Why Twenty-20 rocks?

September 2007 brought a fresh new lease of life to the game of Cricket with the awesome innovation of the Twenty 20 which is all about hit, hit and hit at least as some people perceive. But the truth is far from this, really ! One thing is unanimous though, 20-20 has swept one and all through their feet and is a roaring hit which has vroomed past even faster than the fastest of the F1 cars !! Casual sports watchers and die hard cricket lovers are going ga-ga over this new form of cricket and how!

Its magic is there for everyone to see. And in a beautiful place like South Africa plus you add a cameo of strategically (?) dressed dancers/ entertainers/ cheer-leaders whatever you may call them, good music its a win-win combo anytime. But one thing is for sure, the core of the game stil remains the same in spite of the fallacies pointed out by the purists... The fact is, one team still tries to score runs and the other tries to stop it in doing so and chase the same in a role reversal in the second innings. Its just that the duration has been cut down; its like reducing all the ups and downs and periods of nothing happening in your life (Thats test cricket) to a few good weeks with their accompanying successes and heart breaks (Thats one day internationals) to the most enjoyable day in your life (Thats Twenty 20 for you).

The greatest fear among the cricket aficionados has always been that ODI's will kill the finer nuiances and subtleties of test cricket and one can only imagine how petrified they might have been with the latest avatar that has come around. The fact is, as a prophet might say, nothing really dies; it just changes into something else, something even better and thats always good for us in general. So stop whining people, the game has only got sharper and skills have become even more important and technique (yes, technique) has got to be even more crucial. The sloggers may win a few rounds but the overall war will be won by the methodical hitters and wicket takers and agile fielders !

There is absolutely no scope for making errors now, one false move and you are doomed. Isn't that perfection at its best? Isn't that sport is all about? Isn't that what everyone wants to see in a sport, from start to finish? That's precisely why the 100 meter sprint garners more global attraction than the 1500 meters race, though it requires tactics, speed and endurance in equal measure. The analogy of cricket can be extended to the Marathon, 1500 meter race and the 100 meter dash and the picture becomes crystal clear... The difference lies in the scope of recovery element thats somewhat absent in the shorter version, for overcoming a fault. Its cruel, but then ultimately a better team wins, irrespective of its past record. Amazingly 20-20 does give you a chance to stage a fightback. You can bowl badly and still win; you might get bundled out for a negligee and still win; I mean thats really the beauty of the game, isn't it?? A match can dramatically change in just 6 excruciating balls of an over.

The real test of the game lies ahead. What will it displace in the long term? Will it be exciting at the same level in bilateral tournaments too? Indeed, a matter to ponder over is, how will it fare in a cricket crazy nation like India where the stadiums are like dilapidated relics and the fans still quite primtive?

Please do post your views and comments on this blog by clicking here. Your posts will be appreciated !

P.S.: These views are heavily borrowed from the article by Bobilli Vijay Kumar in the Times. But rest assured, its the best way I could express it my way !

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T-20 Cricket - Indian team is the World Champion !

Date : 24th September 2007
Time: 8:30 PM approximately according to IST
Location : Johannesburg, South Africa

Event : Twenty 20 Cricket World Cup Final Match between arch rivals India and Pakistan

Situation : Having scored a paltry 157/5 in the allotted 20 overs, the Indian team came back really good to reduce Pakistan to a mind numbing 145/9 till the 19th over. Climax of the Climaxes. Pakistan needed a bone chilling 13 runs of the last over and Misbah Ul Haq was on fire. Dhoni, the Indian skipper, hands the ball to Joginder Singh. It all begins here. To say that this was like any other "down the wire" match would be a gross insult to the sport of Cricket. Because nothing gets bigger and better than this.

Sample this... Joginder Sharma bowls the first ball down the off stump for a horrendous wide. 12 runs off 6 balls. Follows up with a dot ball as Misbah misses a huge swing. 12 runs off 5 balls. Next up, Misbah comes down the track and hammers a huge one straight above long off. While the Indian camp went into a deathly silence, the Pakistan supporters erupt into a frenzy. Dhoni has a word with the bowler. 6 runs off 4 balls. Joginder bowls one way down the off stump, Misbah reaches it and tries the paddle scoop shot over fine leg. Too bad, it was a slower one !! Due to the lack of pace, in spite of the great shot selection, the ball lands in the cusped hands of Shreesanth and then all hell broke loose. India had won the World Cup !!! Boy oh boy (and gal oh gal) this was simply the most awesome moment in the Indian Cricket for me since it was a dream come true for one and all. Its simply huge and cant be expressed in words. And it came with such a pot boiler of a match, which was just the most god max experience for the Cricket Crazy nation of India.

About twenty 20

For the ones still marveling in ignorance, that Twenty 20 cricket for you and this was the inaugural world cup which had literally took the cricketing world with storm. The fans praised it and the purists hated it. Before that let me post an imaginary (?) tale that circulates the cricketing lore :

"One fine day, at the end of 19th century, some English Gentlemen got bored of their daily routine. So they asked God, "All mighty, please give us something to while away our time in a sport befitting our stature, which will provide for one and all". And then there was Test Cricket. The 5 day version. People liked it. The legends flourished.

And then after 100 years, life moved on. People said we cant see cricket for 5 days. and then they prayed again, "All mighty, please give us something to while away our time in a sport befitting both the players and the spectators watching it." And then there were One Day Internationals. The whites got coloured as the game got quicker and better. The purists hated it, saying that ODI's don't qualify as much the traditionalist version. But they had to bend down. Soon they were proved wrong and how !

Some 30 years later, life got fast and people got even faster zipping and zapping their routine through even tighter schedules. How come Cricket lag behind. Its really true that "Change is the only constant thing". And this time after 30 years of inception of the 50 over game, we got a smaller version : the Twenty 20 Cricket. Faster, Quicker and more dynamic than ever. The game gets over in less than 4 hours and provides incomparable adrenaline and sheer entertainment to absolutely everyone involved. Even though the world has come to accept that this is the way cricket will be played in future, but who will console the purists?? Some of them, past legends and my friends (who are not past legends,beware !) who say that the game is too harsh on the bowlers. Well... if they could only see, the sheer pressure of Twenty-20 has made possible ridiculously new tricks and trade in the bowling departments and has substantially improved it like anything. The matches are indeed won by the bowlers, if someone follows the game closely. Because hitting is business everyone can manage, but good fielding and ability to take wickets is no ordinary job.

Twenty 20, as the name suggests is a blink and you miss type of game, where each side bowls 20 overs and the aim of the game is to blast out from the word go. With a power play of 6 overs, which is a treat, the ending slogging overs provide a fitting culmination for the gala party. With modifications like free hit and bowl outs, T-20 simply rocks ! When life is all about pace, cricket can't be slow. Purists may miss the copybook technique but the neo-converts like me are unanimous - speed thrills ! Batsmen don't block studiously ball after ball and the bowlers have become more and more intelligent. The fielders are on their toes since even a moment of relaxation might cost you the game. It has come a long way in restoring the game's viewer ship by leaps and bounds and its virtually growing at an exponential speed. Its dramatic, swift and unpredictable and gives the minnows more of a chance to retaliate against stronger teams.

I will be posting more on the Twenty 20 world cup later on, but till then it will be great if you could post your opinions and comments about this article. Click here to do so. Adios.

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Of Metals and Materials...

Well, finally I have a guest blogger... After much persistence I have finally managed to convince the great PG or Priya Ghatwai, who is an academically distinguished and illustrious all rounder of my batch in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering in VNIT and has finally relented to pen down her views. And they say that its worth the wait. Just find out what I mean in her own words. Everything that follows below are her opinions and if some one wants to sue me for something below, let me remind you I am just a platform, the culprit is PG, herself. With such a modest and humble beginning, you might actually have a good time reading this great piece about our Engineering life in VNIT !

PG speaks :

"It's finally time to honour my commitment to author this sketch about the meta department. If it's sub-standard, it's because I'm lazy, if it's not, well frankly I am surprised. I was asked to cover these aspects by the generous soul morally attached to me as the legal proprietor of this blog in whose territory I will now venture to trespass ( upon his tireless insistence ) and they are as follows :

1) Weird stuff happening in meta dept...
2) Stories about the "efficiencies" of the Professors, Staff and Implementation of good student friendly rules...
3) the unsung heroes of our class and the tales of their exceptional bravery...
4) And other such stuff...

Well sub-topic one is a meaty one, and as for the second , you will have to make do with my interpretation , not Lara's (And as per the promise by PG, she would be talking about this in more detail in a soon to come update). I am not sure whether he wishes his name to be included in the third writing task - I will modify the topic to encompass all members of Meta- Batch of 2008. Don't know if I'll ever make it to the fourth."

1) Weird stuff happening in meta dept...

"Well, the Final years have four ACs in the classroom and the attendance is at an all-time high though some people are of course never happy. The idea is of course to avail the luxury of sleeping in conditioned comfort at no extra cost. It's a win-win bargain.

Ok, truly weird about our department is that we have people who are ever-ready to take unwarranted unnecessary risks by way of experimenting with unheard of ideas almost absolutely certain to backfire. Sample the way the project allotments were done. Fourth Year students, who , generalizing grossly, cannot tell a TTT from a CCT; peritectic from monotectic; plain stress from plane stress - the very same students who feel ashamed that the youth from the adjoining department are fortified with enough knowledge to earn them dual degrees in mech n meta while they themselves fail - morally - if not technically - to appreciate the single degree that they have been destined, nay, constrained to half-heartedly pursue for the past so many years, ya, well, these same final years were asked to pick their projects based on one-line statements. The names of the project guides were resolutely and deliberately sheathed (steeped ?) in dark mystery. Well, all we can say is, this college has enabled us to know people better than our subjects and on those grounds alone we feel compelled to question what could have been disclosed about what could not. Right to information! Whither thou?

So many of the courses seem like flashbacks from the past. That's because we never really followed when we had the opportunity and of course in seventh semester, we're too disinclined to make amends! All we know is that it's the same course that's being repeated after a gap of one year, marketed under a differnt name . Old wine in New bottle. Doesn't taste any better though."

2) Stories about the "efficiencies" of the Professors, Staff and Implementation of good student friendly rules...

"Coming soon at a later date in the next update" - PG

3) The last stop - the classmates.

SJ - "Since the list provided was incomplete, I had to chip in between to ensure that justice was done for all the people."

• Hemu, Renu, Sweetu, Paru --> The Famous Four - Claim to fame unknown.
• Band --> Keyboard artiste. Rehmaan maniac.
• Vivek --> Studious, very helpful especially during St. Met Pracs, very resourceful and sincere.
• Roshan --> Did NOT get baingan bharta to class due to lack of availability of raw material as evident from a thorough search of the market. (Currently popular as Babuji)
• Alok --> Sports Sec. (Founder of biker gang)
• Sidharth --> 1=0 and nothing else and of course you'll be convinced because there just isn't an option to argue about.
• Ashish Jain and GJ --> Oracle Men, they make simple things difficult - Hey, nothing personal - only referring to their wizardry at contraption.
• Shukla --> Well, depends on whether you want comments on "what he was before woh badal gaya", "what he is after woh badal gaya", "woh badla ki nahi" or "woh kab badla". Kindly clarify and I will gladly expostulate.
• Vibhav --> music@tt.
• Sachin, Digvijay and Sujeet --> The trinity/triumvarate. (Amar Akbar Anthony, anyone?)
• Anand, Suyash, Jraman, Rupesh - The N-gage gang. The first three are the CRs of the class and last one very is very helpful especially during St.Met pracs and if cycle chain falls off. Since the blog belongs to the second one, you'll get more on him - autobiographical and authentic. He is a great fellow and his greatness is amplified by the great honour bestowed upon me by him in asking me to embellish his great blog. The third one is synonymous with studies/marks/load. Placement ke baad shayad kuch badlaav lag raha hai.
• The Quam --> Gen.Sultan will be glad to comment about this.
• Saket --> Tao(/u) of perseverance.
• Kuku --> One in a million - Mass bunk karna mera kaam hai, karvana nahi.
• Neeraj --> The Marathi maanus, simplicity personified.
• Lakshminarayan --> Apparently most appreciated by the professors - be it his taste in selecting books or charming unexpected people into yielding over the sensitive issue of mass bunk.
• Mahapatra --> The Gamer.
• Zindal --> The Silent warrior.
• Pandit --> Enigmatic human being beyond comprehension.
• Dinesh and Poku --> These individuals have been brought been together by the "wear" project!
• Pankaj and Niranjan --> Laloo is proud of them.
• GSVN --> Computer Science Wizard...

"If I have missed out on anybody, please don't mind and feel free to enrich this scraggy bunch of scrappy doodles."

Please feel free to express your feelings here (be it gratitude or rage) by clicking here.

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Placed in Oracle - its a Dream come true !

Well its been a long time since I wasn't blogging and there really is a big reason for that. The thing is that the whole of VNIT was sort of gearing up for the second round of placements, also called as the "Dream Job" round. OK, the thing is, though VNIT is ranked 4th in the NIT's in India and ranks among the top engineering colleges, it really suffers big time when it comes to campus placements. Of course, its a matter of perception of what you are comparing to when it comes to placements, because according to one school of thought, just getting a 100% placement record is simply not the done thing if most of them are being recruited by the ever expanding IT companies who have more orientation towards service and lesser on product development. Anyways, I wont be wasting my time here talking about what is good and what is bad because this is my blog and I must write what happened with me.

Yeah... so here we go. In case you don't know much about VNIT and my eventful existence in here for the last 3.5 years you might as well click here for starters. But if you don't feel the need for doing so read on. After the completion of the 6th semester (or 3rd year) of the engineering curriculum we were all faced with the prospects of campus recruitment program which in itself is a pretty intimidating task for one and all. And why not, because for those who are planning to do postpone their further studies/ post graduation or are planning to skip it completely, getting the best first job is an absolutely crucial thing and people do make the most of it whenever the opportunity is available. Well, besides being a Metallurgical and Materials Engineer, let me warn you that my interest in the Software and Computer Science is more due to the work content than the green bucks to be made. Having said that and done everything I got placed in TCS with 60 other guys and it was awesome then but I wasn't aware that more was coming in my platter. And the thing actually came true on 8th September 2007. But lets roll back a little before that.

24th August 2007, 21:59 PM

Life was going on like as usual, with the same boring lectures spiced with even more boring assignments and tests. Final year, it turned out isn't really much fun as purported by the people who were through with the degree last year. Though some people were busy making preparations to bell the CAT and some giving PowerPrep's to boost their GRE score, there was an air of the dream job round of placement to begin soon. Work less get more kind of students like me were on the prowl to sniff any new developments over the Training and Placement' Notice Board. And then at the above mentioned time, my friend from the Computer Science Department, Pravin, sent me an sms containing this exact text, "Oracle aa rahi 3 sept ko"... and all hell broke loose that day !! or that night to be precise.

How desperate I was to know more about my prospects in Oracle Corporation (which by the way is world's second largest independent software company) and whether it was actually possible can be gaged by the following steps I took in the couple of hours on the same night.

• I phoned the informer, who must have been chatting with his girl friend, and asked if he wasn't really joking, since not many people were averse to my inclination to join such a firm...
• Later on I phoned the T and P Secretary of the College ( of course, from the students...) and asked him about the dates and the eligibility criteria, who was in a theater watching a hindi movie...
• I actually went to college at 12 midnight to satisfy myself about the CGPA required for the same and other details etc.
• Then I also called up the another friend who was sharing a similar interest and discussed more about that. And all this on the same night. Not much big deal. Read more.

25th August 2007 to 2nd September 2007

Well, it was preparation time. It was time to get what I had dreamt of while entering this Engineering College and for some reasons which I wont like to state here right now, Oracle was the last company for me to appear for at least in the IT sector. I began by asking the already harrowed seniors for the elimination test and the interviews which were giving an impression of being quite geeky. So I revised all the stuff I had gone through the last 3 years (learning those languages (C and C++ being put major emphasis on) which you can use only with the computers !) and some metallurgical stuff too. Solving puzzles became a huge hit with me during this period and it found a space in my resume pronto. OCF Berkeley and Techinterview were two really great sites where I spent lots of quality time. Also I had to pay some attention to those areas in mathematics and logical reasoning where I was taking more time than required because the aptitude test was supposed to be for those wisecracks who can think fast and accurately. After a brief pumping up of resume and revival of the activities mentioned (the internship, the training and the extra curriculars etc) I was finally ready for the 1st installment of the huge battle that lay ahead, where only an upset could sail my ship through ! And yeah, I also was appointed the placement coordinator of Oracle Ltd. And it really helped, later...

3rd September - The PAC Test

Oracle, for the last few years has been outsourcing the job of conducting aptitude tests for its campus interviews to PAC - Professional Aptitude Council and they do a really great job when it comes to test the analytical and problem solving skills required in the world of Information Technology. The test was, surprisingly, a cakewalk ! (?) and I was expecting not to get through only in the case of some evil conspiracy against me.

4th September 2007 to 6th September 2007

Amidst the gripping tension of whether I would be shortlisted or not, I attempted to improve upon whatever I could and in the process ended up bunking about 20 lectures on the trot since I didnt attend a single day during this tenure. Those were the crazy days and more were to follow. Thanks everyone who helped me to stay mentally fit !

7th September - The interviews begin !!!

After a superb pre-placement talks with the executives of Oracle India Ltd, (where I also got the opportunity to flag off the ceremony) where we were told about the exact nature of job profiles being offered - Oracle Application Software, (Development and Programming) and Oracle Solution Services, (Consulting). Later on, based on the preferences given by the aspirants we were shortlisted in the two categories. Apps had 30 students for the interviews and then it began. I had two really great and amazing rounds of technical interviews which challenged my technical ability to the maximum extent. The conversation was really candid and ranged from all domains like programming skills, mind blowing puzzles and riddles, stuff about oracle and life and what not. The HR interview was a stress reliever in the true sense and it was really cool to talk with these brilliant minds indeed. I was among the rare group of people who had finished all the process on the first day itself and was supposed to wait for 17 agonizing hours for the results to be out, while the other candidates were interviewed. I resumed my coordinator activities next day since I had nothing much to do than wait with all the suspense in the world.

8th September : The day that I wont forget !!!

Yeah... Like in the movies... we are back to present after the flashback. Zip Zap Zoom. Its 4 pm in the afternoon and all are waiting with a gulp in their throat. Everyone was eager to know who was in , who was out, who was flushed out and who finally made it to Oracle ! Well, in the end, my name was there among the 8 people selected in Oracle Application Software and everything went hazy and inexpressible. The thing is, it was really a great and ultimate experience to break through Oracle's selection process (Cant break in, Cant Break it --> as they proudly say... :-) and being a non Comp Sci graduate to do that made it even more special as the Apps profile was preferably oriented towards product development. It was a really euphoric feeling and I came to know what it is like on Cloud nine or whatever it is. For a freak moment, I was on top of the world and the feeling took quite some time to sink in... All the adjectives in the world fall short to describe this, and I would nurture this day as a landmark in my college life. It was a dream come true, indeed !

Do let me know how you feel about this part of my life, which I call being happy... (borrowed from Pursuit of Happiness...) Click here to post your comments.

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Dream on...

Every time I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone
It goes by, like dusk to dawn
Isn't that the way
Everybody's got their dues in life to pay

Yeah, I know nobody knows
where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's sin
You got to lose to know how to win

Half my life
is in books' written pages
Lived and learned from fools and
from sages
You know it's true
All the things come back to you

Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good lord will take you away

Yeah, sing with me, sing for the year
sing for the laughter, sing for the tear
sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away

Dream On... Dream On... Dream On...
Dream until your dreams come true
Dream On... Dream On... Dream On...
Dream until your dream comes through
Dream On... Dream On... Dream On...
Dream On... Dream On...
Dream On... Dream On...

Sing with me, sing for the year
sing for the laughter, sing for the tear
sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away

Sing with me, sing for the year
sing for the laughter, sing for the tear
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away......

Listen to this song by clicking here

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Think Different. Change the world.

Here’s to the crazy ones.

The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.

They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,
disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.

They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.

While some see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.

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The Race - D. H. Groberg

This is just the kind of stuff that I like to read when it comes to poetry - awesome, inspiring and thought provoking. And I was in for a shocker of a treat when I read this in the 10th class English text book of my younger brother (its not like I skipped it 5 years back then, the S.S.C. syllabus just updates itself better than the meteorological dept of the country !). By the way this cool poetry, though may be looking lengthy but once you are through with it, you will be invigorated with a new fresh lease towards life (or whatever) but seriously believe me... Its about not quitting even when all the hopes are dashed so as to rise and stand again, because winning if not nothing, is certainly not everything. Your life may be placid with all sorts of worries but the true sense of living is to rejuvenate it with the essence of a positive attitude since everyone has a right for the pursuit of happiness ! Read on...

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought “My dad will be so proud.”
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.

But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!”
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”

But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face
with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!”
So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try?
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.

“Get up,” an echo sounded low, “you haven’t lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!”
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.

They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”

Just let me know what you think of this really amazing piece of poetry in the form of this motivating story by posting a small comment !

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Eat Cricket. Drink Cricket. Sleep Cricket. Live Cricket 24/7 !!!

Must agree with my friend and fellow blogger Ameya, whose words of wisdom are still ringing in my ears, "Colleging makes blogging difficult". How true... and you can see by the reduced frequency of my blog posts from the last month (Did I hear a sigh of relief from my worst critics?) Anyways the point is I am done with 75% of the hard work required to the get the B.Tech degree and it seems that the last 25% is the hardest, for reasons that will be disclosed at some later date. Because right now, I am going to tell you about something that has been the first love of my life and will always have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life. So before I get busy in the first sessional exam from the next week let me begin.

As you must have guessed from the title, yes, its Cricket ! By the way, one will say, whats new in that? This country having a population of more than 1 billion is anyway cricket crazy than any other in the world. So whats new if I am just a speck of dust in this huge ocean. I hope I vindicate myself as the most ardent lover of the game by expressing my feelings for this sport which drives the whole nation under a frenzy unparalleled by nothing except an Indo-Pak war. In fact, I believe that some fanatics even want to decide the controversial problem between the two countries by a cricket match. Take that for a starter! And let me know if you could swallow that without a lump in your throat.

Well, one must be wondering about the title : eat,drink and sleep cricket? Yup, that practically happens with cricket lovers like me as we actually "live" the game ..... I have been an admirer of the sport from an age which even I cant remember. The last photographic proof is of a 4 yr me holding a bat of about my height and facing a team consisting of boys about 4-5 times my age back in Chandrapur. That was 1990 I guess. Not Abnormal, one may say. Just wait. Unlike some of the lucky people I have known, I didn't pursue a serious coaching so as to nurture the talent in me (Yeah, I am a bit pompous !) But whenever I got a chance, I used to grab that wooden handle or the red cherry (those days the cricket ball came in various colours and materials by the way) and was always ready to smash the ball out of the park or rattle the wickets that lay in front of me.

And today I can say proudly, that CRICKET is my religion and as you can see, Sachin Tendulkar is my GOD ! You see, one really requires an idol if one needs to push oneself to achieve something in a given way of life. And for me, like most of the other kids, it was the 16 year old Sachin Tendulkar who debuted against the mighty Pakistanis and faced the music of the "Toe Crusher" Waqar Younis and the "Sultan of Swing" Wasim Akram defiantly. He has been an enigma to the bowlers all over the planet as his bat keeps tumbling records after records. This man surely knows how to keep the statisticians busy. Till the date of writing this, this GOD has scored more than 35000 runs with an astonishing no of tons that just keeps on piling. No one has a chance of overtaking him, at least in the recent future.

There have been some of the greatest Cricket matches over the years which have kept the fire burning for the love of the game and let me list a few of them in no particular order which have made quite a mark on my mind:

• The recent 5-0 Ashes rout by the Aussies to avenge the 2005 Ashes fallout in England.
• The upset chase of 434 runs by the Proteas (South Africans) against the Aussies.
• England, powered by Freddie Flintoff, humiliating the Australians by snatching a test match win by a whisker of 1 run !
• India's superb run to the finals of the World Cup 2003.
• The Natwest Trophy final - Kaif and Yuvraj simply kicked England from a win-win situation.
• That crushing ouster of the South African Team from World Cup 1999 in the semi finals.
• Remember a depleted West Indies chasing 420 on the last day of Test match against the kangaroos?
• Sachin Tendulkar taking 5-32 in Hero Cup final vs South Africa
• And who can forget how close the New Zealand- Australia matches have always been?

The fact is, the number of such "amazing" moments just cant be penned down on a piece of paper, since what stares at you is the term - infinity. From the year 1877 - when the First ever test match was played, literally hundreds of individuals have collectively shown that the word impossible isn't present in their dictionaries. After all it takes courage to be a certain Herschelle Gibbs to blast out 175 off 105 balls when you are facing the mother of all run chases. Cricket runs in my blood. I played it during school, with my friends. I played it in the locality with people of all age groups. (even the elders too were forced to play when we were short of fielders!) In this place called as the engineering college, this passion none the less flowered even more as more and more cricket lovers were discovered. Whether its the field or a classroom, seldom has been a day when Cricket hasn't been discussed. Over the years the number of the matches played over the globe has increased tenfold and so has the coverage with a new sports channel coming round the corner every 6 months.

And to the great delight of myself, STAR Cricket - The brilliant initiative by ESPN-STAR has culiminated into what I may call the single largest Cricket Media where the game is highlighted for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Now thats what I call a treat. Finally, the television is no longer an idiot box in the truest of sense. Now whenever I switch on the TV, I do check out this amazing channel to look out for live cricket, matches highlights, greatest cricketing moments, past legends and what not - all presented in a flurry of superb programmes like HitZ, Close Shaves, Super Centuries, India Glorious etc... the list is too long.

As the promos put it correctly,

"ye desh hai deewano ka, jinhe junoon hai is Cricket khel ka,
hume hak hai aise ek channel ka, jo 24 ghante sirf yeh junoon dikhaye !!"

This sums it all. The craze for other popular sports like soccer etc is really temporary, in sporadic phases like the world cup. Even today I am amazed when people talk about English Football clubs with the sheer knowledge of just a couple of teams and a handful of players ! Of course... thats not the way it is with Cricket. Its here to stay - to create newer imprints on our souls with modern changes that will lead to an even huge upheaval for this mind blowing sport.

And by the way... the 20-20 World Cup is just round the Corner. Come September 2007 and the mania begins again. Be a part of it. Live the game !

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The wait is over. Finally on the morning of 21st July, 2007 about 50 million (maybe lots more...) people from all over the world thronged the bookstores and formed humongous queues to bag a copy of the legendary finale of the greatest story ever told - the book 7 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, written by the now multi-billionaire and deservingly so, J.K.Rowling. When the prodigious writer came out with the 1st edition of the exciting series in 1998, very few people took notice of the magical world that she had spun over a cup of coffee, but 10 years later and after 6 sequels to the brilliant plot the entire world is "stunned"... literally. Its the final confrontation between Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, the “symbol of hope” for both the Wizard and Muggle worlds, and Lord Voldemort also known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, He Who Must Not Be Named who is the nefarious leader of the Death Eaters. Good versus Evil. Love versus Hate. The Seeker versus the Dark Lord.

To start off, let me make it clear that I am not exactly a Harry Potter freak like some of my friends, but I just used to read the books since it offered me a good read and was something different from the ordinary world. But it would be an understatement if I lay the same claim now, after I have read this final epic which has made me a hard core fan of the entire Harry Potter mania. I mean, there couldn't haven been a better ending to this monumental epic story and even most of the superlatives that I use - God level - fails to describe the ultimate climax that just leaves you wondering if this is really the end. Though I was a wee bit disappointed with Dumbledore's death in the 6th edition, but JKR made up for it big time with the Deathly Hallows. This blog is to salute the insane creativity that the woman has and her innocuous talent by which she planned and crafted such a magnificient masterpiece panning the mind boggling world of wizards and witches, magic and wonder!

With each installment, the “Potter” series has grown increasingly dark, and this one is no exception offering the best of Harry Potter - his bravery and courage, which until now were shadowed by his great mentor - Albus Dumbledore and Sirius Black. This time he faces the supreme forces of evil on his own with the help of his best buddies - Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger who make up for the small bits which Harry Potter sometimes lacks, of course, no one is perfect. While the author effortlessly tells the details whether it is Ron’s adolescent sarcasm, Hermoine's unbelievable brains or Harry’s growing solemnity and instincts, from youthful exuberance to more philosophical gravity, “Deathly Hallows” is a book that marks Harry’s final initiation into the complexities and sadnesses of adulthood. Its the first book that made me think more of Harry Potter as a character and less of the story that revolved around him.

The Deathly Hallows marks a transformation in the character of Harry Potter. From his first days at Hogwarts, the green-eyed boy bore the burden of his destiny as a leader, coping with the expectations and duties of his role while suffering from the early loss of his family. Harry often wished to himself he were not the de facto leader of the Resistance movement, shouldering terrifying responsibilities, but wanted to be an ordinary teenage boy — free to romance Ginny Weasley and hang out with his friends. Gone are the days of the contantly bickering Harry Potter frustrated with Dumbledore's choice of not telling him all the facts about his life, this time its war and he takes up the mantle of an ultimate warrior effortlessly with a steely resolve to manage the mischief called as Lord Voldemort.

In this volume, the losses mount with unnerving speed: at least a half-dozen characters we have come to know die in alternate chapters, and many others are wounded or tortured. Voldemort and his followers infiltrate Hogwarts (Professor Snape becomes the Headmaster) and the Ministry of Magic, creating havoc and terror in the Wizard and Muggle worlds alike, and the members of various populations — including elves, goblins and centaurs — are choosing sides. No wonder then, Harry often seems overwhelmed with disillusionment and doubt in the final installment of this seven-volume saga. He continues to struggle to control his temper, and as he, Ron and Hermione search for the missing Horcruxes (7 secret magical objects in which Voldemort has stashed parts of his soul, objects that Harry must destroy if he hopes to kill the evil lord) he literally enters a dark wood, in which he must battle out the Death Eaters and eventually the Dark Lord himself.

Harry’s weird psychic connection with Voldemort (symbolized by the lightning-bolt forehead scar he bears as a result of the Dark Lord’s attack on him as a baby) grows stronger giving him clues to Voldemort’s actions and whereabouts. One of the plot’s significant turning points concerns Harry’s decision on whether to continue looking for the Horcruxes — the mission assigned to him by the late Dumbledore — or to pursue the Deathly Hallows, three magical objects said to make their possessor the master of Death.

Harry’s journey propels him forward to a final showdown with his arch enemy and sends him backward into the past - to the house in Godric’s Hollow where his parents died, to learn about his family history and the equally mysterious history of Dumbledore’s family. At the same time, he is forced to ponder the equation between fraternity and independence, free will and fate, and to come to terms with his own frailties and those of others. Ambiguities proliferate throughout “The Deathly Hallows”: as we are read hitherto unexplored facts about the kindly Dumbledore, sinister Severus Snape and perhaps even the awful Muggle cousin Dudley Dursley, who are more complicated than they seem, that all of them, like Harry, have hidden aspects to their personalities, and that choice — more than talent or predisposition — matters most of all.

I might propose that J. K. Rowling has almost created a world as fully detailed as J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, a world so minutely imagined in terms of its history, rituals and rules that it qualifies as an alternate universe, which may be one reason the “Potter” books have spawned such a passionate following and such fervent exegesis. With this volume, the reader realizes that small incidents in earlier installments (hidden among a huge number of red herrings) create a breadcrumb trail of clues to the plot, that Rowling has fitted together with the jigsaw-puzzle pieces of this complex puzzle with unparalleled brilliance. Objects and spells from earlier books — like the Invisibility cloak, Polyjuice Potion, Dumbledore’s Pensieve and Sirius’s flying motorcycle — play important roles and characters like the house-elf Dobby, Mr. Ollivander- the wandmaker, the barman at Hogsmeade resurface with a greater role to play.

The world of Harry Potter is a place where the mundane and the marvelous, the ordinary and the surreal coexist. It’s a place where cars can fly and owls can deliver the mail, a place where paintings talk and a mirror reflects people’s innermost desires. It’s also a place utterly recognizable to readers, a place where death and the catastrophes of daily life are inevitable, and people’s lives are defined by love and loss and hope — the same way they are in our own mortal world. Harry Potter rocks..... big time and there doesn't seem to be a distant end to the Potter mania as two more film adaptations of this successful story line are in the offering. I meanwhile, will try to recover from the hang over of scary spells like the "Avada Kedavra" and others. All is well.

P.S.: Review based on the article given in the NY Times and personal experience. Please post your comments about the book/article and feel free to point out any mistake that might have slipped out. And yeah, if you were bored reading this or disliked it... for you, "Obliviate" !

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Of Hearts and Heart breaks !

The Crap

Its been a long time since I blogged due to the re-opening of the prestigious college of mine which has eaten away oodles of my even more prestigious time due to the so boring lectures and practicals which seem to be never ending, but in the end its a part and parcel of the fun that I have in VNIT Campus. Coming back to blogging, after finally a long lull or to quote an "about to be" rich and famous person, "to overcome the writers block" or whatever, I am back... though the content is not original but its really useful and everyone must read to lead a long life.

Now the title may seem to be suggesting about heart breaks but believe me it has got nothing to do with emotional affairs associated with the delicate organ nor is it related to anything dealing with the opposite sex. Its a very useful article that was sent to me by my elder sister which I found to be really good to share it with one and all, and my blog seemed to be crying, "Post something", so here it goes...

The useful stuff

If someone tells you that we must stop the practice of drinking cold water with meals so as to avoid heart attacks, the most likely response is, "Stop kidding!". But its true and well the Chinese and the Japanese do drink hot tea with their meals and maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habits along with the fast foods.

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this "sludge" reacts with the amino acids, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. This will cause it to line with the intestine walls. See the figure shown above. Very soon, this will turn into fats and they go on accumulating like anything, and can have effects as mild as making you look more gross and as worse as leading to Cancer. Hence, it is really best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal so as to avoid this dangerous scenario. Savvy?

A serious note about heart attacks - you should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of the intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we have to survive. The original author of this stub who must be a good cardiologist said if everyone who reads this stuff tells it to at least 10 people, can make sure that we'll save at least one life. Read this and tell other friends of yours to read it and it will be even more better if you refer it on my blog ! Its all about saving one more life... !

You may thank me for adding some more years to your life by commenting on the post and add anything more that I may have missed. Cheerio !

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