Yet, sadly, nobody remembers. Nobody that i talked to remembered, except one. And I am sure that most people will be google-ing to see who I am talking about after listening to what i said just now. To put in perspective, i guess more people remember SRK's birthday (Which, interestingly, I don't remember :D)

Seven suicide attempts by school kids in a day, can you believe it... In the city of dreams, probably the weight of expectations has started weighing a bit too much on young minds... and I can still only imagine the level of stress on kid's minds that would drive them to such extreme thoughts... Lack of maturity definitely, but it only goes on to highlight all that is not right with our social system in general and educational system in particular.

Pakistan Government feels 'cheated' by India (IPL, to be precise) and they ask for 'action from Indian Government'. Secondly, they want to 'Pay India back in the same coin'. For the first one, well, this is by far the most farcial comment I ever heard. They rule a land where murderers of innocent Indians move around like heroes, and 'Inaction from political establishment' is the blame on India. Major LOL. And as far as the second one is concerned... "Are aukaat dekh ke baat karo na yaar, pehle cricket khelna to chalu ho tumhare yahaan, baad mein Pakistan Premier League banao, Indians ko invite karo, Dhooni aur Sahin apply karenge, then u reject them.... How fantastic is that!!" is all I can say.

Dear Diary... or, Maybe Not...

Somebody asked me... Do you write a Diary? I had no idea whether writing a diary was cool, fashionable, 'chic' or the 'In Thing'. "Well", I said, "I blog", thinking of saving grace by presenting the most similar aspect of my virtually event-less life.

Reaction: Disapproving.

Frankly, i never thought of writing a diary. It seems to be so much of load to me. Why? Simply because, so long as I have sufficient Gigabytes or Terrabytes in my own memories to remember all the good things in my life, to keep track of all the dreams that I ever dreamed of, to remember to pass the smiles back to those who keep passing it to me, and to remind me of thoughts that keep me who I am, Why do I need a one?

Verdict: It turned out I was apparently a stupid idiot with no sense of emotional well being.
Reaction: A carefree grin/giggle/laugh from me
Counter reaction: Utter disgust

Reactions....

Love Pakistan? Not yet...

The Times of India has started a bold new campaign on the New Year... Love Pakistan. Some arguments and counterarguments are bound to come up there. At the outset, I concede that I am on the side of naysayers. I also dare say, this seems to be a gimmick but one with intent of doing something good.

It actually feels odd to see India, Pakistan and Love in the same sentence. And can anyone be blamed for this? It is not just what we have been fed over the past 60 years of ‘hate propaganda’. Any well meaning individual who feels for the common man and specially for the armed forces will have this odd feeling.

Also, when all previous attempts of extending hands has met only cynicism and counterproductive results like terror attacks, it makes common sense to be wary. The sadhu who keeps on tending the scorpion that bites back may not have to stop tending to the scorpion. But he definitely needs to take care of the sting before taking care of the wound of scorpion.

After all these years of gore and attacks in my country having been propagated by Pakistan, I can easily love the common people, cricketers, singers, etc on the other side of the border. But loving Pakistan... boss... I know better than that. I love the likes of Karkare, Saluskar, Kamte, Nachiketa, Unnikrishnan, Suri and common Indians too much to love the hand that killed them all.

कुमार बिस्वास... कशी यात्रा

कोई दीवाना कहता है..कोई पागल समजता है..
मगर धरती की बैचेनी..को बस बादल समजता है...
तू मुझसे दूर कैसी है मैं तुजसे दूर कैसा हु,
यह मेरा दिल समजता है न तेरा दिल समजता है...

महोबत एक ऐसे रोग की पावन सी कहानी है
कभी कबीरा दीवाना था कभी मीरा दीवानी है..
यहाँ सब लोग कहते है की मेरे आँखों में आंसू है..
जो तू समझे तो मोती है जो न समझे तो पानी है..

बहुत टूटा बहुत बिखरा थपेड़े सह नही पाया..
हवाओं के इशारो पर, मगर मैं बह नही पाया...
अधूरा अनसुना ही रह गया यह प्यार का किस्सा...
कभी तू सुन नही पार्यी कभी मैं कह नही पाया...

भ्रमर कोई कुमदनी पर मचल बैठा तो हंगामा
हमारे दिल में कोई ख्वाब पल बैठा तो हंगामा...
अभी तक लोग सुनते थे किस्सा महोबत का...
मैं किस्से को हकीकत में बादल बैठा तो हंगामा...

समुन्दर पीर का अन्दर है लेकिन रो नही सकता...
यह आंसू प्यार का मोती, इसे मैं खो नही सकता...
मेरी चाहत को तू दुल्हन बना लेना मगर सुनले..
जो मेरा हो नही पाया वोह तेरा हो नही सकता...

स्वयम से दूर हो तुम भी.... स्वयम से दूर है हम भी...
बड़े मशहूर हो तुम भी...बड़े मशहूर है हम भी..
बड़े मगरूर हो तुम भी... बड़े मगरूर हो तुम भी..
आतः बड़े मजबूर हो तुम भी.. बड़े मजबूर है हम भी...

'Never Forget 26/11'

It has been one long year since the brutal attack on the country's most talked about city. This post is an attempt to be a different take than the more commonly viewed angles that keep appearing on National Television. So this is not a commemoration of the attacks but an introspection of what we are as individuals, as a society and as Indians.

Notwithstanding what the attack and its aftereffects were made out to me, let us be brutally honest. The attacks were a 'huge success' from the viewpoint of the attackers. The sophisticated armed men roamed the city striking targets at will, even as media covered all the angles and a mockery of our social security system was made on all the available media.

Three of the best fighters in the establishment who dared to rush in when everyone was rushing out were allowed to lie there in their own blood for 40 bloody minutes before someone could tend to them.

It is said, 26/11 was India's 9/11 (In different date formats, though). While US had the balls to go for an all out war against the perpetrators, we have followed a passive, if not undetermined, approach. However, all said and done 8 years later, the superpower in question has neither been able to win, nor disengage from the war which has been dubbed as the biggest strategic error since the Vietnam War. Face it, Pakistan is no Lebanon or Palestine. How, in the wildest dreams, can someone in his senses suggest that India launch a war against an irresponsible nuclear armed state and assume that we shall live happily ever after? This when 40% of our fellow Indians live without electricity and farmers commit suicide on a weekly basis? Defies logic.

Ok, even if we declare war and annex Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Then what? As if the simmering north east, red belt, Maoists and Naxalites are not enough on the plate.

Coming back to 26/11. Are we not as clueless and as defenseless as we were one year ago? Shows of solidarity are totally relevant and recommended, but they are no good if not followed up by action by government, you and me. I am not competent to make recommendations to the north or south block, but can surely say that it is up to the 'intelligent middle class' to come out of their drawing rooms and start keeping things in line. We already have enough people who don't vote, don't pay taxes, don't follow social etiquette, bribe at the drop of the hat but are never short of advise.

Lastly, salute to the martyrs of the fateful day and all other less talked about events, bravehearts who defy all odds and fight for the nation, so that we can safely go to sleep each night. Let us never forget that there was a 26/11 that changed Mumbai forever. If we forget, we better rest assured there are going to be more.