IPL : Boon Or Bane???

The much trumpted IPL is now being maligned as the cause for Indian team's humiliating ouster from tht T20 World Cup. Last year when the IPL debuted it was the biggest draw in entertainment which Indian media had seen in a long time.. this year theIPL 2.0, has been mired in much controversy ranging from the shift in venue to allegations of match fixing... only a ubiquitious gentleman as Mr. Lalit Modi could pull through all the allegation with that disarming smile of his!!!PHEW!!!
So, let's just pause for a moment and reflect whether IPL has been good or bad for Indian cricket... or atleast for the National Team... the IPL opponents have long been voicing their greivances first for converting a game to an entertainment and then blaming the IPL for all that's bad in the National team...the proponents of the IPL on the other hand tout the IPl as being a platform for the upcoming junior criketers who cannot get a place in the national squal to show their skills...the latest voicing his opinion on this line has been none other than our national Captain, M.S. Dhoni. True both the sides have some element of truth in their arguements but how much does the IPL 2.0 have to do with the latest performance of the national team in the recently concluded World Cup. There are many who have pointed out that the team which did not parcipate in the IPl 2.0, Pakistan, took home the cup, but how many of us remember that the Aussie players were as much absent as were the Pak players in this version of the IPL and they were one of the first team to be shown the door. Out National Coach Gary Kirsten has pointed out a very important fact in the defeat of the Indian players which some of the players themselves have been refusing to admit..."Fatigue".. if anyone has cared to notice this issue did come up in the past also when Dhoni himself had commented that the team is playing too much cricket and he and some senior players had themselves asked the BCCI to relieve them of the upcoming tour... so the issue of fatigue or stress isn't too new an issue... and another important thing that many must have noticed that the other finalist Sri Lanka has been constantly tourring... they had the Pakistan Series which was cut short by the unfortunate shooting incident just before the IPl and most of the Lankan players not only participated in the IPL but also played impressively... did Fatigue or stress not affect them... ofcourse there is much truth in Mr. Kirsten's observation that the team was fatigued and stressed out because if anyone cares to notice the IPL schedule was a pretty gruelling one... also if someone has observed the IPl foreign players this year that the differnt teams bidded for, one cannot fail to notice how many grade B players from foreign countries have been selected... most of the Australlian, South African, and New Zealand players that came this year do not play for their respective national squads... so where does the arguement go that IPL is a brilliant platform for new and upcoming Indian players... it seems IPL has become a platform for all new and upcoming players of "all nations"!!
Therefore it seems that IPL is serving less and less the aims and purposes of Cricket as a game and serving more value to the purpose of cricket as an "entertainment" .But how far is it right to solely or largely blame the IPL for the World Cup disaster?? Whatever the advantages or disadvantages of IPL may be, ultimately the result of any game depends upon the performance of the as how they played "that" particular game... and the Indians blew it off big time... the debate over IPL will continue as long as it exixts... but what counts is all those who are in the know of things and as it looks in India there are too many people who think of themselves to be in the "know of things"... should examine the real reason for the Indian team's dismal performance in the World Cup. I m just a simple blogger who loves and roots for the Men in Blue wherever they are playing and will continue to do so but there is a humble request... please do not bargain anything at the cost of our national team...cricket is much much more to us than being just a game and when the Indian Team fails to perform at such an international forum... we are heartbroken...that's it..

The Maoist threat: Civil War in Bengal

West Bengal is being torn by civil war affecting mainly parts of rural Bengal. As if the cyclone Aila didn't cause enough harm by uprooting livelihood of many hundreds and thousands of poor villagers, the civil war is uprooting the very fabric of rural life in Bengal, none of the existing political parties in West Bengal is really interested in actually adressing the Maoist problem and the price for such indifference is being paid by the poor villagers. For many years these same Maoists were being supported and were being shielded by the ruling Communist Govt. going to the extent of supplying them with arms and ammunition taken from Police arsenal & now the same ruling coalition is facing the brunt of it's faulty policies. After the recent Lok Sabha election debacle it has begun to sit up and take notice of it's disastrous policies of retaining political power at any cost.

The main opposition Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress is playing an even dangerous game.
It has long been known that Ms. Bannerjee has long wanted to take control of the West Bengal Govt and it's one of her most cherished desire to become the Chief Minister of the State, when the recent Lok Sabha Election showed that people are ready for a change, the Trinomool Congress started using the Maoists to further their political cause of replacing the ruling Left coalition. The PCPA is supported by the Trinomool Cong. and the atrocities being committed by them in the name of stopping the "Red threat" is actually to further both the Trinamool's and the Maoists' cause... it's indeed shameful and horrific to say the least. And in this political one upmanship, the poor people of rural Bengal is paying the price... they neither know the Left ideology, nor the Maoists' ideology nor do they have a clue as to what Ms. Banerjee wants. They are being killed, humiliated, raped, their houses are being set fire and their fields are being devastated... is anyone out there listening?

The so called Communists, the Maoists and Ms. Banerjee all of you who declare time and again in loud voices that they are for the "People of Bengal"... are you witnessing this silent genocide or do we need more bloodshed and tears to make you hear.

After a long long break....

I m back writing my solitary posts after a gruelling examination...I cannot say with utmost honesty that it was my best,to my embarrasment, it should have been because this was my best shot yet... and after hours of reading up the History of India, I haven't been able to do justice to my hard work nor to the subject. Perhaps this is what happens when you try too hard, it's therefore better sometimes to just leave things " to be" if u can understand what I mean.
Anyways enough of my musings with my failures... what I wanted to write about to day is this book I m currently reading, it's Possession by A.S Byatt, it's a Booker winner and it's an amazing read... It's the story of these two young Post graduate scholars going through some forgotten letters written by a famous poet to a lady, also a famous poet, whom he adored... it's the story of how their relationship blossoms and how this relationship leaves a mark on their writing. For those who have an incline towards poetry may please read this wonderful work of fiction, it leaves one feeling intellectually very satisfied.

Something inspirational

I came across these lines which really inspired me but I don't know who the author of these wonderful lines are...if any of the readers can enlighten me, it'll be great...

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeattable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To run through when chased from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest to follow the star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far.

To fight for the right without question or pause
To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause
And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will act peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To fight the unbeatable foe
To reach the unreachable star.

Jai Ho....!!!!!!

Many many congratulations to Mr. A.R. Rahman for attaining the distinction of being the only Indian to win 2 Oscars.And also heartiest congratulations to Mr. Danny Boyle and the cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire.

It is a befitting reply to those who slammed the movie as 'Poverty porn'... it was said that all the movies which portray Indian poverty get accolades abroad...it was also said that poverty is the only thing which"sells".....to all these pessimists, either they haven't seen the movie or are far divorced from reality. As A.R Rahman said in his acceptance speech, "the film's message was one of eternal optimism".... it portrays the struggle of three orphans and their struggle for existence...yes poverty does exist in India and it is also true that all the films that have managed to cut ice with the broader audience has been on that track. But let's not take away the credits for a well made film. It is our misfortune that we haven't been able to make a film which portrays India's rich heritage and culture with equal aplomb as we have managed to depict poverty and malnutrition, though we may say in all "these films' " defense that they have essentially shown human trials and tribulations with poverty as their background which leads us to the question, why there haven't been movies which show the same human elements but in a different context.

That is because, sadly, right from the time when Mother India was nominated in the Foreign Films Category in the year 1958, poverty has been a matter of "necessary evil" for us, though now in the post liberalized India it has become a matter of "selective ignorance"... it's indeed sad to see movies still using that theme and making big bucks with the overseas audience.

But if we are to lay the blame on why the movie makers are making such movies it's the case of "pot calling the kettle black"....we have poverty and if movie makers use this background to show life's trials, who can we blame but us....for letting such gruesome poverty exist....and slamming others if they manage to portray the reality.....we turn away from it squeamishly for the sole reason because we can't face it.....so for the moment let's leave the poverty behind and rejoice in the cinematic brilliance that's "Slumdog Millioniare"...
JaiHo !!!

Image Courtesy : www.wikipedia.org

The Man In The Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself...
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn't your father, mother or wife
Whose judgement upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
He's the fellow to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear upto the end,
And, You have passed your most dangerous,difficult test,
If the man in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world down the path way of life,
And get pats on your back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears,
If you have fooled the man in the glass...

THE YEAR THAT WAS...

The year's coming to a close & soon we'll be stepping into 2009..isn't it amazing how far we've travelled in the new millenium.. 9 years!! 2008's been a far more troubled year of the 21st century for India..my readers will surely agree with me..no other year saw so many tragic happenings...the deadly terror attacks,the recession,the lay-offs...it seems everything bad had to happen this year.But there has to be a silver lining..ofcourse we won a Gold in the Olympics and our Cricket Team won the Tests against the Aussies...but I think the most important thing we evidenced is the unity being formed among the people of our country...it just grew stronger with every Terrorist Attack.It feels that we have matured a lot in a year...and it feels great to know that...The last evening I was with this group of frends who mostly treat "News" as being for "other people".But even they were discussing our politicians,our security apparatus,elections and stuff...there's this need to stand up and be counted..I personally think this unity and the sense of belonging to India was greatly missing among us...it's coming back,slowly but surely...
On the personal front mine too was a year of realization,be it career wise or other.I have matured up a lot and the best part have recognised certain lacunae on my part...I am now ready to be more responsible and as I mentioned earlier ready to be counted among...I can only say that I m happy to step into 2009 as a person who understands herself more clearly and is confident and determined to shape up her life as SHE wants it... WELCOME 2009..