Thanks to the dispute between bollywood producers and multiplexes, there were not many movies that are releasing. Though the IPL is on (and I am a big time cricket buff), it cannot substitute an enjoyment of watching a good movie in the theatre. So when this new movie "99" released, we jumped at the opportunity. It is a movie with "Tier 2" (if not tier 3) star cast and such movies are usually risky. But since we did not have much options, we bought the tickets. And post the movie, we did not regret the decision one bit.

99 is a good movie with a really interesting story. The story did not require stars or the bigger names and that worked well. It is a complete fun movie. Even the violent scenes will make you smile or laugh. Finally Kunal Khemu has picked a decent movie. I am sure there are more people like me who are bored of sitting at home on the weekends and so this movie should work. Go watch it!!!

!!!!

Whats this news?!!? Federer beat Nadal!!! on clay!!!!!! Federer is a great player indeed and he is also a three time finalist at Roland Garros...but still!!! C'mon Rafa, French is round the corner. You cannot let the swiss cowboy get such a morale boost. Get ready and thrash the world at French. All the best!!!

India is the biggest supporter of terrorists

What goes in the mind of a terrorist right before he does something insane and inhuman? What was Kasab and his fellow terrorists thinking right before they opened firing? Dont they think about the outcomes of their actions? Dont they worry about the future of themselves and that of their family members? What do their masters across the border tell them that makes these terrorists forget about the outcome?

I think the primary motivator is the fact that nothing much can go wrong. If they die, they will be called martyrs in their land and their families will get some money. But if they get caught, they can enjoy life in the laps of mother India.

Can someone please explain to me why are we feeding that %$#@...... pardon my language...that mother$%#@&# Kasab? Have we adopted him or what? I understand that terrorists need to be caught so that we extract information from them. But what more information are we looking from him....his sperm count? Why are we even trying to take him to the court of law? What is the message that we are trying to give to the terrorists? "If you bomb us, we will catch you and provide you free food and shelter for the rest of your life". This seems to be the message that we are trying to give.

For heavens sake, put that bastard in a tiger's cage!!! Or hand him to me.

Not that I am a big supporter of Varun Gandhi or believe in his "ideologies" but I want to know how come he is wrong and Pramod Muthalik and Raj Thackeray are not? Somebody told me that Varun Gandhi is in trouble as at the time of elections, such speeches are against the law!!! Not sure whether this is factually correct or not. But if it is then its nothing but a big joke. How come such speeches are illegal at times of elections and okay at all other time!!!! Funny!!!

IPL 2 is back!!!

After so much confusion, finally IPL 2 is actually happening. Cant wait for the matches to start. This time around, Mumbai Indians are looking pretty strong as they have a balanced line-up. But you never know in 20-20 matches. I hope it is as or more exciting than the first edition. Go Tendulkar Go!!!!

Pondicherry: A Laid-Back Holiday Destination

Since last 4 years, I had been making plans to visit Pondicherry. During my a year and half stay at Bangalore, I must have made a plan for each weekend but it never happened. Finally, last year in October, I managed a trip to Pondicherry.

I had heard a lot about the place. A clean and planned town thats pretty "laid-back". People used to tell me that there is not much to do at Pondicherry and its for those who enjoy looking at the sea for hours and walking on the beach. So my expectations were well set. I did not land over there to have a happening vacation.......I found it simply great!!! And I went over there again in December last year.

Pondicherry is three hours drive away from Chennai. The drive itself is pretty enjoyable, given one is taking the East Coast Road. From Chennai till Pondicherry, the road runs parallel to the sea. I wish I had driven the vehicle. The road is great and one can easily drive at 100+ speed. An AC cab from Chennai to Pondicherry costs between 1,600 to 2,200 Rs.

Its a place tailor made for tourists. It presents zillions of options for everything. Be it the food that you want to have or the kind of place you want to stay in or the budget that you have...Pondicherry has a perfect option for you.

The first time we went to Pondi, we stayed at Ashok Beach Resort. It is a hotel with government backing. The tarriff is not low but the standard is. 4K for a room a day wont seem too much but wait till you have a look at the room. The facilities are pretty basic. The rooms do not even have a locker or a cupboard that you can lock on your own. The restaurant is sad as well. BUT....the resort has a private beach!!! Now, one limitation that Pondicherry has is that it has hardly any beaches. Ashok is probably the only resort/hotel that has a private beach. And thats a major plus. The place is outside Pondi (11 kms outside). Stay over there for the private beach and if you have arranged for a vehicle.

In the second trip, we stayed at Ginger Hotel. It was December. We went over there on Christmas Eve. So, we did not have much options left. Ginger was one of the few options and it was coming out to be pretty inexpensive. But Ginger truly surprised us. It was our first stay at Ginger. The rooms are pretty nice and clean. They are small but they have most of the things that you would require. Moreover, they do not charge you a fortune. I have this funda that any place you go, you should spend the least on accomodation. Then use all the money to explore the place, buy things, eat and............of course drink. I found Ginger pretty impressive and I recommend it to everyone.

Whenever we go to any tourist place in India that far away from our home, we have to depend on city tour operators/hired cabs to explore the city. Thats never a pretty good idea as one misses out on the true flavor of the place. Pondicherry is one of the very few places in India where you can hire a two-wheeler (bike, scooter, bicycle). A personal vehicle provides the required mobility. In both the trips, we did exactly that. The better bikes are reserved for the firangs as they pay better. So, in the first trip I got a Honda Activa!!!! (poor machine). But in the second trip, I managed to get a Pulsar. That was the best thing that could happen. It made the trip pretty enjoyable and we could visit a lot more places.

Another plus point of Pondicherry is its diverse culture. It is a former French colony and that provides a different flavor. Moreover, the Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry attracts tourists from all parts of the globe. And several of those tourists come and stay at Pondicherry for long periods. One area where this diverse culture has had extremely positive impact is the food!!! You will find some great bakeries, some french restaurants, fast food places, breakfast places....everything. And we tried most of them. If you are at Pondicherry, I suggest you start your day early. Do not have the breakfast in your hotel, even if it is complimentary. Try some of the great breakfast places that they have. Do not expect any lavish stuff....remember "Pondicherry" and "laid-back". There is one place right on the turning for Auroville. (Its right there on the main road and is next to the turning). Then on the Auroville approach road, you will find some small but great places. These are more like shacks. The waiter will also be the cook. the microwave might be right next to your table. Nothing fancy but they give the true flavor of Pondicherry. And one must try the "Bakery Boulangerie". They offer some great pasteries and breads.

There are not many places to see. One should go to Auroville but apart from that there is nothing much. The best place to spend some time is the beach road. Between certain hours, the traffic cops block the entry of vehicles on the beach road. And then hundreds of people come out and walk over there. Even if you are not much of a "Johnnie Walker" (I admit, thats a bad joke), you will still enjoy walking on the beach road. The atmosphere, the sound of waves hitting rocks, everything is simply great. Even driving/riding on the beach road in the late night is awesome. At this point, I will once again emphasise that it is a good place for those people who want to have a laid-back (this adjective keeps popping up and quite naturally so) holiday. It is not for people who want to have a happening vacation.

I dont have much more to write but I am not content. I liked the place so much that I am getting this feeling that I am not doing proper justice in describing the place. But then, I cannot paint that amazing picture with plain words. Go over there to experience the place.

Pic at Suryalanka Beach Resort

Suryalanka Beach Resort

Where to eat and what to eat

The idea behind this blog is not to suggest restaurants. Usually, I pick a restaurant based on what I am feeling like having. The following list has the details of the places that I regularly visit (Hyderabad) as well as what I like to have over there (you are free to take a cue);

• Fusion 9. I love the lamb lasagna over there. It is a great restaurant with pretty good ambience. The food is slightly on the costlier side but good things never come cheap. Good place for an evening dinner. Not so quiet though.
• Shanbagh. I like the "Tomato Bath" over there. I am talking about the Shanbagh (old one) on Panjagutta circle (between Hyderabad Central and Bajaj Electronics). It is a typical "tiffins" or "meals' place. Great place to have breakfast, given you like south indian dishes. The ambience is pretty basic though. They do have an AC restaurant. Crowd is decent and so one can go with family.
• Paradise. Obviously the chicken biryani.
• Green Park. I go over there for the "Midnight Biryani". I am not crazy about their biryani but its the chicken haleem thats great. I must admit that I have never tasted haleem at an authentic haleem place. I have always tried it at star hotels. Green Park is my favorite
• Tiwary Brothers. I go over there for kachauri, jalebi and...........a dose of bhojpuri!!! It is not a restaurant but just a sweet shop (pretty big one at that) on the Khairatabad junction. You must try the Kachauris and jalebis over there. The staff is from eastern UP or Bihar. Their talks take me back to my hometown. Kabhi Bihar U.P aakar dekho, mehmaan ko hum bhagwaan ki tarah maante hain!!!
• Anji's. Poori-Bhaaji. Don't pull out your hair trying to locate this place. It is just a stall run by a guy named Anji. The place is right on top of Nagarjuna Hills. The stall is right infront of the old building of ICFAI Business School (the place I did my MBA from). I had breakfast/lunch on the stall daily, for almost two years!!! It has an emotional connect as well. Do not know whether it is still there or not. I last went there two years back.
• Suprabhata. Gobi Rice is a must have. Another one of those lesser known "meals" places. Its right there on the Punjagutta junction. Its Gobi Rice is popular even outside Hyderabad. But it is a pretty small place. Suitable only for bachelors. Otherwise get it packed and take it home. Ya, they provide veg curry with gobi-rice. Ask for sambar instead.
• Bombay Blues. I must have had their "Cheesy Chicken Pasta" with beer a zillion times. Their "Sizzling Chilly Chicken" is great as well. Nice restaurant with good ambience. Its in Hyderabad Central.
• Ohri's Gufaa. Talwaar Kabab is simply awesome.

There are several other places that I like and frequent(Tabla, Barbecue Nation, Utsav, Zafraan, Chhatees.....) but there is no particular dish that has appealed to me. I will keep trying!!!

And ya, there is another place that is pretty good for "Chilly Paneer", "Chicken Biryani", "Rajma Chawal", "Chocolate Cake" and several other things. Its my place. (paani mein rahna hai to magar (read: my wife) se bair nahi rakhunga). You are most welcome.

Trip to Car Museum (Hyderabad)

Couple of months back, on a lazy weekend afternoon, me and my wife decided that we should go out somewhere. Enough of sitting at home and having the same routine weekend. But where to go? Hyderabad does not serve many options. Then I remembered reading about a car museum somewhere in Hyderabad. We searched for the address on the net and within half an hour, we were on the road.

The place is called "Sudha Cars" (The name of the owner and the person who builds those cars is Sudhakar). It has theme cars, bikes & cycles. To give an example, it has a "kick-start" Rolls Royce with Bajaj scooter's engine!!! The place has pretty interesting stuff. But it is poorly maintained. The trip was not enjoyable at all. It is a small place and one can see all the stuff in half an hour. Not worth the one hour drive (one way). Moreover, there is not much you can do over there. There is a small shop selling refreshments but it does not offer much. The shop does sell miniature models of the models in the museum. But the quality of those toys is extremely poor (quite an understatement). I hate to admit but I am really fond of toys. Stuff like toy cars really appeal to me. But none of the stuff on sale over there appealed to me.


So Mr. Sudhakar, first of all, let me tell you that you have an exceptional talent. Some of the stuff at your place is very interesting. But you must do something to enhance the overall experience of the visitors. You should try to make the place worth a visit. I agree that people do visit your place. But that is coz there is a dearth of options in Hyderabad and also because the people you take the city tours "have to" come to your place. For starters, make your place clean. It is not very dirty but it is not clean either. Then there should be a bigger refreshment stall, with more options. Improve the quality of miniature models that you sell. Stuff that is sold on traffic signals has a better quality. If it gets better, it will find more buyers (I will definitely be one of them). You can start some rides where people can pay and ride/drive some of your work of art. You can also take orders and make/sell some products. All this will generate good revenue which can be invested in giving the place a facelift, in making new stuff or for simply buying a real car!!!


One last suggestion. Do not ever give up this hobby/passion. You are pretty good at it. Moreover, Hyderabad needs such places.

From the two trips to Pondicherry (Trip diary will follow)

Are we too liberal?

Recently, I watched the movie "Shaurya". It is inspired by the hollywood flick "A Few Good Men" but is not in any manner a loose adaptation. The plot may be similar but the issue is pretty different. The movie shows a Brigadier in the Indian Army who, due to some unfortunate incidents in his life, has developed extreme hatred towards muslims. He is a devoted soldier, a patriot but he wants to kill all muslims. His ways and actions are way too extreme and like most Hindi movies, the truth triumphs in the end, and the Brigadier goes to jail. I am not here to discuss the movie. But the issue that I am concerned about has a close link.

Except those of us who are part of any Hindu extremist party or group, everyone else must have agreed to and liked the end of the movie. Forget about others, I liked the end. There is no place for such radical ideologies in an organization like the Indian Army....or for that matter, anywhere. No matter what had happened to the character in personal life, nothing can justify such actions. In real life, any such actions should be severely punished.

There have been several terrorist attacks on India. Most of those are conducted by muslims. Being a very patriotic person, I feel bad whenever such an incident takes place. But I have nothing against the muslims. I do not generalize. I do not have extremist ideologies and I certainly do not want all the muslims to killed. I feel that they are as much a part of my country as I am. But I do think that we are very liberal towards some of them.

Coming to the point that I want to make, there was an incident that took place in Srinagar on 15th August 2008. In the morning, Indian Tricolor was hoisted in an area (I think it was called Lal Chowk). By the evening, hundreds of people gathered in that area, they ripped the Indian flag and burnt it. They put the flag of Jamaat-e-Islami (which looks like the Pakistani flag). They were shouting the pro-pakistan slogans like, "Jiyo, jiyo Pakistan, hum hain Pakistani" (Long Live Pakistan, we are Pakistanis). I truly wish the Brigadier from the movie was there. Any act of disrespect towards India and Indian flag should not be tolerated. The army/police/CRPF should have opened fire on those bastards and killed each one of them. I agree that each one of them might have a story to tell or a scar to show but nothing....NOTHING AT ALL can justify such actions. Anyone should try burning a Pakistani flag in Pakistan. People will burn the person alive. But, for some inexplicable reason, we are way too liberal.

I do not think I need to state this, but for the record, I have nothing against the muslims or any other community. But, I want all those people who show or have shown disrespect towards my country to burn in HELL. Period.

Wanted to write this since last several months. Feeling slightly relieved but not happy.

Trip to Suryalanka Beach Resort

If you are at Hyderabad and looking for a weekend getaway, you don't have much options. There is a dearth of tourist places around Hyderabad unless you are the religious kind and temple towns are okay with you. I have been staying in Hyderabad since last 7 years and I have already been to most places in and around Hyderabad that are worth a visit. Then I heard about this place called "Suryalanka".

Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has been aggressively promoting this place. Last December, we thought we will give it a shot. Suryalanka is a beach village (cant be called a town by any stretch of imagination). There is a government resort right on the beach so one thing it can definitely boast of is a good view. The beach is pretty clean as it is far from any big town. One can enjoy a morning walk with a lovely view and a peaceful environment. The sunset is great as well.

Having said all that, let me admit that Suryalanka gave us more negatives than positives(we will come to that)....yet it was a welcome change from a boring and pretty routine weekend at Hyderabad. All we wanted was to forget about the tensions of everyday life, sit on the beach on a lazy evening and have chilly chicken with beer/soft drinks. We got that.

I have already explained the positives (change, good view etc). Let me explain the negatives a little so that you do not kill me if you do make a trip. First and foremost, it is a government resort so service is ..... sub-standard. No two ways about it. The resort has several cottages which are "cheap" (normally I use the term, "inexpensive" but cheap describes it better as the tariff is low and so is the quality). The restaurant is pretty bad as well and they reluctantly serve the food in the cottages. Moreover, one cannot order a sizzler or a lasagne over there. They have fixed menu (little choice) for each day...depending upon the supplies. Ya, you can ask for any special dish. They do try to accomodate your wishes. The restaurant at the resort is the only option that one has. They take ages in bringing food so order around 2 hours in advance. There is not much to do at Suryalanka so DONT plan for more than a weekend. Ya, I am pretty much done with the negatives.

Food takes time to arrive but the taste is not too bad. Do try the chilly chicken, which needless to say, best goes with chilled beer. There are some shops (dont expect a Foodworld or WalMart) right outside the resort. They stock snacks and beer. Beer is available in every shop so thats a major positive.

Suryalanka is best for people from Hyderabad.....as they do not have much options. It is certainly not a great holiday destination but is a pretty okay option if you are looking for a change. The trip wont cost much as well. Okay, let me put it this way....if you are at hyderabad and have run out of options, you badly need a change, you like travelling and are a little adventurous, do not have more time than a weekend and you are not looking for a 5-star comfort....you can try Suryalanka.

(The nearest railhead is "Bapatla", which is around one hour away from Vijaywada. By road, it is around 7-8 hours drive from Hyderabad but thats not really advisable. Go over there in summers if you are looking for ways to commit suicide. Even december was hot. Carry your own snacks. An electric kettle with few cup noodles will be great. There is an Indian Air Force station nearby so one can leverage those connections and stay in their guest house. But in that casem you will miss out on the best part....the view.)

Dental Trauma

I go for a dental check-up every six months as I can bear all kinds of physical pain but not the one that comes between me and good food!!! You go to the dentist to avoid any pain but the check-up can also be pretty painful. Let me share one very painful incident that took place during my last visit to the dentist. It did not cause any major physical pain but it was psychologically painful. It was traumatic. Here is what happened.

I went to the Smiline Dental Clinic in Srinagar Colony, Hyderabad. That is my regular dental clinic and I know the doctor pretty well. I was offered another dentist since my regular doctor was busy with another patient. However, I insisted on meeting my regular dentist, Dr. Sunitha (wish I had accepted the offer). After waiting for a few minutes, I was asked to go to Dr. Sunitha's room. I went there, we said hello to each other and then she started the examination.

After a brief examination, she told me that I have a cavity. No, no...thats not the painful part!!! With the amount of time I spend on brushing my teeth, that was pretty much expected. She told me that she can quickly do a filling. She offered to fill some 'substance' that will match the color of my teeth (remember this part). I thought that is a brilliant idea as no one will ever know about the cavity and the filling. I agreed.

She asked her assistant to bring the substance that matches the color of my teeth. The assistant went away and was back in a minute with a tray. I dont know what was the color of the substance did she bring but the doctor had one look at the tray and shouted....."not this one, bring the YELLOW one!!!!". Ouch!!!

Now I take good care of my teeth.

Postman Postman...Sir Aapki Chitthi Aayi Hai!!!

(Pondicherry, Oct 2008)

Allahabad Trip: Picture taken at Sangam

Spooky

Indian Defense Sector: 10,000 feet view

India recently successfully test fired the BrahMos cruise missile. This is a great step forward and such news does help in creating a sense of pride as well as security. But, in terms of modernization of our arms and ammunitions, where do we stand vis-a-vis the other superpowers of the world? I am no defense analyst and I have never researched upon the defense sector in India. However, having been brought-up in army cantonments, I have seen the scenario closely. Moreover, I have got opportunities to talk to the people who are directly associated and so "I think" I know a little.

I am not worried about the men in uniform. Though it is fact that the enthusiasm towards serving the Indian Army, Navy or Air Force is decreasing (and it is indeed a matter of concern), I am sure that what we have is among the best in the world. What I am more concerned about is the state of affairs when it comes to arms and ammunitions. We do develop guns, missiles etc but the frequency of new product development is very low compared to most other countries. I do not think that our INSAS and SLR rifles stand anywhere when compared to the weapons used by the soldiers of US, Russia, China etc. There is a particular program on Discovery Channel that shows "Future Weapons". Compared to those weapons, the weapons used by Indian Army are like "bows and arrows". So, where does the problem lie? Are we so backward in terms of technology that we cannot produce those weapons? I dont think so. The problem, like all problems in India, lies in the system.

Ordnance Factories in India: Pain Points

I cannot comment on all the ordnance factories in India but I have seen two of them pretty closely. The first one is the Ordnance Factory Medak. This factory makes armoured vehicles. The amount of land that this particular factory covers is enormous. I was told that two factories were supposed to come up on the alloted land however, only one came up in the end. This factory is HUGE in terms of the total area. Another interesting piece of information that I got regarding the factory is that Indian Army is the sole client of the factory and the army is hardly ordering for such vehicles. So that means the factory is not solving any purpose at all. To justify its existence to some extent, the factory works on converting ordinary vehicles to bullet-proof VIP vehicles!!!! I must say, brilliant use of the tax payers money.

The other ordnance factory that I have seen pretty closely is the Rifle Factory, Ishapore (West Bengal). The factory is the largest, if not the only, supplier of rifles to the Indian Army and other defense entities. Now, this factory does produce good rifles but what about the cost? I was told that the factory is majorly overstaffed. To add to the problems, the target given to each employee can be achieved in couple of hours. So the workers come in the morning, finish the work in a couple of hours and then discuss politics, football, mamta banerjee, bipasha basu, ravindra sangeet etc. They work the normal hours and later do overtime as well!!! There was this particular gentleman who could barely walk properly due to his old age and he had problems with his vision as well. Yet, he used to come every morning, sit under a tree and leave late in the evening. This was is daily routine. This guy used to take the normal wages as well as the overtime pay!!! And guess who pays for all this fun Me and you. So, whats the solution of all this?

Possible Solution

I was told that each rifle that is produced in Rifle Factory, Ishapore can be produced in at least one-third the cost by a private player. Privatizing the ordnance sector is a possible solution, if not the best solution. Several global defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon etc (Time to show off my research on the US Aerospace and Defense sector) would love to pounce on the opportunities in this market. Even if we do not want to attract foreign hands, I am sure companies like Tata, Mahindra and Mahindra etc will be interested. We do not know who all will be interested as have never opened that window and looked outside (my guess is Mr. Mallya will be more than interested) but thats not the point. The point is that people will surely be interested to set up manufacturing plants in India and to serve the demands. But we must look at the pros and cons of privatizing the ordnance sector.

Privatization: Issues and Limitations

1. First and the foremost, what will happen to the thousand of workers that are presently working in the ordnance factories across India? But that can be solved. I am sure, a private player can compensate the workers much better than the Indian government presently does. Private players can associate incentives with efficiency. At least the younger workers will be (should be) interested in joining the private players. I do agree that several workers will not like this idea and would not like to work for a private player. Afterall its in us to resist any kind of change. Now, even if those workers or all the workers are asked to stay at home and are paid their salaries till the end of their working career, I think the equation will still work out to be profitable.
2. The other problem could be with the "change management". I am sure there will be several strikes as well as riots, especially when a few ordnance factories are in West Bengal. But that problem will have to be and can be dealt with strongly and strictly.
3. The existing policies and regulations will have to tweaked and going by the past track record, this can take a zillion years

Privatization: Positives (Top of the Mind)

1. Cost will be reduced and hence the defense budget will go down. The savings can be utilized in other sectors or can be used to purchase arms from other countries or can be invested in research and development
2. There will be a better management of resources (especially land)
3. The private players, with their financial might, can invest heavily in research and development. They will ensure results. This can help us in creating better weapons in India itself.
4. If the government permits, the new and better weapons, tools, equipments, vehicles can be sold outside India. These products will be cheaper as India is a low cost manufacturing location and hence will easily find market across the world (depending upon the policies of the countries)
5. Indian defense entities as well as the economy will get stronger.
6. It will give a strong message that "chalta hai" attitude is no longer acceptable

Definitely worth a try, isnt it?

Tata Indicom: Dead Horse

I recently purchased a Tata Indicom "Plug 2 Surf" USB modem. I already have a broadband connection at home but I needed a USB modem since I had some travel plans and wanted to stay connected. High hopes!!!

15 Minute Customer Delight

I called up Tata Indicom customer care to enquire about the offers and plans. I was told about a great offer and was told that an executive can deliver the modem at my door step. I was pretty happy with such service. Didnt know that it was just a bait!!!

The Actual Customer Service Starts

Villain#1 (Sales Executive): The same day, a sales executive came to my place and asked me to fill a form. I did that. Then he took the money and got up to leave!!! I asked him for the USB modem. He told me that someone else will come to verify the address and that guy will give the USB modem. Later, the customer care executive called and asked whether I have received the modem or not!!! When told about what happened, she almost scolded me for not taking the modem from the sales executive. But madam, how am I supposed to know that your executives can be cheats??? I tried calling the sales executive but he did not pick up. This happened for the most part of next day as well. Then I received a call from the customer care. I was told that I will get the modem in half an hour. After waiting for an hour and half, I called up the sales executive and he said that he will be at my place in 15 minutes. After several more calls and a couple of hours, he sent a boy with the modem. The boy knew nothing about the device, laptops, installation process etc. He just told me that he cant help much and my connection will be activated by the end of day.

Late in the night, I tried connecting the modem. Nothing happened. Then, I figured out that there is an installation CD that has been provided. For some reason, this was kept a secret!!! May be they thought that CD has documents related to national security or probably the design details of Tata Nano!!! Anyways, after installing the CD, the modem started to work....at least the signal strenth related numbers suggested that. But there was a "small" problem.....none of the sites were opening. Probably, the Tata Indicom folks thought that I have taken the connection just to check out the signal strength!!!!

I tried calling the customer care(technical)!!!! I was asked for a 10 digit number!!!! More mysteries!!!! I was never provided with a 10 digit number. I went through the manual and realised that the number is actually a phone number. Luckily I have a CDMA phone. I plugged the sim card in my phone and checked the phone number. Later, I was told by the customer care that a technician will come to my place in 12 hours. He almost admitted that someone should have communicated the phone number to me.

Villain # 2 (Technician): The technician came to my place and within 5 minutes decided that I need to format my laptop!!!! Threw some technical jargons to suggest that the problem is with my laptop. How convenient!!! I suggested him that he should try connecting the modem to his laptop. Surprise Surprise!!!! It did not work!!! Then he tried connecting his own modem to his laptop....that didnt work either. Then came the best solution. It cant work at my place so I should go outside my home to use the connection. I visualized myself sitting under a tree outside my home and checking my mails. I almost smiled. I asked him to get out. How rude of me!!!

Villain # 3 (Technical Support Call Center): I called up the technical support and asked them what shall I do now. They told me that the connection may not work at my place. In that case, I can ask for a full refund. But for that, a technician will have to report that the connection wont work at my place. I told them that a technician has already visited and he has told me that the connection wont work in my house. But the customer care exec told me that the technician has reported back that the customer is using his personal modem and there is a problem with the modem!!!! WOW!!! I told the buggers that I have purchased the modem from Tata Indicom only. Then I was told that I can go to the nearest outlet, fill a form and ask for a refund. Finally!!!

I did just that. I went to a nearby outlet but.........I was told that they cannot help me. I called up the customer care and they told me that only the executive that delivered the modem can help me with the refund!!!! And we curse the government for bureaucracy!!!!

I tried calling the executive. For the first 10 thousand times he did not pick up. Then I sent a message to him that I am going to lodge a police complaint against him. In 2 minutes he called up and told me that he was in a meeting. Not even Ratan Tata would be so busy with meetings!!! He came up with another brilliant solution. He told me that it seems that I have not installed the CD properly so he will send someone to install it!!! I told him that it says connected but none of the sites are opening. He told me that in that case, it is a problem with signal and contact technical support. He also told me that in no case will I get a refund. I called technical support and talked to them in the most colorful language that I have ever used. How rude of me!!!

Villain # 4 (Billing Team): In the evening, someone called up from the billing team and said that he can close the connection if I want. I asked that I will be more than happy but what about the refund? He told me that there wont be any refund made. And he told me that I should try taking the modem with me on the trip and it will surely work.

I did that. But, as expected, the modem/connection did not work!!!

I have thrown the modem!!!!

Lessons Learnt:

1. Never use a Tata product as the product and the customer service sucks

2. I was planning to get a Tata Sky connection but now, thats out of question

3. I should try "anulom vilom" and "pranayam". I am a BP patient and I can easily have a heart attack while dealing with customer care executives. I was on the verge of heart attacks several times during this whole process.

4. Tata Indicom has launched a new product. In its promos it shows that race horses to suggest the speed. I beg to differ. I think Tata Indicom is in the business of selling "dead horses"

4. I know solved the mystery regarding vampires and draculas. I know where are all of them now. All of them are working as customer care executives. I think the biggest eligibility criteria for becoming a customer care executive is that you must know how to suck the blood of the customers!!!!

Japanese Brain Damage Trick

Dear Agony Aunt,

Thats the new addiction in my life. I was never into puzzles. But my parents got me hooked!!! I used to feel sorry for "Sudoku addicts" but now, I am one of them. Now, I solve puzzles in my dreams!!! Is there a rehab center that I can contact?

Thanks and Regards,

Distressed Sudoku Solver

Am back after along time. Around 7 months!!! Was not going through the best of times. In fact, the past 3 months have been the worst of my life. And since what happened was not totally unexpected, the period before that wasnt particularly rosy either. It was a horrible time for me and my family. During this while, I wanted to write and share several things. However, I prefered sharing them with myself. But now, when I have managed to scrape through the troubled times, I am back to blogging.

I want to thank first the almighty who has been really generous. I have had several bad phases in my life. Everyone goes through them. But the almighty has always made my life better after every fall. I hope this continues. And I hope I deserve it.

Then I want to thank some people who are more close to me than others. My parents, my wife Roshni, my sister Anumeha, my best friend and my brother Amit Upadhyay. These people have been my pillars of strength.....not only in the past three months but always!!! I am lucky to have them in my life.

There are several other friends, who helped me a lot. All my close friends are part of my morning prayers and I pray for the best for all my close friends. But I have special prayers for all of them now. And, I will be honest and admit that the list has become bigger now. There are several who were not really close to me earlier but they went out of their way to help me out. The least I can do to thank them is to pray for them. And I do feel ashamed that these people were not part of my prayers earlier.

Thank you everyone. Coz of you I managed to get past this ordeal.

Saaqi ne phir se mera jaam bhar diya!!!

A Wednesday on a Saturday Night

Yesterday, I watched the movie, "A Wednesday". It is a classic case of movie reviews going horribly wong.

I had huge expectations from the movie. Afterall it has some great actors (Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher). The movie got great ratings from almost all movie critics. 4 stars out of 5!!! That's uncommon!!! Not many movies get such ratings. Not that I go by the ratings and reviews but they do play some role in decision making.

On Saturday, we planned to watch back-to-back movies. "Membai Meri Jaan" at 8 PM and then "A Wednesday" at 10:45 PM. When "A Wednesday" started, my expectations suddenly took a hit. Not that I was getting bored or anything. It was just that I had watched a very realistic movie in the previous show and a fictional movie on a similar theme would have been....well....unrealistic. I was thinking that the hangover of "Mumbai Meri Jaan" and my tall expectations from "A Wednesday" will kill my experience.

I was wrong. The movie was simply awesome. A great theme and superb performances. It was a thriller and had a great message. Anupam Kher has given a splendid performance but.....(I am just stating the obvious).....Naseeruddin Shah is brilliant. 

It is a must watch movie. And ya, if this movie gets "four stars " then "five stars" rating is fictional. The movie deserves nothing less than five stars and that is why the present ratings and reviews, though close, are horribly wrong.

I am glad that I watched the two movies back to back. Everything was perfect. The movies as well as the sequence. "Mumbai Meri Jaan" reflects "what it is".........and "A Wednesday" shows "What it should be". Go watch it.

I missed writing during and about Olympics. It is not an event which I follow keenly but I do keep an eye on the news channels......in hope. One reason for my low interest in this high profile event is our track record. We send a baraat in Olympics, most athletes perform terribly and then we also create a few controversies!!! I agree that the last three outings had been good (by our standards). Leander Paes, Karnam Malleswari and Lt. Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore made us proud in the last three olympics. But given the population of our country as well as the size of our Olympic contingent, only one medal in each of the last three Olympics was a poor performance. Once a member of the Nigerian team (if I am not mistaken) had commented that "India takes the olympic motto (Winning is not everything, participation matters) very seriously". Shameful but true. We watch the Olympics in hope that we will get to hear the national anthem but we get to hear such comments. This is the reason behind my low interest. But this Olympic was different........

Lets first start with the negative points;

• Padam Shri Sania Mirza. I can not understand why the babe gets so much attention. Afterall, what is her claim to fame. She has won only one WTA event and that too an event in Hyderabad!!! Agreed that she is the only woman tennis player from India who broke into the top 30 ranking. But honestly, WTA tour's impression in my mind took a major hit because of Sania's rise. Entire India follows her matches but most news headlines read "Sania crashes out in the first round". I do not know how she ever made it to the top 30. Hard to believe that there are several more incompetent (read: worse) players on the WTA circuit. Anyways, coming back to the topic, Padam Shri Mirza left her first round match midway, citing an injury. She was posing for photographs on the day before (source: newspapers) and was ready to play the doubles match the next day!!!! Injury? Bullshit!!! She is just an incompetent player who does not want to get exposed. A loss in sports is okay. It should not be taken too seriously. Even Bradman used to get out on zero. What should not be tolerated is wrong attitude. Sania does not look serious. She did not even dress appropriately for the opening ceremony. Such players should get a kick on their rear side and should not be allowed to represent the country. In any case, there is no point sending women tennis players to Olympics. It is a huge wastage of resources.......and prayers.
• Lt. Col Rathore. I do not have any problems with his performance. Any sportsperson can have an off day. No issues over there. But the conduct was inappropriate. Lt. Col Rathore was sporting a beard in the tournament. Agreed, it was not an army event. Yet, he is an army officer and should have behaved like one. I was hugely disappointed by his conduct especially when I am reading the biography of Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw.
• Did not have much hopes from others, however I must say the performances of Gagan Narang and Manavjit Sandhu were disappointing. There were huge expectations from Lee-Hesh but that was just our typical optimism, especially when the guys are not gelling together. And, why do we even send Anjali Bhagwat???
• Support staff. Sania Mirza's mother travelled to Beijing as the manager of the women's team!!! There was a huge uproar. An official of the Indian Tennis Federation explained on national television that he has personally seen Mirza senior taking good care of the team and she is a great manager. Is there anyone who is stupid enough to buy that? I would like to see Mirza senior as a manager of the team when Sania is not playing. I do not think that is gonna happen....ever. Moving on, many other players of the Indian contingent could not take their coaches to the Olympics. Instead, officials were sent!!!! Absurd and Shameful!!!

Ok, enough of negative points. Lets talk about the positives now. There are five main positives. Abhinav Bindra, Vijender Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar. The first three have medals to show, however one must appreciate the great performance of Akhil and Vijender. The story of most of these men is inspiring. Apart from Bindra, all of these men come from a humble background. One can only imagine how difficult it would have been for these men to chase their dreams. Nothing to take away from Bindra as well. The guy has all the resources, thanks to a super-rich dad. Yet, it takes hard work and dedication to achieve what he achieved. Other good performances included the shuttlers, Saina Nehwal and Anup Sridhar and the archers.

Overall, we came up with a great performance in this Olympics. We exceeded our expectations. There were several players in the contingent who won the medal and several others who came close. Fair enough. And, this Olympics was special as we got to hear our national anthem. We owe it to you Abhinav!!!

Good Morning Guys. I am back to blogging after a long break. It is not that I did not have anything to express or write about. And I was certainly not too busy to blog. But, for some reason, things never fell into place. I did not want to write just for the heck of it.

But ya, I did miss blogging...especially when there were so many topics. I hope to be regular....till the next hibernation.

RAAAAAAAAFA..................RAFA

Ladies and Gentlemen, Rafael Nadal is the new Wimbledon Champion!!!! He won the championship two minutes back!!!!

Nokia 5610: Just Like Marriage

Marriage

Nokia 5610 is my first, relatively costly mobile set. I am pretty bad with technology and I do not care if my phone has a camera or not (as I carry a camera everywhere) and so I have always used the basic models. But this beauty really appealed me. Though it was much costlier than the other sets that I have used till now, I really did not mind as it seemed worth the investment. I brought it home.

Honeymoon

Initial days were great. Everyone was "wowed". Looks were great. Sound clarity was good. I was really happy and satisfied.....infact "orgasmic"!!!!

Trouble in Paradise

Initial problems started when one fine day, the phone suddenly went dead. My efforts to restart it went in vain. Only after I took the battery off and tried restarting it, my phone came out of the coma. But this became a regular feature. Many of you would think that I have loaded the cell with all kind of junk (pictures, softwares, music) but thats not true.

Recently the slider key on the phone (the one that is used to directly go to the music player and radio) came off. To my horror, I came to know that the part is not covered under warranty. Moreover, it can not be replaced anytime soon since the replacement parts are yet to arrive in the market!!! Going by the other reviews, I understand that this is not a one-off phenomenon and several users are facing the same problem. I have reached out Nokia folks (in-laws) but there is no response yet.

Heading towards Divorce

The USP of this phone is the look. If the part can not be replaced/repaired, I would prefer dumping this one and bringing another one. (But ya, thats is something I wont do in marriage). I wont recommend the phone to anyone.

Who is the boss (on clay)?

Yesterday, Rafael Nadal won the French Open for the fourth consecutive time!!! This is what I had been praying for. Final against Federer, arguably the best ever tennis player, and Rafa's victory. It was a pretty one-sided affair with Rafa dominating all through. Federer did come up with a good fight in the second set (some of the shots were truly amazing) but Rafa was too good. Federer was forced to play an unnatural game but he was not upto the mark. In the end, I was feeling sorry for Federer. No, I am not saying that to glorify my favorite's achievement. Its just that you dont like to see a champion without an answer. Federer is not my favorite tennis player but I still want him to win more grandslams than anyone else. He deserves that as he is the best. But for some reason, I do not want Federer to win the French.....ever. There are several reasons for that. Firstly, I do not want anyone, whose game is not best suited for clay, to win my favorite sports championship. Federer is proving to be a good clay court player (3 French Open finals cannot be a fluke), yet Rafa is way ahead of him on clay. If you find this reason silly, the second one is sillier. If Federer wins everything, it will get really boring. Moreover, there wont be anything for the other guys. So I do not want him to win the French....I wish him all the best for the Wimbledon. He will surely win. For now......cheers Rafa!!! Keep it coming!!!!

Rafa & Roger: The Rivalry

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will meet in a Grand Slam final for the fifth time in Sunday's Roland Garros title match.

Nadal has emerged victorious in the past two years in the Roland Garros final, but during the same period Federer has taken the honors over Nadal in consecutive Wimbledon finals.

Federer and Nadal have played a total of 16 times, with Nadal leading the series 10-6. The Spaniard has won eight of their nine meetings on clay, including both showdowns during this year's clay court swing in the finals of ATP Masters Series events in Hamburg and Monte Carlo.

Here is a history of the duo’s 16 career meetings, beginning with their first match at Miami in March 2004.

2008 Masters Series Hamburg Final: Nadal def. Federer 7-5 6-7(3) 6-3 (Clay)

Rafael Nadal had a score to settle against Roger Federer, who snapped his Open Era record 81-match winning streak on clay in the 2007 final. Nadal was looking to become only the third player since 1990 to win the three ATP Masters Series titles on clay – Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg in his career. The only players to accomplish the feat were former World No. 1s Gustavo Kuerten and Marcelo Rios.
Federer started the match strongly with breaks of serve in the second and sixth games for a 5-1 lead, but Nadal clawed his way back by winning six successive games to clinch the opening set 7-5 in 61 minutes. The pair exchanged breaks of serve early in the second set, but it was Federer who moved into a 5-2 lead before Nadal broke back in the ninth game. The writing appeared on the wall for Federer, but the Swiss regained his composure and calmly sealed the tie-break to take the pair’s 16th career meeting to a deciding set.

Nadal secured the crucial break in the fourth game of the third set and failed to convert two further opportunities for a 5-1 lead. Federer kept battling but Nadal was not to be denied as he fought off one break point in the seventh game to record a 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-3 win in two hours and 53 minutes.

2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo Final: Nadal def. Federer 7-5 7-5 (Clay)

As always seems the case, the stakes were high when Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer met in the 2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo final. Nadal was looking to become the first player in the Open Era - and the first in almost 100 years - to win four consecutive titles in Monaco. Coming off his seventh career clay title one week earlier in Estoril, Federer was desperate not to fall to Nadal for a third consecutive year in the Monte-Carlo final.

The ATP World No. 1 broke Nadal in the first games of the first and second sets, even racing to a 4-0 lead in the second when Nadal eked out just five points during that stretch. But Federer's inability to hold serve - he was broken six times and saved just one of seven break points - was his undoing, as Nadal embarked on a five-game winning streak of his own before closing out the match 7-5, 7-5.

Since winning his first Monte-Carlo title in 2005, Nadal had won 98 of 99 clay-court matches through his title title run in Monaco in 2008. The victory marked the 21-year-old's 10th ATP Masters Series title and his 24th title overall. Nadal also snapped a nine-month title drought dating back to Stuttgart in 2007.

2007 Tennis Masters Cup Semi-Final: Federer def. Nadal 6-4 6-1 (Hard)
Federer claimed the most lopsided win in his storied rivalry with Nadal to race into the Tennis Masters Cup final in Shanghai. After holding his nerve in a tense first set, Federer blew open the match by winning 13 consecutive points at the start of the second set before closing out a 6-4, 6-1 victory.

Federer produced one of the best serving performances of his career, putting 81 percent of first serves into play and, in the first set, firing four consecutive aces to get out of a 0-30 hole.

The ATP World No. 1 hit with conviction the topspin backhand that has so often let him down against Nadal. He was confident on return, opting for a more aggressive topspin backhand rather than his slice. And he found the time he needed to dance around his backhand and unleash the full force of his mighty forehand.

After his early challenge, Nadal fell well short of his best form. His groundstrokes lacked their normal penetration and he made a number of unforced errors.

Yet Nadal did have a number of chances on the Federer serve in the first set and only gave up his first break chances when he dropped serve to lose the irst set 6-4. Federer then embarked on his 13-point sweep at the beginning of the second set to take a 3-0 lead. During that run he made seven of eight first serves and broke Nadal to love.

2007 Wimbledon, Final: Federer def. Nadal 7-6(7) 4-6 7-6(3) 2-6 6-2 (Grass)
After a draining run to the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive year, Rafael Nadal's mental and physical toughness was on show as he produced the best grass court performance of his career against four-time defending champion Federer. Playing for the seventh consecutive day after rain wreaked havoc with the tournament, Nadal pushed the mighty Federer to five sets for the first time in his 34-match winning streak at the All England Club.

Federer, who had never lost a match at Wimbledon after winning the first set, claimed the crucial first set tie-break despite Nadal's gallant effort to save three consecutive set points at 3/6 in the 'breaker.

An attacking Federer made many forays to the net but Nadal had his blistering passes dialed in, protected his serve and volleyed with confidence. The Spaniard saved a break point in the first game of the third set and then didn't face another break point until Federer claimed the decisive break in the sixth game of the fifth set.

Having seen Nadal save 16 of 17 break points against him to win Roland Garros, ederer twice rallied from 15/40 in the fifth set to avoid going down an early break.

Federer, who clubbed 65 winners - including 24 aces and many cross court backhand winners - equaled Bjorn Borg's record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles. Nadal was attempting to become the first player since Borg in 1980 to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.

2007 Roland Garros, Final: Nadal def. Federer 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4 (Clay)
The stakes were higher than ever when Federer and Nadal clashed in the 2007 Roland Garros final. For the second consecutive year Federer was attempting to become just the sixth man in history to win all four Grand Slam titles and to be just the third man to hold all four majors at the same time. Nadal was looking to join Bjorn Borg as the only player to win three consecutive Roland Garros crowns.

Earlier in the clay swing Nadal had beaten Federer in the Masters Series Monte-Carlo final but Federer avenged that defeat with his first clay court victory over Nadal in the Masters Series Hamburg final.
Federer took the fight to Nadal early, earning 10 break point chances over three consecutive Nadal service games in the first set. But the tough Spaniard refused to buckle and scrapped to win the first set. Although Federer rebounded to win the second set, Nadal's ability to fight off 16 of 17 break point opportunities in the match as the telling factor.

Federer returned more aggressively - particularly on the backhand - to try to stop Nadal from controlling points, but, as in past meetings, the Spaniard's high kicking left-handed forehands into his backhand were too much for Federer to handle.

2007 Masters Series Hamburg, Final: Federer def. Nadal 2-6 6-2 6-0 (Clay)
Federer had gone four tournaments without lifting the trophy - the longest title drought of his 172-week reign as ATP World No. 1 - but capped off his week by avenging two years of clay-court torment at the hands of Nadal. He snapped the Spaniard’s 81-match clay winning streak and 16-0 record in clay-court finals, denying Nadal a historic sweep of the clay ATP Masters Series titles as he hoisted the Hamburg trophy for the fourth time.

After a lackluster first set in which he faced break points in his first three services games and lost five consecutive games, Federer changed course and took the attack to his arch rival. He conceded just six points on serve in the second set and seven points on serve in the third set as he hit peak form in his last appearance before Roland Garros.

2007 Masters Series Monte-Carlo, Final. Nadal def. Federer 6-4 6-4 (Clay)
Federer entered Monte-Carlo on the heels of two surprisingly early exits, seeing his career-high 41-match winning streak come to an end with an opening round loss to Guillermo Canas in Indian Wells and losing to the Argentine again in the fourth round at Miami. He regrouped at the year's first clay court ATP Masters Series event to set up a final rematch with two-time defending champion Nadal. But Nadal, who dropped serve just three times in his five matches, proved too much for the top seed in their first meeting of the 2007 season. He broke Federer's serve once in each set and saved all three break points he faced to capture his eighth career ATP Masters Series shield and extend his Open Era record-winning streak on clay to 67 matches.

2006 Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai, Semi-Final. Federer def. Nadal 6-4 7-5 (Hard)

Federer notched his second straight victory over Nadal, ending with a vicious cross-court winner to become the first player to reach four consecutive finals at a circuit-ending championship since Ivan Lendl. He broke Nadal early in the opening set and clinched it with a second break of the Spaniard after 49 minutes. Nadal got out of jail twice on match points in the tenth game from Federer errors, but could not hold off the World No. 1 as Federer wrapped up the win two games later. The Swiss went on to capture his career-best 12th title by defeating James Blake in the final and finished the season with a 92-5 record.

2006 Wimbledon, Final: Federer def. Nadal 6-0 7-6(5) 6-7(2) 6-3 I (Grass)
The pressure was on Federer, as the top seed and three-time defending champion was playing in his favorite surface, riding a 47-match grass court winning streak and facing Nadal in a surface that the Spaniard had not managed to produce good results prior to this year's Wimbledon.

Federer started the match in hot form, breaking Nadal in the second, fourth and sixth games to take the set 6-0. The Spaniard would break Federer in the first game of the second set and serve at 5-4 but fail to close it out. Federer won the second set in a tie-break 7-5 but ended up losing the third set also in a tie-break (7-2). In the fourth set Federer took early control, breaking Nadal at 2-1 and 4-1 and eventually winning the Championships when serving at 5-3.

Federer, who captured his 39th career title and eighth Grand Slam crown, became the sixth man to secure four straight Wimbledon titles.

2006 Roland Garros, Final: Nadal def. Federer 1-6 6-1 6-4 7-6(4) (Clay)

The stakes had never been higher in a Federer-Nadal showdown than when the top two players in the INDESIT ATP Rankings went head-to-head in the Roland Garros final. Playing in his first Roland Garros title match, Federer was attempting to become the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win four straight Grand Slam events, and just the third player in history to achieve the feat. Nadal was looking to become the youngest player to defend the Roland Garros title since Bjorn Borg in 1974-75. The Spaniard also was trying to improve his perfect record at Roland Garros to 14-0, his clay court winning streak to 60 matches and to notch his 100th career clay court win.

Federer broke Nadal twice in the first set to race to a 5-0 lead. But then Nadal began to dominate the match with his crushing forehand and Federer struggled with many unforced backhand errors. Nadal did not drop serve again until he tried to close out the match at 5-4 in the fourth set. But he clinched the match soon after in the tie-break. Nadal won his 14th consecutive final (second only in the Open Era to Federer's mark of 24 straight finals won).

2006 Masters Series Rome, Final: Nadal def. Federer 6-7(0) 7-6(5) 6-4 2-6 7-6(5) (Clay)
In May, only three weeks after their Monte-Carlo match, Federer and Nadal were at it again. Federer rested in the time in between the two tournaments, while Nadal went to Barcelona and won the title (d. Robredo). This match was the best between the two warriors yet, lasting five hours and five minutes. Federer forced the action, successfully approaching the net again and again. The Swiss tennis genius won more points than Nadal, just like in Dubai, 179 to 174. But once more Nadal won the big points. Federer had two match points with Nadal serving at 5-6, 15-40 in the final set. But he missed forehands on both opportunities. With the victory, Nadal tied Guillermo Vilas’ Open Era record of 53 straight match wins on clay. He also lifted his career record in finals to 16-2, the best winning percentage in Open Era history. Even after the defeat, Federer had an incredible 2006 record of 39-3, with all three losses at the hands of Nadal.

2006 Masters Series Monte-Carlo, Final: Nadal def. Federer 6-2 6-7(2) 6-3 7-6(5) (Clay)
Between the Dubai match and this one in April, Federer went undefeated, winning Masters Series events for the third year in a row at Indian Wells (d. Blake) and the second year in a row at Miami (d. Ljubicic). Nadal, meanwhile, reached the semifinals of Indian Wells (l. to Blake) and fell in the second round at Miami (to Moya). But Nadal regained his footing at Monte-Carlo. He took the exciting match in 3 hours and 49 minutes and overcome a 0-3 deficit in the final tie-break.

2006 Dubai Tennis Championships, Dubai, Final: Nadal def. Federer 2-6 6-4 6-4 (Hard)
Federer came into the pair’s first encounter of the 2006 season undefeated, having won the title at Doha (d. Monfils) and the Australian Open (d. Baghdatis). Nadal was just getting his groove back after suffering an ankle injury at the Madrid Masters Series event in October. Dubai was only Nadal’s second tournament since suffering the injury. He opened the year with a semifinal showing at Marseille in February (l. to Clement). This was the first match between Federer and Nadal with the Spanish superstar holding the INDESIT ATP Ranking of No. 2. Nadal won the encounter despite winning less points: 71 to 78. They each broke serve three times, but Nadal won the points that mattered. The win represented his 10th straight victory in finals. Nadal’s victory also broke Federer’s Open Era record of 56 straight match wins on hard courts.

2005 Roland Garros, Paris, Semi-Final: Nadal def. Federer 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-3 (Clay)
Theirs was the most eagerly awaited match of the tournament. Federer was already No. 1 in the world and fast-rising Nadal was at No. 5. Nadal came to Roland Garros on the heels of clay-court titles at the ATP Masters Series events at Monte-Carlo in April (d. Coria) and at Rome in May (d. Coria again). Federer, meanwhile, was fresh off of his second straight clay-court crown at Masters Series Hamburg in May (d. Gasquet). Federer evened the score by winning the second set, but after that his form fell, while Nadal kept the pressure on, ousting Federer in four sets on the way to winning the Roland Garros title on debut.

2005 NASDAQ-1OO Open, Miami, Final: Federer def. Nadal 2-6 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 6-3 6-1 (Hard)
Federer was primed for revenge. Again he came into the Miami event with only one loss for the year (to Safin in the semifinals of the Australian Open) and fresh off a title in Indian Wells (d. Hewitt). Nadal was a year older and wiser, already having won three ATP titles. The balls were flying at Federer from Nadal’s exploding topspin groundstrokes, and the Spaniard was running down every ball in sight. Before he knew it, Federer was down 5-3 in the third set tie-break, two points from defeat. But he rallied back, and leveled the head-to-head series at 1-1

2004 NASDAQ-100 Open, Miami, 3rd RD. Nadal def. Federer 6-3 6-3 (Hard)
Federer came into the ATP Masters Series event on a roll, having won the Australian Open final over Marat Safin in February and the Pacific Life Open (also a Masters Series event) in Indian Wells over Tim Henman just before coming to Miami. He had lost only once in 2004 prior to this match (in the quarterfinals of Rotterdam to Henman). Nadal, the youngest man in the tournament at 17, was just starting to emerge as a force on the ATP circuit and hadn’t yet won a title. He breezed by Federer in only 69 minutes for the best win of his career at that point. The Spaniard said after the match that it was probably the best he had ever served.

Source: ATP (June 6, 2008);

Link: http://www.atptennis.com/1/en/2008news/federer_nadal.asp

Go Rafa Go

What to do?

IPL is over and there is nothing to do in the evenings!!! I know quite a lot of people who are in a similar state of confusion. It was great fun but now it is over, much to the relief of my wife. She likes cricket but she had an overdose. We almost bought another TV so that we satisfy our separate TV viewing needs!!! I heard someone talking about two IPL seasons in a year. C’mon, I want to hear more!!!

Stand Corrected

I was too quick to judge “One Night @ the Call Center”. I was finding the first half comparatively boring but the second half is interesting and to a great extent…..filmy. But overall it is an intelligent book. Anyone reading the book will be able to identify with one character or another. Everyone has had a boss like Bakshi at some stage in life. So the story appeals to most. Interesting read.

Two Point Someone

If you have read Chetan Bhagat's "Five Point Someone" and also know about my academic feats, you might be tempted to think that I am talking about my CGPA from MBA. It was close but it was not that low. But ya, it is related to Chetan Bhagat and his writing. I am not an avid reader. I hardly pick up books as I am a slow reader and do not have the patience. If I am interested in a story, I want to know "what happened next" as soon as possible. But it takes ages as I read slowly, visualize things, read a paragraph again and again....and in the end I get frustrated and lose interest. I know that’s weird but that’s me.

Once someone had asked me how much time will I take to finish the book "The Sixth Commandment" (I do not know why I was reading that crap just like you are wondering why you are reading this crap). I had replied, after a long pause for calculation, "two months"!!! Everyone was surprised/shocked as they were wondering how can someone take so long to finish a book and that too a mystery. I have not told anyone but honestly, I was thinking that probably people are shocked as I have underestimated the time!!! My father and sister still laugh at that incident. I am that bad at reading.

Recently someone suggested "The 3 mistakes of my life" by Chetan Bhagat. I had heard a lot about Chetan Bhagat's style of writing from several bookworms (including my wife) and some others who purchase books regularly (but hardly read them) to impress themselves (like my friend Vikas Khaitan). I had also watched a play based on Chetan's (hunh, “Chetan's”!!!! as if he is my “chaddi-buddy” (langotiya yaar)) book, "Five Point Someone". It was organized by a group called Evam in association with Madras Theatre Group. The play was brilliant, simply brilliant. That had got me interested. So, to cut the "already very long story" short, I decided to read Chetan's (there I go again) latest book "The 3 mistakes of my life".

I finished the book in a day and half!!! Then I picked up "Five Point Someone" and finished it under two days. And now I am reading "One Night @ the Call Center". I am half way through (I must say, it is not as interesting as the other two). Two and a half books in less than a week and that is why the title, 2 point someone. I am finding Chetan Bhagat's style of writing pretty interesting and I am developing an interest in reading. That should mean more than a Booker for Chetan (“Chetan”!!! That’s a hattrick!!! For me as well as him).