Cricket Madness...

With the quadrennial cricket madness about to start, hope to post some thoughts regarding that as well..
Of course, all thoughts are randomly arbit !!!! :))

Cheers
Amit

Me and the Marathon... part 2

Ok.. let me begin with a slight apology if anyone got the impression from the ending of part 1 that this part was going to have all the thrills n spills of a Bollywood blockbuster... Nothing of the sort :).. Just that last time around, I was too bored to write the entire days proceedings at one go (not to mention the boredom incurred while reading a lonnng post).. Hence decide to break in between... Neways..

I was part of the half-marathon (21km). Tall order if you ask me, but still, I had decided to try it out and just walk off if it got too tough. The race started before 7 am from CST. Thankfully, early mornings in January in Mumbai are quite pleasant, so it was comfortable at the start. I started a light jog but after about 2kms (at the Pizzeria junction in Churchgate), I gave up jogging and settled into a nice n comfortable walk (which is what I had planned to do anyways). Along with me was a motley crowd about 6000+ participants, young n old, thin n not-so-thin, gents n ladies (and pretty girls as well :))... All of them having a great time. Marine Drive in the morning was awesome, with the sun just rising over the skyscrapers on the East and the Arabian Sea taking on a nice light shade of blue. The weather continued to stay nice and comfortable.

After about an hour, the effects of not practicing started telling on the legs. By this time, we were past Marine Drive and on Peddar Road. There, the best thing was many people coming down from their apartments and giving us water, biscuits etc and generally cheering us on. At about this time, there was a van from behind asking us to move to the left side of the road. What was that all about ?. The full marathon (42km) had started, and there was this group of 15-20 race leaders (needless to say, almost all East African) who had actually covered the distance of about 7kms till then in less than half the time as I had and had passed us on !!!!. Really admire those nations in which cross-country running is a way of life. How they can sustain stamina over 42km is simply beyond me. But nevertheless, that kind of egged me on and I continued, not withstanding the increasing pain in the soles.

From Peddar Road, we continued up to Haji Ali and then turned just before Worli Naka (on the road that goes to Worli Seaface), By this time, it was almost 8.30 am and about 11kms down, so it was a huge high to know that you had finished more than half the race. On the way back, things were getting slowly bad. Anyways, my companions were all scattered in different places and I was on my own (it helps to walk/run with a group, which is what most proffessional marathoners do). Again back to Peddar Road and I finally had to stop on the Kemps Corner flyover (abt 15kms done). After a short break, I continued. After the some time, again there was a van asking us to stay to the left. Those full-marathon race leaders had gone all the way to Bandra Reclamation, turned back and then caught up again on the return path (they must have done abt 34kms against my 16kms :).. As I walked back to Marine Drive, I could see the end in sight. Thereafter, it was only that thought which egged me on. With each step, I could see the ending point at the CST.

Finally, at around 10.45 am (almost 4 hrs since the start), I nearly limped my way across the finish line at the CST, delighted at the thought of completing (so what if it was walking) my first marathon. The marathon left me with aching legs for almost a week, but also with sweet memories and a feeling of actually achieving something worthwhile (and believe me, not many things give so much pleasure). Already, preparations for January 2008 are in order, with a new target.. Hopefully !!!!..

Cheers
Amit

Me and the Marathon... part 1

According to me, the most enduring and (I daresay) the greatest physical feat that mankind does is the Marathon !!.. Having read Lance Armstrong’s autobiography, I acknowledge that cycling (in the Alps in cold, windy and rainy conditions) does come close. But still, I have always admired the gritty Marathoners and have wondered as to how anyone can actually run 42km (that is more than the distance between Churchgate and Borivali, between which most of the local trains ply). The maximum I have ever managed to run at a stretch is about 2km !! J. So it has always been my dream to actually experience the marathon and see what drives these athletes to the limits of human endurance !!

For the past 5 years, the Mumbai Marathon has provided the citizens of Mumbai with a platform to take part and experience the Marathon. Since 2005, I have always wanted to be a part of the Mumbai Marathon but something or the other always prevented it. So when the Mumbai Marathon 2007 came along, I decided not to miss it at any cost, even though I was just back from a 3 week post-marriage vacation and it was more than a month since I saw the gym!! Nevertheless, with all this (and without the whole-hearted approval of my wife J), I finally landed at Azad Maidan at 6 am in the morning of 21 January 2007, proud of the fact that I atleast managed to show up for the big event (as an official participant with a bib no. on my back)…

Keeping watching this space for what actually happened….

Cheers

Amit

Update on 'New on the Tube'...

Just to continue from my previous post...

The Marathi Singing Competition 'Idea Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' is now in its final stages.. 3 contestants remain.. while overall it has been a good show, the last few weeks seem as if the show is being stretched unneccessarily.. they actually had 8-9 rounds of the final !!!.. a round a week .. with one person being eliminated each week.. now we are down to 3 ppl (2 guys and a gal).. Must appreciate the fact that even though ppl have been listening to them for over 3 months now, the contestants manage to impress each time in a different genre of songs !!!... The sad part is that the general allegations of vote favouring/rigging have surfaced.. the story being that one of the participants was actually voted out by the public (through the now-omnipresent SMS route) but the judges (who now have a minimal say in the selection) insisted on that participant being retained.. would be a pity if such controversies mar what would be a good finale to a good show !!

May the best person win !!!
Cheers
Amit

New on the tube !!!!

So after a long break from blogging, I am back !!!!

Now normally, I am not your regular TV watcher. The only times I switch on the TV is a). when there is a match on b) catching up on some news and c) going through the latest movie trailers. For anything else, there is neither the time nor the inclination (more of the former ;-). Also I cant watch a movie on TV with the endless breaks in between... But lately, there are a couple of shows that have caught my fancy and have actually made me sit in front of the idiot box for a length of time. Not entirely surprisingly, both of them are on a song n dance... essential ingredients of life ;-)

The first one is the popular celebrity dance show 'Jhalak Dikhala Jaa' on Sony. (for ppl who are not aware, this is a show in which celebrities, not neccessarily from the entertainment sector, team up with a choreographer and present a series of various dance forms to the tune of popular Hindi numbers. At the end, one of them is judged the winner). So you have ppl like Ajay Jadeja, Sanjeev Kapoor (yes, the chef !!), Mahesh Manjrekar etc all trying their hand at shaking a leg ;).. and boy, some of them do perform. For me, the best part of the show is the high levels of performance put in by the celebrities. Take Ajay for example. Though he was always fleet-footed at the crease, he appears very much at home here. The best part of it is the wide smile on his face while dancing. IMO, it is very important that you
smile your way through what is perceived to be a physically demanding activity. And Ajay does it really well. Ditto for Mahesh. Now its down to the semi-finals with Mahesh, Mona Singh a.k.a. Jassi and Shveta Salve (dont ask me where does she come from :-) left to do battle. May the best (and the happiest) win !!!

The other show is a new singing talent search. But for once, this is in Marathi. Talent hunt shows in Hindi are dime a dozen, so its really heartening to see Zee Marathi come up with a talent show in Marathi (Idea Sa Re Ga Ma Pa !!). Hosted by the ever lovely Pallavi Joshi, this provides a great platform for upcoming talent in regional languages (I guess they have similar shows in other states). For once, it sensitizes me to the great treasure that is Marathi music. I, as with most of my generation, have been guilty of neglecting it at the cost of Bollywood and Western music. And some of the performances are excellent. There was one show in the past where the judges had to select one of two contestants. And both of them were so damn good, they had to hold 3 additional rounds just to find the ever-so-slight difference between the two (and were left tearing their hair). All in all, it makes for great hearing.

So, these two shows, not to mention the Champions Trophy, ensure that more of my time is spent on the couch with the TV in front. Till the next, Ciao !!!!..

I am alive...

Just to keep myself alive on the blogging scene.. :) and to ensure that I dont forget my login n password :-))).. anyways, will be back soon with .. what else... some Randomly Arbit Thoughts !!!!
Cheers till then
Amit

Fanaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.....

Last Sunday, finally the 10 day wait was over. I entered Movietime theater in Goregoan to witness the most anticipated biggie in Bollywood... of course, the all start cast behind the movie needs no introduction.. yash raj films, kunal kohli at the helm, performers like aamir, kajol (not to mention rishi kapoor, tabu and kiron kher).. all coming together to present what was supposed to a product par excellence..
But of course, just as the world XI were thrashed by the aussies, this assortment of stalwarts fails to deliver. And why, you may ask ???? Because the biggest star of them all was missing...yes, it lacked a strong and gripping narrative. While the basic storyline of a terrorist falling in love with a blind girl is interesting enough, this could not simply be stretched to 2.45 hrs. So you had a movie, which, apart from 10 minutes on either side of the interval and 15 minutes at the end, is just like hundreds of love stories you have seen.

And quite a few cinematic liberties are taken. Both the leading pair's characters are unreal. I cannot imagine how a blind girl, coming from a small town in Kashmir to a big bad metro, can fall so badly love with a tourist guide (who incidentally, quotes shayaari's with such elan that even javed akhtar would struggle) that she can actually sleep with him in 7 days flat !!!!!.. I mean, are not people (especially those who cannot see) supposed to be more cautious in dealing with the outside world ??

And the leading man is supposed to be this ruthless hitman out to execute a diabolical plan to terrorize the world. so how can he fall in love with a simple, though beautiful (kajol does look divine) girl not once, but TWICE ?????? And in any case, how many real life stories do you hear of hardened criminals giving up crime for love ????? Simply beats me... anyway this fall-in-love-again love story takes up more than 2 hours of screentime.. no wonder I was yawning with my mouth so wide open that it hurt :)..

To cut a long story short, Fanaaahhh was a disappointment... two good things abt it ??? One is Kajol of course. she looks beautiful and acts as only she can.. And the other is a delightful little cameo from, no noo not lara dutta or shiney ahuja or tabu, one of my all-time favourite hindi hits.. 'Lag Jaa Gale ke phir ye hasi raat ho na ho, shaayad phir is janam main mulaqat ho na ho'.. Quite superb, the song, not the movie.. :)

A One-Off Classic !!!

So where were you on Sunday evening ? Match dekha ki nahi ? These were the queries doing the rounds in my office on Monday morning as a cricket-crazy country woke up after an extra-ordinary day. It was most definitely, cricket's 'I-was-there' moment. If you are a bowler, you must probably have wished that the earth would have swallowed you up that day. In any case, I caught only the last 12 overs of the match and settled down to watch the highlights on Monday night. And what I saw disturbed me so much that I actually switched off. Even after discounting that highlights show only the 4s/6s and the wickets (there was not much of those), it was really disheartening to see bowlers being slaughtered the way they were. Good length balls, perfectly acceptable on any other day, were being routinely sent over the fence and not just in one direction. Sixes were hit to all parts of a ground (and this is not some village ground with 50 yard boundaries, it was a significantly big arena we are talking about).

Ayaz Memon has pointed out in today's DNA that after Sunday's match, one-day cricket will never be the same again. I tend to agree with him. I remember during the break, when the TV channels flashed their standard 'breaking news' lines that the Aussies had scored 434, I remember telling my Dad "These guys have broken the previous record of highest team score (395) not by 3-4 runs, but by 39 runs !!!! That is awesome !!". If that was awesome, then the South Africans bettered the record for the highest successful run chase** by a mind-boggling 103 runs !!!!!!! It is when such records occur that the game is changed forever. There is always a sense of achievement about successful run chases. India's two most-recalled wins are the Natwest trophy truimph in 2002 and before that, the Independence Cup win against Pakistan at Dhaka. Both 310+ run chases. Commentators and experts are usually asked at the start of the match 'What you do think is a safe score on this wicket ??'. After March 13, 2006 I am afraid there is no longer a thing as a 'safe' score. Ten years ago, 300 was thought as a safe score on any wicket, about 3-4 yrs back, 300 was replaced by 350. But what now ? What this might do is dissuade teams from batting first especially on a flat track (as most pitches are now). Teams might routinely opt to bat second. And if they have to bat second, they must play to their strengths. So what do they do ? Well, your guess is good as mine. They will pack their side with batsman to give themselves the best chance of chasing and winning. After all, 435 was chased, so surely scores of 350, 370 should be gettable now. So we might have an Indian line up with a decently good bat like Agarkar at No 11 !!!! Have some part-timers who can send down 50 overs somehow and then back yourself to chase any target !!!!. And what if they lose the toss ? then they bat first and try and bat the other side out of the game !!. This would result in a vicious circle where the bowling is weakened which gives rise to even bigger scores, which 3 times out of 10 are chased successfully, thereby inducing teams to further strengthen their batting and so on.... Sounds far fetched ????? Well, I sincerely hope so. But chasing 435 sounded more than far-fetched as well on Sunday !!

To round off, I do hope that Sunday's match be best remembered as a classic, but a one-off classic nevertheless !!! and that South Africa's successful run-chase record is not broken atleast in my lifetime. Or else you might see the death of the bowler in one-day cricket... :(

Cheers
Amit

** Incidentally, the previous best chase was, I think, 332 by New Zealand just a few months ago against the same Aussie side. This tells you that the second rung of the Aussie bowling attack cannot even hold a candle to McGrath and Warne and also, you know what to do while playing the Aussies.

A trip at last....

The last weekend holiday that I had been to was in October 2005 to Ganpatipule. Ever since then, several plans have been thought of, discussed and finalized, only to fall flat at the last moment.
But finally last week, all things finally fell into place and we were finally off to Mahabaleshwar...

Like last time, we started off early on Saturday morning.. this allows for two things, a. you get out of Mumbai very fast (in fact, so fast that we missed the right turn that hits the Goa highway and found ourselves on the Pune Expressway..) and b. you get to see the rising sun and savour the early morning freshness in the atmosphere.. we fairly zipped through the expressway and hit Pune by 8 am for a quick breakfast before proceeding towards Satara.. Being a part of the Golden Quadrilateral, that road is quite good and we moved steadily and got to the MTDC resort in Mahabaleshwar at around 10.30 am.. taking just over 5 hrs for the 320 km journey..

A quick comment on the resort.. MTDC resorts are recommended wherever you go for a holiday.. the best part about them is that they get the best locations in town.. so invariably, you will find an MTDC resort spread over a huge area with individual bungalows, cottages separated by gardens and greenery.. It makes a great relaxing experience..and they are always reasonably priced and offer all the facilities required..

Anyways, coming back to our trip, after a quick breakfast, we were off to Pratapgarh fort (around 20 km). This historic fort is best known as the place where Shivaji killed the Mughal general Afzal Khan. It has a temple on the top alongwith a very good exhibition-sale of handicrafts.. after a quick tour of the place we were back for a long overdue lunch at the resort by around 3 pm.... the lunch was also too good.. or maybe it was because we were so famished.. in any case, after a hearty lunch we hit the sack.. initially we had planned to visit a few points before going to the Bombay (Sunset) Point.. but we got up late and just about managed to reach Sunset Point in time to see the sun dissapear over the western horizon..

BTW it is also called Bombay Point because, apparently, on a clear dark night, you can see the lights of Mumbai about 260 kms to the northwest... seemed difficult to me looking at the haze all around the point.. but nevertheless we managed to get a few good snaps there..


After the sunset, we were off to the main market (with Rang De Basanti and Bluffmaster numbers blaring in our car).. the main market street in Mahabaleshwar is a nice little street.. although it was not nearly full season it was full that Saturday evening.. and the most omnipresent item was, of course, strawberry. It was present in all forms, the fruit itself being sold on the road, or as strawberry shakes or ice-cream with strawberry etc sold at the various ice-cream parlours.. all in all, it was mostly red around.. from the market we went to Vienna Lake at around 9.30 pm.. at that time, of course, the lake was closed and there was hardly anyone around.. but we did manage to find a 'buttawala' around and had one of the sweetest corn that I have eaten.. the lake at that time was looking surreal.. darkness around, stars all over you, alongwith the mist and silence for company... that was followed by dinner alongwith a quick beer and then back to the resort by midnight..

The next morning after breakfast we checked out of the resort and visited whatever points we could cover.. prominent amongst them was Arthur's seat and Elphinstone point.. the former is a good one with a viewing platform from which one can observe the valley both on the west and east... from there we went off to the Mafco's farms and store.. this is the the main firm producing and dealing in strawberry products... and guess what, between the five of us, we picked up an astounding 15 kg of strawberry's, not to mention bottles of strawberry crush etc.. all of this were dumped at the back of the car..

From there it was back to Mumbai via Panchgani with another late lunch at Pune.. while coming back the expressway looked beautiful with the sun setting and our car blazing ahead at 130 kmph in that direction.. it gave the perfect ending to a good and relaxing trip.. here's hoping that the next one is very soon... cheers..

The Road to WC 07 !!

A second consecutive post on cricket.... could not resist it.. :-)

At the end of my last post, I had mentioned that the one-dayers against Pakistan will be a tough challenge for the men in blue, and if they can overcome it, they would be considered genuine contenders in the Carribean. Now that the test has been passed with flying colours (much to the surprise of even the most ardent of supporters), its time to take stock of the team and its chances with almost exactly a year left for the WC to start..

First the question: Is this team a genuine contender for the big prize next year ? Going by the performance in Pakistan (mind you, they defeated a very good side 4-1), one would have to think so.. Most importantly, the team seems to have all the ingredients that make up a good one-day side.. two good openers, one with the swashbuckling style while the other being the once young gun turned senior statesman.. followed by the skipper with his cool head.. then you have the young brigade led by Yuvraj and Kaif and followed by Raina and Dhoni.. its significant that none of these come from the cricketing superpowers of Mumbai, Delhi, Karnataka but from small towns.. and they carry the freshness, energy and fearlessness of youth to the crease.. be it Yuvraj jumping a la Rhodes and plucking the ball, Kaif with his quick steps and hitting ability or Dhoni taking 'just 8 balls' to warm up before going after the leather irrespective of the opponent bowlers and their reputation.. sure they will fail sometimes, but these represent the new Indian team..

The bowling remains one concern though.. although RP Singh and Sreesanth have shown much promise, the bowling needs to be good enough to restrict the opposition, especially when we are fielding second. Except for Pathan, the bowling does not measure up. Agarkar remains inconsistent (and I must confess that I have been a fan of his and am quite dissapointed - also why is he not sent at No 3 remains a mystery to me). In addition, we need Bhajji to get back to form.. because the wickets in the West Indies would probably be slow turners (atleast the ones in Trinidad - where we are playing our league games, and in Antigua and Guyana where the first part of the super eights is happening). Under such conditions, Bhajji would be an important part of the side. In addition, Piyush Chawla is rated highly by whoever has seen him, his progress would be interesting to watch..

The major improvement though has been in the fielding. Besides the trio of Yuvi, Kaif and Raina, we also have some decent fielders in the team - atleast there is no one who needs to be hidden.

The next test will be to see how they cope up in the Carribean in June this year.. we are lucky that we are getting to visit the West indies 8 months before the WC starts. It represents a great opportunity to get first-hand experience of the wicket and conditions and to decide what kind of team combination is likely to have the best chance of winning.. You can be sure Dravid and Chappell would be observing each minute detail on that tour..

Our very own soap opera !!!

Hi all... back after nearly a month's break... realized how long it had been since my last post when I forgot my user id and password on blogger.com :-)

I finally am writing about my (and probably that of everyone else) favorite topic - Cricket !!!.. Resisted that for quite a while but then there is nothing much else to write about.. and like any Indian worth his salt, I have my four cents to add :-)

Anyways, the last few months in Indian Cricket reminded me of a soap opera.. infact all the characters in it look remarkably akin to soap opera characters.. the once-hero turned villian, the Mr Nice Guy waiting in the wings, the supposed schemer behind the scenes and what not... and in all this the media is having a blast.. the icing and cherry on the cake was the story from Pakistan in which the team manager was (apparently) shown on news channels calling a member of his own team the slowest fielder, lazy et et... and mind you, this was not some sting operation.. he was sitting in broad daylight in a garden and facing the camera.. next thing you know, the manager comes up with a statement that the voice on the tape was not his !!!!!!.. I mean, how ridiculous can things get ???

On the field though, the action has been a sort of anti-climax.. Bowlers being driven to helplessness.. Batsman helping themselves to hundreds as if they were avaliable on a buffet menu.. and this was supposed to be a series that the world was watching... The Men in Blue, though, look a different unit, much of it the coach's doing.. it was a good decision (though not widely appreciated throughout the country) to go into Faislabad with 5 bowlers (not that it helped though but both RP Singh and Zaheer turned in good performances, if only Pathan can find his bowling form now :-) It proved that the management is following the 'horses for courses' policy and picking the best 11 suited to the conditions and the 11 that gives them the best chance of winning.. in Dhoni, India have discovered a genuinely good hitter of the ball.. Dravid, of course, has been the wall and the rock of Indian batting for the past few years now (this coming from a Mumbaikar who loves the 'God').. however, and it saddens me to say this, the 'God' seems to be a different person now-a-days, how I wish the clock be turned back to 1998 and those halycon days.. But overall though, the future looks sound.. the first test though will be the one-dayers against Pakistan.. if India can overcome that challenge, then they would have genuinely thrown their hat in the ring as the contenders for the big prize next year..

Thats all from me rite now..
Cheers
Amit

2006 !!!!!

So, the year 2006 is upon us !!!! As I write this (10.15 am IST on Jan 1), more than half the world will have entered the new year with the usual fervour, boisterous new year parties et al.. All over the world, new years resolutions would have been made (an article in todays paper talks about how gym's across the country see a 20% rise in membership around the new year), and then broken promptly (abt 60% of the joinees in December vanish after mid-Jan :-)). But then, this is the time to make new promises. After all, there is always the hope that a new beginning, new year brings. Somehow, the morning of Jan 1st feels different. Feels like the start of not just a new day, but a new beginningaltogether. A day to get over the past and look at the future with optimism and hope.

So here's wishing everyone a Very Happy New Year !!!! May 2006 be the year that all your dreams and aspirations become a reality !!!And yes, dont forget your new resolutions :-))
Signing offAmit

An Entertaining Science Book...

Hang on, did I key the title correctly ?? I mean, look at it. "An Entertaining Science Book'.. when was a book on science ever entertaining ?? interesting, yes but entertaining ??.. How many of us found science at school n college entertaining ?.. Newton's laws of motion, oxidation and reduction reactions, chloroplasts and photosynthesis etc etc.. all this was fine, people made careers out of these and other such disciplines.. but still 'entertaining' does not quite fill in.. but thankfully, the book I am reading is of that rare combination.. people who have read it already might know what I am talking abt.. yes it is 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson..

Now when I first saw this book at an exhibition a few months back, I was fascinated by the title. I thought, how can anyone write a history, albeit short, of just about everything, much less in a 600 page book ? This, and a quick glance, made me buy the book.. and rightly so, since it is more a reference book rather than something that is borrowed from a friend, read once and then returned..

Ok.. coming to the book.. as the title suggests, its a good narration of how many things and disciplines that we see around us have evolved.. it includes things as infinite as the universe as well as cells, chloroplasts on the other end of the scale..the beauty of all this is that the author has kept the narration simple without going into too much of terminology.. and of course, since this is a book about 'history of science'.. he goes well into how things developed into what they are.. with a good sense of humour thrown in.. for me, the best part of the book is how he has converted scientific quantities and numbers into something that we laymen can imagine.. for eg the fact that Pluto is 'x' million miles away from the Sun may not seem much, but when the author says that from the surface of Pluto, the Sun would appear the size of a pin-head, things begin falling into place and we can grasp the enormity of space much better... with numerous other examples, the author has ensured that scientific dimensions like distances, mass, pressures etc do not remain mere figures with some unit attached to it but are something that we can describe in terms of objects around us.. this makes the book even more entertaining and helps us remember..

So to finish, heres something for the collectors shelf, go ahead and buy it..

Cheers
Amit

Day out @ Wankhede

Had gone to the Wankhede stadium here in Mumbai on Monday for the India-SA ODI.. Managed to buy tickets by using the 'connections' :-) and went to the ground after a gap of 7 years.. The first thing that strikes you when you take that walk from Churchgate station to the ground is the absolute carnival atmosphere.. thousands of people of all types (the fashionable youth, the middle aged gentlemen with their families and even pretty young ladies :-).. add to it the tricoloured banners which were being sold outside, people painting the tricolour on your cheeks for a paltyr 5 bucks.. all of this testimony to the amazing magnetic power that the game has..
I reached there at 1.45 pm and had to rush to the stands to ensure that I got a place to sit.. the gates open at around 11 am and people start tricking in immediately.. I was just in time... another 10 min delay and I would have had to spent 8 agonizing hours standing.. then I discovered the reason why.. some 10000 ppl had apparently got in with fake tickets... so a stadium with an offical seating capacity of around 42000 was packed with 55000 screaming fans... as with all other public places, trains etc in India (and esp in Mumbai) there were ppl, ppl, ppl everywhere.. and after a time it really gets suffocating.. which brings me to another point.. the Wankhede is an absolutely dull stadium without any charm.. it is actually not befitting Mumbai's status as the cricket capital of India (and after Pawar's win - the BCCI HQ).. it needs something to rival the Eden Gardens... but having said that, things would not change.. you would still have 120 thousand packed against the capacity of 100 thousand.. this happens only in India !!!!

As for the match itself, it was great fun.. Pathan got us off to a great start by taking few early wickets (esp Smith)... that immediately ensured the crowd got into a good mood early on... and when in a good mood, there are few crowds to rival those in Mumbai.. for once, even though they are less in numbers than the ones in Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai.. they have wonderful synchronizations.. so the 'Sachiinnn Sachhinnn' ' Ganpati Bappa Moryaaaaa' can be heard loud and clear on the TV.. the Mexican wave also started in right earnest... and to their credit, the Men in Blue kept up the pressure (especially the fielding was at its athletic best).. and finally restricted the Proteas to 221..

During the supper break went to the canteen and it was absolute mayhem... people were literally falling over each other to get whatever grub was avaliable.. and all of it was over in 15 minutes.. and the loo was no better.. had to wait 10 minutes in a line to relieve myself.. the vendors of course, had a field day... a 350 ml Pepsi glass at 30 bucks, a chocobar icecream at 40 bucks but still a lot of takers.. one guy even had the nerve to come with a jar of 'mineral' water and proclaim 'Ek Glass sirf dus rupaye main'... finally managed to get a grill sandwich and a pepsi and went back to the stands.. by that time the lights were on in full glow and the stadium was a sight..

The Indian innings opened with the Sachin chants as Mumbai's favourite son came out to open the innings.. and he started off with a bang against Ntini and Pollock.. soon Sehwag joined in the fun and the crowd went wild... but Sehwag fell first followed by Sachin on just the first ball after drinks.. but thankfully for the crowd, the skipper played one of his trademark innings and Yuvraj played a gem of an innings to seal the victory...

So thus my proud record was maintained.. have now watched 2 tests and 2 ODIs at the Wankhede and India have won all of them... but more than that its the sheer experience of being at the venue of the match... its something else !!!!

Ciao for now
Cheers
Amit

Eighteen Months...

Just a small one here... finished eighteen months on the job last weekend.. in some sense, have come some distance.. After considering that a large proportion of my peers are into their second or third jobs, and given the feeling of restlessness, frustration and even anger sometimes that were a part of me the initial few months, I seem to have survived pretty well.. I guess what they say about time being the biggest healer has got more than a grain of truth.. those initial feelings have been replaced by ones of calmness, peace and at times, even blatant and cold indifference .... and while thoughts of switching over have always been in my mind, those are still just thoughts.. and so here I am, 18 months down the line, going on with the same old routine...

That great Marathi author and playwright P L Deshpande once said 'Nokri mhanje lagnyachya baayko sarkhi, dusri changli mhanun pahili sodaychi nahi.. shevti saglya nokrya aani saglya baayka saarkhyach' (Your job is like your lawfully wedded wife... you dont leave them just because the other is better.. finally all jobs , and all women, are pretty much the same :-).. so keeping that in mind, here I sign off, to hit the sack, get ready for another day at the same ol job.....

Ciao
Amit

Ohhhh.... Aaahhh.... and finally, satisfaction unlimited !!!!

Okie.. so I admit the title was pretty arbit... that goes with the title of this blog.. many of you might have thought of many different things on reading the title :-)... anyways, the title is about the only arbit thing in the post.. cause this post is about something that has got me hooked on over the past couple of months...

First.. a short quiz... at what time of the day am I at my happiest ??? any guesses ?... getting up in the morning ? no-no.. going to bed at night ? well to an extent yes, that is when I look forward to hitting the sack and having a peaceful nite's sleep, but that is not when I am at my happiest.. going to office ???? well, ur kidding me, thats about the worst time of my day... well then what is it ? Well, it roughly happens at around 7.30 am in the morning.. when I walk out, sweat pouring, body aching et all, from the GYM... but, though the body might be aching all over, the mind and heart is at its most happiest and satisfied.... hence the title of this post..

Though I started working out just a couple of months back, it has quickly become one of the most important activities for me. Of course, there were umpteen instances in the past when, driven purely by enthu, where I decided to start jogging or working out in the gym, only to peacefully quit it in a few days. Doesnt it happen with most of us ??? :-) I remember I used to go jogging @ Shivaji Park near my residence both after my 12th Std exams and also when I came back from Bangalore after MBA. Even at IIMB, there was a phase when I used to jog around the campus and also indulge in a bit of badminton.. but all those were passing phases.. very soon, life came back to normal. Studies, job etc took over and the jogging shoes went back to the attic.

So now, I have realised that its nothing but a mental thing.. which, mind you, is very hard to overcome.. like with most other things in life, it takes feirce desire and hard discipline to back that desire.. not that I have got that though.. its still a pain getting up early in the morning... and my attendance at the gym is roughly about 50%.. but hopefully would get to the morning someday wherein I would spring out of bed, jump into my casuals and hop off..as of now, am just glad I made a start :)

So finally, some gyaan: Try the gym if you havent, and trust me, it works wonders not just for the body but also for the mind.. :)

Till the next
Cheers
Amit

A trip well enjoyed !!!!.. Final Part

We woke up on Sunday morning to the sound of the early morning waves and the sight of the first sun rays of the day peering over from the hills to the east... felt great to poke out of the tent and see the wonderful early morning sight of the beach.. a few passers by looked on.. unable to comprehend why this pack of six vagabonds chose to spent a night on the beach when there was a full fledged resort right besides the beach.. :-) we quickly set about dismantling the tent.. and as with the erecting of the tent, pulling it down was also quick and neat... the entire tent (base of 6ft by 8ft and a height of 6 ft) alongwith accessories got neatly into a small handbag.. ready to be taken anywhere and everywhere.. its a reflection of the great love for the outdoors that people abroad have that you have such wonderful accessories being made there.... a camping trip in India is something most of us (even those in their teens and early 20s) simply cannot relate to.. but things are changing slowly and the spirit of adventure is slowly taking root in our psyche...

Once having packed our stuff, it was time to say goodbye to Ganpatipule and the resort.. got ready and headed straight for a quick breakfast.. then finally left the place to the tune of the "bye-bye bye-bye" ad of VIP... from there on we took a 40 km detour to the sea fort of Jaigad... this was used mainly as a vantage point to keep watch over the Jaigad port which was once a busy port on the Konkan coast.. this fort lies at the mouth of the Sangameshwar river, thus forming an excellent natural harbour for ships to enter and dock.. even on that day, we saw plenty of fishing boats all set to enter the sea for their daily catch.. the view of the sea (from above 500 ft or so) is spectacular.. you can actually see different shades of blue in the water below.. add to that boats and small ships of all sizes adorned the sea.. it all makes up for quite a scene.. plus there is a lighthouse there that works even till today..

From there, it was back to the pavilion.. began the long drive back to Mumbai.. by then most of us were half-dead and promptly went off to sleep in the car... but the pathetic state of the highway (mostly near Panvel) ensured that this did not happen.. finally we pulled in to Mumbai at around 8 pm on Sunday... with memories of a wonderful weekend gone by and the hope that such occassions would not be few and fare between... Hope to go on another such weekend very soon !!!!!

Ciao for now
Amit

A trip well enjoyed !!!! - Part Two...

The first thing we did on landing was to change our plans !!!.. the sight of the blue waters and the sparkling sand was simply irresistible.. so instead of taking an afternoon siesta as decided, we went straight to our rooms, changed and hit the beach within 15 minutes of landing... there we were, in the mid-day heat, enjoying ourselves on the long and deserted beach with not a soul in sight... felt simply great to have the waves refresh you.. and mind you, we are talking here of one of the cleanest water you could find at any beach (tho horribly salty :) .. the fun and games continued for more than an hour before we finally quit for the time being.. then lunch was followed by the delayed afternoon doze...

Early in the evening we visited the famous Ganpati temple there (hence the name Ganpatipule).. a very neat little temple.. situated just besides the sea.. so close, in fact, that at high tide the waves almost reach the entrance of the main temple block.. this is a oft-visited place... the idol here is over 400 yrs old and is supposed to have sprung from the soil... an odd fact that someone told me there.. the idol there faces the west (which I confirmed) which is an exception, at many other temples, the idol actually faces the east (havent checked that out)...

After the visit we were back to, where else, the beach just in time for the sunset.. the golden rays of the evening sun literally turned the beach into a shade of gold... the beaches stretches for a few miles.. so an ideal place to take a long walk (with 'someone' would be ideal :-) in knee-deep water... having done that we came to perhaps the best part of the trip... one of us had bought along a tent from the US (a neat little portable tent).. this was the first time it was being put to use... so we set off building the tent... must say the apparatus was quite simple and 'use-it-yourself' kind... just a quick read of the instruction manual and the tent was up in about 15 min flat... passersby looked on quizically, surprisingly and somewhat amusingly as we put up the tent..

Then, as the sun gave way to the twilight hours, we simply put up a mattress outside and lay down on the beach... as we lay there, the crescent of the moon appeared on the western horizon alongwith the bright Venus.. and before long, the sky was filled with stars.. this, according to me, is the best part of visiting a village... the number of stars you see is simply astounding... makes the night sky appear all the more intimidating.. add to that, the sound of the waves, the reflection of the moon in the water.. all make for a special sight.... try being alone on any beach (not the ones in the city) at night.. you will know what I mean.. we counted some 15 odd shooting stars that night.. had I known this before I would have kept my wish-list ready.. :) nevertheless, managed to ask what I wanted the most... aage bhagwan maalik ..

Soon it was time for dinner.. we simply took out the drinks... went back to the resort restaurent and asked for starters to accompany the booze... and also asked for all kinds of 'jugaad'... candles, bottle openers, ice, matchsticks .. u name it :)... the guy at the restaurent was exasperated by your demands.. but he managed most of the things and deserved the hefty tip that we gave him :-)

At around 10, the booze session started.. the beach guard saw us going down to the beach with the stuff and asked us to stay off the beach at night... but still we managed to reach our tent.. I got a sense of how it must have been during the blackouts that happen during wartime.. here we were, 6 of us in a small tent having dinner in candlelight with darkness all around the tent.. taking care that the tent and the light inside it were not seen by anyone.. to add to that, the dogs around smelt the food and a pack of them soon promptly gathered around the tent.... all in all pretty errie ... the usual songs followed.. Jagjit, Kishore n the like... after the starters were devoured, it was time for 'moon-bathing' again :)... Lying on a beach with a glass in hand in the middle of the night was something which I frankly had not imagined myself ever.. felt great though.. the fun and games lasted till around 3 before four of us went back to the tent and hit the sack (the tent was actually big enough to hold 4 persons sleeping)...

Last part to follow soon...

Cheers
Amit

A trip well enjoyed !!!! - Part One..

Let me begin my blogging on a good note.. by describing something nice that I finally got after a long wait... a nice weekend getaway :) .. after working day in n day out (not that I put in too many hrs of work :) this is something that really gets you going..

so the past weekend I finally said 'to hell with the work' and packed my bags for a weekend trip to a serene place called Ganpatipule on the west coast of India about 150 km north of Goa... went alongwith my office friends... all like-minded souls bored to death by the monotony of work and wishing for some adventure in life..

With a round trip of nearly 800 kms to do in 2 days we started really early on Saturday at arnd 4 am !!!!!... did not fancy myself (or the others) to get up so early but still we managed it.. and a good thing also... coz since we started early we had an empty highway to ourselves... as the sun appeared on the eastern horizon we were far far away from this maddening city and its drab life.. almost felt like being freed from jail... :)

The road is itself wonderful... passing through quite a few 'ghats', the long and winding road offers spectaular views of the Sahadyris to your left and the plains to your right.. and for the most part it was a pretty good here... (one thing I must say.. the general highways in the countryside have improved over the past few years.. not withstanding the Western Exp Highway right in the heart of the city :-)).. At around noon we finally closed in on Ganpatipule... the final 20 kms are just tooo goodd... you are driving west.. there are coconut trees on both sides of the road and on the horizon in front you can almost feel the sea in the distance but it is cleverly hidden from view... with the last 3 kms left the sea makes a spectacular appearance... the first sight of it (see pic) makes you absolutely crazy... so finally we pulled in at the MTDC resort at around 12.30 pm after a eight-hour drive...

More to follow in the next installment.... so stay tuned !!!! :-)

Ciao
Amit

Welcome !!!

Helloo all... welcome to my blogging site.. 'your space on the net' as they call it :-) .. certainly is a great way to pen your thoughts and have ppl read it too....
so hope to keep on writing all kinds of stuff... from the good to the bad to the completely arbit to the downright ridiculuous.. :-) and hope that you will keep on visiting...

ciao till my first actual post..

Amit