Wishing someone good luck for a new business/ endeavour can get a little tricky. My father-in-law recently added an "ICU" in his hospital!!! Now, for that endeavour to be financially successful, a lot of patients will have to require intensive care treatment!!!

I wished him all the best but I just hope it saves many lives. :)

Main na kahta tha!!!

I kept saying but no one was ready to hear. Then, Virender Sehwag had to intervene to give me some support!!!

We simply cannot afford to have a player of his calibre sit outside. We did that and may be paid the price for that. Opening partnerships or the lack of them hurt us pretty badly in the first two games and who know....Sehwag's inclusion could have changed all that. Anyways, thats history. I am happy that Sehwag is back with a bang. He helped us win a test match and draw one. Now he has to help us win the one day series. Cannot wait to see Tendulkar and Sehwag open the batting for us. Thats some mouth watering stuff....not for the bowlers though.

Star Appeasement at its best

Recently heard that Shahrukh Khan won the Best Actor award for his role in "Chak De India" at "Nokia Star Screen Awards". That is not a news as Shahrukh Khan has won several awards in his long illustrious career. What surprised me was that Aamir Khan was adjudged "Best Supporting Actor" for his performance in Taare Zameen Par. I do not know about others but I felt that it was pretty ridiculous. Was Aamir really a supporting actor in the movie? In that case, even SRK was a supporting actor in Chak De India since the movie was about the girls in the hockey team.

Taare Zameen Par (TZP) did revolve around the kid but that does not make Aamir a supporting actor. The kid was a victim and Aamir was the hero who saved the kid.

If the logic is that Chak De India was a movie about SRK's character; how he suffered and then used the Women's hockey team to find glory then going by that logic, Sanjeev Kumar was the real hero of Sholay. The movie revolved around Sanjeev Kumar's character and how he used two "supporting actors" to take revenge. The organisers can go to any extent for star appeasement!!! Funny!!!

"India's victory at Adelaide" has been added to your wishlist

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Quote of the day

"He is so laid back that I am surprised that he is so bald"

- Sunil Gavaskar on Virender Sehwag

Just to let you guys know....I had predicted on the second day of the Perth test that Sehwag's bowling will prove to be more than handy. Nawab saab did not let me down.

Jeet gaye bhai jeet gaye!!!

Not many would have expected this result on the "Devil's Track" at Perth. Indian team showed immense grit and determination to pull off a victory, which brought smiles on over a billion faces.

It was a fight for pride and we won.

New kid on the block

Ishant Sharma has stunned everyone with the growth and maturity he has displayed in the last two tests. He has been bowling exceptionally well. I do not know about others but at least I was not expecting such a performance from the Delhi lad.

When Ishant arrived on the international scene (Test match against Bangladesh in 2007), he gave the impression that he is not quite ready for the grind. That was expected as the guy was just 18 years old!!! Honestly, I was disappointed at his inclusion in the team for the Australian tour. I thought someone like Agarkar would have been a better bet. But I am glad that he proved me wrong. The deliveries he produced to dismiss Ricky Ponting in both the innings of the Perth test were outstanding. Infact the entire spell he bowled in the second innings (in which he eventually gor Ponting out) had the touch of brilliance. He troubled Ponting all through the spell.

The conversation between him and Kumble was classic. Pretty similar to Raj Singh Dungarpur and Md. Azharuddin conversation ("Miyaan captaani karogey?").

After he had bowled 7 overs on a trot, Kumble thought of giving Ishant a break. Sehwag suggested that Ishant should bowl another over as Ponting was on strike. Kumble asked Ishant "Ek daalega?". Ishant replied "Haan daalunga". And he got punter out the very next ball!!!

My biggest stress buster....Calvin and Hobbes!!!

Jumboooo....Jumbo Haa Haa Ha

When one thinks of spin bowling, the two names that immediately come to mind are Shane Warne and Muthiah Muralidharan. They have conquered such great heights that no third name comes in mind. But there is another man, who has quietly been filling his bag. The man is Anil Kumble.

Jumbo recently bagged his 600th wicket!!! Not many would have expected that he will cross even 500. When the whole world was busy looking at Murali and Warne, Anil was covering milestones after milestones with stealthy footsteps. He is a quiet person, he has been far from controversies (unlike Murali) and he is anything but a showman (Unlike Warne). There is no glamour attached to his personality and so not many noticed his approach towards the milestone.

He comes across as a person with a strong mind and high determination. Nobody can forget the sight of Kumble bowling in West Indies with a broken jaw. Probably, captaincy came to him pretty late in the day. He is a man of few words but he is definitely a character whom young cricketers can look upto.

In the press conference after the second test match at Sydney, Kumble showed the world that he is a no-nonsense person. In his deep voice he said "Only one team played in the spirit of the game". That was unlike the Kumble that we have all known but that is what the situation demanded....and like always in his illustrious 17 year career, he stood up to the situation. Thats the way to go Jumbo!!!

Bold decision or "Bowled" decision

So much was being said about the pitch at Perth. It was being called the "Devil's Track". It is green and has plenty of bounce. All the experts were of the opinion that the team winning the toss should bowl first.....but surprise surprise, India won the toss and has elected to bat first (I think Anil Kumble holds some personal grudge against Sehwag or Jaffer). There is something that the Indian team management knows about the pitch that the experts do not know about. Whatever it is, I hope it makes sense and pays off. Jeetega Bhai Jeetega, India Jeetega!!!

Knock Knock

2-0 down in a four test match series, the Indian team management must have been looking for some divine intervention. The "ever-formidable-on-paper" Indian batting line up has so far failed to hold together. Moreover, unlike the previous tour, the opening partnerships are nothing worth writing home about.

Just when the situation was looking pretty grim, Virender Sehwag knocked on the door....or should I say.....ripped the door apart!!!

With a 73 ball century, Sehwag has strongly put forward his claim for an inclusion in the playing XI. That must have surely eased out the pressure a little for the team management. Sehwag must be singing "kiska hai yeh tumko intezaar....main hoon na".

He should have been opening the batting from the first game. He is too good a player to be left out. Moreover, you can never bring down the Aussies with defensive play. It requires a knock out punch and the Nawab of Najafgarh can surely pack a punch. C'mon Sehwag, beat the shit out of the kangaroos!!!

Aamir Rocks!!!

I recently watched the movie "Taare Zameen Par". Being a huge Aamir Khan fan, I was eagerly waiting for this movie and wanted it to do well.

You seldom like a movie that you are excited about or eagerly waiting for. At least it happens to me more often than not. That is because "I create" so high expectations that the end product rarely satisfies me. For instance, it happened to me when I watched "Guru". Before its release, I was very excited about the movie and really wanted it to do well. I was a touch disappointed when I watched it for the first time. The whole movie hall was applauding but I was quiet. I was thinking that "kucch kam hai". Since then I have watched the movie several times and I love the movie now. I own the DVD as well!!! Its just that my expectations had killed the experience the first time around.

I am glad that the same did not happen when I watched Taare Zameen Par. It is a beautiful movie and it totally surpassed my expectations. It is not glamorous, there is no masala, no item song, no raj malhotra, no bauji....in fact it is very emotional, deals with a complex subject and has a strong message...yet everyone is loving it!!! That is coz the story has been packaged in an interesting manner and everyone in the movie has given splendid performance. Yet, the two performances that clearly stand out are those of Darsheel....and Aamir (I am not biased, I did not like him in Fanaa).

Kudos to Aamir's direction (please excuse me if you think that I am going out of the way...actually I somewhat agree. he he he) as he has brilliantly treated the story. Without proper treatment, the movie could have easily fallen into the category of "parallel cinema". It is a must watch for all the parents and the people who would become parents at some point (ahhaaaan.....that actually means almost everyone....I guess I should get something for promoting the movie. If at all people were visiting my blog.......).

Whats unusual about the Australian team's behavior?

Whats the fuss all about? Why are we talking so much about the behavior of the Australian cricket team? What is unusual? Australian team has always been an arrogant and rude bunch on the field. They have a long and colorful history of sledging and misbehaving. So whats new?

We should only be complaining about the umpriring decisions and the judgement of the match referee. The umpires took the match away from us. Wrong decisions helped the Aussies and costed us dearly. Australia would not have managed a big score in the first innings, had some decisions gone in our favor. Even after that, we could have managed a draw but Bucknor and Benson did not allow that. The dismissal of Ganguly was classic. Benson could have gone to the third umpire but decided to give his arms some rest. I would not blame Michael Clarke for claiming the catch as sometimes it is difficult to make out such catches. In similar circumstances, Dhoni had claimed a catch on the last tour of England. It is not the fault of the player but the umpire should have gone to technology. Instead he decided to take the help of the lord....Ricky Ponting!!!

I wont even blame Australians for excessive appealing. We do not have the right as we are the industry leaders. Australians were desperate for a record equalizing win and it showed. I don't think there is anything wrong with that as everyone does it.

The icing on the cake was the Harbhajan Singh trial. I do not have much faith on the judicial system in India and so I think that Mike Procter can be an excellent judge. He said on camera that the umpires did not hear anything. He decided to ignore Sachin Tendulkar's statement and decided in favor of the Australians. I do not know whether Harbhajan said something or not....though he does come across as a character who can do that. Point is that there was not enough evidence. How did Mike Procter reach that decision totally beats me.

It is good to see BCCI backing the players....for once....for whatever reasons. That is a rarity. BCCI and the Indian team should put its foot down on the Harbhajan Singh issue and ensure that his ban is lifted.

Couple of people who will be relieved are Yuvraj Singh, Wasim Jaffer and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Their abysmal performance in the series so far is not being talked about at all. If I were Anil Kumble, I would be mentally preparing Sehwag, Pathan and Karthik for the third test.

Boss kaun hai maalum hai na!!!

Finally....it came!!!

I was on the verge of a heart attack during the entire time he was in the 90s.

2007 was jinxed, now we hope that 2008 will make up for that!!!

Thats how the world looks like from the top of a Yak....or should I say a very angry Yak carrying more than 100kg weight!!!

Baba Harbhajan's Mandir

Around 60 kms away from Gangtok, near the Nathula pass, there is a mandir of Baba Harbhajan Singh. He was a soldier with Punjab regiment of the Indian army. The legend goes that Baba Harbhajan Singh was declared a deserter after he mysteriously disappeared in Oct 1968. There is a belief that he appeared in the dreams of the commanding officer of his unit and told the exact location where his body and rifle can be found.

His body and rifle were recovered from the exact location. Baba Harbhajan Singh had slipped and drowned in a fast moving stream. Later, his unit constructed the mandir, which is frequented by army personnels as well as civilians.

Trip to Darjeeling

Last December, we went to Darjeeling for a short trip. We had heard so much about the place and were pretty excited about the trip. I would say that we returned from Darjeeling a touch disappointed. That may be because we went over there after a trip to Gangtok and so the benchmarks were high. Another reason could be because we did not spend much time at Darjeeling so may be we missed out on the real beauty. Moreover, we reached Darjeeling on a Thursday, which happens to be the day on which the markets remain closed. Whatever may be the reason, we did not enjoy the trip as much as we had expected.

We found Darjeeling pretty commercialized. If you land up there with no reservations/bookings, you are in for major trouble. Not that getting a hotel will be a problem but you will have to deal with zillions of agents. So we did not find Darjeeling very "user-friendly".

At Darjeeling, you would like to take a ride on the famous toy train. Please keep in mind that the trains run only in the first half. Almost all of them start between 9-10 am and if you miss them, you will have to wait for another day. There is a train at 12 or 1 pm but for some reason it is reserved for the VIPs!!! George Bush should have a toy train ride in his itinerary for his next India visit as there is a VIP train!!!!

Another attraction, much to the agony of my wife, is the sunrise at the Tiger Hill. In December, you have to start at 4 am to watch the sunrise at around 6:15 am!!! Not that the hill is pretty far off....you have to be there early to get a decent seat!!! Actually on the top of the hill, there is a big house. They sell tickets for each floor. The top floor obviously commands the highest rate. If you plan to go over there, ensure that the you get the tickets for the top floor in advance as it usually runs out of stock pretty quickly. We reached Tiger Hill at around 4:45 and the sunrise was expected at 6:15. It was already crowded when we reached there. Sleepy souls were waiting for the sun to show up. The main reason people go over there is because Kunchenjunga (or Khandchengzonga) range falls towards the western side of the hill. So when sun comes up, the range turns into golden in color which is quite a sight. But to watch that sight, you have to pray for a clear sky.

Around 6:15, when the sun reluctantly came out, it was welcomed by a huge applause....the kind of roar that you hear when Sachin Tendulkar steps out of the dressing room to bat!!! People were cheering the sun!!! I took several pictures and was pretty excited about the beautiful landscape. Then around 7 am I turned around, with a big victorious smile on my face, to check where my wife is.....and there she was....standing in a corner with an expression on her face which said, "NOW, can we return to the guest house?". I did not take any more chances and like an obedient kid, I quietly went and sat in our cab.

While taking a walk in Darjeeling, we saw St.Paul's high school. That was the place where the movie, "Main Hoon Na" was shot.

Apart from that there is not much to do at Darjeeling. Tea gardens are good sight but I do not think anyone would like to spend a day looking at the tea leafs. Of course, we did not get to explore the town much. It would have been a lot better had we managed to get a bike.

Locals suggested us not to have food outside as the water can create a lot of problem for the tummy. Moreover, we were suggested not to do any shopping at Darjeeling as the same products can be bought at much cheaper rates at the market in Siliguri, which is pretty close to the nearest railway station (New Jalpaiguri) and airport (Baghdogra).

Having said all that, I would still admit that Darjeeling is pretty beautiful. Its just that the heavy commercialization has made the town portion a little dirty. The authorities should do something about the place as it has huge tourism potential.

A monk is playing cricket at the Rumtek Monastery at Gangtok. This shows the popularity of cricket in India.

I miss Veeru

India lost the first test match on the Australian tour. The last time around, we had done pretty well and had come pretty close to winning the series. I would be surprised if something like that happens this time around. The team does not look quite the same. The big guns are still there and Sachin, Sourav and Laxman are in good form. Yet, something is missing.

Looking back at the batting performance on the previous tour, two things stood out....Rahul Dravid's performance and the opening partnerships. Both look shaky on this tour. Dravid, for reasons unknown, is not his usual self. He is opening the batting and clearly not enjoying it. For me, Dravid is the backbone of the Indian test batting line-up and losing him early in the innings means being on the backfoot from the start.

We had done well on the previous tour because of steady starts given by Sehwag and one Mr Akash Chopra. The guy got a raw deal. Though the guy never went on to hit a century on the tour but he used to ensure that we do not lose wickets early on. That used to give confidence to the other batsmen. Anyways, thats past. On this tour, we are trying the combination of a Jaffer and Dravid. To me, both have pretty similar batting styles. Jaffer does go for his shots but still they are not the kind of batsmen who can dominate the Australian bowling attack. And in Australia, if you go on a defensive, you are digging your grave.

I think that India should have gone with Sehwag as one of the openers. He is indeed short of match practice but still Veeru is the kind of batsman who, on his day, can dominate any bowling attack. We need such a batsman in the side. I am surprised that he did not make it to the playing eleven even for the second test. His batting technique (technique!!! can we use that word for Sehwag's batting style?) was questioned on the last tour as well. He answered all doubts with a breezy 195. Thats the kind of innings that we need.

My opinion is that India should go with Jaffer and Sehwag as openers and Yuvi should sit out. I really dont think that Yuvi is the right choice for Australian conditions (he can prove me wrong at Sydney as the pitch usually is pretty flat over there....I will be more than glad if he does that). If the team management is adamant at playing Yuvi, then they can as well try the combination of Sehwag and Dravid on the top. If Sehwag clicks, that will atleast take the pressure off Dravid.

I seriously do not think that we have a chance in this series but like always, I will be praying for a miracle.

Gangtok: Burrry Burrry Cold!!!

Am back from a trip to Gangtok and Darjeeling. We had been planning for a "year end special" vacation since last several months and had considered several locations, including Mauritius, Malaysia, Lakshadweep and Kerala. Finally, we zeroed upon Gangtok and Darjeeling as we really wanted to go to the eastern part of India.

For the people who bunked the geography classes, Gangtok is in Sikkim. Fans of Indian football (endangered species) would know the place as Baichung Bhutia comes from there.

If you are planning to visit Gangtok, do not go over there with expectations of a happening holiday. It is a quiet place but is a must if you want to get away from the noise of the bigger cities. It is a small town but very neat and clean. The best thing about Gangtok are the people. They are very friendly and respectful (another endangered species). For the shutter bugs, Gangtok is a paradise as it presents a breathtaking landscape.

Interesting places at Gangtok are Rumtek monastery, Hanumantak, Tsomgo lake (pronounced as Changu lake), Nathula pass and Baba Harbhajan ka mandir.

Now to tally the balance sheet, let us talk aout the liabilities (weak points). You should have the legs and more importantly the lungs to really enjoy Gangtok. Everywhere you go, you will have to hike or climb stairs!!! People pay money to test the tolerance limit of their lungs!!! I must have climbed a billion stairs over there.

Getting a vehicle is not difficult but getting a motorbike or a vehicle sans a driver is not possible. Now, that is a big limitation. You cannot enjoy Gangtok from the passenger seat of a Taxi. You must have your own vehicle so that you can stop wherever you want to and take pictures or simply enjoy the beauty.

Another problem is that Gangtok is not connected with other cities through rail or flights. The nearest airport is Baghdogra, which is 124 kms away and it takes close to 4.5 hrs to reach Gangtok. Nearest railway station is New Jalpaiguri which is equally far.

If you do not manage to get a vehicle for yourself (without a driver), two days are sufficient at Gangtok. You can cover a "10 point" tour which includes a few monasteries, a botanical garden, couple of temples and a ropeway ride. On the second day, you can go to Nathula pass which is around 56 kms from Gangtok but is much colder since it is 14,400 ft above the sea level. It is the India-China border. Nothing much to do over there bit it still is worth a visit as the landscape is beautiful and the journey is amazing. You can see the Chinese post and the roads, which are much better in shape. On the same day you can go to Baba Harbhajan's mandir and Tsomgo lake. At this time of the year, the Lake remains frozen. We also enjoyed the Yak ride near the lake. Quite understandably, my yak was not in a very good mood as my weight must have been close to his!!!

You can spend another day at Gangtok to pick some souvenirs from the market but you will get bored if you spend anything more than three days over there. But ya, if I would have got a bike, I could have spent a month over there!!!

Please note that Gangtok remains very cold in December and January. A few small pegs (huhahahaha) of vodka really helps. Needless to say that the more the better!!!

Happy New Year 2008

I am writing a blog after a long time. We had run out of sponsors!!!

Seriously, I was missing writing blogs. So much was happening and I wanted to express so many things but was really tied up.

I chose a good day to return as this is the first day of 2008 and is also my birthday (That was to remind you guys that you owe me some gifts).

I wish all my readers (Man, I am seriously losing it!!!) a very happy new year.