Lets Rock!

The English Summer

2011-08-21T03:40:00.000-07:00

Indian tour of England started with a lot of hype around it. Lot of cricket pundits tagged it as the battle of the year with the number one team in tests and the world champions in the 50 over format meeting the only team which it lost during the world cup campaign. Much beyond the battle of ranks, the contest promised a test of character. The lords test begin with even higher expectations with anticipation of Sachin’s tons of tons, The focus of the test series kept swinging between the game and the personal achievement. It’s been over a month since the series got started and we are back to where it all started, with the dismal performance by India, the only interest left in the final test match is to see the maestro gets to the landmark.

There have been dedicated shows on the reasons of the debacle by the Indian team, eminent cricketers have voiced their opinion on what went wrong and media has repeatedly listed down steps to revive Indian cricket. Quite honestly, with 3-0 bashing and fourth test match which is in progress showing a sign of 4-0 quietly asks for such deep investigations and noises. There have been lot written about the number one slot being taken away by England. While I certainly believe that the former issue is of much importance and concern the latter one can be rested for a while because if we focus on the performance, rankings can be taken care of.

To summarise India’s performance in the current series, it would be fair to say that we have been outplayed in all departments. The beginnings to the debacle begin at Lord’s when Zaheer had to pull out just after first session. The already week Indian bowling attack got exposed and since then we have been struggling to get twenty wickets on tracks where Englishmen had run through the team India. However, what pains is our strength on papers bowing out to the seaming conditions repeatedly, session after session. No batsman except Dravid looks like reaching the three figure mark. Even the likes of VVS seem to be struggling and that is not a good sign. Not a 300 plus score in 6 innings now is a wake up call not just for the players but also for the administrators. It is high time that the BCCI wakes up from the deep slumber of money churning through IPL and other events. I have high regards for the selection committee headed by Mr. Srikkanth and I am sure he is as worried as any body at the moment due to the performance of the team chosen by him. The question he needs to answer is that how many youngsters have been introduced to the longer form of the game in the recent past? Raina has been in and out of the test squad and so has been the case with Virat Kohli.

One of the key reasons been debated is the scheduling of matches and hence the lack of preparation time for the team. Though the international calendar is demanding and requires back to back series, the IPL window definitely looks a misfit. The mandate seems clear either play for your country only or don’t let events like IPL affect your performance. Come to think of it, playing IPL within a week of concluding the world cup asks has take its toll and sadly it has now. Lack of practice matches is another area of concern but with the inability of team India to come to terms even after three test matches, this argument doesn’t hold good at the moment though required exposure to the conditions must be there before the first test begins overseas

The issues are endless and so are the number of excuses and time is running out to settle either of them. We know we have a good team in place; all that we need is better management of the same. No team becomes good or bad overnight and we must not give in or give too easily. Test match series has been lost but the upcoming ODI series is to be looked forward to as Team India will be doning the tri colours as champions of that format when they take the field against Strauss’s men. England was the only team against which Team India lost in their World Cup campaign. The most important challenge for the men in blue will be to shrug off the recent bad past and show confidence in their abilities.

Game of cricket is a great leveller and who else other than Team India would know better. Year 2007 saw team India crashing out of the world cup and winning the inaugural T 20 championship six months later. A lot can change in a matter of few months….cut to 2011, A team that won the world cup six months ago is struggling right now…..Hope the bad run finishes with the test series and we get to see the champion team India that lifted the spirits of billions of people along with the world cup..

The game begins ….Now

2011-02-26T13:52:00.000-08:00

It’s been ten days in to the biggest tournament of cricket and it still feels as there is some distance to go as far as the excitement and thrill we usually associate with the game and more so with the World Cup. Talking about my love for the game, which blossomed when the event took stage in India in 1996, I remember those days when everything smelled cricket. Children would run from their tuitions to catch the final 10 overs and; office goers bunked work places to glue to the idiot box or even better get to the stadiums! The iconic win of India against Pakistan in the quarter finals meant neighbours coming to your doorstep with sweet boxes and relatives calling over to congratulate. The sound of crackers and firefly’s would turn the whole environment as if Diwali has arrived a bit too early. Not just the celebrations, but the run up to such do or die matches would involve endless prayer to God. I actually drew the possible fielding combinations during the various stages of the game which to be honest, helped me sit through the mathematics class when some body passed a comment “Kal to Pakistan hi jeetega!”, I gave him an angry look and replied “kal 9^th March hai, mere birthday ke exact one month after wali date, dekh liyo India hi jeetega” My chilidish challenge was almost in danger when Ajay Jadeja played a crucial knock to bail India out and secure the position in the Semis.

Fifteen years later, the tournament is back in the sub continent with another neighbour joining as hosts. Cut to 2011, probably due to the long gasping schedule of the tournament or may be I am no longer a school student, or the sheer dominance of T20, the excitement and enthusiasm seem to bit short of the standards that I have witnessed or been a part of, However things look promising as the news flash on TV that thousands of fans got ‘lathi charged’ in Bangaluru to get the tickets for the India-England encounter which is the first quality match India will play in the tournament after beating Bangladesh. Now that sounds better as in India, we never feel the excitement until it begins to show in the streets!

Every four years, our patriotic heart overtakes the logical mind and India become favourites to win the cup. The images of Kapil Dev lifting the trophy in the Lord’s balcony with thousands of fan cheering in the ground are played endlessly and the final XI who brought the trophy become regular faces conducting debates about how good or bad are India’s chances. For past three editions, India never really looked like getting to repeat the feat even when the Ganguly led team reached the finals in 2003 only to realise that Australia’s dominance had just begin. Last four years have been perhaps the most encouraging for an Indian cricket fan and looking at the teams that have lined up for the tournament, the logical mind is finally seem to be agreeing with the heart. It is easy to ask the question about who is the most favourite to win the world cup however interesting bit in this edition is to ask the other way around i.e. If not India, who else seems to be the strongest contender and answer is much easier than we think!. Australia is no more the team it was during the last three editions and with the fresh defeat in the Ashes, the confidence of the team with out the services of the likes of warne, Mcgrath and gilly is definitely down. Outside the sub continent, one team which can pose a serious threat is South Africa. The proteas have played some outstanding cricket off late and have beaten India in the ODI series just before the World Cup However their in ability to play spin too well can might just be enough for them to not to reach to the final two. Without an iota of doubt that teams from sub continent have great chances of doing well and one team that can truly turn the tables is Sri Lanka which like India has grown from strength to strength and has produced some fine spinners and all rounders. The ‘Smiling Assassin’ a.k.a Muttiah Murlidharan in particular would be keen to be part of the winning team during his last world cup.

A challenge this edition of the World Cup will face is of survival of ODI’s amidst huge popularity of T20’s. The success of the shorter version has in a way dented a bit of reputation of the ODI’s and right from a cricket fan to a marketer seem to be glued more towards the three hour encounter. The recent case is of Volkswagen India announcing that they are going to put all their sponsorship money in IPL in stead of the World Cup indicating the popularity this format has achieved. If ODI’s have to survive, then World Cup should ideally set example with some thrilling and good quality encounters

How it charts out will finally be seen on the field during the next few weeks and as I mentioned earlier, this time the mind and heart both feel that the trophy should be in Dhoni’s hands on April 2 ‘ 2011 and Sachin would then be able to retire in peace whenever his heart and body allows him to.

Matches involving serious contenders have kicked off since yesterday with Australia beating New Zealand and Pakistan getting better of Sri Lanka however as far as India is concerned with the match against England coming up in few hours, the game begins…..Now!!

The New Alto K 10 Launch: A threat to Spark and Santro?

2010-08-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

The New Alto K 10 Launch: A threat to Spark and Santro?

· Price: Considering the foremost priority in this segment’s consumer’s mind, The new Alto K 10 is by far the cheapest car with the high end version (Vxi) available at 3.16 lakhs (Ex show room , Delhi). At this price range, the new Alto K 10 poses some serious threat to most successful models of Chevrolet and Hyundai

· Mileage: The brand name Alto has become synonymous with the most fuel efficient car in India and going by the ARAI claim, The new Alto K 10 is out to make a kill!. It’s 20.2 km/ltr is way ahead of Spark and Santro.

· Weight: Though not on the top priority list of the buyers, it demands a special mention as the new engine has added just 50 kg to its existent model ensuring that it is at least 55 kg lighter than Spark and 69 kg lighter than Spark, The light weight is sure to add the zip and the fuel economy

· Engine: This is the talking point of the new Alto K 10, the engine has been upgraded from 800 cc to 998 cc K 10 series engine bringing it in the much crowded B segment market and it competes directly with Spark which has a 995 cc engine

· Power: Now this is a real surprise at the first look, 68 PS power is whooping 45% increase from its existing model’s power of 47 PS, What more, this new light weight zippy car produces more power than Spark and Santro (63 PS both)

· Others: Needless to say that with above advantages, this new car has the most trustworthy automotive brand in this country to back it up

Overall, the prospects of the new Maruti Suzuki Alto K 10 excelling and taking over the competition in terms of Spark and Santro are very high. The Chevrolet and Hyundai India boardrooms have now some serious thinking to do on how to tackle this small yet powerful and highly affordable entrant in the already crowded B segment market , So when everyone thought that the race to fit a new segment in the entry level is over, the veteran of the industry comes with a bang but will the move help grow the segment or will it cannibalise the sales its own models, only the time will tell till then it is a time to rejoice for the increasing middle class as their dream to have a car which has power and economy both is being realized, Way to go Maruti....Dhantenaan !!

Back to the basics!

2009-08-16T11:13:00.001-07:00

You can plan to do it, you may almost do it but you can never actually do it and what I mean here is ‘destroying’ the ‘Wall’; The inclusion of Rahul Dravid in the ODI’s is a prime example of how life brings everyone at par ,as they say back to the basics; No one in the BCCI administration left a stone unturned in proving an innocent a victim and sending him off from an arena which truely belonged to him; It is surprising how unforgiving and thankless one can become at times, We loved him for his exclusive timing and gorgeous cover drives; We celebrated when he single handedly brought victory to India on countless occasions but unlike other ‘Heroes’ he always stood in silence, playing a sheet anchor role providing solidarity to the much needed partnership or playing a second fiddle when a ‘Superhero’ needed someone to rotate strike at the other end, he quietly clapped and congratulated batsman around for sending the ball all over the park

Then came in the young brigade who did fantastically well to deserve a spot in the final XI however selectors somewhere erred in their judgement when they almost replicated the T20 team for ODI’s, while the former version allows a lot of youngsters to go all out against the attack and where a score of 30+ is considered a top performance, the later version requires much more stability and perseverance and that is where a player of Dravid’s calibre is a dire need; The exclusion of Dravid after October 2007 did make a strong case as the young brigade had been doing exceptionally well and just 80 runs from 10 innings didn’t help Dravid’s cause
However soon after his exclusion, the foundation for his comeback was getting laid; Middle order couldn’t bear the pressure and despite of young talent present in the form of Raina and Sharma, the consistency was always an issue; In the recently concluded T20 world cup, the middle level surrendered meekly to bouncy deliveries from West Indies, a weakness which was further explored and exposed by England. Lack of stability in the middle order forced the captain Dhoni to deviate from his usual explosive style of batting and adopt the style which usually is not associated with him, Sehwag’s injury also worked as a catalyst for Dravid’s comeback however credit must be given to the selection committee headed by Srikkanth for taking a sincere decision which may well be put to use for short term though a lot will depend on Dravid’s performance in the upcoming tri series and champions trophy about his prospects to be a part of 2011 World Cup XI
Knowing Dravid, he would grab this opportunity with both hands and with Sachin back in to the team, Indian cricket lovers will once again get to see the legends back in to the action for we may never know when do we get to witness it again
Welcome back Rahul, and make sure for all the bowlers around the world, the writing is on the wall!

Surviving the last innings of bachelorhood

2009-04-30T13:23:00.001-07:00

It’s summer time and seemingly the most active time of the year with every body from Soft drink manufacturers to cricket administrators (IPL) getting ready for the action to begin and to add to the heat, we have General Elections coming up followed by T 20 World Cup; I hope amidst the recession blues, this summer provides the platform for economic recovery so that market comes back on track and so does our increments J
I too have my task cut out this summer and that is to stay bachelor till the next one! However the attack promises me to keep me on the back foot as most of the factors are not favoring the stroke play and that brings me to the topic that keeps me busy all the time especially when I am at home on weekends
I must admit that I have become kind of an expert tackling the most complex question of my life these days and the credit goes to all my so called relatives who have now one point agenda in their life and that is to get me married! Well I don’t blame them as they all have reached there 60’s and more importantly they have got their children tie the knot so until they get to the point where they are changing nappies of their grand children or probably making them listen to the Ramayana they have pretty much nothing to do but to find the next target and become a little busy in their routine life, mind you finding a girl or a boy is much more than just fun for them as they get to do the whole lot of gossip and debates
No matter wherever I go, thanks again to my cousins both maternal paternal (they have made sure that I am the last man standing with all bachelors in my family are at least 20 years older than me), I get to face every body with one question in their eyes I have classified all such people in to various categories, read carefully as you never know you might just be the one fairing in one of those!

I. Right arm fast: It is hard to escape them, they don’t allow you to settle on the crease and their sole purpose is to send you back to the pavilion immediately as according to them my innings of bachelorhood is long due for retirement and since I am not in a mood to declare, their one and whole purpose of survival is to steal my freedom away, these are your very own close one’s and includes your parents and sisters or brothers. Their deliveries are unbelievably most of the time unplayable pitches on the off and if I make even a slight mistake rest assured that you will see the stumps uprooted for a picture perfect shot for a bowler. There have been a lot close LBW appeals so far however some factor or the other such as “height”, “color”, “kundli” etc have given me the benefit of doubt and luckily I have survived to face another one

II. Right arm medium: These are your close relatives like your masi, mami, bhua, chachi etc., the best part about them is that they can only bowl a limited number of overs depending upon when the fast bowlers decide to take rest and bring them on. They are not that ferocious in their approach and can only bowl with gentle pace which allows you to get your eye in and play shots accordingly but I must say few of their deliveries are very nagging as they will tempt you with half volleys and slow bouncers to which I generally play well by avoiding to have a go at them, Pretty safe but irritating as they don’t give too many runs away

III. Right arm slow orthodox: Under estimate them at your own risk, they look absolutely harmless and when you least expect, their deliveries turn from no where and you get in to the saving act, these are your very own close group of friends who most likely are in the same boat and experiencing similar tough batting conditions and hence they need a venting, they will slowly almost casually alarm your parents about a relationship which does not exist and while they laugh away on your condition, things turn from ugly to worse and suddenly the pressure to leave the crease becomes immense; Deliveries like ‘Aunty ab to is ki shaadi kara do, kitni ladkiyo ke saath aur ghoomega?’ are surely goanna put you on back foot

While I continue to survive the battle, the umpire (read God) seems to be in my favor and understands that my innings is far from over and I am quite hopeful that factors such as above will not withstand in my way to remain unbeaten till the appropriate time and than I shall declare the innings gracefully getting ready for the next one!

Osama Un Plugged : Letter from Osama Bin Laden to its army

2008-11-30T02:29:00.002-08:00

Letter from Osama Bin Laden to its army:

My greetings to all fellow warriors and many congratulations on achieving success against our most favored nation, there is something about this land which invites us again and treats us with utmost importance; the recent attack is even more critical as it is an answer from our side to the so called “emerging superpower” that we can come, have a good time (over 3 days) and ensure that the so called growth slows down, In more ways than one, our success is a great confidence booster for carrying out attacks of even more vigor and proves that we can bring down the nation of billion plus people to its knees in a matter of half an hour. Don’t take me wrong, it is not that this is the only nation I am smitten over, In fact our list of distinguished targets include U.S.A, U.K, Israel to name the few most important but there is something about India which makes me revisit this land with so much freedom that I have always felt welcomed and I am not saying it with out any merit. The land is so diverse in terms of demographics that half of our work gets easily done by their internal communal conflicts; The politician in western part burns the street of its own state in order to get its fellow northern state people out (mind you, both belong to the same nation) and the northern politician in turn run rallies, abuses his counterpart in west art to rage anger amongst people resulting in conflict between the two states and the most funny part is that few months down the line, you see party workers of both states exchanging places for few bucks; This land also provides us with an impeccable platform in terms of triggering off any communal violence with again Politicians helping us in a great deal. The great work done by our esteemed martyrs is often seen as a responsibility of either of the community and politicians leave no stone unturned in politicizing the issue and gain votes from the “other” community, The nation can always easily be seen in a state of instability be it ‘Gujjars’ trying to regain their rights, or some government associate being chased after for corruption and even soothing sight these days has been the top army officials names appearing in local blasts at a place called “Malegaon” making our job even easier, thousands get burnt over the name of religion and yes you guessed it right!, Politicians again at work with finding opportunities to gain votes

As you see, all the above-mentioned stuff provides us with an excellent framework to carry out strikes at our own will These are golden days for us, the year 2008 has been extremely successful with an average of almost one strike every month and we have been able to reach beyond metros and hit the common man in Jaipur, Gujarat, Ahmer and U.P and not to forget exceptional series blasts carried out beautifully in Delhi, Bangalore by our local partners residing in those areas Poor investigating officers keep running from one to the other locations in hope of finding any clue and often declares success when they calmingly catch one of our friends , I can just laugh at such moments as I only wish if these guys knew about our real intentions, we are not here to live on but to terrorize their citizens, carry out maximum destruction and become a martyr.

The security in side is of sub standard and that proves as the catalyst for us to kill at will with our men roaming in the streets under the nose of police and getting trained on their own geography learning about the loop holes and ways to strike them hard.

Other day I was wondering about the way to enter in Mumbai and strike and much to my pleasure, another friend from their side, named “Dawood Ibahim” proved to be of great help providing his smuggling route through to be used and rest is all history.

The NSG commandos have no doubt given us some rough time but by we did achieve our objectives again thanks to the lazy politicians who took as long as 4 hours to decide that they need special force to tackle our brave commandos who have been trained on their own land

So friends to summarize, when ever you feel difficulty in spreading your wings in difficult western states, always remember there is one nation which will always welcome you with red carpet, In fact it can be used as a pilot for testing all our latest weapons, strategies while we have already begun to give final shape to our next strike, I see on T.V a half bald, old politician on T.V from India asking for votes blaming the current government lead to these attacks, This politician is apparently is set to become chief of the nation early next year, Need I say more?

With Love,

Osama

Aussies in wonderland !

2008-09-27T00:16:00.000-07:00

You see blood in eyes, you feel the power in your palms, you see standards going beyond all levels; you see history being made and often written by your own hands, You see the whole world taking notice; you feel the force with you and you see only and only win as losing is not an option when you face mighty Australia

Aussies are in India for all important test series and ODI’s, not for the first time but this series certainly is going to be the most important one for both sides as we have already seen the buildup when Indians went to the Island and gave a tough fight and even clinched the ODI trophy, Ponting will surely have those scars open and fresh. The challenge this time is not just to return the favor but also to prove the supremacy, which has become the talking point since when India beat Australia in the famous 2001 series in their own backyard but with both teams ageing especially in the longer version of the game, we have a contest on our hands. Players like Laxman & Dravid who single handedly showed the way out to Kangaroos are today more worried about saving their own place in the team while the Oz have come with quite an inexperienced side especially in the bowling department, Experts say that the current Australian squad will have to do beyond what the had been doing to re establish their dominance, So will India be able to match up!

Rivalry Quotient

World champions have proved their mettle to their world and have dominated every team but if one team has repeatedly come in their path of victory, it is Team India, No other team has challenged Australia as often as the T 20 champions have and that too on different playing conditions, be it home or neutral, Many of us might argue the point that India has still a lot to do to match the levels of kangaroos in the longer version of the game but no denying to the fact that in the past few years especially in the last series, India has proved that it can give Aussies a good run for their money. Whenever two teams battle it out in whites there is a sudden increase in adrenaline of players and you can see even an average player touching new highs, In short it’s the clash of two titans that brings out the best from the players

Owing to the factors mentioned above, even God (Read: Sachin Tendulkar) did comment that India vs. Australia is now a bigger rivalry than India vs. Pakistan, so come October 9, don’t be surprised if you see few curfews and leaves in your office, after all it’s best vs. better than the best contest

Players Form

It is not a surprise that experts all round the world are looking at Australia with a different eye today, According to Ian Chappell, Australia’s primacy can be challenged since half of their team have hung up their boots. Clearly with the absence of Mc Grath & Warne, the attack looks little toothless; It will be up to Brett Lee & co. to carry the responsibility on its shoulders, The aussies look quite ok in batting department with one causality of Symonds who could have made a huge difference to the team’s balance, Not just he is a good player of spin, his aggression can turn around the match at any given point. The home team too looks wary with the all time great middle order facing the surprising identity crisis and must be under huge pressure to deliver. Saurav’s exclusion from Irani trophy could translate to non-inclusion in to national side, which in my opinion handing over too much in terms of hospitality to the visitors, Yuvraj Singh too is under pressure with his poor form, though the opening pair looks formidable which is good news as Indians have struggled for quite some time to find answers to the opening woes. Ishant in particular would be seeing blood after his successful debut against visitors and less said would be better for Bhajji who would be raring to go against Oz more so for emotional reasons! This series is perhaps the last chance for seniors to save their falling grace and much deserved fitting farewell which looks not too far and I hope Kumble realizes the fact as his captaincy has also been under scanner since he has been asked to take up the role after Dravid resigned from the position

Playing conditions

Though Australians will be starting their tour at the outset of autumn, considering the temperature they are used to in their home It will still be pretty hot for them and with almost half the team playing first time on Asian soil, things can go beyond just being “hot” humidity and turning tracks are nothing new on Indian pitches however it should give a lot of peace to the like of Lee that last time SA beat India with pacers taking 19 of 20 wickets which establishes the fact that Indians are shaky against swing & bounce irrespective of surface. From India’s perspective, weapons of mass destruction in the form of Kumble & Harbhajan must fire in order to make any impact….

Cricket Controversies
India vs. Australia has become a synonym with controversies. Last tour down under was no less than a disaster in terms of un fair play and personal fights and Harbhajan must be missing Symonds most for the same reason however his other aides will be there and you can expect a lot more verbal volleys than googley if things go out of control, hope fully both teams have learnt their lesson and we will get to see pure cricket with no malice however knowing the Australian style of playing the game, it would be hard to expect no action!

Watch out for players who have been under scanner for some time especially Sachin & Laxman and I am sure they will have few surprises up their sleeves for the visitors and if that happens, nothing can stop India from displacing Aussies from no. 1 position……Go India Go!!

Blow the dust ...away..!

2008-09-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

It was 6:10 pm I just took a u turn in front of Lifestyle mall in Raja Garden and was headed towards Dwarka to celebrate birthday of one of our friends. Just then my friend received a call, the person on the other side was another friend of ours; She told her to reach to the safest possible location ASAP. I was anxious due to her replies to the person on the other side and her face too looked full of tension. Soon she informed me that there has been a blast in Gopaldas building in C.P. My first reaction was “It was coming” Though the tragedy’s news was shocking but to be honest it was not surprising at all considering the recent blasts in Jaipur & Ahmedabad. Even at the time when I heard the news of blasts in those places, I felt bad but couldn’t feel the impact; however this time when it happened right outside the building in which I started my career, I just didn’t feel bad, there was a wave of endless emotions and before I could react my phone ranged “Calling Dad”, I could understand his reason of call. He is otherwise less spoken and hardly ever talks in an authoritative tone but in the conversation of about 3 minutes, I could hardly speak and received orders to come back home immediately. I was more closer to my original destination and after numerous discussions, I finally decided to head towards Dwarka as safety of my female friend was equally important and I couldn’t have left her alone in these troubled times. We shortly received confirmed news of 5 blasts across Delhi, Karol Bagh, CP and GK; All the places where we could have easily been; In fact we changed the location to meet Raja Garden from CP to buy gift at the very last moment!

But quite a few others were not lucky enough and could not escape the terror strike. Official numbers say 30 people have lost their lives while 100 odd people were injured. News channels were carrying the disturbing pictures of blast victims and distorted looking blast sites, I was curious to watch the news but we decided to not to watch TV, The mood had mellowed down to a large extent but still we carried on with our reduced gathering while numerous calls poured in from all possible corners of the nation and we were glad to answer them and reply anxious messages ensuring we were safe.

Our talks endlessly digressed to the tragedy and we helplessly vented our anger out. I reached home early morning and on my way I saw signage written “India Gate” & “ Karol Bagh” while I was crossing Dhaula Kuan, For once my heartbeat became faster knowing the fact that I was quite close to all blast sites. Following the tragic event, one would expect heavy security; however to my utter surprise, I did not encounter even a single men in Khakhi and drove with out any checking till my house despite crossing sensitive places like dehli Cantt & Airport on the way. On reaching home I encountered another bad news of Cricket Australia giving a second thought about the upcoming tour against India due to security concerns

It is just a small illustration of how important is a citizen’s safety is to government authorities. India has always been subject to terror attacks and quite surprisingly, every attack has given boost to the evil powers and no learning to people in power, Be it Akshardham attack, Mumbai, serial blasts or Parliament attack, we don’t seem to have any system in place which can prevent repeat of such inhuman incidents in future, London for instance post blasts in underground stations has developed a system for preventing such attacks in future. The system includes a dedicated team including Dogs who are expert in tunnel activities. The CCTV’s have a wide range and work 24*7, In fact these cameras led to cracking the case; Govt. is equally concerned about people privacy and hence the cameras automatically blurs the image in case any building comes in its range but captures every single movement in public place. There is a team of experts set up who diligently watch movement of individuals These experts are responsible for pre empting any unlike event by studying body science 7 visual language of people. I know all of this can still not gurantee safety but says a lot about concern and efforts took to ensure it

We on the other hand are more bothered about Maharashtra’s Marathi and Up’s Hindi language barriers. Politicians have unmistakingly repeated similar comments and tirelessly given same assurances but to no result. The fact remains that common people are still burning. Every citizen has lost faith in security and does not feel safe while going out. Police on the other hand seems helpless, despite of early warnings; forces did not act to prevent such a heinous crime. Militant groups are openly mocking the security and challenging the administration to stop them. The recent e-mail from Indian Mujaheddin (IM) group who took responsibility for attacks declared, “the dust will never settle down”. Does that mean that thousands of lives will continue to get buried under that dust with no hopes of any one clearing it? I believe that with government, people are responsible too for the safety however the fundamentals of the current government looks very weak and any involvement from public might not get results that ideally should be expected. We don’t want Nuclear deal, not even strong monetary policy to control inflation, even eco friendly fuel is of least importance to us IF you can not guarantee or at least make effort to guarantee our survival, We don’t want tall buildings of rock and concrete All we need is a strong foundation which can blow the dust away and never allows to settle again

A bond called friendship

2008-08-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

I woke up this Saturday morning with quite a handful of troubles surrounding my mind (It does exist!). Starting from the regular household chores which wait even more eagerly for the weekends than actually I do coz they pile on me the moment I hit my bed on Friday night (If at all I do!), However this Saturday morning, there were more guests along with the usual ones, For the first time since 2000, I actually let my phone become a victim of an accident, In fact a very bad one…My Motorocker has been accompanying me since November 07 and I proudly owned it hence announcing my entry in to the league of “high end mobile phones”. This lad has been witness to all emotions and knows even the best-kept secrets as all of them pass through him. So after spending such a quality time together, catching each other’s habits is not uncommon.

And I guess after preventing his temptation for GOD knows how long, and getting motivated by the “talli” song which I made him play for me countless times. He decided to take things in his own hands and at a traffic light; He wisely slipped out of my hand and went in for a quick swim session in the glass of vodka kept near the gear knob. Though my friend sitting besides me took him out that very moment, but alas, being his first time possibly, he got a hit and a bad one! The condition is not stable as yet and hangovers seem to have no end. So all those of you who might be wondering that I might have become rude, not replying to messages know now why as I am dependent on a stand by cousin of his who seem to be even a bigger talli, He will not show you who is calling making you receive all crap. Forget about messages, they don’t have any existence here!!

So while getting it to a repair was some task for me, my printer’s cartridge finally decided to not show up for work despite of being ink full! Hang on…there is this cordless land line phone at my home which is not working and badly needs my attention since it’s repair been pending for last month or so.

The fact that I some how stole time to get back home on Friday early to get a new grip on our team Bat and get two balls, brought a smile that at least I will be playing cricket. (My first and only love of life…Female’s are still invited with applications). My fantasy of pitching the ball outside the off stump and ball swinging in the last moment to up root the off stump suddenly brought whole lot world of excitement and suddenly world was a better place despite of all mechanical faults all around me…. Then I looked at the watch it was 5:00 am, the match was supposed to start by 6 in Gurgaon, I called up “George” but to my utter disgust, he didn’t pick up and hence ended my dream of celebrating wicket on the pitch.

As the day progressed, things started becoming little better with most of the jobs done and my phone calmly resting in coma. The match was arranged in the evening and I some how managed to rush to Gurgaon where we all (5 of my friends) were supposed to spend the night at Sam’s place celebrating Friendship Day. The match was better than our expectations as we managed to beat a local Gurgaon team on the last ball. The fact that they have thrashed us in last three occasions when we met made the celebrations even bigger.

It was followed by another round of celebrations with a gala dinner celebrating George’s appraisal and then DJ Sam entertaining us at his place through the night. As the dawn broke, we all started moving to our respective locations.

While all this happened; I some how felt the excitement and thrill all of the sudden dying as I came back home; feeling of loneliness is not strange to me; In fact at times I would read books, learn about things on internet and do other stuff which I usually don’t indulge in to. Still nothing brought solace to me. I kept wondering about this situation and did a lot of soul searching to find the answers but couldn’t. What made things worse is that one of my very close friends (“Vinay” alias “Victor”) is leaving India day after tomorrow for at least 2 years. Victor and I have spent almost every weekend together along with John (“Jeevesh” alias “John”) and believing that he would no longer be meeting and irritating me with his “Honey Singh” song is quite hard. We both know each other since 2000; the first day of our graduation and since then we have been each other’s agony aunt on numerous occasions. In fact we have been so close that My ex girl friend declared publicly once that she would have no issues with another girl in my life but she has serious issues with Victor’s association with me! (No I am not a gay!)

My mind is numb at the moment, it doesn’t know whether to be happy, sad, excited, or be neutral, as all emotions have taken a back seat at the moment. I don’t have any reason for this phenomenon happening to me.

But yes one thing, which is crystal clear, coming out of this situation, is that I am blessed, yes I truly am. I probably wouldn’t have been what I am today had my friends not been around. Each one of them has made a special mark on my life. Origin of my life has been due to my parents and every credit goes to them for what I am today, however credit for adding life in to every breath goes to all my friends, Be it a cricket game or a career discussion, from the long chats on how to propose that girl to deciding on which company to sit for in the campus interview; motivating for taking the right decision and then consoling when things go wrong; In short anything and everything which happens in my life is some where a result of one of my friend’s genuine effort to see me happy.

So here thanking all of them for making this world a better place…you rock guys!!

Happy Friendship Day!

Kyon ki Zindagi .... abhi baaki hai mere dost..!

2008-07-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

“Brilliance lies not in the result but in the act which produces the result,” said one of my colleagues, He was right but that forced my mind to think hard that is it not the result we focus most on? Off course when the expected result is clear, then we are more focused on the actions to achieve it so, which is more important, goal or the journey to achieve it?

What we get in the end may not truly justify our actions for it as the success may not be ours after putting in all the efforts, Lets assume that you love a person and you make all efforts to convince him/her for your feelings, to make that person believe that no one else can love her/him as much as you do; and in the pursuit you encounter some beautiful feelings in your heart, all those small things which made you love that person even more and inexplicable happiness for being in love! You write your heart out on paper, you plant that perfect song in your heart and my experience (as told by my friends who are in love) tells me that love makes you a better person. Finally after listening to your heart, you decide to ‘express’ it in the expectation of reciprocation; Now further assume two possible scenarios, One where things work out well in your favor and other where you do not receive the expected response and you enter in to the heart break (again told by my friends who have been through it) which makes you feel sad and disappointed and lonely believing that you have lost everything.

The other scenario is a tricky one where I doubt that the statement made by my colleague actually stands true or not for the journey till that point was no doubt fabulous however the result was way off from what expected, so can peace be achieved thinking that path was great and the whole episode made you a better person and so on?

Well the answer may vary from person to person but who kehte hai na..jo hota hai , ache ke liye hota hai….Sahi kehte hai!, So trusting the supreme power and your instinct, probably the road to where you have reached today was not that bad; you may have achieved some of things from your list and lost on the others but that experience made you what you are today but hey hang on, does it mean that we should not aim for we may not get it at the end and hence enjoy present and be absolutely unconcerned about future? Well I wish if it had been that way; however what life has taught me so far tells me that no matter what ever happens; you got to stand up and take aim despite of the difficulties you know you might well face and enjoy every moment you spend in making an effort to achieve it as those moments will turn in to memories of life time

As a sportsman, you cant pad up and take guard thinking about the mammoth total set by the opposition all the time but what you can definitely do is to face ‘every’ delivery bowled at you with confidence and with a belief of scoring and hence enjoying every moment spent on crease

Now even if you lose the match, you know you gave your best shot and are ready to raise the bar next time you go out and play and hence I believe journey has a lot more significance than the result

If you still haven’t made it then probably have to try even harder (read enjoy even more) to make it large kyon ki zindagi…abhi baaki hai mere dost

A tale of three wandering souls

2008-07-05T03:18:00.000-07:00

10:15 PM Robin joins Sam & George in the famous Zaika at IFFCO chowk, gurgaon, After listening to all abuses for joining this late, All three got down to business and what better deal could be to enjoy each other’s company with Fosters (I love Australians for it!).; George as usual had his list of grievances against his boss “Subbu”; Sam had just shifted to an internet media company and hence showed no sign of bad honeymoon; Robin as usual is a victim of wrong person at wrong place, He shifted from ever demanding hours of retail industry to Market research giant in hope of better work life balance and he found his entire life crunched only to weekends with normal working hours stretching beyond 12-14 hours on daily basis. Talks digressed from office to more personal. All three are bachelors so talking about girls is an obvious choice; Common point of frustration all are nearing or reached 25 and still are virgin! Robin in the middle of drinks suggested to go on a drive to which both agreed

1:30 am, Gurgaon-Faridabad highway, three bachelors lying down on grass on a small cut out from the main road, the hustle bustle of trucks crossing by adding to the environmental bliss. Thanks to the remote location from town, the area has no element of electricity and whatever these three can see is due to their mobile phones light. Chatting and reliving their college days when they were together under one roof for two years…. and blessing the maker of Fosters after every sip, for a change appreciating Australians didn’t hurt especially outside the cricket ground.

George – a perfectionist, one who believes in detailing even the minutes spent in attending nature’s call be it early morning must do activity or pissing his way to glory in the huge dug out area right at the corner of IFFCO chowk, see his mail before organizing any trip and you will realize that he can give any travel agent a run for his money and not to forget the way he pumps everybody and literally wakes dead souls to join the party. Better known for his tragedies, which he innocently admits as “Hadsa”. Be with him and you are in for a big surprise and more often than not, his acts will tear your ass apart before normalizing the effect. His list of tragedies is huge but what stands out is an incident where he was running away from another friend of ours in college cafeteria when this soul decided to take quickest way to exit…not from window! Not from pipe or any other remote location, but from the most obvious exit that is the door, but in the most unusual manner where he decided to go “through” the glass door; before we could realize, this guy was down on the floor with glass broken. Always wearing his signature smile, ask him how does he feel after such a stunt? And he would sum it up precisely for you by saying “SKB” and before you run your mind in guessing what abbreviation means…at the cost of being indecent on public platform, let me reveal it…It means S** Ka Bacha!

Since the time he has originated this term, SKB generally gets associated with every good experience; Not that we all are not but he for sure is one SKB who believes in “Live life King Size” and he actually does

Sam – Once GOD decided to give all the raw material to one person to make it large in life; He created Sam and since then, both GOD and Sam are confused about what to do with it! He is one soul whose emotional pendulum knows no midway; He can beat SRK when it comes to romance and showering love on others but beware! Once you are in his bad books, your link disappears from his homepage forever; as he would say what ever he does “Had se zyada”! His skills of flooring girls is a well known fact amongst friends and even today college echoes his songs; hot property in the early days of college, he soon became a craze with his majestic voice and almost anybody & everybody would stop him on road and would listen to “Bheege Honth” on demand. Such was his aura that even director couldn’t help but call the guy who sings that famous song despite of his zero attendance and no assignments submission. Till now, he has managed to indulge in umpteen affairs (contact George for exact number) and even more heart breaks; As his life progressed, he added more and more females in his “cntrl + shift+del” list. A true sportsman who doesn’t believe in declaring his innings except small “breaks” in between when he decided to go in to his most favorite activity of sleep! This human turned “aloo ki bori” is then no contest no matter how hard you try to wake him up an the rule applies irrespective of location or occasion! Being from a small town, despite of all his talent, he has his feet firmly on ground; A real gutsy customer and would never shy from saying truth on face; only piece of advice with this heart of gold creature is Handle with care!

Robin – A wandering soul who grew up in a well protected family environment and for whom fun didn’t go beyond watching a movie on cable TV or playing cricket (his first love) in the neighborhood until he joined college and was amazed to see the pace with world moves; being a real adventurer at heart, He embraced almost everything that came his way. Soon the cupid strike and he fell in love and so far his only love in his life; though his cricket scores were always better and that meant little luck with the love game. People describe him as a cricket maniac and he would oblige his judges by saying no to everything in worst circumstances except cricket. His fever for the game actually started with 1996 world cup and when India lost Semis to Sri Lanka and whole India went in to depression with Kambli’s tears, this folk was busy motivating his colony friends to wake up early morning next day to play the game as a part of daily schedule in those days. He is often a confused personality with little clarity and believes in living everyday on its face value. Though he comes close to match the level of Sam in terms of love, He somehow cant be as straightforward and develop hatred for some body; one of his biggest weaknesses

He could be often found giving his all time famous “goli’s” to his parents just to be with his gang. If lying to your parents is a sin, then he for sure has got his seat reserved in hell. His belief in life is that it is too small to be lived on assumptions and ifs and buts, hence “Make it Large”

All three shared passion for sports and hunger for adventure

2:00 am, after trying all possible numbers to get through a call girl fails and all three get up in frustration to move back to Gurgaon. The journey back to gurgaon was a true pleasure with Sam turning Atif Aslam and sang his all-heartfelt songs with all pain his own heart.

Realizing that it might be too late, Robin decides to leave for home after a fantastic start to the weekend…

To be continued....

Love Strikes!

2008-05-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

Love has got many definitions, right from the days of its trivial explanations of “aag ka dariya” to today’s quite simplistic one’s of love at first sight, love has strike for every one around us, and every one has experienced those mushy moments; those who disagree have also tasted the waters though unconsciously.

School time love is infatuation people say; college time love is kiddish, be mature! And then think; love in ur post teens is often considered to be most right by the pundits for the simple reason that people around you believe that your mind has matured enough to take the right decision and your final destination isn’t too far hence the journey will most likely have an happy beginning in terms of getting married.

No matter at what age, at which moment love strikes, when it does, you know it has arrived in a big way; it will not make huge sounds in your outer world but will surely plant a beautiful song in your heart; It will not make you crazy in terms of your actions but it will surely make you go crazy about the person with whom you are in love with.

Like any good bollywood flick; it then takes all beautiful twists and turns before facing the test of times and those who pass it and enter in to yet another beautiful phase called marriage (mind you its beautiful only when above situation is true, else God knows!)

However, for those it doesn’t work out well and the partnership comes to an end earlier than expected; it is a different ball game all together.

Life moves on and so does people around you including those who really matter to you and those who really made you fall in love with them. Experts say that if you believe in your love then do not hold on to it, set it free and it will come back; well I am yet to see a live example. Every one in life make mistakes; goes through the learning curve; for few its faster and yet for others it takes eternity to find out what is right or wrong for them; what did they lose; gain and most importantly; what not to do to get in to the same situation again.

Problem with most heartbreak victims out is the battle between past, present and future. Like any other situation in life; if you cling to your past; you will be doing great injustice to your today and at the same time if you are thinking to much about your future; then you are probably losing out on your current time to make things better ahead.

Like any good batsman; one must not be out of practice for too long; hence if you do not find another partner very soon; you might end up being in this mess even before you know it.

It is not that one must format the hard drive and forget about what all happened; It is impossible to do; It is at times equally impossible to hate the other person who is responsible for your today. The best way is to make a small hidden folder and try to forget its location; even if that does not work out; remember; life is too short to be lived on hopes; so bury the past and chin up to face the today as it will lead to your tomorrow which is even important than your past.

Life doesn’t give you many chances; but when it does, you need to grab it with both hands as life is too short to be lived on assumptions and thinking what might happen due to your action might refuse the success from that action and fear of failure will never let you do it and probably you will add few more ‘Kaash’ for your death bed.

Knowing what’s right and still not doing it due to false assumptions like ‘it is not meant to be’ is the biggest sin I believe. Only thing one will ever gain out of it would be a little boost to self-ego, which will take you nowhere. Knowing the point of correction and still looking away from it would simply mean that your learning curve is taking yet another dive

If life doesn’t give you a chance, give life a chance to prove to you. It is not as trivial as it seems but definitely takes an effort, which will come by intent.

Giving up on life and accepting it the way it is taking you is perhaps the easiest thing to do and most dreadful as well. Your fear and assumptions might make the soil infertile forever where it holds a potential to blossom a garden.

Some times it is best to hit a pause button in your life; take a deep breath and you will know what is right for you to do. If you still fail to do so, life might never throw up any chance for you but if you do give it a chance; life will come up with many as the say, journey of thousand miles starts with a single step; so are you ready to take that step to enhance your future or to accept things assuming it the way it is will remain for ever. It is good to hope for a brighter future, however it is even better to make your present beautiful, which will ensure a sun shining tomorrow.

As far as I am concerned; my umbrella is ready in a hope of bright sunshine; even if it rains; I am sure it will be able to protect me!

And if you still find your self on the losing side despite your bets efforts, then remember…

“Shaakh pe nayi pattiyo ke khilne ka mausam hai.

Yun daal pe gire us ashq ko ilzaam na do”

Relationships demystified : Corporate way!

2008-04-19T00:42:00.000-07:00

Mass Customization vs. Mass product

Most men tumble here, In search of a partner, they assume themselves as some one who is a single and ever ready to mingle, and hence they fall in the trap called “Mass product”, however it is important to understand a thin line difference and customize yourself according to the party in pursuit; You may look cool while throwing your cool attitude around but to be sell able , you need to provide customer what she wants; and a good product is one which has mass appeal and widely available through all channels and hence mass customization is of key importance here.

Competition exists…for real.

Lets face it, even the best products available in the market face competition; the era of monopoly is gone and the Manufacturer (Read: GOD) to seem to have run out with the distinguishing features to create monopolistic environment. Getting in to a ‘deal’ does not guarantee life long association, In fact even more efforts are required now to not the other party deviate and get in to the trap of competition which will come quietly and destroy the association before you will know. So next time you see your partner giggling looking away from you, turn your antenna on to spot that source!

Investment vs. Expenditure.

Get this one right folks… any penny spent on your partner on stuff like movies, discs, liquor etc is purely an expenditure and not investment, which may look like at that moment. A hot date in return can be seen as a short-term capital gain with huge taxes that will ultimately bring down the valuation.

Word of mouth publicity

This is a strange situation where the person endorsing good things about you wont like others to explore the same, and hence don’t rely on it and always make you case strong by means aggressive marketing like mischievous glares to potential partners and in fact running a parallel pilot run wont hurt either to be on the safer side. However the word of caution here is that both parties should be made to sign NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) to avoid any confusion and hassles in future.

Practicality vs Emotions

This one is a deep sea so better wear your life jackets. Any wave called emotions and sentiments can take you along to this horrified sea of pain, sorrow and disbelief. You will be on the top of the world in the initial stages surfing through waves of early euphoria, however in the hindsight these waves are taking you deep to a point of no return, Hence be aware of such waves and always look for small ponds then a huge sea. As the former will give you the pleasure and variety so be Mature and practical; in short “Please read the offer document carefully before investing”

Few golden rules for happy business...ooops happy relationships!...

1. Things do not last for ever

2. And hence do not Expect them to

3. There is more than just meets the eye so always keep updating stuff like 'relationship status' and 'From my past relationships I have learnt:' on your orkut account.

To be continued.... :)

25..What a life!

2008-02-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

I remember an advertisement saying that life is all about numbers, so true, I think! For our daily routine itself runs around numbers; few numbers happen to us and others we make them happen; be it our birthdays or 1^st job or day of our first salary. In fact right from the day when we wake up; we keep chasing numbers with every extra number on clock dial makes us feel breathless and rush to work and when we reach office all we do is run after and around numbers (especially if you are in Market research :))

Since my teenage, one number which always haunted my mind was 25. I don’t know why but there was a kind of apprehension attached to this number, may be because of the fact that all the time I used to hear about people getting married at the age of 25; then education revealed to me that 25 also happens to be the age when one’s “Brahamcharya” phase of life comes to end gates to “Grihasthjeevan” opens. But marriage is not the only factor tagged with it. Since early childhood, we all grew up with anxiety and innocence of “teenage” which brought discovery to so many things in life including emotions, liberty, and taking charge of your own life and growing up with no more “Mamma’s boy” tag; that era was of freedom and excitement as anything and everything I did and experienced was for the first time; leaving teens and entering “twenty’s” was again an stimulating experience with some sense inflowing in the system and rise in expectation from all corners to beat the crowd and stand at a position to get ready for the world!, Since then five years have gone and life has turned upside down and within no time, today I have crossed the doors of the number I always dread about, As I turn 25, there are lot of things which cross my mind and top most is responsibility towards parents, career, achieving more to be able to survive for future and getting ready for the next big move in life which is even dreadful to ears that is “Marriage”, though it is still not on cards for some distant future but still the number has definitely brought a sense of acceptance to the fact that D day may not be too far!

No more you are a ‘Mamma’s boy’ the number means that you need to be ready to slog yourself even more to satisfy expectations around you who matters to you. The number also means it is time to pay back, After all, 25 years is long enough time for our parents to feed us, they deserve every moment of love spent with them and every effort which makes them feel that you care about them and every penny if you can add to your dad’s account!

Looking back, I would love to revisit my founding stones which made me who I am today but I know only thing which can be cherished is ‘present’ and hence I am enjoying this moment thoroughly as life has achieved it’s quarter century in such a style that it deserves a celebration worth a half century coz who knows even century would ever knock at our doors or not.

It is a moment to thank the almighty and pray to him for strength for surviving till 50 as the pitch promises to be full of untrue bounce and turns!

So though my age certificate will show the number I always dreaded; My passport might suggest that I am an ‘Adult’ now, deep with in I am and will always remain that growing up child who still gets amused to the discoveries in the world around him, who still believes a home made meal by mom beats all restaurants all around the world, for whom his world revolves around his family and friends, Yes I have turned 25 today for the outer ‘Real World’ but for my all friends and family members, I can assure you that there is a heart of a teenager and a brain of child inside who will never grow up, for adding numbers is for mathematicians, I believe in breaking those blocks of numbers!

We will miss you gilly!

2008-02-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

Few do it by compulsion, others do it by passion, and few others do it by obsession and yet others and very few are those who don’t just do it but takes it to the next level and leave behind marks for others to try and follow. In the year 1996, A man walked in to the middle with a traditional baggy green cap signifying pride for playing for Australia and a pair of gloves and the whole stadium welcomed successor of great Ian Healy who still is termed as all time great wicket keeper the game has seen, however what game had not seen before this young man walked in to the middle was a perfect fusion of flawless keeping and aggressive batting, Adam Gilchrist changed the way wicket keepers used to play the game and with in no time, every teamin the world was taking notice and all the coaches have only one thing to tell their keepers, “you keep well, but you have to bat as well as gilly does”. He created a different league of players in his own domain.

Gilly was as devastating in Tests as he was in ODI’s. He is the first player to reach the milestone of hitting..hold your breath…100 sixes …in test matches and any guesses against whom he hit last two sixes of those?..well all time great Muttiah Muralitharan. Ask any new ball bowler and he would describe it to you that how Gilly butchered him almost every time he dared to bowl to him. Ask any batsman about his reaction after edging a ball or missing a ball outside the crease when gilly is behind the stumps, and the answer would be unanimous, you don’t need to look behind coz this man with hands of gold hardly ever missed and executed every dismissal with perfection.

Few of his quotes from his blog characterize his personality

“I am of the opinion that the cricket ball is there to be hit rather than defended, and this sometimes leads to my demise”

“There is no value in looking back at what we have done. We must play for the day, and focus on doing our jobs”

“Returning to India is a pleasure. This is a wonderful country, and cricket fans here are amongst the most knowledgeable in the world”

Unlike most of the Australian players, he stands out in terms of discipline and sportsmanship, in his wonderful journey, he was unbelievably stain less and was never ever involved in any controversies and why would he be, when you can let your gloves and bat talk and that too big time! Gilchrist is renowned for walking when he considers himself to be out, sometimes contrary to the decision of the umpire

Australian Cricket has produced many great cricket players and few of them have proved to be real “Heroes” for the cricketing world and Adam for sure tops the charts. Experts compare d his batting style with great Sir Viv Richards however, I believe, he was in to his own domain and needs no comparison.

Australian cricket for sure will feel the void of such a great player and with Mc grath, Warne and now gilly, Oz would be little worried for the world cup 2011.

Today when this great sportsman takes his final flight with ODI’s, he has surely left few hearts sore and craving for more as he walks in to the sunset. The game has seen many greats and would continue to do so but with players like gilly calling it a day, it would be not just tough but next to be impossible to find a replacement as they have created a structure so great and unspoiled that no one else would ever be able to fit in to it.

As they say that A picture speaks of thousand words. Here’s a video on you tube in tribute to this great player (PS: I found it on you tube, I did not make it J )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDea0Z5urDM

We will miss seeing you in action gilly!

Bond with the best:!

2007-12-31T12:02:00.000-08:00

It s again that time of the year which brings mixed feelings to me. End of the year definitely means another opportunity to capture those last twelve months, rejoice moments that went your way and learn lessons from those which didn’t. Amongst the euphoria and excitement of welcoming the new year and bidding fare well to the current one, what seem to be the thorn in the flesh is the weather, Yes you got it right…I mean how many of us would not want to break free and be their own when it comes to an even like “ New Year”, however the weather Gods defy the timing and bring cold waves to its extreme when they are required the least. My agony with the weather has been since ages and it has stemmed from the fact that winters simply seem to win every time when it comes to disturbing my daily routine. Body just cant get active and you need an effort ten times what it takes in summers, however this winters have brought lot of great things to me and I just cant afford to complain for something which is beyond my control.

“The name is bond…. James Bond” Yes the agent 007-stood true to its name and displayed all colors a bond is known for. For reasons more than one, the year proved to be an “Activator” for me. Quite a few things, which I always used to “think”, got going. Year started on a gloomy note with riding on the bandwagon of so-called retail boom, Jan 26^th provided another opportunity to strengthen my determination to count my last days in PRIL. I decided to stay on for another six months just to add some weight to my CV.

March proved to be the better of the first six months for me. I got blessed with a nephew, my consistent efforts in proving the fact that what I was doing is not what I like finally brought results and I got a department shift in office and Cricket World Cup 2007 got rolling. If the World cup proved to be a big miss for our cricketers, the department shifts as I realized later was even worse on personal front. Still that period provided me with a lot of solace I was looking for.

A summer is the time I usually enjoy. Somehow the heat and sweat tends to bring the best out of me. That was the time when I started my job hunt with full aggression I was reading self help books! Well not for the first time but yes for the first time I did “apply” it. A simple sentence from the book “The monk who sold his Ferrari” referred to the importance of fitness. The author says “Saying that I don’t have time for fitness is like driving down with no time to fill fuel, sooner or later you are bound to get trapped!” within a week of completion of book, I hit the gym and continued for almost four months.

Autumn is usually the best time of the year and this year’s autumn brought a few more smiles than the early ones. The Chak De chants came at the right time and acted as a catalyst in my efforts to switch to the new job. My first ever flight to Mumbai brought joy and luck. Mumbai welcomed me with great weather, old friends re union and news, which my ears were dying to hear to. The selection call from Nielsen on my first day of tour meant a fully sponsored farewell trip from my last employer!

Winters brought my passion in to action with almost every Saturday turning in to a match day Cricket has brought that hidden excitement and thrill back in to my life.

My personal front got a little better and it was time to look beyond personal interests. JATAN, a great initiative by my fee fellow batch mates about salvaging small-unprivileged children and supporting their education. Though being a member of this great move, I was least involved either physically or financially. It has largely been said that Sports is a great teacher and teaches you most important lesson of life. My passion about game of cricket got a new partner with JATAN. India tour of Australia was always the most talked about tour and I wanted to cherish every moment of it and at the same time do something which can help the JATAN gain momentum and that was it! “Cricket 4 Care” was born and a super selector form game was devised and invitation was sent to almost every body I know with a small condition, an entry fee of R.s. 100/ which would be donated to JATAN for further enhancement in their efforts towards providing a better tomorrow for those kids.

Today C4C has completed round one with 16 teams registered and many more knocking doors to be included further, I am sure the efforts and this noble act would definitely bring smiles on the face of those innocent victims of life and will ensure a brighter future for them, On this note, I would like to wish all of you all the love, success and blessings from GOD in 2008, Have a great year ahead…and keep rocking!

Been there, Done that ? !!

2007-11-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

On this morning, I picked up the latest issue of Outlook, disappointed with the word go, I continued to read in a hope of some thing to rejoice being in the middle of festive session, but news continue to give me more frowns then smile, Lazily, I moved to pick up the remote, all news channels have one common “breaking news” that is Om Shanti Om vs Sanwaria!.

That very moment I receive a call form one of my school time friend, I remember, we used to be best of buddies (we actually started going school together in the same rickshaw!). Pleasently surprised, a thrust of fresh air blowing away dust of old memories swiped my mind. Before I could actually start chit chatting with my chuddy buddy, he announced about his wedding this month..”Marrr..ia..ge?” I asked in a broken voice in disbelief. Off course I wasn’t expecting it at all. After all he is of my age with similar aspirations and family background and responsibilities, For that matter I was more like a family member in his home at one point in time…marroing ratta together for school exams and needless to say going out together for babe watch too!

Before I could sink in the news, my social obligation nerve reminded me to say congratulations! Though I wont say much about my emotions

Then followed series of questions like, her name, where she lives..etc..

Going back last year this time was the first time, I got introduced to the word called Marriage amongst my age group or rather my friends to be more precise. The chain off course started with ladies leading from the front and that honestly did not bother me at all knowing our culture and social pressure on them. Few months later, few more announcements of engagements again with all female friends involved. Other section of people involved were all at least two to three years senior to me in age so that thing also went down easily considering the age group. Since that time till today, I have seen almost half a dozen wickets falling around me, for every dismissal, I had a back up plan in my mind to justify it either with the factor like seniority or social pressure in case of girls but off late there to have changed. The last wicket to fall is one who neither has gray hair (though I believe one shouldn’t have a single gray hair at the time of wedding but should be ready to see one pretty soon after that!) nor does he has any social pressure or family obligations like stuff on his side It is a case of a straight delivery pitched at around middle and off with no shot offered, one cant help but give such a batsman out. And that’s what seems to be happening all around now! Every other friend you meet is either getting ready to bid farewell to bachelorhood or at least interested in exploring options.

“Profile banane mai kya jaata hai?” said one of my other old friend referring to a website offering matrimony services. So what is that driving today’s youngster to early surrender? One thing that stands out is high salary, which is giving them enough confidence to be responsible enough for taking care of a family. In a way it is good to settle early and plan your next innings early in life. Only factor to be kept in mind is how well padded up are you? Becoz it is that stage of life where once you enter, you cant help but burn your boats to rescue so In my opinion it has to be well thought of decision with enough deliberation. Other angle to it is how much have you enjoyed your single hood? Are you ready to say, “Been there done that?” Probably there are lots amongst us who have attained the maturity level, which is required to take such responsibility and my congratulations to all of them for being ready early in life to face next innings which in fact is inevitable for all of us and certainly seems to be full of joy and accomplishment once you are ready to go and fire and with all the protection (financially sound and mentally stable…. what did u think? :) …So all those who have already entered in this beautiful phase or about to enter and all those “aawaras” like me for whom the milestone still seems like light years away, tell me what you think about it and you win a couple ticket to honeymoon location of your choice :)

Fast..Furious...Leaders!!!!

2007-10-02T03:02:00.000-07:00

They came, they saw, they fought and unexpectedly conquered. This is how probably the first ever T 20 world cup would be penned down in the pages of history. Indians who were nowhere before the start of the tournament, finally emerged as the world cup champions, a dream which was cherished in the hearts of billions since 1983 but it would be too early to draw any kind of comparisons between the two feats.

The very first match set the tone for the tournament with Gayle from windies hitting towering sixes all around the park putting up an impressive score of 206 in 20 overs only to be over achieved by protease. The opener sent the signal that this format for weak and mediocre. What we saw later on would always be etched on the heart of every Indian for ages to come.

The first match with Ireland forced both teams to share points due to rains. Yuvraj chose Englishmen for his dinner as he pounced on them hitting famous six sixes in one over from poor Broad, Flintoff by then just learnt the lesson of not igniting the tiger of Punjab and his facial expression after the third six was hit said it all. I personally believe that the argument between the two just before Broad’s over had a great influence of what Broad had to face for the next six balls. Collingwood helplessly changed fielding but Yuvi was in no mood to show any mercy.

The match of the tournament for me was the first league match between the archrivals India and Pakistan. The battle that every one waits and none of them could afford to lose. India set up a mediocre score of 143 but did well to restrict Pakistan to produce the first ever bowl out, a method to decide the winner pretty much on the lines of penalty shoot out in football. Indians seemed pretty relaxed and enjoying and hit first three while Pakis made a mess of it not hitting even once! As a result India won the bowl out and world realized that the euphoria and the aura around Indo – Pak clash isn’t exaggeration but for real and by far the best sporting clash between any two arch rivals.

Riding high on pak win, Mahi’s boys did not look back and despite the loss to new Zealand, beat big players of the ring by kicking South Africa out ofthe tournament. Greame Smith by then realized that his team has lost more than just a match. The next big battle, which every one expected including me India to lose, was against aussies. India again reminded them that this format can’t be taken for granted and you need more than just skills and power to win here. India stunned the world and entered finals only to realize that they will be facing Pakistan once again but this time in a battle of life time, a battle which would define death or life for either of the teams.

Like a good commercial bollywood movie, the plot thickened towards the end as Pakistan too proved its point and was now face to face with Indians in the finals of the world cup. A clash that every Indian and Pakistani dreamt and his or her prayers got answered. India entered finals with the tag of favorites and were truly were till the last over when Misbah from Pakistan stunned the billion population of India by hitting a six off Joginder Sharma. The victory was just a strike away for Pakistanis, as they required only 6 runs off 4 balls. The only hope India had was to take the final wicket and then Joginder Sharma bowled the delivery of his life, Misbah tried to loop it over the fine leg only to balloon it towards square leg for a fine catch to be taken by Sreesanth. The whole India erupted in joy.

The pictures that we saw will not erase ever from our hearts. After 24 years, India won the world cup!Celebrations, praises and awards are being showered over the mahis’s team and why I am labeling the team with his name is because of the leadership he has shown during the tournament keeping his cool at the crunch situations and making the right choices at the right time. Bowlers in my opinion still are the weak link but the heartful performances by Pathan, RP and Shreesanth does ignite a strong light of hope which I hope becomes thicker with time…but for now, in the race of fast and furious, Indians lead!

Fast 'n' Furious..

2007-09-11T03:42:00.000-07:00

The sound is deafening, the drumbeats are unstoppable. It’s fast and furious. As the International cricket today enters in to a new era putting behind any doubt or qualm what so ever, the stage looks ready for the new reckoning to begin.

It’s not been long since the pundits of cricket were debating about the viability of the twenty – twenty formats and its sustainability. In fact when we talk about twenty – twenty formats, too much has happened too soon at times for the discomfort of the cricket fans. However the message that ICC wants to convey is loud and clear. After experimenting it in England, Australia and involving all test playing nations at least once in to this ninety minute thriller, It is all set to roll out the first ever world cup of twenty – twenty.

Some veterans might be relating it to 1975 when ODI cricket took wings with the first ever world championship. Not surprisingly, the doubts and theories have not changed since then. The fitness level of a player taking toll and techniques becoming an ancient word etc. are genuine areas of concern and worth a debate. But what obviously seems to be overruling these apprehensions is the commercial aspect, which is huge and off courses the fun and thrill for everyone including players.

This ninety-minute thriller conceptualized at the head quarters of international cricket, England is a treat to watch with every ball promising to be a thriller in making. The rules too add to the fun with every no ball has to be followed with a “free hit” where by batsman can be out only by run out. The bowlers have a definite death here and only the strongest of the batsman species will survive and hence Australia becomes the natural favourites with the likes of hussie, hayden and gilchrist all set to send the opposition for some leather hunt.

Talking about contenders, India too would feel confident going in to the tournament with a test series win and close encounter in the ODI against England, and to complement it, India had win the lone twenty – twenty match played against South Africa. There is every reason to believe that Indian team is going in to this tournament toothless as the big three opting out of the tournament but on second thoughts, this game is not about brains neither it is about experience. It is about speed, execution and going all out to do best on every single ball, as it would be over before you can imagine.

Accurate fielding, on target throws, array of boundaries and towering sixes…Welcome to the new age which will change the way you would look at or rather play the game…It is going to be fast and furious!

Bindaas Bol !

2007-07-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

There was a appalling silence for almost a minute…. And it was uncomfortable especially considering the laugh riot we were having few moments earlier until some body mentioned the word “SEX” which unbelievably sent everybody in to their shells. The eyes avoided each other’s direct attention and few looked like as if they would rather bury themselves in a deep hole beneath ground rather being alive at that very moment. Somebody decided to break the dead air” Come on guys, let us not discuss such topics”. “Such topic? What do you mean by that? I intercede. “We are living in 21st century and supposedly the new generation which should take responsibility of spreading the right information and be open to discuss your so called “such topics”.

This is what happens day in day out across the streets, houses, even pubs, offices, market places and now even in the political corridors too! The Indian society has long lived in the shadow of avoiding the taboo of sexuality. I still remember the joke, which at our school we used to play with friends, which goes some thing like…”Some dum has come to meet you!”…Kaun Dum? And then goes a big hoo haa and laugh riot enough to embarrass the poor chap who does not realize that he has just uttered a word which has been long forbidden from the so called civilized and open society of our country where by just mention of the word “Condom” can make you under a trauma of social embarrassment and he makes sure that this embarrassment does not carry forward to his children so he decided to keep his mouth shut on “such” issues and avoid any mention of a term even remotely linked with sex, condoms or even burning issues like AIDS/HIV which need an urgent attention by not one but all.

Talking about everybody, our government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that our tradition of avoidance and ignorance continues and at the same time boasts of a government, which is committed to uproot the epidemic of AIDS from the country. We never suspect Laloo Prasad Yadav that he thinks much about family planning, now he justifies it with opposing Sex education in country. Dr. Harshvardhan , the former Health Minister is of firm belief that the country can do without sex education. He of course lived his life without any such education and now he wants the trend to continue with the next generation. What our politicians do not understand that they were not faced with an epidemic of a scale as big as HIV/AIDS and they followed the easier and convenient path of non mention of sexuality in their books, discussions (with no denial to the fact that Pamela Anderson must have made them crave more and more “information” which was easily available through magazines which only to be founded in the back seats of their toilet seats.

Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi, senior member of NDA has gone even further. “The teaching of sex education will lead to creation of an immoral society and will also collapse the education system”. Immoral society! Collapse of education system!!
Yes, you are right Mr. Joshi, no education of sex would only contribute in building high morals in the society and would do the entire education system a proud with the numbers of increasing cases of AIDS/HIV, rapes, sexual assault etc.

There is a clear understanding and empathizing with the fact that the speed with which the society is changing, it might be disturbing and a little uncomfortable for the oldies and rightly so. But the protest here is against the vulgarity, expression of sexuality in open and exposure of uncensored information through wrong channels to the next generation but definitely NOT against sex education. Most of the protestors have taken the term wrongly. Sex education is nothing but clear source of information about sex and teaches the youngsters on how to be a responsible citizen and a family person. The protests are defintelely NOT against the condom promotion but rather the mass media, which promotes its use in obscene and vulgar manner. (How many of us feel comfortable watching the advertisement of Amul Macho and for that matter Durex when our parents are around ?)

The corrected figures of HIV infected cases in India is still a grave area of concern with almost 2.5 million of population is in the trap and growing at an alarming rate promising to be soon bypassing Africa to be the number one. Responsible nations across the world have adopted a pragmatic approach in dealing with this monster and it takes nothing more than shrugging off your ego to come out of this social stigma and embarrassment.

Government or no government, the fact of the matter is that the solution to the situation lies with youth, so next time your friend stops you to discuss “such” topics, ask him and encourage him to “Bindaas Bol”

FM Radio in Delhi - Roar with a "meow"

2007-06-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

It all started with Ameen Sayani…who in a big way is responsible for glamorizing and popularizing the dying profession in our country. All India Radio once used to be the pioneer in the frequency space, today faces stiff competition from the likes of industrialists like Times group, India Today group, Times group, Entertainment Network (India) Limit etc to name a few. The above mentioned have not just taken the radio to a next level but also redefined the way the entertainment to ears used to be.

The era of interactive radio started with the players like Radio City (91.1), Radio Mirchi (98.3) and Red FM (93.5) and listening to radio was never the same again. The old gold image of radio was changed to hip-hop, rocking bolly wood songs from the latest flicks with pop songs.

Though the road to sustainability in the market was never going to be easy with Government of India being reluctant to open the market for private players and creating entry barriers such as high license fee. Still the wave had to hit and it hit strong taking the market along. The increase in competition saw the quality of programming achieving new heights and with the race on to grab every audience on, the variety in terms of programs and quality to serve got better and better.

Today Radio is not just a medium of music; it is much more than that. Right from morning hours to late night “love guru” shoes, radio now captures every moment of our day. The race is stiff and no one wants to lose space. The latest additions to the family like Fever 104 (Virgin Group) has taken the medium to an interesting platform where the channel is distributing money to the audience by asking them to participate in a game. 95 Fm is another channel, which like fever focuses more on national and international hits while 92.7 Big FM that has a contract with Actor Abhishek Bachan has entire bolly wood on their platter.

In the heat of competition it is becoming difficult for the companies to keep the audience with them. And fortunately or unfortunately every person with a pair of ears in place is an audience for the market. The marketers here face an interesting challenge as unlike TV shows, audience here is bound to sway away in the absence of quality and most importantly if the mood is not right! So how do you measure that the songs which you have on your play list to offer to the audience is in sync with they’re mood?

The answer is not clear as understanding consumer behavior in this scenario would be difficult a it pertains to the “emotional quotient” of the audience and hence it becomes extremely important for any service provider to establish that emotional connect.
Radio channels hence are focusing on creating shows and more importantly RJ’s. Besides human element, these channels keep the audience on their toes by keeping them in the loop by providing weather, traffic updates, playing hourly contests and initiating debates on current or social topics. So how does one create a niche when every channel has same audience and similar challenges and opportunity?

The Cat is here with a big bang. Err I mean “Meow”. Last week saw the launch of first ever radio channel dedicated only towards women. The channel seems to be a runaway hit with callers from all class, cities (mostly women). The channel tactics are clear, to capture the audience which listens to radio most often and for longer hours than any one else. Also the time of launch seems to be perfect as staying home is a far better and preferable option for housewives and working teachers who are in the middle of there summer break.

Whatever the \is success story means for the customer, it does not seems to bother our Prasar Bharti which apparently was the first one to graduate to FM wave but at the moment is silent and has retained its original touch and following the story of how DD has reacted (or not reacted) against private players in the short screen domain.

So whether it is “Dilli ki sabse pehle uthne wali ladki, Dilli ki Mahek” or “ Khurafati Nitin” or love guru, they are here to rock you all and they will not rest till they have every second of your non-working hour devoted to their channel. So next time you buy a mobile, a car stereo or for that matter a music system, make sure that it has the potential to incorporate all of them as it will simply get bigger and better!

Tine to rock n roll !

2007-03-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

The moment has come for which billions of people across the nation were waiting for.....
ICC cricket world cup 2007 rolls out today.
The baap of all cricketing events, it is the most prestegious sporting event currently.
Well I am sure that being an Indian, I dont have to go on and on to tell you the importance of this mega event...Cricket is a relegion in our nation and world cup is like a "maha kumbh"

Well what distinguishes this edition from the earlier ones is that this competition is wide open. No team at the moment looks like a clear winner and with Australia coming to this event with straight 5 matches loss, it makes things a little more confusing for cricket pundits.
The best way to play would be to not to put money on any team...

As an Indian I wish, Rahul Dravid and his team comes back home with cup in their hands...
Please join me in wishing Indian cricket team. It's a small video dedicated to every one who at one point or the other have prayed for team India, or criticised for it's loss but now is the time to give the team our wishes and support...Please do let me know about how it was as it was my first attempt on doing something like this...enjoy! ..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCAMVmk-cfI (Do keep the speakers on!)

Time to look back....and race ahead!

2007-01-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

It’s again that time of the year to adjust the rear view mirror, wink about little jerks, crushes, and laugh out loud for all those exuberating moments which actually turned the tide for many including us!
The most important aspect to looks at is the learning and how to inculcate the same and reach to the next level. Well unlike Vir Sanghavi ,Karan Thapar ,HT or TOI, I m going to bore you with my personal ride which for me was no less than a roller coaster ride and to be fair which was nicely build up in the initial six months. In fact if I see broadly, the entire year can be divided in to two segments, the first six months and the later six months. Both in complete contrast to one another where first one saw anxiety, and opportunity to utlize time and the other one saw being literally on toes and looking for an opportunity to get some time, leave apart sparing it.

The year 2006 can be marked as the year of experiments and adventure, some successful, some mistimed but ensuring thrill and excitement at every step. The best part was the list of friends kept on increasing thanks to pagalguy and orkut. Fooling real life, today people meet more often on such networking platforms than face to face. Today I am in touch with 150 odd such people who have helped me or whom I have helped but we hardly know each other when it comes to meeting face to face.
The highlights in the year long innings account mainly to the fall of wickets with few strokes which looked well hit but didn’t seem like reaching to the boundary. One of those is the time when I alone stood the test of times and struggled to realize the dream of few men and a lady who were better known as “League of extra ordinary gentlemen with a sweet lady” i.e the placement committee. And many others who were close to my heart and to the endeavor but not officially in the playing XI As any team effort would, this too was bound to see the light of day and it finally did, with the tireless efforts of many and prayers of even more got answered. At the farewell, I realized the importance of a student life, as it came to dusk, we all looked upon to the new dawn of our career. The tears in the eyes of many signified the belongingness to the campus and to the fellow peers and that too despite all disputes and competition. The first lesson was learnt I guess with many more to follow for especially me who was resting away to glory as the wait for my joining became more irritating than fun.

My experience in a BPO for 2 months was actually an eye opener for me. Not that it was the first time I was working for a BPO but the intensity of the work pressure which I saw this time was way too different from the earlier one. The uglier side was clearly visible. There I met people with a slightly different approach. Sitting in a group of 10 and being the only virgin was one feeling which I never experienced till that time. Those two months also proved that I can keep things to my self for that long where I was a graduate with a work ex of sales. Without any efforts, I was the top performer in my team proved the fact that you need little or absolutely no brains to become an agent in this sector. My list of friends kept growing and few of them are still in touch. I had absolutely nothing to lose at that time except some sleep and health which was a way to go for most of the employees out there
By the time I decided that enough is enough, I didn’t know that I had collect enough experience to play down this industry and winning a second prize on a public platform.
Now, that’s a different story that I can emerge as a winner speaking about few other industry as well!

July 1 2006 marked the beginning of my career in the so called “booming” industry and that too with the number one player. With all hopes and anxiety in sight, the day one can well be described like all padded up with no play due to rain. What followed was the recovery and it is still on. The future looks sun shine bright for the industry and the company is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring the greatest pie in that.

The next high point came when I was back with the class of 2006 probably for the last time on a common platform. The convocation day was one shot which was timed to perfection. The next day I had to leave for a 8 day trip and had the day been scheduled during that stint, I would have missed the experience. The day brought all the professionals back to where they belong. I could still find that innocence of a student in many of us. Some including me would agree that college spoiled us to the max but it’s time for pay back and that too with interest. Though looking at the placement scenario this year, we would still choose the receiving side which I am afraid is no longer available.

The year which was started with a holy trip to Vaishno Devi and Amritsar closely missed out on the perfect climax of rishikesh. In the former one, I enjoyed the 450 Kms drive and thought would be the lifetime one,

In the later one I was on the verge of enjoying the ride in chilling conditions on bikes covering more than 500 kms. But I am proud to be associated with the group who did that and they would soon feature here.

Enough about me I guess, It would be unfair if I don’t devote at least a day of high points of the nation.
Not often that you witness a day when history reckon itself and that too in more than one way. December 18th 2006 was one such day when anything and everything looked to take India as a nation to a different level.
The justice prevailed in Jessica Lall case and Manu Sharma would be a history pretty soon now. The decision has not just provided relief for the family and friends of the celebrity but also reinstated the belief and trust for many in the judicial system.

Indian Cricket team wrote history after beating South Africa within four days of the first test match to emerge as a stronger unit. The high points for this match were clearly the team effort where everyone contributed and off course the marvelous return of the king in the arena. Saurav Ganguly offered a chance to play in the first test match grabbed the opportunity with both hands sending a strong signal to the selectors that the tiger might have grown old but the roar is still stronger than bites of many others.
This test match also marked the return of form for Zaheer Khan and VVS Laxman while Kumble once again proved that why he just can’t be ignored. Though the star for the match was Shreesanth who showed guts with his bowling in both the innings and also did the “willow dance” to put proteas on the back foot.

Year 2007 would be crucial for many including the Indian Cricket team as they approach towards World Cup 2007. Last time we missed it in the finals; this time we will let others do that while we lift the trophy!

President of America, Mr. George Bush chose this very day to rewrite history in the Indo-US relationship when he signed the Indo US nuclear deal while stating India as “Responsible nation” and a “friend”. A deal which would send a strong message to the entire world community that the emerging land of opportunity is ready to shine even brighter.

Well, with that high note, let’s hope we have more of such days in 2007. May everyday in your life in 2007 turns out to be a new highlight full of glorious strokes with no bad decisions!

Wish you all a great year ahead!
Welcome 2007!

The come back kid

2006-09-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

The reason for not being on the board was not that I could not find time for writing but rather me being too lazy!
As my professional raph is progressing, I am realizing that how important it is to utilize your free time (if you get any!), and surely as far as learning this art is concerned, It’s a long way to go for me! But not for those who have been their done that.

Especially some one like Tendulkar who knows only one thing, how to surprise his critics and come out as a winner. True, that due to dismal performance with bat, India is no longer a party in the on going DLF cup and by the time most of you would read this, West Indies or Australia (more likely) would have won the cup!
But what has emerged out from this tournament is that the little master still has bigger plans for the team and is in no mood to let his injuries take over his performance.
Not going by his scores, I think the shots that he played throughout the tournament are a testimonial of the fact that his mental state has taken over his physical grievances.

The first match saw sachin playng shots all over the park in his classic style and for once, the memories of late 90’s flashed back. True, that with his age, the aggression in his batting has taken a form of subtle arrogance. Sachin dancing down the track to warne and clearing the rope might not be a reality now but his footwork is still the best when it comes to playing against spinners.
The amount of risk hat he still takes is an evidence of him being the number one in the list of bowlers.
Clearly, the king has re emerged from darkness of past and has announced his arrival and that too in a big way. His score of 142 in the first match is just a warning signal, a wave that will surely hit hard to the opposition in the forthcoming Champions trophy.
Given the home conditions, it would only be best for the bowlers to make out a well crafted strategy against him lest they can expect a never lasting parable of runs..

So those who thought that an era has ended this is wake up call for them. The GOD still exists and his powers are still intact, so beware!
Coz this autumn, fireworks goanna be not just their in the sky! But in the stands!

The nighmares for shane warne and others are just about to return..

This comeback kid has surely announced his arrival in style and it’s a matter of time before he starts his journey to regain the no.1 spot which has long been deprived from him

C2C: College 2 Corporate

2006-07-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

“Only constant thing in this world is change”, said some one. I would add “difficult” to it.
All of us at some point or the other have experienced this phenomena and without realizing the fact that it’s there happening to us at all the times. For some this change is nothing but experiencing better times, accomplishing or achieving something that they ever wanted to, then change is nothing but a by product and takes little notice so as to say when “transition” is smooth. For others, it is a painful experience, pain for whatever they are going to loose and worry about future. Such people get in to future before time hence making present a past and in the whole process, present gets lost with one leg in past and the other one in future so rightly put by the dialogue writer of RDB.
For such people, “transition” is never smooth. Their could be many reasons for that, like not achieving what they always wanted to and worse getting in to something opposite if it. Then every moment, every action leads to nothing but struggle, struggle for next level, and struggle for keeping their stand firm even winds are against them. The whole change then looks like a monster then.

In my recent times, I have met and talked with both kind of people and I am still not sure about what to conclude. Though every one strives for best in their lives and eventually one always gets to a point where he/she more or less is satisfies in terms of the result of that change.
At this moment, one looks back and realizes the change was not that important. In fact what was more important than that was “transition” which makes one go under a process of change.
Like said some one and I firmly believe in that “It’s the journey that matters and not the destination”

Talking about my experience, the transition had rather been unsmooth. From changing school in 11th standard to graduation to a post graduation to a job now.
The transition from graduation to post graduation was rather the most unpleasing and unsmooth for me so far. Alien environment and top of that away from home for the first time made situation even worse. Before realizing the fun part and independence, it was a painful journey and the whole process was difficult for me to handle. I also firmly believe in “Whatever happens, happens for good”, hence today I look back and I realize that I learned a lot during the last two years of my PG.

Coming to the job, it’s totally a new experience what I would name it as an exponential change. The transition is still happening so I won’t comment on that however the life seems to be taking a completely new turn in a direction which is unexplored and less traveled as well. When I say less traveled, I simply mean that not many people used to prefer ‘Retailing” as a career option and hence the kind of responsibilities and working environment was unknown and now as being a part of it, it’s a mixed feeling of both hope, growth, fast track career and few points which didn’t impress me in the start like working on Saturday and Sunday, national off’s means being on toes and then being organized in this largely unorganized sector as in calling your office a “store”. But I believe these are few points which can be taken care of when I will complete my training and get to the next level and that would be the time when I will look back to realize the transition which had been pretty smooth so far apart from the fact that I have to wear formals which I hate

Situations change, people change, Govt. change, leaders change, players change, winners change … one thing that doesn’t change is change…. So if it is that integral part of our life… then lets hope I happen for good for everybody at every time!

FDI in Retail -II

2006-06-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

Arguments against FDI in Retail

The most important argument against modern retailing and supply chain integration is that it displaces labour in a labour-surplus society. Till such time that we are in a position to create jobs on a large scale in manufacturing and construction, it would make eminent sense to keep on hold any policy that results in the elimination of jobs in the unorganised retail sector.

The primary task of the government is still providing livelihoods and not create so-called efficiencies of scale by creating redundancies. If we assume 40 million adults in the retail sector, it would translate into around 160 million dependents

Opening the retailing to FDI means dislocating millions from their occupation and pushing vast number of families under the poverty line. The Western concept of efficiency is maximising output while minimising the number of workers involved. This will only increase social tensions in a developing country like India, where tens of millions are still seeking gainful employment

Consider a chain such as Wal-Mart with a single point of procurement entering India. Since it already procures huge quantities from China, this make for a massive entry point of China's largely state-owned consumer goods industry into the insatiable market made up of the new consuming elite.

The global retailers would collude and exercise monopolistic power to raise prices and monopsonistic (big buying) power to reduce the prices received by the suppliers.

Clearly, the number of points in favor of FDI exceeds points against it however, asan observer, that makes little and sense and wisely so. What matters is the gravity of these points which clearly indicates that for every argument that is against FDI, there is a point countering it in favor of it.

Our nation is one of the fastest growing economy in the world and any step that needs to be taken has to be with utmost care but is the question of fair play too big here?

UPA govt. would be putting a big question mark on the jobs of many of those who voted in their favor which might be the biggest “against” for FDI however with the introduction of 51% FDI in single brand retailing, Govt. has sent out a positive signal. But does that mean Menzer should start smiling?... well the answer is no, not immediately and when it would be only Govt policies and time will tell.

FDI in Retail -I

2006-06-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

Ask 10 selected americans about their purchase store for daily needs or almaost everything they buy and the answer would be Walmart.
Ask any 1o randomly selected Indians and now atleast 5 would say Big Baaar or Spencer’s
The journey from unorganized to organized has certenely started as far as Indian Retail Scenario is concerned, then what would be the net thing that would take this transition to a higher level or as many have argued might even bring down the level playing field for Indian Retailers. The Answer is Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Unlike other sectors such as insurance, banking, Retailing has not seen the day light as far as the FDI is concerned.

Earlier this year, A.T. Kearney identified India as the top destination for global retailers and with John Meneer making his high profile visit in may emphasizing upon the importance of Wal Mart’s entry in to India, the case for FDI is only becoming stronger. Also British’s top Retail store TEsco’s CEO is epected to visit India later this year, the scene is definitely getting hotter and the pressure on Govt. getting higher to allow FDI in Retail.
To allow FDI in Retail or not is long standing debate and it would only be fair to consider both sides of the coin before coomenting about its future.

Arguments in favor of FDI in Retail

FDI in retail sector to benefit India, says World Bank
Opening up the retail sector to foreign direct investment (FDI) would be beneficial for India in terms of price and availability of products, according to the World Bank.

FDI in retail — A question of jobs, not ownership

AFTER farming, retailing is India's major occupation. It employs 40 million people. A sizeable majority of owner/employees are in the business because of lack of other opportunities. The decade of liberalisation has so far been one of jobless growth.
Since the agriculture sector is over-crowded and the manufacturing sector stagnant, millions of young Indians are virtually forced into the service sector. The presence of more than one retailer for every hundred persons is indicative of how many people are being forced into this form of self-employment, despite limitations of capital and space.
Trade/retailing is the single largest component of the services sector in terms of contribution to the gross domestic product. It accounts for 14 per cent of the service sector, i.e., twice that of the next largest economic activity in the sector — banking and insurance

. Organised retail trade employs roughly 0.5 million people and unorganised 39.5 million. The fact that about 4 per cent of the population is employed in the unorganised retail trade speaks volumes about how vital this business is to the socio-economic equilibrium in India.
In 2004, Wal-Mart had a turnover of $256 billion and it recorded a net profit of $9 billion. Its 4,806 stores employs 1.4 million persons. The average size of a Wal-Mart outlet is 85,000 square feet and the average turnover about $53 million. The turnover per employee is $1,82,000.
By contrast, the Indian retailer had a turnover of Rs 1,86,075 ($4,100 approximately) and only 4 per cent of the 12 million retail outlets occupied space larger than 500 square feet. The total turnover of the unorganised retail sector, which employs 39.5 million persons, was Rs 735,000 crore. India has 35 towns each with a population of over one million. If Wal-Mart were to open, on an average, one store in each of these 35 cities and if each achieved the average Wal-Mart performance per store, the turnover would amount to over Rs 8,033 crore and number of employees to only 10,195.
Extrapolated to the rest of the country, it would mean displacing around 4,32,000 persons. In other words, every new Wal-Mart employee will render 40 retailers surplus. If FDI retailers with deep pockets were to take over 20 per cent of the retail trade, this would mean a turnover of Rs 1,47,000 crore. This represents an employment of about 43,000 persons, displacing nearly eight million persons in the unorganised retail sector.

Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) pushes for FDI in Retail
ICRIER has recommended that at least 49 per cent FDI be allowed in the retail industry initially, but since the sector is highly fragmented and domestic retailers are still in the process of consolidating their position, the opening up should be gradual.
Opening up the sector to foreign investment, will actually help the existing retailers on several fronts.
· It would speed up the growth of organized formats in the country.

· It found that organised retailing has significant backward linkages through setting up of supply chains, investment in food processing industry and manufacturing units, increased productivity of agriculture, growth of interlinked sectors such as tourism and IT.

· Consumers have also gained from organised retailing since it leads to lower prices, improves the quality of products and widens the choice of products available to consumers

· It added that since foreign retailers are allowed to enter the market through other routes, the existing ban on FDI has not really acted as an entry restriction. On the contrary, the country is losing foreign investment while the entry process has become non-transparent and complicated.

· All major developed and developing countries have allowed foreign investment in retailing. Some have imposed certain other restrictions (for example, minimum capital requirement, sourcing conditions and so on) while others have opened up the sector in a phased manner to allow the domestic retailers to adjust to the changes. However, the experience of other countries shows that a major part of FDI is now directed towards the retail sector

· The biggest benefit, would flow from higher exports. They point to the Chinese experience.

· The global retailers taken together buy about $60 billion of goods each year from China for exports. Contrast this with India where less than $1 billion of exports are accounted for by global retailers (mostly metro dairy farm). Clearly, the scope of exports through the global retailers is enormous, indeed.

· Entry of sophisticated branded products affects the unbranded mass market only marginally in a vast poor country such as India. Moreover, in malls where the large retail chains set up their stores, typically, there will also be many small shops which will attract people.

· The street-corner shops will have some advantages over big stores located many miles away in shopping plazas. In India, transportation and parking are big problems for people who want to visit shopping malls

· Farmers would get better prices and bigger markets while the consumers would benefit in terms of lower prices, better quality and greater variety. The resultant rural prosperity may open up markets for other industrial goods and help a more balanced regional development as also job creation in other sectors.

Next: Arguement against FDI and conclusion

My very own One Night @ Call Centre

2006-06-15T04:38:00.000-07:00

During my small stint at a call centre, I learnt many things and the following call is one of those great experience....This my One Night @ Call Centre (No relation with Chetan Bhagat ;))

Read On....

I: Hi, this is Ronnie at America Online, how can I help you today?
Lady: I want to speak to your supervisor.

I: Maam I have the complete authority to resolve your concern and let me assure you that I will take care of every thing.

Lady: (Interrupting) I don’t want to speak with u… get me a supervisor on line…

I: Maam I will surely do that for you however first I need to protect your privacy and security (how stupid I would have sounded at that time, I cant even imagine)…in order to transfer this call to my supervisor.

Lady: All right, go on..

I: Fine maam, may I know the…

Lady: (Interrupting)
Well, I want to cancel my account (now before I could proceed with my script, she went on without a pause of breath!)…. You know you guys have cheated me, I called up to cancel my account about an year back and today I receive a bill of 30 dollars!...what u guys think of yourself that u can charge an old lady for a service she never used and she would pay?

(A little pauses lasting not more than few milliseconds and I grabbed that!)

I: I am sorry to hear that maam but I am going to do everything I can to help you, once again, my name is Ronnie, may I have yours….?

Lady: (she gave me some name that matched with the contact on the screen).

I: In order to help you today, I need to pull up your account and ask you a few questions to protect your privacy and security (It’s mandatory to inform the member about privacy and security as per the guidelines), is that ok? (It was more of a verbatim and still I need to read that despite of the fact that she was so irate that she wouldn’t listen to me at all)

Lady: Do it fast, ok?

I: sure Maam, may I know the answer to the account security question that says (some question that I don’t remember now)

Lady: I don’t remember that.

(The verification part took good 15 minutes where she kept on giving wrong answers and became more irate and finally I had to verify her on the basis of her address and phone number after taking permission from my TA (Team Assistant))

I: Thank you for helping me verify your account (Thank you to my TA otherwise I would have died on the floor verifying a non verified account!), Now since you’ve mentioned that you would like to give up your AOL membership today and I can certainly help you with that, are u moving to a high speed. DSL or any other internet service provider (Again a stupid question however being a newbie at the floor, I had to follow the verbatim)

Lady: Where is your supervisor? I want to speak with him. I was on line with some supervisor when the call dropped… now I want to speak to a supervisor.

I: (Since we were not allowed to transfer any call to the supervisor until situation becomes out of control, I continued…). Maam let me assure there is nothing my supervisor would do differently and I have the complete authority to resolve your concern.

Lady: Get me your supervisor

I: Maam..

Lady: (Interrupting)... Supervisor!

I: Yeah but...

Lady: (Interrupting)... Supervisor!

I: I apologize for all the incon…

Lady: (Interrupting)... Supervisor!

Before that may I know the

Lady: (Interrupting)... Supervisor!
Lady: Supervisor!
Lady: Supervisor!

I: (now completely frustrated and perhaps more irate than the lady), All right maam, can I place this call on hold while I transfer you to a SUPERVISOR!

Lady: Alright, do it fast!

I: Thank you (After pressing the hold button, I literally banged my headset and went to look out for my TA. After explaining the whole situation to him, the response I got from his side was “Ramit, you got to learn and handle these situations, there’s nothing which I can do differently, go ahead and give your best shot!”

(Shot! Or get shot?)

However after gaining all the courage in the world, I continued the call
“Thank for being on line maam:

Lady: am I speaking to a supervisor?

I: (Well I almost gave in and thought of saying at that moment in time, but my senses regained conscious and I was saved from committing a blunder)

Well maam He has just left for the day and I just had a look in to your account and it’s not a major issue and I m definitely going to help you with that…

(Silence for almost 15 seconds gave me a hint of silence before the storm)

Lady: Alright, though I don’t think you will be able to do anything here, anyways lets go on..

I: (Relaxed, as if I have got a new life!), Right, thank you so much maam, now may I know your concern please?

Lady: I cancelled my account an year back and still I m receiving charges of 30 dollars from my bank account!, what u think?

I: (This time I interrupted)….Maam give me a quick moment while I process your details..

Lady: Alright

(After going through her records, I figured out that she accidentally reactivated her account 3 months back online)

I: Maam I really apologize for all this inconvenience (and explained her the whole situation)….

Lady: What?, u r trying to say that I reactivated my account?, do I look like an idiot to you?

I: (well yes maam, I would love to say yes!). Maam I completely understand your concern and had I been at your place, I would have felt the same way and let me assure you that you are completely right at your end however there is something which probably we both don’t know, so let’s try and figure that out.

Lady: (This time a little more relaxed) what is that?

(well after going in to rounds of arguments, finally we came to a solution)

I: Maam may I place this call on a hold while go ahead process your request (Actually this is the best way to take a breather and come to your senses)

(After 40 second or so…)

I: Allright maam, lete o ahead and help uoy with this, I will go ahead and canel your account and I will make sure you get your 2 month’s money back in to your account.
(That’s what is allowed as per rules if there is no usage in past 2 months).

Lady: 2 months? You are tryung to say that I will lose out on one month’s fee which u guys took out before asking me?

I: maam I understand your concern however this is the maximum I can do for you.

Lady: Get me a supervisor on line…that is why I didn’t want to speak with u at the very first place

I: Maam according to the federal laws (this is apowerful word we can use and members usually do take it seriously but as u must have realized, this member was different, read on…), this is all I can do to help you and let me assure you that no body else would be able to help you with more than what I m offering to you.

(What that lady says now shook me in and out and actually forced me to share this experience with you all)

Lady: (in a soft voice)… allright go ahead, I understand that you will not be able to help me with third month’s refund. It might be just a financial transaction for you guys…. And believe me; I am not yelling at you all this while, I was irate at your company and not at you….. (Now sobbing). I don’t know what life has in store for me? My husband died last month, I m living alone here and I don’t have (crying loud now...) enough money and these people (this is the first time she separated me from company) have robbed me

(I, in a shock and awe with no idea about what to say and do...)

I: Maam I am really sorry to hear that and I apologize for all this inconvenience and maam I understand that there are few things which are beyond business and money which forms the core of every person’s heart and that is his emotions and as listening to all this, I could feel the pain and the agony and I really feel sorry for not been able to help you, I wish I could do more for you….

(I don’t know how all this came to my mind and I kept on saying..!)

Lady: (Now much calm and soft now….), No sonny (wow that was something touchy)….i understand your point and thank you so much for your assistance. This 5th call here and this is the first time I got to a consultant who could really understand me and help me.
(Now that was flattering!, I wish my TA could listen to all this)

I: Thank you so much maam and this is what I have done for you…. (Recapped the solution and stated in about how n\much time will she get all her money back)

I: Is there anything else mai I assit you with today?

Lady: Not really, u have been of great help and I really appreciate that.

(Read the full disclosure and took a 15 min badly needed break after the call)

Though I don’t work for this call centre any more but I am sure this experience would always remain with me.

India tour of West Indies, 2006 : What went wrong?

2006-06-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

Indian team arrived in Carebbean with their heads and hopes high. And why not they had every reason for that as the domestic success against england, winning streak against Sri Lanka and Pakistan gave them the right momentum and confidence to play on the pitches which they will be facing in the Cricket's mega event in less than 9 months....
The first practice match proved the fact that team is on the right track and ready for the challenge.
What followed is something every cricket fan would like to forget but sadly we cant as the turnaround this team has shown from being one of the top contenders for champions to being washed out 1-4 aginst a team which was ranked 7th. As a result the current rank of Indian team in ODI's is 5 against 3 when they started the tour.

So what went wrong?
Was it that guru greg depended too much on its "experiments" in the batting order or the batsmen became too complacent or bowlers couldn't adjust to the conditions? or may be a combination of all.

To start with, the top order didnt fire and failed to provide the start that is ideally required in an ODI. Forget about the instances where Indian team batted first, the series saw the end to the famous world record of winning continuosly while chasing. Middle and lower order that used to sail india out in the time of crisis failed to do so while crisis became a rule rather an exception for the Indian team in this series. The line up falled like a cycle stand. Batsmen like Dhoni, Raina, failed to sore and fell almost evrytime by playing a careless shot.
Dravid decided to open the innings but couldn't capitalise on the starts hence the onus fell on the lower and middle order. Though Sewag did emerged as the saving grace for the team and found his touch back, even he couldn't bail India out when required. Yuvi followed more or less the same lines of sehwag and i am sure he would not forget that last wicket bowled when India needed just 2 runs to win the match. In the these small things matter a lot and he must have realized it by now.

The bowling department looked pale with most of them couldn't bowl at the right areas. Theking of swing, Pathan couldnt take the advantage of the conditions and failed to provide the early breakthrough. He struggled through out the series and even Greg confirmed his disappointment due to non performance! Guess the pain in in his finger has become too much that he has started crying in public now....
The only exception in this department were the duo of Agarkar and Harbhajan and one sees no logic in the selector's decision of dropping the most successful bowler in the series. " Agarkar is more of a one day player" said Kiran More and obviously hardly any one bought this arguement.. well the good news is that Kumble is back in the test team and so is laxman but as i write, he resting back in the pavillion after spending little time on the crease..

I think its high time Greg must revisit his policy of experiments and focus on basics as fielding which was emerging as India's strengths in the recent past looked like a grey area this time.
So coming back to the question "What went wrong?"...the answer would be .."Well almost everything"
Well ODI's are over and now the real "Test" begins and India can save its prestige by winning the longer version...(well with 175/5 at lunch on day 1, its a long way to go...:( )

Reservations: A saga of unanswered questions

2006-05-21T04:46:00.000-07:00

Protests against reservations have now enthralled the nation and the voices of thousands unheard are making their presence felt not only on roads and medical colleges but also in the political corridors. Before riding high on emotions and taking sides, it’s important to identify few critical questions which strangely have been missed out by many. And if we try to look at the canvas from bird’s eye view, these issues may not look of importance however at ground level, the picture is somewhat different.

As the ghosts of mandal return after sixteen years to haunt the Indian middle and upper class, the protests doesn’t seem to be of the same ardor as they were in 1990. Why have we not reacted the way we did in 1990? Why are we tolerating this government and most importantly the man behind this? Arjun Singh’s dreams and ambitions seem to be way ahead of his abilities and power. As he aims to climb the next ladder to become the PM, he doesn’t realize that he is trying to step on crores of Indian youth who at no point would support him or his government. He claims that he has no “personal agenda” in pursuing the quota issue and at the same time, his attitude of airing the whole issue without discussion within the congress party suggests otherwise.

Thousands of medical students have now joined the protests which were started by medical students and junior doctors. Surprisingly a little support is visible from other disciplines. Are we satisfied with the dictatorship of Arjun Singh in the fields of management, technology, journalism, etc?
Every aspiring student in this country prefers to get in to IIM’s or FMS rather than any other private B School, Ask any aspiring techie and his dream institution would be IIT or DCE. IIMC is considered as the best place to learn journalism and mass communication which again is government institution. Won’t the quota regime affect such dreams?

Do OBC really NEED quota? A study done by two IIT Directors indicated that only 50% of vacancies at IITs for SC and ST’s are filled up. Of the remaining half, 25 percent dropout before completing the course. At a government medical college in Kanpur, as many as 50 percent of SC students for the final year MBBS exam failed the issue is not about providing favors to the OBC, its about denying the right of equality for general class and penalizing upper castes for being upper castes.

This one’s haunting me since the beginning of this debate. Can doctors deny treatment to sick people?
What happened to the oath they took for servicing sick? The first and foremost duty of every doctor is to treat sick people. Anger against government has taken over many of them and the services have been interrupted at many places causing huge problems for the patient. Can sick and poor people afford the suffering of the tussle between doctors and government? Though senior doctors have taken steps and have ensured operation of emergency services.
And as I write, I see a headline on NDTV which says that government has asked doctors to resume duty within 24 hours or leave hostel.
I believe the better way would be to operate open air OPDs at the place of protests which would not affect patients and would convey an even stronger message to the government.

The issue if not tackled would result in even further problems and then quota in private sector would no longer be a laughing matter!

In the end, I appeal to all the readers to contribute as much as possible by joining the protests. It would affect each one of us and we must not forget that we r living in a democracy, if our leaders (or rather politicians) don’t realize that, it is our duty to remind them.

India tour of West Indies, 2006 -II

2006-05-18T03:42:00.000-07:00

What makes a champion different from a winner is consistency and when same needed to be applied to the game of cricket, it becomes all and more important considering that this game has produced many one day or rather one series wonder.

Indians started their tour of West Indies in an astonishing manner by comprehensive victory over Jamaica. The performances of batsmen in this match proved the fact that Indian batsmen have learned the game of consistency with dhoni, raina and most importantly kaif found themselves amongst the runs…Though sehwag once again failed to capitalize on a good start, his knock of 33 runs looked solid. However raina in particular took the glory by being the only batsmen in the line up to touch the milestone of half century.

Well, Indians have now experienced an ideal launch pad for the first ODI to be played today. Close scrutinizing of the practice match suggests that Indians had a bit easy time in the field as far as the batting was concerned with no real fast bowler or any senior member from the national team was their to really scare them and that is where Indians need to be a little cautious since the ODi would have the likes of Lara, Sarwan etc who hold a potential to take the game away from the Indians..

Whether India would be able to maintain the winning momentum or not, only time can tell, however seeing the towering sixes by Dhoni and impressive bowling performance by Munaf Patel… It looks like Indians are ready for the task and would make their presence felt by winning the battle before the war starts in the same island in a few months from now…

India tour of West Indies, 2006

2006-05-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

As the Indian team takes on the windies.....the wind has started blowing strongly now with the Indian team making its presence felt in the carrebians. The tour becomes more important as the world cup is gonna be played in this island only in less than 10 months from now.....

Here's a update on who is saying what these days from both camps and hows the momento is builduing up!
Five bowlers the way to Test success: Chappell
PTI
May 13, 2006
"It's the bowlers who win Tests and we all know that. I am convinced that India need to persist with the five-bowler theory in order to win more Test matches," Chappell told PTI shortly after the Indiam team's arrival here. Chappell said he expects his young fast bowlers to step up to the task and excel in Tests as well. "It's an opportunity for them to seize the moment and prove themselves in
demanding conditions."

Dravid keen to end the West Indies drought
May 11, 2006
"We're not thinking about the World Cup," Dravid stated emphatically in the pre-series press conference at the Taj Lands End in Mumbai. "We are looking to win this series and if we learn a few things along the way that can help us in the World Cup, well and good. We are keen to improve both as a Test and one-day side and it's important we keep our focus."

Tendulkar's absence unfortunate: Lara
Cricinfo staff
May 13, 2006
"I think it is unfortunate because we are all entertainers. The public would have loved to see Sachin," Lara told The Trinidad Guardian after a practice session at the Queen's Park Oval before his team's sixth ODI against Zimbabwe. "He's going to be here for the World Cup hopefully, but any opportunity to see him would have been great for the public."

Well thats an interesting point...A maestro missing the other one!

For more updates and noinions....keep checking and keep posting ;)

Source: www.cricinfo.com www.espnstar.com

Organised Retailing: Opportunities and Challanges

2006-05-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

Retail has no doubt opened up a plethora of opportunities to be explored along with challenges to tackle. Diversity in terms of culture and consumer behavior is something quite unique and that’s what makes the whole scenario even more exciting

Some experts believe that the most important tool to tackle and enjoy the coming wave of retail would be the understanding of consumer behavior, however few others believe that its all about putting the right things at the right place and that is what brings us to a level of deeper understanding of the underlying issues which have been ignored or rather being looked over…

As per the AT Kearney survey, India has been ranked as the most attractive retail market among 30 nations beating Russia and even China. The best part about this survey is that India got the best rank in the “saturation” index supporting the fact that the market potential is immense and a lot of room is there… Talking about the current retail scenario… India hasn’t done too bad…We have been ranked as the 8th best retail market in the world (Retail forward global retail outlook, December 2004). India’s fast growing is forecast to approach Italy’s slow growing market by 2008 as it loosens restrictions on foreign ownership of retail stores. The point highlight the long standing debate about FDI in retail for which the likes of Wal Mart are lobbying in the PMO for a while now… Micheal Duke, Vice Chairman – Wal Mart recently visited India and to a reply to a question asked in an interview about eagerness of Wal Mart to enter India, he said “Is 10 the highest” and then practically answering “10. Or Can I say 10+? We are very eager. We see a terrific country that offers so much opportunity.” (Source: BT, April9, 2006)

Another major area of opportunity is the employment. Retail is the biggest employment generator with employing 75 of the total workforce i.e. approximately 21,000,000. The number is expected to go up by 8,000,000 once the organized retail takes plunge.

Organized retail currently forms just 3% of the total pie… however the growth over the net 3 years would be 30% annually. The unorganized retail in India has a lot to do with the food and grocery shops and the penetration of food and grocery in organized pattern is mere 1% indicating an immense opportunity to explore and grow. Big Bazaar of Pantaloon Retail India limited started a series of “Food Bazaar” throughout the country and it now forms an integral part of their offering. Other players like RPG, Pyramid are also operating on the same lines by understanding the underlying benefits.

Another factor which is contributing to this positive wave is that in India, 53% of population is young (Source: HSBC). The definition of “young” here is a person who is of or less than the age of 25 years. It highlights the growing shopping trend as it’s the modern Indian youth whose average salary is increasing and hence the higher disposable income find its way to shopping.

As they say… there aren’t any free lunches….
The retail opportunity is no doubt big… but are we ready to accept it? Do we have the required resources to avail this goldmine?

Capital investment required is 5 bn US dollars however as per the current trend, the initial domestic investment is at close to 1 bn US dollars, the investors have to look at this perspective and find out the way to cover up the deficit of 4 bn US dollars.

Human capital is other grey area for this sector. The job opportunities in India has changed the employment preference of people especially youth who prefer working in IT/ITeS sector...The most important reason behind this behavior is the lack of awareness about the growth opportunities amongst people. With the growth, the number of persons required would be high and to tackle such fears…, companies like Pantaloon Retail India Limited has tied up with various institutes where there is a specialized program on retail management.

The technology that we use today in Indian domestic retail stores is not up to date as per the western counterparts. Recently the retailers association of India decided about making bar code compulsory for all the retailers to adopt. Whereas the stores like Wal Mart, Tesco etc. are using modern ERP systems with RFID technology to stream line and automate supply chain in order to increase efficiency.

Infrastructure needs to be improved especially if the foreign retailers are to be welcomed in India. Even at the domestic front, the retailers are facing problems with the soaring rates in property which is preventing them from leveraging the benefits of mass reach. Companies like Pantaloon Retail India Limited have established a property arm recently which will take care of the construction and mall management activities.

Overall the opportunity in retail looks big. The business looks promising, scalable and profitable. The challenges are daunting however with the right approach and right policies from government, the way can be made easier and the time to capitalize is… NOW!

Coming Up Next: FDI in Retail

A moment of achievement...a moment of motivation... a moment of satisfaction....

2006-05-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

A moment of achievement...a moment of motivation... a moment of satisfaction....

The visitor's count reaches 100 today courtsey the continuous love and support from all of you... Thanks for bearing me and hope to keep u bugging in future as well.....

Together We Rawk!!

Retail : In the growth trajectory

2006-04-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

Retailing: the next driver of the Indian economy… the good job that was started by industries such as IT/ITeS, Insurance has now been taken over by retail. While other industries keep up the pace of the growth, we have a new kid on the blocks.
However, how new it may sound, the concept of retailing started back as late as in1863.
Since then, the economy had seen few players in the modern or organized retail…. Companies like Pantaloon Retail, Pyramid Retail, and Shoppers Stop have been the “Big Players” of the industry
Retailing is the largest employer in India. The Indian retail industry is about 9.9 lakh crore.
The question is what has made industry people al of the sudden stand up and take note of it?
The answer lies in the change in the spending by consumers with increase in the number of middle class households acting as a catalyst. The average income of Indian middle calss family is increasing and so is the need for quality at the right price…

Right now, the organized retail forms a mere 3% of the total pie, hence the potential in terms of growth is immense, in fact 30% to be precise over net 3 years (source: KPMG-KSA Techno park-FICCI survey 2005). 97% showcases stores like mom and pop which is the most popular form of retailing in India.

Growth in organized retailing is happening also because of the formats that are being adopted by the retailers. From the known format of life style retailing, retailers have come up with supermarkets, hypermarkets and discount stores such a Big Bazaar, Spencer’s, Sabka Bazaar etc..
These stores offer the same quality available at any mom and pop store but at a discounted price which is usually lower than the MRP.. Another aspect that mobilizes footfalls is of “one stop shop”. One can find from a pin to a printer under one roof.
Big Bazaar is one instance which is changing the buying habits of consumers and that too fast. Regular innovative schemes such as “exchange mela” keep the buyer in the loop and Kishore Biyani, MD, Pantaloon retail knows that pretty well. “We focus on giving customer, value for money” he said in a recent interview with a business magazine.

The Indian market is warming up quite nicely to the organized retailing and stores like Big Bazaar; spencer’s are preparing a perfect competitive environment for the likes of Wal Mart and other international players for the time when they enter Indian market

Coming Up Next: Organized Retailing: Opportunities & Challenges

A letter to Greg Chappell

2006-04-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

A letter to Greg Chappell

Hi Greg, hope you are doing fine and find this letter in the best of your finger.
I can understand the kind of pressure you have being the coach of number 3 cricketing nation in the world and physical injuries are just a part of it…. And whether media or Indian public believes it or not I very well understand that hurt finger needs a bit of air and you need to stick out of the compact window to nurse the injury

Media highlighted the agitation against you in kolkata when dada was dropped for ODI’s what media forgot to notice was that agitation was definitely against you but to show their aggression towards you for taking this decision too late. After all, how can a man with the highest success rate of captaincy along with qualities like sweet timer on the off side and power full hitter on the on side can be ignored…

You made or supported the right decision, he had to go… after all we are building a team for world cup 2007 and we need fresh blood, experience is already present in plenty….
So what if Rahul started his career at the same time when Saurav did. He hardly get any appreciation for his wonderful knocks, he had to over come the shadow of great cricketer and how can he do it… well I m sure u knew the answer, As a captain he has become your man as u are for Kiran More, I must say that you both form a great pair and why not?, you both share similar mentality and process…

Being a silent spectator is not easy and you did a wonderful job by not entering in to the famous argument between Surav and Rhul. I am sure that the argument would have been moving the direction u wanted to… smart move huh… and that is why I love your style… you are so smart!

Saurav did the wrong thing by entering the public arena and accused you for following malpractices and here’s why I adore you so much… before media could report the whole incident, you were ready with your story... (No, don’t take me otherwise, I am sure u told the “true story”) about Saurav asking you for favours before you becoming the coach…

You have time and time again proved consistency in your methodology, after the Saurav episode happened, every body expected you to act in the bizarre manner and drop Sehwag and Kaif but you adopted the right approach by maintaining the trend of keeping your faith on youngsters not performing and overlooking experienced performers… fresh blood, youth, energy, innovation… performance doesn’t matter alone, mere presence of them makes the team look more young.. At least from your vision and I must salute your wisdom which still so fresh and young and even at this age!

And finally I would like to thank you for your “Australian” style of working here in India, and if even now, Saurav thinks he has been treated badly… he must go back a few years ago and see what happened with Steve Waugh…

Keep up the good work Greg, I am sure “your men” would bring the world cup and the upcoming tour of West Indies would help you in understanding the best possible way through which it can be “picked up”

Regards
Your biggest fan!

The BPO wave...

2006-04-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

“Thank you for calling HP Total care, may I have your name and phone number please”

Been there, done that…

The state of Indian economy has never been so good with sensex crossing all milestones. One industry which has contributed like anything is one which we all love to hate and hate to love.. BPO, astonishing however it may sound but removing these three words from the economic map of India can spell doom for the whole nation not just in terms of GPD growth but also in terms of number of employees this industry employs not every year, not every month but every single day….

We as in Indians have made our self addicted to such high growth and job opportunities that criticizing it can be a big suicide.
After all, what this industry has which is driving the Indian youth towards it and has made them as forever slaves of its ever-growing empire

The answer is very much clear in the hi-fi lanes of gurgaon and noida…
What all a B com or a BA graduate can expect n that too in 3rd class?

I f I would have asked this question 5 years back, the answer might have involved a stressful and struggle filled 9-5 job with little money to spare..
But now the same graduate can have a job that offers..

5 days a week, free pick up n drop in AC cabs, Ac office with hi tech infrastructure and cool environment and salary as high as hard u can work as your every extra hour or extra day other than routine can fetch u overtime money!

All one needs to have is good control over English language and willingness to work in nights which anyways has become a part of any mid teenager in a metro.

BPO has no doubt filled a huge gap of unemployment with fuelling all fii’s resulting in high growth in terms of GDP….

But somewhere down the line the policymakers have let go this industry with out control and as a result what we r witnessing today is that Indian youth becoming addicted to such kind of jobs because of the money factor, take a quick survey around and u will find very few who have a clear cut vision about their career growth in a BPO.
With undergraduates actively forming an important share of the workforce, there is a clear loophole in the hiring norms of these so called multinationals.

To add fuel to the fire, Call centers have mushroomed all over the places to get advantage of cheap labor and not all are serious recruiters. One would find hardly 2 or 3 BPO’s offering an employee what he /she is worth of.

Such companies hire young blood by promising them a fast track career growth from an agent level to team leader and so on…
However the reality is far from it and one sees him/her self as being the part of never ending cat and mouse game where employee is always a loser, once out of this job, one finds him/her self at the starting point as industry doesn’t recognize their efforts as a valid work experience and rightly so as guiding an American about how to install his new computer is hardly a value add to one’s profile.

On my personal front, BPO has always done a great favor from winning the debate at college level (supporting the fact that it is a hurdle to nurture future talent of India) to being a part of it for the second time to earn some quick bucks!

Willingly or unwillingly, BPO has become a sore pill which has to be taken in order to keep the economy healthy and strong…

A visit to heaven..!

2006-04-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

If beauty can be expressed in words, If God can be expressed in religion, if love can be expressed in moments spent, if gratitude can be expressed in eyes , if memories can be expressed by nostalgia, …

There she was, a sheer beauty right in front of me in its full glow, getting readying for her next big endeavor, looking like a newly married bride.

My trip to Chandigarh was no less than a one day military training camp. No sleep for over 48 hours, traveling like hell and walking almost unstoppable and yet at the same time enjoying every bit of it.

Never before I thought I would witness her and just like an artist’s expression, she was right there in my heart glooming with beauty with each passing day.

As GOD would help a true lover meet his destiny, we got a help from one of our friend for reaching to her doorsteps.
Long journey, lack of sleep and excessive walking took its toll on me and I went in to a slumber and as they say, the silence before the storm…

Someone shook me and I got up to see the one of the most beautiful creations of GOD, off course made more graceful by humans.

Her outer looks depicted a picture perfect. A picture, which was beyond my imagination. Had I been a poet or writer, it would have presented a perfect plot for bestseller.

But as outer beauty doesn’t always depict the inner character, her premises from outside looked no less than a princess castle and there she was in her full glory and beauty emanating rays of charm and pride, being served with utmost care….

If you are still expecting a woman, I m sorry to disappoint you….
Ground depicted a green carpet, with seats so modern and scoreboard looked like a vacant canvas ready to be filled with colors of action between India and England test match to be played in the next few days..., for a moment you would pinch yourself to believe that you are in Mohali and not in Lords!

Witnessing perhaps the best cricket ground in India was no less than a privilege and that too when it was getting ready for a big match…the images of covered pitch, lush green outfield, empty scoreboard, flags of India and Sri Lanka right above the pavilion and hoardings of “Ambuja cement” are still fresh in my memory and would never die until new one takes over which I m sure would be when I would get an opportunity to watch an ODI at this blissful place…

Last but not the least, I would like to say that for any cricket lover in India, if there is heaven on this earth, then it is Mohali cricket ground,
If u think I wrote too much or over reacted, then go and give your eyes a treat to watch, give your senses a feel which would be beyond sensation…visit mohali cricket ground and trust me you would believe that you have visited heaven….