Why to decide the pitch???

Before you think about moving away thinking it's a cricket post....well, you are in for a surprise. Let us peep into the intricacies of the match and the economics of it.

For a die-hard cricket fan, rankings matter and are perceived to be a barometer of success. Now, don't ask me if they really are, but they are perceived to be. But, a small matter that goes under the radar is the money that comes with the number 1 status. A country that ends the year as numero uno gets an insignificant 175,000 USD.

Excuse me!!!!!! This puts everything into picture. Since we are playing at home, we also have an advantage of preparing pitches (aah, so they say, but what happened to Kanpur, Kotla 'pitches'???) then why not grab the money too! If I were in the BCCI, I would ring up the curator of Eden and plead him to prepare a rank turner. May be throw some incentives too!

How about a system like this:

India win - BCCI gets 175,000 USD - CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) gets 20,000 INR

(Yes INR!!!!! Sorry for being mean but that is what they really are!!!)

India win by an Innings - CAB gets 50,000 INR (Yes INR!!!!)

India lose - bye bye CAB, get a cab

I came, I struggled and I'm struggling ;)

I still remember the day when I set my foot in IIM with all those aspirations. I wanted to be big, I wanted to be that someone who no one has seen, I wanted to shape the vision of the world...

CUT....okay, not everything in this is true. Yes, I remember my first day but I don't know if I harboured any big ambitions. I just wanted to maximize my learning. A lazy guy as I'm doesn't always plan for things I guess...any takers ;)

Anyways..where am I? Yeah...the planning. I didn't plan anything. I would be lying I have planned my management study and everything fell in place. Though it didn't happen out of the blue, it wasn't anything lesser.

It was all hunky dory till it all started to fall apart in the recession. Now, basic questions (is it really hunky dory? are you sure it's recession? will it fall ?blah blah blah) apart, it did send shivers down my spine. Is it my fault to pass out in this time when companies are looking to take people who will stay long time and not the ones who can maximize their revenue? Phew...long statements just like the long lines outside the placement office.

It's a learning in itself. The days that gone by have added a feather each in my repository of learning. No one can take away from me the learning of my life. No one can deny that I've had the best phase of my life which has been enshrined with some exemplary events. Thanks to recession, I've come to know the best quality in me - the irritatingly calming calm...

Bekal Trip - part 2 (Concluding)

I don’t know (didn’t bother to ask either) how long it took for Vroom to wake me and the others up. The time Anas (our driver) took in refreshing has been utilised by Valli and me in watching Aussies struggle against Proteas while Yoki slept like a log. First up on the journey was Bekal Fort…

There wasn’t anything great in the fort but Vroom made sure that we stopped at every joint and clicked the rest of us. Yoki kept teaching the angles (pun intended) in photography but Vroom suggested otherwise. Valli looked a man on mission – he of course had a train to catch in the evening from Kozhikode.

Aaaa dishummmmmm

A brief halt at the old fort was followed by the trip to the beach. It brought the sweet memories of childhood back. Vroom became John Abraham instantly showcasing his 3-4 packs. Rest of us could not dare to bare because of the lesser packs (rest all had only 1 pack). We settled for a more conservative approach.

The tripsters

The next three hours went past like minutes. Vroom and I were pitted against the might of Yoki and Valli in water catching. Probably Yoki underestimated the younger lot! Vroom and I set the beach on fire with our diving efforts. Yoki couldn’t take any more and retired prematurely!

But what followed was something no one expected. Two cute girls who were following us intently settled at a bench opposite us once we came out. Every one of us was pretty sure that they are glancing at him! It just took a cursory glance at their eyes to find out the cynosure of their eyes – Vroom! It seems they have become instant fans of Vroom – the John of Kozhikode. Last seen they were fighting for a photo with Vroom. They even proposed to Vroom that he accompany them to their place but he could not leave us.

And the journey back hostel was stupendous to say the least. The singers in Yoki, Vroom (and surprisingly me) came out to torture Valli with the choicest and oldest Hindi songs. Not that the era mattered for Valli; as long as it’s Hindi, its alien for him. More than Yoki, I surprised myself with the breadth of songs that I could boast! Lunch was followed by Yoki’s surrender – he could no longer occupy the front seat because of the impending sleep. I volunteered on one condition – Prodigal Daughter.

What started as a fun trip proved to be much more than that! It’s hard to compare trips but this one probably ranks above the one we took to Wayanad because of the sheer enjoyment we had; and of course Vroom’s girls. The only blots were that Vroom did not allow me to talk to the girls and that Valli missed the train.

Trip to Bekal - Part 1

Yoki:  We should be going somewhere.

Vroom: Yes. We ought to be out there in the Sun enjoying!

Sid: Yo! Let’s go!

When the initial euphoria died down, it was left to decide the place. Our eternal favourite Wayanad was ruled out right away. After all, we wanted to check out new locations. Silent valley, Mahe featured in our discussions but consensus was on Bekal fort. Butcher’s at home which meant fo(u)rt has to be scaled by the four of us!

The journey which was supposed to start very early in the morning (okay, 11 isn’t morning for most of you; but it is for all of us) got postponed till lunch because of the festive season. Christmas clause reminds everyone of Santa Claus but he did not give us any cabs. After innumerable calls conferencing the cab owners, drivers and our facilitator who is vacationing in Guruvayoor, we settled for an Indica. And the journey started at 3.

I planned for the journey in a big way making sure that Jeffrey Archer and his Prodigal Daughter accompany me. But, a serious threat to its existence from the tall guy made me dump it deep in the bag. Yoki became the DJ, with a difference. DJs normally play the songs people like; but Yoki played only those he liked. Anything close to Himesh or Emraan is dumped at the very first instance. Remixes aren’t on top of his list either which meant he spent more time fast forwarding the clips.

Fists of fury - Yoki feels the heat of Placements' season

The fort (co-called) in Mahe was the first place we stopped at. What would have happened if they did not tell us that it’s a fort? We would have thought it to be an old building; nothing more. Next up was a visit to the drive-in beach to look at the retreating Sun; it wasn’t on the agenda but Vroom was quick enough to spot the chance. Off we went to the beach looking at the setting Sun and enjoying the parachuting skills of the NCC cadets. We had an option of staying over night at the resort at Mahe but chose to go as close to the destination as possible.

Am off for a break sons!

Mahe to Bekal was the best part of our journey because Vroom, Valley and I had an uninterrupted sleep. Poor Yoki had nothing to do except monitor the traffic and count the vehicles. Being a perfectionist as he is, he promised to send us a report of the same once we are back on campus.

The clock was striking 9 when we found a hotel to stay. It was more than decent and the food was also good (much better than the mess we have back at school). The rest of the night was spent in the company of Queens, kings and the jacks. Valley could not beat the tag team of Vroom, Yoki and Sid. But it left us wondering how difficult it is to beat a man who has the lady luck smiling (all the time) on him!

(Next – The trip to the fort and Vroom’s girls at the beach)

Who's YOU want to be?

We all would like to be someone popular…someone powerful…someone whom we adore. We sometimes want to be that someone who has all our qualities…

 

How I wish I were a cricketer!

How I wish I were that hero!

How I wish I had good writing skills!

 

It’s probably human tendency to overlook what we have to crave for what we do not have. I remember my childhood when my brother always used to swap our shares of goodies till they are finalised. The shares were absolutely the same…chocolates, biscuits, crackers…what difference do you have between them? But, he always used to juggle till he reached a decision. I did not realise his predicament until I was a little older than what he was at that time.

 

I always wanted to be a cricketer…during the cricket season. I wanted to be a Sachin Tendulkar when he hit a match winning century. I wanted to be a Vishwanathan Anand when he played Gary Kasparov (not when he lost, though). I always wanted to be someone else. I always wanted that something which is not mine. I always looked at others’ palette before deciding my colours!

 

What is the age that really made you think that given a chance, I want to be me again…not any Tom, Dick or Harry?  To be frank I still think about others…

 

Sigh! Why can’t I be like him; he wins almost all the competitions!

God!!! Why can I be like him? He gets to talk to the hottest girls!

I hate him man! He takes away all the girls I eye (and don’t talk, of course)

 

I will be lying if I say I don’t think all these. But, at the same time, I do think that all this is not what I’m meant to be. I know that I’m what I’m and not what am not…I can write only like me, I can sing only like me…I can’t be an Emraan Hashmi and get to kiss all the girls; I can’t be the AXE ad model who gets to run away to an island with poorly clad models…No, I can never be one of them. And yes, I stopped thinking of others.

Is that Gul Panag in the movie Hello? Wish I was that hero!!!

Next???

I wake up in the morning and come out of my room. All the hostel rooms in my floor are locked. It's absolutely silent. I don't sense anything foul and proceed to the loo. I wash my face and come back to my room. Strangely, there's not even one person in the floor who's in his room!

I just wondered what could have happened...and go into my room. My laptop is blank strangely...it doesn't work and I can’t do a thing about it. I pump my fists in anger "Damn it! ...What's happening to the network these days?" I then think of utilising the time by having my breakfast.

I move out of my room. In an action out of sheer curiosity, I check for the people on my floor. It's still empty. I just smile to myself and move to the mess.

I meet no one on the way to the mess too. Though the mess area is just a 1 min walk from my hostel, it's quite unusual not to meet anyone. I just brushed it away and enter the mess.

Lo and behold! The mess area is empty too! I just wondered if it's too early. I look at my wrist. "Damn it!"....I forgot my watch. I frantically search for my cell phone....it's not in my pocket...Something must be really weird. I looked up at the wall clock and shit....it's not there....what's happening to this place, I wondered.

I proceeded from the eating area to the serving area. And to my surprise there's no one there as well....What the hell is this; where on earth did they go to?

I thought of venturing into the kitchen. I couldn't hear a bit, which is quite unusual for our kitchen area which always bristles with activity. I moved deep into the kitchen but I could see none, hear none and sense no one!

"Any body here", I gave a small cry....there's no response....I was getting sick by the silence. Someone rightly said, Silence is a killer punch.

"Helloooooooo"....I yelled at the top of my voice.....I could hear the echo...of my own yell, but could hear no one else....this is getting to me now....

Thang.....I hear a sound from a room to my left and in front....I slowly walked to that room....I was little sceptic too since this lonely place is looking scary now and also the fact that I never ventured this deep into our kitchen area...

"Anybody there?"

No reply

"Helloooooooooo"

That was more of a shout than a cry....and it had a response...

Thang...thang...thang....the sounds were a refreshing change from the silence. But they increased the anxiety.

I entered the room and was shocked to see…a tumbling glass; in fact glasses.

Though there is a nice pack of glasses on the table, three of them are on the floor. That probably explained the clattering sound. But who made this pile? Who made this sound??? It's getting stranger and little scarier.

I decided to run out of the room when there was a small sound. Creeeeeekkkkkkk....the sound came from my right side. I could sense my heart which is now beating doubly fast. The sweat beads on my forehead are keeping me cool but there is scare written all over my face!

Creeeekkkk....creekkk....the sound was dying down but not the scare! I was getting nervous. Should I or shouldn't I? This is getting mysterious. Slow steps did take me closer to the sound but deep down I wanted to leave. I was an arm length away from the door when....

Thuddddddd.....the door banged at a very fast rate. I was shell shocked. "Any body there?"...it was more a whisper. I wanted to run away but somehow my legs pulled me closer to the door. 

I slowly opened the door. This room looked old...very old. There were some huge utensils at a corner of the room and some old furniture. But what fascinated me is a revolving chair at the centre of the room. I took small steps towards the chair. "Hello...." this is surely meant to be heard by whoever is sitting in the chair. It evoked no response. "He...." I was about to speak out when I heard…

"Any body there?".... Is that someone yelling to him...."Anyone in....hellooooooo" this time they shouted.

I wanted to run back in that direction. I left the room and was walking back. Casually I glanced back; the revolving chair is now not there. Or am I imagining things? It must have been not visible from this angle. But, I didn't move any acute angle. It was just a straight path.

I now got back into the eating area. Wonder! There's no one...then who yelled? I tried looking at all sides...even in the little area just outside the mess...to my surprise there's no one. Then who yelled? Am I imagining all this? It looked baffling!

I went back to the kitchen. I decided to unravel the mystery of the chair. Didn't it move? It certainly did...and I saw it. A glance to my right side and there was a big white wall! The room I went in a couple of minutes back was not to be seen!

I was shell shocked....I moved closer to the wall inching with smaller steps and touched the wall...it's as solid as ever.

Thuddddd......my hand went inside the wall....and I was sucked into it....

The room I entered is full of skeletons...tens...may be hundreds of them piled in all directions.

I could see only one living being around; sitting on a chair at some distance. I started moving towards him.

My second or third step was on a skeleton which made me shriek. The voice made the person turn over.

"Oh....here you are! Time for me to go....hihihihihihihihihihihihi"....the wicked smile was too much to take. It was psyching me out.

All of a sudden, his head fell on the ground and the body (without the head) slowly moved through the opposite wall. The beheaded head became the fresh skeleton.

Will I be the next skeleton? 

Go Pink in October!

Pink is for women! Is it?

No more...get a pink badge to support the Breast cancer campaign for the month of October. And to make matters clear, breast cancer is as prominent among men as is among women. So feign no ignaorance, it can happen to any one of us. More over, flashing a badge isn't something out of our reach. Or is it? 

Visit the site http://pinkforoctober.org and you could find out lots of info on this. If you like to be part of the campaign - write it in your blog, out out a pink color, do anything you want to. If you didn't like it - so be it. Life moves on :)