Head Hunter

My Image to the World through my Tweets

2012-01-09T08:43:00.001-08:00

I have lately been reading this fabulous book called- “The White Mughals”. While it is brilliant in its own right, it transpired to bring numerous other thoughts to my mind. William Dalrymple has written beautifully the tale of love between James Achilles Kirkpatrick, a Scotsman & Khair-Un Nissa, who belonged to the Nizam of Hyderabad’s family. While writing about them, the writer extensively makes use of letters written by the two and by all other people connected to this tale. He analyzes the personal letters written during their lifetime to build a picture of their lives in front of us modern day readers. It is typically an art which historians have mastered over generations of sniffing out the truth without actually going back in time using any time machine.
So what if I someday become famous and the world wants to know my story? Will my letters also be read? Alas I have not written too many except when forced on days of examinations! But yes I have written plenty of e-mails. I have also opened my Facebook account which I ‘need’ to view each day & write comments. I recently read that a man had asked for his Facebook records to the social networking organization themselves, he received a 22,000 page ‘document’ in reply. So data available will be aplenty for sure. What will the world think of me when my records are viewed? Will I come out as a voyeur? As greedy? As nasty, or a tyrant? Or maybe the picture I give could be that I am extremely kind-hearted. Wonder what an image of mine the world will make of me. Till then I will just tweet along my next message.

What Next for Cricket After Ireland’s Good Show?

2011-05-20T03:34:00.000-07:00

The cricket season has been going on for rather too long this season and I have probably been among the few who haven’t been obsessed by it. However now I take this turn to write on cricket without which the spring of 2011 in India will surely be incomplete.

I would like to talk about the strange aspect of Ireland’s good show in the 2011 Cricket World Cup and the resultant good press. While on the one hand Ireland’s cricket has deservedly got plaudits for the work going on for years, on the other it is perplexing to note that this is not unprecedented. And that is where the International Cricket Council (ICC) has gone wrong. I would refer to the 2003 Cricket World Cup and Kenya’s highly unexpected, romantic run to the semi-finals in a sport where they had been minnows till then. While people who watched that cup in detail would notice that the run to the semis was quite fortuitous, still on paper it has to be accepted that the feat was indeed achieved. What was ICC’s reaction and that of the other Test playing nations? Well, instead of promoting the sport further in Kenya, the powers simply patronized the achievement and Kenya got little competitive cricket over the next few years leading up to the following world cup. Predictably, the momentum was lost by then. If one traces further back, Kenya actually repeatedly beat Bangladesh in competitive internationals, yet it was the latter which achieved test status and not the former. And why was that? Perhaps because Bangladesh’s location in the sub-continent gave them a platform to gain ideas and skills from their neighbours! The clinching factor was that Bangladesh had a decent domestic structure which could sustain test cricket over time. Kenya should ideally have been cricket’s 11^th test playing nation and Ireland the 12^th eventually by 2020. While on the one hand it is necessary to not dilute the standards of test cricket, it is equally if not more important that cricket has to grow beyond a few countries outside the subcontinent. Over time India has become and will continue to grow as a cricketing superpower, on the field but more so off it. India will then have two options in the future. Either the Indian domestic calendar becomes the most sought after in the mould of American sports league like NBA, MLB, NFL etc. or India will have to cultivate international cricket opponents. Yes, quality and more numerous opponents are required.

So while we celebrate Ireland’s good run, we must also look back at the perplexing lost opportunity with Kenya. The Steve Tikolos, Maurice Odumbes and Thomas Odoyos of this world never got a chance to showcase their talents on the test field. Hope the same travesty does not fall on the Kevin O’Briens and Ryan Ten Doeschates of this world if they continue to impress in the international arena.

Medieval Superpowers of the 21st Century

2011-02-10T10:00:00.001-08:00

A scan through the major national newspapers in India shows a number of familiar traits. One such trait is the constant rubbing-in in almost every other article of how the power balance in our world is changing. The allusion here is to the 21^st century being an Asian century and China and India to rise as the two greatest superpowers in the world displacing the United States of America and other great west European powers that have held sway over the last few centuries. While on the one hand this is an extremely encouraging trend, on the other hand it has certain worrying signs. History shows us that it is the natural course over time that superpowers are displaced and replaced by new ones. However, one cannot avoid pondering that China and India’s rise as the big powers may in at least one way herald a leap back in to the medieval age. The reasons for such a line of thinking I have explained below.

Pre-agrarian tribal societies were in essence egalitarian with leaders often elected by consent and power rarely being directly attained by each succeeding generation. With the advent of agriculture, human civilizations became markedly less democratic and power now centred in a few hands. In various forms under various names, it was a tiny elite which now increasingly made decisions for the vast majority of population within the state. This trend continued until industrialization set in. So roughly till the 18^th century, major world or regional powers were known primarily by the amount of power and wealth the rulers had. The Romans, Arabs, Mongols, Turks, Mughals and the Spanish possessed enormous amount of real estate with millions of subjects. Yet the conditions of the vast majority of people within these empires may not have been much worse from empires barely exceeding the size of a few cities. In fact, the vast majority of people in pre-industrial (agrarian) societies cannot be called ‘poor’, as that was very much the norm and not the exception.

Industrialization brought many problems to this scenario and some of those problems (pollution?) show no signs of solution 200 years on. However over time, one thing industrialization and the coinciding democracy did was to distribute wealth among the people. Production of products reached such unprecedented levels and with increased education and exponentially improved transport networks, wealth no longer remained in a few hands. The common man now had a slice of empire building. Great Britain and other European powers in the 19^th century and the USA in the 20^th century were not powers solely because the sovereign possessed enormous amounts of wealth. Instead prosperity reached every nook and corner of the nations powered by highly improved technological nous. While distribution of wealth was never equal, the improvements from previous regimes were marked.

The 21^st century new powerhouse theory deviates from the trends observed in the last two centuries. Whichever way one looks at statistics and whichever set of data is examined, one thing is for sure: India and China are home to hundreds of millions of people for whom the dawn of each day brings an unsure future. There are various calculations to determine the poverty rate, some say 1$ a day some say 2$ a day. Then there is mass debate on which poverty must be targeted- absolute or relative. But even at the best of scenario there can never be any doubt that China and India each have more people below poverty line than the entire population of every other country on earth (perhaps minus USA and Indonesia). So this brings us back to the pre-industrial era once again. Once again it is mass which counts and not individual strengths. A large country will always be able to generate greater revenue in totality even if individual contribution is relatively limited. The power of the ruling class (plus middle class) is now what is driving these two economies forward. In the medieval age, a rich country purely meant that the king was richer than other kings. Though not an exact mirroring of the medieval age, the modern age’s power balance is imitating the past.

The Gurgaon Pigs

2011-01-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

The title of this article might be a little misleading. Given the way the last word of the title is generally used, I shall not be in a position to blame the reader for any misunderstanding. No I am not going to launch in to a tirade against some unscrupulous neighbours of mine in the city of Gurgaon. I am not complaining against some corrupt leaders of this city by calling them ‘pigs’. I am not venting my anger against the man who nearly rammed his car in to mine. The use of the word in the title is ‘as much as possible’- harmless.

The reader has got it wrong again. Gurgaon Pigs is not the name of the latest IPL franchise. I meant the word in the literal sense. Yes indeed, I was referring to a litter of pigs which is now the single most dominant specie (after the Gurgaonite) on the streets of Gurgaon. I am talking about a particular litter just outside my apartments (opposite Park Plaza Hotel as I tell everyone). Yes indeed, the Millennium City of Gurgaon also has its fair share of wildlife.

To grasp the finer details of this litter, one has to go back in time and space. One has to find out the ownership or wild status of the litter. However I do not have that luxury as I was not staying in the city for nearly two years. Since I have come back to my city, I have been observing this litter over time. Everyday I have been reaching office 5 minutes later (not late but later than otherwise) primarily because of this observation time. In the summer, I observed frantic mating. It was as if the heat in the air had brought out the best of the lust in the gentle-pigs arousing their virility to the fullest extent. In the winter the piglets came out. The she-pig has been scouring the ends of her earth (between Park Plaza and Gold Souk) for forage to suckle her babies. Recent observation tells me the piglets are maturing in to pigs and scouring the earth themselves. A highlight in the lives of these piglets came about a month back, a day which surely hardened them for the toughest challenges they will face. A lot of us love pork and in fact the internet tells me that it is the maximum consumed meat item in the world. I am one of those who love pork and I could totally empathize with the street dogs on this fateful day. While I was on my way to office, I was met with a scene straight from the Savannah (the Savannah might even be shamed). A duo of street dogs drooling about pork set their sights upon these piglets. The two were attacking from either flank, while the target was being protected again from the two flanks by mama and papa pig. Street dog A attacked from the right wing so the father charged on it with the mother providing protection at the back. Now with A behind, it was the turn of street dog B to attack from the left but now the mother pig from her rear bazooked forward from defence to attack. This went on for fifteen odd minutes at the end of which time it remained a stalemate. I caught the next metro to office hoping to catch on the action after my return. While going I observed another couple of pigs in another corner doing what they do best in the winter chill. When I came back to the spot around twelve hours later I counted the number of piglets. They did not show any change in number. I assumed it was too early for the new couple on the locality so I heaved a sigh of relief for the ‘still safe’ piglets but felt a pang of sadness for the street dogs who missed the royal treat.

Hitler’s Loss: America’s Gold

2010-09-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

A quick glance at the 10 most destructive battles in human history tells a clear story. 9 of those 10 deadliest in human history happen to have been fought by only 2 nations against each other in a period of barely 4 years. Not surprisingly the nations were Germany and Russia and the years 1941-45. The two nations were tied in on an apocalyptic battle fighting on racial, religious and most crucially ideological fronts. Germans and Russians fought for every inch of their soil and the battles had no feel-good heroism, it was true barbarism.

Britain was the other major European power which fought Germany toe to toe in the Second World War. Due to their relative closeness on the ideological front and their supposed racial similarities the battles were more gentlemanly and fair in nature. These two countries did most of the German (& Italian) killing during the war while it is often constructed that America was more busy with Japan. However this misses a very crucial point- America’s economic might. While not directly as responsible for the German deaths as the Russians, Hitler’s ultimate bad decision might as well have been to take on the might of the American economy.

A key fact of utmost importance can be used as a vital indicator. Just prior to WWII, France was the world’s 4^th largest industrial power and it accounted for 5 % of its capital goods production. Germany and Britain were tied 2^nd with 14% each, with Britain being just ahead on decimal figures. These three countries thus together accounted for roughly 33% of production. Japan and Russia, 2 of the other major powers had even less contribution. U.S.A. accounted for a whopping 42% share. And this at a time when America was still not totally out of Depression, while Britain and Germany were quicker to come out of it. During the war, America sold/lent millions of tons of food, winter clothing, tanks, railroad coaches, heavy vehicles and other essentials to Britain and Russia. Britain was more self sufficient with industrial goods but the Battle of Britain would have long been lost without American food crops. Russia enjoyed a 2^nd industrial revolution of sorts during the war, with large production facilities shifting east from the traditional belt of Moscow-St. Petersburg-Kiev. However, the lightning quick pace of movement and starting of production units would have been impossible without American steel.

The formerly miserable ‘Okies’ or immigrants from Okhlahoma’s dust bowl were now eking a life of prosperity in California. While Europe, Asia and north Africa were ravaged by warfare, America sacrificed by sending its men out to war. But on the home front, America ended the war with an economy marginally smaller than the rest of the world combined.

Football: Mahabharata Way

2010-07-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

Continuing on the theme of getting my blog to work again I am posting this article which I had written quite some time back. But it is a decent read so here it goes. A crazy idea once struck me and I decided to merge an article on two things which fascinate me a lot- Indian Mythology and Football. I have tried to create an article encompassing these two passions together.

The heroes in the Mahabharata were remarkable characters in every sense of the word. I say heroes because this is the only work of the ancient world which does not give a clear demarcation between good and bad, plus and minus and all other diametrical opposites. In many ways it is the oldest version of objective journalism, something which we are still struggling to achieve. So why cannot these characters from the epic play the Beautiful Game. Okay it is the virile Englishmen who framed the rules of the world game, and then the Brazilians probably perfected it. But in India we have always been romantic about the past and about history. We always tend to see the past as an ideal age, so lets just think for once what would have happened if all the Mahabharata characters would actually have got down to testing themselves out on the football pitch. Following is the detailed description of the team I would have played if I had been the greatest Acharya ever-Drona.

The team would have played a modern day 4-2-3-1. Yudhishthira was the custodian of all the virtues which made our land celebrated by the Greek travelers in Antiquity. So he will have to keep goal for my ‘dream team’. I have gone for a combination of sheer strength and wisdom at the centre of my defense. Lord Balarama will be there to win all the headers and to topple any opponent trying a trick too many. Balarama wasn’t always the most headstrong of characters, so the wise patriarch Bheeshma becomes a necessity to complete the heart of the defense. The son of Mother Ganga was the wisest man in his generation, even the battle field on Kurukshetra remained untainted as long as he was leading one side of the confrontation. In probably the saddest scene of the entire epic, Bheeshma comes face to face with Arjuna, his favourite nephew. Thankfully this time they will all be on the same side. Perhaps no worldly treasure is worth fighting your own blood as Arjuna said at the time of this greatest tribulation, but perhaps no worldly fight could be bigger than if the entire clan is involved on the same side. Now coming on to the full backs. Nakula and Sahdeva for all their worthy deeds will perhaps always be confined to supporting roles. So from their full back positions the twins will maraud the wings supporting the more illustrious wingers, and while defending they shall lend a helping hand to the senior centre halves. The midfield generals will be Bheema and Ashwatthama. Bheema was the font of courage and someone who never cared for political niceties. In times of trouble he was often someone who took up the fight alone to the opposition. Similarly, on the football pitch the midfielder has to co-ordinate the entire team and drive the team forward at times of distress. One can imagine the box-to-box Bheema defending at one point and then immediately running with all his energy towards the opposition before giving the ball to more gifted players. He will also make those crunching tackles so important in a game and break up the opposition’s play. Partnering him in midfield will be Drona’s very own son Ashwatthama. The latter will be the coach’s eyes and ears on the pitch. He always possessed a healthy envy to the Pandavas from a young age. This will sting him to impress against the opposition at the same time maintaining his father’s discipline. His ethereal pace and intelligence will make him Bheema’s ideal foil, as a deep lying play maker and neat passer.

The last furlong of the team will have probably the four most famous personalities from the Mahabharata. Needless to say Krishna has to be on the wing with his brother from a bygone era-Arjuna- occupying the other flank. Krishna’s trickery and winking genius can actually be picturised. Step-overs, cutting in then going out, then coming back in and then out again, mesmerizing the opposition defense, he will be the ultimate showman for the team. His touches will be fewer in the game, but the ones he will take ought to be nothing short of sublime. Arjuna will be less showy but equally effective on the other flank, the intended torment of the opposition might be slightly lesser. But who knows the presence of a certain dark beauty in the stands might just get the mischievous side out of him too. Arjuna will start left because of his ambidextrous nature, perhaps he will also be two footed. Drona will have to ensure that happens. And then finally we come to the front attacking two. Brace yourself for the best attack combination the world has ever known. Telepathy is a word to be used for lesser mortals, not the son of Surya Deva on one side and the eldest of the Kauravas on the other. This will also be one of the most emotionally charged attacking pairs ever. The night when Karna was taken away from mortal life, was the worst in the whole life of Duryodhana. He took the death of his own brothers as the play of Fate, but could never reconcile himself to the death of a friend who gave away his life for him. Life had been extremely cruel to Karna, but in Duryodhana he found an ally who was always there for him, in both sorrow and joy. Karna announced himself to the world by stunning the pride of Arjuna on a day of a competition, but being appreciated was not to be his fate. It was Duryodhana indeed who reminded the world that origins do not matter. The great Ganga river starts as a small trickle not even a meager stream. Great men are all born as little babies, no one is born full grown but a Kshatriya is one who proves himself to be one through his deeds in life. Karna had proven himself to be all this and much more. Now Karna and Duryodhana have the chance to be together for one more time and this time to create magic on the football pitch. Duryodhana would be the target man around whom the three creative wizards would weave their magic.

The coach of course will be Drona, with Acharya Kripa his second in command. Bheeshma will lead the side out of the tunnel. Vaisampayana and Sanjaya would be doing the commentary dishing out the story to the gods and goddesses of the highest altar.

Opposition will have to be quality enough to be able to challenge these starts. Let us invite the Greek gods and heroes from the Iliad & Odyssey series to compete. More on that team later when we discuss the opposition’s line up in detail. The lineup of the Mahabharata team is as follows-:

Yudhishthira

Nakula Balarama Bheeshma Sahdeva

Ashwatthama Bheema

Krishna Karna Arjuna

Duryodhana

End Of My Hiatus

2010-07-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

A blog can so often mirror a person. The blog writer (let’s call him the writer here) writes on topics close to his/her heart and on issues important to the person at the particular stage in life. If what I have just written is remotely correct, then I have an eerie feeling that on how I will be judged. I used to be a decent writer, at least I claimed I was good. I used to write on myriad topics ranging from football to history to personal life. Notice the phrase ‘used to’. Yes that’s correct. I haven’t written for so long that I am fearful what this present blog will produce. But this is it. My slumber of more than a year has been broken. Over the next few articles I shall write on a number of topics which I have been thinking on for quite some time. But let the first of those just be an apology for this long hiatus and a promise for more to come. I end my blog here and hopefully somebody will read it. But be prepared for the slew of articles coming your way soon!

Travels and the Great Tree

2009-01-23T06:37:00.000-08:00

Travels often bring out the best in people. Even the most mundane of daily travels can have a stimulating effect on the mind. For me, it is always the outrageous which plays in my mind while journeying. Lately I was fortunate enough to visit some parts of Madhya Pradesh state’s forest belt. A friend of mine pointed to a big banyan tree and proclaimed it to be over 300-400 years old. This triggered a slew of ideas in my mind. What if by some way, we can make the tree to talk? If by some way, I can just communicate with it.
If it is 300 year old then did the banyan witness the Battle of Plassey from its heights atop the hill? It must have seen the epic battles between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Abdali. It must have wept with all of us, when Delhi turned red after Nadir Shah’s carnage on the city. Climbing a bit more the top branches might as well have caught a glimpse of America’s freedom struggle or even seen Bismarck’s war cries. So much can be learnt from the tree if I can only talk to her once.
Better even if the tree –lets name it B- is 400 years old. So much information must be stored on every pore of B’s body. She must have witnessed the landing of the first British ships in India. I wonder how B will rate the making of “Jodha Akbar”.
If I can only have a date with the 400 year old Banyan tree! I will extract information not known otherwise, and I shall become famous instantly. More than meager fame, it is the glory of seeing the world from up the Vindhyas for the period of 400 years that makes this the greatest of all journeys.

The Holy Cow!

2009-01-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

I am the Holy Cow of India
The envy of all other quadrupeds
I am treated like a god king here
The great Homo Sapien stoops before me

I had a king’s upbringing
Was born off a junkyard in New Delhi’s glitziest district
Did my schooling off slums
Where young innocent minds showered me with the reddest of bricks

For food I was always pampered
No boring green leafy vegetables or simple hay for me
I had the best of junk food
Spicy Continental Banana skins garnished on polythene packs

My mom called me one day and told me about a dream land nearby
She told me of a place on the foothills of mountains where flowed the sacred Ganga
It was the holiest of cities in India
Our kind are particularly given royal treatment there

So I went along dreaming of all the pleasures
I felt welcome when a picture of a sister was embedded on stone
So I went in looking for the priest’s blessings
I was blessed by his wooden rod, holier than all of humanity

I know I am a protected animal here
My life is guaranteed
Pity my brothers elsewhere
Who are fed and nourished only to fall prey with life still in them

I will continue to flourish till the body finally gives way
Till then I shall enjoy the best of junk- and all that for free
Who needs a McDonald’s or Wimpy’s
I am the Holiest of Holy Cows in India

Th Strange Choice!

2008-10-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

We witnessed a lot of hype over Hillary Clinton’s nomination to run for the post of Presidential candidate from the Democrat Party in the US recently. It is indeed an achievement for any human being whatsoever to rise to the position of being a semi-finalist in the race to be the world’s most powerful person. And for this alone, she should get a lot of respect from the public in general. But to claim that she was a messiah for women kind and that she was a solitary female representative in a male world is ludicrous at the least. Yes she is a woman, but then dare we forget she is the wife of Bill Clinton who was America’s President not so long ago, and in fact still remains among the most popular ones ever.

Now late us take the case of another woman leader in a different part of the world. The name is Mayawati Naina Kumari, presently the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. She was born in the lowest rung of society, and is now the leader of India’s largest and perhaps most influential sate. Here I’m not trying to be an advocate of caste politics or dalit-socialism, but I’m only trying to gauge the mind of the so-called feminists who have put personalities like Hillary Clinton now and others like Indira Gandhi and Isabella Peron in the pasta s feminist icons. Mayawati had an economically impoverished childhood, and is not conventionally pretty looking a quality often required for women to reach the top in patriarchal societies. And yet presently she is the most powerful person in one of the most backward-patriarchal parts of the globe. I’m not suggesting that Mayawati is a morally superior personality, but if seen purely as a female symbol surely none can have better credentials. Perhaps her not being dressed elegantly could be a reason for this lack of appeal to the modern working women who then look for falser idols. Indira Gandhi’s suave English and Hillary Clinton’s Caucasian American look better fit into these stereotypes of so-called ‘breaking the glass barrier’ and all that.
But the truth is that if I had been a feminist, Mayawati would definitely have been my idol. She has consistently managed to kick men around successfully starting without a base point to launch her campaigns. Indeed without seemingly powerful intimate relationships of blood or flesh.

Kunti's Rescue Act!

2008-05-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

It was a fatal night. Her dark body, mesmerizing as it was stood in front of the brothers, not in reality but in thoughts. They twitched at every sway of her hips. She was born as destiny’s child and now was her chance to finally fulfill her father’s wishes.

It was the night before Draupadi’s Swayamvar. She was to choose her own husband. Yudhishthira was struggling to keep up his usually restrained self, and kept dreaming about her the whole night. Bheema would fell demons with ease, but her thoughts and the fear of not winning her made him look like a child. Nakula and Sahdeva, forever obedient to their elder brothers and wanting their good could not avoid a slight selfishness that night. It was written in the stars that she would be Arjuna’s, but that was hardly a consolation for him under the silver shafts of moonlight. The Pandava brothers for once stood divided!

Draupadi’s father Drupada was in a fix. He ‘knew’ that fate would conspire to make Arjuna the husband, but he could not be sure. Competing for the prize were also Karna, Duryodhana and Dussasana, among the finest archers the world had ever seen. And indeed on the day of the Swayamvar they would all gather as would the Pandavas in their disguise. Karna was denied Draupadi’s love as he was a ‘son of a charioteer’, or so she thought. Thus hurt would rankle him throughout his life, and would have devastating consequences. As Fate had it, Arjuna was adjudged the winner of the archery contest and Draupadi was his wife; much to Drupada and her own relief.

Draupadi would go on to divide the house of the Kurus as no one else. She added venom to a fire already burning, but the poison would end up destroying the entire house and indeed all of Kshatriya kind. This was pretty much her role, as she was born to aid Krishna in bringing about the Kaliyuga.

But has Kunti’s crucial role as a peacemaker been ignored? It was as if she intervened to stop the Pandavas themselves breaking up over Draupadi. Bheema, Yudhishthira, Nakula and Sahdeva all desired her. Bheema ended up as possibly her biggest lover, always there when it mattered. In the Kuru Sabha after the dice game, he was the only one to stand up for her dignity and honour. Kunti’s singular act was to speak out the words- “divide the alms equally among you”. Did she actually not know what the alms were?

The brothers thus ‘divided’ Draupadi equally among themselves. She was now common to all five of them. The envy of The Kauravas would lead to a cataclysmic earth-shattering war. What would have happened had Kunti not intervened? Perhaps envy would have torn the Pandavas right through. It is speculation but maybe Bheema’s Gada would then challenge Arjuna’s Gandiva. Or maybe, Bheema would have joined Karna to fight Arjuna!!! Unthinkable it seems, but then again we saw what then happened to Duryodhana and Karna. Self destruction reigned in. Amazing to think of what all could have happened, but to me Kunto remains the unsung hero (ine) of the Mahabharata War. Prudence or maybe luck ensured that she would save her own sons from strangling each other out, long before the end of the Yuga.

T-20...Cricket or Not?

2008-05-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

A lot is being made out of this new apparition of the game cricket-Twenty-Twenty. People are still not resolved in their conflict whether this format of the game has any resemblance to the ‘gentleman’s sport’ begun in England. I have an altogether different view of the matter. I feel that it may not be cricket but it is definitely less ‘sinister’ than the ‘gentleman’s game’.

Cricket developed in England in the 18th century. It was then played by the land owning gentry of the country. ‘Gentleman’ is in fact a very cleverly disguised term to describe the ‘idle rich’. They were people who owned vast swathes of land and had to do little work to sustain themselves as the peasants tilled the land. Only that class at the top of the pyramid could logically play a game for 5 days. Even then results were not always produced, so the game became a means to satisfy the ‘leisure’ time. In fact, even working rich like the merchants were not allowed initially. Later when they did get inducted, separate pavilions were in store for the ‘gentlemen’ and ‘workers’. And soon the game became a further propaganda for England as it was introduced to some of the colonies as a means of ‘elevating’ the local rulers. Even here a discrimination was done, as the colonies at the ‘lowest’ level were not ‘fortunate’ enough to be introduced to the sport. So while Indian Rajas became active participants of cricket, African tribal chiefs or Caribbean ‘blacks’ would never be privy to it.

Now the game has changed beyond that. Commercialization has made it possible for cricket to become a sport of mass popularity in countries of the Indian sub-continent. Players are being drawn from different economic classes. Twenty-Twenty in such a scenario becomes an extremely democratic form of the game. It ends in about three hours and thus suited to people busy in their lives and working to meet their various needs.

So yes, W.G. Grace may be turning in his grave to see the world’s eyes resting on the Indian Premier League at the height of the English summer, yet we have to understand that the world has changed and cricket has to evolve accordingly. The gentlemen who developed the game were never so gentle after all.

Carrot and the Stick?

2008-05-09T02:56:00.000-07:00

It is that time of the year now, when we look back on yet another season of great football. We are gearing up towards another Champions League final and looking forward to the summer internationals. However, we knew all along that this summer would be different. In addition to the movement of players from one club to another, we will also be able to witness perhaps one of the most high profile summers in managerial appointments. Football has become very tactical, with the spontaneity of previous more innocent ages missing. The manager has to now make all important decisions. He is saddled with enormous pressure from top and bottom. Thus club owners and chairpersons are extra cautious in appointing the right person.

Sven-Goran Eriksson has just become the first high profile sacking. But then we also hear Frank Rijkaard getting the boot. Eriksson is someone whose methods have bored us, while Rijkaard’s teams have given all true football fans the real joy. Yet there is somehow a feeling that Sven is the unfortunate one. Rijkaard’s job was anyway on the line. We had been looking forward the whole season to see who would get the job amidst this merry go round of managers. The final appointment of Josip Guardiola is in many ways an anti-climax. Big names were touted like Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink and Luiz Felipe Scolari. But as we take a look back at Guardiola’s career, we can somewhat gauge this perplexing appointment. Guardiola is a Catalan true to heart. The blood of Catalonia runs in his veins and at times of trouble he might just about be the one to salvage a little pride for Barcelona Football Club once again. He was the Barca captain supreme, a natural leader of men and someone who would anchor the team together. The likes of Figo and Rivaldo may have enchanted the crowd more but his toe crunching tackles in the middle of the park were equally important. He has no experience at the top level of management, but has done well at the youth level helping bring the likes of Bojan Krkic and Giovanni dos Santos.

Guardiola’s appointment somehow takes me back to Real Madrid’s appointment of Jose Antonio Camacho a few years back. Real had just ended 2003-04 trophy-less, and needed the local passion and flavour. Camacho was deemed the right man. Yet, Camacho left within a few weeks at the start of the next season. Real were mired so deep in trouble that, that even he could not rescue them. Barca have similar problems, though they admittedly have an owner who is ready to sell the top stars if the team improves.

The recent plight of Barcelona F.C. in many ways offers a very good case study for modern management. Frank Rijkaard was one of those modern track suited managers who would come to the training ground and play with the boys. A sense of camaraderie existed between the players and the coaching staff. This went well at the club’s peak but once problems started, Rijkaard had little power to avert the situation. A great player he was who would teach the boys, but he was never one who could wield the stick alongside the carrot. Clubs like Manchester United have produced one great team after another in recent times is to a large extent because of the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson who belongs to the old school and keeps a belief in the distance between him and the players. Two years back Barcelona were on the brink of immortality before this self destructive streak set in. Ronaldinho was on his way to try and be a Pele, but he has suddenly been found considering himself bigger than the club. Frank Rijkaard’s managerial credentials were certainly on a high till mid 2006 at the team he had built right from scratch, but now all big clubs will consider twice before offering him the post. His man-management skills have certainly taken a beating.

Ultimately we all cry out for him and his team. In 2006 we thought this was going to be the best team for a long time to come. Barcelona was playing superb football and watching them was a delight. It was Total Football reinvented all over again, art at its highest. Yet now they perish. Perhaps now they need the stick of Guardiola much more than Rijkaard’s carrot.

IMPRESSIONS

2008-01-29T09:55:00.001-08:00

Ask any passerby on the streets about Russia, and the response is predictable. It was a great nation, most powerful in the world at par with USA, but now much reduced in size, and shrunken in terms of power and prestige. This is the usual response. Yet, is this completely true? Has Russia slid from being the world’s most glorious power to now being a mere trifling? Let us examine this theory.

At the time of the ‘greatness’ of USSR, all the ‘republics’ within the Soviet were to have their own SSRs, thus the nation was an amalgamation of all these ‘local’ units. But while Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and all the other ‘republics’ have their own authority, Russia was denied an SSR. There was only one reason for this, and that was to deny another rival body to the supreme communist party. Russia contained 90 per cent of the land area of the Union and 72 per cent of the population. A local Russian body could easily oppose the centre. And most of these policies were framed at the time of Stalin’s Comradeship, clearly explains this fear, as he himself was a Georgian. The Russian people constantly faced discrimination of a sort in their own country. Crimea was Russian till as long as recorded history exists, yet it was ‘given’ over to Ukraine in order to appease the Ukrainians, now proud possessors of a naturally very prosperous piece of land. Russians also lost the land of their forefathers in the Steppes, as the Kazakhs were distributed highly fertile cotton growing soil, while the original tillers were packed off as slave labour in Siberia. Many were even transported to the Baltics or elsewhere as part of a ‘melting pot’ strategy. And to crown all this, the Russian Orthodox Church, the lifeline of the Motherland was stripped down naked, people forbidden to worship their gods. Yes, Russia may have been at the head of a powerful empire, yet the people may not have been colonizers.

We now come to the present scenario. Siberia produces oil, Oligarchs travel the world’s capitals as some of the richest men on earth, Russian ‘beauties’ are now amongst the luminaries of the fashion world and what’s more, Russians are even good at Lawn Tennis, a traditionally upper class sport. Under Putin’s leadership, the country is showing signs of an economic improvement from the doom and gloom of the nineties. St. Petersburg, barring the Cyrillic script on the sideways, actually appears a modern version of Detroit. And all this somehow makes the situation a bit scary.

Russia is a wounded nation. Misguided young people may want to change their nation’s destiny, and want to reclaim the imagined glory the nation possessed barely 20 years back. The situation is somewhat reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s. Now I shall not go so far as to suggest such cataclysmic a consequence for the whole world, yet Russia’s recent military manouvres near the western border and its claim to the North Pole, suggests a growing self-belief. The self-belief may not always have the best desired results.

The world requires Russian oil. And Russia requires the foreign wealth to keep pouring in. And the nation’s future is still in the hands of the people themselves. Russia may end up once again churning out deadly weapons as its primary focus. Or she could prove to be a glorious chapter in the history of free enterprise.

IMPRESSIONS

2008-01-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

To remove or not to?

2008-01-27T03:07:00.000-08:00

The word ‘socialist’ is these days creating a massive ruckus in public. People all over the country are debating the validity of the inclusion of this S word in our Preamble, and thus its significant presence in our constitution. Powerful politicians and ‘liberal’ journalists are clamouring for the word to be dropped from the great document altogether. However, now that we are in this position, let’s just explore the meaning of the word ‘socialism’.

Does this word only mean an economic principle in which the means of production are owned by the public? Did Karl Marx himself have this narrow definition of this rather old word? Thus, is a socialist also necessarily a communist? Can a capitalist never work for the society and be termed a socialist entrepreneur?

To me, the word has utopian connotations. A socialist state is one where every individual strives for his/her own betterment at the same time benefiting society around. A capitalist owning vast swathes of personal wealth thus qualifies as a socialist if he/she invests in products deemed procurable by people while the workers too enjoy at least reasonable working conditions with some amount of personal social security. Our country is now experiencing growth as never known before, surely soon to touch the remarkable double digit growth figure. The dream socialist state which Nehru envisaged never came to fulfillment. Instead, Manmohan Singh’s dream economy based on individual enterprise is apparently working better. But this to me does not render the word socialist as anything dangerous, to be confined to the dustbin.

To an extent, the apathy of today’s policy makers and the free press can be understood. Communism was perhaps the biggest lie of the 20th century. Human beings were denied basic liberty and instead of enabling the labourer to rise, it expected all people to behave as labourers. We all know about the Gulag camps in Siberia, the forced hunger deaths of the 3 million Kulaks in Ukraine, the liquidation of all the Russian church personnel in Russia and indeed a lot more. Yet, organized communism definitely served one good purpose. The former capitalist nations could no longer remain as ‘capitalist’ if you like as before. They had to modify in fear of a labour uprising on Leninist lines. Thus, the working classes in America and Western Europe experienced reforms as never before. The labour class was now coerced into a coalition ironically to protect the interests of the largely well established liberal economies.

Thus, let us not totally abandon the word socialism from our lexicon. Our industrial growth and Forex reserves might be at an all time, the rupee might well be gaining ground, but this does not qualify us as anti-social. One would like to believe that the rise of India is not exclusive of any group in the country and benefits everybody. In that case, we might as well still swear by our preamble, and continue to include the word ‘socialist’ along with the so far less controversial ‘sovereign’.

The Fanatically Unfanatic!

2007-10-10T01:42:00.000-07:00

The 20th century was easily the bloodiest ever. The World Wars and many more squabbles over territories, and all the by-products of war killed half a billion people over the hundred years. As a result, we have been left with an eternal scar marking our own generation. The conflicts were all racial, or religious, with an absolute intolerance for the other. And so, our generation is veered towards being, tolerant and politically correct. We are trying to be tolerant towards each other.
And what a virtue that, is. People of different colours creeds now sit together in an office enclosure and share their ideas to make the ends better. People of different nationalities embrace each other in sporting competitions where they may be part of the same team geared towards the same end. And indeed, America may soon vote for a female President.
But are we overdoing things? Has political corrected ness become a malign, a disease? So much so that a buffalo may not be called buffalo, because it may feel bad. A tigress will complain of being called so, and in an equal world, both male and female should simply be called a tiger. A well fed domestic dog may not be called gorgeous lest the street ranger of a dog may feel slighted.
And indeed this malign has another face to it. A face where the so-called oppressed in society can prick the somewhat stronger ones in any which way, but the ‘strong’ dare not say a word. So, Hindi films can show the ‘white man’ in any trashy way. Americans are often portrayed as ignorant people, obsessed with sex, with no regard to a family life. However, any slight mischief on the other party’s part, and up goes the media, ‘racism’. Poor little Shilpa Shetty can’t protect herself from the slurs against
her!
At the end of the day, I concede that at the ground level, the ‘oppressed’ actually have a point. Casteism is still rampant in India, with the lower castes often having to feed on scraps. Exploitation still continues. And the condition of women at a ground level is often deplorable. However, these wrongs are being taken up as excuses by certain groups of people. A man accidentally born into a Brahmin family can thus never call himself so, but a person who happens to be a…..can always be proud of his ‘roots’. In an educated, intelligent assembly, invariably the topic has to switch to how weak the weak are. An objective view is thus never possible these days where all sides are taken into consideration. Subalternism rules!
So, perhaps a clinging to one’s own roots may not be too bad after all. After all, it isn’t an individual’s fault, when the whole society clings to a ‘wrong’.

Last Man Standing

2007-08-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

The year 2007 brings to us a number of anniversaries. It is exactly 400 years since the foundation of the first British colony in the New World, Virginia named after Queen Elizabeth I, with its capital at Jamestown, named after her cousin James I. It is 300 years since the Union between England and Scotland. And, it is 300 years since the last indigenous King ruled North India, like a true monarch. On March 3, 1707, Aurangzeb, the son of Shah Jehan and Mumtaz Mahal, slid into the final throes of life unto death itself, leaving the entire subcontinent open to foreign domination. And now that it is 300 years, we look back at the legacy the last Great Mughal left on our lives.
Born on November 3rd, 1618, when Shah Jehan was governor of the south in Dahod, Maharashtra, Aurangzeb was a somewhat sickly child. He hardly possessed any of the martial qualities which had been endowed in his family for generations. However, he possessed a cunning which would go onto serve him extremely well later in life.
Aurangzeb was comparatively dour and dispassionate. He was the complete anti-thesis of his visionary father, who was dreamer first and a romantic at heart. The father was much more inclined to the brilliant scholar that Dara Shikoh, the eldest son was. In fact Dara was the best scholar that this branch of Temur’s clan produced. Dara was liberal, Aurangzeb was orthodox. In fact the latter was extremely pious in many ways and followed the Quran to the hilt. It had its advantages, but proved more to be a calamity for the nation which he ruled, where the vast majority of the population was Hindu, as far as religious affiliation is concerned. Unlike some of his forebears who led lives full of women, and alcohol, he completely abstained from alcohol and considered sex as only a regrettable necessity in life. He was also, somewhat kind to his courtiers, servants and soldiers, never reveling as an emperor with pomp and show. But, his biggest failing may well have been his imposition of the Jaziya or the Tax on non-Muslims. This and his other destructive elements completely undid all his otherwise mild mannered demeanour.
Aurangzeb has often been thought of as a great conqueror and military general who didn’t posses the nuances to rule by the pen. But that was hardly true. Yes, he ruled over an area of land greater in area than any previous Indian born emperor, but most of his military victories may simply be considered Pyrrhic. Victories where the winner lost as much as the vanquished. He led a campaign to unite the whole of India under the Mughal sword, where the primary target was the deep south. However, the south could never be tamed by Islamic armies in India the way the north was. Much is often said about the martial culture existing in the north. But it was the south where Aurangzeb’s army met defeat after defeat. The conditions were absolutely alien to the Pathans and Rajputs from the north. The army was in fact a gargantuan unit, too large and unmanageable, a far cry from Babur’s efficient compact unit. The units were boosted by numbers of camp followers, and servants. Each year, he kept losing about a 100,000 troops. It was a huge strain on the nation’s treasury. Towards the end of his reign, Aurangzeb had himself lost the plot, and the meaning of the ongoing war. He considered himself to be a sinner for having been the cause of so many deaths and for ruining the work of his family. The administration had broken up and corruption was rampant.
And yet, Aurangzeb remains one of the greatest emperors of India ever. He was the last true Indian to rule over this vast area for so long. And as long as he was there, the British could never rove their eyes towards the vast riches as means of conquest. India’s colonization by foreign powers was still a long way off.
And, so ultimately, on a March morning, he passed way and in the town of Khuldabad in Maharashtra remains his tomb. A quiet sepulcher, a far cry from the glorious jewel encrusted tombs of his fathers. Indeed, an austere end, for a man forever committed to simple living.

A Piece of My Heart!

2007-07-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

Bill Shankly, the authoritarian patriarch of Liverpool Football Club, had once commented that football was more important than life and death. Perhaps that is true. For romantics like me, that’ll always be true. But even for the hard core pragmatists, of late two events have stirred, which have particularly touched my heart, and might as well, soften those of that camp.

Iraq mired in one of its severest political crisis ever, has risen from absolutely nowhere to reach the Finals of the so called, Asian Championships. The best national teams from all over Asia have gathered in their droves here. The traditional giants from the continent like The Korean Republic, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq’s neighbours Iran along with newcomers Australia were expected to do battle, with the others merely making up the numbers. And Iraq, who would have thought, the players could hardly train, with the fear of a car bomb forever lurking near their bases. No other sport could have fuelled this possibility. Other sports are expensive, and most never arouse the community feeling which, this simple and beautiful team sport makes up.

Now we travel northwards to Spain where yet again Atletic Bilbao could ward off the threat of relegation and survive in the Premier Division. Super rich clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid remain the only ones to have achieved this feat of forever being in the top flight of Spanish football. And while Real and Barca, have achieved this success through their huge power bases, their enormous wealth and government backing at least in the case of the former, Bilbao have achieved all this through their unique Canterra policy. To understand this, we first need to travel a little back in time. After Franco took over power in Spain in 1936, the language of Madrid, Castilliano was deemed the sole official language of the extremely diverse nation. The persecution of the Basques then went on headlong. Basque ethnic pride could no longer be openly displayed, so the Atletic Bilbao football club’s ground the historic San Mamez became the vent for this patriotism. And thus, the club only ever played Basques in the club’s team. No foreigner, not even a non-Basque Spaniard. In fact, some French Basques like Lizarazu have played for them, but no other Spaniards. Such sentiments can be understandable in an earlier age, but to think of the fact that the programme continues to be a success well into the 21st century tells us something about both he people and the sport. It is as I say such a common-man’s game, that passion alone over rides so often.

Tomorrow is I guess the day when Iraq plays the Asian finals against the Saudis. No offence to the boys from the Arabian Peninsula, but I will cheer all my heart out for Iraq. These men, their fathers and their sons, have suffered for so long, bombings, poverty, migration, that our sympathies reach out to them. And as for, the policy at Bilbao, I believe after the flirtations with near relegation over the last two seasons, perhaps the time for change may have come. Or has it? Is so called success, more important than regional pride? Answer lies with the readers. Tell me what you all think!

19th, July

2007-07-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

19th of July. The date rings a million memories to me. The parties, the cakes, the food, and the jingles. Indeed, it is the day when 28 years ago, my sister was born into the planet. And this year, for the first time ever, she will be beyond my reach, in some other country, a separate continent, a different time-zone altogether.

The whole week has seen a huge abyss in my life. In previous years, the entire week preceding 19th, all of us would be exposed to Didi’s constant singing ‘Happy Birthday to Me’, which may not always be so pleasant. However, nothing of that this time around.

Sayantani Dasgupta has always been a very passionate character who pursues her dreams till the end. While many other women consider meekness a virtue, she has always been more than a handful for any person around. Brilliantly intellectual, she misses nothing around.

Didi has generally mellowed down over the years. Each step in her life has lead to a change. In school, she was fiery, someone who would break her pencil if things went wrong, or tear apart all the posters in her bedroom. She changed a bit in college, perhaps St. Stephen’s provided her a perfect platform to show herself, and those may well have been her happiest years. Then, as she went to JNU, a different life emerged to her. A more Pan-India culture proved to be a bit of a shock, and she got first hand information on grass roots politics in India. But the biggest change engulfed her as she went to work in Mohali. My sister who was previously obsessed with reading on Hitler, or Saddam Hussein, was now suddenly interested in dressing up in Salwars, and hearing Sufi Music. The girl got transformed to a woman. It was during her Mohali stay that she gifted me David Beckham’s autobiography for my 17th birthday.

The lady in question is also very loyal to her family. Always gets something for every one in the immediate clan, whenever she goes somewhere. And what’s more as she now heads to middle age, a new life is what she is experiencing. In America for the last one year (nearly), she has made deep inroads into American academic life. And I am just waiting for the day when she strides into her Ivy League classroom, to deliver her lecture on the Mahabharata, her life’s ambition.

Of Horses and Horsemen

2007-06-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

Human history is full of highlights. Great men have done great deeds, which have resulted in other matters, which in turn have affected something. We tend to ignore the human element in most of it. Victory or defeat in wars is usually attributed to the top tiers, as if the generals themselves slew thousands of the ‘enemy’. It is the faceless millions throughout time, who have laid their lives, forever putting the cause ahead of themselves, who deserve accolades and plaques. Now, here I want to express my views on a unique animal, whose presence has altered human history in an unfathomable way. Indeed, let’s pay our tribute to the quadruped called horse.

It is incredible to think now, but horses almost didn’t make it. The modern animal had its beginnings in what is now North America. Fossils discovered show that North America was their stomping ground till well past the figure of 30,000 years ago when man first reached the continent. This led to an enormous struggle over the next millennia and over time, over-hunting meant that the horse was extinct in its homeland. Miraculously some survived the genocide and reached Eurasia and the rest is history.

A number of human races lay claim to the idea of being the first ones to tame horses. The Middle East says so about its own people, so do central Asians and others. Wherever it was done, it heralded the quicker evolution of history. Humans were now able to work much quicker. Much larger distances could be covered in a shorter time. Techniques of breeding horses were constantly devised, improved and re-interpreted. Imagine a world without horses! The Roman army could never have crossed its boundaries, and created their world empire. The Carthaginians could never have threatened Rome. Northern Europe may not have been colonized so quickly and indeed a lot more. No other animal could have quite substituted. Yes the donkey would have done some local work, but they never had the pace to run miles at a blistering pace. Neither do they possess the loyalty to a master so crucial to humans. Camels would still have done their work in Arabia and Central Asia, but never outside their own regions. Alexander’s men would never have reached India. And as a result of all this, human civilization would have halted, it would have been a very slow evolution between different ages.

It is ironic to say, but it is also true that to a large extent, wars have fostered the growth of human culture. For war and plunder, men have traveled afar (needless to say, on horseback), and come into contact with different groups of people. Thus science and technology have been exchanged, cultures have mixed and genealogies changed due to different wars. Without quick means of travel, different discoveries in different parts of the world could never have been exchanged between one another leading to the discovery of something else in turn. Maybe, we would still be in the Bronze Age in the 21st century without them!

Without horses the Turks would never have been able to secure Constantinople as back as 1453, thus Europe would not have ventured towards the New World back then. And so America’s discovery would have had to wait for many more centuries. The slave trade on Africa may also never have taken place, as the Eurasians wouldn’t have had the head start. A reason why Africa has remained backward over time, is not the people’s fault, but unlike Eurasia full of resources, Africa has never had tame-able animals. The Zebra and the Giraffe could never help humans in spite of their natural abilities, not because the black man wasn’t intelligent enough but because of the animal’s system which could never accept authority.

Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves this question, that is it humans who have tamed horses, or is it them who have tamed us? Without human help, the population of this animal would never have soared to such numbers as today. Their close relatives, Zebras, Gazelles, and Giraffe struggle for habitation, while horses are given full honour among humans. In religion, sport, military and transport, these have a haloed image.

Whether horses are our companions, or we for them will always be a matter of debate, but one thing is certain, human culture so rich presently, would not have anything resembling like wise without them. Thus, horses are here to stay forever in our life and culture.

Koffee With Karan

2007-05-22T03:32:00.000-07:00

‘Koffee With Karan’, hosted once a week by renowned film maker Karan Johar, used to be one of my most hated programs on T.V. However my sister and mom had throughout taken to it, so often I would just stare in front of the T.V wondering where to run away. And being in the time slot of late evenings on Sundays, it usually clashed with some good football match that I wanted to see. However, lately I have developed an immunity for this thing, and would like to share some of my views on the participants, and the ineffable host.

Rakhee Sawant comes to the program in her usually unabashed sense, to make a point as quickly as possible. Karan Johar asks her, whether she had ever had artificial silicon-isation of her body, and her prompt reply is, “Kyon nahin? Jo Bhagwan nahin, de sakta, who doctor de sakta hain!” Common Man! Wah Wah!

Then there are the Kapoors- Randhir, Rishi, and Rajiv, who come one day. By the way I would like to introduce all to a little bit of family tit-bit. My father has a renowned dislike of much of this family’s filmy skills, and he has forever maintained that Randhir is the worst of the family, while Rishi is slightly better than the worst, whereas Rajiv would probably fit in as worse than worst. So, for us watching them in action, gave us a sense of Déjà vu. My mom being extremely fond of Rishi, always provided a firm stand to oppose dad. I personally found all three of them extremely amiable on the show. Randhir spoke well, Rishi even better, and Rajiv pampered by his brothers. They were quick to maintain that though they had forever been associated with their famous father, Raj, it was their mother who moreover shaped their personalities, being with them forever, while RK was busy with his industrious occupations. Of course, Neetu Singh who ultimately decided on Randhir Kapoor to win the all important coffee hamper.

Then there was Shahrukh Khan with Kajol and Rani Mukherjee as the ladies with him. I think in recent years, Shahrukh has been much maligned by the critics for his forever lover boy image. But I personally think that the nineties were a time, when the metro sexual man was in vogue. A man who could cry in public, a man who had little hair growth, and a man who was interested in women, pretty much in stark contrast in all measures as to the superstar of the previous generation, Amitabh Bachchan. Brawn as fashion, is probably repeating itself. True to his image, Shahrukh and Karan J molly cuddled each other through a painful hour, and in between the women kept laughing and squeaking at every opportunity. I have never liked Kajol’s abrasiveness, and on that particular day, I thought she had broken all her previous records. I could probably have counted all 32 permanent and an added 24 of her milk teeth that day.

And then there was Jaya Bachchan who came with Hema Malini. Although I have always been very fond of the latter, in her films, I just feel that perhaps her English is a bit too nasal. But jayaaaaaaa..uffff………She was her usual morose self, sad at the world, her host, partner, critics generally and probably most at herself. Must learn a few tips from her.

But then last of all I would like to mention, John Abraham and Bipasha Basu, who I thought gave us the best show of all. Very intelligent in their answers, and never frivolous, basic decency was maintained, and I never got embarrassed enough to leave the room. After all Bips is Bong! Personally I think Bipasha has had a very god impact on Hindi Cinema. Her entry has paved the way for other dusky skinned, dark eyed women to make their forays after decades of dominance by the fair skinned, pale eyed heroines mostly from north India.

And now, I am looking forward to the next show which plans to have the great Richard Gere. He may not particularly kiss anyway on this next week’s show, but he will surely cause a number of kisses directed at him throughout the evening from all over the land.

2007-05-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Ode To My Beloved

Her Face Can Launch A Thousand Ships
Her Sight Catches A Million Fires
Her Speech Gets Us All Numb
Lady Manchester United

Her Womb Creates New Life
Her Flowing Breasts Suckle Us
Her Attention Keeps Us Proud
Mother Manchester United

Christian, Heathen, Indian, Saracen
We All Die For Your Love
The Greatest Sight On Earth
O Goddess Manchester United

A Million Men Rise For You
O Make Me Your Personal Bodyguard
Or With Jealousy My Heart Sighs
O Manchester United