Halfway Between the Gutter & Stars

Dangerous Precedent Being Set

2011-08-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged for almost a year and reason for that was primarily due to me being to lazy and turning in to corporate sell out who is only driven by the phrase " Show me the Money" or that is what I would like to think it is or I am just having way to much fun being back in India and my beloved city of Hyderabad.

Anyway coming to the point of this post, for the past few weeks the news has been pretty much dominated by one topic " Team Anna Vs The Government". When the story first broke about this old guy (no disrespect to him in anyway) and few prominent folks that we all have heard about are getting together to do something about corruption I as typical cynical Indian dismissed this issue/topic as something that the media is reporting on since there no other burning issue in the country/ world. As time passed I noticed that I was wrong, India's dismal cricket tour, US financial crisis, Telangana, London Riots and Fabregas finally moving to Barca (ok this doesn't belong here but its my blog) could not seem to push the issue out media spotlight.

Now what is this issue all about ? I think long story short one can sum it up by saying, given the recent slew large scale corruption instances occurring under governments nose being brought out in the open (such as instances appear to be highly correlated with Cong rule, wonder why ?) a few people who in corporate terminology are "go getters" decided we need to do something about this. Given that the most impactful way to protest in India is to fast ( Thanks KCR !! wonder why he was never taken in to preventive custody ?) Anna Hazare backed by his team decided to fast so that he can get the government to act on dealing with corruption.

Anna and his team read the book on " How to get something from the government when not in power " latest edition and had seem to have a foolproof plan to achieve their objective. Now one would have thought the government would have learnt it lesson by now and would know how to handle such issues but guess what a bunch folks who graduated from some of the most elite schools in the world still had no plan in place to handle such issues (you think they would have learnt their lesson from previous issues).

Alright so he suggested that our politicians be made accountable, great the whole country I am sure has no issues with that. Then they met the government told them what they felt needed to be done, okay so far so good. But then came the twist government decided to tweak his suggestions and change the format of the bill ( ok let it be clear that this bill has been the works since 1968) to what they seemed was appropriate, this was not acceptable to "Team Anna" and thus the melee ensued.

Dont you think it was naive of Anna to think bill would come out in the form they wanted it, as a democracy is about consensus no one gets everything they want. You need to believe in the people or government else the idea of democracy loses its very purpose. My belief is that for democracy to work you either believe in the government and the constitution or the people when it comes time to vote.

Now I have serious question, based on what has unfolded over the past few weeks. Before that let me just clarify I am picking sides, I am justifying anyone's actions or belittling any body. Are we saying that a person who has a mass following can hold the country/city to ransom by going on a fast to death ? You might say the end might justify the means, corruption is ruining this country but are you implying that plight of the people in Telangana for whom KCR went on a fast was/is not legit ? Here is a hypothetical situation, tomorrow lets say some goes on fast saying I will fast to death unless a temple is built in Ayodhaya and he has support of the masses should we oblige ? ( these might be real bad parallels but I hope you are able to understand my point )

When does the end justify the means ? In my very humble opinion this is a very dangerous precedent to set in a democracy like ours where numerous factions of people who have valid grievances that need attention, is this the way forward ?

In all this spare a thought for Irom Chanu Sharmila she has been fasting since 2000 to get rid of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. This act is responsible to disappearance and loss of lives of numerous people in J&K and North East regions of India. I wonder why she is not in the news ? Is her cause less important than anyone else who is fasting ?

Luke, come over to the dark side!!!

2010-02-09T13:14:00.001-08:00

The words of one of the most immortal villain's (Darth Vader) of all time, appears to be very apt for my current state of being. I feel as if I am slowly but steadily moving over to the dark side, which begs the question what is the dark side??? 3 years ago when I graduated from VIT, I vociferously denounced the idea of going to the US to do a masters in engineering and fit the stereotypical definition of a "Gult". Then somehow in found myself working at the most awesome company in the world "Google" (Yes, the story about the F3 key in college is true. There I said it) but I still worked at Google and was good at what I did, so in your face !!!!.

But coming back to the point, working at Google I felt I was a long way from the concept of " MS in US" , I had totally forgotten about the desperate measures I had resorted to after going to the CTS training program I had given the GRE and applied to 4 colleges. Then somehow after a strange sequence of events which I find difficult to rationalize now, I found myself in College Station Texas doing masters in Industrial Engineering. I came here saying I would love to get back as soon as I can and I miss every single as aspect of India and find it difficult to get used to most aspects of life here.

Now, two years hence I find that not only have I got used to those very aspects but they have become second nature to me,

I have picked up a moderate accent with respect to certain words like fast = phast, you all = y'all, and many more …

Football no longer relates to F.C Barcelona (would have never imagined) but the Dallas Cowboys/ New Orleans Saints.

I find myself telling people to please state the word "soccer" when talking about the champion's league or at least say European football.

Prefer watching the Superbowl instead of watching a test match which involves India fighting to stay number 1 in the world.

I seem to have gotten so caught up with the whole "school spirit" thing that my wardrobe is 75% maroon ... almost everything I wear says Texas A&M or Aggies on it ... I so need a wardrobe change its not funny people might actually start thinking I have only 2-3 t-shirts.

Use the word "soda" with reference to Pepsi and Coke and find almost impossible to have a meal or watch a movie or watch a game without them by my side.

I find myself guzzling down Gatorade/Powerade like nobody's business before playing/while playing/after playing.

All of sudden temperatures between 13-17 degrees is pleasant weather, this coming from the same guy who used to wear a sweatshirt in Vellore and used slept using a bedding that contained 2 bedsheets and a blanket.

The last full soccer game I watched was the el classico and before that was the champion's league final.

I used to think people who hit the gym were just too lazy and crazy to play organized sport but now I hit the gym almost 4 times a week ( so jay watch out I still have an outside chance of making good on our bet).

I seem to developing a strange liking for mashed potato and beef in most forms. (Hope my mom never reads this, she ask me to go to the Ganges to take a bath before enter the house again.)

It has got to the point where even " Taco Hell " seems alright , even though in actual truth it is not !!! I have just let my standards slip so much ...

Beer seems to be the form of only alcohol that I can take, Rum and Vodka are things of the past (so guys no more crazy shot nights like the last time we in eXcess or at Jatti's place for me)

I just love watching Desperate Housewives, there I said it. I just cannot understand why people cannot digest the fact that I love watching that series!!!!!

Don't get me wrong my love and longing for India or to be back in India has not diminished by even an inch but somehow I find myself enjoying the very things I could not even stand initially. At point this point of time I find myself looking for a job here in the US and even dabbling with idea of delaying my graduation so as to get a job. Sometimes I feel like a major hypocrite of an insane measure. I find myself becoming the one thing I vowed to not become "a stereotypical gult".

No disrespect to those of you who are. I just do not want turn in to one of these people who visits India once in a blue moon forgets about life there and loses sync with life in India, forgets about his friends and does a pathetic job of staying in touch with his friends (extremely guilty of the later, especially with regards to my friends from VIT, I might be out of sight and not very active with regards to the phone …but I will never forget you all) Basically I don't want be stop being the one thing I want to be most "Indian "and then a " Hyderabadi".

Guys please do not hesitate to slap me back in to my senses , if I ever lose sight of that.

So this goes out to all my friends in India,

Special mention: lieutenant Tarun Chauhan, Kevin John ,Billu,Harry, Anoo, Amlaan and Bunny.

Does It Really Matter???

2010-02-04T17:10:00.001-08:00

In the past few months there has been a lot of hue and cry about the personal indiscretions of many a famous sportsperson. John Terry and Tiger Woods are the most recent to suffer this fate. The media as usual is a sucker for sensationalism and has turned these personal issues in to a stupid circus. Channels running shows in which some stupid sports psychologist living his 10 minutes of fame tries to explain why player did what he did and the impact of it on his mind, game etc if his wife should divorce him or not ?? I mean seriously… get a life. Then this guy is most often accompanied by a "has been " or " never was" player who tries to estimate the impact of the incident on the legacy of the player.

We all know who Muhammad Ali is right?, I can guarantee that most of you have never watched a boxing match or have any interest in watching one in the future. Here are some tidbits about his personal life the man changed his religion publicly, refused to go Vietnam as part of the draft, went to jail for it, has been married 4 times and has 2 children from extramarital relationships. Despite all this turmoil in personal life, He is considered one the best Heavyweight Boxing Champions ever and man was voted "The Greatest Sportsman of the Century" by BBC . If Ali's life played out today, the media would label him as unpatriotic and a man of low moral character who will never be anything more than a footnote in the history of sports. And as usual they would have been wrong because Ali's greatness was because of his ability to overcome these obstacles in his personal life, you stupid morons.

Look at Agassi , the man recently confessed to using crystal meth during his playing days. He was vilified by most of the media for using and most of them portrayed it as if, he used Performance Enhancing Drugs. But fact being Agassi had stated in autobiography that he used it during one of the lowest points of his career 1997, while suffering poor form(Ranking outside 100) and to quell worries about his upcoming marriage to actress Brooke Shields. And promptly the stooges who run the media jumped on the band wagon to vilify him and said that he tarnished his legacy. Well In my eyes if anything, my respect for him has grown for the fact he overcame his addiction, came back to sports to win the French Open in 1998 and the U.S. Open in 1999. If anything he is a role model for all of us, he exemplifies the fact that we all fall make big mistakes but you are never really down and out unless you choose to give up.

Now look at kobe Bryant, In 2003 was accused of sexual assault and later agreed to having a sexual encounter with accuse but said it was consensual. Everyone said it was the beginning of the end for him. Now fast forward to the present, he became the highest scoring Laker in history and four million dollar ring sure did help to save his marriage. And will go down in basketball history as one of its greatest players.

A personality from Indian cricket, Vinod Kambli made a bigger splash than Tendulkar when he arrived on the international stage, many say he probably was more gifted than Sachin and that theory is definitely backed up by his early career stats but rest as they say his history. Despite his fall from grace, many an ardent Indian cricket fan will tell that he was one of the very best batsmen that India had ever produced, the fact that someone is even mentioned in the same breath as one best players of an era is testament enough to their sporting talent.
So now in this case of Tiger Woods I really don't think he has anything to worry about with regards to legacy even if he decides to call it quits. The man monopolized golf during his time and one can take away his 14 championships because he happened to be a serial adulterer. Same with John Terry, affair or not he is one of the best defenders in world football if not the best and as sports fan I will tell you this, I would watch these guys play any day of the week and twice on weekends (confession I really don't like watching golf and probably would not but… it just sounds good). 20 years from now, if anyone asks me who these men were? I would say he was the one man monopolized golf to extent Google has monopolized the internet and the other was a hard as nails defender who made one half of the blue wall at Stamford Bridge.

Basically the legacy of a sportsman is rarely tarnished or reduced by his indiscretions off the field, if anything it his success after it only adds to his legacy.

IS JUSTICE REALLY BLIND??

2010-01-13T17:32:00.001-08:00

In the spate of recent events that have unfolded in India, maybe it is time that one seriously looks in to making some serious amendments to the judicial system in India. An IPS officer can get away with being a sex offender, a convicted murder can become a chief minister, the trial of terrorist can go on for more than a year, the chief justice of India considers himself above the law and if you have money & know people in high places the law is what you want it to be. Currently the citizen of India is not protected by the constitution or judiciary in any way or form.

Of late the phrase the "common man" has been used by the media and politicians so loosely, that I have been unable to figure out which demographic that it actually refers to? I mean Shasi Throor's tweet about the "Cattle class" offended the common man but at the same time a 5-10 rupees rise in price of some commodity also hurt the common man. Come on are you serious… the guy can get on a plane but cannot pay a few rupees extra for vegetables? In a country where 42% of the population lives below the poverty line, 2% pays taxes I sincerely doubt the common man is the one drives to work in car or rides on plane. For the mango people ( have been dying to use that phrase) of the country justice and the idea of every one being equal in the eyes of the law must be as far fetched as India winning the soccer world cup ( possible but not in my life time).

The molestation case was shocking to say the least for many reasons, first it took 19 years for the court to give a judgment then, the punishment for molestation of minor was a fine of 1000 rupees and 6 months in jail!! Are you kidding me???? The girl goes commits suicide and that is what he gets??? The guy would have been sentenced to death in most parts of the world. The punishment has to equivalent of the crime and in what world is 1000 rupees a fine; I mean the fine for lack of attendance in VIT is more than that. To make matters worse he was a public servant who could even influence the CBI. But I still cannot understand how his wife did not divorce him ?? and worse be his defense lawyer ?? I do not know who is more disturbed ?? the wife or the husband??

Then we have Shibu Soren, the man was convicted of murder and has several other criminal cases against him but somehow has managed to become the chief minister of a Jharkand. The man should even be allowed to stand in an election for a building association president let alone chief minister. Is not common sense to not allow criminals to stand for election? At least not convicted criminals!! All you know next a Dacoit/Naxal will stand for election … oh wait... sorry that happened too .. maybe next is a Terrorist. Then there is the saga of Ajmal Kasab, whose trial is still in progress. His trial has been going on and on and on like some stupid Duracell battery advertisement. I mean seriously does it really take so long to get a conviction ? is not one of the slam dunk cases ??? if the length of his trail is any indication of the amount of time to convict a man of a crime. It is no wonder then that most crimes against women are not even reported. Women can get groped in the middle of Mumbai on TV and you still get away with it.

Another example of how everyone is not equal before is the case of Irom Chanu Sharmila. The lady has been protesting the use of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the state of Manipur, this act is considered a "dated and colonial-era law that breach contemporary international human rights standards" by the United Nations. Irom Chanu has been on a hunger strike since 3rd November 2000. On 6 November 2000, three days after she launched the strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with "attempt to commit suicide", which is unlawful and was later transferred to judicial custody. Then the police then forcibly used nasogastric intubation in order to keep her alive while under arrest. Since then Irom Sharmila has been under a ritual of release and arrest every year because under IPC section 309, a person who "attempt to commit suicide" is punishable "with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year ( Source:Wikipedia). Compare this to what unfolded in Hyderabad with respect to the actions of Mr. K Chandrashekar Rao. Does it even seem fair? Basically if you are "loaded" and "well connected", the law of the land is what you make it to be.

The sad state of affairs is best exemplified by that fact the supreme court in India was fighting a case in the Delhi high court that the right information act (RTI) should not apply to the office if the chief justice of India ( implies the community of judges ). The verdict of the Delhi high court was in favour of people of India. But the office of the chief Justice of India has challenged the judgment and thus the case will now move to the Supreme Court. To sum it all up, the Supreme Court of India will now decide if the chief justice of India (head of the Supreme Court) falls under purview of right to information act.

TElANGANA: Do the Ends Justify the Means !!!!!

2009-12-08T10:55:00.001-08:00

Nearly 58 years ago, a man went on a fast to death in Madras with objective of obtaining a state along linguistic lines. The man in question was Potti Sreeramulu and he fasted in order to obtain a separate state for Telugu speaking people to be carved out of the state of Madras. Well, he fasted for 58 days and died after which the normal routine of mob violence extensive damage to public property followed. Thus 3 days after his death then prime minister, Pandit Nehru officially created the state Andhra Pradesh. Thus the unfortunate precedent of holding the country to ransom was set, also the precedent of division along the lines of language had begun with government endorsement (as if we have a lack of issues to divide us !!!)creating present day monsters such as the MNS and Shiv Sena .

Following this event the states of Kerela, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat were created. Now let's fast forward to present day we have a named K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) who apparently is on a fast to death for the creation if the separate state of Telangana . Even before his death we have Bandh's mob violence and destruction of public property and state has been any position to prevent it. So basically if you want the government to give something that you have no right to "Demand" then you can just vandalize public property, stop trains, and traffic and so on and you just might get it. Thank god the BJP and VHP have not figured this out yet then this country is definitely doomed. Here is a question that I have: If a person is on fast to death, is he not trying to commit suicide? And isn't suicide a criminal offense in our country? Next if by actions of person incite mob violence and causes public disturbance can he not be held accountable and punishable by law? Today it is Telangana , tomorrow it will be Vidarbha and aftert that some one else . Everytime we have problems of disparity the solution is most definitely not statehood for every region. The only thing that would achieve is moving India to day of small princely states where the Kings are repalced by politicians.

I concede that the region of Telangana has been a victim of economic neglect and double standards over the past 50 years but my question is do these people think that making another state is going to solve their problem ? And is the holding the country to ransom is the way to do it? And the news channels keep saying that it is a student based movement , I wonder how many of these apparent " students " actually go to Osmania University? There is proof enough that most of these apparent students are overaged men with political ambitions who are not even enrolled at the university.

In 1950's the demand was for a new state with Madras as its capital, the state was created was created but with Kurnool as the capital. So may be Hyderabad may be made Union Territory. So If I am that would imply cheaper alcohol in Hyderabad …. Whoop !!!!

Also I am thinking on starting a political party with objective of obtaining union territory status for Hyderabad, how is this for a party name " Bhagyanagar navnirman samiti "

WHAT A WASTE OF TIME & MONEY

2009-11-29T00:24:00.000-08:00

17 years and 8 crores later, we got a 1000 page document that can be best described as “Expensive Paper Weight “. The findings of the Liberhan commission In my opinion was anything but earth shattering to say the least. In my personal opinion it did not reveal any new information regarding people culpable for the unfortunate events of December 6^th 1992.

If you were to ask educated man in India with decent sense of history & politics as why, how and who were responsible for the unfortunate events December 6^th, I am sure his answer would very close to the “findings” (If one can use that word) of the Liberhan commission. So what did the commsion accomplish? Even after 17 years of investigation the report is unable to produce any facts that can hold their weight in court. So sad is the state of affairs that the 13 page action taken report tabled by the government does not involve athe charge sheeting of any of the accused. (Link for ATR: http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/nov/24/action-taken-report-of-liberhan-commission.htm).

Makes you wonder what the objective of the Liberhan commission was? Is he not accountable in any manner for the time delay and squandering of tax payer money?

The sorry state of affairs does not end here; the report throws minimal light and blame on then Prime Minister P.V Narasimha Rao . As one reputed journalist once remarked” the man turned the act of inaction in to a form of Decision making”. Then home minister Shankar Rao chavan has also been overlooked by the report.

Then there is Mr. L.K Advani who till today claims that the demolition of the Babri Masjid was the saddest day in his life, I say what a hypocrite!! Mr. Advani went on rath yatras across the breadth of India to mobilse karsevaks for the every purpose of bringing the mosque down but says he never wanted it to come down. You gather a mob, work them up in to frenzy point them in the direction of the apparent enemy and then walk 200 yards away and stand and watch the surgical demolition of a structure. Then claim that you were unable to control them as they were too many of them overcome religious fervor. The man exemplifies lack of moral responsibility, moral character and honesty.

Then we have people like Uma Bharati and Kalyan Singh people who to this day come on national television and say I have no regrets regarding the demolition of the Babri Masjid and I am proud of it. At least they are not hypocrites you they will not lie to your face.

Every sane person in India knows that there is no way you bring a massive structure like a Masjid within 12 hours if you do not plan. All you need to do is go to youtube put in the word Barbri Masjid and you will get a whole set of videos showing the inflammatory speeches given by all the political heavy weights in days leading up to the demolition. One can even seeMr. Vajpayee doing the same. I cannot understand, what is the hue and cry regading Mr. Vajpayee name being mentioned is all about ? Are you telling me that he had prior knowledge of what was going to happen, come on man!! everybody in India knew what was going to happen next, so how do you expect me to believe that even the most moderate voice of the BJP inner circle was not in on it. Yes he was not present in Ayodhya so what does that prove?

The truth is that these people and other politicians who used religion for politics are responsible for the loss of life that followed and since then every political party has used this unfortunate event in the history of India for its own mileage in some form or the other. No one is really interested in bringing the culprits to justice. It is all a bloody sham.

If you want a copy of Liberhan commission report please leave comment with your email and I will email it to you.

" THE TWEET THAT SHOOK INDIA"

2009-09-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

"Absolutely in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows" was what our minister of state for external affairs had said in reply to a question asking if he would fly "cattle class" from now on twitter. The poor guy has been taken to cleaners for it!!! It is like India overnight lost its sense of humour. My god people how can we brown people who are supposed to be really smart not get that simple joke!!!! Cmon we have more english speaking people here than in Britain so it's not like we misunderstood it!!!

I mean the " President of the free world " as Americans like to put it ...called Kanye West a "jackass" but has not got half the bashing that the former UN under secretary general Tharoor.

But " speaking your mind " appears to be the flavour of the season. Let us see..... Roger Federer the apparent " Iceman" showed us his best impression of what I like to call " the McEnroe Syndrome" . But the winner of best impression of the " McEnroe Syndrome " was undoubtedly Serena Williams with her rendition of the " McEnroe Syndrome " with a modern day sprinkling of "I will KILL you". I think Jeff Dunham and Achmed might considering a copyright infringement law suit against Serena.

I mean the winner though has to be Kanye West for his interuption of Taylor Swift's victory speech at Video Music Awards. I mean seriously was some distrubed way of trying to say Beyonce I have a crush on you. I mean he really could not do anything right beacuse next he went on a talk show with Jay Leno and broke down .... are you kidding me !!! The show you are suppose to go cry on is Oprah !! Even I know that!!! I mean seriously talk about crash and burn.

Now coming back to politicians, Senator Joe wilson got in to a lot of trouble for screaming "Liar" during the President speech on health care. Poor guy man all he said was one word ... Think of how we do our assemblies, the prime minister keeps talking people are a lot more than the word "Liar", they are walking out, abusing , throwing mikes and personal favourite emptying tons of money in the middle of the parliment.

Back to Tharoor and his tweet, come on guys we all know he meant no disrespect to any one and the second part where he called the rest of the top brass of the government " Holy Cows " I kind of do agree.... beacuse come what may culling "holy cows ( politicians)" is a virtual impossibility in India. I actually for once ..want to meet the " mango person (thank u saif) " whose feelings have been hurt becuase such statements. I mean recently I was told that " Quick Gun Murugan" did not release in Hyderabad becuase the villian was named " Rice Plate Reddy" and that too offended the people.

Are we really that sensitive ?? Slumdog offended us, Sach ka Samna offended us, Song from movie " Aaja Nachle " ( dont remember the exact line) offends us and oh wait !!! the best SHAH RUKH KHAN getting frisked at US aiport offends us. But now lets us look at what does not offend us .. foriegn nationals and Indian women getting molested/ beaten in public, A professor getting beaten to death in public and more than 10 winteness turning hostile, fact that we elect politicians with criminal records to power.... and so on you get the picture ... oh wait we have politicians who uses 2000 crores of taxpayer money for building parks and statues of her herself ... I think that kind of money would give Stalin and Hitler a run for their money as far as self glorification goes!!

LIFE AT END OF THE BENCH

2009-08-17T13:07:00.001-07:00

We all know and have heard about what it is to be the star of a sports team and heard these stars speak about how they led their team to victory and blah blah. I am sure you all would have seen that one guy who runs on to the field when the team wins but he is still in his warmers (track pants). And first your reaction is who is that guy ? does he ever play... why is he on the team?? I have never seen him play.

Well that guy is the one nobody outside knows, he is the one who gets the drinks for the " main" players. He pretty much is the water boy or towel boy of the team. All this may sound a little demeaning but I don’t think it is. Because like it or not counseling some of the big shots when they are not playing at their best... trying to give a pep talk by lifting lines from famous movies... and so on ..you get the picture... Basically doing things that are not associated with you dribbling the ball.

To be very honest ...I for long time was that guy on my college team. I mean my first 2 years on the mean I was a " 30 player ". That implies i would only play if we were up 30 or down by 30 . Basically you are the one who runs around like a headless chicken after the opponents have mopped the floor with your senior team and trust me it is not fun. Especially when you can hear people in the crowd go “whoa .... Where did they find this joker from ". The toughest part was to see juniors who got in to the team after me work themselves in to the rotation of playing team.

But I guess me turning in to the guy, who sits at the end of bench was a product my attitude of "playing safe". I mean was scared to shoot beacuse I was too worried that I would miss and preferred to pass. So at the end of the day you do not look bad but flip side being you would not look great either. The then coach of the team who for some insane reason called me " mogaan" for year then called me "mogith" for the next 2 years. he believed that if I really tried hard , I could be decent shooter ... I just generally concluded that he lost his marbles ...if he thought I can turn a guy the shoot the ball from distance with consistency.

I didn’t believe it then but now days that seems to be only thing I can do ... ironic!! Not that I am great at it but most definitely million times better than I was back in college. I think it is phenomenon know as "evolution", as I really cannot do anything else when the guy in front me can just jump over me with no effort at all ... I mean over me. Trust me ... being hopped over like a puddle of water on the road is not a very desirable experience. It is like wetting your pants in front of the whole class. So to be respectable you just shoot before the come near you (survival instincts).

In college I certainly did wish I could have been the guy with " star power" but honestly I think I would have not been able to enjoy being on the team and playing as much as I did if that were the case. In my opinion being the guy at the end of the bench worked out perfectly.... I was close to nearly all my closest friends, was able to share all the high & lows of basketball and life from winning, loosing and all the other crazy stuff. I met my girlfriend in a way thanks to basketball and being on the bench( more of the latter as I was kinda was unofficial coach of the girls team along with another friend) ... and learnt a hell a lot about basketball and life and met the really amazing people along the way... not bad for being last in a line... eh!!

FAKE IPL PLAYER : A MUST READ FOR A CRICKET FAN ( IF YOU HAVE A FUNNY BONE!! )

2009-05-12T02:11:00.000-07:00

During the past few weeks ... finding time to update the blog has definitely been at premium. It is the general cycle of end of semester madness… projects, assignments, deadlines..... Final papers... blah blah.... But it has always amazed me how at around the same time as exams the number of movies... Tv Series.... etc one watches on their pc's dramatically increases. All in all the time spent on unproductive activities more than doubles... For example during my undergrad I watched about 80 odd Naruto episodes with English subtitles over a period of 2 days right before my toughest paper and only stopped because I ran out supply of episodes.

So now at grad level I have found new hobby at least for now.... rather should I say for this semester. As most you being the knowledgeable netizens you are, would have heard of this blog called "fakeiplplayer". This anonymous blogger ... an apparent insider.. writes about the off screen happenings of the IPL ( Indian Premier League) dishing all the dressing room dirt about IPL teams with a special focus on the Kolkata Knightriders and a little bit about the team from Punjab.

The beauty of his writing has to be his complete utilization of his right to free speech. But also at the same time he does not address any of players but comes up with comical equivalents for their names. Though I must admit at first read I really found it tough figure who was who... but as you read more it becomes pretty obvious. So I have spent the last week decoding, which name corresponds to which player and have made a list.

So here are my personal favourites:

Dil-do: Shah Rukh Khan

Lordie: Saurav ' dada' Ganguly

Kaan Moolo: Agarkar because of his extremely large ears...

Little John: Ishant Sharma

Bhookha Naan : Buchanan

Candy Nickle : Andy Bichel

Gilli Danda : Ashok Dinda

Babaan: Arindham Bose

Budhimaan Baba: Wridhiman Saha

Chikna Pu**y : David Hussey ( may be to harsh dont you think?)

Boy George : Joy Bhattacharya

Sticky Something: Ricky Ponting

Appam Chu***a: Shreeshanth ( my favourite)

Havaii Chappal: Greg Chappel

Meerabhai: Bhajji

Mr.Batlivala: Mr. Mallya

Big Mac: Matty Hayden (totally agree)

Lady Jaya: Mahila Jaywardene

Cool dude: Dhoni (sounds about right)

Arnold Power: Romesh Powar (funny!!)

Pedophile Priest: Gilchrist.... (Extreme... way too extreme... )

Panty Pu**y: Robin Utthapa

Chinnu Popli: Virat Kholi

BUBlee: Brett lee

Vakil Saab : Sangakarra ( due to his excessive appealing)

Durbaan of Patiala: Tom Moody

Castro : Fidel Edwards

Springbok: Morne Wan Wyk

Ghati Baba: Rohit Sharma

Prince of Patiala: Yuvvi

Kammez Pajama: Rameez Raja

Many more.... but these are the ones that appeal to me... and here are a few excerpts....

Prince hit him exactly where it hurts by saying, "Attitude toh poora masala dosa ka deta hai, aur bowling Appam jaisa karta hai"

"Chirkut Teli hits on a 100 girls every night, at least 99 of whom reject him outright. Not too quality conscious, he'd take those odds any day. Although, given his batting average, I find his faith in this law of averages a little ironical."

"Imagine a group comprising Gilli Danda, Buddhiman Baba and Bubaan hitting on hot white chicks. My respect for South African girls has actually gone up a bit. "

If dropping catches wasn't embarassing enough, our young boy Bubaan not only dropped a catch, he also showed half the stadium behind us his white cotton 'andar ki baat' while doing so

"Last year, with just one tight slap he suddenly evolved from being an Ape to a Neanderthal. And the run-in with Re-Peter seems to have magically brought him to the Cave Man stage. If someone were to meet him for the first time today, he could almost mistake Appam to be a normal human being."

It was Castro's last night here and he sure was making it count. Being the class act that he is, even off the field he seemed to be aiming at the block-hole.

And many more ... Basically if you want to give your mind a break from some hectic work this is a good read. On the question if this is right?? I have to say it is not... because I believe what happens in the dressing room should stay in the dressing room. But the fact is dirt sells!!

P. S apparently the blog is pretty well followed even by the players as apparently the other day Hayden referred to the mallu dancing boy by his blog name ... which sent him in to a tirade...

THE GREAT INDIAN DEMOCRACY..... CHOICE OR LACK OF IT

2009-03-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

In a few months time India, the largest democracy in the world will go polls for the 15th time. The as usual the million dollar question arises who will come to power after all the dust has settled?? Gone are days of single party governments and of 3/4th majority in the center, now the in things are seat sharing formula's, power sharing formula's, pre-alliances and so on. I have been going through many a news website trying to figure out, whom should I vote for ??

To my astonishment I have hardly come across any information that sheds light on the policies or the election manifesto of any one party or why or how is it different from another. I find it strange that parties seem to be more concerned about coming up some formula to share seats than telling the people why they should vote for them over someone else based on their policies. I really feel the political parties in India no ideological credibility of any sort. If a party says it is one for secularism, how in the world can you be in an alliance with the BJP( Bhartiya Janta Party). I am not going to waste blog space trying to explain why the BJP is not a secular party, honestly if you cannot infer that from the past 30 years I am sorry but the world has to be told the " Dodo" has not gone extinct ( may be you are even dumber than that). Now after the Varun Gandhi's episode it is pretty clear that nothing has changed.

For example look at the state of Tamil Nadu and you will notice how political ideology is dead. The leader of the AIADMK, Jayalalitha imprisoned Vaiko under the act of POTA during her reign as Chief Minister. Now the both of them have become partners so as to oust the DMK from power. (I do not even want to get in to how a man, who is known to have links with an organization responsible for the assassination of our prime minister, can fight an election?) How can Sanjay Dutt , a man in the Mumbai serial blast case and Tada be allowed to stand in an election?? what kind of message are we sending out, if a convicted fellon gets to represent the people of the country... Is there no one else... or is everything forgotten just becuase he did Munnabhai!!!

Since I could not find any information about any political outfit’s policies or their plan of action if voted in to power I decided to make my choice based on will be the face of the government if they were to be voted in to power.

Dr Manmohan Singh: A man of few words, an economist turned politician. Many say the most honest man in politics but the very same man who was the head of one the most corrupt cabinets in recent history. One of his ministers Shibu soren is actually in jail for murder. Shivraj Patil I think will go down in history as the worst home minister ever.... I mean man did absolutely nothing. Just as side note he was born in 1932.... May be its time he hang up his boots considering the government retirement age is 62 ... but ironically in terms Indian politics he is termed has fighting young !!

L K Advani: Mr BJP I am sorry but the day he comes to power India might as well bring down the tri color and hoist the saffron flag. Going by what the BJP has achieved in Karnataka, a Hitler’s SS type persecution of the so called evil "mall & pub culture" god alone what comes next if he takes control at the center. And he still will not stop with Ram mandir Issue somebody needs to inform him that rest of the country wants wipe out any and all memory of our of shame. He is 81 years old!!! Most of our cities hardly have buildings that are that old....

Then we have the the so called 3rd option behankumari Mayawati.... her justification for why she should be the prime minister is... because she is a dalit. This coming from a lady who fielded 131 canidates with criminal records in U.P's state elections. Out if which 63 won and most these people have multiple criminal cases against them ... some include even murder!!! May be ethics is not her forte.... I pretty sure that if she were to become PM all her projects would be named Shri Kanshi Ram ... something . P.S she is endorsed by the left the so ideological stalwarts of Indian politics.

This last candidate is a long shot for the post PM but even then Mr Sharad Pawar the present BCCI chief and union cabinet minister...( How there is no conflict of interest there ...I Have no Idea) thinks its time that there is a marathi PM .... He criticizes ... Mr Raj Thackeray on one hand but uses the same concept of “Marathi Manoos “for his political ambitions. Hmm I have an idea why stop at this lets make Sreesanth the captain of the Indian cricket team considering that we not had a captain from Kerela!!

So basically as an average Indian voter our choices have come down to the following

Dial 1 for Corruption

Dial 2 for Religion (communal politics)

Dial 3 for Caste ( caste based politics)

Dial 4 for Regionalism (language based politics seems to catching on)

So ... I guess most us feel the system is screwed ... needs to change something has to be done.... Blah Blah... I have question how is it going to change if you and I do nothing about it!!! So please let us make an effort to do something.... you can start by going and voting.

Pick the lesser of the 4 evils or if you are in Andhra Pradesh check out this party called Lok Satta may be it might appeal to you basically there a lot more alternatives to what we have ...we just choose to ignore them.

Here is one more lok-paritran

And Bharat Punarnirman Dal

Or.... the Professionals Party of India

TATA NANO HAS ARRIVED !!!

2009-03-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

It is about 5:30 in the morning in the U.S and I am watching a press conference being held in Mumbai by TATA Motors to announce a commercial release of the TATA NANO. I cannot but help be filled with a sense of immense pride today. I fully acknowledge the critics and their views about this automotive innovation but I strongly feel today is a red letter day for the Indian nation as whole.

It is often referred to as the “cheapest” car but I seem to think the word "cheapest"seems to take away the monumental technological achievement of this endeavour. Even 5 years ago if someone told you that a car would be available to for 1 lakh you would laugh and come to think of it most in the western world still think it is a joke. It might look just like a tin can with wheels but even that is not so easy to put together as one may think.

Today when the automotive industry is in a slump like never before, the last place one would have expected a technological development in automotive sector to come from ...... was India.

This seems to be a very incoherent post in many ways but it is something I feel very strongly about. If anyone in the world needed more proof that best and brightest people come from India well .... here is another example of it. You said it was impossible well .... India made it possible.

Basically I think it time to kiss the slumdog issue goodbye ..... we have some thing new !!! the NANO ...

Thank you Ratan TATA... for TATA NANO

ITS DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS

2009-02-27T05:51:00.000-08:00

Before you read this post I would like mention that I am not an anti-feminist, bigot, woman hater and so on. The other day one of my female friends here at college station was inquiring if she were to work in the dining center I was previously working at ( P.S Now I am computer technician ... all of you stop laughing!!!) would she have to do the same work as me ?? or would they take in to account the fact that is a girl and go easy on her...

And Immediately my mind went back to the time I was class 7 or grade 7, it was Geography class and we were expected to turn in our weekly home work before the start of the class. As usual suspects go I was on the top of the list of the guys who would not complete their home work and generally it was only the boys who did not adhere to the deadline. But that day was different ... the teacher walked in to the class and promptly asked all the students who have not completed the assignment to stand up and guess what ??? the unthinkable had happened a few of the girls also had not finished their assignment. Hmm now this unchartered terrritory... the boys were already getting ready to go out of the class kneel down in the corridor and complete their assignment which was normal protocol and every one assumed the girls would have to do the same but then the teacher said " alright you girls can submit your work tomorrow but you gettt out of my class ". Explanation as in words of the teacher " they are girls they are different". As any normal teenager ( rebel with absolutely no cause and bad hair cuts " mushroom cut was the in thing at that time") my friends and I went on bitching spree as to how easy girls have it in life. We still do it even now for fun but not with any feeling of animosity its now a "guy thing".

But actually when I think about it has always been diffrerent for girls. Think if you are running late for school and there is no way you are getting to there on time and you say " hey dad I am kinda late can you please drop me" and then 9 times out ten if you are guy this is wat u will get as a reply " who asked you to get up so late ... I am not going to drop you ... learn to get up early". Pretty sure that it is not the same with girl. Then there is dad I want to go for a movie ... dad " ok here is 50 rs have fun " ... hey that will be enough for the auto alone... dad " so go by bus " .... you get the picture.

And then there the whole academics part .... I have noticed that more often than not you find that the topper of any class that you are a part of is a girl .... strange eh... I do not mean that they achieve it by cheating or something just feel they have a lot less distrations to deal with when school or college. ( P.S This post is mainly focussed through the " teenage years" )

Ask my friend Jayan about how and why are guys n girls different ??? he was asked same question during our farewell in school ... he worked himself in to such a mess trying to answer this one . ( advice: dont ever go down that line... it never ends well)

Now when it comes to realtionships I dont get this whole "different" funda. A guy who has had many realtionships, flirts with numerous females and so on is reffereed to as " stud " by peers I mean he is literally " the MAN!! " but apply the same attributes to girl and somehow she is the one who is frowned upon .... she is the one about whom one whispers to his friend.... " wohi hai re" ... really does not make sense to me.

In a realtionship the guy is the one who is suppose to ask the girl out why? equal relationship n all but the initiative has to be from the guy why?

I guess some questions are better left unanswered.

Then there is part as girls grow older the rules get more and more stringent. Home before nightfall .... and so on....

All in all.... I think things are just different for girls questions such why and how are unimportant ... they just are ... I never thought I would say this but my geography teacher was right.

Girls are different!!!!!!!!

ONE FOR THE LITTLE GUY: THE FINAL INCH & SMILE PINKI

2009-02-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

The other day I was just surfing the net found something that left me dumbfounded completely. A nominee for the Oscar in the short documentary category is a movie titled: “The Final Inch". If you are wondering why this left me stunned then read on. It is a documentary on the real life story of a 26 year old Indian M Gulzar Saifi and work done by polio eradication workers in our country. Gulzar Saifi had fallen victim to polio when he was 6 months old but despite the inherent difficulties of being a physically challenged person in India he has gone on to earn a post graduate in economics and now runs a teaching center. Now that is a story that definitely deserves an Oscar. This documentary is directed American director Irene Taylor Brodsky.

Then there is another Oscar nominee in the short documentary category with an Indian bias
“Smile Pinki". The protagonist of the story is a 6 year old named Pinki who cannot go to school because of her cleft lips. It shows her battle with social stigma until she gets help from a social worker who gets her free surgery. This movie is directed by Megan Mylan.

Now I wonder how in the world do a stories like this not come to the fore in the mainstream media?? Nobody talks about these movies why?? I am sure of one thing, as an Indian I would rather one of these 2 movies win and they be used to symbolize our nation. I mean no disrespect to slumdog but I feel these movies best represent my country. In our nation there are many things that are bad, atrocious and disgusting but despite all this we get up every day (we may not admit it) with the hope and belief that things will get better today. The Idea of hope is eternal in India and is probably India's greatest weapon.

So honestly hope that one these movies win and they finally get recognition they deserve. The little guy must get his day in the sun too... slumdog or no slumdog.

P.s

for my opinion on slumdog click here

one of the places where the movies were mentioned was the GOOGLE BLOG !!! yaaaay

DEVIL TOWN: VIT University VELLORE

2009-02-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

One of the things nobody warned me about being a grad student in the US of A was about how I would become best friends with my laptop. Hold on !! I have not lost it, I have not turned in to a nut job or something.... relax!! I am perfectly okay!! But the truth is that my life would come to a standstill without my laptop. And another thing that people do not warn you about is how often you reminisce about the past, more often than not most of your sentences start with " when I was ..... " basically it sucks even more when that voice in your head says " there... you are doing it again" but I can’t help it .

Coming back to my laptop I have watched.... way too many documentaries and TV series since I got here ... that I think it’s time they coined a new phrase for someone who cannot stop himself from doing so. But the point is I watched this TV series called Friday Night Lights on the recommendation of one of my friends, Mayank. I think it is one of the most awesome TV series I have ever watched, if you are lover of sports this is a must watch, it’s not only about sports but being a teenager. I could relate to it a lot but then again as most of friends will tell you I just like relating to sports!!! There is the song at end of season 1 called "devil town" which in context of the series makes sense to a very great degree but the song made me think about my time at VIT. I felt it seemed apt to sum up my time there.

I just felt that the one thing I take from my college years is that.... I learnt nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes... some of them real huge mistakes that need to go in the stupidity hall of fame but at the end of the day I doubt that I would trade in the time we had at college for anything. I miss my friends from my time there. A few of them... I am in touch with even now but with most of them I have done a miserable job of staying in touch... which I regret. So this post is dedicated to all those people out there... Miss ya Guys !!! Will not forget the good times or the bad take care.

P.S 486, 118, 319, 224, 315, main court and the field… miss them the most

BIG MONEY LEADS TO BIG BLUNDERS

2009-02-02T11:54:00.001-08:00

Now that all the dust has settled and the transfer window has closed, we can take a moment to look at all the movers and shakers this off season. This off season there seems to have been a case of " Might have been". With the real big moves not coming off but as usual there were those that would raise eyebrows. ( This was written in October)

Lets look at juicy tranfer news first the moves that did not happen.

Real madrid as usual completed their pre-season ritual of creating a ruckus by " apparently " lauching an audcious bid for Christiano Ronaldo. They do this every season, there Figo, Ronaldo, Beckham, Zizou and so on but thankfully it did not happen.

Then there was Robinho's move to Chelsea which was an apparent done deal to the extent they had printed Robinho jersey's for sale at the bridge.

Another expected move which did not materialse in any manner was that of the " Russian General " Andrei Arshavin, there was no club that could afford him, which mostly should change come the winter transfer window.

Then there was the much hyped mass exodus from Chelsea to Inter Milan for the Mourinho reunion. I am glad frankie Lampard decided against the move for what ever be the reason.

Last was Gareth Barry's move from Aston Villa to Liverpool which failed to materialise. Oh.. there was also Man City's bid for Ronnie ( are you out of your mind ).

Now lets look at the questionable acquisitions this off season:

I know a lot of people might disagree with me on this one but its my blog so.. The 20.3 million Pound transfer of Robbie Keane to Liverpool from Tottenham. I mean Its not like they have a lack to strike power at Liverpool. Well i guess Rafa likes a star studded bench. In my opinion they need some wingers not stikers to diversify their attack.

Robinho's move to Man City, to look at this move beyond the aspect of monetary benefit is very hard for me. I mean Robinho in my opnion was not heart of real success in past few seasons I think that credit goes to the like of Guti and Sneijder. The club over payed for a temperamental player with a questionable attitude.

Ricardo Quaresma for 44 million USD to Inter Milan. I would not like question Jose Mourinho but is the price tag not a little too excessive for some one who has failed at big stage many a time.

For Example at Barcelona and Porto

I had written this post on the 5th of October never posted but Wow!!! was I right about my top 3 blunders:

Keane is now going back to spurs for 12 million pounds. He hardly played at Liverpool, the much much hyped Keane-Torres partnership never even came to be. I told you you are paying too much !!!!

Ricardo Quaresma is now going to Chelsea on loan move. I have no idea what the logic behind that is??? I mean Jose " the mouth " mourinho could not get him to perform and now Big Phil Scolari wants to bring him to Stamford bridge, which fast turning in to the " theatre of Big signing flops ". I mean shevchenko, Ballack, Wayne Bridge, Malouda, Branislav Ivanovic I would go to the extent of saying Deco has been far from impressive after the initial few weeks.

Robinho... I have no idea what to say about his team or him. Sudden exit from camp, sexual assault charges and team that will mostly end the season with mid table mediocrity. Only goes to show money spent is guarentee for success

And the future of Andrei Arshavin still is as unclear as when I first started this post back in October only difference being it now the Gunners who are pursuing him and not Spurs.

P.S Real madrid have signed 3 players Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Lassana Diarra and the last one is relatively unknown player Julien Faubert from West Ham who himself agrees that intially thought Madrid's interest in him was some sort of a practical joke being played on him. Its funny how some these signings turn out and for once may be madrid have got it right. I mean its eventual you will get one atleast right, even if you are Real Madrid

PIMPING POVERTY: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, SO WHAT IF IT DOES???

2009-01-26T13:41:00.000-08:00

The movie "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” directed by Danny Boyle based on a book called Q and A by Vikas Swarup has been in the news a lot lately. At first it was for all the right reasons, winning golden globes after it was considered a dark horse for most of the awards. It is now one of the frontrunners for Oscars. A R Rehman did pick up a golden globe for the music but I must say I can think of at least 10 Rehman songs that were better than the song which won. Better late than never I guess. But just as one thought ah ... finally we are home.. .safe and sound all hell seems to have broken loose.

It started with the grand ol daddy of Indian cinema “the Big B" sharing with us his thoughts about the movie. For some reason the movie seem to hurt his sentiments and even that of Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt. Mr. Bachan I don’t think you can real afford to criticize the story Mr.Bachan for god sake you acted in "Ram Gopal Verma ki AAG" a sorry excuse for a movie even by our RGV's standards of crap. Mr. Bhatt you do a very good job of lifting Hollywood flicks (scene to scene & you cast the serial kisser Emraan Hashmi ) may be talking about a movies story and plot should be the last thing you do.

I read somewhere else that movie is a case of pimping poverty. Hmm let me think ... when a bollywood or tollywood or kollywoood hero is a slum deweller, an auto driver, a washerman or the guy who irons your clothes (poor telugu .. going for " maestri"), a farmer, a porter (a coolie not to be mistaken for a guy who is really cool) it is not pimping poverty but it is reality, very factual and so on.

Now for the icing on the cake, I recently read on news site that there has been a public litigation filed against the movie for using the word "slum" and "dog" together in its title. Whoa!! Now there is a case of someone with a lot of free time on their hands and someone who takes movies way too seriously. Dude get a life!!! How can you be offended by a movie title ?? And coming back to those of you who think this movie is about pimping poverty. Ok so what if it does... I am sure all of you who say this are the same bunch of people who went to watch the Titanic to get a glimpse of Katie's ... you know #@#@. And not like people have a problem when movie makers jump on the band wagon of “sex sells ". Example: Dhoom II and the character of Bipasha ... the "oomph” factor as some like to put it. So I guess this is the " aaaw so sad or cute " factor. If it sells, then let it and if you have a problem then don’t watch it.

Basically it is a movie.... so do not apply too much of your intelligence, just go to multiplex do the aaww's and oooh's have fun laugh and come back (if getting in touch with your feelings and crying is your thing you can do that too) . Just make sure you watch the 1 below

I am big Rajni fan but just could not resist the temptation.
Thalivar!!!!!

THE STORY OF INDIA: A DOCUMENTARY FOR THE AGES

2009-01-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

The story of India is a documentary about the Indian subcontinent. Tracing the evolution of a nation from about 10,000 years back to the present day. The story is told by the British historian Michael Wood, who honestly just captivates your imagination and takes you to this place where you literally get goose bumps. I honestly feel in his voice one can a sense true admiration and respect for the great culture and history of India. I strongly believe that this documentary gives a very non-partisan view of India and does a much better job of it than the history textbooks of our school.

The Documentary is a must watch for every Indian and every person who wants to understand India. The documentary is broken in to 6 parts of an hour each. Each part addresses a specific time periods in the history of our great nation.

THE BEGINNINGS: EPISODE I

In this part the very origins of our many practices are traced. It also reveals how developed our ancestors with respect to culture and city development.

THE POWER OF IDEAS: EPISODE II

In this the story of Buddha is the primary plot. Michael wood speaks about the Mauryan Empire and their interactions with Alexander.

THE SPICE & SILK ROUTES: EPISODE III

In this light is shed on the great king Kaniska and the size of his empire. Michael Wood also goes on talk about emperor Ashok and his transformation from a war hungry tyrant to a benevolent king. He also speaks about the Roman sea trade with Kerala and the exchange between the 2 great civilizations of Rome and India

THE GOLDEN AGE: EPISODE IV

In this Michael wood throws light on the golden age of the Indian civilization under the Gupta Kings. He enumerates the strides made in the field of science literature metallurgy and so on. He also speaks of the world famous book on sex, the Kamasutra.

THE MEETING OF TWO OCEANS: EPISODE V

This episode is all about the coming of the Mughals and their achievements. Michael wood speaks of how there was religious harmony even under the under Mughal kings. He gives us a great insight in to life and mind of Akbar, a man far ahead of his time.

FREEDOM & LIBERATION: EPISODE VI

This episode is about the coming of the British. He speaks about how British rule even had certain positives but never ignores or tries to cover up the mistakes of British rule. He speaks of horrors of partition but at the same time says hope springs eternal.

I HATE PSEUDO FOOTBALL FANS!!!

2009-01-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

Of late I have realized that the number of apparent football fans has increased exponentially, especially when it comes to club football. For some reason it is the in thing among the "wannabe" crowd and they actually believe it’s cool. I am one for the concept of spreading the sport I love it and the joy that comes from it but I cannot stand the fact that people think this is a first class ticket to being cool.

The thing that put's me off the most is every one of these new age football fans are Manchester United fans not because of the club or the way their style or brand of football but because they know 3 or 4 names from that team and also because a knock off or " fake " Man U jersey is very easy to find. Ask them who plays for Man U and you will get 3 names ronaldo, rooney and may be a Giggs and then the awkward silence .... Hmmm. Then there are those who say they support the team because of its color ... what??? yes it happens.

Then it gets worse these apparent lovers of sport will debate with an ardent & true sports fan about the game. Honestly I know no one is born with knowledge of the history of sports, everyone learns as they go along. But if you choose to feign your love for sports that is downright disgusting and sad. So all pseudo sports lovers, wear jersey's of teams you know nothing about or shoot of the first 2 lines about the club that you read on Wikipedia and revel in the fact that in apparently makes you “cool ". But the truth is you are missing out on the real pleasure of enjoying the beautiful game and I feel sorry for you.

P.S I wear fake jerseys too because I cannot afford the price that comes with the originals... but I atleast know the name on the front and the back.

The American Road Trip: Texas to California in a Nissan Maxima

2009-01-10T07:21:00.000-08:00

In matter of 15 days my friends I traveled nearly 5000 miles (8000 KM). Considering that the length of India is about 3000 Km, I would say that is a lot of travelling. I am generally a person very averse to long journeys and to say I was very skeptical at the start of this titanic journey from one corner of Texas to California would a major understatement. Now here comes the real "punch " of this journey, nearly all the driving was done by one guy Anil Chunchu.... let’s say about 4000 miles.

I have never seen so many cities in my life; I got to see Austin, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose, Las Vegas, Tempe Los Angeles and many more small towns. I do not think I have seen so many cities in my 22 years of living in India. something I regret now.

Here a few pointers that I took from this journey

The state of Texas is massive, they have a different speed limit for night and day (65 & 80) and they are very particular about you keeping within them, beause one does not "mess with Texas". P.S all cop cars need not be painted black& white, they could be driving a red ford mustang so think twice before you go above the limit in Texas.

The next state you come in to is New Mexico, hmm what do I say about this one... let me just put it this way if you sleep through this you will not miss much. My advice is sleep because you might just go crazy looking at repetitive scenery of miles and miles nothing.

Then you enter the state of Arizona this state this is filled with cactus plants that are huge.... and cop cars hide behind bushes and shrubs just like the show you in the movies. In Arizona we stayed over at friends place ... in the city of Tempe the town where you ASU (Arizona State University) but as I was later informed the university is also referred to as Andhra State University due to the exponential number of students from Andhra . Plus you get some good Indian food in this town.

Then finally we reached California, we went to LA ... the home of Hollywood .we saw Rodeo drive... the Hollywood sign, the promenade and then in true hyderabadi fashion said that is enough site seeing for this trip. We did visit the movie theatre called the Grove, It made feel as if I were in some sort of a palace. P.S I saw the telugu movie “king", please don’t watch it. It will scar you for life. Other things of importance nobody follows the speed laws in LA trafiic moves at 80 mph at minimum. You can get mugged anywhere and my friend's roomie got mugged right outside his own house when we were there.

We moved on to San Jose from here taking the pacific coast high way must say, even for some like me who is not much in to nature.... the sunset ... blah blah ... it was a jaw dropping experience but be warned it is a very very long drive ( 10 hrs) and San Jose made feel as if I were India by the number of Indians we seem to be running in to.

San Francisco is an amazing city, it has very European feel to it was the common consensus but considering that I have not been to Europe .My judgement is based on the number of Europeans we saw and numerous roadside cafes. But San Francisco is all about the inclined roads these are at near 60 degree angles you will not realize how steep it is till you get to the top of it. If you ever want to punish someone give him a bicycle and ask him to move around San Francisco. Oh yeah the golden gate bridge is worth a watch.

Now Las Vegas, a city literally in the middle of nowhere. Glitz, glamour and people losing money is what this city is all about. I spent new year’s eve on the streets on Las Vegas, my experience included getting stuck in a wild crowd of drunk people who could decide which way to go forward or backward. Not a very tough choice but for some reason hundreds of people seem to not be able to make up their mind and were very happy just falling on to each other and relieving themselves among hundreds of people. Basically if you are claustrophobic make sure you are not on the streets of Vegas and if you are not very rich make sure you not at a casino table for too long and do not drive at 104 MPH in a 70 mph zone. My advice make sure you know when stop whatever your doing in Vegas.

Most importantly without a GPS it very very tough to move around in the US especially if you are not familiar with the routes, It is not like India where you roll down your window ask your friendly panwallah the directions.

ARE WE RACIST???

2008-11-21T21:35:00.001-08:00

The word racist is defined as "prejudice or discrimination based on the belief that race is the primary factor determining human traits and abilities. Racism includes the belief that genetic or inherited differences produce the inherent superiority or inferiority of one race over another ". Now ask any Indian you know the question, are a racist???And you will get a resounding no!! With some supporting adjectives such as “obviously not”, "are you mad" and so on.

I have till recently felt the same. In my mind racism was something to be associated with the color of skin. Demeaning people based on their color was mostly what was engraved in my mind. Thus I was very assured that this does not exist in India. Especially now considering, you can change your color using some cosmetic products. Basically it felt in India being fair was desirable but dark was also acceptable and that was about it.

But then when I thought about things like untouchability, caste system and regionalism I was not so sure any more. And then reading the headlines of papers these days where one can see politicians such as Raj Thackery and Modi make statements that openly lay siege to the very fabric of secular India. One cannot be at fault for wondering if it were true?? In case of the politicians what scares me is the fact that, such people are endorsed by our society due to a sense of misplaced communal pride.

I have experienced this communal divide first hand, during my first year in college I was ragged but I came in for special treatment from my seniors for the fact that my friend circle consisted of people who were not telugu speaking people. Absurd would you not agree?? Here comes the best part in my college which has students from all over the country, ragging was strictly community based that a telugu would rag a telugu , a mallu to a mallu and so on….

I am not free of such a charge either, I seem to harbor a sense dislike for certain communities too… which is wrong I know but it seems to have been inbred in to me. I am now in College Station, Texas. Sadly enough even here we seem to find ways to distinguish between ourselves. For example in the local cricket league here teams are named “Made in Andhra”, “Tamil Twisters” and so on…. Unfortunately I must confess in this season I played in the “Made in Andhra”. No disrespect to my teammates all fine people, I have decided not be a part of such communal symbolism in the future if it even means me not playing cricket.

We are biased in more ways than we accept but hey nobody’s perfect right. May be we are not at racism as such but we are not far from it either… The days of caste system may or may not be upon us anymore but I am sure communal sentiments and extreme feelings about religion are things we can do without. It definitely good to be proud of who you are and your culture but so as long as it not at the expense of the other. We have enough reasons to fight among ourselves … we do not need another.

HISTORY BEING MADE:

2008-11-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

On the 4th of November 2008 Barack Obama became the 44th president elect of the United States of America. For many people in the USA of it was day they had been waiting for from time immemorial. People rejoiced in the streets with celebrations, the likes of which one had never seen before. The tears flowed from the eyes of one and all irrespective of the background. The walls of old had been torn down. And yes!! Then there was the victory speech that gave even the most uninterested person a Goosebumps or two...

At the risk of sounding very dead.... I would say was this not expected?? Ok i Guess there is a lot of difference between expecting and happening. But still why were there people in Italy, France, India and other corners of the world celebrating?? It was not like they had got a new president right?? Not like their lives were going to undergo a drastic change. Basically you get the picture.

May be just may be for those few hours.. The people of the world forgot about differences brought about by flags and history. It was like the world had united for one cause, to weed out the division of race. It did not mean that from that moment on we would not have racism anywhere in the world. It just said we can change one small step at a time in the right direction. Was he the right choice for office? Is he the one that will steer America through its toughest times in nearly a century...? Only time will tell. But for now let us rejoice in the fact that all challenges that face human nature and our deepest darkest evils can be overcome.

I was fortunate enough to hear Obama's victory speech live (thank you BBC) and at every single moment of that speech I felt history was being made. I have not been a witness to much history being made in my time and what I have been witness to has only been the worst that can be brought out in man. From assassination of the prime minister of my country, to riots that have shook the very fundamental principles of my nation, the birth and rise of terrorism. I have also seen good but it has always been overshadowed by the bad and the ugly. But that speech and what had transpired before it has proven to me things can change and will change but everything needs time and effort.

So maybe I am... Sorry let me correct that... I know am not wrong in thinking of India's moment of change is coming too. Hope is very integral to our cause and we should never lose sight of it.

P.S if you have not watched the speech I suggest you watch it!!!

THINGS IN LIFE: THAT ARE PRICELESS

2008-10-24T18:35:00.001-07:00

I seem to be in a very retrospective mood. So here goes...I have done a lot things in life that have been given adjectives such as "stupid", "crazy", "loser" and so on ... you get the idea. Now when I look back at them I regret a few, I laugh at a few, and for some I laugh... then smile and ask myself " WTF was I thinking ". But in some stupid way I am glad because I can say " yeah man I have been there done that " sounds cool right??... but my friends and Jayan and Nitin will tell you with me its more a case of "hey... I was also there re..."

My top moments in no specific order are:

The final of the cricket tournament during my first year of college, played a perfect tourney till the last ball of the final. Opening batsmen... Opening bowler... crucial runs, crucial wickets, good catches I had done it all but... then it all changed within the space of one ball.. the last ball. 1 ball 3 runs to win the batsmen hits the ball in the air straight in to my hands I still remember like it was yesterday ... that too in slow motion. The ball went in and then right out.

During my undergrad days I was in the bad habit of getting a kick ridiculing the so called "popular" girls of the college. This habit of mine came back to bite me in my 2nd year when my really close friends started dating the very girls I made fun of ....( for the record they all found what I said funny... and added to it). And then all of them conveniently dumped the whole thing on me and yours truly was vilified for the remaining years of college.

I also seem to suffer from a disease called “foot in your mouth". Symptoms include saying in the wrong things at the wrong time, not being able to keep your mouth shut on issues that might strike an emotional chord ... you get the picture. When I was in school I had this teacher who a very heavy accent. So once she asked us study for an upcoming exam while she was sitting in class. I was preparing for the exams with my friends and suddenly felt this urge to ridicule her pronunciation, which I did. Only problem being I was sitting on the table on the 1st row with back facing the teacher totally oblivious to her presence at decibel level which give Pavarotti a complex.

I guess I never learnt my lesson. In college I was in the room of one my friends and everyone was looking at snaps of the "popular" girls and again I could not control my urge to say something. So I went on and on about how that girl was over rated. All the time I was oblivious to my roomie kicking me to hint for me to stop, as one of the people present there was her boyfriend. (Thankfully he was a smaller guy so ... i dint get beaten up...)

I once travelled to Bangalore to drop a friend of mine ( the point is the friend was a she... ) I had reservations for my journey to Bangalore but had none for the journey back. Being in college just having been bitten by the travel bug I decided to take general ticket for my return journey, I had travelled general many a time to chennai so how bad could this be?? Oh did I mention that this return journey would happen only after 10 in the night!! Something I forgot even then, to the extent I did not check the name of the train that I would have to take back. So I reached Bangalore at 9 PM dropped my friend back at the station by 9.30. After which my ordeal began first, I asked chaiwalla when the next train was to Vellore was he told me there was one 12.00am and another at 1.30am. Now the problem was what do I do till then?? So I decided to kill time I shall shuttle between Bangalore Cant station and Bangalore city by hoping on to trains that come ( I assumed that all trains will pass through both... thankfully my choices did).

It was time for the 1st train, I walked myself to the backend of the platform to board the general compartment. As the train passed me I felt it was overly packed, that was till I saw the general compartment. It was so packed that the door could not be opened or rather the people in it were not willing to open it. I quickly told myself "let’s just take the other one". As I was waiting for the next train I began to panic what if the next train had similar situation?? My panic was made worse when the cop working the platform told me that I need to get on to this train or leave the station. I had only 150 RS in my pocket so a lodge was out of the question the other station Bangalore city was too far. I prayed to god to somehow get me on the next train. The train pulled in to the station it was pretty crowded but somehow I managed to get myself in to the general compartment rather I was forced in to it by the crowd which had gathered to board the train behind me which I had not realized was quite large. Thus my ordeal began.... The only place that I could find to put my butt down was close to the loo. It seemed to be vacant for a long time so I though damn people are stupid ... quickly rushed over there and sat down. But after 15 minutes or so I realized why it was not taken the smell emanating fro m the loo was just awful. The guy on the opposite had in my opinion not been introduced to the concept of bathing. So I sat there for 5 1/2 hours not being able to move to another place as the only other place was next to the door which was suicidal for me due to a lack of warm clothing (it was late November and yes I feel cold very easily). That was last time Idecided to travel general on a night train.

Bottom line even though these things did not turn out too well for me ... I am glad they happened and I actually find them to be priceless.
And yes there are a lot more of them!!! but for now these will do.

POLITICIANS REALLY LOSE THE PLOT AT TIMES!!!!

2008-10-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning to read about what is going on in India. I was for the lack of better adjective shocked, to see that jet airways had layed off over 900 employees and more were in offing. It dawned on that the financial mess of western world has implications ven in India. I guess it price of globalisation. But what really shocked me were the headlines that followed it.

1. Raj Thackery threatens to ground jet airways.

2.Mayawati & Sonia exchange blows

3.RS Mp Kanimozhi submits resignation letter to promote Sri Lankan tamil issue (DMK vociferous about support)

4.Homosexuality should be legalised says Health minister Ramadoss

ok.. I need a moment to let this all sink in. My first reaction was wow a lot can happen in one day.

I never knew that a politican holding no postion of adminstrative power or significance can make claims of grounding a entire ailine fleet. Oops!! I forgot in India it is possible to do so.. or should I say it is possible in Mumbai and West Bengal. This is coming from the same man who said north Indians should be driven out of Mumbai. In my opinion such persecution of an ethnic community makes a man no different from Hitler. But for him to dictate how a private firm operates is also preposterous. And the reason he is able to make such absurd statements is because people like you and me do not ask him to shut up!! So shut up..... and if people feel they have been dealt a bad deal then go to judiciary and not involve politics with it.

Behan Kumari Mayawati ji and Sonia Gandhi need to grow and stop with this game of out doing each other. Please people you represent the nation , this is not the way heads of state behave. I mean you have elections coming up in a few months who ever is not good will go... is that not democracy. You have no need to wash dirty linen in public by banning one from trying to play in in others back yard. I think both of more pressing issues of inflation, hunger & poverty etc to deal with. Please ladies you both have been put on the list of the worlds most powerful women, please do not let your ego get the better of the argument of who should have been ranked higher.

This one is my favourite, politicians here want to support a freedom movement (LTTE) which takes the life of many innocent people. The same organisation that assinated our leader. The question is not if their cause is justified or not but If we did support them how different are we from Pakistan, who do the same in Kashmir. They apparerenly support the Kashmiri's fight against injustice and for freedom. Again may be, the ruling party in Taml Nadu DMK should concentrate on issues of the state rather than trying to voice their support for tamils in Sri Lanka. They need to remember that their loyalty lies with Indians and not with cultural background of tamil. The daughter of the party leader resigning her post to voice her discontent with respect to the issue, makes you wonder where this is all going???

And last but not the least our great health minister, after jostling for control over AIIMS with its vice chancellor, banning smoking on screen, now banning smoking in public, wanting movie stars to stop drinking on screen and many more ideas which i hae no clue about. The man has finally out done himself. He wants to legalise homosexuality... yes folks it is illegal in India to be gay.

It is not that I am against it but the timing that astounds me. I actually do not know what to say.... if he is right or wrong. Are we mature enough to accept it?? it is one thing to say yes in a flash but in a society, which is still coming to terms with live in realtionships and so on... The issue homsexuality may be a little more than what we can handle. May be Mr. Ramadoss should deal with increasing trend of AIDS, the fact that more 17 states in the country have alarming conditions of malnutrition and hunger as declared by a recent world report. It went on to say that things in certain states were as bad as the situation in th african country Chad. Government hospitals are no where close to being respectable.

I think these itself are enough food for thought.

So please my respected country I request to handle more pressing issues that face are nation rather than play to galleries.

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY: BEING AN AGGIE

2008-10-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

I seem to be suffering from a very bad case of writers's block. And I write this post with the intention to write my way out this rut. I feel I have been whinning since the time I have got here but one thing I feel good about here is the University. Texas A&M University is regarded as one of the top universities in the USA.

Life at Texas A&M University for an international student is about understanding of two words "Tradition" & "History". Once you understand the context of these words, everything falls in to place like the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. The college is over 100 years old, to say the campus is gigantic would be an understatement with no parallel. The moment you set foot on the campus the history and culture of the place just leaves you in a state of awe. Everything from a bench on the walkway to the university dinning hall has a story associated with it.

The students of Texas A&M as reffered to as aggies, this comes from the fact that initially the college specialised in the field of Agriculture and Mechanical sciences. Even though the university has branched out, it still retains those letters (A&M) as a link to its past. The college has every rich military tradition, with a large number of its alumni having served and serving in the armed forces with great distinction. That tradition is carried forward today by the student section know as the Cadet of Corps ( similar to the NCC in INdia but way more serious & at college level). Watching these men and women in uniform with their boots and spurs everyday can and will leave you in awe.

The core values of an aggie are loyalty, integrity, excellence, leadership, selfless service and respect. These are not just some words that go up on a board, these values are something that all students take to their hearts and really adhere to. This is evident from their helping nature, the manner in which they greet you even if they know you or not and their ability to instill the same in you. The one thing I learnt here is that age is no bar when it comes to sports and sport can be played at any time. In my first few weeks here i used to play soccer with certain older men in of the many open grounds in the campus. I was flabbergasted to find that these people where professors over the age of 50 who only play on weekdays between 12:45 to 2:00 in the afternoon( My reaction exactly, considering it as hot as vellore here).

I also realised that an optimistic sports fan is a personality disorder which affects a lot of people beyond the realm of cricket in India. The college football Team presently is not a powerhouse like many other teams in Texas but it once was one of the most feared teams for its punishing defense. The days of glory have long since passed but here every match brings with it an air of expectation among the fans that today things will change and we will be begin our climb back to the top ( reminds you of our cricket team does it not). The football stadium is called Kyle Field and it would not be justice done if I were to describe it in words. All I can say you should be there to see 84000 fans wearing maroon standing all through the game cheering their team regardless of the score.

Basically the moment you enter campus the school spirit just takes over. The feeling that you belong to this larger entity just engulfs you. Soon you will see that your wardrobe is being taken over by the color maroon, saying howdy is not something that is strange to you any more and you want to get tickets for every home game and if not even the local radio will suffice.

I am sure you get the picture of what I am trying to say... there is a lot more traditions over here like the bonfire, yell practice, yell leaders, rivalries with Texas austin and so on I will write about them in the time to come. But as of now all I will say is this, here at Texas A&M you will get an expeirence that you will cherish and enjoy for rest of your life. Being an aggie is a lot more than just being a student.

FROM A GOOGLER TO A JANITOR IN 3 MONTHS

2008-09-09T19:29:00.001-07:00

About 3 months back I was basking in the glory of receiving a juicy Q1 bonus while at Google. I was living the good life, a Pepsi in my hand ( which seems to be really hard to find here as Coke seems to have taken over everything here), free food ( chaat) a free ride to office, playing sports at office, after office, at offsites and basically all the perks of being a Googler. For all you people who are not from Google, an employee of Google is called aGoogler.

But what followed was a case of.... hmmm I still am trying to figure out why I did .. what I did?? I quit Google to pursue a Masters degree. I know what you going to say please lets just skip those obvious questions. Also I have got to the point now that I tell people I was working TCS ( no disrespect to TCS) but yeah generally people do not ask much after that one statement so I like it. The reason for this being I had reached breaking point when some one here asked me, if it was the call center division that I had worked for???

Basically long story short I got to the US . Then as one among the million plus Indian students over here I started my hunt for an on campus job so as to ease the burden on my pocket. I was pretty confident of me finding a job why?? I was from Google and I can not possibly not find a job right. Wrong !! I got rejected all most all technical jobs I applied for Why?? because I was over qualified I am not kidding even for jobs that I had no clue about, like stuff to do with PHP and dreamweaver. They actaully mailed saying that I ( technologically challenged Mohith) was over qualified (Josh stop laughing).
Desperation was at its peak. Then a breakthrough, a interview finally!!! but it was job in a diner. Now being from India I had no clue what was in store for me so I rejoiced went for the interview ( yes everything hear has an interview). Later they informed that I got it and I was even more happy. I can hear you all already laughing. I was horrified when I figured out that I was to be the guy who served food, took out trash, cleaned the tables and so on. Basically I was the guy whom in India you refer to as "eeh chotu paani laa re" or as friends from VIT would say " Thambi jhill thani".

Yes my life had flip 180 in three months I had gone from the guy on the outside looking in to the guy on the inside dying to get out. Worst are the line's you get from people " dont wory re it is all an expierence" You know what dont give me those cliched dialogues. It is not okay !!! beacuse stading for 4 hours straight cleaning tables mopping the floor is not okay!!

Honestly I would love to quit but one has to pay the bill. So I will prolong my agony till... whenever I guess. I do come back from work and look at snaps from my time at Google and think atleast I can say I have been there not many others who can do that right!!

A CONFUSED COLLECTION OF CONFLICTING THOUGHTS

2008-08-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly a month since I have got to the US. I still feel just the same as I did on my first day here... CONFUSED!!! Confusion appears to be on the top of the list of emotions that come to mind. The confusion is along the lines of hmm...what am I suppose to do now???

I seem to be left either searching for answers or speechless in most cases.

Let me start with where I live:

I have a roomie who picked up scented candles to meditate because he saw something similar in the movie "blade". How do you meditate looking at a candle ??? are your eyes not suppose to be closed??

My roomies and I made tandoori chicken last weekend and I know it was good because they were other people i.e neighbours who ate it and lived. But I can not still figure out the right proportion of rice and water to cook rice. Guess what, the advice I get compounds my misery. One guy answered " 1.5 cups of rice with 3.2 cups of water" I mean what is 3.2????

I am sick of people asking me why did you leave Google ?? because frankly I am beginning to ask myself the same. It really hurts to pay for stuff like pringles lays pepsi and tons of other stuff one gets in the office. Guys enjoy every single moment over there trust there is nothing that gets close to the Google expierence.

Class has started and I am constantly thinking " damn these guys are soon going to find out that I dont belong here". The professors here really know what they are talking about but most of the time I am experiencing OHT ( Over Head Transmission ).

And for some reason most Indian's here, appear to suffer from a case of identity crisis including me. I seem to be struggling to find the right balance between " fitting in " and " being who or what I am ". It is feels like it is war between the lines " when in Rome behave like a Roman" and " Never forget where you come from".

People here cannot think of India beyond the lines chicken curry and BPO's and I really did not like it at first but come on what do we know about them ?? What we see on TV and mainly the birthplace of Mcdonalds and coke right. So it is our job to paint a complete picture for them

right...but for some reason we are very hesitant of doing that and I cannot seem to figure out why??

I know this has to be the most random collection of thoughts ever posted by me on my blog.

INDIA HOSTING THE OLYMPICS: DO WE DESERVE IT??

2008-08-09T02:23:00.000-07:00

The other day I was browsing through Indian news sites when I came across an article about the possibility of India hosting the Olympics. I mean you must be joking !!! are you serious ?? Do you honestly think a one sport nation like ours should contemplate such an action??

I am not saying we are not capable, definitely not. What I am trying to say is do you think there is enough of a sports culture within our society today to give the respect an Olympic event deserves?? I mean would they play the cricket world cup in the USA or France just because there are facilities there meet the standard. NO!! definitely not because they are not in to cricket. Just as we are not in to the concept of the Olympics i.e the sports that are in it.

Yes we have won medals including multiple gold in field hockey but today our field hockey team is not even at Beijing. I do not blame the system, players or the so administrators who run the game but I blame us. We the people of India have become indifferent to sports other than cricket. It is sad but true. For example when we got dumped out of the cricket world cup the nation was up in arms saying "oh my god say it aint so" but we did not qualify for the Olympics in field hockey how many of us were devastated??

Today at the Beijing Olympics our country has 3 realistic medal hopes the Bhupathi and Paes duo which is at twilight, Raj Vardhan Singh Rathod the same whose national camp did not happen because there was a lack of ammunition and a boxer named Vijender Kumar. I have never heard of the boxer till a few days back and yes there will be another who will come out of the blue and win medal like Karnam Malleshwari.

But 4 from 1 billion hmmm... I do not know but lets look beyond that. Who ran the Indian leg of the Olympic torch relay it was not our athletes but our movie stars. wow!! can u believe that movie stars !!

Ok now critical question would you go and watch the athletics, swimming, wrestling or any other sport?? I dont think so... come on !! National games, World Military games and so on went on with empty stadium seats as their audience. (please look beyond opening and closing cermonies)

I am sure the honor of empty stadiums is not something we do not want to bestow on the Olympics. Such a travesty of the Olympic spirit would be act of treason. Basically we do not deserve to host the Olympics at this point of time. We still do not give sports or sportpersons the respect they deeserve in our society yet.

Being an optimist I feel some day things will change and then just may be we might see an Olympics in India.

I MISS MY CHAOS:I AM AN INDIAN & I LOVE IT

2008-08-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

I have been in the United States of America for nearly a week now and I can clearly see why it is considered the most advanced country in the world. In my short life I have not seen much of the world come to think of it, I have not even seen much of India. But I am sure that it would be very tough to find a country where civil society is more organized and disciplined than the one here.
The way traffic moves, the way people obey laws, the orderly fashion in which people disembark from a plane and so on is just jaw dropping. For me as a Hyderabadi just watching the manner in which traffic laws are obeyed made me want to just dig a hole and jump in to it. For every need of society there is the huge shop which is the size of the Metro in Hyderabad. They are so huge that, they make what we find in India seem as small as a pebble( hey ro... better than the h block f block comparison rite) .

All this feeling of awe and wonder lasted for initial four days. But ever since then I have realized that I miss the chaos of India. I miss the fact that I cannot cross the road any where than just zebra crossing. I miss those cab drivers weave in out of traffic as if they were in some hollywood movie. I miss haggling with auto drivers to get from one place to another. Because where I stay is such a small town that there no cabs either.There are no STD booths and trust me pay phones dont make up for it( and u know why I am saying this)

I miss getting cut off by crazy people on their bikes and screaming " Pagal hai kya m*******d ". I miss getting in to a crowded bus and jostling for space so that I can comfortably rest myself on some rod. I miss overhearing other people conversations and chuckling about it with your friends. I miss eating with my friends and having these loud discussions about anything and everything under the sun. The chatwala, the chaiwala and the biryani line at paradise which moves at the speed of light.

I miss my parents saying "please do not treat this like a paying guest accommodation". Most of all I miss my friends from work, school and college. Everyone here says hi or howdy with smile but there is little one can talk after that cant really blame them but ...Basically no offense America, I miss the chaos that is India. Getting use to this is definately going to take some time. Guys when I come back if I start saying stuff like oh my god!! this is what is wrong with India please please kindly slap as hard as you can.

Nuclear Deal:The Positives fallout & New Hope

2008-07-26T00:46:00.000-07:00

If you have been watching the news channels in the past few days, you would have seen excerpts from the debate in parliament about nuclear deal between India and the United States. The debate appeared to be a soap opera, straight from the Ekta Kapoor production house. With friends turning foes, back stabbing alliances for mutual benefit and money so on.

But all jokes aside, I would like commend all the politicians who spoke during the debate highlighting the pro’s and con’s of the nuclear deal. I would like to mention that Advani is not on that list as his speech had nothing to do with the deal and represented everything that is wrong with Indian politics. He could not rise beyond the issue of petty politics and think about the country.I even praise the left representative who presented the views of his party.

Watching the debate on TV was an eye opening experience in a way. As it made me feel that the future of Indian politics may not as bleak as one may fear. Among those who spoke for the deal, people such as the Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdullah stood out for their content and oratory skills.

I know there were a lot of events that occurred that brought shame to the home of Indian democracy but I for one do not want to dwell on them. Focusing on them is a job that seems to be very well carried out by news channels. I would like to focus on positives such as emergence of young leaders who inspire hope for the future. My two personal favorites were the speeches from Omar Abdullah and Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Our railway minister’s speech was one that was humorous and comic but at the same time was very calculated counter attack on every point raised by the opposition. In the case of Omar Abdullah it was very evident that he was speaking straight from the heart. His passion and his choice of words echoed the feelings of every simple Indian.

Also I would like commend the prime minister, who showed that he is man of his word and backed the deal to the hilt. He showed that he will not compromise on his beliefs and ideals to satisfy the petty needs of coalition politics. I honestly believe he is a man whose integrity cannot be questioned and only has the best interests of the country at heart. His track record speaks for itself and this deal will only add to his legacy.

But the words that give me most hope are the one’s spoken by Rahul Gandhi. He finished by saying India is an emerging world power and it is time we start thinking like one by questioning how we may impact the world and not how the world may impact us. I am an optimistic Indian and believe that this is no false dawn.

What Makes a Champion??

2008-07-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

The other day a few of my colleagues and I were chatting about how the story at Wimbledon had unfolded this year. The discussion as usual moved from how well Nadal has played? To who is a better player Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer? And then is Roger better than Pistol Pete Sampras?
So it became a question of who is a better champion.

As expected the loyalties of my friend's were divided. In my opinion Irrespective of sport, the personal favor for a particular personality stems from the ability of the athlete to overcome adversity which may be a particular opponent, Insurmountable odds, even limits of physical ability or the ease with which they dispose of all competition. This is true irrespective of sport.

A hero of mine is Rafael Nadal. It is the effort he has put to make his game better on grass that is praiseworthy. Every year he has played Roger Federer and shown remarkable improvement. Coming from Spain, a country known for it's ability to produce high quality clay court player's. Nadal showed that it is only a myth that one who play's on clay cannot play on grass.

Many say he lacks the class and finesse of Roger Federer but I say what he lack's he more than makes up in intensity, speed, power and a tank full of heart. I think the words I am looking for to describe his spirit is 'bahut Jaan hain usme'. Roger Federer for all his ability this has shown that when push comes to shove he lacks the grit and determination to win matches which are tight. It is one thing to win matches when you are class above your opponents but the true test of a champion is to find a way to win, when his adversaries raise their game to match his.

Michael Schumacher is my all time favorite F-1 driver but many do not like him. My Favor comes from the he brought the Ferrari F-1 team back from the dead. He transformed them from a mid table team to a championship team. He did it after he had achieved success with the Benetton team. Before his years of unrivaled success he had fought tooth and nail for every point, as he pitted an underperforming Ferrari against the better performing Williams and then Mclaren machines.
In the case of teams my choices are no different. I like to support and watch teams which play as unit and not one's whose wheel's fall when their star player is not around. I like to support teams from whom, it tough to find one stand out player. I supported the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and Boston Celtics this year against the LA Lakers on both occasions. Reason being the lakes relied on Shaq and Kobe in 2004 and in 2008 nothing much changed as they still relied on Kobe. But it would hard to pick one person from the piston's team or to pick one from the Celtics team this year. Now that is what being a team all is about.

In soccer, like teams Arsenal appeal tome for this very reason. The players at Arsenal play well as a unit. These players individually may not be stars it is just the fact that fit perfectly when they play together. The credit for this goes to Arsene Wenger. To strengthen my point just look at the careers of all the players who have left Arsenal over the years. Henry:struggling at Barcelona, Viera: Somewhere in Italy Inter I guess, Reyes: Atheltico Madrid ?? Anelka: Not even close to his days at Arsenal, Lundberg: A pale shadow of his Arsenal days, Robert Pires:Villareal but no impact .

“Champions are not born or made in the gym; Champions are made from something they have inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.”

I cannot think of anything more apt and true.

Nadal Vs Federer Wimbeldon Episode III: Nadal Strikes Back

2008-07-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

Rafael Nadal beat Roger federer 6-4,6-4,7-6,7-6,9-7 in the longest Mens singles final ever.In this installment of what is fast becoming, one of the greatest rivalries of all time. Both Roger Federer a.k.a 'Fedex' and Rafael Nadal 'Muscles from Mallorca' stood on the verge of history. But it was who Nadal became first man since Borg to hold both the french open and wimbeldon title's. In epic and enthralling final Nadal was clearly the better player.

The match lived up to its hype and promise not before the weather teased the spectators with some rain. The match got underway after the rain delay and Nadal seemed to have found his feet much faster than Federer, breaking early to take a 2-1 lead. The champion showed his mettle and pushed Nadal to brink in the 10th game of the first set but Nadal held his nerve to win the first set.

Federer came out fighting at the start of the second set to win the first two games and seemed to have the fight of cornered Tiger as he went on to take a 3-0 lead. Nadal suddenly of the blue came back from dead in the second set to make it equal at 4-4. The Nadal juggenaut could not be stopped, he went on to take the second set 6-4. The championship was just inches from Nadal.

The third set was a battle royale between the two. This set was a see-saw affair, Federer had a chance to break serve but could not convert 4 break points, Nadal too could not convert his oppurtunities also. At 5-4 federer leading and set going with serve the weather decided to tease again, the rain came down causing another delay. After which the set went to a tie break where Roger was on a roll and took the set to finally put himself on the board.

If the third was a battle royal, then the fourth was an epic which will go down in annals of time as one of the best sets of tennis ever played . The set went a tie break with both players holding serve. The tie break was played at level, which in was another universe. The spectators got their money worth just watch the tie break. It had everything volleys, drop shots, passing shots, absurd angles and anything that you thought was not possible. Federerfought back from 5-2 to make 5-5 and 6-5. My point of the match was at 7-7 Nadal hit a passing shot that was in my opinion simply absurd after being on the backfoot the whole rally. Unfortunately Nadal could not capitailse on 2 championship points. Roger played an unbelievable point at 8-8 to take a 9-8 lead and went on to win the set.

It just seemed destined to go to a fifth set from the outset and it did. Federer had comeback from the dead to even it out . The fifth set continued from where the fourth ended. The games went with serve to reach 2-2 and 40-40 on federer serve the heaven's opened again. It just seemed appropraite as there was nothing to choose between the 2 players. Returning after a short rain interuption, Federer went on to close the game. The 8th game of the set on Nadal serve was very tight as Federer pushed Nadal to the wall but this he kept his cool to recover well. Surely Nadal must have been thinking have I lost my chance after bein up 2 sets up? The game goes on 5-5 with both players wondering what they have to do to win this match? 11th game of the 5th set Nadal has two break points 15-40 up but is unable to capitalize. 15th game 15-40 Nadal up and he finally capitalise's. But Federer will not let it happen pushes the game to duece. And finally Nadal wins it on the 2nd duece of the 16th game.

What a few weeks it has been a amazing few weeks for spain. But it has been definately long time coming for Rafael Nadal and very much deserved. Honestly, It was the best final's I have ever seen in my short life time, Thank you Federer and Nadal.

I am sure I am going to be late to work tomorrow.

Spain Champions of Euro' 08: The Armada Sails Again

2008-06-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

The perennial underachievers Spain have done justice to the long acknowledged talent. Defeating Germany in an entertaining final 1-0 at Euro '08 at Vienna. Fernando Torres scored the only goal of the game in the first half. Spain deserved the cup as they had played good football through out the tournament.They were also undefeated through the tournament.

Going in to the final the Spanish were the team with the most important change David Villa was out with a muscle problem. The 69 year old Luis Arogones decided to go with a five man midfield with the lone striker formation. A brave man some would say considering it was D.Guiza the top scorer in La Liga who was being overlooked.

In the first few minutes Spain seemed to be suffering from a case of stage fright as they just seem to freeze and were playing with no intensity. The midfield having Iniesta, Xavi, Silva and Fabregas appeared to be a zombie unit. But just as the Germans were beginning to control the game, Spain snapped out of their slumber and awoke to life. Slowly and steadily their movement, passing and intensity was getting better and better.

As Spain began to get sharper the chances began to come. Forcing some spectacular saves from Lehman. Torres even hit the upright with a header, one just felt the goal for Spain was only a matter of time. And it was, Torres latched on to a ball from Iniesta, to sweetly dink it over a fast approaching Lehman to open the scoring. Torres who has had a quiet tournament by his high standards showed that form is temporary and class is permanent with that goal.

The second half went pretty much the way the first ended, Spain dictating the pace. The Germans brought on Jansen, Kurayni in search of the equaliser but to no avail. It just seemed the Spanish midfield had just run the Germans out of the game, something that does not happen very often. Marcos Senna had a chance put the game beyond doubt but missed the ball with the goal at his mercy. But Spain reached home comfortably to take there second European trophy.

Personally I felt that the scoreline flatters the Germans and the match was not as close as the score line suggests. The Germans Uncharacteristically lacked belief, imagination and intensity.
After a long time a team playing the beautiful game has won the tournament. Spain completely deserve to be crowned champs and it has been a long time coming.

Viva Espana!!!

Euro'08: The Russians are Coming!!!

2008-06-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

If you were one of those who thought the performance of Russia against Sweden was a flash in the pan, their game against Holland is one highlight film you must watch. The Russians who were comprehensively outclassed, outplayed and routed by Spain in their opening game seem to bear no scars of that defeat.

In the game against the Dutch, the Russians were a team which bore no resemblance to the one that played Spain and Greece. They outran, out hustled and outplayed the Dutch in every department. They never let Dutch play their brand of flowing football and gave them a taste of their own medicine by changing defense to attack with incisive passes and swift movement. The score line of 3-1 in the favour of Russia was deserved. In my opinion it should have been so by the end of normal time.

The cause of the Russian transformation has been the return of their general Andrei Arshavin. This versatile play maker who missed the first few games through suspension has transformed the Russian side to potent attacking force with vision, speed and control. But to call the Russian side a one man show in my opinion would be unfair to the team.

If Arshavin is the general then his most able soldiers are Kolodin, Yuri Zhirkov and Roman Pavlyuchenko. Kolodin and Zhirkov are the the back bone of the defense and they also push forward with intent. Zhirkov deserves please mention for his quality delivery from set pieces
and Kolodin for his long range shooting skills which posses both accuracy and power.

But the player who complements and combines amazingly well with Arshavin is the Russian forward Roman Pavlyuchenko. A center forward of the old mould, big, strong and with a good first touch. His movement and his aerial presence is also of the highest quality. The chemistry between the two was very evident in the game against Dutch.

This Russian team is very young with average age of 26 and plays mostly within Russia. Based on their performance against the Dutch, you would not bet against them going all the way. One more thing that is certain is that most of these players are going to be for big European clubs come next season. Also one must give credit to the 'Miracle Man' Guus Hiddink, who seems to have the ability to bring success to any team on the International Stage.

It is no more a case of the Russians are coming, They are already here.

Euro'84 - Platini
Euro'88 - Gullit
Euro'08 - Arshavin???

May be a little to early put him that column but what the hell ! !
I am fan of his game

Euro '08: The Beautiful Game Alive and Well

2008-06-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

The matches of Euro 2008 has reflected what has always been said about European national teams. Their leagues may have the flair and panache but national sides always seem to play with the intent of not losing rather than playing for win. The faith in this view was reaffirmed by the performance of teams at Euro 2008.

But as always there exceptions to any theory and the performances Holland, Portugal & Spain have been a testiment to that. The perennial under achievers Spain and Holland have made an explosive start to their campaign this time. The Dutch have been the team of the tournament during the group stage. Their crisp passing, lighting counter attack and resolute defending has seen them dispatch teams such as Italy and France with great ease.

The stand out feature of the dutch game has been their counterattack with crisp one touch passing. Players such as Van Bronckhorst , Sniejder and Kuyt have been the center pieces of their attack. One has to just watch the Italy game for a master class on how to play counter attacking football.

Spain have also been a revelation, we have always known of their potential but they have always flattered to deceive. This time around they seem to have a lot more focus and intensity about themselves. The team seems to have come of age with players such as Torres, Villa, Iniesta, Fabregas working well as a unit. With Puyol and Casillas marshaling the defense Spain will prove to be a tough nut to crack.

Their performance against Sweden was a good example of their new found spirit.One thing for sure is David Villa is going to be on radar of many a big club.

Portugal in my opinion has been the best of the rest. The lack of pure world class center forward is very apparent in their play. Their game is backed by an assured defense and based on highly creative and skilled mid field. With likes of Ronaldo & Simao running the wings and Deco pulling the strings in the center, their play has been pleasing to the eye.

What these 3 teams have shown is that the beautiful game can be played European teams too. They can also entertain us just as much the south American teams if not more. Call it Total football or whatever you want, these teams are the one's I would gladly pay money to watch.

P.S I would watch Italy too ( Froza Azzuri )

Dasavatharam: A Confused Creation

2008-06-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

The movie Dasavatharam is credited with being the most expensive Indian movie ever created. So now comes the critical question was it worth all that money?? I think the producers got ripped off!! in a big way. The high point of the movie is the acting of kamal Hasan, unfortunately that is the only highlight of the movie.

We all know that Kamal is an actor who can play any character or role seamlessly passing the lines by which other actors bound. Which leads me to the question as to why at this point of time in his career did he choose to portray ten different characters? I am not implying he did a bad job. Just that the movie could have done with out his portrayal of characters like the villain, the freakishly tall Muslim guy and the malayalee activist.

The movie attempts to bring multiple small stories together along the lines of the Oscar movie crash. The intent is to show that individual events on their own may have very little meaning but have a bearing on the larger scheme of things and also that we are all interconnected in some way or the other.

All this is good and jolly but for some reason integration of all the stories in the movie was not smooth. Certain sequences will leave you wondering what was this for? Mallika Sherawat's role as the vamp is pretty short, uneventful but for a change it is not a skin show. The low point of the movie was definitely the graphics they seemed pretty kiddish and definitely not worth the astronomical figures quoted for the effort.

Personally I loved kamal's potrayal of the telugu RAW officer and George W Bush.

Overall the movie is not an awe inspiring or thought provoking. I would say it is a time pass movie that you can watch once. Also I think that Mr.Hasan was being a little self obsessed in naming the Movie Dasavatharam just because he played ten characters.

Do not be surprised if you come out of the movie hall asking yourself what was the movie about??

Bandh: Holding a Country to Ransom??

2008-06-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks I am sure all of us have seen the protests and bandh's about the petrol price hike, the Gujjars demand for ST status, the protest against inflation, renaming of brands and institutions that have the name Bombay to Mumbai and any many more.

Off late, the frequency & reasons for these protests and manner in which they have been carried out have gone beyond boundaries of common sense.

Let us start with path carnage left behind by the Shiv Sena in Mumbai. After getting bored of vandalizing Archie's outlets, Shiv Sena activists damaged and demonstrated against all Organizations and institutions that have name Bombay in their title. The Shiv Sena wanted institutions such as Bombay dying, Bombay stock exchange and the school Bombay Scottish to replace the name Bombay with Mumbai. The reason being Marathi Pride. Is the Marathi pride so superficial? Does the issue warrant the destruction of Property? Is the issue even worth protesting?
Next up is the Gujjars protests. This community based mainly in Rajasthan wants the government to change it's status from a backward caste to that of a schedule tribe. Yes, they want to be moved further down apparently non existent caste system. This is to ensure a greater bite of the reservation pie.

Now somebody explain to me how can this justify the blocking of national highways, blocking the railways and damage to public property. The other day it was announced that the railways has incurred a loss of 6.5 -7 crore's due to the actions of the Gujjars. Bringing the life line of the country to stand still is no way of putting forth your issue. You can not hold the country to ransom to forward your personal ambitions.

Recently in West Bengal a bandh was called for to protest the hike in fuel prices. The left was behind this action, the same political organization which is in power in the state and supports the central government. That sounds ok rite? So now comes the disturbing part the airport was also closed. Yes, that is right the closure was supported by the state government.

These bandh's more often than not are politically motivated. I have to go to work this Saturday because last Friday some wise political organization wanted to protest the hike in fuel prices and called a bandh. These apparent "wise men" actually thought there would be no rise in prices of fuel despite the fact that internationally the prices had doubled over the last 12 months.

The fact is, these protests, demonstrations and Bandh's call them what you want; have become nothing but a public inconvenience to common people i.e people who are not politicians. The only way we can ensure these people are punished is by ensuring they do not get to positions of power. The only way that can happen is if people like you and me exercise our right to vote and vote for the right people.

What is a Garib Rath ? The truth

2008-06-03T03:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I day I was travelling from Bangalore to Hyderabad on a train named as a Garib Rath. The Garib Rath is the railways version of a low cost airline. At least that is that they want us think.

The Garib Rath is a completely air conditioned train that has only A/C 3 tier coaches and a few A/C chair car coaches. I guess the railway’s is trying to eat into the Volvo road travels market. A train meant for the “Garib” or what the government likes to call the “Aam Admi”(common man ).

So now the interesting facts about the train firstly, each bay of every compartment has nine berths. Now how is that you ask? well, the railways have introduced a side middle berth. So now you have another reason not to take those crammed side berths.

Just to get a better idea of what I am saying. Imagine you are on a side lower berth and about two yards from your face there is another berth. The side upper has been pushed further up to make space for the new berth.

Fact number two, if want the bedding which you receive in an A/C coach you have to pay for it. The fee is RS 25/-.

Now comes the fact that disturbs me the most, the number of tickets available in tatkal for Garib Rath is nearly 40% of the total. I do not know how many tickets are normally to be given under tatkal ? But on train that is meant for the “Aam Admi” 40% of tickets priced at nearly twice the normal rate (Rs 824/-).

Now judge for yourself is this Garib Rath a train for the “Aam Admi”? But lets also give credit where it is due, our honorable minister for railways. As the Indian railways has also learned the tricks of the trade when it comes to profit making. The Garib Rath, you will feel Garib when you get of it.

May be we may have to soon pay for this too.

Oil Prices:Price Hike in India

2008-05-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

The price of oil around the world has more than doubled in the last 12 months. In India we have largely been unaffected by it but that is all about to change. Petrol prices could go by RS 3.50 to about RS 10 in the coming days. Petrol prices going up will further push inflation in India. This petrol price rise may be the first of many to come in the future.

The price of oil stands above the 130$ mark and analyst it may reach the 200$ mark in the future. No one in the world had seen this coming and its timing could not be worse. Most of the nations in the world are already experiencing a sharp rise in inflation and this sudden rise in oil prices has further deteriorated the situation.

In India we have already begun to feel the pinch of inflation with rise food prices and now the oil price rise is going to hit us hard. The government is trying very hard not to hike petrol & diesel prices with elections due in a year. But losses that are being inflicted upon the public sector oil companies such as Indian oil, Hindustan petroleum and Bharat petroleum have forced the government to act.

The government recently conceded that a hike in the price of petrol and diesel was imminent. The question now is by how much ? The finance minister is reluctant to reduce the taxes imposed on the oil as it would drastically increase the annual fiscal deficit. But to impose the burden on the common man would be some thing unreasonable.

So now the question is when the price rise comes, how much will it be? I believe the it will depend on how much the finance minister is willing to compromise and how much the allies are willing to risk by passing the buck on to the common man.

We in India cannot shy away from this rise in oil prices, one way or the other we are going to pay more for petrol and diesel. To blame the government for it in my opinion is stupid and unreasonable. As this is a global phenomenon and it is beyond the control of our government.

And as far as the white house is concerned, I have only one thing to say in response to the statement "Many developing nations like India or China are having greatly increased demand, which obviously is having an impact on price"

Guys grow up and stop cribbing, first the food and now this too. Does competition make you uncomfortable??

But million dollar question is by how much? So lets wait and see what the wise men of India decide.

HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN

2008-05-26T05:42:00.000-07:00

The end of this season saw many a big name flatter to deceive. The likes of Liverpool, AC Milan & Barcelona all have ended with disappointing seasons. Many would argue that Arsenal should be on the list but I would disagree.

Arsenal are young team, that are slowly finding their feet. I guess it is a case of you need ton learn to walk before you run and fall a little in the process. Fabregas has been a revelation this season and has shown that he is their crisis man.

Adebayor and Walcottt seem to be settling into the system well. The loss Hleb and Flamini will hurt Arsenal but trust Wenger to find able young replacements for them. I would say watch out for them next season.

Liverpool have as usual turned in a Jekyll and Hyde performance, going great guns in Europe but lack luster in the league. The squabble among the owners has not helped also. I still feel that if Benitez would not chop and change so much, they would not be so inconsistent.

In Europe Liverpool seem to be in their element. Here is food for thought where would Liverpool be without the goals from Fernanado Torres. It is time the domestic championship in England becomes more than 3 horse race.

Barcelona they have been a Greek tragedy this season. The signs were there for all to season last season itself when they gifted the league to their rivals Real Madrid.

Everything that could have gone wrong has wrong at the Camp Nou this season. An overweight and out form Ronaldinho, a Messi who was injured for most of the season, A Henry who seems to be a poor shadow of himself in comparison to his Arsenal days. The list just goes on and on.

So it was only eventual that a massive shake up was to take place at the end of the season. Deco , Ronnie, Etoo, Zambrotta and many more will be leaving the Camp Nou.

AC Milan the European Champions have also had a similar season. Finishing fifth in their league has meant that they have also had a quite miserable season. An aging defense and strikers who are bereft are goals have been at the center of their woes.

A major influx of players is expected for the next season at the San Siro . Having been knocked out of the champions league in the pre-quaterfinal stage by Arsenal did not help either.

EUROPEAN TRANSFERS : FC BARCELONA

2008-05-24T03:59:00.001-07:00

With the curtain going down on the 2007-08 season, its time for the transfer speculation to begin. The summer European transfer season has in the past thrown up many a surprise. This Transfer window has many a big name on the move. The likes Drogba, Ronaldinho, Deco & Etoo will mostly be wearing new team colors.

Lets us start with the Catalan club FC BARCELONA, after two seasons of no silverware and mercurial form. The time has come to break the team up and rebuild the entire team. It has been made clear that the club will part ways with star Ronaldinho so as to make fresh beginning.

Coach Frank Rijkaard has also decided to leave, the club let him exit gracefully by letting finish the season. Despite poor performances during the season. Edmilson has also parted ways with club moving to Villareal. Other people rumored to be on their way out are the likes of Etoo, Deco, Zambrotta and my personal opinion is Henry will also leave.

Manchester United's Gerard Pique is mostly on his way to the Nou Camp. The youngster who was taken from the Barcelona academy is relishing the possibility of a return to his home.
Sevilla's Danny Alves is also suspected to be on his to joining the Catalans. The Brazilian has made no secret of the fact he wants to move to greener pastures, it increasingly appears he will be moving to Barcelona.

I also believe come next season Drogba will be wearing a Barcelona jersey. After the Moscow fiasco in is very clear that he will not be a Chelsea man come next season. If the deal does materialize, you heard it here first.

2008-05-16T03:01:00.000-07:00

Halfway between the gutter and the stars
Stands the air, thin and weak,
Around my dreams floating, half-asleep,
With the silent smoke of dead cars.
They fall to the trodden ground and writhe
As reality strides on with thorny feet,
But in the dark hours of night so sweet
They see the cold stars and rise.
A breath of life, a breath of hope,
A little cheer and a little blindness,
Some laughter and a lot of kindness...
That's all my dreams need to cope

LIFE AT VIT UNIVERSITY : VELLORE

2008-05-15T03:50:00.000-07:00

This is a follow up on my previous post VIT University. As VITEE results were announced it would help a lot of students looking for information on VIT University. General information has been posted in previous post on VIT University CLICK HERE. Ranked 10 th on India today's list of top engineering colleges

In my last my post I was very civil in my description about VIT University, so this time I have decided to describe everything from a different perspective

LIFE AT VIT UNIVERSITY

As far as academics is concerned VIT University is more than respectable. It offers opportunities for you to push those big ideas through but beware of those try to hitch a ride on your shoulders.

As in most colleges the assignments completed as a group task. VIT University follows a semester system, the odd semester feel really long and even semester gets over before you know it.

One thing that one should be careful about is the attendance. They are very strict about it, 75% or else bye bye. There is always a way out of every thing in VIT, the path generally hurts your pocket.

Some good news for freshers is that ragging is an offense which is taken very seriously.

Attractions of Main Campus

The VIT University campus is huge, but thankfully there are shaded walkways to shade you from the ever present blazing Vellore sun. The weather is rarely pleasant.

There are 3 places to eat on Campus. The VIT University food court near Technology Tower, Canteen & Quick bytes. In the VIT food court you get almost all varieties of food, but be warned looks can be deceiving. Canteen is purely vegetarian here I suggest the lunch meal, it is a sumptuous south Indian thali. Quick bytes is the place to go for fast food I suggest the barbeque roll and cakes such as black forest . Note all these palaces get extremely crowded during lunch.

My favorite place on the campus is the main basketball court, right behind the Anna auditorium. It is the number one hang out spot on campus, also one of the most picturesque courts you will ever see. It is the only sport played in the main campus.

Other sports facilities in VIT University include football field, cricket field, Olympic size swimming pool, a large number of badminton courts, floodlit basketball & volleyball courts and floodlit tennis courts.

10 NOT KNOWN FACTS ABOUT VIT UNIVERSITY

You can be suspended and fined for being present at the site of ragging or for not doing anything to stop ragging.
You can not sit anywhere on campus
A boy and girl cannot site together on any of the benches near the basketball court.
A large percentage of the people playing basketball on campus do it because it is a shortcut to fame at VIT University
There is no such thing as O D in VIT University ( subject to department)
There is no internet connection or LAN provided by the college in the hostels (private LAN wires are considered illegal)
There is a helipad in the middle of the stadium (concrete)
The field used for cricket and football is the same.
Concerts in VIT University are held with barriers that separate boys and girls
TASMAC is the place most visited by VIT students (go to VIT and find out what I mean)

POLITICS OF DIVISION: A STATE CALLED TELANGANA?

2008-05-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

Come may 29th the question of whether or not the state of Telangana will be or can be formed will be decided on. A referendum of sorts will take place as the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) resigned from its 18 assembly and 9 lok sabha seats.

The by-election for these seats are going to indicate as to how strong is the want for statehood is. The Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) gave up all these seats, to protest the lack of support for statehood from ruling congress party in the state and center. As the congress had become hesitant to support the cause despite the issue being a part of the common minimum program between the two during the 2004 state elections in which they were allies.

Now that is as far the politics of the issue goes, now let us look at the practicality of it. The Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) by resigning their seats a year before the actual scheduled elections are not proving anything.

All they have achieved to do is, to reaffirm our faith that politicians really do not think much about the country, state or people. Not only have resigned but also have decided to contest the same seats again. What are they trying to prove???

Election costs run in to crore's and in today's time of rising prices, one is forced to wonder if it is required. Further, gimmicks like the leader of Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) mr K C Rao sleeping in an tribal hamlet, taking bath in a canal etc. Point to nothing but desperation on part of the politicians.

The reasons for statehood may be genuine but the actions to acquire are certainly not. I fear to think what Mr Sardar Patel would say if he saw his work of putting together a united India from 565 princely being undone by his fellow Indians.

SHOAIB AKTHAR RUNS THROUGH THE DAREDEVILS : KOLKATA PULLS A RABBIT OF THE BAG

2008-05-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Shoaib Akthar destroyed the Daredevils with a battering ram of a spell taking 4-11. Shoaib Akthar accounted for Sehwag , Gambhir, De villiers and Tiwari in his opening spell to help the Knight Riders defend a paltry 136. Shoaib Akthar was declared man of the match. L R Shukla also joined the party taking 3 wickets.

Kolkata won the toss and elected to bat with Akash Chopra and Salman Butt opening the batting. The Knight Riders were off to a cautious start with Butt being the more aggressive of the two openers.

After the slow start the Knight Riders found themselves in further trouble losing the wickets of Sourav and Chopra, stuttering at 48-2 after 7 overs. After which the process rebuilding was taken on by Kolkata's Mr. Dependable, David Hussey, and Butt.

Just as things were beginning to look good, Butt lost his wicket trying to push the tempo. They were at 91-3, which was followed by a miniature batting collapse brought about by some good tight bowling by the Daredevil bowlers like Maharoof, Sangwan & Mishra.

Hussey stood tall amidst the carnage giving the Knight Riders' total a measure of respectability by reaching 133-6.

Delhi, starting with Sehwag and Gambhir, must have been supremely confident of wrapping the match up. But the Rawalpindi Express, Shoaib Akthar, had other ideas, opening the bowling for the Knight Riders. Shoaib Akthar was breathing fire from ball one, bowling at 150 kmph.

Shoaib Akthar blitzed through the top order, accounting for Sehwag , Gambhir, De villiers and Tiwari with some good old-fashioned fast bowling. Delhi was reeling at 28-4, attempts for revival brushed aside as Delhi kept losing wickets at regular intervals owing to some tight bowling and fielding by Kolkata. Delhi found itself at 73-6.

Maharoof and Mishra staged a mini comeback, only to be nipped at the bud by a brilliant piece of fielding by Dinda to run Maharoof out. This was followed by a remarkable over by L R Shukla in which he took 3 wickets in 5 balls. Delhi was all out for 110.

With this victory the Knight Riders are back in the hunt for a semi-final berth. Delhi seems to be losing form just when it matters. Will they make it ?? only time will tell.

IPL : TOP 5 PERFORMERS

2008-05-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

If one were to look at the performances IPL( Indian Premier League) at the half way stage, there have been few outstanding performances . Here are my top 5 heroes.

let us start with the top 5 Indian players in league.

M S Dhoni ( Chennai Super Kings)
V. Shewag (Delhi Daredevils) & I.pathan (Kings XI Punjab)
Y. Pathan (Rajasthan Royals) & G. Gambhir (Delhi Daredevils)
S. Ganguly (Kolkata Knight Riders) & P. Chawla (Kings XI Punjab)
R. Sharma ( Deccan Chargers) & R.Uthappa (Mumbai Indians)

Dhoni is at the top of the list, as his performance with the bat and as captain have been exemplary. By ensuring he is there at end for the final surge.

Shewag and Irfan have been performing with the bat and ball respectively ensuring their teams succes.

Yusuf Pathan has been revelation of sorts at the top of the Rajasthan Royals top order. He has been a critical player in his teams surge to the top. Gambhir is one of the very few players who appears to be in total control in this format with his attacking brand of batting

Dada Ganguly appears to be a man on mission, as he turning heads with his bowling and steadily finding his touch with the bat. Chawla appears to have come of age as bowler, recovering from a bad start in tournament to a wicket taking bowler.

Rohit Sharma has been one of the lone bright points of an under performing Deccan chargers side. Robin Uthappa seems to have found the responsibility in his batting that appeared to be lacking in Australia.

The other people who deserve a mention are Zaheer, Nehra, Balaji and Munaf patel. All seem to be hitting some good form after injury layoffs.

All in all the future of Indian cricket looks good shape.

Top 5 foreign players

S. Watson (Rajasthan Royals)
G. Mcgrath (Delhi Daredevils) & S. Warne (Rajasthan Royals)
D. Hussey (Kolkata Knight Riders) & S. Marsh (Kings XI Punjab)
M. Hayden (Chennai Super Kings)& M. Hussey (Chennai Super Kings)
S. Pollock (Mumbai Indians) & D. Steyn (Bangalore Royal Challengers)

Shane Watson has been the talk of the Indian Premier league. A player bought at throw away price of 125,000$. He has been setting the tournament on fire with sizzling batting and consistent bowling.

Age seems to have no effect on the bowling machine called Glen Mcgrath. He is still as effective as ever, bought for 350,000$ he is worth every single penny. Shane Warne has shown why he was called the best player not to captain Australia. His bowling just like the Mcgrath seems to have remained unchanged.

The younger Hussey ,David has become Mr. dependable of the Kolkata, He is the main reason for their batting line up to perform so consistently. His price tag 625,000 appears justified. Shaun Marsh has been the surprise package of the tournament. He with his elegant strokes has been at the center of the Punjab revival. He averages an incredible 91 in the tournament.

The Chennai who started so well seem to be faltering off late, due to the depature of their pillars in batting Hayden and Hussey. Both of these Australians have been well worth their price tag, with an average of nearly 50.

The performance of the old warhorse Shaun Pollock makes you wonder, how he was dropped from the South African team? His batting and bowling has been performance has been extraordinary. Dale Steyn has been the only bright spot in an otherwise lack luster Bangalore team. His fiery bowling has ensured some amount of respectability for Bangalore.

Top 5 Indian Youngsters

A. Nayar (Mumbai Indians)& S.Trivedi (Rajasthan Royals)
R. Jadeja (Rajasthan Royals)
A. Binda (Kolkata Knight Riders)
D. Kulkarni (Mumbai Indians)
S. Badrinath (Chennai Super Kings)

Nayar appears to be one for the future as an all rounder. His bowling coupled with his explosive batting makes him one to watch in the future. My other choice for number 1 is a bowler for the Rajasthan Royals Trivedi, has been one of the most consistent bowlers in tournament. His economy rates is one of the lowest in the tournament.

R. Jadeja is my pick for an India cap in the next year or so. An aggressive middle order batsman with all the strokes in the book. His agile fielding is also an added advantage.

Ashok Binda, the opening bowler for for the Knight Riders has been very impressive in his role. He his nippy and very accurate and has been a consistent performer for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dhawal Kulkarni is another promising bowler from the Mumbai Indians. A first change bowler he has consistent and accurate. He appears to be thinking bowler something not common to most young upcoming bowlers.

My last of the top 5 S. Badrinath, is one I am sure will play for India before the year is done. The swashbuckling batsman has been scoring runs in the domestic league by the dozen. He was off to slow start in IPL but slowly seems to be settling in. His passion and enthusiasm is there for every one to see.

Other notable performances have come from Manpreet Gony (Chennai Super Kings), Amit Mishra (Delhi Daredevils) & Yo Mahesh (Delhi Daredevils).

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE: HALFWAY STAGE

2008-05-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

The IPL (Indian Premier League) has reached the halfway stage. It is pretty clear the IPL (Indian Premier League) is giving the saans bahu serials of Ekta Kapoor a run for its money. With its fair share drama and controversies theIPL (Indian Premier League) is the fast becoming a must watch for a cricket crazy nation.

The advent of the IPL (Indian Premier League), has surely killed off the possibility of any other sport coming to prominence in this one sport nation. Mr Lalit Modi has sadly given this country the one thing it can never get tired off, cricket.

I am not some one who hates cricket but I would like to see other sports in India gain prominence. At this juncture I would like draw attention to the so called "the spirit of game " in the IPL (Indian Premier League).

The incidents such as the verbal spat between Ganguly and Warne, the now infamous slapgate between Sreesanth and Harbahajan make, you wonder where the feeling of sportsmanship has gone??

I mean one has to spare a thought for the ICL(Indian Cricket League), because of whom the IPL(Indian Premier League) came into existence. I would also like to point out that matches in ICL(Indian Cricket League) were not ones where the bowlers massacred, totals were more in the range 140-160. I would disagree with any one who says that the level of cricket was anything below par.

But the stand out feature of this IPL (Indian Premier League) has the been performance of the local talent. Contrary to popular belief the fortunes of the teams have depended on these unsung heroes . For example The Rajasthan Royals are a team with no real big names other than Shane Warne but they have been the team to beat so far in this IPL(Indian Premier League). All because of their local talent such as Siddarth Diwedi Jadeja etc.

The Deccan Chargers are prime example of what can happen when there is no real local talent around, having lost its best to the ICL (Indian Cricket League)with in likes of Rayadu, I S Reddy etc. They have one the very best set of foreign players but with a lack of support cast find themselves as one of the bottom dwellers in IPL(Indian Premier League).

All in all the Ipl (Indian Premier League) has been able to keep the interest in the public going. With even teams performing poorly such Deccan chargers and Bangalore playing to packed stadiums. Will these fans be back year after year?? only time will tell.

CHINESE ATTACK INDIAN GOVERNMENT WEBSITES

2008-05-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

The ministry of external affairs has revealed that Indian systems in the embassy in China have been compromised. The Chinese have been constantly trying to hack in to Indian government websites.

This is was brought to my notice the other day,when I was watching the news. "Indi-Chini Bhai Bhai" well the Chinese have done to us again.

The Chinese have been trying for some time get their hand on sensitive Indian information. The information which deals with matters of national security, like designs for new weapons military protocol etc.

What is further baffling is that, these actions of hacking are government backed and sponsored. The Chinese government has an organized system and divisions to carry out such operations.

The irony of this whole issue is the fact that India leads the world in software development but we use Chinese software to protect our national securities.

Thus we have have given away our technological advantage on a platter. May be its time that we as Indians got our act together and take care of our country first.

INFLATION IN INDIA: RISING PRICES

2008-05-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

Rising prices of essential commodities, volatile stock market and opposition parties protests that cause traffic jams are all due to rising inflation. Inflation appears to be the buzz word on the street.

The "common man" as the news channels put it appears to reeling from the effects of inflation. Food prices are on the rise. Officially the figure now stands at 7.52%.

The government is being held responsible for failing to act, I would like to step in at this juncture and make a few points that we need to keep in mind.

Firstly, the government has taken measures to curb inflation, with few changes in policy. But does it not take time for it to effect. This is not a problem with quick fix , so we need to be patient.

Secondly, this is a global phenomenon and every one all over the world is feeling the pinch. The inflation we are experiencing at this is a result of the action of market forces of supply and demand.

At the moment in India the production of food commodities has not increased much in the past few years but what has increased is the population, purchasing power and standard of living. In other words supply has remained stagnant but demand was increased exponentially.

Thirdly, it is true that steel prices have gone up drastically but contrary to common belief cement has not risen by any measure. The price of cement has actually fallen in certain states such as Andhra Pradesh over the last 6 months.

One needs to understand that in countries such as China the food prices have gone up by 23%. Therefore in comparison we are actually doing pretty well.

If we are aiming for 8-9% or more every year, there are going to be consequences that we have contend with and may be higher prices may be one of them.

HYDERABAD UNPLUG

2008-05-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

Hyderabad Unplug is an initiative by the people of Hyderabad to raise awareness about global warming. From 7.30pm to about 8.30pm the citizens of Hyderabad are urged to switch of all appliances.

Following on the heels of world earth day, where people carried out a similar gesture. This Hyderabad specific gesture hopefully meets with the same amount of success.

Just a recap for all you people, these extreme temperatures and changing weather patterns that we are experiencing is a result of global warming.

So let us please in our own little way help preserve mother earth. Because together we can definitely make a difference.

For further information on Global warming and its effects please use wikipedia(click on it) or watch the movie (click on it; a must watch) An inconvinient truth

MACHESTER UNITED vs CHELSEA : AN ALL ENGLISH CLASH IN MOSCOW

2008-05-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

It will be an all English clash, come this may in Moscow. The Champions league finalists were the decide this past week, when Manchester united beat Barcelona 1-0 ( 1-0 Aggregate ) at Old trafford & Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-2 (4-3 Aggregate) at Stamford Bridge.

At old trafford the second leg of the clash between the two giants Manchester United and FC Barcelona unfolded. The tie played out as expected with home team piling on the early pressure. The pressure payed off with a fabulous strike from Paul Scholes.

Barcelona had chances off their own but as from the first leg the killer pass in the final third just seemed lacking. Messi played his socks off. Coming close a few times only to be denied by Van de Sar.

The second half was very similar to the one from the 1st leg. Barcelona pushed forward but just could not find a way through to the goal. They brought on Henry and then the teenage sensation Borjan to no avail.

Henry had a free header but put it straight at Van de Sar. Barcelona as expected had possession but what seems have become a recurring problem failed to capitalize on the advantage . Eventually the matched finished 1-0 and the reds were through to the final.

Chelsea on the other had played their favorite opponent on European nights Liverpool at Stamford bridge. Chelsea were confident as they had scored the crucial away goal and Liverpool knew that they needed one. As expected Chelsea went ahead with a goal from Drogba.

But Liverpool, the comeback kings of of European football equalized through El Nino (Torres). It is scary to think where Liverpool would be with out him.
Regulation ended 1-1 and extra time was needed. 8 min in to the extra time, who other than Mr Chelsea Frank Lampard scored through a penalty. Drogba sealed the deal with a strike in the 15 min. Babel got a late consolation for Liverpool but it was not enough to inspire them to another victory.

Thus Chelsea at long last were through to their 1st final. So now the blue's and red's will not only fight for the English crown but also the European one.

IRON MAN: THE REVIEW

2008-05-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

Iron Man, another one in a long list of marvel comics to be made into a movie. An impressive cast in terms of pedigree with Robert Downey Jr in the lead, Gwyneth Paltrow as his leading lady and Jeff Bridges as the bad guy.

The plot of Iron Man revolves around Tony Stark( Robert) a wealthy know it all CEO of a weapons production company for the US military. Who gets kidnapped by terrorists, on his way back from a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan.

He then builds a suit of amour and gadgets to escape from captivity. Once back on US soil he decides to improve the suit( suit is red and gold in color) and with help of his trusted aide Jim Rhodes played by Terrence Howard. Also helped on the way by the beautiful Pepper Potts played by Gwyneth Platrow.

Now that all the introduction is done, Lets get down to what makes the movie tick?? Robert Downey Jr carries the movie all own his own. He excels as the cocky millionaire know it all but some how seems like a fish out of water during the scenes of moral enlightenment.

The movie has its fair share neat graphics and usual carnage associated with super hero flicks.
Personally I think it is a good time pass flick. I am just thankful that it was not as screwed up as Daredevil.

I would give it a 7 out 10.

So I would say if you are bored go watch Iron Man.

THINGS TO DO IN THE CITY OF HYDERABAD

2008-04-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Living in Hyderabad is all about being a Hyderabadi. I shall list out a few things that one can do to experience Hyderabad. In Hyderabad you live life king size and enjoying every simple pleasure of life. To answer the question how do you experience Hyderabad ??

I have been living in Hyderabad for over 15 Years, I find this city to be an ideal blend of the past, the present and a little pinch of the future. I guess it is only natural to fall in love with your home town.

Let me start with the thing most integral to Hyderabad, the Biryani. There is many a place in the city, but everyone has their own favorites. So here is my take on it, if you are some one who is not sure of how like your biryani then Hyderabad House is the place for you. If you are one for good spicy masala and flavour Paradise Hotel at Secunderabad is the place to go. If you are a person who loves his meat then Bawarchi at RTC crossroads is the one for you.

Now lets get to places for activity, if you are some one with need for speed Runway 9 on Medchal road is where you ought to be. It is a state of the art floodlit go-karting facility. If You want to "shoot em'up" then Paintball at Jalvihar on necklace is the place for you. Knocking pins down is your thing, Alligator in Secunderabad is the place to be.

So long before coffee shops and chains made a splash in India, Hyderabad had its very own version of CCD( cafe coffee day). Irani cafe as we call it, you find it at almost every corner or junction. The Irani Chai and Osmania biscuit are must try. Madina cafe Lucky cafe and Sarvee are the prominent ones.

As far as night life is concerned Hyderabad is not far behind cities such bangalore and Mumbai. Places such as Touch and F-Bar on road no 2 Banjara hills are swanky up town joints with great ambiance , crowd and music. Ahala in Taj on Banjara hills road no1 is place that definitely deserves mention for its amazing interiors and atmosphere.

Places that fall in to the second tier are joints like Bottles and chimneys near the old air port, Firangi Paani in Banjara Hills rd 1 & 10 Downing Street at Begumpet. If you just want to go with bunch of guys have drink take in a game in the process Club 8 in Begumpet and Outswingers in Secunderabad are the places to be.

If it has been a late night partying, and you want to get some grub. Ohri's in banjara hills and Pickles ( Basera) in Secunderabad are eateries that offer buffet's that are open late in to the night.

This is my take on things, so please feel free to share your opinions with me.

For More detail on Hyderabad and Hyderabadi gourmet please visit:
http://readro.wordpress.com/

Vellore Institute of Technology a.k.a VIT University

2008-04-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again, when you have entrance exams for engineering colleges left right and center. VITEE is one such exam; it is the entrance exam for VIT University (Vellore). Being a graduate of the 2007 batch in mechanical engineering I would like to share with you my experiences. VIT University is situated in the city of Vellore in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

For all of you who have no clue about where Vellore is, let me put it to you this way it about 4 hrs from Bangalore by train and 2 hrs from Chennai by train. At the outset please be warned that Vellore is no thriving metropolis.

There are only two places of significance in Vellore, one is VIT University and the other is Christian Medical College. Both are at opposite ends of the city. To say That VIT university is a concrete jungle would be an understatement.

The campus can basically be divided into two parts by a railway line.
a) Main campus b) Boys hostel

The main campus has buildings which house all the academic departments. The highlight of the campus side structures are the technology tower and the state of the library building. The technology has possess a large number of state of art smart class rooms and auditoriums.

In the recent Past VIT University has played host to large number of international conferences eg. GCMM, AIMTDR & CARS AND FOF. The library is a four floored fully air conditioned building with a large stock course study content.

The hostels are maintained very well, the choice of rooms range from A/C rooms to four bedded rooms. The mess food is exactly what you would expect from a mess (open for interpretation). One thing the college has in abundance is facilities for sports, it ranges from multiple floodlit basketball courts to Olympic size swimming pools. There are two football fields, one cricket field & an indoor sports complex on its way to completion.

As far education goes I would say it is quite respectable. Placement is never a problem for a student in VIT University. A large number of students also tend pursue higher education abroad.

Ranking of Departments in VIT University in my opinion:
1) Mechanical & Civil
2) Biotechnology
3) EEE
4) CSE & IT

Facts About VIT University

Now I will enlighten you about things which brochures do not tell you. You will be fined by the college for many a reason. Please do not mess with the management. There is still a stigma associated with boys and girls being friends. Girls have an in time of 7 Pm in the evening. Please note knowledge of Tamil is an added advantage.

All in all, mind your business stick to your life and don not get in anyone's way. You can have a good time.

Interesting Facts about Vellore

Vellore has no pleasant weather by any stretch of imagination.It is ALWAYS at a temperature custom-designed to make you feel uncomfortably hot or unpleasantly cold. It is a large-scale model of the new-fangled 'intelligent' facilities that housing developments now offer, with the slight difference that if its sensors detect that you are wearing tiny shorts and headed to brush your teeth, there will be a carefully-timed wind that is programmed to blow its fiercest at your skinny knees and make them clatter together and freeze. At all other times, (especially when walking to a "xerox" shop (at noon, inevitably) to get indispensable copies of some forgotten yet essential study material) it is unbelievably hot. You will NOT get used to it.

There are only about 4-5 places to eat or go to chill as one would say in the town. Please be cautioned there is no night life in Vellore, unless you count the time spent in running from one room to another to hide from your not-so-benevolent warden. There is only one Movie Theater which screens Hindi movies. The name of the best hotel in town is Darling Residency.

Auto guys will fleece you at every given opportunity.Please note from the station to the College main gate it costs anywhere between 25-30 Rs/-, DO NOT PAY MORE.All those people coming from the north please note that a paratha and parotta are two different things.

LIFE AT VIT

Life at VIT university is pretty much the same as elsewhere. One needs a golf cart to get around campus because it is so huge. Students choose to spend their time at various locations in the campus itself as the city of Vellore does not offer much in the way of entertainment for the young.

Several students can be found in the library right from it's opening time at 9 am upto midnight, mostly because of the incredible amount of reference material, but also because (i suspect) of the escape its quiet, air-conditioned, almost palatial interiors provide from the oppressive heat outside.

SUPER KINGS VS ROYAL CHALLENGERS: DHONI SHOWS HIS METTLE

2008-04-28T10:08:00.001-07:00

Going in to this match, the pressure was on the Royal challengers having won only 1 out of their previous 3 games. Dravid's team seemed to be feeling the effects of the having an inexperienced bowling attack, with no real leader in the bowling department they seemed to be involved in a leather hunt during every match. On the hand super kings seem to be going from strength to strength in every department. With likes of Hayden and Hussey on song their batting line up is firing on all cylinders. The return to form of Jacob Oram in bowling department has bolstered the Chennai team.

At start of the game there was one notable change in chennai line up as Muttiah was replaced by Albie Morkel and Dale steyn was brought into the Bangalore outfit to provide some much needed teeth to the bowling. Chennai won the toss and elected to bat. This move payed immediate dividence as Styen opened with a fiery spell, ably supported by Zaheer. Parthiv and Hayden were dismissed early, Chennai Seemed to be stuttering at 43-2 , but then enter Mr. Cricket Michael Hussey. Along with captain Dhoni rebuilt the innings and from th 16th over Dhoni took the attack to the opposition taking a special liking to Steyn. Taking him for 23 runs in the 19th over. The Chennai super kings finished with 178.

Bangolre in reply did not start too well, with Jaffer showing that he is not a natural when it comes to this format. Chipli palyed a rash shot and lost his wicket cheaply, with Bangalore staring down the barrel at 20-1 needed a hero. Ross Taylor answered the call for his team with some lusty blows that resembled a man hacking a tree but very effective none the less. Out of the blue Jaffer seemed to have woken up to the fact that this was a t20 game. Jaffer opened up with some splendid blows and it seemed as if Taylor and Jaffer would guide them through. But Bangalore then committed cricket suicide, with some poor shot selection. At this point I would like to question the selection policy for Bangalore choosing not to play Misbah-ul-Haq. The lack of calm head in the middle for the royal challengers, was more than obvious. A lack of application ensured that Bangalore snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. They finished at 165 all out.

PSLV: INDIA LAUNCHES 10 SATELLITES

2008-04-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

Today was a monumental day in the history of ISRO ( Indian Space Research Organization). They have successfully launched 10 satellites in one go. This is better than the previous record of 9 which was held by Russia, they done so just about a year ago.

The Polar satellite launch vehicle took off from Srihari Kota at around 9.30 am this morning. The was a little concern preceding the launch due to the development a slight low pressure in the bay of Bengal. But it was decided that the launch would go ahead.

Out of the 10 satellites put in space 2 were Indian and the remaining were for foreign clients.
Of the 2 satellites placed into orbit by India CARTOSAT 2-A, is a next generation remote sensing satellite which has ability to identify objects to the greatest detail like never before.

With this successful mission India has established itself as one of the big players in the field of space research. It has been a long journey from the early failures of the Rohini rocketin 1979 to development of completely indigenous launch vehicle capable of launching multiple satellites. I' looks certain that India's Chandrayaan mission is on course to be a resounding success.

DECCAN CHARGERS VS MUMBAI INDIANS : THE GILCHRIST SHOW ALL THE WAY

2008-04-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Going in to the 14th match of IPL (Indian Premier League ) both the Deccan chargers and the Mumbai Indians had no wins from 3 games. Which meant that this game was a must win game. The Deccan chargers went in to this game, after heart breaking loss to the Rajasthan Royals, a game which they should have won. Mumbai Indians on other have been suffering from losses on and off the field starting with , the injury to their leader Sachin, followed by heavy losses to Chennai and Mohali and now with the suspension of Harbhajan following the brawl with Sreesanth.

The Deccan chargers won the the toss and elected bowl. The new D Y Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai offered a picture perfect back drop for this crucial encounter. Shaun Pollock took on role of captain for Mumbai in the absence of Sachin and Bhajji. Laxman brought in Nuwan Zoysa for Chaminda Vaas . The Indians got off to the worst possible losing wickets early at regular intervals. They were stuttering at 56-4 in the 11th over. This brought Bravo and Pollock together, they went of about rebuilding the innings. Just as the recovery operation seemed to be working, Pollock got out trying to push tempo. This brought the promising Abhishek Nayar to the crease. The youngster did not disappoint by dismissing the ball to all parts of the ground and showing some much needed urgency. But his cameo innings was brought to end by RP singh. But Bravo continued where he left off and Mumbai finished with a fighting total off 154.

The Deccan Chargers came out all guns blazing relying heavily on the blade of the Adam Gilchrist. It seemed as if the Indian bowlers for some reason that cannot be explained wanted to check if Gilly can play the short ball. Laxman on the other hand was quietly returning the strike to Gilchrist who belligerent mood. Gilchrist took a special liking to Shaun Pollock in the 7th over carting him for 3 sixes and 1 four. Gilchrist continued his bludgeoning of the Mumbai attack by taking apart the youngster Nayar. Gilly brings up his 100 in the same over. Gilchrist 100 of 42 balls is the fastest in the tournament. By the 13th over believe it or not the match was over. The Chargers had finally got on the board with a win. On the other hand, time is running out for the Indians to get things going.

CHELSEA VS MANCHESTER UNITED : BALLACK'S DOUBLE KEEPS BLUE'S IN THE HUNT

2008-04-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

At start of the evening Chelsea were 3 Points Behind Manchester United, with two games left in the season it was all to play for. Both Manchester united and Chelsea have have mid week Champions league games at home. But with the domestic title undecided, it was all to play for at Stamford Bridge. Sir Alex as usual took the focus of his plays earlier by slamming the officials for the poor schedule. He surprised every one with his line up also by leaving Ronaldo, Tevez & Hargreaves on the bench. The actions of Sir Alex may be with one eye on the Champions League return leg at Old Trafford.

Chelsea 2 Manchester United 1
Ballack 45' Rooney 57'
Ballack 86'
(pen)

Chelsea started the first half brighter of the two. It seemed as if United were they still playing Barcelona at the Camp Nou, as swarm after swarm of Chelsea attack struck the red defensive wall of united. But all to no avail, the Manchester attack did not seem to be doing much better as they were struggling to hold the ball. Joe Cole came close to breaking the deadlock but struck the post. United had to make an unexpected substitution, when Vidic took an ugly knock from Drogba. Chelsea huffed and puffed at Vad da Sar's goal but were unable to find a way past him. Then in 45th minute Drogba launches a pin point cross to find the head of Ballack who makes no mistake puts Chelsea in front just before the break.

The second half starts in much the same fashion as the first with Chelsea Pushing forward. Then suddenly against the run of play, a horrendous back pass from Carvalho to his keeper which under hit finds a rooney who gleefully accepts and scores. The title suddenly seems its on its way back to Manchester. Chelsea then rang in the changes with Anelka and Schevchenko coming on to find the crucial goal to keep Chelsea's title hopes alive. Chelsea lay siege on the united goal but are unable to convert their opportunities. Chance after chance is wasted by the blues till suddenly a penalty is awarded to them. Carrick is penalized for handling the ball, a questionable call but Ballack makes the most of it by scoring from the spot. After Manchester united poured forward in desperation, Ronaldo who had come on for Rooney was denied by Cole who cleared off the line. Even during added on time the reds had an effort by Ferdinand cleared of the line.

The game ended with a victory for Chelsea, the title race is far from over with two games left and both teams tied on 81 points.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL MANCHESTER UNITED VS BARCELONA

2008-04-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Manchester United -0 FC Barcelona-0

The clash between Manchester United and Barcelona in the Champions league semi-final was billed as the battle between two teams who play the beautiful game. It was projected as Lionel Messi vs Christiano Ronaldo. The man who is widely considered the best player in the world at this moment with 38 goals this season and his only threat Messi who along with teenage sensation Borjan Kirkic have been the only shinning light of Barcelona's rather lack luster season. Manchester united went in to the game as clear favorites, as Barcelona have been suffering from poor recent form.

The game started and before even one could blink Manchester united earned a penalty. Milito had made contact with the ball with his hands raised inside the first five minutes of the game. As expected the man of the moment Ronaldo stepped up to take the kick. A pensive Nou Camp watched as he took the penalty, the tension changed to Ecstasy as he put the ball wide. Ronaldo had missed it comprehensively. This seemed to be the only moment of any real significance in a very drab first half. Barcelona had most of the possession but failed to convert all the dominance to a meaningful chance. They just seemed not be able to find any sort of rhythm or flow to their game. Manchester United also had no joy as for much of the half the strike force of united seemed quiet and non existent. Being shepherded well by a veteran Barcelona defence.

The second half started in much the same way the first ended, Barcelona having the ball for long spells and Manchester United holding and clearing their lines. Barcelona seemed to have greater impetus, with Etoo leading the charge. But Barcelona just seemed lacking in the final third, with good build up play but not finishing the moves. There were few anxious moments for Manchester United when Ferdinand clipped Etoo in the box. The Cameroon striker did not go ground and stayed on his feet unlike certain other players on the oppsite side. Manchester United should thank their lucky stars as the referee did not give a penalty for a Evra clipping Iniesta's feet in the box. Barcelona had a few nervy Moments of their own. Yaya Toure made a clumsy tackle on Ronaldo in the box, luckily he had got a piece of the ball but I have seen penalties given for less. Thus match ended with a score that few would have expected. The were no flashes of brilliance from Rooney or Ronaldo, the Barcelona defense had done their job but the sadly their attack had not.

Going in to the return leg Manchester United will be very confident but cautious as they have no away goals and one would have to be a brave man to bet against Barcelona scoring. The Catalans will be disappointed with result but will surely believe that they can score at Old Trafford. One thing is for sure, the tie is very delicately poised with Manchester having the Advantage. All this only ensures that the 2nd leg of the clash between Manchester United and Barcelona in the Champions league semi-final will be an intriguing one.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL LIVERPOOL VS CHELSEA

2008-04-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1

kuyt 43' Riise 94'(OG)

Last night was another magical night of European football. For the third time in recent years Liverpool met Chelsea in the champions league. For Chelsea it has been a case of so near yet so far for many a year in the champions league, running into likes of Barcelona and Liverpool. They have been on the wrong side every single time. Nothing much seems to have changed between the two teams since the last time they met. Anfield is still a fortress, Steven Gerrard is still Liverpool's inspiration and Chelsea still keep finding a way to win with likes of Lampard and Terry at the center. As expected clear cut chances were at premium, both teams possess stingy defense records and this was very evident during the game. It was a cagey affair with midfield being the focus of the battle. As it generally happens goal came when chelsea failed to clear their lines, Dirk Kuyt the ever opportunistic striker scored when a deflected shot from Alonso fell to him. By putting ball through the legs of Peter Cech. The goal came at 43rd minute just before the end of the first half. Liverpool went in to the break on top. The pressure was now on Chelsea again.

The second was not very dissimilar from the first one. Liverpool's Ryan babel almost added to Liverpool's advantage by unleashing a rasping shot in the second half which just missed the goal. Chelsea had their share of near misses too with the attempts from Lampard and malouda. Then in the dying minutes, Steven Gerrard hit the crossbar and torres forced a big save from Peter Cech. Then when you just thought it was all over and Liverpool had put in an another tidy performance. Avram Grant brought on Anelka and Kalou to help Chelsea find the elusive and valuable away goal. A hit and hope cross from Kalou in to the box with less than a minute left of injury time left forced a quite inexplicable defensive ground header from John Arne Riise went past Reina. And in a blink of an eye Chelsea had become favorites for going through to the final.

Now Chelsea sit firmly in the drivers seat with a crucial away goal. But to say that the tie is done and dusted is definitely premature. Liverpool as we have come to see over the recent past just refuse to go away when it comes to European football. It will come down who scores first at the bridge, only thing one can be sure of is that they will be an English team at Moscow in may.