Jadu ki Chadi

It came & it went off, with a disheartenment matching the excitement of arrival. Sehwag promised to be there. A father portrayed imparting into his son the tricks of the "Jadu ki Chadi". "Phir Dil do Hockey ko !!"

Okay. For once, every Indian must have been fond of our media seemingly so rightly appreciating our downtrodden magic lunge. & by lord, every heart on this land must have cradled optimism of how we will lift that trophy again after long bereavement, & bring back the so-called glory back.

We are unsure of our squad, barring a few boys. We are doubtful of the duration a hockey match lasts. We might have never seen a hockey being used actually apart from boyish tussles of furor.

Now, What we do know is that we have a spanish coach. What we do know is that our team crushed our only beloved opponent in a way our chests throbbed with pride. What we do know is that this win followed a 2lakh prize money for each player on squad in addition to immeasurable praise. What we do know is that there's an Australian monopoly here as well, which crushed our frontline striker into a ban of 2 matches for apparently no fault of his. & What we hoped for that point onwards was an unstoppable journey towards the title. We never flinched. We were sure. Not mere optimistic. Precise Surety for once.

[[ Quote: A hindi national daily posted a comic strip after Indo-Pak match which read "Ye match to jeet liya. Ab world-cup mile na mile koi pharak nahin padta." ]]


& then, out of nowhere, embarked the startling reality. Yes, it was hard, & Yes, it was shattering. Game Over !!
A war lost. Players lashed; foreign coach blamed. aplenty coverage & editorials - quite befitting in a country as expectant as ours.

To be true to my soul, for the 2nd time in my life, i felt pity for my neighbors. Finishing 12th in a tournament of 12 teams, i can empathize why an entire 18 men flanked pool of talent would voyage to retirement just because their's is the only nation "Hungrier" that ours when it comes to performing with under-prepared, & over-pressured guts. You might shrug me as a pessimist, but it gave a feeling of a mass suicide.

Anyways, it was a loss. What was pleasingly satisfying was that around me, i could see a massive twirl of interest & anticipation towards the game of Hockey. What "changed" this leap was the way & depth the entire television media covered the World Cup. What was inspiring was that we were saddened with losses that came our way, rather that being indifferent as always.

I ain't a hockey fan. Never was. Nor am i noticeable. But i'm a hard-bound nationalist. & i was happy the way it went. If you were nevertheless irrevocably uninterested in the game despite all efforts made, i deeply wish & pray that there aren't many like yourself.

A useless pair of shoes !!

Hey. I see aplenty news on shoes these days. After a little jiffy of thoughtful but incomprehensible days, I can't desist from the temptation of penning the Shoe-fling-thing down; fire being rekindled by today's news clip - subject being our Honorable PM himself.

As i was packing my bags to set back to my shoe-hurling country, i realized that my worn-out pair might just cause some extra bit of trouble with the 20-kg luggage limit. I was just wondering where would i find some poor needy guy around a developed flourishing nation, when i came across the story. & viola - i have a remedy for my not-so-big a problem.

If some ignorant mind is still unaware, we (Indians) are undergoing a kick-a** democratic fiesta these days. & in the process, we've hurled shoes at our Home Minister, one sitting Member of Parliament, a leader of the opposition aspiring to be a prime minister, an accomplished actor campaigning for his politician-friend, & lastly & most-recently, at our very own Prime Minister. Sounds like a pretty decent guest list we have onboard.

Okay. That seems promising. Even with the sinking economies, we are proving what great role India has to play at the global level. Americans had it just once, & like everything in western culture, we quickly picked up this too. 5 is the count today, & i'm sure with our will & talent, we can keep it coming.



A few points:

1) In the PM's case, it happened to be a computer engineering student (so clearly publicised by the media) - well i know engineers are crazy. it's nothing  to do with the enlightenment of educated indians, believe me. It's exam time, how come he had enough time to attend a rally ?
2) What kind of shoes are being hurled. Are they worn, & wanna-be dispensed ? do people walk bare-footed after they take the aim or they have another pair in their bags ? (i wonder)
3) None have hit the target, yet. We are a cricket crazy nation (except for the fact that we can't afford to host our own tournament). God !! gimme a break. I agree it might seem a single stump as if from the covers. But you gotta blow them off guys. Buck up.
4) i wonder how my dad might feel. He's a policeman & it's his responsibility to make sure no mishap occurs when a politicain waves a rally. & then, if some lazy craphead missed his target by a few yards, it might land onto my poor old fella.

I was wondering if i could find a guy desperate to hurl. My useless pair would cherish their salvation !!

Gen Musharraf in India Today Conclave 2009

They've been setting traditions, really. It's really applaudable to witness such scintillating initiatives knocking literally on every aspect of what effects us. India Today Conclave 2009 was a grand phenomenon again. Takes a toll on a few every year. This time over, it was General Musharraf at the receiving end, atleast for a while.

I don't really have anything against him. I respect him for the fact that he managed so swiftly a crumbling democracy for over eight years, keeping good friends with US & a fairly walk-through relationship with it's largest neighbor, that he still commands respect from a large cult. But for the fact that he's big-mouthed (his childhood habit i guess).

It was high time, and a spectacular Muslim,a loyal Indian, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, & a Rajya Sabha member, Maulana Mahmood Madani couldn't take any more of his hateful words. & then followed what's termed as Stupendous !!

Please have a look...

Just, apt, & a sound bastian against intolerable provacation.
(Musharraf's retaliation was rather childish i suppose)

Personally, i've not had any close Muslim friends (that was just a flow of events), but i'd like to make a hand-shake with Madani Sahab, & tell him "Yes Sir, i'm one of those 70% Indians !!"

Hails !!
Our country, our society, the humanity needs Men of Honor like these !!

Full coverage of General Musharraf at India Today Conclave 2009

Desh vs Videsh

It's been exactly 4 weeks since i've been in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, the Cleanest countries of all (i ain't sayin it 4 d sake of sayin it Proof), one of the coldest countries in d world, & farthest from home it had been by far for me.

Life keeps movin, & so do we. But the contrariety is the most startling aspect. i mean, i don't wanna compare history, geography, civics of the 2 lands (Go Google for that). what strikes me r d teeny-weeny things in which we differ, what i witness daily before my eyes, what amazes me to the extent that reminds me that i'm very far away from home. Life's really strange.

Without further wanderings, lemme get down to the subject at hand...

vs

Here we go !!

• Thirst

When i came onto the apartment straight from the airport, i was thirsty. searched for water, but apparently, found no drinking water as such. out-of-options, i drank water from the kitchen tap. i cudn't dare to ask any1 about this until 1 day, i saw my manager drinking from the tap in the basin used for washing mugs. it was only then i realised that there is not seperate drinking water here like in our land.

That being said, a colleague narrated to me that, when he landed here, he was made 2 stay in a hotel. now the hotel rooms don't even have a kitcken or a basin as such. there's was no water jug as well. he called up someone he knew in helsinki. he was told that the water in the bathroom tap is equally good for drinking. infact, they have glasses kept in the bathroom to be used for drinking purposes. now i feel as if i was lucky to land up in an apartment. A kitchen is better than a bathroom after all :)

It's not our fault thou. it's in our veins. it's something we've been following since birth. people may call us fools if they wish to, but we are moulded in such a stupified manner that we can't really get these things outta our minds. (i keep drifting to my left whenever walking down the road, until i realise that every1 else is to their right. now since i was in class 2, i was taught "Keep to your Left" on the road. is it my fault ?)

• Dogs

Well, this is sumthin i found very specific in contrast. Here in finland, i often encounter people with their dogs in the buses. i was wondering what wud happen if they started barking furiously on someone inside the bus, & shit & al those fronts :) they are paid due respect (though i haven't figured out one in a Mall yet). Videshi kutte hain bhai, manners waale.

• Pizza Taxi

this italian craze had hit every nook & corner of this earth. Poor indians deliver pizzas on their scooters/bikes (& stil they claim "30 minutes, nai to free"). Now as it's so cold in here that d 2-wheelers are barely visible anywhere on roads, Pizzas are deliverd here in cars, wholely dedicated to the job. Pizza Taxi is the brandname itself. Now that's modernization my friend.
aur 1 bechaare hum :)

• Bus fare

We all know they r developed, & hence it's costly 4 us. You board a bus, & u pay 2.20 euros, irrespective of where you stop (within the city). my office is 2 stops away from my apartment (1.3 kms, takes 3-4 minutes), & i pay 2.20 euros for a ride. & on the weekends, i go to the market place (several kilometers, 30 minutes ride by bus), & still i have to pay 2.20 euros. earlier i used to wonder how people bear with so high a price, but now i find it rather convenient. now, back in my town, the bus fare we pay varies even between the same 2 stops :)

• Crowd

A colleague brought onto my face the fact that after living here for a certain period of time, one feels annoyed walking on the streets, anywhere in India. Now you c, this is a land whose government is more than glad to reward people who reproduce, even if they are not permanent finnish citizens. For every child you give birth 2 in here, there a monthly allowance, which increases by roughly 50% for each child, till the child reaches the age of 5. so it's quite obvious they can't compete in the crowd count with a nation which is about to burst open with population & where children in smaller grades are taught the concept of population explosion & heavy words of that kind.

vs
Even the main market streets here are calm, if not empty. I've never seen a bus, i repeat, NEVER, which has all the seats occupied. Yeah the transport is good & frequent, but it's amazing to realise that none here travels in a standing mode. Now i'm from the land where people hang on to the poles of the doors of buses, however frequent they r. We are just so much. No wonder india succeeds everywhere (Now we've started picking on Oscars in a gud amount as well). out of 1.2 billion fools, a few are bound 2 succeed in sum field or the other.

& Lastly,

• The Weekends

have you ever visited a Mall/shopping store in India on weekends. you know what i mean. we, back in pune, avoid going to Big Bazaar/Vishal MegaMart on saturdays & sundays, for the single reason that there's not enuf space to keep ur feet in sight. while on d other hand (& that's quite irritating infact), all stores/malls/shops (simply everything) is CLOSED on sundays, & open for a limited time on satudays. like our govt. banks back in India. man works for long hours on weekdays, & he has just half a day for a weekend, as if namesake, because Helsinki wishes to rest for the rest of d weekend. sounds sick 2 me atleast. got used 2 it now anyways, i go 4 shopping on saturday afternoons.

someone told me that the shopkeepers have 2 pay a per hour charge on weekends, so they prefer closing for a larger extent. can't confirm it though.


So, those were a few aspects i find the current land & homeland differing, from what i encounter in day to day activities. We are same though in a lot many ways (i ain't gonna write a blog on that :)), & there r indeed a few things we have in common, in addition to love of course :)

There's still time to spend in here. There's still time to go.
i hope i'l fall in luv with this place !!
i just luv the snow when it falls right onto d face :)

Train Saga !!!

ever travelled some thousand kilometers by train, with a WL marked on your travelling ticket ??

if you haven't had the luxury, kindly do not even dream of it.
well, i've been accustomed to it, since a couple of mishaps. what better can one expect when he opts out for the eleventh hour plans for a 22 hour journey !!

ever been on a reservation counter at blood thirsty summer noons ?? the queue seems to be waiting for a few drops of heavenly water. and mind you, there have been times when i joined the line at noon, fighting through the staff's lunch breaks & frequent chat sessions, to witness the ticket window shutter being slammed on my face at 8 P.M., when i was standing right in front of it, sweat & frustration dripping from each & every part of my body.

well, rules are rules, but man is what they are born for after all. since then, i've preferred am AGENT (an unofficial copy of an official post, have a look for yourself). His work doesn't fall into James Bond categorization, but his attitude is pretty synonymous. he gets the ticket done for you, for any train, at any time, for any destination station, even at the eleventh hour, by means that are termed as trade secrets of his, jst for a bargain of a gandhian note, with a figure 100 embarked on it. you call him a crook, may God's grace be with you, b'cause then your God is the one who's gonna get u a birth (needless to say, on a train). i prefer calling him an angel, b'cause he helps those in need & takes away none from anyone deserving.

neways, in a 2 year long money-service relationship, my angel for the first time failed to deliver his words & left me up with a waiting list 3. onboard a 20 hour bound train for my destination, i enquired a TTE whether by any chance, my ticket has been confirmed. & the answer was a no, even before i could complete my begging question. he turned his back on me & kept drifting. a couple of minutes passed, & the man returned & made his eyes move so artistically indicating me to follow him, which i did, with no understanding of the circumstances

we stopped, before an empty birth & he whispered "kharcha paani".
perplexed amidst the thankfulness & frustration, i queried, a bit hesitantly "how much, sir ??" (i'd prefer replacing the title i bestowed upon him with a four letter beautiful word, after all, India is just second to frenchmen in this field). i handed him his demand of Rs.150, without bargaining, but yes, with anger. probably realising, he uttered, "i haven't asked you much", & i surrendered with a pathetic smile.

while he was making some scribblings on the reservation chart, i tried to fetch his name plate, but found it missing. what again do you call him, a crook ??? i don't give a damn & i'd prefer calling him a saviour. he took nothing from a deserving, & helped a soul in need.

do you consider me selfish & self-centred, a part of the corrupt system. oh yes i'm, & if you claim you are not, probably you don't use Saint-Gobain mirrors to reflect your soul. i love my country as much as anyone else can. i could have slept on the train floor, making the TTE beg me not to complain for his demand. what would my country have gained then !! one corrupt man eradicated, probably temporarily from the system of endless loopholes., thats it !! by giving him the money, nation still gains nothing more, but 2 of it's citizens are content, for the time-being, and that is sufficient for a mother i guess !!!

i'm corrupt, if you may say so, i'm selfish, if you may say so, but you are no different, & i can bet on that. this is what makes corruption an exponentially aggravating disease, leaving behing no possible hopes of recovery. if you claim to remove corruption from the entire system, you are probably dreaming of a wonderland, or you are likely to be insane, 'cause it would take the effort of wiping out the entire rotten crop & growing up a fresh one, requiring a few centuries or milleniums i believe.

what i suggest is the incorporation of a few unavoidable & exemplary connotations, as a part of A VIABLE SYSTEM, not corruption-free, but corruption-sustainable.

but just when i pen down these words, some voice from heaven up above yells at me, telling me repeatedly that i have not the slightest idea of what maturity & intelligibility it takes to run a nation that was once called THE GOLDEN BIRD.

hello think tanks, though unworthy, do i succeed in ringing some bells out there in your kindergardens !!!