David Nelson Hop Shepherad Out !!

In between the swashbuckling innings of MSD, when I heard the sad news of demise of David Shepherad , the first thing was the great loss of a great gentleman from the gentleman's game which is gradually dominated by raw powerful young boys. When you see David Shepherad walk into a ground for officiating a game of cricket, you can see the authority he carried. He was unfurled by the bad boys of the game. Yes, of course his hop on nelson number 111,222 is what is more made him more popular but his contribution to the game is enormous for his honesty, judicious decision that has maintained the scantily of this wonderful game in this age of high technical infusion. Doing all these tough job he can still be smiling and keep charting with the player. I still remember some remarkable decisions and this tubby character was always in complete control of the field. Paying a tribute to the old man for serving this game that we love and keeping every decision in right proportion.

Who are Maoists In India

Few months ago,Mr Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, addressing a meeting of the standing committee of the chief ministers of the six Naxalite affected state,argued that factors such as exploitation, artificially depressed wages, iniquitous socio-political circumstances, inadequate employment opportunities, lack of access to resources, underdeveloped agriculture, geographical isolation and lack of land reforms contributed to the growth of Naxalite movement.

The annual report of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) 2005-06 says that “(n)axalism…is not merely a law and order problem but has deep socio-economic dimensions” (p 23). The ministry of defence in its annual report for 2005-06 claims that “left wing radicalism and extremism (is) motivated by prevailing socio-economic deprivation…” This gives the impression that the government is walking on two legs; fighting a “low intensity war”, as well as promoting good governance and development. Officials executing the policy on the ground in Bastar district, Chhattisgarh, however, describe this to be an “undeclared war” .

Politics is a struggle for power. To advocate seizure of power and to work to change the world is a legitimate project.Whether this should be through armed struggle, peaceful means or a fusion of all is an open question. But to advocate as an absolute must the disarming of people concedes to the government the right to a monopoly over violence, and a free run to exploiters and oppressors. Nevertheless,the question of means and ends are important. In the sense that whatever be the form of struggle, it has its dos and don’ts. Armed struggle does not mean a licence to loot and kill. Between the two extremes of valorising war and abhorrence of war lies a middle ground of social reality,which accepts that internal war cannot be prevented until governments opt for a peaceful resolution of conflicts. What policies or changes are being introduced that restore to people their right to live in dignity and freedom? Why should people wait patiently for a change in their lives while the prosperity of the already privileged rises exponentially? By all means fault the Maoists for their shortcomings and crimes. But respect them for fighting against exploitation and oppression, which refuses us the luxury of ignoring the plight of the sovereigns.

My State is now Odissa

There is a small correction in pronunciation of my state name. Now it is changed from Orissa to Odissa, while it gives me pleasure that it will be pronounced as it was coined and it will lead correction of so many things, I shall be called an Odiya from Oriya and our dance from will be called Odissi rather than Orissi. For reasons unknown, the British were lousy at pronouncing non-English names. So here we go again fixing another mispronunciation propagated by the Brits.

But why don’t we just let sleeping incorrect names lie? Because those folks didn’t let sleeping correct names lie when they were playing bossmen, did they? So how can we explain Kolkata being turned into Calcutta, Kanpur into Cawnpore and, most strangely of all, Varanasi into Benares — to the point of a famous Hindi film song sounding ridiculous even to our desi ears if sung as ‘Khai ke paan Varanasi-wala’? It turns out that the Brits — and their North American cousins across the pond — with their stiff upper palates pronounce things their way. So what is next inline, I think of again something from Odissa , kataka ( Cuttack).

I hope government of Odissa will spend very less in changing all the hoardings, all the official letter head, all the server space that has been reserved with old name in web world. I may say anything, if Odiya people will take pride that they are prounced absolutely right how they should be then I will be more happier than anyone else.

Looking for new Interest In My Religion

Its hard to believe how I was supporting a cricket team of far caribean Island to win over a province team from South Africa. Hard to imagine a full chinaswamy crowd rooting behind a boy from Auckland who was hitting two of current national team bowler all parts of ground. I still remember the silence of mid sea during 1996 WC quarter final when two southpaw from neighbouring rival were tearing apart two local lads. But its not much the same game which was used to be nothing less than a religion. I am missing the gentle man game played with a lot of Patience and artistic skill. Instead what I saw is raw power and athleticism. I am no one to down play the effort that new generations are putting and their new set of skills. But core of me carves for something that seems to be forlorn.

I assume there is a large group of cricket fans in their mid-to-late 20s, like me, who are grappling with the implications. This transition is messing with our minds. For many of us cricket began in November 1989.Sachin Tendulkar spoilt us. He commanded that we sit in front of the television sets. He ensured we got late with homework, he prevailed in our lunch-break discussions. He was not all that much older than us, and some of us naive schoolboys thought we would achieve similar feats when we were 16. We got to 16 and continued to struggle with homework.

Then came Kumble and the two undertook a teenager-pampering mission not seen in India before. Tendlya walked on water, Jumbo parted seas. Our mothers were happy that we had nice heroes - down-to-earth prodigy and studious, brilliant bespectacled engineer. They were honest, industrious sportsmen, embodying the middle class.

Economists would probably have predicted the bursting of the bubble. We had a deluge instead. One fine day at Lords' we got a glimpse of two new saviours: Delicate Timing and Immaculate Technique. Suddenly my group of friends was split into two camps. You were either with Ganguly or Dravid. In that period we even took Kumble and Tendulkar for granted. It was adolescent indulgence taken to the extreme.

When we played cricket on the streets, we had a number of choices. Left-handers were thrilled, defensive batsmen were happy, extravagant stroke-makers were delighted, the short boys didn't need to feel left out anymore, spectacles became cool, and freaky bowling actions were no more laughed at.

In such a state of bliss did we live our lives. We flunked important exams, shed tears over girls, crashed bikes, had drunken parties, choked on our first cigarettes, and felt utterly confused about our futures. But every time we felt low, we had an escape route. One glimpse of Sachin acknowldging the audience for yet another centur, Dada stepping out of the crease, or Jam leaving a sharp bouncer alone, or Kumble firing in a yorker, was an uplifting experience. So what if India lost? Could any of those Pakistani batsmen even dream of batting like Sachin or VVS? Never bothered about Elements of Periodic Table rather Sachin century list was so close to heart. There are two type of fans of in the group, one come forward and just admire greatness, others were detractor who deep down had such greed who wanted these mortals to achieve immortality.

close to 20 years, my generation needs to brace itself for this exodus. Some of my friends, crazy as this sounds, have been talking of needing to re valuate their own careers. Others are realising they need to recalibrate their childhood definitions of cricket. "Part of me just died," said a college friend who was the kind of extreme cricket buff who memorised scorecards. "No Dada, no Jumbo. I'm positive I'll stop watching after Sachin and Rahul retire."

These players were not only outstanding cricketers but also great statesmen. However hard they competed, they were always exceptional role models. Now we dread the next wave of brashness and impetuosity. Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth are talented cricketers, but there's no way anyone would want a young kid to emulate either. The younger crop seems worse - a visit to some of their Orkut and Facebook pages tells you enough - and things may only get cruder in a cricket world when you can make a million dollars in a little over three hours.

"Our childhood is ending," said a friend from school, and in some way he was probably spot on. Tendulkar's retirement may mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but for a generation of 25- to 30-year-olds it will mark the end of the first part of their lives. Switching on the television the day after will be a serious challenge.

Happy Diwali

Wishing every one on this earth a very happy and safe Diwali. It is a day when we celebrate happiness, prosperity, success of life by enlightening the life. It also marks the success of goodness over evil. Lighting always shows the way to live, shows the path to go and it is the festival of lights which we always wait for. The dawn brings light removing darkness of the life. It is a celebration of lights in our life. Rekindling the taste buds' with enormous variety of sweetness brought by the sweets in the festival. The sweets, fireworks in the sky and Rangoli painted in the house marks the ecstasy of life to be celebrated.
On this day of light, sweet and color lets wish for a world, where there will not be any one who is far from light. Lets make a pledge to create a world with no plights of health,suffering of hunger and lack of educations. A world where every child is born with equal right to live a life without identified by anything other than being a human. A world everyone has equal rights for food,water and air. A world without boundaries, without identifying between me and him/her, it just we. A world without him or her. A world not only for human but also for all the creation of mother nature having equal rights to flourish.

Lets wish everyone a very happy and prosper Deepavali.

Congratulations Mr President

Last Friday, everyone learned the shocking news that President Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize.I was taken by surprise. Some commentators have gone so far as to suggest he won simply because he wasn't George W. Bush.

He wins the prize for more of hope and potential than for achievement.Mr Obama had been in office for just 11 days when nominations for this year's Nobel Peace Prize closed on February 1. He spent most of those first days settling into the White House.Although humbly questioning whether he was deserving, he described the prize as a "call to action". Apparently, someone got a little caught up in the “Change We Can Believe In” campaign and decided to nominate Obama before he even really had time to get comfortable in his new role as president

To my mind there are four enduring impasses, that, if Obama do it he will be truly worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. One - to help revert potentially catastrophic climate change by leading the way in climate action policies that will work. Two - end once and for all the Israel-Palestine saga. There is little hope now for a two state solution - so interweaved are the territories. The only hope is for a single state, two peoples with equal rights. Three - mitigate and avert the always-looming threat of nuclear war or catastrophe by enforcing a drastic reduction in the world's nuclear arsenal. And four - deliver to the American public long standing calls for some type of sustainable and universal health care model.

He hopes to build multilateralism in the world, which is obviously a nice breath of fresh air compared to the previous administration’s more unilateral approach to global issues. Additionally, Obama hopes to reduce the stock of nuclear weapons in the world, telling a European crowd in April the United States has a “moral responsibility” to help along the process of nuclear disarmament. Obama has also reached out to the Muslim world, and he actually admits global warming is a pressing issue.

In fact, if he pulls off any one of those impasses, then he deserves the Peace Prize. Maybe a couple of peace medals and keys to all the cities on earth. But however they are only ideas.It is obvious Obama received the peace prize because of what the committee thinks he is capable of doing. However, I’m not sure capability is the strongest basis on which to decide the recipient of the award. This is probably why so many people are uncomfortable with Obama winning; since he has won without doing anything overly impressive, it calls into question the judgment of the selection committee and the legitimacy of the Nobel Peace Prize itself.

A very Happy Birthday Mr Amitabh Bacchan

Wishing Mr Amitabh Bachhan, the biggest superstar of Indian cinema a very happy birthday and a tribute to the living legend for his enormous achievment and mamoth persona. Wish him a greater success and health and wellness and glory.

Vijay, Anthony, Amit, Jai, Vicky… Each of his filmy characters became epitomes in life… larger than life yet humble.He tried each every nook and corner of cinema. Acting, dubbing, singing, ads, producing… Hero, anti-hero, baddie, supportive, cameo… He even tried to spread his persona into politics too. Sadly, it didn’t work out and he backed off at the proper juncture. Then he stepped in to the small screens…and his career took ahead like never before. With ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, Amitabh stormed into many more hearts and enjoyed an adorable status among the people. He went on to create a new stream for other stars to follow, a career beyond cinema, in television. He can be seen with same ease delivering intriguing argument with Lord or healing a mirror in an inact of drunken himself or protraying a forced husband still searching for the lost love of yester years. Versatility is not just small word to descibe his wide range of acting credentials. But for me what is most fascinating about him his protrayal of 'Angry Young Man ' of 1970s'.

'Angry Young Man' a term inspired by realist London theatre of the 1950s, in particular Osborne’s Look Back In Anger. This defiant character, who appeared across several films in the 1970s and 80s, was typically called Vijay ('Victorious'). Created by writers Salim (Khan) – Javed (Akhtar) as an epic hero rather than a novelistic type, In some ways his roles draw parallel to Karna in the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Like Karna, Vijay faces frequent childhood injustice: seeing his parents killed (Zanjeer), growing up without the father who abandoned his mother before marriage (Trishul), or losing the whole family after a dispute at work (Deewaar) or a disgraced Merchant Navy working as coal labour. He embodies the besieged male hero in a precarious world who fights a personal war against injustice – specifically the wrongs done to him and his family.

The power of these films is their ability to portray an outraged but sympathetic character. Despite his ongoing struggles, Amitabh as Vijay maintains his self-respect, gains respect from others and is a model of moral rectitude, especially in his interaction with women, elders and children but also in upholding his religious beliefs. He is fierce but controlled and noble, never losing his dignity but robbing others of theirs. Vijay is not a rebel. His fury is not random but focused on righting moral wrongs, which he pursues at the risk of his own life.

Amitabh as Vijay differs from other 1970s 'AYMs' such as Bruce Lee, Robert De Niro or Clint Eastwood. He is not an isolated vigilante subversively taking the law into his own hands but rather an upright man, motivated by family justice. The viewer empathises with Vijay’s anger and his humiliation. He is sad but admirable in his self-sacrifice and fortitude, even when he is doing wrong. We share his pain. We believe he is right, at least most of the time, and that his desire for vengeance is virtuous.

It is perhaps for this reason that Amitabh’s Angry Young Man had such far-reaching cultural impact.He epitomised a heroic masculinity whilst providing a link to India, its traditional values and a proud, unapologetic sense of self. He was also celebrated as the ideal son, deeply attached to his mother, who would look after family when the father failed. His brooding good looks (and lack of interest in women) added to his appeal.

Amitabh Bachchan, Hindi film’s biggest star, is a great communicator of the moral sentiments while Shahrukh Khan the other bigger star of the country often specializes on depicting tenderness.Indian film still wants the moral hero and, even today, there is only one that will do.

Once again wish Mr Bachhan a very happy birthday.