Videos galore
March 1st, 2010
Spending a lot of time alone at home, I seemed to have re-discovered the riches on youtube.
Two videos I am besotted with these days:
Ananthapuram 1980 (remake/dubbing of a Tamil movie)
Duffy - Mercy
What’s common in these songs ?
The understated rhythm just wont let go….mercy anyone !
Enjoy…
“Turner” at Eden Gardens
February 11th, 2010
The South Africans played a wonderful game to take the first test match at Nagpur. They are playing an equally wonderful game to tell the world and anybody else who would listen that they think the Indians will dig up the pitch at Eden Gardens.
If I were the Indian team management, I wouldn’t bother with the pitch. I would just create hype that pitch was going to turn from day one and play three spinners in the eleven. That should do it. The South African batsmen will start treating every delivery as if it pitched on a mine-field.
Not that bad pitches are good for the game, but someone has to ask the question: When teams come touring to India and they end up playing on a horror of a pitch, why is it that they always lose ? At the risk of sounding insane, I believe that it is the same pitch for both sides. There is no way the groundstaff can prepare one pitch for the Indian batsmen and a completely different one for the visitors.
Bad pitches are bad for the game. Period. But the Indian team management is also taking a huge gamble everytime they “ask” for a bad pitch.
Visiting teams need to stop talking about pitches and start talking about why they are not able to adapt to bad pitches. Indian teams have been imploding on swinging and bouncing tracks overseas for decades now. All we hear everytime this happens is that the pitch was the same for both sides and the home team there had adapted better to the conditions then. Why does the same logic not hold when India wins on a “minefield” ?
P.S: A “minefield” any day is better than a dud that was the Nagpur pitch where for the first two days there was nothing. Was it not for Dale Steyn and Morkel’s pace, that test match would have ended in a horrid draw. Just goes to show that South Africa have the game to crack open a dud match and India do not. At the moment. So, stop fussing over the pitch - both sides. If Ishant Sharma cannot bowl at 145K, and Steyn and Morkel can, that is that. Even on a “minefield”. Especially on a “minefield”.
Non-sensical infinity post
February 7th, 2010
Continuing with my penchant for nonsensical infinity-related posts, here is another one.
One of the comments on my previous post was that humanity will die out before it explores infinity. That probably implies that there is no such thing as absolute infinity - only a relative sense of something so large that for all practical purposes it is infinite.
So, would it be any different if humanity was not just a tiny speck in this universe ? Would it help if humanity had the life span to be able to explore the depths of this universe ? Would we have infinity then or would it cease to remain just a theoretical concept ?
The question I ask is nothing new. It has been asked in many forms ever since humanity started contemplating time and space beyond its own existence. But with every passing year, the boundaries of human existence are expanding. We are now no longer limited to our solar system.
Would it be meaningless to say that humanity will once be able to explore the outer reaches of space ? Or will humanity be too spread out to exist as a single species and eventually die out because of being spread out so thinly across the universe ?
Will we as human beings capture infinity before infinity spreads us too thin to exist ?
Infinite Knowledge
January 31st, 2010
Consider a small thought experiment — well, maybe not.
Consider that technology advances so much that we are able to hold a piece of information (call it a bit, call it a byte, call it anything you want) in a single molecule/atom/electron/whatever.
Since we believe (I believe, anyway) that there are a finite number of molecules/atoms/electrons/whatevers in this universe, will there be only a finite amount of knowledge that we can hold as human beings ? Rather, are we destined to know only so much and not keep learning for ever ?
Is that suffocating yet ?
Disappointed “Butt”
January 20th, 2010
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has to have to some drama around it, doesn’t it ? Last year, we had the whole security thing. Now, it is the turn of the Pakistani’s being “disappointed” at the “snub”.
First to the “snub”. It doesn’t make any sense at all. We are told that the 11 Pakistani players were included in the auction because one or the other of the franchises had especially requested for them. So, why weren’t they picked up ? We will never know, ‘ cause we won’t be told.
Now to the reactions from Pakistan. Pakistan - the government, the people, the PCB et al - needs to decide what its stance towards India is. First they say they will support India in its “fight against terror”. Then they release all the accused in their courts. Then they say they will not send their players to India for the IPL 2because of “security concerns”. Then they raise a hue-and-cry over the fact that their players were not allowed to play in the IPL2.
From the bouquet of inconsistencies contributed to by both the IPL and the Pakistan set-up, needs to emerge some clarity. People over in Pakistan need to understand that without any positive statements and without cutting down on jingoistic comments like “we are ready for any adventurous moves from the Indian Army”, things are not going to get back to normal. Nobody expects Pakistan to actually do anything about terrorism - the least they can do is to shut up for a while. It seems even that is beyond them now.
As for the IPL, it needs to decide whether it wants Pakistani players or not. There is no point in first asking for the players to be included in the auction and then rejecting them. Not acceptable.
But then what can you expect from groups, organizations, and governments that have absolutely no accountability at all !
That something else…
January 11th, 2010
ODIs played by India no longer have any actual value - there are so many of them these days. However, they are good indications of certain other things. One poignant moment was when Mohd Ashraful dropped his second catch in as many overs against the Indians while falling on his bottom. There was something in it that lent itself as a metaphor. When Ashraful first came on the scene, he was seen as the next big thing from the sub-continent - kind of how Umran Akmal is seen these days. He also produced a couple of stellar knocks to re-inforce that perception - a ton against the Aussies in a historic win in England, for example. He was supposed to rival the likes of Sachin and Aravinda.
But somewhere, something happened and Ashraful was forgotten. He was given the captaincy in the subcontinent tradition of the best batsman in the team getting the captaincy irrespective of whether or not that batsman has the required abilities to be a captain (note how I said “best batsman” and not “best bowler”, or “best all-rounder”. We are talking about the sub-continent, you see !). His runs were no longer making the news as much as his lack of runs did. His leadership was virtually non-existent and his halo had been more or less been swallowed by the darkness of mid-career gloom.
In some ways Ashraful’s career is a reflection of how many talented youngsters fall by the sidelines as they try to come to grips with their own talents. I think there is special talent required to handle talent itself. As dubious as that last sentence sounds, it holds a light to the likes of Sachin and Ponting who have been able to take a lot of cricketing talent and do something exceptional with it. The reason I pick these two is because they are so complete as cricketers. Ponting is a gem of a fielder in addition to being one of the all time greats with the bat. To add, he has shown that he can lead - controversies and Ashes defeats not-withstanding. Wicket-keeping is the only thing that Sachin has not tried his hand at.
The way these two approach the game is to look at each scenario, each game, each knock as a problem and try to figure out how to solve it. I read somewhere that Federer approaches each point as a problem and tries to figure out how to solve it. I believe there is something of the “here-and-now” to this approach that blurs out the larger worries about career, form, and self-doubt that most mortals struggle against. There is something of staying-with-the-moment, fighting-this-problem-here in this approach.
Great talent, more so great potential, can be destructive. Sometimes it is good not to have so much talent if you do not have the mental strength to cope with it. Possessing talent is not a boon in itself…the actual boon is the struggle that comes with it - the struggle to ensure that you use your talent and not the other way round.
I believe it takes that something special to take a young Ashraful and create a champion…that something else.
Cricket in the sub-continent
November 26th, 2009
Watching the 3rd day’s play in the 2nd test between India & Sri Lanka at Kanpur makes one realize why it is only a matter of time before Australia take the number one crown back (in tests and ODIs).
SL were down and out after those quick blows before lunch in their first innings. What they had to do logically, from there, was to keep playing as if they were on par with India. The pitch was still looking good, the bowlers were the same ones they had dominated only a few days ago at Ahmedabad…in short there was hardly anything to worry about. Except for that 642 on the board. And that is what took down the rest of the SL wickets to fall in the day - that 642 on the board.
We saw Australia being put under similar pressure during the recent ODI series against a far superior Indian side (on paper…alas). Game after game, the Aussies fought back with increasingly limited resources. Given tests and ODIs are different, but its still the same game, the same skills, the same country ! Remember that exceptional throw from deep cover by that ‘whats-his-name-again-offspinner’ Nathan Haurtiz to get rid of Pravin Kumar during that chase in Hyderabad ? That was Aussie heart, not skill.
It is not just SL that can crumble. India have, in the past, crumbled in similar situations. The only shining light is probably the fact that India have shown some will to survive…atleast a little more than the Sri Lankans showed today. The marathon 2-day effort at Napier, the 1.5 day effort at Ahmedabad…if the wicket is harmless, India will probably staff off defeat…but only probably.
This is not a blurb for Australian cricket…just feeling let down by my favourite sub-continent cricketers. Two of those non-Indian sub continent players that I admire are Mahela and Sangakarra…that run out today felt like being punched in the stomach. It made me feel very sick…it made me feel very sad.
Please don’t let the Aussies dominate cricket again….please…
List of Books: 2009
October 27th, 2009
2009 has been a good year for me in many ways, although my city - Hyderabad - suffered immensely. This is not a year-end review post - just a list of books I was lucky enough to have read.
This is the list of the books that I read in 2009:
Liar’s Poker -Michael Lewis
Better: A Surgeon’s notes on Performance - Atul Gawande
Getting Things Done - David Allen
Games Indians Play - V Raghunathan
What they Teach You At Harvard Business School - Phillip Delves Broughton
The Power of a Positive No - William Ury
I’m OK, You’re Ok - Thomas A Harris
In Search of Schrodinger’s Cate - John Gribbin
Cut to the Chase - Stuart Levine
Travels With Herodotus - Ryszard Kapuscinski
The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch
Crossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore
The Prince - Machiavelli
Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand
The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work - Jon Gordon
Managing Humans - Michael Lopp
Who Moved My Job - Mark Kobayashi-Hillary
The Ugliness of the Indian Male and Other Propositions - Mukul Kesavan
Free as in Freedom - Sam Williams (eBook)
Disney War - James B Stewart
Barbarians at the Gate - Bryan Burrough and John Helyar
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion
My Friend Sancho - Amit Varma
City of Djinns - William Dalrymple
A Case of Exlpoding Mangoes - Mohammed Hanif
The Guns of August - Barbara Tuchman
Money for Nothing - P.G. Wodehouse
What do you say after you say “Hello” - Eric Berne
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
The Painter of Signs - RK Narayan
Cricket - vacuum at the top
September 28th, 2009
Ever since Australian let go of the top position in world cricket (all formats), there has been a vacuum at the top.
When Australia were at their peak, two things constantly kept them above the rest of the bunch: big game performance and reserve strength. The two new contenders to the top spot lack these two like the desert lacks water.
South Africa have oodles of reserve talent. However, their big match psyche has to be questioned. I do not know if they choke, but they sure don’t provide much evidence to the contrary. After every big tournament exit, their skipper and coach deny that they choked and, in the next event, it happens all over again. South Africa probably have the best team for all three formats of the game right now. On paper and in bilateral series, they are arguably better than anybody else. But the world is still waiting for the day when they lift a big trophy.
India have done well in atleast some of the big games. They may not have swept the competition aside, but they have been there and there-abouts. But—and this is a huge “but”—they are competitive only if their first team is playing. Without Zaheer Khan, their bowling looks very ordinary. Without Sehwag and Yuvi, their middle order lacks muscle.The fact that they had to go back to Dravid does not bode well for the “new crop” of batsmen.
India are currently placed no.1 in the ICC rankings, but that is only because the ICC rankings are almost always out of synch with reality. Meanwhile, Australia are slowly re-building and regrouping. Australian cricket has depended on a core group of players who stick around for the long term. Maybe their recovery has been slow because they are patiently waiting for the core group to form itself.
There is a theory that cricket needs India to succeed consistently. That will bring in more money into the game. Indian public are notoriously finicky with their time if their team is not playing. More and more ICC events need India in the semis and the finals to be successful. The Indian team seems to be working under that pressure and chopping and changing without letting the core group form itself. Its a luxury that a less commercially viable team has, not India.
I was happy when Australia were finally overthrown from the top spot. But it is becoming increasingly clear that SA and India are only keeping the top spot warm for when the Australians are ready to claim it back.
Hope I am wrong.
Austerity with a statue…
September 23rd, 2009
Various Congress spokespeople over the last few weeks have been hammering into our brains that the austerity drive is a symbolic gesture and that we should not count the actual monetary value of the savings:
Congress party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi felt that the larger picture was being missed totally. “Yes, it is about symbolism, it is about sending a message. It is about reminding people about Gandhi, the simplicity movement, the charkha.,” Singhvi said.
“It is not about counting Business class minus Economy class equals net savings seven thousand. It’s trying to propagate a way of life during times of drought. It is as simple as that,” Singhvi added.
Just how much of a symbolism it really is, is driven home by the Maharashtra government’s plans to spend Rs 350 Crores (no, not a typo) on a statue of Shivaji. What will that the statue do ? Duh, what do statues do ? Statues mock the “aam admi” about how miniscule he is in the government’s scheme of things and how he should get on with the symbolism and stop counting.
When I first heard of the amount of money being spent on the statue (of course, it is not just the money, it is the idea that the government has a free rein on every single rupee that it looted from us in the name of taxes), I was curious about two things: 1) how could you spend so much on just a statue ? and 2) how can a spokesperson justify it ?
1) If you are the government, you can spend any amount of money on anything. After all, as Rajiv Gandhi said, only 1% of funds allocated for any purpose reach the “aam admi”. The rest 99% lines the pockets of the politicians. So, there.
2) Here is how you justify:
Jitendra Awhad argued that drought and the statue issues were not related.
“We will be taking every step to fight suicide by farmers, drought and malnutrition deaths. This is another part of the political system. But there is something which is called as culture. We would like to culturally impose and identify ourselves with Shivaji Maharaj. You called Shivaji as Maratha warrior but I think he was the best example of secular Maharashtra. He identified himself against the cultural hegemony of that era. So all this is uncalled for. All this is not going to pressurise state exchequer at the cost of common man, at the cost of farmers and at the cost of drought. There will be a separate account for the statue but for us the first priority is the common man of Maharashtra,” said Awhad.
“He is not a dead hero. He is alive in the minds of people who love Maharashtra,” added Awhad.
There again with the “culture”. There is something called culture and it says that to take away money from salaried people who are helpless in that respect and to use it for own political purposes is not just OK, but the right thing to do.
Vishal Dadlani has put up a petition against the statue. The petition will be turned into a PIL against the statue once it gets the critical mass of signatures. You know what to do…
