Religion: The Intoxicating Truth

I am a very dormant participant in any discussion about politicians and their politics. Somehow, this topic has failed to interest me time and again. However the turn of events in the last few days prompted me to write this note on the prevailing campaign styles adopted by political parties which are abhorring to say the least. The inherent adoption of religion as a potent weapon to glorify one’s standing makes it all the more intolerable. This not only sparks communal tension but also creates a very unhealthy and sickening ambience. I won’t take the names of any party in particular as I feel that both the major political powerhouses are responsible for what is happening in Gujarat and a few other states. The hunger for the “Chair” and the power associated with it is so insatiable that one is ready to take any step right or wrong to achieve it. Making religion an issue and by targeting the minorities the politicians are actually digging their own grave as, such public outcries are bound to create a negative influence in the heart and mind of the minorities. There are a few others who try to cash in on such inflammatory remarks by their counterparts by lending their shoulder to the targeted mass to cry on. I can only say that India has thousands of problems to sort out and the glorifying or demeaning of any religion should be the last on the list of our leaders.

The Election Commission should make its presence felt by intervening in between as they did earlier by putting a limit to the amount of spending by political parties during elections and by implementing a few other steps in order to ensure a smooth and fair election. Chief Ministers and other leaders should concentrate on the development of a region or state and not in the demeaning of any minority community. By doing this they are leading by example in the promotion of lawlessness, crime and intolerance.

A Prelude to the Final Test.

The cricket caravan for the India Pakistan series has reached Bangalore, the “Beer Capital of India” and the Garden City for the third and final test beginning tomorrow. It is very difficult to give a verdict as both the teams are very unpredictable and can raise their level of performance quite dramatically on a given day. However, looking at the past series of events especially the drawn test at Kolkata, the injuries to Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Sachin Tendulkar and M.S.Dhoni, and Shoaib Akhtar coming back to full fitness, the scales are tilted towards Pakistan who would be playing this match on one of their favorite hunting grounds. Moreover, India have a very dismal record at Bangalore in test matches where they have lost four of the last five tests played here.

In spite of all these factors it would be utter foolishness to write India off as two of the best players of the world, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid would be playing on their home turf. Moreover, Sourav Ganguly, Wasim Jaffer and Laxman are in fine nick. The bowling department is definitely the weak link of India in this match with a completely new pace attack comprising Irfan Pathan who would be staging a comeback and probably Ishant Sharma who has played just one test match before this one. All said and done, if four of the top six batsmen fire and at least two of the four bowlers click, then India should be able to pull this match off. As regards the bowlers, I would like one of the spinners making it big in each of the innings along with one fast bowler. The rest can provide support from the other end by keeping things relatively tight if not taking wickets.

As far as Pakistan is concerned the dark clouds seem to have given way to rays of hope and glory. Both the “Ys” that indisputably form the back bone of their batting line up, are back in form and also the revelation of Misbah Ul Haq as a solid batsman has given a real shot in the arm to the lower middle order. The opening however looks to be the only chink in the armour as far as batting is concerned. The bowling again looks to be the weak link as barring Shoaib Akhtar and Danish Kaneria to some extent, the rest of the bowlers on display hasn’t looked penetrative at all. I believe, Mohammed Sami is going to give way to Rao Ifthikar as he looked a much better bowler during the one-dayers. The bottom line is, the setting seems to be perfect for the final match of the tour and promises to be an absolute cracker.

Let the better team win!!!

Twenty-Twenty Cricket: Thinking Differently

Cricket has seen a lot of changes since the first test match between England and Australia back in 1877. The introduction of one day cricket, coloured clothing and white balls, the commercialisation of the game with the involvement of Kerry Packer and lots more. The recent change to hit the world of cricket was the introduction of the "Twenty Twenty Cricket" popularly referred to as "T20 Cricket". Here the teams are allowed to play for a maximum of 20 overs per side and instead of playing the whole day, the match takes a maximum of three hours to complete.This gives the spectators an enthralling contest in a very short span of time where all the players are right on there toes. No one has to wait the whole day to get the result as opposed to the one day or test matches where we have to wait for a full day and five days respectively.

Superficially the whole concept looks exciting and very entertaining. However if we delve in deep, there is a lot more to it. Now a days there is a lot of money at stake in cricket matches and obviously, it seems the administrators of the game are driven by the profit motives of these conglomerates who bring in the moolah. In this scenario it is a win-win situation for all except for the game. One can become a star by playing an extraordinarily explosive innings on a given day but that does not prove that he is a quality player with a lot of skills and temperament. The real class of a player comes out in a test match or in ODIs where the ability to guide the team to victory amidst great adversities, is tested to the core. The whole game of "T20 Cricket" is designed in such a way that the bowler cuts a sorry figure more often than not. He looks like a lamb served on a platter for the wild dogs. However to be called as the lions of the game, one has to excel in the longer version of the game as that is the real test of a cricket player.

The bottomline is, there is so much money at stake in the shortest version of the game that everyone is inclined towards it. But, ask the contemporaries, nine out of ten would say that their heart lies in test cricket.

Long live the game!!!

Sachin Tendulkar-Truly Majestic

Great players are remembered not by their individual milestones but by their ability to drive their team to glory on the "Big Days". Sachin Tendulkar has a similar record especially in the shorter version of the game and he showed another glimpse of his class during India's chase in the 4th one dayer in Gwalior which was instrumental in helping I ndia to clinch the series against Pakistan after a gap of 24 years on home soil. He showed his class earlier during the second one dayer however it was not enough then. Today he virtually sealed Pakistan's fate with a calculated and very effective assault on the Pakistan bowling attack. Barring the volatile Shoaib Akhtar, there was no one who could give him second thoughts.

His innings was certainly the corner-stone of the Indian innings. The confidence with which Sachin attacked the Pakistan bowling attack, set the tone of the Indian run chase. He took the responsibility and led the batting from the front which enabled the others to bat around him and clinch the deal. He was spot on in gauging the pace of the pitch that helped him to decide whether to play any ball on the front or the back foot. The three consecutive boundaries off Shahid Afridi were an absolute treat and the expression on the bowler's face said it all. He was just unstoppable.

He might have missed out on the seemingly elusive 42nd ODI century but then it is just a matter of time before he breaks the jinx and then as it happened during his early days, there would be a flurry of centuries. There is no doubt about the fact that players like him take the center stage may be once in a lifetime. That's Sachin Tendulkar....

Take a Bow!!!

Brand Equity Quiz

This company was established on October 12, 1919 by Takeshi Yamashita, and initially specialized in microscopes and thermometers. Named after the Greek abode of gods, they are currently an 813 billion yen company into Precision machineries and instruments, Cameras, Voice recorders, Medical endoscopes, other medical devices. Name the company: Olympus

Which magazine carries the ad line 'If women are not climbing the corporate ladders it is because they are taking the elevators'? Femina

Which brand derives its name from the Japanese God of Mercy? Canon from Kwanon

Which company started off making aero-engines and then moved on to automobiles? The company still makes the world's leading aero-engines? Rolls Royce

Where is the root(country) of nokia? What did it produce initially? Finland, Paper Mill

Bread or Books! A Difficult Choice for Some

The headlines in leading news dailies, a few days back was "Children below fourteen years of age cannot be made to work". It was a victory for all those who advocated the theory against child labour and also felt like a deemed victory for those hapless children who had to forego the joys of childhood and work long hours, day in and day out. However, there is a flip side to this, as with most theories and judgements.

There is no doubt about the fact that a majority of the children who work in restaurants, roadside dhabas and as domestic aides, were being exploited by their employers. But has anyone tried to get a larger picture of the real story behind these issues. Why do the children start working so early? Why they don't get any education and a proper life as a child of his age gets elsewhere? Children who work as labourers in factories, domestic aides etc, more often than not have to drop school and help their parents to get a two-piece meal; hand-to-mouth stuff. He has got no other option. Education and other things take a backseat, when the question is on getting the basic needs of life i.e food clothing and shelter.

These children have got no other way out apart from becoming a bread-earner themselves along with their father. So whats is the solution to this "Catch-22" situation?

As long as the district and state authorities don't wake up to this problem, this can never be solved. The above mentioned authorities need to work with various non-profit organizations, NGOs like "SOS Children's Villages of India", CRY and lots more, at the grassroot level and try to uplift the the country's future. This requires a lot of dedication, selflessness and also a lot of planning and strategising. If this is done, then the day is not far from what was envisioned by the contemporary leaders of India...