And so the family has more or less bid goodbye to the tharavad, and sooner or later the other one will also go. It's good in a way that the wishes of the elders were given into, rather than it going towards building some shopping complex, or as a cousin said, a "beer parlour"!
I am sure we all have memories of the days we spent there - me a little less, because I spent only a week every summer there. My father and his cousins grew up there, all literally under one roof. It sure must have been pretty noisy, with my aunts singing and playing the violin and the boisterous boys playing all over the compound/parambu.
I do have a few toys from my kiddie days stored somewhere - the cars ofcourse have pride of place in my bedroom back home. The cycle tyres Achan and my uncles used to play with were still next to the staircase when Achan finally took one last look at the house. Mani Chettan will probably clean out the house before it's finally handed over. The tyres were very special for Achan, and he and my uncles always said it reminded them of their childhood when things were a lot different.
Being the youngest grandson, Achams pretty much pampered me and I pampered her back:)! There are so many memories of her. She taught me a lot, and I imbibed a fair bit from her too. There are these two flowers (I dont know their names..) which she would string into a mala for her pooja room, and whenever I was there, she make me sit down and help her with it and simultaneously tell me stories from the epics.
When I was 8, I drew a Ganapathi for her, which was still in her room till last week. I guess it was special for her. She enjoyed life to the fullest, and didnt complain much, even during all the tough times she went through - the operations, the highs and lows. I dont mean to sound cliched, but she knew how to meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same.
I guess Achams was the only reason why I looked forward to the Thrissur trips, and when she passed away a few years ago, that link too was washed away. But yet, every nook and corner of the house has memories of her for me. I cannot believe that I might not see the pooja room again, nor will I see the places where I played cricket and football with my cousins. Somehow it will be a very different Thrissur I see next when and if I go there.
That house saw so many things...births, deaths, marriages, ups and downs. I did have hopes that someday (maybe 10 years down the line) I would go back there with (what would be) my family and show them what life was like there! Today the tharavad concept is pretty much alien. I did express my dreams that we'd go pray at the same places where Achams would take us to - Vadakkunnathan, Paramekkavu and the Bhadrakaali ambalam. But then some things are never meant to be - man proposes and God disposes.
Having been all part of the same compound a century ago, the people around were also relations. Plus Achachan's veedu was also just around the corner. I never met my Achachan, but Achan's told me a lot about him, and I look at Krishna Vilas and its rooms and gape at it, and think to myself that this was where the man I was named after grew up. I never met my Achachan, nor any of his siblings, except for Unnikrishnammaman. Both Achan and I always pray in the pooja room where Achachan would sit and pray every morning and evening.
Krishna Vilas too will go soon. I told BV I wanted a snap of the family portrait that hangs in the living room there, and hopefully I will get it. It has a snap of someone as a little kiddo in his sister's lap, looking all cute and kiddish. It has my aunts as little girls in pigtails. Has Achams with her real teeth (I didnt know she wore dentures till I was 12!), smiling away to glory. It has uncles, aunts, grand-aunts and granduncles all in their younger days. As I tell my dad, the dashing young K & T men!
It was an amazing experience working on the family tree 2 years ago with Achan and R-ammaman. Learned so much more about Achan's side of the family, especially the links between the Ks and Ts, although it sometimes gets confusing as to who's a T and who's a K! Also realised Achan had an elder brother who passed away at the age of 6, and that R-ammaman had a brother and sister who both died young. Learned that people I called Ammaman worked out to be my cousins at times, and dudes I called Tyson and Kichu were actually my uncles! Was telling S about it she immediately said I should call her Ammayi! Also lamented then, that Achamma's line was closed down (no female "heirs" to the K-title, we Nairs follow a matrilineal system), but then miracles do happen and sure enough G had a little daughter.
And so it's the end of an era....To think that we will never write K H, M Rd, Thrissur again is strange!
So that's that.....
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Reality bites
Sandy Gordon, the sports psychologist for the Indian cricket team had this to say about our favorite team. I'm sure it must have pricked the hearts of a lotta folks.
All said and done, he's point-on with his observations.
" Work ethic...It is just not there. And it is not a team thing, it's an individual thing to be consistent."
As they say, reality bites...
So that's that...
All said and done, he's point-on with his observations.
"The problem is that everyone thinks that this team is better than they actually are. It is not a realistic approach."
"This team has not won anything; for me it is a generation lost,""This team cannot sustain pressure, every time they have to go for the kill they fail. They are talented but they aren't so good."
" Work ethic...It is just not there. And it is not a team thing, it's an individual thing to be consistent."
As they say, reality bites...
So that's that...
Friday, April 29, 2005
Music & speechlessness..and some DD memories...
The title of this post would surely have evoked a fair bit of thought for some folks. What connection does speechlessness really have with music.
This post is about two songs I heard today, which for some reason gave me this eerie feeling. Both are kinda "patriotic", and both remind me of home and so many things.
The first one was "Mile sur mera tumhara". As a lot of us will remember, it was introduced in the good ol'days when DD was the only thing on TV. I particularly remember it being played in that 5-10min gap between the Saturday evening movie and the 8.30pm "Hindi Samachar". There's this one moment towards the end where Tanuja's walking on the beach and then it changes to Sharmila Tagore (with Lata singing)..thats one moment which still gives me that eerie feeling. It's something inexplicable, and my choice of words is limited solely due to the fact that I cant find the right word...Lemme know if any of u can find a suitable word.
We also belted some of the folks in the video...there sure were jokers...the classic ones being part featuring Jeetendra, Amitabh and Mithun-da! One could just imagine the shiny white shoes and white jackets and god-knows-whatever-else they were famous for...
The next joker was Narendra Hirwani...I suspect he was in there solely coz he had just bamboozled the Windies with a 16 wkt haul a few months before the video was shot!
With all due apologies to any afficianados of Carnatic music, the walking-talking-singing-croaking powder dabba Balamurali Krishna was also amusing!
Arun Lal, resplendent in a blazer stepping off the subway.....
The other song which I was referring to is "Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera".....Everything about this song is amazing - the best movie song I have heard in a few years! The shehnai is out of this world. AR Rahman rocks! Harris Jeyaraj can go eat crow/whatever!
Another "advertisement" I remember was one featuring sportsmen running with a "freedom torch". I just dig that music. If anyone can tell me where I might be able to find that theme, I'd be really grateful!
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Speaking of the Samachar and English News in the pre-STAR era....it's amazing how "friendly" the Hindi newsreaders look nowadays (eye candy, as the Americans would say). But I am sure a lot of us will remember the scowly Ved Prakash, the ghastly Manjari Joshi, and ofcourse Shammi Narang who used to religiously return his pen into his breast pocket at the end of every newscast. Among the English newsreaders, there's one name which will always stand out. Gitanjali Aiyar...for obvious reasons she's the one who comes to mind first - ask anyone. I bet thats the only name folks of my generation will be able to name.
Despite my loyalties, I'd say Rajdeep Sardesai is a royal painitheuknowwhere. I attribute it to the place which moulded him in the 11th and 12th stds :P! I can bet the C&JC folks will now have a supari out on me!
I do remember staying up late on Fri nights to watch "TWTW" (The World This Week). Prannoy Roy is/was/will always be India's best newscaster period - the Walter Cronkite. I suspect Rajdeep might end up a bit like Dan Rather, getting kinda scorched while over-investigating something. Prannoy and the late Appan Menon were an amazing combo (ably backed by Radhika Roy, Prannoy's wife) and they spiced up what otherwise was a totally bland serving of roobish from DD.
PS: Those were the days of Illustrated Weekly.....no Outlook....India Today ruled the roost....and ToI was a decent newspaper, not a soft-porn cheap-sheet masquerading as a newspaper!!! Oh yeah, and not a soul had heard of something called a BLOG!
This post is about two songs I heard today, which for some reason gave me this eerie feeling. Both are kinda "patriotic", and both remind me of home and so many things.
The first one was "Mile sur mera tumhara". As a lot of us will remember, it was introduced in the good ol'days when DD was the only thing on TV. I particularly remember it being played in that 5-10min gap between the Saturday evening movie and the 8.30pm "Hindi Samachar". There's this one moment towards the end where Tanuja's walking on the beach and then it changes to Sharmila Tagore (with Lata singing)..thats one moment which still gives me that eerie feeling. It's something inexplicable, and my choice of words is limited solely due to the fact that I cant find the right word...Lemme know if any of u can find a suitable word.
We also belted some of the folks in the video...there sure were jokers...the classic ones being part featuring Jeetendra, Amitabh and Mithun-da! One could just imagine the shiny white shoes and white jackets and god-knows-whatever-else they were famous for...
The next joker was Narendra Hirwani...I suspect he was in there solely coz he had just bamboozled the Windies with a 16 wkt haul a few months before the video was shot!
With all due apologies to any afficianados of Carnatic music, the walking-talking-singing-croaking powder dabba Balamurali Krishna was also amusing!
Arun Lal, resplendent in a blazer stepping off the subway.....
The other song which I was referring to is "Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera".....Everything about this song is amazing - the best movie song I have heard in a few years! The shehnai is out of this world. AR Rahman rocks! Harris Jeyaraj can go eat crow/whatever!
Another "advertisement" I remember was one featuring sportsmen running with a "freedom torch". I just dig that music. If anyone can tell me where I might be able to find that theme, I'd be really grateful!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of the Samachar and English News in the pre-STAR era....it's amazing how "friendly" the Hindi newsreaders look nowadays (eye candy, as the Americans would say). But I am sure a lot of us will remember the scowly Ved Prakash, the ghastly Manjari Joshi, and ofcourse Shammi Narang who used to religiously return his pen into his breast pocket at the end of every newscast. Among the English newsreaders, there's one name which will always stand out. Gitanjali Aiyar...for obvious reasons she's the one who comes to mind first - ask anyone. I bet thats the only name folks of my generation will be able to name.
Despite my loyalties, I'd say Rajdeep Sardesai is a royal painitheuknowwhere. I attribute it to the place which moulded him in the 11th and 12th stds :P! I can bet the C&JC folks will now have a supari out on me!
I do remember staying up late on Fri nights to watch "TWTW" (The World This Week). Prannoy Roy is/was/will always be India's best newscaster period - the Walter Cronkite. I suspect Rajdeep might end up a bit like Dan Rather, getting kinda scorched while over-investigating something. Prannoy and the late Appan Menon were an amazing combo (ably backed by Radhika Roy, Prannoy's wife) and they spiced up what otherwise was a totally bland serving of roobish from DD.
PS: Those were the days of Illustrated Weekly.....no Outlook....India Today ruled the roost....and ToI was a decent newspaper, not a soft-porn cheap-sheet masquerading as a newspaper!!! Oh yeah, and not a soul had heard of something called a BLOG!
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Caribbean capers
The final test between the Windies and SA begins tomorrow. It is unfortunate to see the Windies down 0-2. The mighty powerhouse of the 70s and 80s has finally been made to grovel at the feet of teams that they battered into submission with nonchalance when they were in their prime (something that Tony Greig promised, but never delivered on).
As we kids of the 80s would remember, it was the pacemen who made the Windies such a cool team. The one key factor that got incorporated into our building and galli games were the the high fives and punching of "gloves" after a well-struck four or a decent over. The great traditions that began (probably) with the likes of Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith in the 60s got transferred to Roberts, Craft, Garner and Holding in the 70s, and then to Marshall, Walsh, Ambrose, Bishop and some lesser pacemen of the 80s and early 90s. I'm sure a lot of batsman must be licking their wounds still 10-20 years down the line. These dudes were not just mean and hostile, they were almost like contract killers - just ask Mike Gatting. Just imagine what might have run through the batsman's head watching Patrick Patterson crouch, run in like a cheetah, kick his left leg high in the air and hurl a thunderbolt at him.
The batsmen were no mean pushovers either. Imagine the punch packed by a line-up featuring Greenidge, Haynes, Lloyd, Richards, Gomes..and later on Richardson..and one B.C.Lara.
I'd say the rot set in sometime in 1992 when Richards and a few others (Haynes, Marshall, Greenidge included) were unceremoniously dropped. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but with the rise of the Brian Lara star, the star of Windies cricket began to wane. There was a buffer period ofcourse until 1995, when the Aussies defeated them in a Test series for the first time in 15 odd years.
IMHO Brian Lara is easily the most arrogant cricketer on earth. The guy's got talent undoubtedly, but the guy's also got oodles of the wrong attitude. Today the Windies team lacks cohesion, and I am sure Lara has had a huge role to play in that. God knows how many Windies tours/series he has put/almost sent into jeopardy thanks to his "spoilt brat" attitude. Believe me, the day Lara retires, that will be the day Windies will begin to shine again. Anyway, the less said about him, the better! It would be interesting what the immortal CLR James would have had to say about Mr. Lara.
The World Cup is finally going there in 2007 and hopefully they will make a success out of it. The carrreeebbean is full of fun and frolic and ofcourse calypso! It should be a lot of fun, and I hope to be able to watch it.
So that's that....
As we kids of the 80s would remember, it was the pacemen who made the Windies such a cool team. The one key factor that got incorporated into our building and galli games were the the high fives and punching of "gloves" after a well-struck four or a decent over. The great traditions that began (probably) with the likes of Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith in the 60s got transferred to Roberts, Craft, Garner and Holding in the 70s, and then to Marshall, Walsh, Ambrose, Bishop and some lesser pacemen of the 80s and early 90s. I'm sure a lot of batsman must be licking their wounds still 10-20 years down the line. These dudes were not just mean and hostile, they were almost like contract killers - just ask Mike Gatting. Just imagine what might have run through the batsman's head watching Patrick Patterson crouch, run in like a cheetah, kick his left leg high in the air and hurl a thunderbolt at him.
The batsmen were no mean pushovers either. Imagine the punch packed by a line-up featuring Greenidge, Haynes, Lloyd, Richards, Gomes..and later on Richardson..and one B.C.Lara.
I'd say the rot set in sometime in 1992 when Richards and a few others (Haynes, Marshall, Greenidge included) were unceremoniously dropped. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but with the rise of the Brian Lara star, the star of Windies cricket began to wane. There was a buffer period ofcourse until 1995, when the Aussies defeated them in a Test series for the first time in 15 odd years.
IMHO Brian Lara is easily the most arrogant cricketer on earth. The guy's got talent undoubtedly, but the guy's also got oodles of the wrong attitude. Today the Windies team lacks cohesion, and I am sure Lara has had a huge role to play in that. God knows how many Windies tours/series he has put/almost sent into jeopardy thanks to his "spoilt brat" attitude. Believe me, the day Lara retires, that will be the day Windies will begin to shine again. Anyway, the less said about him, the better! It would be interesting what the immortal CLR James would have had to say about Mr. Lara.
The World Cup is finally going there in 2007 and hopefully they will make a success out of it. The carrreeebbean is full of fun and frolic and ofcourse calypso! It should be a lot of fun, and I hope to be able to watch it.
So that's that....
The vicissitudes of being Irfan Pathan
In an interview with Outlook, Irfan Pathan claims that he has experienced "the vicissitudes of life at the top"...
From where did that come, I wonder? With all due respect to him, I can only say Mr. Haresh Pandya who interviewed him has an amazing writing sense. With all due respect to Irfan, I doubt he could have used that word....even Shashi Tharoor wouldnt have used such a word in his high school essays!
What's amusing is the fact that Irfan claims in the same interview that his performance in the India-Pak series was "not so good". Isnt there a word for "not-so-good"??????????????
So thats that!
Speaking of Shashi Tharoor, just finished reading his book "India: From Midnight to the Millenium". All said and done it's an amazing book, written really well. His "Great Indian Novel" occupies a proud position among the pantheon of the best novels I have ever read. I know a certain Cathedralite will accuse me of being partial to "another Campionite" and how the Campion mafia is at work again! Let's face it...the C&JC mafia beats the Campion mafia hands down...after all C&JC have Rushdie up their sleeve :P!
From where did that come, I wonder? With all due respect to him, I can only say Mr. Haresh Pandya who interviewed him has an amazing writing sense. With all due respect to Irfan, I doubt he could have used that word....even Shashi Tharoor wouldnt have used such a word in his high school essays!
What's amusing is the fact that Irfan claims in the same interview that his performance in the India-Pak series was "not so good". Isnt there a word for "not-so-good"??????????????
So thats that!
Speaking of Shashi Tharoor, just finished reading his book "India: From Midnight to the Millenium". All said and done it's an amazing book, written really well. His "Great Indian Novel" occupies a proud position among the pantheon of the best novels I have ever read. I know a certain Cathedralite will accuse me of being partial to "another Campionite" and how the Campion mafia is at work again! Let's face it...the C&JC mafia beats the Campion mafia hands down...after all C&JC have Rushdie up their sleeve :P!
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
The C-word...
C for chemistry....
Now thats a word which evokes a mixed feelings. Different people interpret it differently...I have re-analyzed and re-interpreted the deeper meaning a gazillion times - with a little help from a few friends ofcourse. A harmless statement made at Bangalore Cantonment Railway Station three years ago still rings in my head, and stands out for the subsequent discussions on the topic. I guess everyone changes their views with time and circumstances - it's all part of the learning curve!
As usual, something which happened in the past 24-48h inspired me to think up this post. I am a huge fan of Fleetwood Mac, and happened to listen to their song "Peacekeeper" (from the "Say you will" album) yesterday evening.
If you see the video (it's available on Yahoo! Launch, under the Fleetwood Mac section), it is pretty tough not to notice the way Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks play the song - furtive glances, a bit flirty, and full of josh. It was something amazing, especially since the same combination had another brilliant performance together, playing Silver Springs (from "The Dance" album).
It was but natural to assume that Lindsey and Stevie were husband and wife, lawfully wedded etc etc; considering the fact that I knew Christine McVie and John McVie were (probably) wifey-hubby. But then as they say, truth is stranger than fiction. This was one case where the band has pretty much stuck together (ofcourse with a few comebacks), despite all the clashes and issues they have had amongst themselves.
Lindsey and Stevie started out in some band, and ultimately wound up becoming part of Mac with Mick Fleetwood. They were married, but later on things apparently turned a little temepestuous thanks to Ms. Nicks, who shacked up with good ol' Mick...in addition to some other not-so-well known dudes! Needless to say, it caused a lot of problems, and led to the band ultimately breaking up.
Stevie apparently felt the best way she could communicate was via songs, and two of FM's superhits, Landslide and Silver Springs were written by Stevie for Lindsey. They still believe that things work that way!
The cold war continued for almost a decade starting 1987 (after the "Tango in the night" album), and things got back on track in 1997 with "The Dance". It sure must have a taken a lot for them to leave their baggage behind and perform on the same stage!
And what a scintillating show they put up! You just have to see the video of "Silver Springs" (again on Yahoo! Launch) to realize what amazing chemistry they still share. The mutual respect and fondness shine through in their performances even today...which is amazing...
I dont think I have seen another band share this much chemistry, be it ABBA or any other husband-wife/bf-gf combo. On second thoughts however, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa do evoke the same chemistry to a lesser extent when they play together on the E-Street Band, and anyway they are happily married. As someone said, it's a the old and new chemistry in Fleetwood Mac which makes such a huge impact when they play.
So that's that....
Now thats a word which evokes a mixed feelings. Different people interpret it differently...I have re-analyzed and re-interpreted the deeper meaning a gazillion times - with a little help from a few friends ofcourse. A harmless statement made at Bangalore Cantonment Railway Station three years ago still rings in my head, and stands out for the subsequent discussions on the topic. I guess everyone changes their views with time and circumstances - it's all part of the learning curve!
As usual, something which happened in the past 24-48h inspired me to think up this post. I am a huge fan of Fleetwood Mac, and happened to listen to their song "Peacekeeper" (from the "Say you will" album) yesterday evening.
If you see the video (it's available on Yahoo! Launch, under the Fleetwood Mac section), it is pretty tough not to notice the way Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks play the song - furtive glances, a bit flirty, and full of josh. It was something amazing, especially since the same combination had another brilliant performance together, playing Silver Springs (from "The Dance" album).
It was but natural to assume that Lindsey and Stevie were husband and wife, lawfully wedded etc etc; considering the fact that I knew Christine McVie and John McVie were (probably) wifey-hubby. But then as they say, truth is stranger than fiction. This was one case where the band has pretty much stuck together (ofcourse with a few comebacks), despite all the clashes and issues they have had amongst themselves.
Lindsey and Stevie started out in some band, and ultimately wound up becoming part of Mac with Mick Fleetwood. They were married, but later on things apparently turned a little temepestuous thanks to Ms. Nicks, who shacked up with good ol' Mick...in addition to some other not-so-well known dudes! Needless to say, it caused a lot of problems, and led to the band ultimately breaking up.
Stevie apparently felt the best way she could communicate was via songs, and two of FM's superhits, Landslide and Silver Springs were written by Stevie for Lindsey. They still believe that things work that way!
The cold war continued for almost a decade starting 1987 (after the "Tango in the night" album), and things got back on track in 1997 with "The Dance". It sure must have a taken a lot for them to leave their baggage behind and perform on the same stage!
And what a scintillating show they put up! You just have to see the video of "Silver Springs" (again on Yahoo! Launch) to realize what amazing chemistry they still share. The mutual respect and fondness shine through in their performances even today...which is amazing...
I dont think I have seen another band share this much chemistry, be it ABBA or any other husband-wife/bf-gf combo. On second thoughts however, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa do evoke the same chemistry to a lesser extent when they play together on the E-Street Band, and anyway they are happily married. As someone said, it's a the old and new chemistry in Fleetwood Mac which makes such a huge impact when they play.
So that's that....
Monday, April 25, 2005
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Marine Drive musings
There's something which takes my breath away when I think of Queen's Necklace. Whether you look at it from the Oberoi (rather what's now called the Hilton!), from Governor's Beach, Hanging Gardens, The Revolving Restaurant, or just anywhere on Marine Drive it just makes my heart skip a beat. That's one of my lasting impressions of Bombay, much like looking at NYC at night from just across the Hudson, on the bridge near the Tunnel. Although I'd put Chennai and Bangalore ahead of Bombay on my list of favorite cities, when it comes to breathless moments, Bombay takes the cake by miles. This is the city where I grew up for 15 years...I did all my schooling there...I learned my cricket there...I got my nickname there...I did hazzaar things there...As my cousins and I might say (and A will concur with me on this) "Every lamp-post in South Bombay has its own story"....Sunday evenings on Marine Drive, munching on bhutta. The late night drives to the airport, when we'd cover the entire stretch between Air India building and Walkeshwar in 5 mins flat! To use a much cliched expression, you can take a guy out of Bombay, but u cant take Bombay out of a guy.
The daily dekko (the theme of which is sad and disgusting. I dont have words to express what I feel - rage, disbelief, whatever): Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta on the Marine Drive incident.
With all due respect to civilized society, I think the cop should thank his stars that he is still in one piece. I can only hope he gets his due for his crimes (both past and present). But yet I have this gut feeling that we havent heard the last of this. Uma's comparison of this to the Central Park incident a little more than a decade ago was (to say the least) eerie. But in the end, the culprit was found guilty and did serve his sentence, although I'd say he got away relatively scot free.
I cant but help see this issue (and I pray and hope it doesnt happen) turn into a bit of a fiasco. I suspect the Shiv Sena might throw its lot behind the cop (after all for them, there's nothing like a nice, paan chewing pandu havaldar. And let's face it, with the Shiv Sena, all Mr. More has to say is "Jai Maharashtra!" or "Jai Balls Thackeray", and he will get "protection" from the SS! After all, the victim is [probably] an "outsider". God knows what the Congress will have to say in that scenario!
I fear the worst...prove me wrong please!
What's buzzing:
The iPod's on shuffle this weekend! :)
The daily dekko (the theme of which is sad and disgusting. I dont have words to express what I feel - rage, disbelief, whatever): Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta on the Marine Drive incident.
With all due respect to civilized society, I think the cop should thank his stars that he is still in one piece. I can only hope he gets his due for his crimes (both past and present). But yet I have this gut feeling that we havent heard the last of this. Uma's comparison of this to the Central Park incident a little more than a decade ago was (to say the least) eerie. But in the end, the culprit was found guilty and did serve his sentence, although I'd say he got away relatively scot free.
I cant but help see this issue (and I pray and hope it doesnt happen) turn into a bit of a fiasco. I suspect the Shiv Sena might throw its lot behind the cop (after all for them, there's nothing like a nice, paan chewing pandu havaldar. And let's face it, with the Shiv Sena, all Mr. More has to say is "Jai Maharashtra!" or "Jai Balls Thackeray", and he will get "protection" from the SS! After all, the victim is [probably] an "outsider". God knows what the Congress will have to say in that scenario!
I fear the worst...prove me wrong please!
What's buzzing:
The iPod's on shuffle this weekend! :)
Muzik for ze soul
Was just talking to A about my taste for Eminem's music, or whatever he performs. Although A's tolerance level for the stuff he dishes (or is it disses!) out is alarmingly low, I tend to like a couple of his songs.
Eminem is one of them in-your-face type kinda guys as we all know, and his music is anything but different from his persona. Some of his songs are good imho, especially "Cleanin' out my closet" (minus the trash he sings in between, the chorus is amazingly catchy). I remember getting hooked onto it for the first time when I heard it at PlanetM...even U back then concurred with me on that (a big thing indeed)! But I think overall rap is nothing but a whole load of mindless music.
If I could say this, music started out as being a kind of "worship", but it has generated into something else over the last decade or two. The majority of the music being churned out of-late is good, but some of it is utter trash....With respect to the lyrics.....the less said the better....I remember this Altaf Raja(?!?!?!) song which was released when I was in the 12th called "Ishq ki whisky" - it amused my gang no end. It didnt help that Mr. Raja had this lascivious leer on this smug mug while singing it!
Today a lot of artistes tend to improvise/innovate in order to make their music more appealing to the masses. I have had a few debates with folks over the use of an electric violin in Carnatic music. I think it's a really cool innovation, and really puts Indian classical violin compositions in a whole new sphere, but some folks beg to differ. I base my views totally on the Ganesh-Kumaresh album I have. But that does not take anything away from the greatness/mastery of folks like Lalgudi Jayaraman, MSGopalakrishnan and LSubramaniam - these 3 are like the Holy Trinity....
I do tend to agree that Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan takes his experimentations a tad too far and messes up the song. Some uncharitable cousin of mine thinks the man has lost his marbles :)! Karaikudi Mani is an amazing guy on the mridangam when he plays classical stuff, but he varies between sublime and sucky when he experiments.
Kipling's oft quoted statement about the east being east and west being west and the 'twain never meeting has been proved woefully wrong with regard to music. Music is something which knows no boundaries, and it has undoubtedly become richer thanks to the experimentations between various forms and styles. The conservative connoiseur might say that fusion causes confusion, but I'd say (s)he is just not willing to accept anything off the well-trodden path.
Shakti (with McLaughlin, Zakir, Vinayakram and Shankar) created some mindblowing music in the 70s. I dont think at that point in time, people ever imagined that the guitar, tabla, ghatam and violin could all be used to make music - together! Similarly, Ravi Shankar's concertos with Yehudi Menuhin and some other stuff with Zubin Mehta and Philip Glass have been amazing successes; partly due to the fact that RS got a huge fan following in the west in the 60s and 70s thanks to the Fab Four.
All said and done, I'd tend to believe that a century from now, Eminem and the other rappers will be a forgotten entity, while the "purists" who treat their music with a little more respect than Mr. Marshall Mathers does will remain immortal.
So that's that....
Eminem is one of them in-your-face type kinda guys as we all know, and his music is anything but different from his persona. Some of his songs are good imho, especially "Cleanin' out my closet" (minus the trash he sings in between, the chorus is amazingly catchy). I remember getting hooked onto it for the first time when I heard it at PlanetM...even U back then concurred with me on that (a big thing indeed)! But I think overall rap is nothing but a whole load of mindless music.
If I could say this, music started out as being a kind of "worship", but it has generated into something else over the last decade or two. The majority of the music being churned out of-late is good, but some of it is utter trash....With respect to the lyrics.....the less said the better....I remember this Altaf Raja(?!?!?!) song which was released when I was in the 12th called "Ishq ki whisky" - it amused my gang no end. It didnt help that Mr. Raja had this lascivious leer on this smug mug while singing it!
Today a lot of artistes tend to improvise/innovate in order to make their music more appealing to the masses. I have had a few debates with folks over the use of an electric violin in Carnatic music. I think it's a really cool innovation, and really puts Indian classical violin compositions in a whole new sphere, but some folks beg to differ. I base my views totally on the Ganesh-Kumaresh album I have. But that does not take anything away from the greatness/mastery of folks like Lalgudi Jayaraman, MSGopalakrishnan and LSubramaniam - these 3 are like the Holy Trinity....
I do tend to agree that Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan takes his experimentations a tad too far and messes up the song. Some uncharitable cousin of mine thinks the man has lost his marbles :)! Karaikudi Mani is an amazing guy on the mridangam when he plays classical stuff, but he varies between sublime and sucky when he experiments.
Kipling's oft quoted statement about the east being east and west being west and the 'twain never meeting has been proved woefully wrong with regard to music. Music is something which knows no boundaries, and it has undoubtedly become richer thanks to the experimentations between various forms and styles. The conservative connoiseur might say that fusion causes confusion, but I'd say (s)he is just not willing to accept anything off the well-trodden path.
Shakti (with McLaughlin, Zakir, Vinayakram and Shankar) created some mindblowing music in the 70s. I dont think at that point in time, people ever imagined that the guitar, tabla, ghatam and violin could all be used to make music - together! Similarly, Ravi Shankar's concertos with Yehudi Menuhin and some other stuff with Zubin Mehta and Philip Glass have been amazing successes; partly due to the fact that RS got a huge fan following in the west in the 60s and 70s thanks to the Fab Four.
All said and done, I'd tend to believe that a century from now, Eminem and the other rappers will be a forgotten entity, while the "purists" who treat their music with a little more respect than Mr. Marshall Mathers does will remain immortal.
So that's that....
Friday, April 22, 2005
Leading the Aussie team
Was amused to read a headline on Cricinfo:
"Even my mother can lead the Aussie team".
Ah, I thought...here goes (Sir) Geoffrey again...But it came from Chris Cairns...
Yeah, reinforced bat or not, Mr. Ponting sure is in for some competition from Mrs. Lance Cairns! I bet someone reading about this latest doing of Mr.Ponting will probably classify him in a category reserved for another great aussie batsman-captain (and no, we arent talking about Bradman)...
I got into a discussion with Sandy the other day on the bus about the greatness of today's teams and their coaches...The gist of it was that with such a good team, a lot of people tend to think that Buchanan is the best coach. I'd probably tend to sit on the fence (dont I always!). He's a shrewd man undoubtedly, especially with his affinity for "Art of War"...(imagine Kaps/Wadekar expounding on the "art of war").....and it's just 'coz the Aussie team's doing well that he's considered by many to be the best coach around. Let's face it..Ponting has an awesome team, which I shall not name for lack of enthu...too many blokes...(On second thoughts, I'm sure there are quite a few epics starting with the Gita which could be put to use in inspiring the insipid Indian team).
Next man up in the witness box...Mr. Bob Woolmer...he of the earpieces and hi-tec laptops etc etc...He is the man who really revolutionized technology in cricket coaching. He worked wonders with SA, but then again he had a great captain in Cronje (before he became sticky-fingered), and a bunch of good cricketers in Rhodes, Cullinan (before Warney dismantled him), Kallis, Gary Kirsten and Donald. I'm sure if the Pak team just listened to him, instead of dismissing him as another gora they'd do a wee bit better (Case in point being a Paki player griping on the Indian tour - openly- about Woolmer's folly in leaving him outta the team). Inzy is a lousy skipper...bring on Younis Khan....
Dave Whatmore worked wonders with SL in 1995-96, but then again they had Ranatunga at the helm. They revolutionized the way the game was played in the first 15 overs. I dont know if he can help the Bangladeshis though, with all due to respect to them. Agreed, they beat us in an ODI...utter fluke....we wr too complacent.
Duncan Fletcher's really gotten the English team to play some good cricket over the last couple of years. This is one team which has been resurgent over the last 3 years or so, and due thanks have to be given to Nasser Hussain too. Plus, a few new faces have been thrown up...dudes who are willing to play like well...lions - Harmison, Pietersen....
Bennett King - Bennett Who? No hope for them Windies dudes...No maaaaaaaaan...no waaaaaaaaaaay.....With the exception of Lara, Sarwan and maybe Chanderpaul...this team has zero hope....But then believe me, it will all change once Lara retires...I believe that the Windies are paying the price for being complacent in the early 90's when they did away with the services of Richards et al. It was a huge dishonor for the man who had served Windies cricket really well...(I shall not elaborate)...The other point (agreed Walshie and Ambrose were good), it's payback time for all the Pommies and Aussies who got their noses broken and bodies bruised...
??????? as the Indian coach. He better be good...He's got a half-decent team, full of lazy fools some of whom are bothered pretty much only about endorsements and advertisements...Someone who can kick butt like Wright, and someone willing to stand face to face inches away from Ganguly's face and scream in his face (oh yeah, did someone say Ganguly's days in the team were over?)....
Bracewell - needs some gripe water. Maybe we should export some to NZ...The guy's a decent coach, but too grouchy....
Zimbabwe - God know what's happening there...The "rebels" keep changing their mind. If I were in their place I'd probably get the hell outta there before Mugabe's thugs came a-calling! They're asking for trouble...
Daily dekko: As is usualy the case, from Amit Varma's blog....it had me in splits..
What's buzzin: Buena Vista Social Club...
"Even my mother can lead the Aussie team".
Ah, I thought...here goes (Sir) Geoffrey again...But it came from Chris Cairns...
Yeah, reinforced bat or not, Mr. Ponting sure is in for some competition from Mrs. Lance Cairns! I bet someone reading about this latest doing of Mr.Ponting will probably classify him in a category reserved for another great aussie batsman-captain (and no, we arent talking about Bradman)...
I got into a discussion with Sandy the other day on the bus about the greatness of today's teams and their coaches...The gist of it was that with such a good team, a lot of people tend to think that Buchanan is the best coach. I'd probably tend to sit on the fence (dont I always!). He's a shrewd man undoubtedly, especially with his affinity for "Art of War"...(imagine Kaps/Wadekar expounding on the "art of war").....and it's just 'coz the Aussie team's doing well that he's considered by many to be the best coach around. Let's face it..Ponting has an awesome team, which I shall not name for lack of enthu...too many blokes...(On second thoughts, I'm sure there are quite a few epics starting with the Gita which could be put to use in inspiring the insipid Indian team).
Next man up in the witness box...Mr. Bob Woolmer...he of the earpieces and hi-tec laptops etc etc...He is the man who really revolutionized technology in cricket coaching. He worked wonders with SA, but then again he had a great captain in Cronje (before he became sticky-fingered), and a bunch of good cricketers in Rhodes, Cullinan (before Warney dismantled him), Kallis, Gary Kirsten and Donald. I'm sure if the Pak team just listened to him, instead of dismissing him as another gora they'd do a wee bit better (Case in point being a Paki player griping on the Indian tour - openly- about Woolmer's folly in leaving him outta the team). Inzy is a lousy skipper...bring on Younis Khan....
Dave Whatmore worked wonders with SL in 1995-96, but then again they had Ranatunga at the helm. They revolutionized the way the game was played in the first 15 overs. I dont know if he can help the Bangladeshis though, with all due to respect to them. Agreed, they beat us in an ODI...utter fluke....we wr too complacent.
Duncan Fletcher's really gotten the English team to play some good cricket over the last couple of years. This is one team which has been resurgent over the last 3 years or so, and due thanks have to be given to Nasser Hussain too. Plus, a few new faces have been thrown up...dudes who are willing to play like well...lions - Harmison, Pietersen....
Bennett King - Bennett Who? No hope for them Windies dudes...No maaaaaaaaan...no waaaaaaaaaaay.....With the exception of Lara, Sarwan and maybe Chanderpaul...this team has zero hope....But then believe me, it will all change once Lara retires...I believe that the Windies are paying the price for being complacent in the early 90's when they did away with the services of Richards et al. It was a huge dishonor for the man who had served Windies cricket really well...(I shall not elaborate)...The other point (agreed Walshie and Ambrose were good), it's payback time for all the Pommies and Aussies who got their noses broken and bodies bruised...
??????? as the Indian coach. He better be good...He's got a half-decent team, full of lazy fools some of whom are bothered pretty much only about endorsements and advertisements...Someone who can kick butt like Wright, and someone willing to stand face to face inches away from Ganguly's face and scream in his face (oh yeah, did someone say Ganguly's days in the team were over?)....
Bracewell - needs some gripe water. Maybe we should export some to NZ...The guy's a decent coach, but too grouchy....
Zimbabwe - God know what's happening there...The "rebels" keep changing their mind. If I were in their place I'd probably get the hell outta there before Mugabe's thugs came a-calling! They're asking for trouble...
Daily dekko: As is usualy the case, from Amit Varma's blog....it had me in splits..
What's buzzin: Buena Vista Social Club...
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
The "foreign" coach
It was pretty interesting to read that Ajit Wadekar said:
Faisal Shariff wrote a brilliant article sometime in 2003, just after Kapil said:
Another joker who put his foot deep down his mouth and into his oesophagus was Mr. Vengsarkar who said that
I cant but help think these dudes are insecure about their legacy as Indian coach. Agreed, Wadekar and Gaekwad set up the foundations for the team which did well under Wright's guidance. Sad to say, Kapil was not up to the mark as a coach. A great player doesnt necessarily make a great coach. I dont think Bradman even coached the Aussie team, or if he did, nothing great came out of it!
I'd tend to think that the foreign coach would be a good thing to follow, especially after the success with Wright. Atleast he wont be parochial like some coaches have been, keeping in mind that the coach also plays a role in team selection (yeah, when the 5 bozos sit down to choose the teams for a series).
It's probably a toss-up between Greg Chappell and Tom Moody. Have read a lot more abt Chappell rather than Moody, and he was streets ahead of Moody cricket-career wise...But then Moody might turn out better than Chappell! I had similar misgivings when JW became the Indian coach back in 2000....
Lets see what happens...I suspect Sandy's gonna be the new coach...considering Dalmiya attempted to replace JW some years ago, only to have the players threaten a revolt!
What's buzzin:
Frank Sinatra - Duets....
Miles Davis - a whole lotta songs...he's amazing!
Daily recco/dekko:
Rahul Bhatia has a nice post up on his blog...Made me think...
.....it makes no sense having a foreign coach "when you have former players like Patil, Kapil Dev or Sunil Gavaskar, who were great players in their time".It has been pretty much commonplace for Indian cricketers (especially former coaches) to criticize the idea of foreign coaches, and in some cases the coach himself. Everyone's dug in to the issue and publicized his views, be it Kapil or Anshuman Gaekwad, and now Mr. Wadekar.
Faisal Shariff wrote a brilliant article sometime in 2003, just after Kapil said:
"It is a pity that despite India having coaches of the calibre of Sandeep Patil, we have to import the likes of John Geoffrey Wright."I am tempted to say that Paaji probably doesnt know English well enough to use words like "pity" and "caliber" in the same sentence, as someone memorably chuckled a few years ago. Agreed, I was a fan of Kapil as a kid (can never forget the trouble he took to get the entire team to sign my autograph book during the India-England test at Bombay in 1993), but he was dumb to wade into the matter.
Another joker who put his foot deep down his mouth and into his oesophagus was Mr. Vengsarkar who said that
"Wright as a coach has not done anything extraordinary, for if one goes through the record books, his performance as a coach is pretty ordinary. Possibly worse than any of the Indian coaches we earlier had.....Said like a true blue Mumbaikar...(I am partly Mumbaikar, but not the hardcore, Shiv Sena types!). If he were to comment on the relative success of Infosys in the IT sector, he will probably credit (with due apologies to any Infy folks) the butler in Building-1 for making Infy a force to reckon with....but then for all u know, the butler might be slipping in some 'roids/juice into the stuff the peoplez in there drink...(Yes, there are some first-rate clowns in the HR department there..)...
...............
on the tour of Zimbabwe last year and during the India-Australia series in India, Chetan Chauhan's contribution to the team was more than that of Wright in terms of handling young players in the team, talking to and guiding the seniors."
I cant but help think these dudes are insecure about their legacy as Indian coach. Agreed, Wadekar and Gaekwad set up the foundations for the team which did well under Wright's guidance. Sad to say, Kapil was not up to the mark as a coach. A great player doesnt necessarily make a great coach. I dont think Bradman even coached the Aussie team, or if he did, nothing great came out of it!
I'd tend to think that the foreign coach would be a good thing to follow, especially after the success with Wright. Atleast he wont be parochial like some coaches have been, keeping in mind that the coach also plays a role in team selection (yeah, when the 5 bozos sit down to choose the teams for a series).
It's probably a toss-up between Greg Chappell and Tom Moody. Have read a lot more abt Chappell rather than Moody, and he was streets ahead of Moody cricket-career wise...But then Moody might turn out better than Chappell! I had similar misgivings when JW became the Indian coach back in 2000....
Lets see what happens...I suspect Sandy's gonna be the new coach...considering Dalmiya attempted to replace JW some years ago, only to have the players threaten a revolt!
What's buzzin:
Frank Sinatra - Duets....
Miles Davis - a whole lotta songs...he's amazing!
Daily recco/dekko:
Rahul Bhatia has a nice post up on his blog...Made me think...
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Sunday, April 17, 2005
The end of an era...So long Mr. Wright, and thanks for all the phish
And so, an era has come to an end. John Wright's over and done with the Indian cricket team. Amit's blog had something interesting about JW's last press conference, and hopefully will throw a lot more light on his tenure in future posts.
I am sure the tributes will flow in soon, and I look forward to reading them. When JW took over in 2000, the team was relatively in shambles, having just been dismissed for 54 in an ODI final in Sharjah. I think the Zim series was his first in charge, and slowly but surely he began a famous partnership with Ganguly. Undoubtedly the Wright-Ganguly combo has been a major factor in India's success over the last 5 years.
I happened to watch the team during their prep camp for the Aussie series in 2001....and what an amazing surprise I was in for, when I went to IIT-Chemplast. I expected to see the players gen lolling around doing their own thing, but what I saw was amazing.
Each and every player (including some folks who werent on the team, like Dinesh Mongia) had their work cut out. The best part was that the press was kept out most of the time, until the practice session was over. I didnt expect to see this much professionalism.
I clearly remember Kumble (with one arm in a sling) watching over the spinners with a hawkish eye (remember, he didnt play that series...but a turbaned dude did..and was fairly successful in it!). Tendulkar facing Srinath and Prasad....Ganguly as usual was loitering around (he isnt capable of much more, imho)...Dravid was facing the spinners...I dont think Sehwag was on the national radar then.
IIT-Chemplast is an amazing cricket ground, all said and done. That's in stark comparison to other college grounds like Guru Nanak and ACTech, which have hosted first-class matches. It sure gives the Chepauk a good run for its money.
Watching JW's interviews and press conferences was a real lesson in humility. Everyone quotes JW's humility as a standout quality....Here he was, the shepherd of India's favorite flock and he never once acted arrogant. I think he did say in an interview that it was for his players to take the plaudits, but yet when the team didnt do well, questions were raised over his abilities. Like Amit said, he was let down badly by the BCCI. I have my own expansion for the BCCI :D!
The BCCI has been reduced to Dalmiya's fiefdom these days, though it seems Ranbir (R***y) Singh seems to be standing up to Jaggu Dada....All said and done they mumble, bumble and stumble from one controversy to another. I dont know why every BCCI Secretary is a dope, be it that joker Jaywant Lele, Niranjan Shah and now SK Nair. They act as if they dont know their ___hole from their damn nostrils. The sad part is they probably DONT!
I just hope JW goes out with more fond memories rather than a bad taste over what could have been...
So long Mr. Wright.....and thanks for all the phish....:). We'll be keeping a hawk-like watch on you!
I am sure the tributes will flow in soon, and I look forward to reading them. When JW took over in 2000, the team was relatively in shambles, having just been dismissed for 54 in an ODI final in Sharjah. I think the Zim series was his first in charge, and slowly but surely he began a famous partnership with Ganguly. Undoubtedly the Wright-Ganguly combo has been a major factor in India's success over the last 5 years.
I happened to watch the team during their prep camp for the Aussie series in 2001....and what an amazing surprise I was in for, when I went to IIT-Chemplast. I expected to see the players gen lolling around doing their own thing, but what I saw was amazing.
Each and every player (including some folks who werent on the team, like Dinesh Mongia) had their work cut out. The best part was that the press was kept out most of the time, until the practice session was over. I didnt expect to see this much professionalism.
I clearly remember Kumble (with one arm in a sling) watching over the spinners with a hawkish eye (remember, he didnt play that series...but a turbaned dude did..and was fairly successful in it!). Tendulkar facing Srinath and Prasad....Ganguly as usual was loitering around (he isnt capable of much more, imho)...Dravid was facing the spinners...I dont think Sehwag was on the national radar then.
IIT-Chemplast is an amazing cricket ground, all said and done. That's in stark comparison to other college grounds like Guru Nanak and ACTech, which have hosted first-class matches. It sure gives the Chepauk a good run for its money.
Watching JW's interviews and press conferences was a real lesson in humility. Everyone quotes JW's humility as a standout quality....Here he was, the shepherd of India's favorite flock and he never once acted arrogant. I think he did say in an interview that it was for his players to take the plaudits, but yet when the team didnt do well, questions were raised over his abilities. Like Amit said, he was let down badly by the BCCI. I have my own expansion for the BCCI :D!
The BCCI has been reduced to Dalmiya's fiefdom these days, though it seems Ranbir (R***y) Singh seems to be standing up to Jaggu Dada....All said and done they mumble, bumble and stumble from one controversy to another. I dont know why every BCCI Secretary is a dope, be it that joker Jaywant Lele, Niranjan Shah and now SK Nair. They act as if they dont know their ___hole from their damn nostrils. The sad part is they probably DONT!
I just hope JW goes out with more fond memories rather than a bad taste over what could have been...
So long Mr. Wright.....and thanks for all the phish....:). We'll be keeping a hawk-like watch on you!
Saturday, April 16, 2005
The first semester
An early morning chat with Angus inspired this post...
We were an amazing group in 1st sem. Bhalotia, Angus, Iyer, Vijee, Manu, Chintz, Choos-Lee, me.....
I guess we were all sorta raw when we walked into the portals of the (not-so) great ACTech. Surrounded by hardcore Tams....Like the proverbial Lotus-eaters, we wr the Hindi-speakers!
Had some amazing times, thru all those classes...Alagar, Jagadeesh, Sarada, DGS, Dr.O :) (God bless his soul)...the Physics lab, Chem lab, and who can forget WORKSHOP!
Bhalotia and his amazing brand of Hindi..."samooche" ;-)
Angus, the playboy-who-never-was ;-)
Iyer, the stud-man....Inseparable from his Rafi tapes ;-)...that would all change in the coming semesters :)!
Vijee and his "haraami Angus" statements...
Manu Dada and his red Luna...LOL...soon to change into a Caliber :)!
Chintu and his Luna....his faithful "vaahan" for a long while until TVS decided to make the (damn..I forgot the name of the bike)....Splendor??????????
Choos-Lee...the dashing Mallu bloke with the dry Mallu wit...
Pretty much a motley crew...
What's buzzing:
Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera - Swades...
We were an amazing group in 1st sem. Bhalotia, Angus, Iyer, Vijee, Manu, Chintz, Choos-Lee, me.....
I guess we were all sorta raw when we walked into the portals of the (not-so) great ACTech. Surrounded by hardcore Tams....Like the proverbial Lotus-eaters, we wr the Hindi-speakers!
Had some amazing times, thru all those classes...Alagar, Jagadeesh, Sarada, DGS, Dr.O :) (God bless his soul)...the Physics lab, Chem lab, and who can forget WORKSHOP!
Bhalotia and his amazing brand of Hindi..."samooche" ;-)
Angus, the playboy-who-never-was ;-)
Iyer, the stud-man....Inseparable from his Rafi tapes ;-)...that would all change in the coming semesters :)!
Vijee and his "haraami Angus" statements...
Manu Dada and his red Luna...LOL...soon to change into a Caliber :)!
Chintu and his Luna....his faithful "vaahan" for a long while until TVS decided to make the (damn..I forgot the name of the bike)....Splendor??????????
Choos-Lee...the dashing Mallu bloke with the dry Mallu wit...
Pretty much a motley crew...
What's buzzing:
Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera - Swades...
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Ganguly's guiles/guilt....and some Champions League!
Couldnt believe that India lost at Motera the other day! I can only say that it probly was a mix of Indian stupidity and Paki brilliance....
Ganguly is undoubtedly an albatross, and his decision to bat at No.4 (in the 32nd over, ahead of Dravid, Kaif and Yuvraj) was dumb captaincy. Agreed, being the selfish so-and-so he is, he probably thought 20 overs was a decent period to potter around and scratch out a few runs in the hope that his detractors would be silenced. That failed....and with the sword dangling perilously close to his neck, he did the next best thing.
Knowing that he would be banned for a few games if he repeated the offence of a slow over rate, he coolly slowed things down, and sure enough got slapped with a 6 match ban. effectively that means the dude gets 6 months off to clean his act up. Had it been any other player, he would have been dropped a long time ago (with no chances of a comeback), but then he's Saurav Ganguly..and has his godfather as the patron saint of Indian cricket!
Bringing Kumble back into the team isnt such a great idea IMHO. I frankly dont see him playing, plus his fielding aint upto much (not that it was that great earlier).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So 2 UEFA Champions League semi-finalists have been decided. Chelsea rocks...and all said and done I would attribute their success more to the buying power of Abramovich rather than the greatness of Mourinho. Mourinho IMHO is a huge publicity seeker, and thats not my idea of a good coach - takes away the sheen from the stuff his team does.
Cant blame the Inter fans for the mess at the San Siro - the goal that was disallowed was infact not off-side, so they can crib as much as they want. You cant blame the ref either, as these things happen pretty often in the game. All the same, the much touted Milan derby came to a premature (and sad) conclusion.
Hoping Juve can beat Liverpool, and Lyon beats PSV. Lyon sure are the dark horses for the game.
So that's that......
What's buzzing:
Maria - Blondie
Live in Geneva - Bismillah Khan and L.Subramaniam
Ganguly is undoubtedly an albatross, and his decision to bat at No.4 (in the 32nd over, ahead of Dravid, Kaif and Yuvraj) was dumb captaincy. Agreed, being the selfish so-and-so he is, he probably thought 20 overs was a decent period to potter around and scratch out a few runs in the hope that his detractors would be silenced. That failed....and with the sword dangling perilously close to his neck, he did the next best thing.
Knowing that he would be banned for a few games if he repeated the offence of a slow over rate, he coolly slowed things down, and sure enough got slapped with a 6 match ban. effectively that means the dude gets 6 months off to clean his act up. Had it been any other player, he would have been dropped a long time ago (with no chances of a comeback), but then he's Saurav Ganguly..and has his godfather as the patron saint of Indian cricket!
Bringing Kumble back into the team isnt such a great idea IMHO. I frankly dont see him playing, plus his fielding aint upto much (not that it was that great earlier).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So 2 UEFA Champions League semi-finalists have been decided. Chelsea rocks...and all said and done I would attribute their success more to the buying power of Abramovich rather than the greatness of Mourinho. Mourinho IMHO is a huge publicity seeker, and thats not my idea of a good coach - takes away the sheen from the stuff his team does.
Cant blame the Inter fans for the mess at the San Siro - the goal that was disallowed was infact not off-side, so they can crib as much as they want. You cant blame the ref either, as these things happen pretty often in the game. All the same, the much touted Milan derby came to a premature (and sad) conclusion.
Hoping Juve can beat Liverpool, and Lyon beats PSV. Lyon sure are the dark horses for the game.
So that's that......
What's buzzing:
Maria - Blondie
Live in Geneva - Bismillah Khan and L.Subramaniam
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Satriani in San Diego
Awesome weekend....
Went down to San Diego to watch JS in concert...awesome..easily the best one I've been to in 24 years and 6 months!
Went up to Torrey Pines...amazing place....up on the hill...a sheer drop of a few hundred feet down to the beach....the railway tracks...sun setting...awesome..(Tried putting up a snap...but Blogger doesnt seem to respond)...
Ran into a classmate I havent seen in ages, at the JS show. We just kept staring at each other...and then finally I went up and said hi...Yeah, the guess was right...Good to catch up after aeons...Said I could crash up at La Jolla anytime I was in SD :), but then I guess Windcrest Lane's always first option :)!
What's buzzing:
Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd :)...and dont it feel good! :)
Went down to San Diego to watch JS in concert...awesome..easily the best one I've been to in 24 years and 6 months!
Went up to Torrey Pines...amazing place....up on the hill...a sheer drop of a few hundred feet down to the beach....the railway tracks...sun setting...awesome..(Tried putting up a snap...but Blogger doesnt seem to respond)...
Ran into a classmate I havent seen in ages, at the JS show. We just kept staring at each other...and then finally I went up and said hi...Yeah, the guess was right...Good to catch up after aeons...Said I could crash up at La Jolla anytime I was in SD :), but then I guess Windcrest Lane's always first option :)!
What's buzzing:
Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd :)...and dont it feel good! :)
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Sarod for Harmony
Remember this "duet"?
---------------------------------------------
Finally managed to get my hands on one of the most amazing Hindustani Classical albums (imho) the other day - Amjad Ali Khan's "Sarod for Harmony". I had picked up the tape a few years ago when I was in Chennai, and had been looking out for the CD for a while.
It was a live concert held at Carnegie Hall, with AAK's sons completing the tigalbandi (three artistes). Both ragas he played (Behag and Kirwani) are two of the most amazing ragas. The Kirwani piece is simbly outta this world! Have 2 other CDs of him playing the same raga, but at different concerts - not a patch on the stuff he played at the Carnegie Hall.
So that's that for now...
---------------------------------------------
Finally managed to get my hands on one of the most amazing Hindustani Classical albums (imho) the other day - Amjad Ali Khan's "Sarod for Harmony". I had picked up the tape a few years ago when I was in Chennai, and had been looking out for the CD for a while.
It was a live concert held at Carnegie Hall, with AAK's sons completing the tigalbandi (three artistes). Both ragas he played (Behag and Kirwani) are two of the most amazing ragas. The Kirwani piece is simbly outta this world! Have 2 other CDs of him playing the same raga, but at different concerts - not a patch on the stuff he played at the Carnegie Hall.
So that's that for now...
Soultan's school days!
Do u remember.....
The 12 o'clock bells from Holy Name..
The fevicol eater/Baaaaaaaaaaabu Nagendra Nath...
Page Tirtee Tree.....
8am hand cricket....
Pongya mama.....threats to "chew the marrow of (y)our bones..."
B....r L X Bh
Fist of god....
Survey maps.....
Ms. G....(R.I.P)....None of us can believe she's gone!
BIS - YMCA debates...blown away...OJ & Euthanasia..how did they get away?
Dalai Lama debates....pillar of support for "Soda" and "Fats"...
"Fick" man....little did I realize he'd be the king of diffusion!
Mick and his Jordan-style tongue....
"Ip u weel cum vith de roning, I vill giving u baaal gem" .....and something which is still quoted....."DEEFOCK....vere ver u?!!!!?!?!?!".
Uncle Louie and the national anthem....who can forget him singing the Cathedral anthem, and getting roundly booed....
He's got the whole wide world INEEZ hands...volume modulation...unbelievable...
Morarji Desai kicked the bucket and fractured his leg :P
Gavs explaining Kurt Cobain's death....his countdowns...
2pm bell.....
Mindu (God bless his soul)...clutching his chest on the right and exclaiming his heart was aching...
Alvaro and his guitar....and his moving sermons...
Scout camps....
Campion Review meetings....
Sep 5th 1995....I finally get my revenge on ze Egyptian Queen...:) But then back then she was pretty gracious abt it ;-)
Daya Shanker Pandey and his pronunciations...
Huge roar behind me everytime a particular word was said in class...something about "aspirations"...and Bablya asking DSP for explanations!!!
Jullunder Singh ki maaa....
Colonel Bogey's March (esp. its derivative) during the march-pasts....I bet whoever took the salute found a bunch of clowns marching with a smug expression on their faces....
Our soldiers who went to sea to fight for the country, for king, for coffee and for tea...
29th Nov 1995....Euphoria...
March 15th, 1996....arrivederci....
Every guy....a crazy so-and-so in his own right....
The 12 o'clock bells from Holy Name..
The fevicol eater/Baaaaaaaaaaabu Nagendra Nath...
Page Tirtee Tree.....
8am hand cricket....
Pongya mama.....threats to "chew the marrow of (y)our bones..."
B....r L X Bh
Fist of god....
Survey maps.....
Ms. G....(R.I.P)....None of us can believe she's gone!
BIS - YMCA debates...blown away...OJ & Euthanasia..how did they get away?
Dalai Lama debates....pillar of support for "Soda" and "Fats"...
"Fick" man....little did I realize he'd be the king of diffusion!
Mick and his Jordan-style tongue....
"Ip u weel cum vith de roning, I vill giving u baaal gem" .....and something which is still quoted....."DEEFOCK....vere ver u?!!!!?!?!?!".
Uncle Louie and the national anthem....who can forget him singing the Cathedral anthem, and getting roundly booed....
He's got the whole wide world INEEZ hands...volume modulation...unbelievable...
Morarji Desai kicked the bucket and fractured his leg :P
Gavs explaining Kurt Cobain's death....his countdowns...
2pm bell.....
Mindu (God bless his soul)...clutching his chest on the right and exclaiming his heart was aching...
Alvaro and his guitar....and his moving sermons...
Scout camps....
Campion Review meetings....
Sep 5th 1995....I finally get my revenge on ze Egyptian Queen...:) But then back then she was pretty gracious abt it ;-)
Daya Shanker Pandey and his pronunciations...
Huge roar behind me everytime a particular word was said in class...something about "aspirations"...and Bablya asking DSP for explanations!!!
Jullunder Singh ki maaa....
Colonel Bogey's March (esp. its derivative) during the march-pasts....I bet whoever took the salute found a bunch of clowns marching with a smug expression on their faces....
Our soldiers who went to sea to fight for the country, for king, for coffee and for tea...
29th Nov 1995....Euphoria...
March 15th, 1996....arrivederci....
Every guy....a crazy so-and-so in his own right....
Friday, April 08, 2005
Match-fixing reopened?
Something we knew/suspected all along...
What's hilarious is that the note was recovered during a raid on an Income-Tax officer's residence!
What's hilarious is that the note was recovered during a raid on an Income-Tax officer's residence!
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Wisden's cricketers of the year
Some folks are up in arms over the fact that Wisden named 5 Englishmen as their "Cricketers of the Year"....Yeah I would probably tend to agree that 2004 was indeed a good year for the Englishmen....but naming 5 of them as cricketers of the year....well....it raises a slight stink....
What happened to Lara/Gilly/Sehwag (to an extent)/Kumbles (amazing comeback)/Ponting/Murali/Kallis (that amazing stretch he went thru) etc?
All said and done, Wisden is by the English, of the English and for the English :)!
Cant wait for the Aussies to rip 'em in the Ashes...then let's see how many they might nominate in 2005 :)! Was talking to a friend about it the other day...and he seems to think it's going to be an Aussie whitewash...the Britishers on campus however have their hopes riding high!
What happened to Lara/Gilly/Sehwag (to an extent)/Kumbles (amazing comeback)/Ponting/Murali/Kallis (that amazing stretch he went thru) etc?
All said and done, Wisden is by the English, of the English and for the English :)!
Cant wait for the Aussies to rip 'em in the Ashes...then let's see how many they might nominate in 2005 :)! Was talking to a friend about it the other day...and he seems to think it's going to be an Aussie whitewash...the Britishers on campus however have their hopes riding high!
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