Our obsession with numbers!

After nearly a year of waiting, the average Indian Cricket Fan has begun to breathe normally. Over the past year or so, there have been numerous opinions and discussions from the pundits, the not so pundits and almost anybody and everybody on how the landmark is affecting the game of probably the greatest cricketer of all times, the one normally associated as the God of Cricket in India. While some said that the milestone was affecting his game, a few others disagreed. But in the end, the God himself finally confessed that it was playing at the back of his mind for the past 1 year, and thereby made the average Cricket Fanatic understand that the God is Human after all.

However, there is an Indian side to this pressure that the Little Master was facing. To start off with, the God is Indian first and Human later; he has his routes in a humble Middle class Indian family, a family which most of us normal people can relate to. Ever since we learnt to read and write, we have had to deal with typical middle class statistics and comparisons. And this has crept into every part of our life, be it in class rooms, playgrounds, news rooms, elections, family gatherings; we Indian can go about it all the time, even while discussing our physical attributes.

Every thing in our day to day life has some form of a number associated to it. From personal experiences, I can relate to this Indian statistic at every step of my life. At school, its about the percentage of marks that you have scored, I remember when I first joined boarding School in the class 5, I got the 10th rank in the first mid term exam and that was my highest ever rank that I secured in my entire School Life. The first time, my parents were happy but the happiness came with a disclaimer, "Congrats my Son but you know you can do better; you just have to work a little harder". But that I did not surpass that rank ever is another matter altogether. Once the board exams came in, the days of the first class was out of the window, my generation was about topping the First class and achieving distinction. Most students today cannot even get a seat in a college of their choice if they do not score more than 90%. We are living in a society where society sets the parameters on happiness and satisfaction.

I for one thought that this whole pressure will wear off once I start working but it has actually turned out to be a Bethal that just doesn't seem to be getting off my back. Not bad enough I studied Law and then decided that it was not my thing and took upon a profession where most people initially thought I was arranging tables at weddings and corporate events. Today, they have seen my work but now its about the money being credited to my bank account and my bank balance and the comparison with an old classmate of mine and how he works lesser hours than me but earns a lot more. In a years time, it will probably be about getting married and settling down. It definitely is one vicious cycle and in a few years time, roles will change and my offspring will probably go through the same pressure that I went through.

This brings me back to the pressure on Tendulkar and his 100th century. The numbers game is a part of our culture and will continue to be. Tendulkar probably played a selfish innings just so that he reached the landmark and it must have been one of the factors for India to lose that particular match but it had to be done. An entire country was waiting for the landmark; mortals like us can just about manage the pressure from our families but imagine the expectations of an entire Country on your shoulders and carrying the burden for nearly a year and not able to achieve it. We might have lost back to back series in England and Australia at the cost of a particular milestone but that is the way we live. No matter how much we deny it and say we are different, this numbers mentality is in all of us; we might not apply the conventional traditional milestones to ourselves but we do set a certain yardstick in our way of life and that is the Indian Way of Life

And the GOD IS INDIAN!!.. He has got a couple of years of cricket left and let him at this penultimate hour play it like that 16 year old teenager who hit Qadir for those mighty 6's. He has carried the burden of the nation for more than 16 years, its time to let him enjoy the game....

Who is Responsible?

The image of Karnataka has taken a beating over the last couple of years. The "Nataka" in Karnataka seems to be getting worse or better for the Media who are getting far better air time than they could have even imagined a couple of years ago. No wonder then that there are numerous Kannada channels that have sprouted in the last couple of years. Each channel somehow seem to be inspired by a program that used to be popular on a popular channel a few years ago. From the programming to the diction to the voice over seem to be truly inspired by that particular program.

Yesterday's incident in the City Civil court premises has definitely taken this to a whole new level. All news channels across all demographics have been hell bent on blaming the Lawyer fraternity for the whole fiasco and they had me convinced that it was my Friends who were to blame. Fortunately I spoke to a good friend of mine and got to know the other half of the story and began to see the coverage in a whole new light.

I am not writing this to condemn the Police atrocities or defend the actions of the lawyers. I am instead glad that this happened. It was time that we mortal voting population actually understood the system and that this whole episode took place in a court complex actually gives me reason to celebrate.

For a few years now, The Media has been the eyes of the law as they like to call themselves and fed us with filth that I would not have accepted left to myself. My friends in the legal community to a large extent have actually been endorsing the views put forth by these news channels and spoken about how people like me are far removed form actual reality. I would instead say that a lot of people have been clinging on to things that didn't need clinging on to. There is in fact not one news channel in the country today that is not biased. Everybody has their own personal gains and if not for the remote in our homes, people like Arnab Goswami would have probably become a Dictator by now.

The Authorities (Police etc), Media and the lawyers actually baffle me. To a large extent they are 2 sides of the same coin. And this is why I think so. I was impressed when the Media decided to go against the Govt. in power and actually showed 3 desperate Middle age Ministers watching porn in the Assembly and the same was carried all across the country. 3 weeks down the line, the Govt. is actually investigating the persons who brought this out and their friends in the Media has decided to play safe and I haven't seen one newspaper or a television channel condemning the Govt. and supporting their colleagues except for a stray article or a useless discussion on PRIME TIME TELEVISION. Its the same media that highlights a so called RAVE PARTY in a farm house and while one side gets the so called moral police to accompany them and then speaks about demoralizing standards of today's generation, the other side acts as the guardian of democracy and upholding the rights of a citizen to his fundamental rights. The truth is that the Media today is only after TRP 's. The Media in our country will do anything to stay afloat in their business. There was a huge support for Anna Hazare and the Media backed him all the way. Unfortunately for Anna and team the lack of a good PR agency did them in and the whole Janlokpal bill debate has become a bit of a joke. Of course, Anna's team has also messed up every step of the way is another matter altogether. If the Media is actually serious about its duty, they would have published the names of all those who have money stashed away abroad. Instead, they just make a huge hue and cry and think of new debates for PRIME TIME TELEVISION.

Dear Lawyers, wake up, you are as much to blame as anybody else. To a large extent, you prefer to keep the authorities in your good books so that you get the best desired results for your client and there is nothing wrong in it for you have a job to do. However, it is the same attitude that has today put you in the spot that you are in and tomorrow will also put us in a similar position. You know the law better than all of us and yet you prefer the easier route to get things done. It is time to stop being nice and the whole goody two shoes attitude needs to go.

I for one feel its time that we are not used as pawns in a chess game sand actually get our due. I am the voter and the tax payer. the Govt. will not be in power without me and the authorities will not get their salary if not for the taxes I pay. And its time I get my due.

Nobody can justify violence when there are various other means to get the point across. Though I personally feel that for somebody to take notice, violence is a necessary tool at times. India has seen it over the ages, The Quit India movement of 1857 was the first instance where the British actually decided that India needed a law and it was the Queens proclamation of 1858 that got the ball rolling towards actual governance in India. So, dear Lawyers The time to act is now. Let the Media and the Authorities understand that we will not be fed with bullshit anymore. Take this whole incident in your stride and uphold the sanctity of the profession that I would have loved to be a part of.

On a lighter note, if you need an activation plan to bring out your grievances, I am just a phone call away.

Like Bob Marley says,

GET UP STAND UP, STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT,

GET UP STAND UP, DON'T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!!!

Hypocrisy of the so called Moral Police!

Since the beginning of time, there has always been those who have taken the path less trodden and made a difference to the World at large. These individuals be it a Gautham Buddha or a Gandhiji or a Martin Luther King questioned the normal way of life and inspired people to rise up above petty issues and address the larger issues plaguing society. They abolished certain practices, made people understand their roots and be proud of what they are while also understanding the need to move forward as a group, community or a Nation. In a way, they were Moral Police of a certain nature.

Today, it baffles me that in this day and age, we have people who think they have the Moral authority to impose their line of thinking on free minded individuals. There are a lot of such groups operating in this country and I would be lying if I said I do not support a few of them myself. I am an ardent supporter of organisations like the RSS for reasons that I don't have the time to justify at the moment. Ours is a democratic country and our constitution grantees us 7 fundamental rights like Freedom of Free speech, Religion and so on which means every individual has a right to express their views. Of course in a country like India where we value our traditions and culture, one has to compromise on a few wants to get along in society.

Growing up in the technology era, we are far more exposed to the world at large. I studied in a Christian school in Tamil Nadu since class 5, did my college in a Government college in Bangalore and have been exposed to a whole lot of situations and these situations and people around me have influenced me and my thinking and way of life and this has helped create my own individual identity. I listen to Western Music, have friends across all communities and religions, have woman friends who smoke and drink and no I don't think its demeaning for me to have a woman friend who does what I do. I belong to a community that is very tightly knit, where marrying outside the community is generally frowned upon though the family comes around it is another matter altogether. I understand as a community we have our compulsions but what I do not and don't want to understand is how can a few individuals dictate terms to an entire community and get away with it. I am no less a Coorg than anybody else. I go for my Guru Karana every year, put Kali at Kunde Namme and Bodu Namme, can dance a traditional Coorg dance like any other Coorg, touch every elders feet in the way it is to be done but of course I don't go around branding and bashing people that I am a Coorg and showing my big fat stupid ego.

Now to get to the point, I want to attend a Music Festival in Coorg that was scheduled for the 10th and 11th of November 2011 but has now been postponed to the 20th and 21st of January 2012 due to an act of God. But it is surprising to see a few individuals or the so called Moral Police opposing it because apparently it will spoil the serenity of Coorg, affect plants and animals and in a way will destroy our culture. So, over the past week or so, I have been pondering on the merits of their claims and unfortunately all I can see is the total hypocrisy of the so called Moral Police.

I do agree in saying that in today's day and age, Coorg needs a few of these so called Moral Police to control and save Coorg from becoming just another filthy tourist spot. But where are these people when we actually need them for a cause. The lucrative Real estate market is already destroying the serene beauty of Coorg, a highly non regulated tourist industry has wreaked havoc and destroyed the serenity of some of the most pristine places in Coorg to an extent that one does not even feel like visiting places like Dubare and Abby falls anymore. These so called Moral Police pull up tourists if they misbehave but until today, I have not seen a single one of these organisations doing anything about regulating tourism. These places are still intact because of the locals of the area and not because of these Pseudo social activists. The Roads in Coorg are in a state where driving on these roads is next to impossible. And these Pseudos have done nothing about it except for a letter submitted to the Chief Minister which is more of a PR exercise for themselves and their organisation rather than actually addressing the present problems. I wish these organisations would actually bring life to a stand still by blocking the roads for a couple of days until work actually begins instead of blowing their trumpets and making money on the sly. Instead, they are worried about a bunch of peaceful music listening people having a good time. It makes me wonder if they they are jealous because of their insecurity of not being able to fit into the crowd.

I don't mind these guys around but not at the cost of my Freedom and right to live my life they way I want to do it. These Pseudos are not present when you need them but want to protest against a clean Music Festival organised by people from Coorg with the best of artists from across the Globe. And apparently are even taking credit for the event being postponed (Guess these Pseudos have a direct line with God). They probably fail to realize that this Festival will help in showcasing Coorg in a whole new avatar while also reminding people from and Outside Coorg the need to conserve and do our bit to prevent further erosion of the natural beauty of Coorg. I do understand reservations in terms of Noise pollution but to call the Festival as leading to your version of the Goa way is saying far too much and that too even before it has begun. Don't we have loud music playing late nights at our weddings with drunk people dancing?

So, my dear Pseudo Social activists, let us be and do our thing. We care as much for a lot of issues as you do, if not more but unlike you Pseudos we do not look at monetary gains through these issues.

I rest my case with a poem from Robert Frost that will probably help you understand my point of view

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Keep the Faith!!..

The Hot Topic in this Cricket crazy Country until the next Test Match at Trent Bridge is going to be the World's Number one Test Teams debacle in the Iconic 2000th test match at the Home of Cricket, Lords. Every single Cricket Crazy Pundit in this Country is going to have a view on what went wrong with the Test.

Of Course, the debate is going to start off with the Dhoni's decision to Bowl after winning the toss, the bowling and fielding decisions that he took as Captain. Well, all of it played a part in a sub standard performance from the Best Test side in the World. Of Course, a few Die Hard Pundits will have some other reasons; which I would like to call excuses. Excuses like Zaheer Khan bowled less than 14 overs and so there was no teeth in the attack, the changes in the batting order in the batting order in the second Innings as Sachin and Gambhir missed a large part of the Match and some might even say that the pressure of the 100th century got to Sachin.
All this said and done, India's performance in the entire Match was lackluster to say the least. A 400 test scalps Bowler struggled to even put pressure on the batsmen, forget taking wickets. The famed batting line up struggled to score more than 300 runs in each of the Innings. This considering tha fact that the English managed to score 269 runs after losing 5 wickets for 62 runs.The thing that baffles me is a complete lack of the instinct that makes Dhoni the person that he is. Suresh Menon his blog on "cricket next"is of the opinion that Dhoni needs to reconnect with his old self. According to him, Dhonis's statistics of better winning percentage than most other successful Captains of the Modern era has become an albatross around his neck. We all now the Indian team has the goods to defeat any Test side in the world at the moment. We did win a test series in West Indies without Zak and Sachin. What the Indian team is missing is the Dhonism. Captain courageous needs to buckle up and lead from the front. There is no harm in resting the team's most experienced bowler, Harbhajan for the next test or playing without an unfit Zaheer.Its time for the attacking Dhoni to rediscover himself and be brave in taking decisions rather than going along with the flow of things. Hope that by the time the next test comes about, we will be able to take 20 wickets and score more than 300 runs in each innings. More than all this, win or lose, Its time for the No. 1 Test Team in the World to play like the No. 1 Test Team and not like the Rabbits that they so often were in Foreign conditions.......Dhoni, The God, the Wall and the Craftsmen will anyways play their part but what they need is for you to be you...Go for it!! The birth of the game of Cricket is for us to take!!...

Mr. Chief Minister. Why did I vote?

Dear Mr. Chief Minister,

I turned 18 about 9 years back and since then I have had the opportunity to vote thrice be it the General Elections or the Karnataka Assembly Elections. I being a relatively new voter and like most other voters in the country did not look at Election Manifestos to decide on who I was going to work. I voted for the party that I thought was best suited for the job at hand. And today, I am a terribly disappointed Citizen especially when I see the state of affairs in my honetown.

I have come to realise that there is no political party in the country that is truthful and Nationalistic. By Nationalistic, I mean a party that believes in development and with a decisive agenda that puts the country's interests before anything else be it internal or external policies. Instead, we are still stuck with Vote bank politics.

Developmental policies in India is based on the importance of a particular region. i.e. a region that enjoys a clout in terms of votes and seats. I unfortunately come from a district that has 2 assembly constituencies and shares the MP seat with the neighbouring district of Mysore. And in that aspect, they fortunes of a political party does not depend on my region. And so, development of this place is not on the priority of any political party.

Its is time that we get our acts together. We as a community have been indifferent to the situation around us. We crib about the roads, the lack of basic infrastructure, the indifferent approach of our representatives, the dying of our culture, the advent of outsiders coupled with the boom in real estate and the influx of tourists. Any wedding, any family function or get together; this is the topic of discussion on all most all occasions besides the coffee prices and labour problems. But, what have we done about it? The answer, NOTHING!!!...

Its time for us to pull up our socks and be heard. There are a lot of pressing issues in regards to Coorg and it will take more than an article to write home about. My grievances is with the basic infrastructure in the "Scotland of India".

Without doubt, Coorg is today one of the fastest growing tourism economies in Karnataka. From one Orange County 10 years back, we today have about 5 high end resorts with another 5 or more on the way. and of course the 200 or more home stays. Yet the roads are pathetic. In some cases, the road seems to be on the map but not on the ground. And this in spite of connectivity being the most important factor for any industry to develop. Unfortunately, the powers to be think otherwise. We do not even have a proper Hospital in the entire district and for any problems we have to rush to the nearest city.

Mr. Chef Minister, now that you are going to be presenting the budget for 2011- 2012; kindly consider we not so important voters and give us what we deserve. We are not asking for a railway line as the Times of India article dated 23rd February 2011 suggested. We do not even need a railway line. Not bad enough, the real estate boom is already dwindling our Natural resources. We do not need a state sponsored catalyst to it. We are asking for good roads. Roads that prescribe to the standard set by your agencies and not few centimeters of tar as is presently being done.

There are a lot of pressing issues that I would like to bring to your notice and that I will do, but first give us the basic stuff that we require...

Signed,

A Frustrated Voter!

Confused!

Bangalore, the cosmopolitan City today seems to be in a state of confusion. For a city that has always been looked upon as an outgoing city is today fighting to stay true to its name. The woes of the City has grown with the times, Disastrous Traffic situation, Loss of greenery due to Infrastructural development and of course the clamp on Nightlife in the Pub City of India.

There are enough organisations working towards the development of the City in some form or the other but nobody is working towards preserving the most important aspect of Bangalore, Bangalore itself.

I am not advocating for extended party hours or justifying as to why clubs and eateries need to be opened beyond the 11:30 deadline instead I am asking the Authorities to give me my Freedom to take a decision.

Moral policing by the so called saviors of our Society and backed by an Administration that strongly beleives that the best solution to any problem is to impose a restriction has robbed the very essence of Democracy. It is sad that a minority is actually making people accept their way of thinking. And here is why I think so;

Ban on Dancing:

The dance bars had to close because they did not have the necessary licenses and they were increasingly becoming joints for the Flesh Trade. The ideal thing will be to legalise prostitution and this will help in controlling Child Trafficking and help authorities to maintain records and help in preventing STD's. Its not like its something that has crept into our society of late, It is the World's oldest Profession. But, this is beyond Individuals and will need a change in laws and require the coming together of the executive and the Judiciary.

So, What did the Authorities in Bangalore do when the Dance Bars went to Court?

They decided that instead of getting into a legal wrangle with the powerful Dance Bar owners who invariably have some sort of connection with the Underworld, lets just BAN DACING ALTOGETHER

This aided by the fact that the so called upholders of our Culture, The Muthaliks and the likes think that is is their Birth Right to tell people as to how to lead an Indian way of Life that is morally acceptable. It makes me wonder if its just plain jealousy that makes them do the things that they do. For if they really researched on India's culture, they would realise that the Mujras was an Indian thing and was not something that the British brought in to our Society. It is true that we must not forget who we are but at the same time, India has survived as a Culture for so long only because of its ability to evolve and adapt to the Various influences and the changing times.

The Problem is not the ban on Dance Bars but the ban on an Individual having a good time. Instead of Changing the laws to identify and differentiate between the various places of entertainment, the Administration decided that the best Solution is to put a Ban on dancing. it is even more appalling that this rule has come up in a City that had dancing since the 70's with joints like Blue Fox, Peacock and so on.

And we have our Police Commissioner, a decorated Policeman who speaks about how the rules cannot be changed to suit a few thousands. My only request to Mr. Bidari is to help us from going backwards like the Middle Eatern Countries. look at Iran or Afghanistan and look at the state of "The Paris of the East" today. I only hope and pray that the Commisioner would not want to be remembered as a person who talibanised this city but instead as a person who let Bangalore be Bangalore.

Of course we understand that the police have a big responsibility in their hands and that we have to prevent Crime and so on but banning dancing or asking people to go home by 11:30 pm in only creating rebels and encouraging Illegal parties which in turn the Media and you, the Administration labels a Rave and brands everybody as Drug Addicts.
The people of this City are very co-operative and we can use this in a positive way. Lets make people take a oath that they will not drink and drive. We can have the Police working in tandem with the Drinking water holes to prevent people from Driving after drinking. Let people carry ID cards wherever they go so that people below the legal Age Group do not have access to Alcohol. I am sure the people of this city will be much obliged to follow these rules that let them enjoy their freedom while being responsible.
People of Bangalore, wake up and be counted. Vote for your rights and fight for your rights. For those who are not from Bangalore and who face the wrath of the Locals a lot of the time, Please understand the place you have come to and adapt to it rather than make it the place you want it to be. We do not want Rakshanas here to direct us what to rakshishify................

I rest my case but hope that we stop cribbing and start acting!!!................

Is the National Sport dead?

From being the first Non- European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation and remaining unbeaten at the Olympics for 6 games in a row from 1928 till 1956 to the present state of Hockey, what went wrong?

The record speaks of a tremendous record until the 1980's, winners of 8 Olympic Golds, 1 silver and 2 bronze, 3 medals at the world cup with 1 in every position at the podium and the startling fact is that nearly 60% of these medals came before the 90's although we won the Gold at the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1998. The decline of India's hockey powers which started in the early 90's can be largely contributed to the change in playing conditions and surfaces.

Cricket frenzy in India started around the time the decline of Hockey started. The 1983 world cup and the subsequent win at the world series down under started a new cricket revolution while Hockey saw a decline

The synthetic Hockey field came into being in the 1970's and the game has definitely changed since then but the powers that run the game in India have never looked beyond the National team for the development of the game. The differences between the administrators and the various State bodies has badly affected the infrastructure from reaching the masses.

A simple case in example is the situation of Hockey in Kodagu. A Hockey fraternity like Kodagu got its first Astro Turf Stadium only last year. This inspite of the known fact this tiny district has produced some of the stalwarts of Indian Hockey like BP Govinda, MM Somayya, AB Subbaiah and so on.It is said that more than 50 players have represented the National team in some form or the other. The worlds biggest hockey tournament, the inter family hockey festival had a participation of 225 teams last year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodava_Hockey_Festival) last year. And yet, the access to infrastructure and exposure to tournaments is zero.

And this brings us back to the moot question, What is the problem or rather what is the solution? We need to bring corporates to get involved in the running of the game on a PPP model rather than just being employers. The PHL was a good model to increase popularity of the game, and this needs to be tweaked to make it more lucrative for investors and corporates similar to the IPL.

Its time we act to bring glory to our National Game for the powers that run the game in the Country will take a long time to realise this. Axing coaches and players is not the solution. The game needs to be nurtured at the grass root level if we have to return Indian Hockey back to its days of Glory..................