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A long and overdue rant

2012-10-02T18:35:00.004+05:30

Well it has been close to 8 months since I blogged, after coming back to India, I took to liking in spending weekends doing mundane things. Nothing concrete, but the new definition of being lazy is, doing totally pointless things under the name of being busy. Finally I kicked myself out of this laziness, just to check whether i still have it in me to journal my thoughts rather than just thinking about it and letting it go after I snap out of it.

Being Oct 2, the TV channels are overwhelmed with special programs and brand new movies. But note, none of these have got any relevance to the reason behind this holiday, it just another day off for people to sit back at home and while away their time in front of the the idiot box and I am no different. But as expected, the staple Richard Attenborough's Gandhi was in one of the channels when I landed on the scene where Gandhi comes down to an indigo farmer's house to understand their cause of concern, the farmer cries about greedy landlords, indifferent government and no one person to really understand the basic needs of the people/farmer, end result, people suffer and have nothing they can do but toil their life out in pain. This got me into thinking, have we really progressed on our own home role in the last six decades? Beyond the regular media hype on 'India Shining' or 'new India' or articles on how we are really the next big economy, I seriously believe these all exist only on paper. The working class and service class are still finding it tough to meet their ends and the state or the central government is still doling out one populist scheme after another to just win the election and no agenda whatsoever on the future. The serious lack of good thinking leaders and lack of ideas on the direction to take is really killing the nation from the inside. When the Congress came to power again in 2009, against rational thinking, I was happy to have an economist PM continue under the hope he will drive India forward in a time when whispers of depression and double dip recession were making rounds. But "coalition dharma" and alliance politics made India take 3 steps backward for every progressive step, there were slight glimmers of hope in the form of Gujurat and Bihar, but again nothing that could make the nation move forward.

The main culprit is not just the ruling Congress government, the blame should also lie with the opposition party BJP which boasts of reformist and progressive mindset. As I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts, BJP should shed its "oppose anything the govt proposes" mentality and grow up to support the government on any critical reform to help the nation's progress. The burgeoning educated middle class will definitely understand BJP's intention and willingness to support reforms and of course will help them capture power in the 2014 elections (not that the middle class alone represents the Indian electorate, but still is a significant number). Ofcourse the opposition's move to ensure the scams and money plundering doesn't go unnoticed, it is the right way to ensure that every move by the government is always being watched by the media and other political parties, but again, that alone will not ensure BJP is doing things right.

So with the nation heading nowhere and no clear leader emerging from the motley of regional parties, I think there is very little hope things are going to change in 2014 or if there is an mid term elections in 2013. There are intense debates in the 24/7 news channels on the pros and cons of the FDI reforms and at the end of day, it leaves the Indian electorate more confused than ever. As Arvind Kejriwal drama unfolds at one end, the Mamata's party to pressure the centre to roll back everything progressive while WB reels under mismanagement hogs the headlines at the other end. With Modi harbouring PM ambitions while the other NDA allies strictly against it, the 2014 elections will be a giant circus with the nation being the biggest loser. At the end of day it really pains to see such gross mismanagement and squandering of public money with use to no one while a part of the nation is without basic needs of food, electricity and water. A nation always on the tipping point on communal front (Assam), regional front (Telengana), infrastructure developments (Kudunkulam) is really a heavy machinery to move forward with so many rigid and leaking ends, but again to use those detrimental factors to personal gain and cheap politics is absolute disservice to a country with so many eager minds and expectant citizens waiting for a change.

The movie dialogue from Gandhi in a meeting with the British viceroy, "I beg you to accept that there is no people on Earth who would not prefer their own bad government to the good government of an alien power", was really thought provoking, but may be we took the thought a bit too seriously and never realized there can also be a home grown good government too!!

A Brand New Year

2012-01-03T08:23:00.000+05:30

As we march ahead into 2012, a sneak peek into 2011 is always interesting. We had an interesting year in the political arena with the 2G scam, the lokpal debate, the Hazare fever and Rahul taking the responsibility to win the UP elections for Congress this year. UPA-II lost its credibility amongst the public in the way it handled the Hazare incident and also its image when the 2G scam was unravelled. The year 2012 will be a year of soul searching for Sonia & co if they are planning about UPA-III, personally I think we had enough of Congress's indecisiveness at the top in the name of coalition dharma and petty politics, but they are still the ruling party and they still have an year before we run into elections again. BJP did not fare any better, they had heavy infighting as to who should replace Advani as the face of BJP moving forward, their actions in the parliament did not evoke any kind of positive attention and they played a pathetic opposition by opposing everything the government proposed. With a forgettable year at the the centre, I don't sense anything big happening in 2012 as well, but the UP elections can put wind in the sails of Congress if it manages to perform well there.

Politics in Tamil Nadu was a bit better with the DMK losing its elections against the arch rival AIADMK and Jaya as usual made her presence felt with a string a changes in the governance and also cases against the top leaders from the previous govt. AIADMK government is touted to be a welcome change to the corrupt DMK government, but if we have to go by the history, they aren't any different and when it comes to the common man, it doesn't matter who rules, essential needs are always hard to come by. An interesting development was VijayKanth party's improvement as the main opposition party in the assembly, but AIADMK having absolute majority, his role in important decisions will be severely restricted. It was also amazing to note how Jaya sidelined all her allies after her terrific comeback and how she gets things done her way! There is a lot to look forward from this government as Jaya has always proven to be an excellent administrator and hopefully Tamil Nadu improves its rank amongst other states and also fills up its coffers which were left thread bare when DMK completed its tenure.

Cricket for India had an excellent start, we won the World Cup and the last piece of accolade which had eluded Tendulkar for long at last found its home in his drawing room. As the year progressed, India fared really bad in England and the team is seeking redemption in Australia now, also the 100th ton still remains something to look forward in 2012. We salvaged some pride when we played Windies late in the year and Dwayne Bravo was a revelation of sorts. So an interesting year ahead for Sachin, Rahul and VVS, also, we might get a glimpse of how India will fare when these three retire from the test arena. The year 2011 also turned out to be a dampener for the IPL as the TRP ratings fell and everyone felt a overdose of cricket when Windies tests were scheduled in Delhi and Kolkota, sparse crowd was something never heard of when cricket is played in this part of the world. So it will be interesting to see how BCCI and ICC are going to counter this cricket fatigue in 2012.

On a side note, we had the first Indian grand prix happening in Noida and the entire world lost a visionary in the form of Steve Jobs which will leave a big void in the technical world. We also had a coming of age movie in Bollywood under the title Delhi Belly. It was totally an interesting year and as always, we should be more eager than ever to see what is to unravel in 2012.

Thanks Steven Spielberg

2011-12-26T01:47:00.000+05:30

Tintin should be one of the best movie in the recent times. No one could have captured the essence of the Herge's Tintin novels better than Spielberg, be it the motion capture technology or the 3D usage, the movie was a treat to all the Tintin fans. The movie will definitely initiate the non Tintin-ians into reading the Tintin comics, may be they could not exactly connect with the movie the first time, but after reading the comics if they watch this movie again it should be an exhilarating experience. The backbone of all Tintin comics is Haddock and the Thompson Detectives and this movie captures these characters as envisioned by Herge, the dry humour and quirky comic retorts from Haddock are a stand out. To see this comic on the big screen was really a treat and was really wonderful. All the characters in the movie were motion captured, while snowy alone was still a CGI creation and the reactions captured from Snowy were also brilliant. The only gripe should be, not able to see the regular Snowy's thoughts/dreams/opinions that are also an attraction point on the comics, I know it is not practical to show bubble thoughts on the movie screen, but still that will continue to remain 'a must want' from me. This should be one of the few movies after Hugo which has done justice to the term '3D'. A must watch definitely.

Daily Routine beckons!

2011-12-26T01:18:00.000+05:30

The last two weeks had been so brutal on my regular routine that I have totally lost touch with reality. All my regular activities were put on hold and a parallel routine emerged out of nowhere, this new schedule dictated my routine to the extent that after the two weeks, it is as if I am awake after a really long deep sleep. Seriously, in the last two weeks, I couldn't look beyond my work into my browser to take a break and today when I look into my RSS news feed, it is as if I am from an alien planet. So many things have happened and it would take me a week to stay up to date, but on a deeper retrospection I sincerely feel that I have become addicted to my daily news feed. Initially I thought it was just a aberration on the part of my mind since it was not doing its routine, but after the 3rd or 4th day I realized my addiction was deep rooted. Anyways, since I did not have an option I survived the two weeks and the coming weeks are not going to alter anything.

So after a revelation, am I going to do anything about this? Nah! Just find the easiest way to get back to old routine and stay put.

Cricket Classics - Australia Vs West Indies 1999

2011-12-09T23:43:00.000+05:30

This should be one of the best tests played between Windies and Aussies. A video below is a gist of the second innings. The reaction from Walsh when he plays the first ball says it all.

A more dedicated video on Lara's innings, its is a 40min video and pure Lara innings.

One has to remember that Lara had just lost an entire test series to S.Africans and had totally hit rock bottom before the Australian Series. In this series he again proved why he is a genius and why he is the prodigal son of the West Indian soil. The final moments of the test were so interesting that even today you would bite your finger nails before the last ball.

India down under

2011-12-07T22:32:00.000+05:30

Another three more weeks before the Boxing day test starts in MCG. It is all exciting when the cricket behemoths battle against one another in a four test series with the third test scheduled at WACA. The squad for the Indian squad was announced last week with no major surprises, Bhajji was again not in the contention as Ashwin and Ojha are proving to be handful and it will really be a test of technique and temperament when they bowl against the best batsmen. In Australian conditions, except for the Sydney test, I think India will go with 3 pacers and 1 spinner and who will don the role of the single spinner will be an interesting proposition. Kohli and Rohit Sharma will again fight for the vacant middle order spot and it will be another closely fought competition to grab a berth in the test starting eleven. There is also speculation as to whether Zaheer will be fit before the tour and if he is not going to make it, it will be a really young bowling team that will face the likes of Clarke, Hussey and Ponting.

This should be a really interesting series after India's disappointing performance in England. So all eyes will be watching the Indian performance down under and hopefully we get to see the Ishanth Vs Ponting magic again! Lets hope at least this time around, India come back home with the 'Border-Gavaskar' trophy.

Politics Vs Growth

2011-12-05T22:54:00.000+05:30

The FDI fiasco is getting murkier day by day and there doesn't seem to be an end except for Govt. to roll back their policy. This has stalled the parliament for the last 7 days and nothing concrete has been achieved either by the ruling political party or the opposition. This entire battle seems to be a game between the political parties to show their might and in this noise, the consumer's interest, in my opinion, has been pushed to the back burner. In a developing economy like India, policies of this magnitude must be discussed and everything in the policy needs to be worked out in cohesion to ensure the policy brings out the best for the country.

In the recent times, BJP seems to make an issue out of anything the government brings out in the form of reform. I sincerely believe a party like BJP should shed this image and try to work with the government when it is trying to hash out a policy that might serve well for the Indian economy on the longer run, thats the progressive way forward and also it will actually make BJP look pro-reform which is actually one of the points put forward in their election manifestos. Yes, this reform will have few negative impact on the society, but which policy of this magnitude doesn't ? As representatives of the electorate, these parties have a responsibility to provide the best for the people, ideally, they should help the government come up with the best case situation where there will be minimal impact to the people and also serve well for the economy. It might work in an ideal world, but no democracy is ideal so at least the BJP can back the government on crucial policies like these.

Even though there has been widespread agitation and protest across India, it all looks to be politically motivated than being sincere. There have also been reports where the trade bodies themselves have welcomed such a move which would help them with the money inflow and spur the demand. Anyways, from the look of things, this reform will be suspended for the time being till the Government can win over its allies. The wait continues!

Hugo

2011-12-03T01:00:00.000+05:30

Hugo is yet another masterpiece from one of the greatest directors Martin Scorsese. This time around, he has created a movie which will be loved by all ages alike. In the recent times, the term '3D' has always been a promotional gig for the movies, but Scorsese has really made '3D' mean something. All through the movie, it is always like watching the happenings over the shoulders of the actors. The camera angles and usage were excellent and the movie's opening scene is a proof of that. Beyond the technical marvels, to pitch a movie based on Georges Melies and still not make it look like a documentary is an act of genius. The later half of the movie is almost a snapshot of Georges's life after world war I, but still the screenplay was interesting and intriguing that you don't realize the tangent on the story line. The music from Hans Zimmer accentuates the movie's overall experiance and Ben Kingsley's acting stood out. Every support act in the movie has been carved to perfection and Zimmer's OST breathes life into the sequences involving no dialogues. If you ask me, it is a 'not-to-be-missed' movie and definitely needs to be experienced in the bigger screen.

SOS Tugga!

2011-11-30T23:04:00.000+05:30

Note: This was an post i wrote in 2005 after Australia's epic loss against the English in 2005 Ashes. In my opinion this post still makes sense today.

Every Indian cricket fan knows what Kolkota ’01 means! History created, Epic rewritten. Laxman belted Aussies giving Indians the first taste of success in that unforgettable series, nor can we ignore Harbhajan’s magical off spins or Dravid’s stand with laxman. But digging further into the match one heroic act got lost amidst all these success stories. Towards the end of day one on this test Aussies were still struggling to break Harbhajan’s spin maze, reeling at 291 for the loss of eight wickets. There was one man waging a lone battle with number 29 reading against his name in the score books. Known as ‘Tugga’ to his team mates. Stephen Rodger Waugh was stranded at one end with Gillespie to support. The critics and the cricket so called experts predicted Aussies final score to 310. But this man showed his real character exemplifying temperament and experience at the Eden Gardens. He scored a century with a tail ender to support him and resurrected his pride temporarily by guiding Aussies to a respectable 445.

Four years later, Aussies struggling to retain their(?) Ashes at Old Trafford. Aussies are celebrating a draw. Something unheard of for a cricket fan irrespective of the continent he ails from. Batting disaster! Not a century being scored by the Aussie batsman except for their captain in the final innings. Aussie temperament and character is being tested out there in the middle by the English bowlers. The need for a batsman who can stay in the crease and attack at the same time is immediate requirement. The very mention of such a batsman kind reminds us of SR Waugh. A batsman who built the Australian team with his success. Ruthless aggression was the only term known to the Aussies under his captaincy. They conquered everything in this world under him. He intimidated the opposition by his nonchalant demeanor. The man they miss most currently is their former captain.

One another good example Waugh’s temperament is his double century at Sabina Park with his twin brother facing the likes of Walsh and Ambrose. On a wicket like WACA the twins showed laudable temperament and character.

It s high time the Aussies realize the need of the hour. There is no more Tugga to stick around while the other blokes play their aggressive cricket. A lot more maturity is to be shown on the field. A more responsible innings is expected from at least one of them. Ricky Ponting’s 156 in Old Trafford is one such example. But a lot more is required from each one of the batsman in the coming two tests to retain ashes. The English team is not similar to the one faced in 2001 or 1997. They are a lot more matured and talented set of bowlers who can snatch the game from the opposition in one session. The Aussies are made to work for each and every run of theirs. A more meticulous and intelligent batting is expected from them.

Aussies were compared to the highly raw West Indian team under Clive Lloyd. They miss their favorite leader. They clearly lack the inspiration. They are a shadow of their former giant image.

Sherlock Holmes - movie

2011-11-29T01:40:00.000+05:30

Finally watched the movie Sherlock Holmes after two years. The movie was something I wanted to watch for a very long time and couldn't do it till last weekend. I have always been a big fan of Doyle's Holmes series from my college days, thanks to my friend Koi. The movie was really impressive, one for its plot and second, the portrayal of 1890s London was really awesome and excellent, it did really transport the viewer to that era. The aura around Moriarty was maintained till the end and was a nice build up towards the upcoming sequel. The sequence involving Holmes, Watson and Watson's fiancee was well executed and of course a tribute Doyle's writing to involve wit in every possible situation.

There were certain situations in the movie, which in my opinion were not Doyle like and more cinematic, like Holmes trying to be more comical for no reason. Nowhere in the novels/short stories is Holmes ever made to look silly, he has always been a man of reason behind every action of his. I also missed the exchanges between Holmes and Watson where Holmes would make Watson do the deduction and then confront him with the missing facts, these situations were really something everyone looks forward to in the short stories. Also, the prominence given to Irene Adler as Holmes's love interest is also something I didn't like, as it is not loyal to the story line and also the character of Holmes. But these were minor quirks considering the fact that watching Sherlock Holmes on the big screen was exciting enough to ignore these fallacies.

Another major boost the movie was in the form of background score from Hans Zimmer. The usage of violin in those scores really underlines the fact how much a violin can convey the sombre mood more than any other instrument, but again I am just a ignorant music listening novice. The music was really an integral part in making the movie an excellent watch and once again proves what a great composer we have in the form of Hans Zimmer.

FDI in retail sector

2011-11-23T23:25:00.000+05:30

After partially opening up the retail sector to FDI (upto 49% ownership along with an Indian firm as a joint venture) few years back amidst heavy opposition, India is now looking to let the retailers to start their independent investments (upto 51% ownership under their name) on Indian soil. This is a huge move considering Walmart and Tesco have been waiting on the sidelines for a really long time. To an average consumer like me, what will this translate to?

A huge increase in the investment on the retail sector and all the mom - pop store will go out of business very soon.
A very refined and efficient supply chain will be put into place. All these companies will help the Indian retailers learn more about supply chain management on a larger scale. Indian dont have a single stop store at the national level that we can boast about, so this will lead to a big players like Bharati, Reliance compete or do a joint venture with these retail behemoths (we already have Bharati - Walmart ventures operating in India under Bharati's storefront)
The farmers who will directly supply to these giants will stand to gain, considering the fact all the middle men will run out of business. This could potentially also reduce the price on the products, but only marginally. This also opens up a new problem, all these farmers without proper representation will also get exploited and end up without a choice.
Consumers will also stand to gain, with wide selection and single shop points. They will also be spoilt for choice.
All these big players will want big real estate to set shop which are currently available only in the outskirts of any city. This will drive the real estate price of those areas northwards and there by making a dream of owning a house still a dream for the middle class.
Increased job opportunities for the unemployed youth.

It is all quite exciting and interesting, at the same time, it has also made me skeptical to the point that, we never know what is in store until we really experience. There is an interesting article about Walmart's foray into the Chinese market which more or less mirrors what you can expect from these retail giants in India. But it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as China is light years ahead in industrialization and agro progress, not without problems though. If we are to believe the rumors, it is an interesting development on the retail front in India, this could potentially change the face of Indian Retail, which only time can answer.

Bravo!

2011-11-21T23:07:00.000+05:30

The second test between India and West Indies went down the scripted path and everything was as predicted. The only aberration was West Indies's second innings, no one gave Windies a chance on the third day when they followed on, but they did show some character in the second innings at the top order. Out of all this, Darren Bravo's innings stood out! He couldn't be any more Lara like, he was so Lara like, be it playing a cover drive or straight drive or cut shot, every stroke of his was modelled after Lara's style of batting. Beyond the similarities, Darren Bravo showed his gut and instincts, he proved that he is ready to grind his innings out when the situation demanded. He didn't restrict himself, he played his natural game and he countered spin effectively using his feet. After a really long time, there is some genuine hope in the West Indies team in the form of Darren Bravo, it really makes the game interesting to watch. A great talent being put to test is always an amazing contest to follow and Bravo has just started. He has got to go a long way to prove he is not just a Lara's batting look alike, but also that he is new saviour 'Lara' the West Indies team desperately needs.

Just watch the way he is holding his bat and helmet, if you cut the face out, any one would say it is Lara! Now see the picture of the Master himself.

Crazy day eh?

2011-11-14T01:25:00.001+05:30

The second day of the first test between Australia and SA was absolute mayhem.

23 wickets were lost on a single day
Aussies were 21/9 at one stage, only to stagger back to 47
Proteas were bundled for 96 in their first innings
9 DRS reviews requested

The entire day was so surreal and the television channels were spared the work of having a specific highlights package for the day. Bowlers had a field day and did I mention two catches dropped in the Aussie innings. For once, bowlers dominated the entire day and showcased why test cricket is still interesting and can never be matched by any other form of cricket.

In this chaos, two specifics of cricket stood out, Clarke's batting for his 151 in his first innings and Dale Steyn's bowling during the entire test match. Clarke's innings should be bracketed along with one of the finest knocks played in test cricket under adverse conditions, it was a pleasure to seem him bat with ease when the accomplished and best batsmen around him found it tough to even survive. It so reminded me of the vintage 'tugga' innings we usually see when the chips are down, the only difference was the elegance involved with clarke's batting which was usually missing in Tugga or Border's batting. On the other end it was Dale Steyn spitting venom with the cricket ball, the contest between Steyn and Clarke was excellent and was a pure exhibition of test cricket. Without arguments, Dale Steyn should be the best pace bowler amongst the current crop of fast bowlers, the control, speed and swing was great and he surely makes bowling an enjoyable watch. If a test cricket between Aussies and Proteas can end within 2.5 days, imagine how the second test is going to be fought, it is going to be hard cricket with both teams capable of making fighting comebacks.

Is Rahul ready?

2011-11-14T00:19:00.001+05:30

I came across an interesting article which ran through the grooming of Rahul Gandhi to become the next leader in the congress. Though short, it did have some deep insights on how the situation around the young Gandhi is. With Sonia ready to pass the mantle, is Rahul really ready to take over the leadership of the biggest political party in India? In my opinion, the time is ripe for Rahul Gandhi to take this role and showcase his abilities to the public. Any major issue threatening the government, in the recent times, Rahul Gandhi has always been part of the core committee that looks into resolving the issue and if I were to believe the media articles, I don't think he did have a great say in the way the solution was arrived amongst the bigwigs like Pranab, Azad, PC etc. But as always, we can never conclude from the bits and pieces we hear as news from the media. There has never been any concrete evidence on how Rahul Gandhi would approach a situation and to the Indian public, he has always been a mystery.

The upcoming UP battle in 2012 could be a barometer for what Congress can achieve under Rahul Gandhi. His thoughts and his works with the farmers in UP were impressive and if that were to be taken as a trailer of things to come under his leadership, in my opinion, he would infuse a different perspective into leading a nation. From my observations, he seems to be a very honest and humble leader, but most times he portrays himself to be a reluctant leader than a eager one. His responses on controversial issues and questions seems forced and rhetoric, it doesn't provide any insight into his methods to handle hot topics.

Of all the time he has spent so far in his public life, a concern remains on why he doesn't take any cabinet ministry and show what he is made of. The public, though very eager to see a young leader at the top are at the same time wary of what Rahul is capable of, no where in his position as the most powerful politician in India has Rahul taken leadership of a specific ministry and improve its image amongst the public. If you ask me, this was an opportunity lost for Gandhi, he could have scored brownie points with the Indian public had he proved his worth and come 2014, the election results would have been a no brainer.

The eternal question still remains, is Rahul Gandhi ready to take up where his father had left? Will he be the new India's leader? I think only time can answer that, but at the same time, I am eager to see how Congress embraces itself into the next generation of leaders. I somehow feel, Priyanka, though in the sidelines will have a great role to play in the coming years, be it guiding her brother or taking up the leadership baton from her mother.

Hobo at the theatre

2011-11-10T23:07:00.000+05:30

Over the weekend, I spent the saturday night watching a movie at the theatre. While waiting with my friend to grab a pepsi for the movie screening, a homeless guy standing in the queue caught my eye. I was surprised to find him inside the theatre and when he was at the counter, he placed all his dimes and nickels and wanted a pop. The person at the counter was a teen and the conversation that happened was totally interesting.

Hobo: Hey wassup, I want a soda pop
Teen: Sir, would you want a combo?
Hobo: Combo?
Teen: Do you want nachos or popcorn to go with your soda
Hobo: Sorry, i am poor, I just want my drink. I didn come here to watch movies, just give me my soda and i will be off
Teen: Sir, do you have a scene card?
Hobo: Scene card?
Teen: The theatre offers a card and you can gain points every time you watch a movie or buy snacks here
Hobo: Are you kidding me? Are you seriously asking me whether i have a scene card? Son, I am homeless guy trying to buy a drink with the dimes and nickels I have. You are asking me whether I have a card to use?
Teen: Sorry sir
Hobo: Stop calling me a Fucking Sir, just give me my drink and I will be off

I was surprised on why the teen couldn't make out that this guy is just in here for his drink and not to watch movies. He looked totally ragged and dirty, hadn't shaved in days and was written "poor" all over his face. I sympathized with the hobo and walked towards the screen to catch my movie on time, but my inner thought went "the standard questions and protocols can sometimes be really a pain in the ass".

Mindless Comedies

2011-11-08T22:55:00.000+05:30

Paul was a movie with strong inputs from the creative Seth Rogen and I wanted to watch that for a very long time. After Superbad I made sure I keep track of the of movies from this guy and though I was disappointed with Green Hornet, Paul wasn't bad. It is one of those geek comedies and I think the Paul characterization was totally awesome. This is movie is one amongst many where there isn't a necessity to really apply your mind to understand it and at the same time, it was not one of those cheesy Ben Stiller type comedy where you can predict what the next gag is all about. Somehow this movie stood out on the comic gags on nerds and was really time well spent. One another movie was the latest Harold and Kumar movie, this cannot be compared to Seth Rogen's intelligent comic timing, but will still fall under the mindless comedy movies which can just make us laugh for 1.5hrs without any kind of mental effort from our side.

3 Battles

2011-11-07T23:00:00.000+05:30

With the Windies playing their first test in Delhi, an interesting contest looms over this test series.

Battle 1:
Everytime we see Darren Bravo, we are always reminded of the great Lara and it will be really critical to see how he fares in the spinning conditions. He is not going to face any great spinner in the form of Kumble or Harbhajan, but to still survive the sub continent conditions will be a test of character and it will lay the foundation for his continued presence in the international arena.

Battle 2:
Another battle is the "who is the next Indian spinner?" in the team, this is the first time since 2000 India is playing a test series without Kumble or Harbhajan and it will be interesting to see who will raise up to take up the mantle, will Ashwin or Ojha take up that role and guide India through the next decade?

Battle 3:
The last battle will be the battle of veterans against the West Indian bowlers in the form of Fidel Edwards and Bishoo. None of these guys played against these bowlers when India toured Windies few months back. So it will be awesome to watch VVS, Sachin handle these bowlers.

One sore point of the entire series will be Chris Gayle. Had everything been set right between him and the board, the cricket fan in India would have been privileged to watch him bat in this test series.

As I write this, India has already managed to make a dull test really interesting by conceding 95runs lead in the first innings. Should be a closely fought test match with a definite result.

India's come back

2011-11-04T21:55:00.000+05:30

India defeated the English 5-0 in the ODIs and it was sort of giving England the taste of their own medicine but only not fully. Our defeat to England was total and complete, we did not even win a single game in the English soil and the worst of all, we went there as Test Nation #1 and WC 2011 champions. Our victory back in India is a comeback of sorts, but to call it a revenge is not appropriate or not correct. If we have to really get back at England, it should be in the test arena, ideally it should be at their home, but i don't think there is going to be another tour of England in two years, so it should be a home test series. We should pummel them like how defeated Aussies back in 2001 at Kolkata and Chennai. We should leave them doubting themselves and shatter their confidence to the extent they should think twice before casting doubt on our test position again. The defeat in England really hurt the Indian fan who was at cloud nine after the WC victory, to hit rock bottom from that height was really painful and to make it worse it was the English's self proclaimed geniuses like Boycott, Nasser, Artherton etc who cast doubt on India's ascension in world cricket. I think, the Indian team has got a lot to prove in their tour of Australia, I sincerely believe we can pick ourselves up and prove to the cricketing world that our #1 position in test cricket was not a fluke.

'Buddy, I am underweight'

2011-11-03T21:42:00.000+05:30

Back in 2006, we were a group of 10-15 living in an apartment complex in Seattle and 'hitting the gym' suddenly became a fad. I don't remember when it started or how it started, but there was a brief period when everyone thought, being fit and healthy is really important. So we identified a gym and as as every gym would want you to do, the gym instructor took us through the tour and it ended with a visit to the men's locker room. 3-4 guys freaked out, rather should I say 'had a culture shock' when they saw people walking with their ding-dongs out and they immediately dropped their gym plan. I don't blame them, a culture that is so paranoid and prejudiced about two men holding hands or even worse two men dining alone in an restaurant but it is still considered normal to walk around with your John jr on full display in a men's locker room? I think, it is like Superman's kryptonite Vs Earth concept, no rules/conditions apply inside the locker rooms, eh? Anyways, after the tour, the regular "desi" torment of negotiating a monthly fee and getting gym membership under a "family plan" happened, as fate's script should have it, we had another 6-7guys drop out at this stage. This is one other thing I don't understand, having done all the research and pep talk for days, when the gym sales guy drops the monthly rate, few guys find gym an 'expensive hobby' but expressed under the veil 'I don't need to Gym, I am already fit' reason. I think the moment the rate was mentioned their mental calculators went $40*50 = Rs.2000, no way is it acceptable to spent Rs.100 an hour each day for 20 days. I call them calculators and without these calculators around you, who would you pick/irritate to spend time or entertain yourself (don't judge me!)? So these are essential characters in the life's humour section.

After all this we had only 2-3 guys making it to the gym and as any initial gym fever would have the BMI calculation was always part of the discussion. As the calculators would always say 'You just need to eat healthy to stay healthy, hitting a gym is a scam the corporates have managed to pull over the innocent civilians'. In spite of all this chaos there was one guy who never showed interest in Gym and his reason, he claimed he was underweight. We always had our doubts as whether he was really underweight and for God's sakes, he had a paunch. So we cornered him one evening and asked him to prove his statement and here is the sequence of events

He opened the BMI index calculation page from the internet
He entered his age, weight and height
He hit the calculate button and it came back with 17 as the BMI which is very much underweight
We were stunned and when we went through his height and weight, he had entered his height as 6 feet and 2 inches
This guy was hardly 5 feet and 8 inches and we confronted him with this fact, he vehemently defended his height saying he was way over 6 feet.

So the fun began, to state something stupid amongst a bachelor group is considered crime, but trying to support your statement even after knowing it is wrong is like wishing death sentence on yourself. Well, who cares, we had absolute and total fun at the expense of our "underweight" friend/roomie.

Testing Team Anna

2011-11-01T21:38:00.000+05:30

The entire last week, reports of divide and split within the Team Anna group was reported across various media outlets. First it was Arvind Kejriwal's IT returns issue, then Kiran Bedi's travel expense and the list goes on, any team that takes on a political outfit will have to put up with these kind of attacks. Whether the accusations are true or not, i think the resolve of Team Anna is being totally put to test here. Hazare as an individual has always been the Gandhian face of the team, but much is not known about the team in the background. Hopefully it is not as bad as its accusations, but still I think this is what a team will have to encounter when they enter the public life opposing a political party. I think the real intentions and colours of the Team Anna will be made known to the public and I hope the team in question takes the right step next time by not opposing a specific political party but work towards issues faced by the public.

Indian Grand Prix

2011-10-31T22:21:00.000+05:30

After two years in waiting the Indian Grand prix finally happened over the weekend. It was an amazing spectacle to watch an event like this happen back at home. The race did not have any great surprises or twists and was almost bordering on boredom like the last 3-4 races, but the excitement that it was happening in India remained throughout the race. Getting F1 to India had been on the talks for more than 4-5 years now and finally to see the auto majors burn rubber on Indian asphalt was really awesome. India had already spoiled its name in its preparations for the CWG 2010 and this event was being watched closely by the international community, I think this time, we conducted the event without any major gripes.

Having said all this, F1 has always been one of the most costliest sport to conduct and take part. The race was entirely organized by the Corporate India and is a major success, but there is flip side to this. There are few questions which remains to be answered, how does this help the nation apart from proving India's capability to conduct big events? How does this help India economically? I know this event will provide investment opportunities but is it really worth the amount spent (initial estimates ping the construction cost of the track alone to Rs1700 Crores)? Many skeptics believe this amount could have been better utilized and also the land on which this entire track was build is prime farm land. Ofcourse the farmers were compensated appropriately, but who is going to support them at a long run? I am not taking sides here, I feel elated to see F1 happen in India but at the same time, I am not sure if it will help our economy or our country in anyway apart from putting India in the F1 map. But there is one particular trend that is alarming, the parity between the rich and poor seems to grow and this doesn't seem to change course at any time in the near future.

Siri commercial - Conan

2011-10-28T22:48:00.000+05:30

I think everyone watched the Siri commercial, but I think Conan's version is tad better than the original one.

I think i liked the closing comment "We know what you are gonna use it for"

Duh ...

2011-10-27T22:42:00.000+05:30

It was a horrible weekend extending over to tuesday from last week. Our project was scheduled for major UAT release over the weekend and as luck would have it, the application had a sudden inflow of critical and high defects. I don't know why this happens, may be Murphy's law phenomenon but this still continues to amaze me. You really don't see this coming and at one point you are really confident that your application is all fine and ready for the final mile push, but then out of the blue, a big northward trend in the defect numbers. This trend prevails over a week and really saps the energy out of you. I am exhausted mentally, physically, psychologically, chemically etc etc hopefully this ends soon.

I would say, Profound!

2011-10-25T22:29:00.000+05:30

My friend's blogger site has got an interesting quote which though simple, is profound, in my opinion. I am not a big fan of quotes, most of the quotes i read on the net are either filled with decorative adjectives or hypocritical in their own way. But Sriram's quote is both straight and simple.

All problems can be solved by tea and masala vada - Sriram Kannan

Really impressive and practical if you ask me, if I were in a position trying to find a solution, the eternal question remains, who will provide me the tea and vada, Solai/Koi/Sriram/Vishwa ???

P:S: The question is dedicated to everyone I owe a simple tea @SKT.

"Ted Talks" - Lennart Green

2011-10-21T21:56:00.000+05:30

An interesting demonstration from Lennart Green, more than the tricks, I think it is Green's presentation and his wit which was awesome.