Power Shift

All is well if it ends well. Sometimes, all is not well if it does not end well. Ricky "Punter" Ponting would have watched in disbelief Hashim Amla scoring the winning run and handing over Australia some of the worst defeats in past few decades. “Punter” can undoubtedly be heralded as one of the finest players modern times has ever seen. Records as a captain and as a player all have been awesome. Leading a country to two consectutive World Cup wins is a feat what others just can't dream of. But tides do turn and sometimes they turn ruthlessly.

Let's refer to the two decades which saw not only the dominance of one team but also the emergence of cricket as a major sport. Circa 1970s-80s. West Indies team emerged as almost the "INVINCIBLES" during these times. This team had some of the legends like Sir Gary Sobers, Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Malcolm Marshall, Viv Richards just to name a few. The team had a fantastic run in 70s with two World Cup wins and an awesome 80s period wherein they emerged as the best side in Test Cricket under the leadership of Viv Richards. However, WI have struggled since 1990s with only a few good performances to recount for. Some of the factors which might have dethroned them from their reign could be
a. Retirement of the greats
b. India's historic win in 1983 World Cup (I guess this sparked off a fad in every Indian youngster to emulate Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar)
c. Emergence of few other strong sides like Australia
d. Lack of funds with the West Indies Cricket Board

Comparing this with the current state of Aussies, does it mean that Australia is set for decline. I guess YES they are. Oz have also had a dream run since 1999, winning 3 World Cup tournaments in a row. They have had an impeccable Test record. They have given the Test Cricket some of the best memoirs. To me, the side under Steve Waugh has been the BEST EVER with McGrath, Warne, Gilly, Punter, Hayden et al. They gave a new dimension to Tests by scoring at an average of 4 (or more) per over. Oz have been one of the toughest side to beat in the past decade. Teams all across found it difficult to match the ferocity at which Oz played. Most of the other sides proved to be minnows when battling the Aussies. Couple of reasons which may justify the end of Oz era, could be
a. Retirement of greats
b. Emergence of India
Australia may not die the death as did West Indian cricket for the reasons like they have high benchmarks, league cricket which churns out good cricketers, good infrastructure and possibly good money as well. However, they will struggle to regain their glory of being the champions over and over again.

Credit goes to India
It all started with the Twenty-20 World Cup last year. India beat Oz in the Semis and went on to win the first Twenty-20 World Cup. Dhoni and his boyz started as underdogs in the event and surprised one and all with this win. The world-cup victory probably must have given a lot of BOOST to Dhoni's confidence with also a cue that Oz are not invincible. India's tour to Australia in Dec 07 - Mar 08 was another defining moment. The tour will be remembered for some of the obvious reasons, Monkeygate. Test Series went in Aussies favor with 2-1 but it exposed some chinks in Oz armour. Retirement of some of the greats (Gilly, McGrath, Langer) was definitely a blow which has left a void and Aussies are finding it difficult to fill the same. India winning the One-day series in Australia and Test series (in India) is another testament to it.

I guess Dhoni and his men were the first to do the initial damage followed by Graeme Smith’s platoon. Aussies loss in the home ground to SA (2-0) must have surely given shivers and jitters to the Punter. He has received flak from many corners and a loss to SA in the 3rd test in Sydney will definitely have his obituary ready.


What Next ? India Shining

I would like to explain my opinion on why I strongly feel India could have a phenomenal run in Cricket in the next few years.
a. Leadership : One of the factors which have always troubled the Indian Cricket is good leadership. Dhoni, so far, has proved a point to every Indian cricket fan. He has won a World Cup, couple of series (Tests and One-day both) to bring cheer to this cricket-frenzy nation. He looks focussed, poised balanced (unlike Dada, who used to lose his temper and thus balance quite often). So far so good, but loads of challenges ahead for Dhoni and I wish him luck.
b. IPL and ICL : These two leagues have re-defined not just Cricket but also entertainment. Many deserving youngsters have got a platform to showcase their talent and also rub their shoulders with the international players. This kind of experience will certainly make the Indian bench strength much stronger (though ICL players are yet banned, but who knows in future...). Also, with the kind of money pouring in these leagues, some would-be players from second-rung towns and cities will definitely be vying for their pie. So the net result is STRONG BENCH STRENGTH for India. I feel that retirement of Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble, and probably that of Tendulkar, VVS in few years will surely be a loss but it will be re-couped in almost no time with new young blood.

My sincere hope is that Indian cricket has buried some of the ghosts of match-fixing, petty politics, nepotism. It has come to a level where performance speaks for itself. Let’s all have faith in MEN IN BLUE, for the time has arrived for them to rule the world. Dhoni and his boyz can begin unfolding the magic.

Capitalism vetoed

Communism has been voted out numerous times in the past and staunch capitalists have advocated their religion to bethe de-facto standard which should be adopted and admired all across. Times change. And in this fast moving world, they change at lightning speed. Somewhere in mid 2007, one of my good friends in US, told me that things are not looking bright as loads of people had defaulted on home loans. At the same time, Sensex and Nifty were making new highs almost every week. Money was poured in BRIC countries from almost every corner of the world and the party never seemed to end. FIIs, HNIs, retail investors all just couldn't stop basking in glory of their well earned 30%-50% returns in a few days time. All seemed like a fairy-tale story.

Switch over to Jul 2008. MAYHEM, PANDEMONIUM, prevail. And God knows till what time it will prevail. Capitalist empire has been brought down to it's knees. This economic crisis is unusual and the steps taken to overcome the same also seem to be unusual. Newsreports of bail-out packages for some of the mamoth size companies are the order of the day. Not even in my wildest dreams, I could ever imagine that Lehmann Brothers, AIG, Merril Lynch will fall like nine-pins. And this doesn't stop with these financial giants. Automobile companies like GM, Chrysler seem to be doomed as well. Circa 1929. The Great Depression. Crisis which lasted for over a decade and left millions jobless and hapless. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.

Some of the questions which keep quizzing me on this economic crisis are :

1. Howcome these BIGGIES go bust all of a sudden and what was the Bush's administration doing in order to prevent the same.

2. US is having some of the toughest compliance measures and regulations to be adhered to. Still all the fiascos (Enron, Arthur Andersen in 2002) and the current ones (Lehmann, AIG) all result from US. Why and where these laws fail to prevent these fiascos.

3. This question or thought might sound wierd to certain extent. Is US trying to shadow the laws of nature. They have brought down the economies in Iraq and Afghanistan (may be others as well). These countries have bled for the last few years, courtsey some of the sinister ideas of US. Their propaganda seems to have outplayed them and now it's their turn. So lets not be too surprised at all this nemesis. Possibly, Dubyaman should have taken care of his pants rather than pulling down the trousers of a least devilish dictator. Cries of millions of innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan has not gone as a gas, it has hit right in your face, Mr. Bush.

So, what next ?

India was probably the victim of the privatisation of West. Ministry of Disinvestment spear-headed by Arun Shourie became the talk of the country in Vajpayee's government. It seemed that every government holding company was rather a liability and Arun Shourie tried with all his might to put these into the hands of insatiable indviduals. Stiff opposition by Left seems to be right. MoD was shut down and this prevented India going the US way. There seems to be a dramatic turn-around now with talks of nationalisation of many of the private companies in US. Indian economy may not be decoupled from US or Europe, still it is able to survive. We don't have scores of companies in Fortune 500 list but we are still doing better by not losing millions of jobs and claiming new highs on unemployment rates. One of the simple reason being we are still governed and regulated by an authority which will not put the entire nation on the block.

Going forward, I don't see Communism bouncing back, though there are many fundamentalists who will still vouch for it. At the same time, I am highly skeptical of Capitalism becoming prevelant, again to return us the daunting ghosts of present times. Probably, a new world order is required to overcome the flaws of both forms of political ideologies and propose a new structure which stands by and for all so that these horrendous times should be avoided. On the philosophical note, I guess, few of us, will have to rise above HUMANITY so as to guide and govern us from all the improbable ominous thoughts and actions we will always have.

Terror, Truly Deserved

Terror, terror everywhere. It's been one of the deadliest attacks ever not only in Indian history but also across the world. Thousands of articles, probably millions of comments on web, awesome media coverage, comments from politico-honchos is enough to prove the magnamity of the attack. 200 odd killed, well that's a kind of every 2 or 3 months affair in this country, but the style in which 200-odd were killed, took the whole world by storm. Debates on attacking Pakistan, forming draconian laws to counter terrorism, special forces being set-, all started with a lot of vigor. Seems INDIA is quite HURT. So, what next? ACTION. FORRGGETTT IT. In a couple of months, these initiatives,arguments, thoughts will actually go down the drain. And for sure. The simple reason being :

WE INDIANS BEING THE DAMN EMOTIONAL IDIOTS WITH VERY VERY SHORT MEMORIES.

It's a shameless country profoundly driven by self-interest. The entire nation sleeps and just sleeps. We have inculcated this great habit (sleep) over centuries. The country has been raped by British in the past, netas and babus in the present and will be held for ransom by terrorists in the future. We will be fooled by US, who just shows us a carrot everytime a voice is raised. Is there a way out to all this mess ? Can we improve from here ? Can we have a system wherein every Indian contributes a bit and thus stops complaining (about the system). I guess there would be numerous theories to support this, but my thoery gives it a flat THUMBS-DOWN. I strongly believe that we are very good at causal analysis, probably even smarter at passing the buck. But when it comes to taking the ownership, having a sense of belongingness to this nation, we fail miserably. I think we were much better under BRITISH-RAJ.

I never saw the British ruling me, but numerous films, articles, prove that British were one of the most awesome things to have happened to us. We were being tormented for some very right reasons. British made un-successful attempts to make us stay like HUMANS, if not nationals. We are like a spoilt lot who just wants to take it easy everytime. And that is the reason we are paying such a huge price and will continue to do so in future. I guess under BRITISH atleast some of our fundamentals like DISCIPLINE must have been corrected by now. Probably we would have taken some pride in our nation, would have felt for a while for the 200-odd killed in the terror strike in Mumbai. I am sure that to millions of Indians it just wouldn't have mattered.

The current state of affairs indicate states moving towards Kashmir. With our so-called Intelligence agencies (I wonder is there any kind of intelligence in them), the creeky security forces and the awesome babu-dom present amongst our great politicians, I am sure that many more terror attacks are yet to come. Whether it has been Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Guwahati or Mumbai, attacks have happened and with a great deal of challenge. Terrorists have out-rightly challenged and have attacked the state-capitals with WILL. Post-attack we saw our EUNUCH HOME MINISTER giving some cliched remarks. Our great R R PATIL, MR. DESHMUKH, took pride in making a mockery of this attack. No doubt, they paid the price, but has something improved. NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT.

We just don't have the capability to leave our laid-back attitude for a while and do something for ourselves or for our future generations. There are nations like Israel who have always given a "DON'T MESS WITH ME" reply to any perpetrator. They have had the guts to hunt down gunners of their athletes in South America and butcher them. But we just can't be Israelis, as we are Indians. We are too much bothered to just see and comment from the sidelines (and gosh, terrific comments...). My heart goes out to the poor child Moshe who lost his parents. Why did his parents opt of coming to India. TO DIE. And to leave their lone son wailing for them for his whole life. Probably no Israeli would feel like making it to this god-damn country. Or may be any other responsible citizen should never visit this great nation.

The common-man as ever is the most affected. Lives change for people those who lose their near and dear ones. Empathy flows-in and with time flows-out, and life just goes on. Many people come forward, extend a helping hand, show warmth and solidarity. BUT FOR WHAT. The same hienous and barbaric acts to be done again and some of us be subjected to atrocities again. Probably WE DESERVE THIS.

I have much more to write on this. But would like to put an end to this. I cannot put an end to terror or bring some succor to my fellow Indians but atleast I can put an end to incite more feelings. Alas, I am also one of the shitty Indians possesing the same qualities who just wants to get easy, having no patriotic feelings. One day, I would be a victim of terror, but I would not complain as I DESERVE this. I would not shed a tear for any of kins who may die as I DESERVE this. I would not blink if villages, towns, cities are decimated as I DESERVE this.

Watta Product !!!!

One of most successful stories that will be remembered in Cricket History will be IPL, Indian Premier League. I think IPL can be compared to a new Harry Potter issue or iPhone launch, which have taken the entire audience by storm. Much has already been written about IPL , the event was covered by media at a grandiose level and ultimately it proved to be a WIN-WIN situation for all. The organizers, including the Team Owners, must have made a killing. Players earned what would have taken them atleast a couple of years and audience had a thrilling experience, non-stop for 6 weeks.

I feel four key factors actually contributed to the astounding success of IPL :

1. Money-Money : Yes it rained and it rained Cats n Dogs. Whether it was for the Kings who owned the teams, or the players who fought some valiant battles or for the smartest lot (organizers) who organized this league. No matter which team played at whichever venue, the stands were full, TRPs went to an all time high(giving a tough time to bollywood and soap operas) and thus justifying the mind-boggling amounts paid by the Sponsors. Such was the aura of IPL that BCCI earned much more than it did during the World Cups which it has organized. Players, who struggled to make it to their National Teams, not only got good recognition, but also fair amount of money, which must have satisfied them for having devoting their life to the Gentleman's game. SRK was touted as a better businessman than Liquor king Vijay Mallaya. SRKs team Knight Riders failed to make it to the Semis but still emerged as the most profitable team. Sometimes I wonder, had the person who thought about this format should have patented it, he would have been a billionare by now.

2. Cricket Frenzy Nation : Cricket is to Indians what honey is to a bee. Un-doubtedly India is the most cricket frenzy nation. There are maniacs, who would just eat, drink and sleep cricket. They are the true disciples of the religion called Cricket. Now the maniacs were offered something which was more breath-taking and had more thrill. So Cricket was not just Cricket, it became Cricketainment. For an average Indian, returning home from office had a meaning. With this kind of popularity, Cricket is bound to make further progress in those nations where it stands for nothing more than a myth.

3. Awesome Format : Watta format boy !!!! Sixes, Sixes and Sixes. Purists might howl for this being an incorrect version of Cricket, but who cares. Audience had just pure fun for few hours. Many matches resulted in a nail biting finish as the fate was decided on the last ball(IPL Final being a true testimony). The format never desires for you to commit 4-5 days as in Tests or almost an entire day as in One-day. It seems like a thrill-cum-action-packed hollywood movie which asked for just a handful of hours and did set the impeccable tone for climax. Could you have asked for more ????

4. No Boundaries : Were there any boundaries (No I don't mean that IPL had only sixes and no fours). Was Shane Warne a Rajasthani or Makhaya Ntini well versed with Tamil or McGrath a true Delhite. Or were these players fighting battles for their Kings. It was nothing as mentioned. Rather it was the Spirit which kept the players together. Each player, irrespective of the region or religion, seemed to BELONG to the team. Camaraderie was at its best. It was quoted that Shane Warne and Graeme Smith turned from foes to friends. This reflects how the teams play as an unit when there is a sense of ownership.

What does the future hold ???
IPL undoubtedly had the MIDAS touch and going forward people will wait with utmost eagerness for the upcoming IPL Seasons. Let me throw a question "Who should get the credit for the success of IPL? " Answers could range from a. Players b. Organizers c. Bollywood (made some quick bucks with appearances...). People might have a different answer altogether, "LALIT MODI". Yes kudos to this man for having organizing the tournament and signing off it in style. But I still feel that the real credit lies with ICL (Indian Credit League). Zee group was the first to realize the true potential of the youth who are struggling to make to the international arena. They did the right thing by offering a platform to youngsters who could have never impressed the nepotomized bosses of BCCI. I think ICL hasn't got its due. Players from ICL need to be brought into the mainstream, possibly giving a few deserving candidates, a chance to represent their country.

All in all, a true victory for Cricket. We clearly see the game evolving and bringing in great entertainment for the target audience. Going forward, who knows, an IPL vs ICL tournament or a championship involving respective country leagues.

God Save Mumbai

Hi All,

This is my first blog :D

In this fast moving IT space where every 3rd person is a blogger, I was quite lazy to sit, think and then scribble something onto net.

Actually, this time I felt the urge for it. I wanted to reach out to people, share my experiences and raise some concerns (which I assume are always genuine :D ).

Well, this post is about MUMBAI, the city of dreams, where hundreds, if not thousands, come rushing in search of money and fame, everyday. The question that really needs to be asked is "IS MUMBAI THE RIGHT PLACE TO BE". My straight answer will be "NOOOOOO". This may hurt every true Mumbaikar and I offer my apologies for any offences.

I say NO to Mumbai for a host of reasons:

a. Heavily overcrowded: According to the 2001 consensus, the population of Mumbai was 13 million. I am sure the figure must definitely be much more than that. People from all corners of India just keep pouring in. Several new businesses are established in Mumbai every year, which require lot of manpower. But at the same time, it should be understood that the Land Area of Mumbai is limited. It just can't expand like other cities which have surplus land. You just can't keep on inflating the balloon.

b. Creeky Infrastructure: I honestly feel that Government should be held responsible for this fact atleast. Any Mumbaikar should feel ashamed of the pathetic infrastructure that Mumbai has, despite the fact that Mumbaikars end up paying highest taxes in the country. I have been to some other Financial hubs in other countries and the infrastructure is just awesome. New arrivals in the city just augment the woes further. The locals are a horrible means of transport, almost 10-12 people killed on a daily basis. Buses, and auto-rickshaws are no better either. I used to see the plight of ambulances stuck in traffic jams with alarms blaring and unable to move an inch. Just imagine, you with your near or dear ones in Ambulance. You would curse the traffic to the hilt.

c. Extra-ordinary fast life : What does Mumbai leave you with at End of Day ??? Try answering this after experiencing a day's life in Mumbai. It just squeezes you to the extent that you are left with no energy for yourself, forget about your family. The resources (local trains, buses) are ample, frequency is good enough, but the population makes these resources look meagre. All you see at local stations is the sight wherein people are just running for their lives. It's perhaps the only city in the world where even a second counts. Gosh !!!. Calm down Mumbai, take a breather and learn to live, not just exist.

d. Too expensive : I have no qualms to admit that Mumbai is the most expensive Indian city. If you go by the real estate rates it might even beat Manhattan or any other damn swankiest place. It is really difficult to understand when will there be a slowdown in demand if not a complete full-stop. When I arrived in Mumbai 4 years back, I used to have vada-pav for 3 rupees. The same is available for 6-7 rupees,if not more. Can someone really justify it. Look at the property rates, they have soared much beyond your imaginations. For a common man, places like Borivali are becoming increasingly unaffordable. Rents are equally high. Going at this place, in a few years from now, places like Vasai and Virar will certainly be beyond reach.

I have just highlighted a few points, the real pain areas which made me feel to opt out. I have relocated to NCR recently, heaving a sigh of relief. To me Mumbai had become a compulsion(coz of my Job) rather than choice.

I appeal to all Mumbaikars, to please Speak Out, take your government by horns, and make Mumbai a decent place to stay. Please do realize that it's already too late and any further delay will worsen the matter.

NIKHIL BANSAL