Thursday 29 December 2016
15th Marriage Anniversary
Yesterday was our 15th.....we spent it in London.....afternoon in Vertigo 42 which is on the 42nd floor of the tower with stunning views of London. Dinner in Maroush in Edgwere Road....a Lebanese Restaurant.....
Sunday 25 December 2016
Dangal - The Review
Yesterday we watched Aamir Khan's (AK) new movie, Dangal. We went with 3 other Indian families (13 people in all).
Like all of AK's movies, this was a much anticipated film. The music was released earlier and it was just fabulous.
Now straight to the review.
As is AK's wont, again he chooses a subject which is not an obvious one for a commercial film. This is based on a real life story of the wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters Geeta & Babita.
The first half is just flawless. It has an earthy, real and warm feel to it. The girls who have played the young Geeta & Babita are cute, innocent & funny. Zaira Wasim, who plays the young Geeta has stolen the show.
The treatment is sans melodrama, real yet very gripping and sprinkled with humour.
The second half is very good as well. Here the older Geeta shines. Aamir Khan is his older avatar gets so much into the skin of the character, physically & otherwise, that you forget the AK we are familiar with.
This is perhaps AK's best performance till date given that the character he plays is so different physically from him.
The songs 'Haanikarak Bapu', Daler Mehndi's 'Dangal Dangal' and 'Dhakkad' are so apt, and have a rustic Haryanvi feel to them. This the perhaps the best music of the year.
So as we moved towards the climax the buildup hit all the right notes.
I was now certain that the climax will be a rousing one like Lagaan or Chak De. This is also a sports movie (like them).
This is where the movie faltered a bit. The climax had the unlikely comeback victory, the redemption at last, the national anthem and even 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'.......but somehow no one in the audience clapped or maro-seeti (maybe because this was a British Indian audience??). Can someone tell what is happening in the thetres in India?
The climax was certainly moving but it didn't give me goosebumps. The final surprise twist didn't help either. Not sure why this was introduced. The direction certainly lacks here. This was the moment to raise the pitch, build the crescendo, but the director chose to underplay it. It is surprising how AK also missed this trick, the perfectionist that he is.
Admittedly, the Lagaan climax is difficult to match. But Dangal had all the ingredients to come close but misses the trick here.
Also, it is not that easy to make wrestling exciting as compared to Cricket or even Hockey, but Dangal still does a fabulous job of it.
Dangal is clearly a labour of love. Notwithstanding the minor blip in the end, for me it is the best movie of 2016. The 4 girls are just rivetting. Aparshakti Khurana & Sakshi Tanwar give fab performances too.
Aamir Khan maintains and enhances his status as the numero uno actor in Bollywood, the king of clean and family entertainment.He has set a benchmark which others don't even try to reach.
Dangal is not be missed.
Sunday 20 November 2016
Demonetization & The Bhakt
On 8th November at 8pm, the Indian Prime Minister Modi made the shock announcement that the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination notes will no longer be legal tender. India is a predominantly cash economy and these 2 denominations made up 86% of the cash in circulation. So in one stroke this decision sucked 86% liquidity out of the system.
Modi said that this is being done to tackle black money. And in turn it will also be a strike on counterfeit currency, terror funding. and will move India towards a cashless economy.
In days to follow, it has become evident that the motives may not be achieved by the way it is being done and that there was woeful lack of planning and foresight behind such a radical decision. Overnight it forced millions of ordinary and honest citizens to stand for hours together in bank and ATM queues. People found that they have to struggle to get access to their own money. Many people have died directly or indirectly as an effect of this policy.
There are many who support this move even though in most cases they have not been able to come up with sound reasons to do so.
As is the wont with many Modi 'Bhakts', they don't have the patience or the intellect for discussions based on sound facts and logic. They start getting angry and abusive and start branding the other side as 'Anti-national' , desh drohi. Ghaddar etc etc. End of discussion. They say - don't question or cast aspersions on what Modi does. Doing that is 'anti-national'.
This 'anti-national' tactic works very well when the discussion is on Muslims, Pakistan, the Indian Army, the politics of beef and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' etc.
In the 'demonetization' debates also they started off by branding anyone questioning this policy as 'Anti-national'. But after 10-12 days of the misery suffered by the common man, the 'anti-national' jibe is not working so well. In effect it appears as if that is directed towards the common man who is bearing the brunt of this. So they are toning it down.
The BJP/RSS/Sangh Parivar is a master when it comes to coming up with new jargon -some examples - puedo-secular, love-jihad, ghar wapsi, presstitute, sickular etc etc.
I heard a new one in a debate on demonetization today from a Modi 'Bhakt' - 'Keep Calm & Trust Modi'................
Another inventive and a less offensive way to say 'don't question this policy' and 'shut up'.
'Keep Calm & Trust Modi'..........ha ha .....very creative. Let's see how far this one goes !!
Thursday 3 November 2016
Tuesday 1 November 2016
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
We watched 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' last Sunday 30th Oct, in Cineworld, Ilford.
Very different, unconventional......but worth watching.
Amazing music......
Very different, unconventional......but worth watching.
Amazing music......
Funny Cricket Story - Hyderabad - Bombay Ranji Semi Final 1991
My next audio blog:
Please see the audio blog on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKeFo5hyIME
Sunday 23 October 2016
Tuesday 18 October 2016
My Favourite Cricketers - Imran Khan
I wrote this article in 1994.
There are many cricketers I greatly admire, like Sunil Gavaskar,
Kapil Dev, Viv Richards, Richard Hadlee, Ian Botham, Wasim Akram etc. But of
all the cricketers I have ever seen, the
one I consider the best is the former Pakistani Cricket captain Imran Khan. And
I will explain why.
He is a top performer in his chosen field. A great fast
bowler and a correct & reliable batsman who invariably rose to the occasion
when his side needed him most. He was a good fielder too.
He has performed everywhere and in all sorts of conditions
over a career spanning 21 years. All this proves that he was a superb exponent
of his craft.
He was perhaps the best captain in recent history. He
inherited a side plagued by infighting and ego clashes and moulded it into a
world beating combination. He demanded total freedom in picking his team and
almost always justified his decisions. Once he was convinced of a player’s
potential, he would back him all the way. The players in turn were fiercely
loyal to him and would try their best under him. Wasim Akram once said that if
Imran asked him to jump in a well, he will do that without thinking twice. I
doubt if any other captain enjoyed such loyalty and respect of his team.
Imran led from the front and by personal example. There were
many occasions when he was injured or was in severe pain but would still try
his best for the team. Naturally such displays of sheer grit from their captain
inspired the team to try even harder. The Pakistan team under him performed
near miracles. In later part of his career when his bowling had lost much of
its sting, his mere presence would inspire his side to perform great feats.
In today’s age of professionalism, sportsmen sometimes try
to bend the rules to gain advantage over the opponent. Imran had a sense of
fair play and sportsman spirit. Pakistan cricket was notorious for its umpires
who invariable tilted in favour of the home side. Imran insisted on the
appointment of neutral umpires though he knew very well that winning at home
would be so much easier with home umpires. This was only his sense of fair play
which prompted him to take this courageous step. He was the pioneer of neutral
umpiring which has now become the norm.
Imran was a fighter to the core. In 1983 he suffered a
stress fracture of the shin. His leg was put in a cast and he was unable to
walk for 8 months. Few fast bowlers have fully recovered from such an injury. He
recovered through dogged determination and hard work to regain his bowling
form. He firmly believed that ‘You cannot be beaten until you give up
mentally’.
So much about Imran the Cricketer. Let’s talk about Imran,
the man.
Well read, articulate and intelligent, he has class written
all over him. His opinions on the game and other issues are very well
respected. He is hero worshipped in his country and his fan following extends
worldwide. When he announced his retirement in 1988, the president of his
country, General Zia ul Haq requested him to make a comeback and captain the
side against the mighty West Indies. This event in itself shows the esteem in
which he is held.
A teetotaller and a non-smoker, he still works hard to keep
himself fit & trim. His ambition now is to construct a Cancer Hospital
equipped with modern technology. He was appalled by the state of health
services in his country when his mother suffered and died from Cancer. With is
deep rooted conviction and dedication, he would certainly succeed in this
endeavour.
God has been kind to him too. He is extremely handsome and
looks like a Greek God. He prowls around like a tiger. With his supreme
confidence, he clearly comes across as someone strong – both mentally &
physically.
Sunday 16 October 2016
The Trump Trumpet
Donald Trump has now challenged Hillary Clinton to a Drug Test before next Presidential Debate..........
Just when you think this guy cannot become more rediculous.....he plunges lower.....if there is one job in the world he qualifies for, that might be of a bollywood scriptwriter....kahani mai aisa twist lata hai ki audience pareshan ho jaaye. The fact that this joker has got this far clearly points to the rot that has set in American society......Lincoln, Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin......the world looks upto them.....and now this guy has a shot at the top job.....'the land of hope & freedom' .....really?
Just when you think this guy cannot become more rediculous.....he plunges lower.....if there is one job in the world he qualifies for, that might be of a bollywood scriptwriter....kahani mai aisa twist lata hai ki audience pareshan ho jaaye. The fact that this joker has got this far clearly points to the rot that has set in American society......Lincoln, Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin......the world looks upto them.....and now this guy has a shot at the top job.....'the land of hope & freedom' .....really?
Monday 10 October 2016
M S Dhoni - The Untold Story
Watched the movie 'M S Dhoni 2 days back- The untold story' with Ammar......what an emotional 3 Hrs it has been for me.....my city Ranchi......my school DAV Shyamali....my sports teacher Bannerji Sir.....Mecon Stadium just behind my school where i saw many a Bihar Ranji match.....Deval Sahay & Chanchal Bhattacharya....big names in Ranchi Cricket who supported Dhoni.....The Sardarji owner of Raj Sports.....they all prominently figure in the movie.....very well researched & well made. Hats off to Sushant Singh Rajput for almost doing the unthinkable.....convincingly playing Dhoni while Dhoni is still very much around.....for me an unforgettable nostalgia trip......
The second half is a bit of a drag. But the part before he became famous is just fabulous.
The movie also is an out an out glorification of Dhoni's career, there are no grey shades like the CSK betting scandal etc. Also the dropping of Sehwag, Gambhir and Laxman is dealt with in a very mild manner. So clearly the movie didn't want to ruffle any feathers.
But just for the first half, the movie is a 'paisa vasool'. And for anyone remotely connected with Ranchi.....a must watch........
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Tuesday 27 September 2016
Test Cricket's Most Amazing Records
This article I wrote was published in Feb 12, 1994 in 'The Sportsworld' magazine. At that time it was the top Sports magazine in India along with 'The Sportstar'. It had the great Tiger Pataudi as its editor.
I was paid the princely sum of Rs 400 for its publication. There was no internet at that time and hence I had to do all the research for this article from 'Wisden' which I could get from British Council Library in Ranchi.
A copy of the magazine (with my article in it) is still there in our house in Ranchi.
********************************************************************************
Cricket is a game of records, A 50 or a 100 by a batsman or a 5 or a 10 wicket haul by a bowler is considered an achievement worth highlighting in the career stats of the player.
Perhaps more than any other sport, records and statistics have a huge significance in Cricket.They are compiled and are reported with great passion.
Let's look at some of the most remarkable and amazing records in Test Cricket, which may never get broken.
1. Jim Laker's 19 Wickets in a Test Match (19-90, England Vs Australia, Manchester, 1956)
It is said that even more remarkable than Laker's 19 wickets was the fact that the other half of the 'Surrey Spin Twins' Tony Lock could take only 1 wicket on a spinning track. The next best is 17 in a match (no one has ever taken 18). To break this record a bowler will have to take all 20 wickets which is practically impossible.One can safely say that this one would never be broken.
2. Hanif Mohammad batting for a marathon 16 and half hours in his innings of 337 Vs West Indies in 1957-58.
This means he batted continuously for nearly 3 days. quite a feat of concentration and stamina !
This record too appears unbreakable as a team batting for 3 days will make a farce of a 5 day Test. Plus, with the shorter formats gaining prominence, batsmen don't really fancy batting too long.
3. Over to the great Don Bradman. His whole career stats are quite unbelievable. In no other sport a single person's stats are so much better than anyone else.
I was paid the princely sum of Rs 400 for its publication. There was no internet at that time and hence I had to do all the research for this article from 'Wisden' which I could get from British Council Library in Ranchi.
A copy of the magazine (with my article in it) is still there in our house in Ranchi.
********************************************************************************
Cricket is a game of records, A 50 or a 100 by a batsman or a 5 or a 10 wicket haul by a bowler is considered an achievement worth highlighting in the career stats of the player.
Perhaps more than any other sport, records and statistics have a huge significance in Cricket.They are compiled and are reported with great passion.
Let's look at some of the most remarkable and amazing records in Test Cricket, which may never get broken.
1. Jim Laker's 19 Wickets in a Test Match (19-90, England Vs Australia, Manchester, 1956)
It is said that even more remarkable than Laker's 19 wickets was the fact that the other half of the 'Surrey Spin Twins' Tony Lock could take only 1 wicket on a spinning track. The next best is 17 in a match (no one has ever taken 18). To break this record a bowler will have to take all 20 wickets which is practically impossible.One can safely say that this one would never be broken.
2. Hanif Mohammad batting for a marathon 16 and half hours in his innings of 337 Vs West Indies in 1957-58.
This means he batted continuously for nearly 3 days. quite a feat of concentration and stamina !
This record too appears unbreakable as a team batting for 3 days will make a farce of a 5 day Test. Plus, with the shorter formats gaining prominence, batsmen don't really fancy batting too long.
3. Over to the great Don Bradman. His whole career stats are quite unbelievable. In no other sport a single person's stats are so much better than anyone else.
- Career average of 99.94 over 52 Tests. Most players with 50 plus averages over long careers are considered great. What should The Don be called then !
- He hit a century every 2.72 innings or every 1.8 Test.
- He has 12 double hundreds including 2 triple hundreds and once remained unbeaten on 299.
- His record of hitting 309 runs in a days' play off his own bat looks unbreakable. I think Sehwag may have scored more than 200 but didn't really come close.
- Series aggregate of 974 in 5 Tests against Eng in 1930. This one too looks unbreakable.
- Never getting out in the 90's, 190's or 290's.
4, Mohammad Azharuddin's record of scoring 3 hundreds in each of his first 3 Tests Vs England in 1984-85.
I think 2 batsmen have scored 2 hundreds in their first 2 Tests (Alvin Kallicharan & Sourav Ganguly).
To break this one someone will have to score in 4 hundreds in their first 4 Tests which seems well nigh impossible.
5. West Indies winning 11 Tests on the trot in 1984-85.
With slow overrates, tailor made pitches and even weak teams hard to beat at home, this will take some beating.
Postscript - This record was broken by Australians twice in 1999-2001 and in 2005-2006 when they won 16 Tests on the trot.Remarkable indeed !
6. Graham Gooch scoring a triple and a single century in the same Test Match. Vs India 1992.
333 and 123 with a record match aggregate of 456. Seems invincible.
7. Ian Botham's feat of scoring a Hundred and taking a 5 wicket haul in the same Test five times. Even Imran Khan, Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee never came close to this. Let's see if Ravi Ashwin comes close.
103 & 5/73 vs NZ 1977-78
108 & 8/34 vs Pakistan 1978
114 & 6/58 & 7/48 vs India 1979-80
149* & 6/95 vs Australia 1981
138 & 5/59 vs Australia 1984-85
8. Kapil Dev never missed a Test during his career spanning 131 Tests and 15 years due to injury. The only Test he missed was against England in 1984-85 when he was dropped on disciplinary grounds !
This is a remarkable achievement by a fast medium bowler and all rounder who had to carry a heavy workload.
9. Brothers Ian & Greg Chappell, both hit century in both innings of the same Test. Even the Waugh brothers could not match this one.
10. Mansur Ali Khan (Tiger) Pataudi became the youngest Test Captain at 21 years and 77 days just 6 months after losing an eye in a car accident. He captained on debut and he was the youngest member of the team he captained! Even Tendulkar could not break this one.
11. Sunil Gavaskar's 774 runs in his debut series in West Indian in 1970-71. Hard to beat really !
12. Sarfaraz Nawaz taking 7 wickets for 1 run in 33 balls to bring about a highly unlikely win for Pakistan against Australia in Melbourne in 1979.
13. Five members of the famous Mohammad family played for Pakistan in Tests. Brothers Wazir, Hanif, Sadiq & Mushtaq and later on Hanif's son Shoaib Mohammad all represented Pakistan with distinction.
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Friday 23 September 2016
Cricket and All That: Time to look beyond Rahul
Cricket and All That: Time to look beyond Rahul: In less than a day, the results of the elections in India will be out. But the writing is on the wall. NDA is heading towards forming the g...
Thursday 22 September 2016
Monday 19 September 2016
Saturday 17 September 2016
Janmdin Mubarak Ho, Modiji
माननीय मोदीजी,
जन्मदिन की शुभकामनाएं स्वीकार कीजिये।
आपने सुबह सुबह अपनी माताजी के चरण स्पर्श करते अपनी तस्वीर Tweet की, बहुत अच्छा लगा। भारतीय संस्कृति का सुन्दर उदाहरण पेश किया आपने।
आप काफ़ी व्यस्त रहते हैं. सुनने मैं आता है आप 18 घंटे काम करते हैं। आज आपका जन्मदिन है। आपसे विनती है की आज थोड़ा समय आत्म चिन्तन के लिए निकालिएगा।
आप बार बार कहते हैं की 'Constitution is my Holy Book '........ ऐसा आपने US Congress में भी अपने भाषण में बड़ी गर्म जोशी से कहा था। उस भाषण के लिए आपकी बहुत सराहना भी हुई थी।
आज अगर संभव हो तो एक बार 'Preamble of the Constitution' संविधान की प्रस्तावना पढ़िएगा। ज़्यादा लंबी नहीं है। शायद व्यस्त होने के कारणआपको इसे पढ़े हुए काफी समय हो गया होगा। और कृपा करके एक एक शब्द पर ध्यान दिजेयेगा। ये तो आपके लिए धर्म ग्रन्थ के समान है।
“
|
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly
resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic
and political;
LIBERTY of thought
, expression, belief, faith and worship;
FRATERNITY assuring
the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this
twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO
OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.
|
”
|
आपसे विनती है किं इसमें से Secular शब्द की तरफ थोड़ा ध्यान दीजियेगा। शायद ये शब्द आपको उतना नहीं भाता लेकिन आप जिसको अपनी Holy Book कहते हैं उसका अभिन्न अंग है। अगर धर्म ग्रन्थ पर विशवास है तो पूरा होगा , आधा अधूरा तो नहीं हो सकता। और फिर प्रधान मंत्री बनते समय आपने शपथ ली थी कि -
I, नरेंद्र दामोदरदास मोदी , do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as prime minister for the Union and that I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.
तो मानना तो पड़ेगा। .....
इस शब्द की व्याख्या संविधान इस तरह करता है।
Secular[edit]
Secular means the relationship between the government and the people which is determined according to constitution and law. By the 42nd Amendment in 1976, the term "Secular" was also incorporated in the Preamble. Secularism is the basic structure of the Indian constitution. The Government respects all religions.
It does not uplift or degrade any particular religion.
क्या आप इसमें विशवास रखते हैँ ?
There is no such thing as a state religion for India.
क्या आप इसमें विशवास रखते हैँ ?
In S.R. Bommai vs UOI (1994) The SC of India held "A state which does not recognise any religion as the state religion, it treats all religions equally". Positively, Indian secularism guarantees equal freedom to all religion. it stands for the right to freedom of religion for all citizens. Explaining the meaning of secularism as adopted by India, Alexander Owics has written, "Secularism is a part of the basic of the Indian Constitution and it means equal freedom and respect for all religions."[7]
उम्मीद है ये आत्म चिंतन आप पूरी सच्चाई से करेंगे। आखिर 'सत्यमेव जयते ' का प्रयोग अपने tweets मैं ऐसे ही तो नहीं करते होंगे।
नमस्कार
जय हिन्द
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