My Fav Commentators

Well, the IPL fever is back again and so is setmax's cast and crew. A few refreshing changes though from the past. Out goes Shiv Pandit ( he is better sticking to jhalak dikhla jaa...but words around that he has signed a movie!!! mere mein kya buraai hai!! ) and in comes Meiyang Chang ( I didn't know Indian Idol organizers were looking for a cricket host as well, why wasnt I given a chance...hmph!) Mandira's back!! ( though shes better off in her noodle straps..hehehe)

But the so-called experts are still at it again. Here are my favourites..

1) Ranjit Fernando - aka - "the hoarse cryer"
Man, this guy is one piece. Take him to an IPL match, and he still roots for Sri Lankan players (can someone make him understand that the players are playing for the franchisees). His pronounciation skills.. SUBHAAN ALLAH! Mahela Jayawardene will be called "maayla jaya-waar-dna". (chyaala gaali deta hai!! )
Kumar Sangakkara - "kumaara sanga-kaaara"
He certainly "neeeds" some help in that respect. Calling his own "Sree-langan" players names! RF, you are in for some trouble mait!!
Only a few things that I need to ask him, "when did Mohd. Asif start bowling really quick!!"and "when will he start talking some cricketing sense".... hmm..tough questions both of them
He has a few other fans as well... I managed to catch up on one of them, boy he loves Ranjit!

http://ranjitfernandosucks.blogspot.com/


2) Raavi Shastri - aka -Kishan Kanhaiya (fake ipl player rulez!..lol)

He is my personal favourite and is an all time favourite of Wanderer :D
Folks! Are u ready!! Dont go by his size... He is a tall man you see and he can hit the (deck) mic hard! He is a big, strapping lad. Dont go by his deceptive looks, he can rattle(quite literally with the same dialogues) you with some serious ....... (boredom)

When there is an LBW shout, you know what would be sounding on the TV..no no..it is not the ball CRASHING into the pads, it would be " Rapped on the pads.... up goes the finger!!!" and when there is an edge, you won't hear the "tiniest of edges", you will hear a big "EDGED!!.. TAKEN!" and then at the post-match presentation, after you have seen the match you will get to know whether the side has been COMPREHENSIVELY beaten or whether the match was a "HUMDINGER" which went "right upto the wire" (Gawd!!)

But, dont you dare say anything against these commenting greats. They are made for this job and we are made (sigh) to hear them.

Garv se kaho हम समाजवादी हैं !

Sunday mornings are usually pretty lazy for me ( and for a lot of people), so while having the "chaai ki chuski" and reading TOI, the headline was quite staggering। Talking about the election manifesto of our very own pyaare bhaiya, "Mulayam Singh Yadav". Wow, this guy is THE LEADER that India wants and Samajwadi party is truly SAMAJWADI, ओह, क्षमा करें, यह पार्टी सचमुच समाजवादी हैं |

They say they would need to cut down on the English medium schools, absolutely right! We need to go to the other countries and teach them hindi & our regional languages. After all, aren't we supposed to be the second most powerful developing nation in the world? (now, that is truly a wonderful epithet for our country). The likes of Obama & Gordon Brown need to be taught Hindi, and it shouldn't be difficult. If our film channels (Max,Star Gold etc.) can make the likes of Nicholas Cage, Tom Cruise speak in Hindi, then why not the leaders. But then SP would face opposition from the likes of AAPLA RAJ as to why not "aapli rashtrabaasha". I guess that would be solved with the after-poll alliances.

Next, Computers should be banned, since they cut down jobs. Actually, yes they should be banned. If they are, then I won't be able to convey these thoughts to people (if at all they read). Apart from that, we would be isolated from the world, भाड़ में जाए दुनिया, मुझे उससे क्या? मुलायम जी, मैं यह आशा रखता हूँ, की मेरी हिंदी ठीक है | And moreover, people, all that word processing, calculation would be done by people! There would be jobs! Imagine jobs in times of recession! Congress, BJP take a cue! This is the way forward for economic growth!

And how wonderful it would be. We would be back to the "मैंने प्यार किया" times! Kabootars & postmen would be back in the fray! The old typewrites would be back! Imagine all R&D people going back to the actual experiments, no more virtual simulation! We would be back by another 20 years!...err...did i mention back?

Hmmm... so the writing is pretty clear on the wall. You know, you vote them & where will our country go, forward or back. I hope we don't get back to milking cows & buffaloes as our main source of income. Please vote carefully.

P.S. No offence meant to our languages. I love them, I still communicate in them. I guess, these people are making a fun of it. Grow up people. Lets talk about development & not going back to giving rice at Rs. 2 per kg or speaking in Hindi..

2009..the year of the elephant??

Come April 2009, the largest democracy in the world will vote for a new government. New people, (the same old hats with refined promises), new ideas (ideas in a new different way....still a far cry from being implemented). From all the various analysis, it is pretty clear that there will not be a single majority party coming to power. Regional powers would bargain and would bargain hard with either the Congress or the BJP whoever has the chance to form the majority.

There also has been this talk about the third front. RLD,RJD,SP,BSP,CPI(M),CPI,AIADMK...(oh well..I am getting confused in this flood of alphabets).. in short the A-Z of Indian Politics except for the big C and B ruling roost for smaller regions & states. This has compelled even the wise Prannoy Roy ( OH WHY!) to conduct a "contest" on NDTV as to who will become the next PM of the country. This election thing is hotting up as the next big thriller in Bollywood except that after seeing the bollywood movie, it does not affect our everyday lives, but this will decide our fates for the next five years.

All this talk of the third front is actually giving me the creeps. What with the likes of Mulayam,Jaya Amma, Lalu, Sharad Pawar trying to pitch in as the PM. Apart from these people, the one which is giving the most creeps is the thought of the big elephant head of MAYA coming to power. She has made no bones of the fact that she wants the PM's chair.

Come to think of it. Mayawati being the next prime minister for India! It is a huge possibility with the dalit folk being in big support. But the image just doesn't fit right. India, touted as the next big thing needs someone able enough to handle international issues competently. And for all her claims of being an able administrator at the state level, imagining her shaking hands with Obama for tea at the White house, or hugging the queen (that is not allowed!)...hmmm.. I just feel like starting to apply for my MS right now

People, please vote and please vote well. In many ways, I just believe a single majority is required at the centre wherein then the majority party would not be held at gunpoint for sharing of seats and ministerial positions, but that is not going to happen. But then, I urge, vote carefully. 2009..year of the elephant...well..I for one just hope, it does not happen. I wish Urbane India does not let it happen.

Jaago re!

The childhood hero.. is still a HERO!

SACH is LIFE! A very cliched line (probably used the most by TOI :D ), but the guy just goes on and on! Now, in his 20th year in international cricket, it doesnt look like he is going to stop in some time :) ( oh god, let him continue). I am sure I am going to be heartbroken when he retires from cricket, but thats for another day..

Today, as Tendlya stroked a masterful 160, memories came flooding back. The first time, I really took this guy seriously was in 1994 ( kya karega.. tab tak sirf 8 saal ka tha). Till then, Azhar was my favourite player, but then when my Dad helped me listen to commentary to a match in NZ when Sachin was opening the batting for the first time and what I heard of was only fours and sixes, boy I stood up. Ever since, I have watched his batting with a certain deliriousness which probably a lot of people would have done. By that time, probably the entire nation had come to terms with the fact that here we have a boy who has superhuman capabilities.

I had a new hero to look upto! In Vaishali Nagar, where we had inter-building matches, all guys would take a stance like him ( I still don't understand why does he have to fiddle his ahem... anyways). I remember getting crest-fallen when he got out every time. Everytime I wanted him to score a hundred ( and another 100 million would have hoped for the same). I still fondly remember his first 15 hundreds in one-day cricket ( dont know why the buck stops at 15! ) I guess he is THE reason why we are seeing the Sehwags, the Dhonis, the Rainas & the Rohits.

Sach, please go on! You are the best and will always be! Ponting, Lara, Inzy, Kallis ek taraf, Tendlya ek Taraf. I don't care if I'm partial. I am sure many would agree that they started watching the game because of him, ( I seriously started watching it only because of him).

Sachin, YOU ARE OUR HERO!

Rah..Rah..Rahman!

Raise a Toast! Allah Rakha Rahman has done it!! 2 oscars on the same magical night for the smiling magician from India! Rahman saab..Tussi thop ho!

No one deserved it more than this humble maestro from Chennai. A genius in the truest sense, he deserves every bit of the praise and the attention that he is getting now. He should have got that a long time back. I take the opportunity to thank Danny Boyle to give a chance for ARR to show to the world what he is made up of.

Frankly, as an ardent fan of his work, I really haven't found "Jai Ho" to be his best. It is a good number, but let the jury listen to "Yeh haseen vadiyan" from Roja, or the magic of the saxophone in Duet ( a tamil Movie) they would goto a different planet. From the pulsating "Vande Mataram" to the soulful sufi melodies, he has created magic in every genre of music. I don't think the oscar jury heard Lagaan that well, coz that would have surely won an Oscar if "Jai Ho" has won one :) (well..actually 2 )

But this is not the time to talk about what has happened, it is about soaking upto this wonderful achievement by a wonderfully grounded, humble and god-loving genius :)

We LOVE YOU Rahman Sir!

You are the best... JAI HO!

I am back...so.....what?

Oh well...seems like a long time since I did this ...laziness has definitely crept into me..cant believe that I havent touched this in the last 3 months!!! That is seriously lazy :) So excuse moi for the long hiatus. Thing is that work pressures do get to you in the end :)

So,things happening at my end...well..quite a mix..realty has slowed down and impacting my side of business big time!! On one side you have a frustrated Boss (poor guy probably pressurized by his boss) telling me, " Bala! I want 8 units from you this month!" 18th Feb is about to end, no. of units booked - NIL. At the other end you have customer who have only one thing in their mind, price, price, price. Ab jaayen tho jaayen kahan!

Now, one of the other parts of my life. The continual pursuance of the COVETED MBA! This time its actually been a lot more frustrating than last year, missing by 2 questions/3marks/4marks and so on and so forth, failing to make the cut! Sometimes I genuinely feel to leave everything and go to the Himalayas for a vacation. Don't get me wrong, I am not frustrated, just taking a vacation isnt a bad idea! :)

Music wise, I just heard Delhi - 6. My reaction was just WOW! I know again I'm pretty late in the review, but the music is just too good! It would probably rank as one of his best works. Even though Slumdog has taken a lot of the spotlight in recent times, personally I feel Delhi-6 is much better :). Lot of soul and a lot of thought in the music. Mohit Chauhan stands out with Masakkali. The title song definitely is thumbs up, just that it made me jealous that he hasn't done a song similar for Mumbai :). "Rehna Tu" & "Dil Giraftan" are other songs which sound different, although my pick for the album is "Arziyan". Javed Ali and Kailash Kher with the sufism of Rahman is pure MAGIK!! ;)

Have put out a lot even after a 3 month hiatus. Feels good.

On a leaving note, just want to know how people would interpret to this interesting thought,

" Fools jump in where angels fear to tread"

Till next time,
Adios!

Mumbai - Bruised and Burnt

The emotions started yesterday, i.e. 26/11/08 at 10.30 pm. Sitting in my drawing room and enjoying another Indian victory, suddenly the breaking news flashing down the screen surprised me. My first reaction was, some madcap would have let loose and would have got a gun with which he is creating havoc, but then surprise turned to shock, then horror, grief, despair, helplessness and then anger. Twenty-five hours later, after what has been the most devastating, meticulously planned brutal terrorist attacks in the country, there is still no end to the nightmare. Almost 125 people killed, more than 300 injured and the battle still rages on so as we speak. Disgusting and Cowardly can be the only words used to describe this horrific night.

Terrorists have hit Mumbai where it will probably hurt the most. Heritage sites like the Taj, the Trident ( a week back i was there on the rooftop of this very Hotel), the CST plus other places like Vile Parle ( I go by this suburb everyday), Wadi Bunder, Nariman House, Leopold Cafe. Yesterday night, probably for the first time in my life, i was afraid. The cold night outside my house window painted a very eerie picture, one in which i was visualizing a bomb blast right in my face. I was fearing for my family and was visualizing all sorts of things that no one would have remotely thought of had these attacks not taken place. Such planning, Such havoc...UNPRECEDENTED.

The terrorists this time have come up with the guts," We are here to create havoc, stop us if you can!!" The intelligence was badly found wanting. How does one explain a group of terrorists coming to mumbai via the sea, armed with explosives and ammo and no one having any information about it?? How does one explain the lackdasical approach of the government when it was expected that Mumbai would be on the hit-list given the recent spate of attacks at Jaipur and Delhi? Why do we still get the same assurances that the terrorists would be taken to task and still no action has been taken?? There are reports that some of the terrorists are still wandering around in the streets of Mumbai. Do we have the werewithal to withstand anything that happens due to that group??

I think Mumbaikars have seen enough. If they can come out with guns blazing, I think we need to knock their bloody heads off. Get into the internal tribal areas of Pakistan and knock these terrorist habitats down. We have had enough of condemnations, enough of assurances, its time to take matters into our hands and shove it up their a*****. We need to show you can't hold up our country for ransom. It is not only an attack on Mumbai but on the entire country and this time ...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.


P.S. -I

To,
Arnab Goswami,
Editor-in-chief, Times Now.

I had great respect for you as a journalist, but today you shamed me. Constantly trying to earn brownie points for our god-damned channel even in times of such strife left a poor taste. Today, Aaj-tak, whom I constantly criticize was notches above your pathetic coverage. God-damn loser, Arnab, you are pathetic!

P.S. - II

To,
Rajat Sharma,
Editor, India TV

Will you please take off your channel?? It DISGUSTS me. Where on earth did you get a call from a militant who was also fighting a battle at the same time?? After all the Tantriks, you do this. Get a life man!