IPL 2...match reviews

Sorry, guys. I have been rather occupied with some other pressing work & could not gather time to comment on all matches. Am just putting up a brief write up on 4 matches that I missed covering. Do accept my apologies.

1)Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi DareDevils :

RCB won the toss & chose to bat & ended up scoring 149 for 7 in their alloted 20 overs, a total that was achieved mailny due to Pieterson with top score of 37 & Boucher, playing his first game of the season putting up an enterprising 36 towards the end. The total was not enough to challenge the batting depth of the Delhi DareDevils, & they cruised to victory with Dilshan scoring a magnificient unbeaten 67. The only worry for the DDD is that their fancied opening pair of Gautam & Sehwag have not fired yet in the tournament. However they still managed to notch up their 3rd victory with considerable ease. For RCB it has been their 4th straight loss & are now at the bottom of the table.

2)Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals:

KXIP won the toss & elected to bat & got into trouble early on losing a few wickets, but Sangakkara along with Irfan Pathan got the team out of trouble & got to a respectable total of 139. Sanga had gathered 60 runs while Pathan managed a vaualble 39. The bowling of young sensation Kamran Khan had been outstanding for the RR. Howeverin reply, the RR batting never took off, & the top order collapsed in a heap to be at 42 for 6 even before reaching midway. the RR finally crumbled for a dismal total of 112 & the KXIP had won the game with ease. The RR batting looks extremely brittle & only a magical touch can make the last year's Champion regain any hold in this edition of IPL.

3)Deccan Chargers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings :

The dream run of DCH continues in ths tournament as they overcame a stiff challenge by the CSK. Put into bat, the Chennai team fired through the prolific bat of Hayden as usual, but could not keep the momentum going & it was only a late flurry of hits by Jacob Oram that got them to a respectable total of 165. Hayden had scored 49, while Oram chipped in with an unbeaten 41. In reply, the DCH were off to a flying start, making nockery of the CSK bowling, with Gilly just about hitting every bowler all over the park. The opening stand had produced 67 runs within 6 overs, & though they lost a few wickets after that, Gibbs took them to victory with a magnificient unbeaten 69. DCH till now have a clean record of all wins, while the CSK has lost three games on the trot. A matter of worry for the last year's finalist.

Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders :

The KKR is going through a nightmarish run & nothing is going right for them. First the MI opening pair of Sachi & Sanath tore the bowling apart & posted the highest opening partnership of 127 runs before Sachin finally got out. The KKR managed to pull things back a little & did not allow the marauding MI to go beyond 200 & restrcited them to 187. It was a treat to watch Sachin & Sanath batting as they simply toyed with the KKR attack. However the total was too much for them to chase & as the opening pair fell quickly it was but a matter of time, before the Kolkata team was to be vanquised. Some resistance was put up by the old warhorse Ganguly, but it was way beyond him to get any semblence for the KKR, who eventually were routed by 92 runs. They have been struggling with their internal sqabbles & look quite lost as a team.

Krazzy 4

Got to watch Krazzy 4 on my laptop yesterday night & was quite impressed. What looked like a time pass movie turned out to be extremely entertaining & yet thought provoking.

There are four main characters, Raja(Arshad Warsi) who loses his cool at the slightest provocation, Dr Mukherjee, impeccably dressed(Irrfan Khan) who looks for perfection & feels he is in control of the situation as a captain, Daboo(Suresh Menon), who can only hear & understand & mumbles incoherent words & expresses through his eyes, and Gangadhar(Rajpal Yadav), who believes himself to be a freedom fighter along with Mahatma Gandhi,fighting for a lost cause. All these four are treated by a psychiatrist Dr Sonali(Juhi Chawla), who is the wife of a corrupt businessman(Rajat Kapoor). Dr Sonali believes that with love & care these four can return to the mainstream society. Shikha(Dia Mirza) is a news caster & ex fiancée of Raja, who has left him, because of his uncontrollable anger. All the actors have done well to give life to their characters.

The movie, supposed to be a comedy, is actually a good satire on the current society according to me. There are scenes where you burst out into laughter, for the silly mannerisms & funny one liners. However, some scenes have been extremely well handled. One of the best scene sequence is where the Krazzy 4 are out running & suddenly Gangadhar walks into a shopping Mall, where a girl is singing the National Anthem. Everyone around, hep & happening are loitering without the slightest respect for the Anthem, till these Krazzy 4,lead by Gangadhar, stand in attention in front of the singing girl. Seeing them, one by one, as if following the trend, everyone stands to listen to the Anthem. This is something we see even in movie halls toady when the National Anthem is played, & so many of us are found sitting, or loitering outside(waiting for the song to end). Such utter disrespect for our Country…for our National anthem.
Another scene, where these Krazzy 4 are asking everyone around for just one rupee, so that they can make a call from a booth, but are met with various kinds of excuses / glares & rationales, that would actually border around being ridiculous. The satirical song that follows shows how even a beggar suggests that they should beg for more to get the attention of the people. The Krazzy 4 bump into all kinds of people from a bank manager who suggests bank loan, to a professor who says its knowledge which is more important than money, to common man on street who is completely amused at their demands of just one rupee.

Dr Mukherjee’s dilemma & anguish at not being able to express his love for his wife & his daughter, Gangadhar’s pain at seeing the colorful yet decadent society, where he is fighting a lost cause, Raja’s frustration at not being able to explain his predicament to Shikha, & Dabbo’s baleful eyes saying a lot more that words would……are all the finer points of this movie.
Towards the end, when the Krazzy 4 are surrounded by people & media, they confess that they are not fit for this society & want to return to the mental hospital. A society which has no place for simplicity & concern. The society is ready to punish someone who breaks somebody’s head, but does nothing to someone who breaks somebody’s heart or faith!!!!...so very true & real in today’s life.

However, the masala provided with item songs by Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan & Rakhi Sawant is unnecessary, & music is average. The first half of the movie is quite endearing, but the second half looks a little stretched. Debudante director Jaideep Sen has done a good job with his handling of the script.

Certainly a worth watch movie.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings

Rains again played the spoilsport at Capetown as Chennai Super Kings & Kolkata Knight Riders ended up sharing a point each. It was interesting to see how CSK would have grouped after two straight defeats & with Freddie Flintoff leaving the team for a knee surgery, one needed to see how the middle order both with the bat & bowl would function for the Chennai team. For arguably the strongest team on paper, one is still waiting to see some top performance which had taken the team to the finals last year. Barring Hayden at the top & Raina & Dhoni to some extent in the middle order, & Murali in bowling, there hasnt being much to cheer for the CSK till now.

On the other hand, KKR would probably be happy getting one point out of this match, thanks to the rains, as the team would have been low on confidence having lost the previous match to Rajasthan Royals in a nail biting finish. As it is KKR has been more on the news for the wrong reasons till now & the team seems to be over dependent on the top three four players. They are yet to display as a well knit team, & it is sad to see such a potentially strong team struggle till now. Their next match is against a very strong Mumbai Indians, & it would take a herculean task for them to win the game.

Lets hope that rains don’t play any more havoc with the crunch matches & we get to see quality cricket.

Deccan Chargers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians

The weather was bright & sunny, & Gilly won the toss for DCH & elected to bat. The outfield looked dry & electric & batting looked the most obvious option.

DCH as expected started with Gilly & Gibbs & were off to a flier, with 50 coming off just 5.3 overs, with all wickets intact & Gilly looking dangerous. However, he nicked one behind off Bravo & the first wicket was gone at 63. However, Gibbs & next man in Dwayne Smith continued in the same vein & at the strategic break after 10 overs the DCH were quite happily placed at 88 for 1. After the break too the duo continued to flay the bowling & 50 runs partnership was up in 31 deliveries. The total has swelled to 113 for 1 after 12 overs. Ominous signs for the Mumbai Indians, who were made to struggle in the field. However, old wily warhorse, Sanath Jayasuriya pulled things back by bowling Smith round the legs, & the West Indian had justified his place with a well made 35 in quick time. Next in was Rohit Sharma, as Gibbs at the other end completed a wonderful 50 off just 44 balls. Bravo kept the pressure with intelligent bowling & got Rohit to hole out in the deep soon. VVS Laxman too was surprised with stock ball from Bravo & he went out for a duck caught in the deep. Two wickets in one over & MI had pulled the match back. Score at 137 for 4 as Venugopal Rao walked in for the first time this season. Gibbs was the next to go with Bravo into action again. An excellent throw from him in the very next over, had Gibbs struggling to reach the bowlers end & Gibbs was short by miles. Gibbs had complied 58 of 35 deliveries. Next man in Ravi Teja. Rao survived as Tendulkar dropped a reasonable skier in the deep, but got bowled the very next ball to a Yorker off Lasith Malinga. DCH looked in trouble with score reading 157 for 6. Bhajji got the next man in RP Singh soon, & Malinga consumed Fidel Edwards, & Ravi Teja & DCH finally ended with 168 for 9. The last 7 overs yielded only 47 runs for the loss of 7 wickets as MI came back strongly into the match. DCH had lost the plot in the middle & what looked like a certain total over 200 ended at 168, a good 30 runs short. Malinga had outstanding bowling figures with 3 for 19 & Bravo chipped in well with 3 for 34.

The chase for Mumbai Indians started with Sachin & Sanath, the two ageless wonders, With Fidel Edwards starting the bowling for the DCH. But Sanath did not last long & top edged RP Singh to Gilly with the total just at 4. JP Duminy was next in. Sachin escaped a very confident LBW the very next delivery, & DCH looked quite charged in the field. But Sachin & Duminy had other ideas & consolidated themselves, as they went about the job of scoring merrily. Runs kept coming at ease, & at the end of 10 overs, the score was 85 for 1, with Sachin at 35 & Duminy at 32. Sachin however had a loss of concentration in the strategy break & got to a simple catch to Gibbs off Pragyan Ojha. In came Shikahr Dhawan, but he got bowled out immediately trying to get the score moving. At 91 for 3 MI looked in a bit of trouble, as Dwayne Bravo walked in. This was a period where the DCH put brakes on the MI scoring & also got crucial wickets. Duminy went for 47 to a brilliant catch in the deep by Dwayne Smith, & in walked Abhishek Nayar. He started with a magnificent six but could not repeat his last match performance & got nicked behind to an express delivery from Edwards. Bhajji came in & smote a four off the first ball & then hit a six. Bravo kept the other end up & the MI had 26 to get of the last two overs. The match was indeed very well poised, but Edwards got Bravo out leg before, getting the task of MI almost out of reach. It was now 22 to get off the last over. At crease it was Zaheer & Bhajji to face RP Singh. Bhajji hit a six, but holed out in the deep, next delivery. Bhajji had put in a wonderful cameo with 20 runs off just 8 deliveries. Finally the MI fell short by 12 runs. The Deccan Chargers Hyderabad had won their third game in a row, with an incredible win against the Mumbai Indians. They were now on top of the table with 6 points. Looks like the new blue dress has got the DCH on the top of their performance.

RP Singh had retained his purple Cap by being the leading wicket taker in the tournament till now. All the bowlers, Edwards, Ojha & RP had bowled splendidly to contain the ferocious batting line up of the Mumbai Indian. Ojha in fact had picked up important wickets at crucial moments to spoil the momentum of Mumbai Indians.

Kings Eleven Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Skipper Yuvraj Singh had been asking for a full session of play & he got that today against the Royal Challengers, Bangalore.
Pieterson won the toss foe DCB & elected to bat, but the decision backfired as Uthappa got out to the first ball of the innings to Pathan. However, next man in was Kallis, & in company with Ryder at the other end, decided to take the attack to the enemy camp. Just when they looked like running away with the match, Ryder got bowled out to local boy Abdulla, going for the slog for a well made 32 of 21 deliveries. Pieterson in next disappointed again going for a duck & DCH were ina spot of bother. Dravid in next tried hard to pull things back, but today was not his day & he holed out shortly getting only 10 & DCH were struggling with score at 73 for 4. Kallis continued to score this time along with Ross Taylor & took the score to 134 before getting out for a brilliant 62 of just 46 deliveries. However the later batsmen could not make much impact & the DCH innings folded at 168 for 9. Abdulla had taken 4 wickets for 31 runs & Pathan had taken 3 for 35. Decent competitive total.

However, KXIP started in style with Goel & Bopara & they put on 52 runs before Goel got run out. Sangakarra was the next man in & he too got into the act, as runs kept coming at a fair clip. Sanga finally holed out to Kumble with the score at 92 in the 13th over, bringing Yuvi to the crease. The scoring had fallen a bit, but Bopara & Yuvi were very sensible with their batting & the DCH could not apply much pressure. Bopara went beyond his half century with some brilliant batting, showing no signs of strain. He finally got out to an excellent 84 off 59 deliveries. Yuvi at the other end finished the match with a cool 30 off 17 balls & KXIP had scampered home with one over to spare. They really looked in control through the whole match & now with the first win under their belt, they should be able to make better impact ahead. For the DCH, it was another loss, their third in a row.

Ravi Bopara was the obvious choice for the Man of the Match.

Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders

A match that truly went to the wire, a match which had crowd & the players hooked on till the last delivery, a match that has been the closest till now in IPL.
It was also a match which brought out the tactical brilliance of Shane Warne as a Captain, against whom the supposedly more learned John Buchanan & his team of experts faltered time & again, & allowed Warnie to sneak away with a win even with a depleted side.

Brenden McCullum won the toss for KKR once again & chose to put Warnie’s team RR to bat. Under the overcast conditions, they wanted to make use of the moisture in the pitch & also know the target to prepare for D-L method if ever it was to come into play.
Both team had changes in their final XI. KKR had Sanjay Bangar, Ajantha Mendis, Anureet Singh(debut match) & Ajit Agarkar came in place of Enriques, Dinda, Karthik & Akash Chopra. For the Rajasthan Royals, Rob Quiney came in for Tyron Henderson as the overseas player. Maharashtra's Abhishek Raut replaced Swapnil Asnodkar, & Paul Valthaty, who's yet to play a first-class game, came in for Niraj Patel.

RR started with a new pair in Graeme Smith & Paul Valthaty, facing upto Ishant. Anureet Singh opened the bowling at the other end, making his debut in IPL, got the other debudante Paul caught out in the deep. Next in was Quiney & an immediate six, but he too perished with a catch in the slips to Ishant. RR rocked back at 12 for 2. Next in Yusuf Pathan & immediately hit a six over long on & a pull over midwicket for four. Pathan, as usual was into lusty hitting from the word go. At the end of 6 overs it was 54 for 2, with Pathan at 32 of just 14 deliveries. This brought in Ajantha Mendis, the mystery spin bowler from Sri Lanka. 50 runs partnership came on off 32 deliveries, as at the other end came Dada Ganguly with his slow medium wicket to wicket bowling. Mendis cast his spell in his 2nd over & got Smith first, caught in the slip by Gayle & then Pathan caught at midwicket by Yashpal. 73 for 4, with Mascerenhas at the crease. At the end of 10 overs it was 78 for 4. Runs dried up after that for a while as RR struggled to get runs on the board. Jadeja & Mascarenhas did their best & went out after well made 22 & 27 respectively. But when it seemed that RR would fall short of a competitive total, AS Raut launched into the last over from Anureet & smashed 18 runs. RR had made a healthy 150 runs for 6 wickets.

KKR started predictably with McCullum & Gayle with RR starting with spin from Pathan to confuse the batsmen. Warne was quite animated with his regular field placements. After a couple of quiet overs, Gayle opened up with a couple of sixes, but McCullum holed out with the score at 25 for 1. In came LR Shukla & survived a confident caught behind appeal, but skied a catch very soon, only to be dropped by the wicket keeper. After 6 overs it was 38 for 1 for the KKR. However the wily Warnie kept up the pressure & was duly rewarded when Gayle holed out to him in the deep & the Shukla nicked one to the wicketkeeper. At the midway mark, KKR were in slight bit of trouble with score reading at 67 for 3. At the crease Brad Hodge & Saurav Ganguly with a huge responsibility to take the team to the winning mark. Munaf took over the bowling after the break & was immediately rewarded with Hodge nicking to the wicketkeeper. KKR at 71 for 4 & a serious spot of bother. In walked Bangar, but he too departed in the 14th over with the score reading a dismal 94 for 5. It was now left to the old warhorse Ganguly to create some magic, & in partnership with next man Yashpal Singh, Dada brought KKR to within sniffing distance of a victory. Two mighty sixes off Munaf Patel by Dada, set the stadium on fire, as KKR inched towards the target. But when all looked under control, Yashpal skied Warnie & got out, leaving a fuming Ganguly at the end of the 19th over, with 7 runs to get from the last over. Rookie Kamran Khan, already nicknamed Tornado by Warne came in to bowl & under pressure delivered to get Ganguly caught behind & Ishant run out with scores level. It was a tie, & for Ganguly it was once again a ‘slip between the cup & the lip’. He could well have been the hero of the day, but just failed to get those crucial 2 runs for victory. Ganguly had made a wonderful 46 of just 30 deliveries, in a situation when all was just lost, but finally it turned out to be a losing cause, which would certainly have pinched the former Captain of India.

Tie meant, introduction of ‘Super Over’for the first time in IPL. This means each team gets one over to bowl while the other team has three batsmen to bat. Whoever scores more is the winner. So KKR sent in McCullum & Gayle again, with Ganguly on reserve against the bowling of Kamran Khan, & while McCullum struggled, Gayle hit lustily & the score ended at 15. RR sent in Yusf Pathan alongwith Ravindra Jadeja against the bowling of Mendis. Yusuf settled it for RR with two huge sixes & a four & RR had scampered home to an incredible victory.

While KKR would rue their chances, & RR relieved to finally come out winners, by only just, Cricket was the winner. It was a fascinating duel between the bat & the ball, & the game swung from one end to the other like a pendulum.
Let’s hope there are more such matches in this IPL league.
Man of the Match was Yusuf Pathan for his belligerent hitting.

Delhi Dare Devils vs Chennai Super Kings

Sehwag won the toss for the Delhi DareDevils & elected to bat, as the sun shone bright at Kingsmead, Durban. However, the decision got a major blow on the face with ever reliable Gautam Gambhir nicking behind to Dhoni of the very first delivery of Balaji & then a little later, even Sehwag went out to the bowling of Manpreet Goni…DD were reeling at 8 for two, & arguably the best opening pair in the world today, was back in the pavilion with hardly any contribution to the total. However, next in Dilshan in company of AB de Villiers had other ideas, & they set to repair the early damage. The scoring was brisk, & Dilshan tore into the bowling getting to a brilliant 50 off just 27 deliveries, before getting out to Morkel. It had been a gem of an innings, & had CSK worried stiff before Dilshan holed out in an attempt to up the asking rate. Dinesh Karthik was next in & at the end of the strategy break, DD had reached a comfortable 90 for 3. Both Karthik & de Villiers kept the score book ticking after that with ones & twos, before Karthik lost his cool & holed out to Freddie in the deep off the bowling of Balaji. 114 for 4 at the end of the 14th over. Next man in was Manoj Tiwary, who has been on the fringes of the Indian National team for a while. Meanwhile, de Villiers kept steaming on, as he hit Freddie for a six. He also enjoyed a slice of luck as Morkel put down an absolute sitter, & de Villiers reached his 50 off just 34 deliveries. The hitting continued as Morkel gave away 14 runs in the next over followed by Gony who gave away 13 runs. Sixes & fours flowed as de Villiers looked unstoppable. Even Freddie gave away 22 runs, & the partnership had yielded 74 runs off just 5.5 overs, with Tiwary contributing only 9 runs. 100 for de Villiers came off just 51 deliveries, & though Tiwary got out in the last over of the innings, the Delhi Daredevils managed to score a total of 189 for 5. A brilliant performance, keeping in mind that Gautam & Sehwag had contributed almost nothing at the top. In this mayhem of batting, Balaji was the pick of the bowlers for CSK with figures of 3 for 19 off 4 overs. All others including Murali, Freddie, Gony & Morkel had been clobbered by Dilshan & de Villiers, who had registered the first century of this edition of IPL.
CSK had an uphill task ahead, & it meant a strong opening partnership. Hayden & Parthiv did just that, & the first over for DD by Nannes itself produced 11 runs. Nehra on the other end too started by giving away a boundary, & CSK were off to a rather brisk start. With Hayden continuing from where he had left last, 50 runs were on board in just the fifth over, & CSK looked well in course for the run chase. Parthiv got out for 16, caught by de Villiers off Sangwan & Raina was the next man in. Meanwhile, 50 for Hayden was a foregone conclusion & he achieved it in just 22 deliveries, as Salvi gave away 24 runs in the 7th over. In between Sangwan bowled a no ball, giving Raina the first free hit of the tournament, but Raina could not capitalize on the same & actually edged to Karthik. This must’ve disturbed the concentration of Hayden at the other end, & he top edged to long on for a simple catch to Nannes…..all this on the extra ball of the over…. Score read 91 for 2 & in walked Dhoni to a critical juncture of the match. By the end of the 10th over, CSK had reached 106 for 2, a healthy position, with both Raina & Dhoni occupying the crease. However, Dhoni failed to impress & was out edging Vettori to Karthik with just 5 runs to his name & in walked the big burly Flintoff. While Raina continued to score at a brisk pace, the match was evenly poised with CSK needing 51 runs of the last six overs, with 7 wickets in hand. However, Raina holed out the first ball of the 15th over in the deep to de Villiers(what a match he was having) off Sangwan, going out for 41 runs off 27 balls. In walked Albie Morkel. Meanwhile, Sangwan had been very impressive with the ball, picking up 3 wickets for just 28 runs off 4 overs. Nehra at the other end consumed the dangerous Flintoff, out to a catch at long off, & suddenly CSK were gasping for dear life. 34 runs needed of 24 deliveries, as Badrinath walked into the middle. Salvi, who had bowled poorly till now, came up & gave just 5 runs in his over. Now 29 needed off 18 deliveries, & nerves were jangling in both the camps. It certainly was a tight finish. Badrinath could not soak in the pressure at the centre & holed out to Warner at long off & Vettori had claimed one more wicket. Gony came in next & clubbed the first ball he faced for a towering six, but got run out in an effort to scamper a run. So final over with 15 to get & in walked Joginder Sharma, also known for batting, but he too got run out after adding 4 to the total. L Bala the next man in got out the very next delivery, & Morkel was left stranded at the other end.
Delhi Daredevils had snatched a remarkable win by 9 runs. A real tight match which went to the last ball. CSK had started in whirlwind fashion thanks to Hayden & till the 15 over, looked all set to chase the total, but the batsmen failed to take in the pressure & choked, letting Delhi Daredevils wrap up the match.

No guesses for the Man of the Match. It had to be AB de Villiers for his belligerent century & two catches in the deep. Hayden had of course won back the purple cap from Rahul today with his belligerent knock.

Article 370....Part 2 ( Implications & Fallouts)

Having read verbatim the Article 370, let us now examine the implications of this article & also what has been the experience :

Implications of Article 370 :
The article specifies that except for Defence, Foreign Affairs & Communications, the Indian Parliament needs the concurrence of the State for applying all other Laws. Therefore the residents of the state live under a separate set of Laws including those related to citizenship, ownership of property & various fundamental rights as compared to Indians in other states. While people across the country have to adhere to one uniform system of citizenship, in case of people in J&K, it is dual citizenship, one for the state & the other for the country!!!!
This means, the citizens of J&K are citizens of India, but citizens of the rest of India cannot be citizens of J&K!!!! He/She does not have a right to any property in J&K. He/She does not have the right to vote in J&K, even if one has migrated there.
The Urban Land Act 1976, which is in force across the whole of the country, is not applicable to J&K. This means, all the rich landlords, belonging to the majority community in J&K, can freely indulge in economic exploitations of the poor.
The Indian citizens, who are not state subjects, & living in J&K, cannot even get loans & financial aids from various institutions, as the State Laws debar them. If a girl, belonging to J&K, marries a boy who is not a state subject, she loses her all her rights to the state!!!!!
The Wealth Tax cannot be enforced in the state.
The State Govt did not accept the Anti - Defection Law, adopted by the rest of the country, & brought in several amendments. Here the decision on defection is not taken by the speaker of the Assembly but by the leader of the connected political party. This gives constitutional legitimacy to the unbridled authority of the leader of the party.
Since the Governor usually is not a citizen of the state, he has no right to vote, the separatist elements treat him an outsider & equate with slaves.
Our Constitution gives equal rights to all citizens, but this right is not applicable in J&K. It is a case of Locals vs non Locals who are not state subjects. They do not enjoy any political or economic rights. Their children cannot get admission in colleges in Kashmir. In other words, Article 370 violates the very principle of Indian Citizenship!!!!!
The state, under Article 370, has its rights under its own constitution to do whatever it likes. Because the state has a separate flag & symbol, two flags flutter on the Govt buildings in the state. Infact, the Centre has to seek permission from the state to hoist the National Flag!!!!
It is simply appaling to know that burning of the National Flag is not a cognizable offence in Kashmir.......how worse can it ever get!!!!!!

Dr Ambedkar, involved in the making of the Constitition for the country, had warned Pundit Nehru of the difficulties this Article 370 would create, as he felt that this would sow seeds of separatism in the Valley. His plea & warnings had fallen to deaf ears, & today we all are facing the brunt of this appeasement for Vote Bank Politics.
Clearly Article 370 has not integrated J&K with the rest of the country....it has delinked it. Secularism & Nationalism has given way to regionalism, communalism & separatism in the minds of the youth in the Valley. Instead of coming closer to the National mainstream, they have been gradually distancing themselves & are now raking up questions of their independence.
The Kashmiri leaders have been working to make the Muslims, who enjoy majority in the Valley, to become anti India & pro Pakistan, & for this they have taken refuge of Article 370.
One of their resolutions say, "Jammu and Kashmir state has not yet acceded to any of the two dominions, India and Pakistan. Therefore, it will not be right to call Pakistani invasion on Jammu and Kashmir as an attack on India."

Historical facts suggest that, prior to inplementing this article, both Hindus & Muslims were a part of the national mainstream without animosity or hatred.
Two former Chief Ministers of J&K, Bakshi Gulam Mohammad & GM Sadiq & a former Governor of State had wanted this article to be abolished. But cheap Vote bank appeasement by the Congress, did not let this happen & what was initially an article with temporary provisions, has now become a nightmare of sorts.
More than three Lakhs Kashmiri Pundits have been uprooted from their homes in the Valley & they continue to languish in refugee camps in deplorable conditions. Thousands of temples have been brought down Muslims from other parts of the country have been successful in getting citizenship of J&K, but more than a lakh of Hindus, who had moved into the valley at the time of partition, have not got their due citizenship till now.Over the years, the Govt has put a blind eye to the ills of this article & all we have managed is to create separatist groups in the Valley. Anti National elements have launched an open hate campaign against India, which has been pampered & supported by Pakistan for their own selfish gains. This has resulted in Kashmiri youths taking up arms against India, forcing lakhs of Hindus to leave their homes & property in the Valley & live lives of misery in the plains & in refugee camps.

Do we still want Article 370 enforced or removed??????Ask yourself this question & decide who is secular & who is communal????
Let us ask Ms Jayanti Natarajan, spokesperson of Congress, if she still feels the need to retain Article 370 & divide the country or remove it & work towards National integration.

Let us vote.............& vote with our conscience clear :

Let us :
Vote for a Terror free Nation,
Criminal free Politics,
Corruption free Governance,
VOTE FOR CHANGE

Jai Hind !!!

Article 370 ...Part 1 (the meaning)

The Congress spokesperson, Ms Jayanti Natarajan, has been a regular figure in the various election debates, hosted by the prominent news channels over the last one month. She is impressive in her articulation & has a distinct style of her own, twitching her eyes & fidgeting a bit while giving her views. BJP in their Election Manifesto have said that they would remove the Article 370 on J&K if voted to power, & Jayanti has been extremely strong in her comments saying that BJP is being communal to make such claims. It would be extremely hurting for the sentiments of the Muslim minority if article 370 is being removed!!!

So let us examine the much spoken about Article 370. Below given is a clear cut -paste version of the Article :

On 17 October 1949, Indian Constituent Assembly adopted Article 370 of the Constitution ensuring special status and internal autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir. It clearly states that the provisions of this Article with respect to the State of J&K are only ‘temporary’ and not permanent. The Article became operative on 17 November 1952. Government of India, while adopting Article 370, made a commitment that the people of the state, through their own Constituent Assembly, would determine the internal constitution and the nature and extent of the jurisdiction of the India Union over the state, and until the decision of the Constituent Assembly of the State, the Constitution of India could only provide an interim arrangement regarding the state i.e. October 1949 to November 1952.

The political reason for giving this special status to J&K appears to be, that firstly, India accepted that it was a disputed territory and as per the UN mandate a fair and impartial plebiscite was required to be held in the state. Secondly, by providing the people of the state with special privileges, it would serve to win their ‘hearts and minds’.

Article 370 of the Constitution of India
{ Temporary provisions with respect of the State of Jammu and Kashmir }
1. Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution: a. the provisions of article 238 shall not apply in relation to the State of Jammu and Kashmir,
b. the power of Parliament to make laws for the said State shall be limited to;
i. those matters in the Union List and the Concurrent List which, in consultation with the Government of the State, are declared by the President to correspond to matters specified in the Instrument of Accession governing the accession of the State to the Dominion of India as the matters with respect to which the Dominion Legislature may make laws for that State; and
ii. such other matters in the said Lists, as, with the concurrence of the Government of the State, the President may by order specify.
Explanation—For the purpose of this article, the Government of the State means the person for the time being recognised by the President as the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir acting on the advice of the Council of Ministers for the time being in office under the Maharaja’s Proclamation dated the fifth day of March, 1948;
c.the provisions of article 1 and of this article shall apply in relation to this State;
d.such of the other provisions of this Constitution shall apply in relation to that State subject to such exceptions and modifications as the President may by order specify
i. Provided that no such order which relates to the matters specified in the Instrument of Accession of the State referred to in paragraph (i) of sub-clause (b) shall be issued except in consultation with the Government of the State:
ii. Provided further that no such order which relates to matters other than those referred to in the last preceding proviso shall be issued except with the concurrence of the Government.
2. If the concurrence of the Government of the State referred to in paragraph (ii) of sub-clause (b) of clause (1) or in second proviso to sub-clause (d) of that clause be given before the Constituent Assembly for the purpose of framing the Constitution of the State is convened, it shall be placed before such Assembly for such decision as it may take thereon.
3. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of the article, the President may, by public notification, declare that this article shall cease to be operative or shall be operative only with such exceptions and modifications and from such date as he may notify: Provided that the recommendation of the Constituent Assembly of the State referred to in clause (2) shall be necessary before the President issues such a notification.
4. In exercise of the powers conferred by this article the President, on the recommendation of the Constituent Assembly of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, declared that, as from the 17th day of November, 1952, the said art. 370 shall be operative with the modification that for the explanation in cl.(1) thereof the following Explanation is substituted namely:
Explanation—For the purpose of this Article, the Government of the State means the person for the time being recognised by the President on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly of the State as the *Sadar-I-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir, acting on the advice of Council of Ministers of the State for the time being in office.

................to be continued !!!!! (please keep reading)

Deccan Chargers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Gilchrist won the toss for DCH this time & wisely decided to bat first. Walking in to the crease along with Gibbs, Gilly had already chosen his spot to attack. He clubbed the opening attack of RCB, & Pieterson was forced to make rapid changes in the field placing. However, runs kept oozing & the opening pair had already crossed 45 runs in the 4th over, when Gibbs fell LBW to P Kumar. Laxman in next, did not do much & immediately after the fielding restrictions were over, he holed out to Steyn off Ryder. The bowling had managed to put brakes on the scoring & even the belligerent Gilly found it difficult to keep the scoreboard ticking. Rohit was in next & both he & Gilly launched into the RCB attack, which did not have much teeth. Even Kumble failed to make an impact, & the pair scored 123 runs between them off only 75 deliveries, with some clear hits to the ropes. By the time Gilly was caught by Virat Kohli off Pieterson, he had already rattled 71 runs off just 45 ball, & the total had swelled to 127 off just 13 overs, & 200 seemed quite achievable at this stage. Styris started well, but fell soon to Pieterson (interestingly, he has been doing better with the ball than the bat), & then Rohit too fell just after getting past his fifty & the rest could not muster much. The total finally was 184. A difficult atrget to chase under the lights at Newlands, Cape town.

The RCB reply was disastrous as the much hyped Kiwi, Jesse Ryder fell to Fidel Edwards off the first ball of the innings. Kallis, Uthappa & Pieterson left quite in quick succession, & RCB were tottering at 62 for 4, just after the halfway mark. Rahul & Virat Kohli started the redemption act & played sensible yet attacking cricket & the contest looked good for a while. Rahul as surprised everyone with his consistency & scoring in this tournament, as he raced to 48 off just 27 deliveries, an innings laced with five boundaries & 2 over the ropes. He truly deserved to get back the purple cap from Hayden, something which even his best supporter would not have dreamt of, in this form of cricket. He is now the leading scorer of the tournament. Fall of Dravid in the 16th over with score at 115 for 5 meant, a near impossible task ahead for the rest of the batters. Wickest kept tumbling at the other end, as Virat Kohli waged a lone battle & got to a well deserved 50 off just 32 balls. He finally got out with just two balls to spare & eventually RCB fell short by 24 runs. RP Singh was the pick of the bowlers with splendid figures of 2 for 17 off 4 overs. He carries the bowlers purple cap, being the leading wicket taker thus far.

For DCH it has been a dream start, & the team looks to be a very cohesive winning unit, which believes in its abilities, unlike last year. RCB, having won their first game, have lost their way now with two consecutive losses, & will have to regroup their resources very quickly before its too late.
Man of the Match was Adam Gilchrist as an obvious choice.

Vote for Change !!!!!!

With Election fever gripping the country, leaders of different political parties have been raking up a host of issues, in their attempt to catch the attention & favour of the Voters. Suddenly, we the Voters have become very important for the politicians. However, I would like to once again highlight some pertinent issues which need our attention & discussion before, we go out to Vote. Its important that we Vote to Power a party that is more likely to give good & strong Governance:

1)We have Sanjay Dutt drawing on communal lines multiple times, & yet not getting legal rap, unlike Varun Gandhi, who was arrested under National Securities Act for speaking his heart out !!!!......just because Sanjay has the backing of Mulayam & Amar Singh. Congress maintain a stoic silence.

2) At various News Channel debates, we have a vociferous Congress Spokesperson, Jayanti Natarajan speaking against the BJP manifesto of removing Article 370. She feels it is communal !!!!.......just so that the Muslim Vote Bank is maintained.

3) We have Karunanidhi saying that LTTE is not a terrorist outfit & that Prabhakaran, the mastermind behind Rajiv Gandhi's murder, is not a terrorist, but a friend !!!! He also calls for a bandh in Tamil Nadu as a protest against Lankan military forces attacking the LTTE camps. Good humanitarian cause, but where are such display of sentiments, when terror attacks singes various parts of our country...on a regular basis?????

4) 3850 dead in Terror attacks in over 3000 incidents since 2004.

5) On the day of Mumbai train blasts, Govt of India gave Rs 150 crores for earthquake relief in Pakistan........very generous, but why turn a blind eye to people below the poverty line within the country??????

6) Govt of India gave Rs 3000 crores to Afghanistan. Innocent citizens of India who are Victims of terror attacks HAVE NOT GOT ANY AID......what are we trying to establish?????

7) Rs. 51,000 Crore missing from the Indian Treasury - Report of Auditor General...its our money...money that comes from the honest taxes that we pay!!!!!

8) 72,80,000,00,00,000 You cant read that number...its Rs. 72,80,000 Crore(1500 Billion USD) black money of Indians in Swiss Bank. Our PM refused to demand for account holders identity, though Swiss Bank had offered to reveal. Why????...What & Whom are we scared of ?????

9) Madrasas are being shut down in Pakistan. Govt of India is giving them CBSE status !! Our Muslim brothers and sisters are being deprived of scientific secular education. Is this development or cheap Vote Bank politics?????

10) Our Government has given 25 lakh scholarships ONLY to minority students. But poor students of other communities are not given similar scholarships. Would you call this being Secular?????

11) Out of 36000 temples in Andhra Pradesh, 28000 have closed down in the last five years. Why are we feeling so unprotected in our own country???

12) The minorities in Nagaland, Mizoram & Kashmir have not got the similar privileges like the minorities in other states? Why does the Govt follow different rules for different religions???? Do we call this being Secular???

13) By the Home Minister’s own admission : "India is surrounded by a circle of fire". Rajiv Gandhi's vision of a powerful "SAARC" is now defunct. When will we enforce proper & strong Laws to protect our countrymen????

14) Below poverty line population increased by a horrifying 20 per cent. From 27 crores in 2004-2005, its now 32.5 crores. So who is earning????? Where is the wealth of development disappearing?????

15) The case on Ajmal Kasab is yet to begin. He gets all that he asks for & continues to smirk at our Govt's inability to even sentence him....all this after he & his terrorist friends kept Mumbai on seige for more than three days & killed so many of our countrymen. We are still struggling to prove that he is a Pakistani !!!!! Is this going to be another case like Afzal Guru, who enjoys the luxuries in his jail, even after the SC has given him a life sentence. .......
the list is almost endless..............

*****
Our esteemed Prime Minister, Mr Manmohan Singh has questioned the Contribution of Mr LK Advani towards our Country. Good question, & I think, we all ought to have an answer to this. So I have put forward a presentation of 13 slides on the right hand side of my blog, for everyone to view. Do please, go through the same & respond with your views.

*****
I am also putting up a link for you all to see....... some news clips from a news channel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK6xwFRQ7BQ
Please go though all the videos. It is quite informative.
This should help us in deciding whom to Vote for.... its an important decision for all of us ahead. First & foremost, do use this power without fail , & secondly Use this power judiciously.
The fate of the country ahead is in our hands.

Vote for a Terror free Nation,
Criminal free Politics,
Corruption free Governance,
VOTE FOR CHANGE

Jai Hind !!!

Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals

Finally a casualty to the rains……. Billed to be a tough match between the Master Batsman Sachin Tendulkar, skipper of Mumbai Indians & Magical Bowler Shane Warne, skipper of Rajasthan Royals, the spectators on the ground & on TV from all over the globe were in for a disappointment, as rains played the spoilsport.
Finally the match had to be abandoned without a ball being bowled, with points getting split.

One of the reasons to choose South Africa to host this edition of IPL was the factor of rains. It was believed that the other option, England would have heavy rains around this time, whereas SA was entering winters. However, the rain Gods seem to be chasing IPL all over, & till now, quite a few games have been disrupted due to the weather. The team to suffer the most from this has been Kings XI Punjab.
Let’s hope the rains find some other destination & sun smiles over the lovely grounds of SA & we are able to witness exciting contests ahead.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab

At Kinsmead, Durban, McCullum won the toss again today for KKR & this time decided to field field.
Kings XI Punjab started with Karan Goel & Ravi Bopara, but the destructive Goel was consumed early by Ishant Sharma with the score on 9. Pathan was sent in to pinch hit & he did not disappoint his Captain with an entertaining 32 off just 17 deliveries. Just as when KXIP looked like running away with the match, Ganguly came in to bowl & in his first over itself claimed two big wickets of Bopara & Pathan to peg back the batting side. At the end of 10 overs, Yuvi in company with Sangakara had taken KXIP to 67 for 3. Yuvi had survived a narrow escape in the deep, when Yashpal Singh had took a delightful catch, but unfortunately let the ball touch the ground.
After the break, Saurav started with the ball, but a streaky edge for four by Sanga & a pull for six by Yuvi left the Prince of Kolkata fuming. Chris Gayle at the other end kept leaking wides, & the batting total swelled without a worry. In two overs, the bowlers had given away 28 runs. Partnership was worth 50 runs off just 36 deliveries, while Ganguly finished his quota of 4 overs with 2 for 24…. Very impressive figures in this form of the game. Sanga finally got run out for 26 off 24 deliveries, & in walked Jayawardane. Yuvi started opening up, smashing the ball as he normally does, but just when it seemed that it would be his day, he holed out in the deep & Yashpal Singh did no mistake this time. Yuvi had contributed 38. Next in was Taruwar Kohli. 123 for 5, & Kartick came into bowl, giving away a boundary off the first ball. Dinda on the other end got Kohli out caught behind, bringing Piyush Chawla to the crease. Jayawardane stepped up the scoring & got 31 for only 19 deliveries, & finally it was 158 for 6 for the KXIP….. a fairly good score to defend. KKR had been handed a teasing target, & the opening pair would have to bat really well to stay in the reckoning.

KKR, as expected started with Brenden McCullum & Chris Gayle, & it was Irfan Pathan with the ball & he immediately got into a very good length & line. At the other end it was the burly Yusuf Abdulla with the ball opening the attack & he got Gayle to give a simple chance that was floored by Goel at midwicket, who looked like having a poor match. Runs looked difficult to come by initially as both the openers, known for their ballistic hitting, kept poking uncertainly, until Gayle hit Pathan & Yusuf for a six each. McCullum also came into the stride & one more six resulted. Gayle cut loose along with McCullum & KKR posted 50 runs in the 6th over, before Mccullum got caught behind to the faintest of the nick. In walked Brad Hodge instead of Ganguly probably to keep the left-right combination. It was 60 for 1 at the end of 6 overs, wonderful start for KKR in a long time. Malik & Piyush Chawla into the attack, contained the scoring for a while, before a drizzle turned into a downpour forcing the players back in the dugout. At 79 for 1 in 9.2 overs, KKR were slightly ahead of KXIP in the Duckworth Lewis calculations. Gayle had been simply fascinating & KXIP would rue the two missed chances against him.
Finally, the rains proved to be the spoilsport, & KXIP were on the wrong side of a truncated match, twice in a row. Hope Yuvi has better luck in matches ahead. KKR get their first points, winning by 11 runs through D-L method, & giving Shahrukh Khan something to cheer for.

Man of the Match was an obvious choice in Gayle.
In a post match interview Shahrukh Khan went on to praise Saurav as the best Dada ever. SRK, being as candid as ever, believes that Dada would be the player of the tournament & silence all his critics….(Korbo Lodbo Jitbo re….)strong words……only time will say……..

Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Dhoni opted to bat at the toss & CSK started in whirlwind fashion, with Hayden & Parthiv Patel, spraying the bowling to all parts of the ground. RCB tried everything, but pace or spin, nothing could put brakes on the scoring, as CSK seem to just muscle their way through, with Hayden doing the bulk of scoring. His 50 came in double quick time, & the Chennai team had crossed the 100 runs mark before the lemon break with all their wickets intact. Peiterson had a worried look at the break, as all his bowlers struggled with the ball. Kallis gave away 20 runs in one over, & neither P Kumar, nor Steyn nor Kumble could make any impact. CSK looked comfortable to go beyond 200 at this stage. However, there was reverse action in store for the RCB. Pieterson came into bowl after the break & immediately bowled Patel out, & Hayden got run out in the very next delivery.Hayden had made 64 & Parthiv 29. Two wickets in two deliveries, brought two new bats at the crease, Raina & Dhoni. Both, however had the luxury of taking singles while getting their eye in, & they did so with sensible nudges around. The next 5 overs yielded only 28 runs, as Kumble & Pieterson pegged the batting back. Having survived a tough catch drop, Raina started opening up, but Dhoni holed out to Praveen Kumar. In walked Freddie Flintoff with 4 overs still to go, but runs had become hard to come by. Raina finally went out holing to Virat Kohli at the long off but Freddie & Albie Morkel managed 14 runs of the final over, with Morkel losing his off stump in the last ball from Dale Steyn. CSK ending with 179 runs at the end, highest ever total till now in this ground, & also the highest total of the tournament uptill now, though, finally much lesser than what seemed achieveable midway.

RCB started with P Kumar & Utthappa, the former send in as a surprise & pinch hit. But the ploy failed as he fell to Gony in the first over itself for a nought. Kallis walked to the crease, & along with Utthapa, kept the run rate up for a while, but just when he looked like getting into top gear, he went out leg before to Morkel. He had scored 24 of 19 deliveries. Next in was the New Zealand sensation Ross Taylor. Meanwhile, for the fielding side fielding, Dhoni decided to keep wickets instead of Parthiv, & at the end of 6 overs, the RCB had put up 46 for 2. Taylor disappointed again, falling to Freddie, & in walked skipper Peiterson, with his team in a spot of bother. MSD now introduced Murali to the attack, & he immediately scalped the very important Pieterson for a duck & RCB were left gasping at 49 for 4. The Wall, Dravid was next in to do damage control for his team, but watched in agony as Murali got Utthapa stumped in the very next ball. Two crucial wickets in his first over of the tournament & Murali had settled in as usual. RCB had lost 4 wickets for just 11 runs, & suddenly the match was slipping away from them. Midway in their innings, they had only reached a dismal 56 with half of the squad back in the dugout.
At my end, there was a sudden powercut & I could not watch the match for a while. By the time power was restored, I could only see the fall of the last wicket of RCB, with Dravid holing out in the deep for a total score of just 87. The blackout had saved me from watching the abject surrender of RCB to the last year finalist CSK. It was a near clinical performance by CSK in all departments of the game as they demolished RCB by 92 runs. Murali had ended with 3 for 11.

CSK look to be back in business, with a convincing win under their belt.
The ever modest Murali pipped Mat Hayden to Man of the Match award with his brilliant bowling, though he said at the presentation ceremony that it was hayden who deserved the prize. There was something to cheer for Hayden too. He had earned himself the purple cap of the tournament from Rahul Dravid, for being the leading run scorer till now. On form he would always be any bowler's nightmare.

Deccan Chargers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Brendon McCullum, newly appointed skipper of KKR won the toss against Adam Gilchrist, skipper for the Deccan Chargers Hyd, & decided to bat…..debatable choice in such overcast conditions, where ball was certain to trouble the bat. Interestingly again, The Deccan Chargers Hyd have also changed their dress to a faded blue this time. Remember, in the opening match of 1st edition of IPL, Brendon had set the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on fire with a scintillating century.

Today too Brendon himself came out with Chris Gayle to open for KKR, a pair who could tear any attack to pieces on their day. But DCH started very well with the West Indian Fidel Edwards steaming into the pitch with five dot deliveries to Gayle in the first over. RP Singh on the other end got Brendon out first ball, bringing in the Prince of Kolkata Saurav Ganguly to the centre stage. With the pitch assisting the bowlers, both Gayle & Ganguly looked circumspect. Gayle attacked with a boundary & a huge six but perished, to RP holing out in the deep. Both openers had failed. Ganguly, looking too tight from the beginning was completely out of sorts, & he too perished soon poking to a wide delivery from rookie Harmeet Singh, & KKR were in dumps with score reading a dismal 21 for 3 after the first 6 overs. Brad Hodge & Akash Chopra, next in, but they kept struggling to put bat to the ball, & Akash, never a T20 player, got stumped. Next in Laxmi Ratan Shukla also got out trying to step up the tempo. Pragyan Ojha was making life difficult with some very intelligent spin bowling. Brad Hodge got out to a laborious 31 of 34 deliveries, & Henriques left immediately after, both gone to superb catches by Gibbs & Rohit Sharma. Ajit Agarkar, Ishant Sharma & Ashok Dinda left one after the other, with Murali Kartick left alone stranded at the other end. DCH had fielded brilliantly & KKR finally all out for a paltry 101.

DCH as expected started in whirlwind fashion with Gilly &Gibbs, before Gilly holed out with the total at 24. In came VVS Laxman, looking in good nick & started with a pull for six, &then a sweetly timed cover boundary, but got run out soon after. Rohit Sharma next to the crease, survived a close call off the first ball from Ganguly, as Karthik failed to hold on to a difficult chance. He however, cut loose on Agarkar, who gave away 17 runs, to make things just so easy for the DCH. Karthik was disappointing with the ball, & nowhere near how Pragyan bowled for the DCH. KKR unit looked ragged on field, raking up the feeling that all was not well in the dressing room…..and truly so, Shahrukh Khan probably had lost the plot by relying on coach Buchanan & his theories, thereby leaving the team spirit in disarray. An Aussie had once again managed to create rift in an Indian camp.
Hershelle Gibbs finally ended agony for KKR by smashing the winning run with a boundary. Huge win by 8 wickets for DCH & a wonderful start to this edition of IPL.

For KKR, the think tank would really have to get back to the drawing board & put the house in order before it is too late. A team which has explosive batters & adequate bowlers, but needs a matured Captain to lead from the front. Hope this loss is just an early blip & we see them put up a better performance as the tournament progresses.

Man of the Match was RP Singh for DCH for his 4 for 22.

Delhi Dare Devils vs Kings X1 Punjab

First blip in the 2nd edition of IPL, with rain playing the spoilsport & delaying the game by almost two hours. The match has been reduced first to 14 overs & then re reduced to 12 each. Sehwag has won the toss for Delhi Daredevils & put Yuvi’s Kings X1 Punjab to bat. Interestingly, the Delhi Daredevils team have changed their jersey to something that can easily be mistaken for the England National ODI dress.
The match now really turned into a slam bang cricket, as reduced overs would mean hitting out from the word go.
Kings X1 Punjab started their innings with Ravi Bopara & Karan Goel, with overcast sky greeting them. The Delhi team strangely left out Mcgrath for Aviskar Salvi(remember him???) The opening pair got right off the screws & got themselves a flying start, & though the pitch had some assistance for the seamers, midway through, it was 67 for 1. Sixes kept pouring & Goel had already contributed 38 off just 21 deliveries before holing out. Ravi too left in the very next delivery to Daniel Vetorri, & at crease were two new batsman in Yuvi & Sangakarra.

Runs suddenly dried up, & pressure mounted, as Vetorri consumed Sangakarra & Jayawardane as well, giving almost nothing away. He also got Yuvi run out & Piyush Chawla also followed suit in similar fashion in the very next delivery. Pathan was no good either, & the innings folded t 104 for 7……. At least a good 20 runs short of what looked like possible. Vettori getting 3 for 15…one more brilliant performance.

Delhi started with Gautam Gambhir & Sehwag, probably the best opening pair in the world today, & as usual they got going in whirlwind fashion. 24 runs on board after 1.5 overs when the sky opened up to rains, & the players had to rush back to the dugout. When play resumed, the Delhi team had only 30 runs to make of 25 deliveries(Duckworth Lewis method) …… ridiculously simple. Sehwag continued from where he had left, &finally finished the game for Delhi Daredevils with a big six. He had made 38 of just 19 deliveries.

Man of the Match was Daniel Vettori, for his sensational bowling, which did not allow Yuvi’s team to put up a big total.

Sad end to what could have been a more entertaining game.

Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

The 2nd match of the evening started in an incredible fashion. Peiterson captaining the Bangalore side, won the toss & decided to bat first, sending in New Zealand sensation Jesse Ryder along with Robin Utthapa. But in the very first two deliveries, Dimitri Mascerenhas, opening the bowling for the Rajasthan team, had sent back Ryder & then Ross Taylor….with the score sheet still blank……a dream start for the Champions to this tournament. Enter Peiterson at 2 down, & immediately takes the attack to the opposition, with a cracking boundary. The near capacity crowd already on their feet & action sizzling the ground. With runs hard to come by, Peiterson & Utthapa resort to some cheeky singles, but the pressure finally claims the wicket of Utthapa, who seems to have lost his attacking cricket, again to Mascerenhas, bringing the old warhorse Rahul Dravid to restore some semblance to the batting. The much touted & hyped Kamran Khan, with a left arm slinging action, comes for some battering by Pieterson, but the Bangalore Challengers stay at a very dismal 29-3 at the end of the fielding restrictions of 6 overs. Mascerenhas finally ends his 4 over quota with enviable figures of 3 for 20, having pushed the RCB to the mat.
Rahul showed glimpses of his class by peppering a couple of sweetly timed boundaries, while Peiterson continued to be aggressive, carving a recovery of sorts. But aggression without caution spells doom, & Peiterson went to the big Henderson for 32 to a brilliant catch at midwicket, bringing batting talent Virat Kolhi to the crease, with RCB in deep trouble. However with spinning magician Warne casting a spell, Virat did not last long getting bowled all ends up, & was soon after followed by Akhil. Figures of 2 for 18 by the spin maestro & promising a lot more as the tournament progresses. He had each & every batsman struggling to catch the line & turn…..and huge turns on that.
Rahul continued a lone vigil, scoring his third IPL fifty, silencing a host of critics on the way. He ended up with 66 invaluable runs off just 48 deliveries, going out to a slog shot in the last over. Two of the master batsmen of all times, Rahul & Sachin had shown the world today that there was no short cuts to technique & class…… it would always prevail, in any format of the game. An important lesson for all who follow cricket.
RCB ended at 133, a total which looked almost impossible midway through…..a total that looked fighting enough to start with.

Rajasthan Royals started the chase with their regular opening pair of hunky Graeme Smith & duminitive Swapnil Asnodkar to the bowling of P Kumar, but both left early with Asnodkar failing to open his account holing out in the first over itself & Smith going to a catch in the slips in the third over. Suddenly RR were feeling the heat of the chase with scoreline reading 14 for 2 at the end of 6 overs of fielding restrictions, without a single boundary to the total, & a pathetic run rate of 2.35. What was compounding problems for RR was that batsmen were not looking for singles at all. While Praveen Kumar had choked the batting at his end, Dale Steyn was quite erratic with wides from his end. It was now left to Henderson,a T20 specialist, to resurrect the innings along with Yusuf Pathan, who walked in at the fall of the 3rd wicket in N Patel. But with Henderson also falling to Ryder, & Mascerenhas going out to a suicidal run out, half the side was back in the dug out with only 28 on the board. Suddenly RCB were all over the park, fielding with intensity & looking hungry to win. Next to walk in was Ravindra Jadeja, but he too along with Yusuf Pathan perished in successful deliveries to the guiles of Anil Kumble. Score 47 for 7. Warne was the next to go at 53 for 8. Munaf, never reliable, either with bat or bowl followed suit immediately after, & finally the pathetic batting performance ended with 58 on board, lowest ever in IPL till now. The Champions were humbled fair & square by 75 runs.
Anil Kumble getting 5 wickets for 5…… unbelievable under any standards & Rahul walking away with the Man of the Match award in the end.

Cricket is a great leveller & it was aptly displayed today in both the matches. The favourites were made to bite the dust & the forgotten heroes claimed the centre stage.
So with the last year’s finalist, both CSK & RR losing their opening ties, throws the tournament wide open. It also tells us that this time around it will not be just bam wham cricket, with tall scores….in fact it would be a real test of character for the players to perform. Any score in excess of 150 should be defendable & the bowlers will have a lot to cheer for as well.

Let us look forward to some top drawer cricket ahead.

Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings

Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings :
The 2nd edition of the IPL got underway with a mouth watering opener, between arguably the best two teams in this tournament. Both full of heavyweights, promised a humdinger of a contest.
However, unlike the inaugural match of the 1st edition, where Brendon McCullum of KKR had blown the game away from the Bangalore Royal Challengers, with a breathtaking century, the match today, did not actually set the stands on fire. Overcast sky & the pitch with a tennis ball kind of bounce & did not really encourage stroke play. The opening stand between Tendulkar & Jayasuriya saw a lot of innovative strokeplay, but did not last very long. Runs were not easy flowing. The foreign recruits in Duminy & Bravo, flopped & it was finally left to Tendulkar along with Abhishek Nayyar to stitch in a respectable total. I8th over by Flintoff was tore open with three sixes by Abhishek & 22 runs to the kitty. 35 runs off 14 deliveries by this Mumbai youngster, was really worth a mention. Tendulkar, making good of an early drop catch, anchored the innings & stayed till the end with a well compiled 59 off 49 deliveries. The batting, a tribute to the Little Master’s genius. The team posted a fighting total of 166……….
The CSK bowlers, probably the best combination amongst all teams, were very disciplined in their attack, & managed to contain the Mumbai batters, as Dhoni marshaled the field with very good field placements.
In reply, the opening stand of Mat Hayden & Parthiv Patel for the Chennai was a disaster, with Patel going to a catch in the slips for no score on board, & one down Raina managing to escape a difficult catch in the deep. All this in the very first over. While the burly Hayden escaped a simple catch put down by the wicketkeeper in the third over, Raina just holed out in the deep to a wonderful catch by Raje the very next delivery. A brief recovery by Hayden & Flintoff saw some good stroke play, but introduction of spin, with Bhajji & Jayasuriya, saw the score dipping to a trickle. The first over by Bhajji to Hayden was a brilliant contest between the bat & the ball. Flintoff departed to Bhajji’s persistent line soon, bringing Dhoni to stare into the barrel. Hayden departed for a well made 44 out to a brilliant catch by Zaheer, & at 89 for 4, the CSK looked deep in trouble, the reqd run rate climbing beyond 11 an over. Jacob Oram though looked rusty in the beginning, managed to still loft a six, but holed out the very next delivery, & Badrinath followed back soon. Joginder Singh did hit a six as well & Dhoni tried his best with his usual lusty hitting, but with almost no support for him at the other end, the CSK had lost the plot. The final over needed 25 runs for a win, & Dhoni in an attempt to scale the impossible, lost his wicket to Malinga’s immaculate yorker.
The bowling of the Mumbai Indians was extremely disciplined, with Bhajji, Zaheer, Bravo, Jayasuriya & above all Malinga ensuring that the CSK batting line up fold under pressure. Malinga(3 for 15) & Bhajji(1 for 15) were simply outstanding, while others provided with brilliant support.
Much against the pre match predictions, Sachin’s Mumbai Indians beat Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings by 19 runs. Sachin the man of the match for his excellent unbeaten 59, which set up the total for the MI. Way to Sachin…..we look forward to more ahead……

The tournament also brought about some very innovative, interesting & new advts from Tata Indicom, Coke, Wrigleys, Airtel, Hero Honda, Samsung & others……. Entertainment galore, even during breaks…….Wow.

Indian Football League....

After four runner up finishes over the last few years, Churchill Brothers, have finally won the Indian ONGC Football league, pipping hot favourites Mohan Bagan to the title.

The Goan outfit have made records of sorts, by scoring more than 50 goals, with their goal scoring machine, Odafa netting a record 26. he has been scoring in practically all the matches, & has been the central figure of his team's success. The final game at the Fatorda Stadium, Panaji, saw a clinical demolition of Md Sporting club 6-2 by the champions, leaving the Kolkata side to walk into relegation.

Mohan Bagan, who were neck to neck till the last game, lost out to jeepmen Mahindra United 2-1 in their concluding match. The presence of Brazillian Baretto & Indian Captain Baichung Bhutia upfront, got them a rousing start at the begining of the tournament, when they clocked 9 wins on the trot, but a loss to the arch rivals East Bengal at a crucial stage of the tournament, seemed to take the wind out of them. They have to content with the runners up slot this time.

Among other teams, East Bengal failed to live upto the promise of a good team, struggling with injury problems & Coaching issues & the only consolation was to win the return derby match against arch rivals Mohun Bagan 3-0. Teams like Dempo, last year's Champion, JCT, Mahindra United, all had good players in their ranks, but lost the plot somewhere as the tournament progressed, & ended up with rather poor performances.

Vasco & Md Sporting, staying at the bottom f the table, have been relegated to the 2nd division.

Lets, hope Indian football improves in qualityahead, & we see exciting matches ahead. Its a game, which has huge followings, in Kolkata, Mumbai, Goa, Kerala & Punjab.

UEFA Champions Cup

The quarterfinals last week were a treat to watch late night. This year the English clubs have been in marauding form & have virtually swept the championship. Chelsea battled Liverpool to reach the semis for the fifth time in six seasons, after a thrilling 4-4 draw in the 2nd leg & winning on an aggregate of 7-5. They would now meet Barcelona, who got the better of Bayern Munich with a 5-1 aggregate. In fact, Barca are now the only non English team left in the tournament, & will have to play out of their skins to stop the marauding Chelsea, who have been a constant hurdle to them over the years. However, Barca are playing extremely well of late, with Messi, Eto, Xavi & Henry scoring quite regularly, & Puyol & company managing the defence. With the 1st leg at home, Barca surely would be taking the battle to the Chelsea camp, & we the football lovers across the globe can look forward to an exciting contest.
On the side, Manchester United were initially rocked by Porto for a 2-2 draw in the 1st leg of the quarterfinals. But the mercurial strike from Christian Ronaldo early in the 2nd leg ensured Man U pipping Porto to the semis. In fact, this was the first time an English club had defeated Porto on their home ground. In the last of the matches, Arsenal easily routed Villareal for an all English semifinals. This ensures that at least one English club would feature in the finals of this prestigious tournament. However, my personal belief is that if Barca manages to go past Chelsea, which they should under their current form, they would most certainly take home the title. Its always been a pleasure to watch the Spanish team play with their immaculate short passes & quick skills......Loads to watch ahead friends......

Looking forward to some exciting football round the corner. Worth keeping awake late in the night for the matches.

Indian Premier League....2

While the country enters uncertain & speculative times with the beginning of General elections, away in the scenic locales of South Africa, unfolds the colourful extravaganza of cricket…… the Indian Premier League 2…..leading to speculations of its own !!!!!

With focus on the General elections, the Govt had declared its inability to provide with adequate security to the cricketers for the tournament. Forced to look at viable alternatives, outside the country, to ensure that IPL gets underway on schedule, Lalit Modi managed to steal the thunder with aplomb & got the South Africa Cricket Association to host the tournament. What’s more heartening is that back home in India, the cricket crazy nation of more than a billion people would be able to watch the matches Live at timings which perfectly suit them. Matches start at 4.00pm & 8.00pm IST & are Live on Sony TV.
The tournament, a 20-20 format, had been a huge success in its inaugural edition last year, & promises to be more exciting this time around. The lush green & scenic locales of South Africa add to the already colorful & pulsating cricketing extravaganza.
This year, the glam & the glitz has an extra dash, & it was all evident during the opening parade at Cape Town yesterday, where top bollywood actors, rubbed shoulders with the top cricketers of today & yesteryears. The tournament promises to be a high octane contest, with players from all over the world trying to prove their worth & capabilities in this new edition of bam-wham cricket.
The tournament, allows inclusion of ten foreign players per team (selected through an auction) of which only four can play in a particular match. While this brings in top & exciting talent from all over the world, It also adds to the competitive spirit of the game. It also allows young talent from our country to rub shoulders with the best cricketers from all over the world, & learn the game & its nuances immensely.

However, the tournament has already raked a lot of controversy over the last few weeks. At Kolkata Knight Riders, the coach, John Buchanan announced a multiple captain theory, which has not gone well with old timers like Sourav Ganguly(his tryst with controversies continue even after he has hung his boots). The divide in the camp is quite apparent, & it will be interesting to watch how the team performs under this new theory. For the first game its already Brendon McCullum, who will captain the side. Saurav’s comeback trails over the years have been legendary & we sincerely hope that the Prince of Kolkata shows his mettle once again….let’s hope he defies age, fitness & lets his bat do the talking. He has nothing to lose & nothing to prove……but a couple of sublime performance from him at the initial stages of the tournament would certainly set his iconic stature back in shape.
Rahul Dravid….the Wall, has already been dislodged from captaincy at Bangalore Royal Challengers, by Kevin Peiterson, whre Vijay Mallaya is calling the shots. Players like VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, on whom legends have been written time & again, might find the going very tough to sustain.
Mohammad Kaif, has been dropped from the Rajasthan Royals final team & one of the best fielders of India for all times, & a resolute bat, is already back home….high & dry. It feels sorry to see such a player lose out even in a tournament like this, & it will be incredibly difficult for him to scale back to the national squad from now on.
The absence of the Pakistani players in the tournament is sad. Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Akhtar, Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt, Umar Gul........all stars in thier own rights, could have added so much to the lustre of the tournament.
The same could be said of the Australian players as well, who have also decided to give this edition a miss. The Hussey brothers, Ponting, Lee, Tait, Clarke.......all would be sorely missed. Its now left to the retired oldies like Hayden, Gilchrist, Mcgrath, & out of team Symonds to set the playing grounds on fire........lets hope they continue to entertain......timeless champs as they are.

The tournament has a mouth watering opening clash today at Cpe Town, the 18th April’09 between Mumbai Indians, led by ageless Sachin & Chennai Super Kings, led by Dhoom Dhoom Dhoni. This is followed by Rajasthan Royals, current Champions led by the mercurial Shane Warne & Bangalore Royal Challengers, led by explosive Kevin Peiterson.
All the eight teams are quite balanced in strength & the month long tournament should give reasons to cheer for all & sundry……While Kolkata Knight Riders need to shrug off their controversies & fire at will to create any impact, the Rajasthan Royals might find it real tough to retain their title. Bangalore Royal Challengers would need to come out of their ‘test team’ mindset and tag & the Deccan Chargers would have to come up with performance justifying their potential. While the Delhi Daredevils & the Punjab Kings are expected to light up the tournament with their explosive games, the cool & calculated Chennai Super Kings & Mumbai Indians look almost certain to make it to the last four…..at least on paper.

I guess, Indian roads all over would have substantially reduced traffic on roads, as people would be glued to TV either at home or popular joints or multiplexes…….Sony TV, various Sponsors, related businesses, travel & tourism, all rake incredible Moolah, as recession seems to have lost its battle to this cricketing extravaganza….
It will be interesting to see over the next few weeks, who gets wider coverage on media, both print & electronic….. the Elections or the IPL……Lait Modi has indeed set the ball in motion. ‘Ek Desh Ek Junoon’….the mood seems to be fast catching up……

Keep viewing this space for interesting & 'below the line analysis' of the games ahead….
May the best team win.

Ballot over Bullet....lets Vote !!!

General Election 2009 in India, the largest democracy, started today, amidst bullets & terror strikes by the Naxals. 17 people killed across four states that went to polls today. Once again law & internal security bites dust, as polling booths at various locations were exposed to the rude & sudden attacks of the Naxals.....through the day, attacks at 15 different locations, leaving behind a trail of blood & fear.
At various news channels, we still find Central Govt washing their hands off saying, this is a state issue & Central can only support, but not be in action. For the citizens of India, all this is still pure debate & no action. At the end of all this, we are all under clear security threat .....as much internally as externally...
Infact a survey done by a news channel shows that two of the largest issues that people are concerned with today is Security(45%) & Economic Slowdown(19%).
However, the silver lining & clear sign of cheer is that inspite of such blatant terror attacks, today it was the ballot that won over the bullet......
Inspite of the threats of terror, people did come out in large numbers to Vote....& that is a very heartening feature. Inspite of these attacks, 58-62% people turned up to vote. Finally the people of India are making this strong resolve to come out & Vote....... & hopefully Vote for the right Governance..... Hopefully, larger turnouts would be seen in days to come.

Let us not bow down to the fear of bullets,....let us come out & fill the ballot.....all of us. Because each & every Vote counts.....

Jai Hind

Congress vs BJP ... Election Manifesto...a study !!!

As a Lead India ambassador, over the last few days, I have had discussions in groups as well as one-on-one with people from diverse backgrounds, & I get a sense that while almost everyone is quite eager to vote this time, they are strangely caught up in a dilemma……whom to vote?? In some cases, people want to vote for an individual, but are not sure about the representative party, & in some cases it’s the opposite……the representative party looks good, but the contesting candidate comes up with questionable background……so wht to do???

I had some time back read the comment of a very learned man on this subject, & he had mentioned that as a thumb rule, when it is time to chose the Central Govt/ Parliament, look at the credentials of the party, & when it is time to chose State Govt/ Assembly, look at the credentials of the individuals. Come to think of it, this actually makes a lot of sense.

Since this is General Elections for the Parliament, let us examine the two leading contesting parties & their manifestos, before casting our precious votes :

Congress manifesto : http://aicc.org.in/new/manifesto09-eng.pdf (please read in details)
Salient features ->
The Slogan for this election : “Aam Aadmi ke Badhte Kadam, Har Kadam Par Bharat Buland”
The manifesto starts with a ‘Preface’ & then ‘Why Congress?’….. speaking of Congress vs BJP as Secular vs Communal, with also a significant mention of the Third Front as ‘a recipe for chaos’.
In the later part of the manifesto, there is a brief on the ‘Achievements of the Congress led UPA Govt’. Here there are mention of achievements which are certainly questionable, especially in terms of education drives, economic growth, deployment of funds, Law & Order etc. At the end is ‘The Way Forward’, which again seems to make promises, which are very generic in nature….almost the same repetitive statements, we have been hearing since our Independence, & for more than 50 years, without much success.
Can we therefore have any confidence in Congress to give us a safer, growth oriented future???? Can we still have a “Chatla hai” attitude???? Can we still allow this colossal decay to continue????
Since Congress has always harped on being Secular, let us also quickly examine what this stands for.
The word 'Secular' was coined by a British writer, George Holyoake, in 1846. He invented the term to describe his views of ‘promoting a social order which is separate from religion, without actively dismissing or criticizing any religious belief’. In other words, it is the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions. Simplistically, it means, equal rights to all, without any bias !!!
In my previous blogs I have been quite candid & informative on how Secular the Congress Govt has been over the years. Do we still want to believe in them & their policies ????

Let us now examine the manifesto of the other National party…..the BJP.
BJP manifesto : http://www.bjp.org/images/pdf/election_manifesto_english.pdf (please read in details)
Salient features ->
The slogan for this election : “Good Governance; Development; Security …. To build a Prosperous, Powerful Nation, Recall India’s Past”
The manifesto starts with an insight to India’s historical capabilities & achievements over the centuries, by Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, Chairman, Manifesto committee.
After that it moves to the need of a decisive Leader with specific focus on National issues starting with National Security, engagement with the world, where ‘India’s voice shall be heard’…..which means better international diplomatic ties, with specific attention to neighboring countries. It then speaks of Defending India, with specific focus on Nuclear Program, Food Security & Energy Security. There is clear mandate on reviving the Economy, building a strong Urban India, Agriculture, Farmer’s interests in terms of Land, Trade Agreements & Labour. Then it moves to Youth & Empowerment, Education at all levels with better policies, Science & Technology, IT, Sports, Women Empowerment, their progress & their rights, focus on the Backward Classes, Tribal Development, focus on Senior Citizens, Disabled & their benefits, Minorities & their Protections, General Health improvement measures for all, Environment, focus on states like J&K, NE, small States which need attention, Panchayati Raj etc.
In the end it speaks of preserving our National Heritage at all fronts.

Clearly, the BJP, at least in their manifesto have put down clear road map for India ahead. At least the vision speaks of National interests & focus. It speaks of better Secular policies & strong Governance. In short, it inspires confidence.
BJP has had only one proper stint under the leadership of Atal Behari Vajpayee. Though, plagued by the pressures of coalition, the NDA Govt had still managed to bring about “India Shining”. They had implemented a lot of progressive policies which resulted in India emerging as a global Super Power, & I believe, that if they had won the next elections(2004 elections), they would have been able to enjoy the fruits of their efforts & consolidated India on a clear growth path.
We are a Hindu country through centuries & I see no reason why we can’t take pride in saying that. India is a secular democratic, where people from all religions & faith can co exist, happily & prosperously. BJP & their Hindutva ideologies are not communal in nature, as is mostly made out by the Congress, their allies & media. In fact, their policies according to me sound more Secular & universal than Congress. It is not a divide & rule policy, but strong governance based on our rich & ancient heritage. We have never given them a fair chance to prove themselves…………let us do it this time.

These are my views, & I have attempted to compare notes of the two largest parties in their manifesto. I am sure, both the parties boast of good & capable Leaders, but like I said at the beginning, this is an election for the Centre…..the Parliament. This demands that we look at the party & its objectives more closely.
We need to exercise our Voting rights intelligently. We need to choose a strong Government at the Centre.....

Jai Hind

Secular Congress!!!

The Congress Govt has done it again.......proved how magnanimous & generous they are....so very secular......& how!!!!!!
The Congress Govt now is allowing the mother of Kasab to visit him in the jail at Mumbai!!!!...External Affairs Minister, Mr Pronob Mukherjee has said this during his election campaign somewhere in West Bengal...... Breaking news on TV channels today at 10.oopm!!!!! Superb gesture of generosity, so very humane, so very dramatic!!!!!
While the Pakistan Govt continues in either denial or evasive response to the 26/11 terror attack, our Congress Govt continues to whine, squeak, & look for excuses to extend dialogues.....& keep on putting up dossiers after dossiers, on the case.
Its been almost 5 months since the attack, & we are yet to start legal trial on Kasab.......we are yet to establish his identity as a Pakistani...........shows how strong & committed our Govt is!!!! Do we still need to prove the identity of Kasab???? & till when???? Mr Mukherjee's interview sounds so hollow, in fact is a reflection of how poor our diplomatic control is with the outside world.
Its all looks so similar to Afzal Guru's trial & verdict & yet living in the "confined bliss" of a jail. As an Indian, I am worried, that both Kasab & Afzal Guru, may just walk away, out of our controls, thru another terror attack ot hostage attack, while our Secular Govt is still groping in dark on what should be our stand or action on them.

We are so generous to allow the mother of such a cold blooded killer to come & visit Kasab, & yet in our own country, Pragya Sadhvi is not even given support of a female attendant for her to attend to her nature's call!!!!....Pragya Sadhvi is undergoing trial, non of which have yet been confirmed. But she is made to languish in jail, in deplorable conditions, while, we ensure that someone like Kasab is provided with all that he asks for????

We call all of this SECULAR??????
We are not here to stir up any debate on this !!!!!...... For what will the debate achieve????...... No more talks please.....some action & quick action is all we ask for. We are just too tired with this diplomatic ping -pong being played......just about at the end of our patience.
We Indians have been too tolerant for too long.
Its now time to rise up & realise the incompetency of this Congress led UPA Govt?????

Jai Hind !!!!!

Life in a Metro

Watched “Life in a Metro” on TV today……had been wanting to watch this movie for a long time now, & I was quite impressed by the storyline & the performances of the actors.
A movie about relationships & their challenges in an urban backdrop(Mumbai city), where everyone is running…….running for love, for money, for success, for fame, for security, for solace…..for a home…..each one chasing a dream of his/her own. And there are opportunist Shylocks, on the prowl, looking for unsuspecting simpletons, almost everywhere, ready to pounce at the slightest chance. Suddenly the stark reality of the current generation life in a metro city comes alive with its complications & conceit. The complicated lives of people working in Call Centres, their challenges & pressures seems to sum up the modern day urban life. One line hits so hard, where Shilpa says, “We worked endless hours to earn to buy a dream house(a two BHK flat)…..but we could never make it our dream home”. Everyone seems to be running the rat race, not realizing that in this race, even the winner would be a rat….only a rat!!!!! How Sharman Joshi says, “Its not a morning walk Sir, it’s a race, & you have to keep up to the pace”. In quest of the all this, we are moving away from being what we are…..Human Beings. Another heart rendering scene, where Dharmendra is rushing Nafisa Ali to the hospital & is caught in a traffic snarl. His frustrations, his attempts to get her medical help by screaming, by fighting & finally by pleading, all falling to deaf ears of the people around & Nafisa dies for want of medical attention. A love story of two people who are desperately trying to seek & experience Love at the fag end of their lives. Sharman Joshi lets out his flat to his seniors for them to fulfil their carnal desires, & all this because he wants to grow up the ladder, earn quick money, start his dream project, fulfill his father's incomplete dream. And his dreams coming crashing down, when he comes to know that his lady love, Kangana Ranaut is being taken to bed, the same flat, by his own Boss, KK Menon. Endless circles of an urban life.....full of cheat, full of hollow promises.....full of dreams getting shattered every single moment. Of course there are moments between Irfan Khan & Konkona Sen, which bring about comic relief. However, at large, Life seems stifling & choked. Everyone is desperately seeking air….fresh air.
The movie revolves around 5-6 relationships……..KK Menon & Shilpa Shetty; Shiney Ahuja & Shilpa Shetty; Konkona Sen & some new actor(I could not figure out the name); Konkona & Irfan Khan; Kangana Ranaut & KK Menon; Kangana Ranaut & Sharman Joshi; Dharmendra & Nafisa Ali…….people from early 20s to late 60s…….all running around for one elusive need….the need to Love & be Loved!!!!.....How strange life is…….when the simplest thing is to love, our basic nature is Love, & yet we all are running around searching for it……
The storyline is very well handled & I think the characters have all given their heart for the movies…each character looks & feels real….the pain…the anguish….the quest….the frustrations…..the heartaches……all wonderfully captured…..the little moments of joy, the final retributions, the relief at finally tasting Love & moving forward, all has been wonderfully exhibited. The music by Preetam is just brilliant…each song seems to capture the exact mood & emotion of the moment…….am sure the songs would last the memory for some time to come.

Come, let us Love & give Love….lets make the world a better place to live in ……. Lets make life simple & Loving……. "In dinon, dil mera, mujhse yeh, keh raha, tuuuu jeele jaraa, hai tujhe bhi izzajat, karle tuuu bhi mohabbat......" the song sums it all.