Cricket and All That: August 2015

Monday 31 August 2015

Sheena Bora Murder Mystery

It is said 'truth is stranger than fiction'. The Sheena Bora murder case proves this. This is the perhaps the most sensational murder case in living memory.

The motive for the alleged murder of Sheena by her own mother is still not clear. It is more rivetting and captivating than the greatest fictional murder mystery.

Sunday 30 August 2015

Rahbar

This is about my younger cousin brother Rahbar (Rahbar Alam). He lives in America now.

He was one of the naughtiest kids in the family (the other would be Tabish Bhaiya). When he was 8-9 years he had a full cricket kit (Chote Abbi being a keen cricketer himself had bought a full kit for Rahbar). In the games in the evening as all the equipment was Rahbar's he will just bat and make all the other kids bowl and field for him. Poor kids they had no other option. Rahbar would threaten to take the kit home if they protested. When Chhote Abbi asked him about the game he will reply with full confidence 'Papa aaj Maine 400 runs banaye...'. It will sometimes be 500 runs.......never less!!!

Once disaster struck when a dog ran away with one of the batting gloves......that day when he came back home and Chhote Abbi asked about the missing glove again he replied with full confidence - 'Papa, ek kutta glove leke bhaga....Maine bhi nahin chora.....Maine use Badarpur tak chase kiya.....lekin wo bhag Gaya'.........(mind you Badarpur would be 10-15 km from there!!).........

Tuesday 25 August 2015

Lawrence of Arabia

Me and Ammar watched this movie today......very captivating.....

Monday 24 August 2015

Rang Bhare.....

Sunday 23 August 2015

Imperial War Museum

Ammar & me had gone to Imperial War Museum yesterday.....

Friday 21 August 2015

Iqbal - The Movie

Ammar & me watched the movie Iqbal today......very good film....directed by Nagesh Kukkunoor.....

Wednesday 19 August 2015

Abbu's Birthday

Today was Abbu's Birthday.....May Allah grant him health and long life.....Ameen...

Tuesday 18 August 2015

Ammar's writing - My Primary School Days

Sunday 16 August 2015

Sholay - 40 Years On

Without any doubt the biggest blockbuster in Hindi Cinema.....

Saturday 15 August 2015

Independence Day

Today was India 69th Independence Day. On this occasion my cousin Dr. Ashir Husain penned his thoughts on what India has achieved in his FB post......by the way today also happens to be my Ammi's Birthday......

On this occasion of the Independence Day I feel like writing my heart out on what we as Indians have achieved or have not achieved.
The list for the 'have not' will be very long and it is better I stick to what we achieved.
I grew up in late 70 and 80's and saw the television first during the Asiad (New Delhi Asian Games 1982). We used to climb on the roof tops to change the direction of the antenna to get the best signal.There was also a small booster device which had small knob to get proper signals.
The black and white screens changed to coloured screen and we enjoyed early morning cricket from Australia Benson and Hedges trophy.

Got a glimpse of Audi which Shastri won in 1985 in Australia.
LPG was a luxury again and our houses were adorned with coal choolahs,kerosene oil stoves etc
The telephone came with dials and was a luxury and only influentials had them.
Maruti came with the car revolution in 85,when Ambassador cars owned exclusively by politicos and bureaucrats.
There were no traffic jams as there were few cars on the roads.
Mobile phones arrived next and now I was told by a Thai that India has the cheapest telecom in the world and now everyone has a mobile.
The advent of smart phones further enhanced connectivity with friends and relatives in UK and USA almost gossiping endlessly as if in their living rooms.

We still have a lot to change like poverty corruption etc but what we have achieved in the last fifty years is no less achievement for all us to enjoy on this independence day.

Nadeem Mohsin Ashir, I remember the first time TV was installed in our house. We struggled with the antenna for half an hour to be able to make the audio functional. Initially it was just a hissing sound. And suddenly Devanand's voice emerged out of the blue and we were all on our toes with excitement. Someone shouted, 'Are Devanand hai Devanand". Mind you no visuals till now, only grains. To experience that was a treat. And all the mohalla kids would sit in the front row in anticipation of witnessing something more exciting.
I saw tvs hung on walls in Japan way back in 1999 and would tell everyone back home "Oh what a country", little realising I would have it too in my bedroom in a few years. Yes, we have traversed a long way but still have to miles ahead.

Ashir Husain CM what days we had.TV viewing was an event and for VCR's almost a theatre experience at home and how far have we gone.From VHS to floppies and then disks and now pen drives etc.
I remember Bhaiya was caught with good number of VHS he was carrying from Siwan back to Lucknow at Gorakhpur and the police wala of the GRP perhaps left him after taking a note of Rs 50/-
Such was the enthusiasm.

Sunny Days

Aahistaa Ladiss Patla Ladiss and Other Stories

My Favourite Cricketers - Viv Richards

The Day I Slipped out of my Office to visit Lord's

About Me

Being Taught by patients of Mental Hospital

Bajrangi Bhaijaan

We watched the movie 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' today. It is without doubt one of the best I have seen in the last few years. The movie has Salman Khan in role very different from his normal image and he has done a great job.

The story and theme is so good and it promotes friendship between India and Pakistan. This is a very touchy subject in India as well as in Pakistan. To deal with it in a humane fashion is very difficult which the movie does with aplomb. There is a dialogue in the movie 'Nafrat bechna aasan hai, mohabbat bechna mushkil '.

It is so true about movie making also. Films like 'Gadar' peddled hate and became a big hit. Films like BB have chosen the more difficult route of trying to project humanity. The super success of BB is so heart warming when there are so many forces trying to create divisions.