Rediff's most read articles of 2005 makes a sad comment on Indian readers choice.
Of the top 10 articles that were read almost 6 belong to "Entertainment" and only one or two concerns nation's situation.
And rediff.com being an online journal you would think it is read by "educated" , IT savy folks.
One fails to understand how (some chap) Abhjit Sawant's interview or the movie Salam Namaste's review could even be ranked amongst the most read ?
The "educated masses" of the nation truely suck. No wonder Times of India has the highest readership.
Duh !
Friday, December 30, 2005
Kings of Entertainment
Yesterday night on NBC's Jay Leno, i had a rare chance to see two of the finest entertainers come together. Jerry Seinfeld was on Jay Leno's show. Though Jerry might have been on this show several times before, i saw him for the first time.
There mutual respect was pretty palpable. I guess real talent commands respect even from a contemporary or even a competitor.
Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld may not be in direct competition with each other but are surely within the same domain of entertainment.
So as Jerry performed in front of the audience, Jay Leno quite gracefully took the back seat on his own show and let Jerry enjoy his moment. Truely a mark of a great entertainer. I guess Jay Leno is far to secured and confident about himself and thats what that proved.
There mutual respect was pretty palpable. I guess real talent commands respect even from a contemporary or even a competitor.
Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld may not be in direct competition with each other but are surely within the same domain of entertainment.
So as Jerry performed in front of the audience, Jay Leno quite gracefully took the back seat on his own show and let Jerry enjoy his moment. Truely a mark of a great entertainer. I guess Jay Leno is far to secured and confident about himself and thats what that proved.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Sonia Bhakti in style
Not sure if Sonia-Bhakt and editor of the Outlook magazine Vinod Mehta makes an effort to be obnoxious or is he truely gifted (in that)? In his year end op/ed he says that
"BJP will pin blame on troublesome italian. "
Now now Vinod ji, we know you can be a sucker. You still have that Debonair hangover. But spare us "Hindu, communal, right wing, nationalist rogues" some respect.
Anyways a qualified waitress who now lives as a queen with a Prime Minister under her service couldn't care less for your bhakti.
Go get a life !
"BJP will pin blame on troublesome italian. "
Now now Vinod ji, we know you can be a sucker. You still have that Debonair hangover. But spare us "Hindu, communal, right wing, nationalist rogues" some respect.
Anyways a qualified waitress who now lives as a queen with a Prime Minister under her service couldn't care less for your bhakti.
Go get a life !
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
That sinking feeling
Another day, another attack.
As IT/BPO guys prepare to shell thousands on partying for new year, one might want to ponder about the latest terrorist attack on IISC Banglore.
Institutes like IISC Banglore are not mere universities. They are the very temples of Intellect in the country. IITs and IISCs are the reason why Indians are (if at all) respected outside. The guys from these institutes prepared the groundwork in earlier days in the International arena for midgets like us to earn money in dollars. We (as in IT guys) owe atleast a part or our success, if not our entire success, to these institutes.
When IT/Software was not big, only people from such universities or researchers would land in US (unless off course you had other means and reasons to). They were young and bright graduates who created a positive image of India in international business and government houses. I am sure that most industries would have tested Indian waters with these guys before hiring others from India.
Nevertheless this latest attack is another reminder (as if we needed one) of the danger lurking within our country.
To expect anything from the current establishment will be stupid. It is too steeped in appeasing the perpetrators of the crime. I guess time has come when the nationalists of the nation need to device means and methods to independently defend ourselves. We cannot keep on arguing with bleeding hearts and "secularists" forever. Doesn't make sense any more. If need be, create private armies and get in touch with other victims of jehadis, like for instance Israelis and learn an art or two of tackling them.
IT industry will be in a soup if more such attacks are carried. Our so called economic boom is IT centric (services form 70% of GDP). If nations loose confidence in our security we will loose on important clients and business. And even before we realise we will be in a midst of a crisis.
Clearly the attack was symbolic more than it was meant to be violent. IISC and Banglore together represent a brand, if you will. The attack (by ISI) was on the brand more than on the unfortunate professors. ISI wants to create a fear psychosis within the nation. And one must say it is doing a good job at that.
The first thing UPA government did after coming to power was to remove the law of POTA just to garner a handful of muslim votes. While UPA and Sonia Gandhi are at luxury of playing vote-bank politics , same cannot be said of the nation. We cannot afford to loose this battle against ISI.
As IT/BPO guys prepare to shell thousands on partying for new year, one might want to ponder about the latest terrorist attack on IISC Banglore.
Institutes like IISC Banglore are not mere universities. They are the very temples of Intellect in the country. IITs and IISCs are the reason why Indians are (if at all) respected outside. The guys from these institutes prepared the groundwork in earlier days in the International arena for midgets like us to earn money in dollars. We (as in IT guys) owe atleast a part or our success, if not our entire success, to these institutes.
When IT/Software was not big, only people from such universities or researchers would land in US (unless off course you had other means and reasons to). They were young and bright graduates who created a positive image of India in international business and government houses. I am sure that most industries would have tested Indian waters with these guys before hiring others from India.
Nevertheless this latest attack is another reminder (as if we needed one) of the danger lurking within our country.
To expect anything from the current establishment will be stupid. It is too steeped in appeasing the perpetrators of the crime. I guess time has come when the nationalists of the nation need to device means and methods to independently defend ourselves. We cannot keep on arguing with bleeding hearts and "secularists" forever. Doesn't make sense any more. If need be, create private armies and get in touch with other victims of jehadis, like for instance Israelis and learn an art or two of tackling them.
IT industry will be in a soup if more such attacks are carried. Our so called economic boom is IT centric (services form 70% of GDP). If nations loose confidence in our security we will loose on important clients and business. And even before we realise we will be in a midst of a crisis.
Clearly the attack was symbolic more than it was meant to be violent. IISC and Banglore together represent a brand, if you will. The attack (by ISI) was on the brand more than on the unfortunate professors. ISI wants to create a fear psychosis within the nation. And one must say it is doing a good job at that.
The first thing UPA government did after coming to power was to remove the law of POTA just to garner a handful of muslim votes. While UPA and Sonia Gandhi are at luxury of playing vote-bank politics , same cannot be said of the nation. We cannot afford to loose this battle against ISI.
Curse of Populism
The UPA government may have gone by 2008. But not without doing infinite damage to the country.
Shankar Acharya, former Chief Economic Advisor and a professor at ICRIER explains this in his short but to the point article
There are still a few stable heads in Congress too. Wonder what Jairam Ramesh is still doing in Congress ? Anyways sooner or later he will move out, i am sure.
As for Manmohan Singh and Chidamabaram, i do not see them to be people of great authority. They are mere pygmies who flow along with the direction of their mentors (read Gandhi family). They may (or may not) possess skills as economists, but they lack the ability to force through with their ideas as they are totally dependent on one family for their survival in power.
Shankar Acharya, former Chief Economic Advisor and a professor at ICRIER explains this in his short but to the point article
There are still a few stable heads in Congress too. Wonder what Jairam Ramesh is still doing in Congress ? Anyways sooner or later he will move out, i am sure.
As for Manmohan Singh and Chidamabaram, i do not see them to be people of great authority. They are mere pygmies who flow along with the direction of their mentors (read Gandhi family). They may (or may not) possess skills as economists, but they lack the ability to force through with their ideas as they are totally dependent on one family for their survival in power.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Shameless Congress
Its a sad day for India. With reservations now coming to Private and un-aided institutes the rot has set in completely. Whats worse is that only institutes run by Hindus would be subjected to Reservations. The minority run institutes would enjoy the privilege of managing and admitting the way they want. Lol ! thats secularism for you Congressi ishtyle .
Minority institutes will be free to mint money money and no prizes for guessing what they will use that money to finance.
Jehad, Convserions any one ?
Gandhi family's lust for power notwithstanding, we are doomed eternally.
One shudders at the thought of imagining India 25 years from now.
Minority institutes will be free to mint money money and no prizes for guessing what they will use that money to finance.
Jehad, Convserions any one ?
Gandhi family's lust for power notwithstanding, we are doomed eternally.
One shudders at the thought of imagining India 25 years from now.
Whats with labelling?
Manoj's engagement date was almost coinciding with Sandeep's marriage date. This was some four years back. Both Manoj and Sandeep were my friends from my workplace. Both north Indians; Manoj being a marwari from Rajasthan and Sandeep a punjabi from Dehli. As i had never personally attended any north Indian wedding i thought it was an opportune time. I first went to Jaipur to attend Manoj's engagement and then attended Sandeep's wedding in Dehli. Both events were case of contrasting lifestyles.
"Kanjoos Marwari" has been a phrase that we have used since childhood. Anyone remotely stingy promptly acquired this label. And Punjab was always associated with spending and extravagance. If you have seen Mira Nair's movie "Monsoon Wedding" you'd realise what i just said.
So when we went to Jaipur i was expecting a simple ceremony with limited quests and stuff. And basically Manoj was a very simple guy and never flashy. So only when we saw his engagement ceremony we realised how (filthy) rich he really was. We (the guests) were checked in a 5 start hotel and the treatement was as royal as it gets.
On the other hand Sandeep's wedding was pretty simple and conducted in a very subdued environment.
After this event one small reality struck me. Never go by "labels". We generally associate pre-concieved notions with a cast or a race or a religion or a nationality or even a political party. Thats not always the case.
From my own personal experience i can tell you that i have never seen a kanjoos marwari or a kanjoos sindhi etc in my life. If at all, all the marwaris and sindhis i have befriended have been pretty benevolent if not extravagant. On the other hand i have seen the worst possible stinginess in some of my Maharshtrian friends and South Indian friends; both of whom have not been labelled so.
Point being, there's more to it then labels.
When we came to America we had pre-concived notions about its culture. We were bombarded with its 'liberal' image via TV and movies. When i started working here and got to know more about my colleagues i realised they were as conservative, and in certain areas even more, then Indians.
Also one of the more common myths i find amongst the desis staying in US is that Bush administration is anti-India and that Clinton administration was good for us. If you observe closely our ties with US improved with NDA at the center and Bush in US. Infact we hit a nadir in relationship when a certified anti-India hawk Madeleine Albright was at the helm of affairs under the Clinton Administration.
But people generally go by what is fashionable, isn't in? So i was not surprised when Massachusetts Democrat (and hence supposedly "pro-Indian") Ed Markey introduced a resoultion in Capitol opposing the Indo-US nuclear deal. Again a good example of the myth about Democrats in US.
We have Sardarji jokes in India (like how they have blonde jokes in US). But frankly i have seen more intelligent blonds and Sardars then not.
So whats really about all this labelling. I guess we as human beings enjoy judging and labelling others. We think its our divine right to sit on a higher pedestal and be judgemental.
Indian politics is a classic case of Labelling. Specially for people who take English media news on face value.
I had written an article on Bombay after it was hit by floods in last July. I made a mention about BJP/Sena's rule saying -
The BJP-Sena government ruled Maharashtra for only 5 years. But what they gave Bombay was priceless.Imagine, had it not been for the initiative taken by the dynamic PWD minister Nitin Gadkari during their rule, would we have seen Bandra-Borivili connected so well? Would we have seen those innumerable number of flyovers which now hang over the city landscape and which in effect removed so many traffic bottle necks.
Lot of anti-Sena people will argue that it was the previous Congress governments plan. The hard fact is, it requires political will and foresight to carry out such major investments in infrastructure,and not just plans on paper.
Sadly the anti-BJP media never focused on this achievement of that government and far more tragic is the fact that the same mumbaikars who should have been thankful to this government, voted them out.
Thanks to newspapers like TOI and channels like NDTV which most "educated" middle class follow, what Sena/BJP achieved in those 5 years was never putforth for public knowledge. Shiv Sena was labelled as a "fascist", "rogue" party who's only achievement (it seems) was changing names. (In the meantime Calcutta became Kolkatta and Madras became Chennai, but thats irrelevant, because according to The Times of India, Communists are "progressive,secular and educated")
So only Sena was associated with name changing sydrome while the "progressive seculars" had a ball with name changing elsewhere. It became a permanent label, like how BJP acquired a permanent label of being a "hindu communal party" - the fact notwithstanding that it was the best 6 years of governance India had ever seen in its political history - financially, administratively or other wise. Infact the word "Governance" became a routine phrase in India's political lingo after NDA's rule. It was unheard of before.
Take another example of Gujarat. Its NOT a common knowledge that Gujarat is doing great under Modi - who by the way is English media's bete noire . Apart from the fact that Gujaratis love him (BJP swipped all the elections in Panchayat and Municipal Corporations recently) it was also acknowledged by Rajiv Gandhi foundation as being the best governed state . Its a different story that one of its director Mr. Bibek Debroy was asked to resign under duress from (mother saint) Sonia Gandhi.
Thanks to the likes of Mahesh Bhatts and Teesta Setalvad and NDTV,TOI,IE et al Gujarat is still and will always be associated with riots.
I guess people who do not have the capacity to think or analyse beyond headlines and labels will be perpetually doomed in their limited knowledge and understanding of any subject. And that sadly is the majority of the readers i am talking of here. The masses, if you will.
Newspapers like TOI who target the young breed (yea that explains its semi-porn nature) cannot be taken infinitely seriously as far as real political analysis is concerned. Until the time it comes out of its obsession for India's longest running soap opera - The Gandhis - it will always play mischief with journalism.
Its not an irony that after the "progressive, secular" government of Congress came in Maharahstra, it got the worst power problems ever. The infrastructure development is at a stand still as power woes continue for once the most industrialised state of the country. Barring Bombay, there's power cut for as long as six hours every day in Maharashtra. Budget deficit is at an all time high. No significant highway was built in last 7 years of its rule after Pune-Bombay expressway was built almost 8 years ago under Sena-BJP govt.
But yea we will have to live with this. Because the collective intellectual bankruptcy of our country will always favour the wrong guys.
Communists are labelled as pro-poor , may be that explains why West Bengal is amongst the poorest of all States. Yea it does suit communists that it remains poor for ever.
Gandhi family is labelled as "secular", "sacrificing" band of people who would do anything for the country. Yea right - Bofors, Volcker et al explain that.
Yea right, Sena government "only" changed the names and Congress governement was reponsible for all the development in the state. Yea right :-) Power supply anyone ? Roads anyone? Bombay floods ? what was that ?
I should really bow down to the Indian "intellect" and its "mastheads" in journalism. I did not have to go too far to discover mediocrity of staggering proportions at one place. :-)
"Kanjoos Marwari" has been a phrase that we have used since childhood. Anyone remotely stingy promptly acquired this label. And Punjab was always associated with spending and extravagance. If you have seen Mira Nair's movie "Monsoon Wedding" you'd realise what i just said.
So when we went to Jaipur i was expecting a simple ceremony with limited quests and stuff. And basically Manoj was a very simple guy and never flashy. So only when we saw his engagement ceremony we realised how (filthy) rich he really was. We (the guests) were checked in a 5 start hotel and the treatement was as royal as it gets.
On the other hand Sandeep's wedding was pretty simple and conducted in a very subdued environment.
After this event one small reality struck me. Never go by "labels". We generally associate pre-concieved notions with a cast or a race or a religion or a nationality or even a political party. Thats not always the case.
From my own personal experience i can tell you that i have never seen a kanjoos marwari or a kanjoos sindhi etc in my life. If at all, all the marwaris and sindhis i have befriended have been pretty benevolent if not extravagant. On the other hand i have seen the worst possible stinginess in some of my Maharshtrian friends and South Indian friends; both of whom have not been labelled so.
Point being, there's more to it then labels.
When we came to America we had pre-concived notions about its culture. We were bombarded with its 'liberal' image via TV and movies. When i started working here and got to know more about my colleagues i realised they were as conservative, and in certain areas even more, then Indians.
Also one of the more common myths i find amongst the desis staying in US is that Bush administration is anti-India and that Clinton administration was good for us. If you observe closely our ties with US improved with NDA at the center and Bush in US. Infact we hit a nadir in relationship when a certified anti-India hawk Madeleine Albright was at the helm of affairs under the Clinton Administration.
But people generally go by what is fashionable, isn't in? So i was not surprised when Massachusetts Democrat (and hence supposedly "pro-Indian") Ed Markey introduced a resoultion in Capitol opposing the Indo-US nuclear deal. Again a good example of the myth about Democrats in US.
We have Sardarji jokes in India (like how they have blonde jokes in US). But frankly i have seen more intelligent blonds and Sardars then not.
So whats really about all this labelling. I guess we as human beings enjoy judging and labelling others. We think its our divine right to sit on a higher pedestal and be judgemental.
Indian politics is a classic case of Labelling. Specially for people who take English media news on face value.
I had written an article on Bombay after it was hit by floods in last July. I made a mention about BJP/Sena's rule saying -
The BJP-Sena government ruled Maharashtra for only 5 years. But what they gave Bombay was priceless.Imagine, had it not been for the initiative taken by the dynamic PWD minister Nitin Gadkari during their rule, would we have seen Bandra-Borivili connected so well? Would we have seen those innumerable number of flyovers which now hang over the city landscape and which in effect removed so many traffic bottle necks.
Lot of anti-Sena people will argue that it was the previous Congress governments plan. The hard fact is, it requires political will and foresight to carry out such major investments in infrastructure,and not just plans on paper.
Sadly the anti-BJP media never focused on this achievement of that government and far more tragic is the fact that the same mumbaikars who should have been thankful to this government, voted them out.
Thanks to newspapers like TOI and channels like NDTV which most "educated" middle class follow, what Sena/BJP achieved in those 5 years was never putforth for public knowledge. Shiv Sena was labelled as a "fascist", "rogue" party who's only achievement (it seems) was changing names. (In the meantime Calcutta became Kolkatta and Madras became Chennai, but thats irrelevant, because according to The Times of India, Communists are "progressive,secular and educated")
So only Sena was associated with name changing sydrome while the "progressive seculars" had a ball with name changing elsewhere. It became a permanent label, like how BJP acquired a permanent label of being a "hindu communal party" - the fact notwithstanding that it was the best 6 years of governance India had ever seen in its political history - financially, administratively or other wise. Infact the word "Governance" became a routine phrase in India's political lingo after NDA's rule. It was unheard of before.
Take another example of Gujarat. Its NOT a common knowledge that Gujarat is doing great under Modi - who by the way is English media's bete noire . Apart from the fact that Gujaratis love him (BJP swipped all the elections in Panchayat and Municipal Corporations recently) it was also acknowledged by Rajiv Gandhi foundation as being the best governed state . Its a different story that one of its director Mr. Bibek Debroy was asked to resign under duress from (mother saint) Sonia Gandhi.
Thanks to the likes of Mahesh Bhatts and Teesta Setalvad and NDTV,TOI,IE et al Gujarat is still and will always be associated with riots.
I guess people who do not have the capacity to think or analyse beyond headlines and labels will be perpetually doomed in their limited knowledge and understanding of any subject. And that sadly is the majority of the readers i am talking of here. The masses, if you will.
Newspapers like TOI who target the young breed (yea that explains its semi-porn nature) cannot be taken infinitely seriously as far as real political analysis is concerned. Until the time it comes out of its obsession for India's longest running soap opera - The Gandhis - it will always play mischief with journalism.
Its not an irony that after the "progressive, secular" government of Congress came in Maharahstra, it got the worst power problems ever. The infrastructure development is at a stand still as power woes continue for once the most industrialised state of the country. Barring Bombay, there's power cut for as long as six hours every day in Maharashtra. Budget deficit is at an all time high. No significant highway was built in last 7 years of its rule after Pune-Bombay expressway was built almost 8 years ago under Sena-BJP govt.
But yea we will have to live with this. Because the collective intellectual bankruptcy of our country will always favour the wrong guys.
Communists are labelled as pro-poor , may be that explains why West Bengal is amongst the poorest of all States. Yea it does suit communists that it remains poor for ever.
Gandhi family is labelled as "secular", "sacrificing" band of people who would do anything for the country. Yea right - Bofors, Volcker et al explain that.
Yea right, Sena government "only" changed the names and Congress governement was reponsible for all the development in the state. Yea right :-) Power supply anyone ? Roads anyone? Bombay floods ? what was that ?
I should really bow down to the Indian "intellect" and its "mastheads" in journalism. I did not have to go too far to discover mediocrity of staggering proportions at one place. :-)
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Point Taken
Are NDA ruled states better governed? Find answers on this nice article that appeared pseudosecularism blog.
Link...
Link...
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Dampening note
Devangshu Datta makes a dampening observation in rediff.com 's business news.
Our PM says we need $150 billion worth of investment to be made in next five years in infrastructure. Yea right ! And your partners will allow you to do that Mr. PM ?
Making grand statements has been customary in India as far as political parties and especially Congress is concerned. Congress has been plain lucky (or is it manipulative) that media buys its statements on face value, unlike the step-motherly way it treats the BJP.
Anyways one can only hope that Congress can do something about infrastructure development and take out sometime from its busy schedule of appeasing the minorities and demonising the BJP.
Our PM says we need $150 billion worth of investment to be made in next five years in infrastructure. Yea right ! And your partners will allow you to do that Mr. PM ?
Making grand statements has been customary in India as far as political parties and especially Congress is concerned. Congress has been plain lucky (or is it manipulative) that media buys its statements on face value, unlike the step-motherly way it treats the BJP.
Anyways one can only hope that Congress can do something about infrastructure development and take out sometime from its busy schedule of appeasing the minorities and demonising the BJP.
Friday, December 16, 2005
The difference is Rajeev.
The one thing i like of Rajeev Srinivasan's brand of articles is that they are almost never without backed up details. I think the reason might be his educational background. He comes from IIT and Stanford, both very sound institutions in their own right. Apart from that he is not a regular journalist like the one's who adorn the (semi-porn) Times of India or the shabby Indian Express. Most of the journalists that write articles in these two dailies have pure journalism knowledge that they generally get from instistutes like Jawaharlal Nehru University etc.
Rajeev gets into the skin of the issue and presents it in the most compelling form possible. There's no fickle argument here. It's almost always backed up to the core.
Let's take for example his latest article in rediff.com - The Value of Hindu Life
He formulates his position by giving step by step details of each component of the argument with proper dates and links and other details. While most journalists will write a story with heavy dose of high-handed vocabulary, they forget to back it up with substantial details. Rajeev on the other hand is precise and neat and one cannot doubt is vocabulary either.
I enjoy reading his articles and believe that people like him or Arun Shourie or Bramha Chellanney have set different standards in journalism , in India. And what more , they are not pure journalists. Its an irony today that the best articles and the most informative pieces come from people who are not professional journalists.
Rajeev gets into the skin of the issue and presents it in the most compelling form possible. There's no fickle argument here. It's almost always backed up to the core.
Let's take for example his latest article in rediff.com - The Value of Hindu Life
He formulates his position by giving step by step details of each component of the argument with proper dates and links and other details. While most journalists will write a story with heavy dose of high-handed vocabulary, they forget to back it up with substantial details. Rajeev on the other hand is precise and neat and one cannot doubt is vocabulary either.
I enjoy reading his articles and believe that people like him or Arun Shourie or Bramha Chellanney have set different standards in journalism , in India. And what more , they are not pure journalists. Its an irony today that the best articles and the most informative pieces come from people who are not professional journalists.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Pervert Minoritysm
Congressman Arjun Singh displays an exemplary lust for boot-licking minorities. As if it was not enough for a snub from HC in Andhra Pradesh and even SC for reserving seats in Aligarh University, our honourable minister now wants reservations in every private institute of the country for minorities.
So much for SECULARISM. ! Gosh Congress man will even convert to Islam and get their dicks sliced for one small smile from Imams.
Arjun Singh wants reservations in premium institutes like IIM and IITs for the minorities (read muslims) and our so called "economist" and "educated" PM sits comfortably on his seat while all this is happening right under his nose.
Or is it ?
Does Singh know who's really upto what in his team of ministers ? Or is it that every minister is an island.
As India moves further on capitalism these breaks applied by Congressmen can only be a cause for concern all the right thinking Indians (And trust me, there are'nt many of us)
Daily Pioneer carries an interesting report on Arjun (Mulla) Singh's latest histrionics.
Continued ....
So much for SECULARISM. ! Gosh Congress man will even convert to Islam and get their dicks sliced for one small smile from Imams.
Arjun Singh wants reservations in premium institutes like IIM and IITs for the minorities (read muslims) and our so called "economist" and "educated" PM sits comfortably on his seat while all this is happening right under his nose.
Or is it ?
Does Singh know who's really upto what in his team of ministers ? Or is it that every minister is an island.
As India moves further on capitalism these breaks applied by Congressmen can only be a cause for concern all the right thinking Indians (And trust me, there are'nt many of us)
Daily Pioneer carries an interesting report on Arjun (Mulla) Singh's latest histrionics.
| Arjun Singh's minority fixation has Govt in fix | |||
| |||
| After the Supreme Court struck down quota provisions in unaided minority and private institutions, an all-party consensus had emerged for amending the Constitution and the HRD Ministry was assigned the task to work out the nitty-gritty of a new legislation. | |||
| But the HRD Ministry sprung a surprise by sneaking in an exemption to the minority institutions, which was opposed by the law ministry, but ratified by the Union Cabinet. However, it opened a Pandora's box with the BJP and the Left sharply opposing the 'minority' clause and OBC MPs latching on to the opportunity to demand quota for their own castes. | |||
Continued ....
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Sachin surpasses Gavaskar
When Sachin hit the cricketing scene some 17 yrs ago, many had already predicted that he would surpass Gavaskar's century count. So when Sachin finally achieved this feat i am sure many were not surprised. To expect from Sachin is very much a norm in India. It is a granted assumption that he will deliver. In fact it becomes an issue when he doesn't.
Still one must say that by the standards that he set for himself, he took a wee bit longer to achieve what he finally achieved. Off course if you take a closer look at his career you might realise that it was not a cakewalk.
Comparison with Gavaskar would always be natural. Both were short, belonged to Mumbai and were openers. But the comparison should ideally end there.
What Sachin gave to India was priceless. He gave India the hope of winning every match. With Sachin stood the entire nation's desires. Its very purpose of watching a match.
Its one thing to deliver when you are not under focus and another thing to come up triumphant when you are carrying the extra baggage of a nation's hope. And a nation as big as India and as emotional as it is, with every Indian feeling his birth right to pass judgement on every thing Sachin does.
What amazes me about Sachin is his level head. There's never a tinge of arrogance or show of pompousness on this man. I think what carried Sachin through all these years inspite of sometimes nasty criticisms and at times even smear campaign by his baiters was that he truely loved his job.He was so involved in cricket that he never realised that people were making an issue out of every move of his.
Besides, Sachin's stature in world cricket had attained such great heights that he commanded respect from every team in world and every cricketer in the international arena. And when you get a compliment from a person as great as Sir Don , you have already got a certificate that every cricketer worth his salt can ever dream of. If Al Pacino tells you that you are one of the greatest actors you do not need an Oscar.
Compliment's are due to his wife Anjali and his family who, one presumes, provided the neccessary support of moral framework for his histrionics. As Sunny Gavasker wrote in his congratulationary note to Sachin - Congratulations are also due to his family who have helped him to stay focused. They deserve a big round of applause too for their part in his success
Someone said that when you love your job you do not have to work. That's what has happened with Sachin. He loved his game so much that he was always hungry to contribute. If not by bat then may be by getting some wickets or may be even on the field. I have always seen him 100% involved in the game at any point of time.
There will be many great articles written on this man as have been written in the past. And beyond doubt he deserves every bit of this praise. Critics be damned. They do not have to carry the load of one billion individuals everyday of their lives. Passing judgement on cricket, sitting on their arm chairs, in front of TV is the easiest thing to do. Anyways all great men have been criticized time and again.
It takes only a Sachin Tendulkar to keep on producing results continuously for 16 years non-stop. There won't be many like him and there weren't many like him either.
This great but humble character of Indian cricket will forever remain my all time favourite cricketer. For every time i will switch on my TV to watch India play, somewhere in my heart there will always be a call to God to let keep Sachin going. With so many prayers with him everytime he goes to the crease, even God will have to budge.
Sachin's records may not tell the full story, neither the staticians will never be able to do full justice to his contribution to the game. They will only tell part of the story. The other part of the story we all, i.e all of Sachin fans know. We do not care what critics blabber. We know and know it for sure that till Sachin's there we have hope. And that is what makes the game worth watching.
He is one cricketer from India who took the fight to the opposition's camp. Whether it was hammering Abdul Qadir for 3 sixes in a row in front of a bi-partisan crowd in Pakistan or taking poor Kasporowich out of attack or making Richard Hadlee wonder in pain what to bowl next, this man has done to others what most Indian cricketers did not. I see traces of Sachin in young Sehwag. But he has a long way to go. Let us talk after 16 years.
In the meantime our guy continues to torment the opposition, though not so regularly now. Lets grant him the age factor puleez... and the fact that he started so early. There's also something called fatigue. Ask Sampras and Graf !!
Thank you Sachin Tendulkar (hope one day you would be called Sir) for entertaining us for all these years. You gave something to look forward to every game of cricket for last decade and a half. If for nothing else, we thank you for just the pure pleaseure of watching you bat.
Still one must say that by the standards that he set for himself, he took a wee bit longer to achieve what he finally achieved. Off course if you take a closer look at his career you might realise that it was not a cakewalk.
Comparison with Gavaskar would always be natural. Both were short, belonged to Mumbai and were openers. But the comparison should ideally end there.
What Sachin gave to India was priceless. He gave India the hope of winning every match. With Sachin stood the entire nation's desires. Its very purpose of watching a match.
Its one thing to deliver when you are not under focus and another thing to come up triumphant when you are carrying the extra baggage of a nation's hope. And a nation as big as India and as emotional as it is, with every Indian feeling his birth right to pass judgement on every thing Sachin does.
What amazes me about Sachin is his level head. There's never a tinge of arrogance or show of pompousness on this man. I think what carried Sachin through all these years inspite of sometimes nasty criticisms and at times even smear campaign by his baiters was that he truely loved his job.He was so involved in cricket that he never realised that people were making an issue out of every move of his.
Besides, Sachin's stature in world cricket had attained such great heights that he commanded respect from every team in world and every cricketer in the international arena. And when you get a compliment from a person as great as Sir Don , you have already got a certificate that every cricketer worth his salt can ever dream of. If Al Pacino tells you that you are one of the greatest actors you do not need an Oscar.
Compliment's are due to his wife Anjali and his family who, one presumes, provided the neccessary support of moral framework for his histrionics. As Sunny Gavasker wrote in his congratulationary note to Sachin - Congratulations are also due to his family who have helped him to stay focused. They deserve a big round of applause too for their part in his success
Someone said that when you love your job you do not have to work. That's what has happened with Sachin. He loved his game so much that he was always hungry to contribute. If not by bat then may be by getting some wickets or may be even on the field. I have always seen him 100% involved in the game at any point of time.
There will be many great articles written on this man as have been written in the past. And beyond doubt he deserves every bit of this praise. Critics be damned. They do not have to carry the load of one billion individuals everyday of their lives. Passing judgement on cricket, sitting on their arm chairs, in front of TV is the easiest thing to do. Anyways all great men have been criticized time and again.
It takes only a Sachin Tendulkar to keep on producing results continuously for 16 years non-stop. There won't be many like him and there weren't many like him either.
This great but humble character of Indian cricket will forever remain my all time favourite cricketer. For every time i will switch on my TV to watch India play, somewhere in my heart there will always be a call to God to let keep Sachin going. With so many prayers with him everytime he goes to the crease, even God will have to budge.
Sachin's records may not tell the full story, neither the staticians will never be able to do full justice to his contribution to the game. They will only tell part of the story. The other part of the story we all, i.e all of Sachin fans know. We do not care what critics blabber. We know and know it for sure that till Sachin's there we have hope. And that is what makes the game worth watching.
He is one cricketer from India who took the fight to the opposition's camp. Whether it was hammering Abdul Qadir for 3 sixes in a row in front of a bi-partisan crowd in Pakistan or taking poor Kasporowich out of attack or making Richard Hadlee wonder in pain what to bowl next, this man has done to others what most Indian cricketers did not. I see traces of Sachin in young Sehwag. But he has a long way to go. Let us talk after 16 years.
In the meantime our guy continues to torment the opposition, though not so regularly now. Lets grant him the age factor puleez... and the fact that he started so early. There's also something called fatigue. Ask Sampras and Graf !!
Thank you Sachin Tendulkar (hope one day you would be called Sir) for entertaining us for all these years. You gave something to look forward to every game of cricket for last decade and a half. If for nothing else, we thank you for just the pure pleaseure of watching you bat.
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