Eat it!

Dear God,

It was such a treat watching Mani Shanker Aiyar devouring Nirmala Seetharaman on last evening's episode of 'Left, Right and Center'.

In his words, "If we don't come to power, which is highly unlikely.....but Nirmala will continue to air her views from your studios" and "I can understand the opposition to the NAC but can't understand Nirmala's ignorance on the subject".

I am afraid I am becoming a fan of his. Hard nosed and snotty individuals deserve this treatment. Maybe I am perceptive and opinionated, but I don't appreciate the way Nirmala speaks. She is highly irritating.

Another name that I truly respect is Manish Tiwari. Amazing diction and what command over the language! His duels with Ravishankar Prasad are a treat. There is always some new phrase, idiom or a word to pick from his statements.

Advantage Tennis

Dear God,

Regardless of the result, Sunday will witness History being made at Center Court.

All of Switzerland and perhaps all of Center Court will hope for a Champion to equal a record. Metaphorically, Federer will therefore walk toe-to-toe with his predecessor, the great Sampras. My generation will witness a hallmark event in the sport, a phenomenon that may not be destined for the less fortunate subsequent. So much so, Federer may become synecdochial to Tennis.

On the other hand, Britannia will hope that its favourite child and No.1 will persuade a shift in how the world views England's contributions. Will Sunday be kind to a nation that has been oppressed in most forms of sport - Cricket, Tennis, Football alike? Given his recent form (esp the adorable drop shots and court coverage), Murray looks most able.

As you are aware, I am not a big fan of numbers, stats or trends. Performance on a given day supersedes all else. With Murray, though, I have an emotional connect. A side to me wants Murray to win, not only for the grandeur but also for Britannia's redemption (after 76 years!).

I will, however, let the outcome (irrespective) override the emotion.

Play!

What's in a name?

Dear God,

A certain computer manufacturer has named their next, 'Envy'. Nice, don't be surprised if you see products being named after the other deadly sins too!

Sample these -

1. Floating Tongues for an Ice cream parlour!!! (thankfully, that building was recently torn down). I'd hate walking past a joint named as such.

2. 4Play for a bargain basement. Come on! what were they thinking?!?!


Exactly what the idea is behind such macabre and sick naming conventions, is beyond me! I guess we simply have to resign to the brazen times we live in. 


What's in a name? Ho ho ho, a whole lot!

Senicide

Dear God,

A recent discussion led to forced euthanasia in India, predominantly practiced in the villages of Tamil Nadu. Thalaikoothal, a barbaric and a stone-age practice is the killing of the elderly who are now a burden on the family. It involves an early morning oil-bath followed by a diet of just coconut water. The victim is not given anything else to eat or drink. The result is high fever and death in 2 days. I gathered that some others have also been fed mud, congesting the alimentary canal and therefore leading to death....

I believe this practice exists, or did at one point, in many parts of the world. In ancient Japan, the elderly were taken to the mountains and abandoned to die of starvation! The impacted section - aged 70 or above.

A Tehelka sting brings to light the plight of one who escapes certain death by overhearing the scheming family in time. Yet, she doesn't whine or ire over her plight. Instead, she empathizes with the family's hardships and inability to take care of her. Another elderly would also have been a certain victim had he not run away from his family in time. Tehelka notes that this practice is endemic to the poverty-stricken villages in TN.


This is the treatment meted out to the bearers of a glorious past, to the ones who have handed down our culture, values and systems, and to the ones who may have sacrificed so much for what we are today. This, in a country that prides on respect for elders and attributes well-being and good fortune to the presence of elders in the family.

While on this, I read about a Japanese movie from 1983 - a moving tale of a mother being led to her fate by her son. En route, she leaves twigs so her son can find his way back. Truly moving! Cares for her offspring even during the last journey.

What can I say!

A beautiful problem

Dear God,

As I draft this account, all's well (or so it seems) with Tennis nominations for the upcoming Olympics. At the onset of the controversy, it appeared that there were four camps - Mahesh and Rohan (who seemed to have mutually agreed to maintain their dissent partnering Paes), Sania Mirza (who needed her 15 seconds to fame, she played the 'chauvinism' card and got the 15 secs), Leander Paes (who seemed to be bent upon partnering with none but Mahesh) and the AITA (clueless!).

I have no clue who's right and continue to believe what turns out in the media - print or TV. Nonetheless, from being a nation that barely knew the sport, to this day that's witnessing bitter debates over the nominations is saying a lot of the increasing awareness of the game and the immense talent we have been able to nurture. Needless to mention, for a change, Cricket is not the talking point.

Most certainly, very positive times in the sports arena.

I remember...

Baad muddat ke teri yaad aayi

Par tu yeh na samjhna...

...ke maine tujhe bhula diya

Bas ye samajh kar mujhe maaf kar dena

ke maine bhi kabhi tere deedar ka hasrat kiya tha!

The agonizing wait

taras gayein hain aankhen tere deedar ke liye

kabhi to humpe ye raham kar...

...ke tu aaye aur hamari aarzoo poori ho

chhota hi sahi, ghadi bhar ke liye to yeh khushi ho!

Words are overrated

Hamari khamoshi ko woh samajhte hain ghuroor...

Darasal sharmindagi ne kiya hamein majboor...

Arrey woh naadaan kya jaanein...

...ki jahaan ek lafz se kaam chal jaaye,

wahan do kyon?

A couplet

Intezaar tha jiska shiddat se...

Tammanna thi jiski muddat se...

Woh hamesha ird gird hi tha...

Shaayad hamaare parakh ka kasoor tha...

Woh hamara ban kar bhi...

Hamara na ban saka...

Incredibly Indian

Dear God,

It is anybody’s guess now that our shameless media thrives on controversy (alone). The success of the recent F1 event was not devoid of its share of controversies. While a significantly educated and ‘aware’ section of the country celebrated the success, our Media toasted to it with a generous dash of controversy.

Yet again clowns from two of the most powerful parties were pitted against each other. I say clowns because neither had, I am positive, any clue of what the nation was witnessing, leave alone the benefits of this new wave of sport.

So, at the epicenter of the discussion was “Are we F1 ready?” and “What good does the sport do for our country?” One-time Sports Minister and compulsively arrogant prick enlightened viewers on the abject poverty our country is dealing with. His wisdom was that the new sport was getting undue attention, infrastructure and investment which could have been diverted to the BPL segment. An echo also added that F1 is not our culture.

Really? Either we are starved of thoughts or simply unwelcoming to change. Let me remind the aforementioned arrogant prick that CWG and 2G also ate into the tax payer’s money and did nothing to contribute to his concern. Also, do not forget the Bhopal tragedy. His Govt. has done precious little towards that, 25 years on.

Don’t you talk about culture! Cricket didn’t belong here, Denim was unheard of. But if we as a people embraced them over time, who are you to comment on culture?

Someone is missing the point. I can’t see why a new sport fetching us revenue (when we need it most) should not be encouraged. Incredible India can certainly do with a boost to its Tourism industry. Who cares! Plaguing issues like poverty, rise in prices, money swindled will remain matters of convenience.