Cricket again!

Watched the India-Australia ODI this afternoon. Really, after the T20s, find these matches slow and dowdy. But Bhajji did liven it up for a bit by tormenting the Aussies no end, when all of us thought, maybe for a short while, that India, indeed, had wrested the match out of the hands of the BIG players.


But why are the Aussies so way ahead? Are we not as good? Yes, we are. But there are vital differences.  The visitoirs have nerves of steel, are focussed, they strategise, they work to a plan, they are disciplined and they play as a team. They think for and with all other players and dissent is few and far between.


The Cricket Board is objective. It selects players on merit and treats all players as equals.


Most importantly the visitors, in their country, are mere mortals.

Light a flame!

Today is the 'Festival of Lights'.

A day of lights, laughter, joy and togetherness. A day to be together with those you love and want to be with.

On this day let us also stop to add a word of cheer, share the spends, wipe a tear from the eye of a needy, less fortunate child of God who we come across.

The more the happiness, the more the feeling deprivation and need.

I light a flame this Day to seek divine blessings to be able to alleviate sufferings of the less fortunate.

Let each one of us take a small step towards lighting this flame in our thoughts.

Durga Pujo again!

As usual, in Delhi for the Durga Pujo to be with the near and dear ones. Not that the festival gives me the kind of passionate pleasure it used to some years ago.

There was a time when Pujo was a heart throbbing experience. When we would count our dresses and each pandal hopping event would mean wearing a fresh set. It was critical to have that many sets before we could even get to Shoshthi, the first day of the Pujo. And how the tailors made us run for the dresses! It was always a nail biting finish! No readymades gave the kind of design choice that we would want at the time.

The days of splendour would start with Shoshthi and peak on Ashtami with the best dresses and accessories out to dazzle one and all. I didn't realise at the time that the fun began being with my parents who created the stability around me that gave me the sense of freedom to enjoy.

Life, of course, unfolds with time. Today, I avoid the same crowds that I rushed into with excitement. The dresses are not so important any more. The days are more sedate in terms of expectations.

But there is a paradigm shift in some other way. I have grown to realise that it is important for me to be with my parents at this time. Whether I visit the pandals or not, surrounded by the same familiarity gives me the sense of togetherness that I miss greatly in this mad rush of living life.

For me, this relationship is priceless.

Rain and thunder

It's pouring in Mumbai. After a while. Global warming has created havoc in all places including this city.

There was a time when Mumbai had torrential rains even in the month of May and the rains continued well into September. Today, we are thankful if it rains in July. And then the rains continue well into October sometimes.

October is a warm month in Mumbai and the winter chill starts only by the end of December.

Delhi weather seems to be changing as well. It rains in Delhi more often than I can remember and sometimes the climate is amazing. Delhi is a beautiful city and the rain washed one, green and fresh, is even more attractive.

As I hear the thunder roll from my sit out in Mumbai, I wish I saw more of Delhi than I do today.

Are we not cattle class?

I am amused at the furore Shashi Tharoor has created with the term 'cattle class'. We Indians specialise in sweeping all unspoken problems under the carpet and believe we are like the cats who steal milk with closed eyes.

Are we not cattle class? Look at the roads. Look at the clutter of cars! And how many hours do we have to wait at a signal to take a turn when some odd 'holy cow' is given the right of way to attend an innocuous event?

Are we not cattle class? How many times do we have to go to a government office and plead to get something done which is actually his or her job to complete for us. In fact, the salary that the person draws is from our taxes!

Are we not cattle class? How many times have we been able to get a proper treatment at a hospital without a known doctor around?

Are we not cattle class? How many of us are patriotic enough to take the progress of the country seriously and are committed to making the systems better?

Think and you will want a new India!

This and that

Hello! It's been sometime since I've been here. There's so much happening around me that it becomes difficult to keep the momentum going on all fronts.

Firstly, been busy trying to get my business to the next level. Business really takes a lot out of you. Talk to me if you intend to start one!

Saw Kaminey some weeks back. While I do feel Vishal Bhardwaj is really talented, I think Omkara was a far better movie and sorry, but Saif Ali Khan really scored over Shahid if one is to compare the success quotient post their VB association.

Have yet to see QGM.

Have been reading The Kite Runner. The book holds my attention even when I am dog tired and I marvel at the story teller in Khaled Hosseini.

Been to Delhi a few times in this month. The city is getting ready for the Commonwealth Games 2010. So many flyovers! And the Metro! The city is happening, man!

Where the hell are the millions in our slumdog city?

Listen or hear?

I needed an envelope of a specific size urgently. I told my office boy, in chaste hindi, the details of what I wanted and also gave him a sample of the envelope to match. What came to me was something that no way could I use.

Why did I get this?

One, because the boy was more comfortable in his mother tongue and not Hindi. So I couldn't communicate my need for the exact replica of the envelope. Second, he couldn't find the envelope in the first shop, therefore, found a solution that suited him and his intellect.

So both of us, the boy and I, went throught the process all over again and went on till I went with the boy to a shop where I got what I wanted.

In my professional interactions I meet people from all walks of life. Of different kinds and from different strata of society.

This is because I am a communications expert and consultant. I also run a business which offers communications solutions to the industrial, engineering and services.

As I go along meeting people, I realise - all the time - that most people hear but don't listen!

Today, before I meet anyone of consequence, I work on the communication process before I meet the person.

I find it's a good beginning.

The Secret and the power of positive thinking

This book landed on my lap with a thud some months back when I was caught up in a complicated web called life. I didn't really have the time to have a look at it.
One sunday aftenoon, after many had passed, the owner of the book placed her rightful demand on it. And I, just to make sure that I wasn't losing out on priceless diamonds, delved into the pages of The Secret with great vigour.
To say the least, the book took me by surprise. The unexpected power of language and rationale quite floored me. The book went and I went to Crossword the next day to pick up a copy. I ended up with a copy of the book and a copy of the DVD!
Well, there began my journey into trying to practice the Secret which I thought was a great art which I should try and master - the practice of positivity.
Don't know if it'll work for me, but more on the effectiveness of the Secret in days to come.

IPL and the Sunday siesta

I dunno about you guys but I've chewed my nails silly. I mean, in IPL2 all the known stars have been sent into orbit and the newer ones have come charging at us through the idiot box.
On a late Sunday afternoon, after not so light a lunch, a 6 pm suspense leaves you in quite a state of nerves, I would think. Sacrificing Formula1 at Monaco for IPL, Mr Vijay Mallya has sure thrown his mighty weight behind Anil Kumble and his boys. But what about the hurricane in the name of Adam Gilchrist?
Well, my drooping eyelids fly open in anticipation as the wretched ball smashes into my woozy thoughts through my imagination.
But if Kumble fails to spin or Gilly fails to smash...should I mourn my lost siesta? Or should I join the chorus of analysis?
Nope, I think I will take the siesta after all. No, no, I'll watch the match! Siesta, match, siesta, match...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Television, intellectual tete-a-tete and theatrics

Life is so busy when you are watching the TV news channels! So many views, hues and meows! Decibel levels notwithstanding, you are transported to another planet of intellectual upliftment, propriety and dimensions of an issue.
Whether it is the exit poll, formation of the cabinet or Rahul Gandhi's charisma, we many choices of viewpoints to dip into and take out a myriad of thoughts.
I sometimes wonder whether the hype that is created over an issue that goes on and on for hours with different dialog deliverance is intended or a fallout of tireless inspection of the dimensions.
Sometimes, I gleefully find that the issue has created a hype sans the intellectual tete-a-tete as well.
Take the IPL for instance. No intellectual energy spent on the shows there. The sheer dominance of the stars have created the hype.
As I switch channels with a flick and land on the soaps, it's such a comedown! No real, real meows and no intellectual exchange. Only theatrics...with a storyline.
Intellectual tete-a-tete and theatrics? Maybe :)