2012 - Wrap Up!

At the start of this year, I had vowed that I'll be much more regular with my posts. Its almost the end of 2012, and I have exactly the same number of posts as last year, excluding this one. But I still have around 2 hours to catch up! Though I don't really see the point. Till last year, each post drew at least one comment, and I knew people were reading, even if they were just my friends. This year, 13 posts have collectively drawn just two comments, not counting the two replies by me. The post on the "fire in the blood" documentary continues to draw a lot of people from all over the world each day, as it makes the round of film festivals around the world and curious people Google it to learn more. They inadvertently land up on my blog, but without much feedback, I am assuming no one bothers to read it. 

Catching eye balls was never the intention of this blog. It was always meant to be a place where I could think out loud and clear my head. But who am I kidding? Its obviously demoralizing to not have a sustained readership. Also, the things I end up writing about don't help. This year its mostly been about tennis, and a few social and political issues. Not much personal stuff. Incidentally, these are the very topics I cannot talk to my friends about, due to lack of interest. And as they make up my entire readership, its not surprising that there ain't much feedback. But anyway, enough of rambling, cause I am still gonna keep thinking out loud here.

This year saw a lot of lows, with a few highs - for me personally, as well as the nation in general. I'll probably spend January introspecting, and maybe even writing about both. Last year ended with a promising bang, cause I finally joined a PhD program, but the bang started to fizz out even before January was over. However, I did accomplish my long standing goal of joining dance classes. Basically, that sums up the year for me, disappointment and confusion on the career front, and satisfaction in finally doing something I love. Oh and yeah, my almost 2 years of post masters research experience fructified in the form of two publications in  international scientific journals - something I had dreamed of forever, but didn't really mean as much when it finally was realized. Anyway, so here's my two cents worth on what was good in 2012.

Best Movie (Hindi) - English Vinglish.

Best Actor - Not very competitive this year, at least from the movies I saw. It would have to be Nawazuddin Siddiqui for his collective effort in Talaash, Kahaani, Miss Lovely and Gangs of Wasseypur. Though I must say I haven't seen the last two, and also Paan Singh Tomar, for which many would say Irrfan Khan would be a lead contender.

Best Actress - Priyanka Chopra would have scored again this year in my book with Barfi! (after 7 khoon maaf last year), had it not been for a brilliant Sridevi in English Vinglish.
 
Supporting Performance - Parambrata Chatterjee in Kahaani and Kareena Kapoor in Talaash.

Best Soundtrack - Again, not too much brilliance to look back on, but Teri Meri Kahaani was the soundtrack that most frequently appeared on my playlist this year, along with Cocktail.


Playback singing -

Male - Sonu Nigam for Abhi mujh mai kahin (Agneepath).

Female - Hamsika Iyer for Raabta [Siyaah Raatein] (Agent Vinod)

Personality of the year - Definitely, the agent of change, the woman who took the nation by storm - the unnamed.

Movie of the year (English) - Life of Pi would come out on top from the few that I have seen. Still waiting to watch Argo and Les Miserables.

Breakthrough Artist of the year - A band to look forward to for greatness in future - Fun. They may not have debuted this year, but they definitely had a breakthrough and took 2012 by storm.

Song(s) of the year - Though it would be Gangnam style on many lists in the world, it won't be on mine. I never got the whole hoopla around this song, it was no Macarena! But this one would still be a very tough pick, with a host of songs ruling the roost this year. I would for now, go with the obvious ones - 'Call me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen, 'We are young' by Fun, and 'Somebody that I used to Know' by Gotye, though my heart says 'Madness' by Muse.

The 'Mosquito' whose sting will be missed

With Novak Djokovic lifting the season-ending ATP championship trophy last month, a landmark year on the ATP circuit came to a close. The year was marked with long awaited events. The last time when all the four Grand Slam trophies were held aloft by four different pair of hands was in 2003 and a Brit bloke had not won a Grand Slam since 1936. There were a host of high profile retirements and comebacks (read Tommy Haas), and then there was the biggest of them all - Ivan Lendl smiled for the cameras! One of those high-profile retirements came at the Valencia Open in the last week of October, from a player who incidentally , entered his name in the history books in that significant year of 2003 - Agassi won his last slam, while three players won their first. One of them went on to win 16 more slams, being labeled as the best ever to play the game, and still a threat on the circuit. The other two, did not win another major, and both retired this year from professional tennis. While Roddick hung his tennis shoes at the site of his lone major triumph at the US Open, Juan Carlos Ferrero, aka 'the mosquito', bid adieu at the tournament he owns. 

Ferrero is the player who was a major influence in drawing my interest to this beautiful game, along with Henin and Hingis. Watching this skinny lad waltzing gracefully and swiftly across the clay courts of Roland Garros, I was mesmerized at his success in a game which had begin to require brute force for success in the baseline slug fests that had come to predominate tennis. His shots were sharp and penetrative, with an aggressive, all-court game and one of the best forehands the game has ever seen. This earned him the rather unflattering nickname of "the mosquito". Shy and reserved, he was hardly the superstar the game seems to worship - the likes of Agassi, the Williams sisters - then. But still he was popular, as the countless lists on the Interet ranking ATP players based on their looks will vouch. It is interesting that both Henin and Ferrero emerged on the scene nearly at the same time.Both started out as exceptional clay courters, and went on to develop a potent all-court game. Both were champions who shied away from the spotlight, and chose to let their games do the talking. Both suffered major career falls due to injuries and illness. Its a different matter that while Henin would go on to overcome them and be counted amongst the greatest women players of all time in an attenuated career, Ferrero, who went on to play beyond the age of 30, faded into relative anonymity.

Lady luck definitely was oblivious to Ferrero's charms, considering the fact that his career was riddled with injuries just when he hit his peak after winning the French and making it to the finals at the US Open. This was coupled with the insurgence of the new wave of future superstars at the same time, including the GOAT Roger Federer, as well as Ferrero's heir, Nadal. While Ferrero led the Spanish team to its first ever Davis Cup victory, he was already anointed the king of Spanish tennis, replacing players like Moya and Corretja. However, his reign didn't last too long. Though he kept the struggle alive, making it to title matches every year, and making it to the second week of the majors more often than not, he was by now reduced to another one of the also-rans. Injuries had blunted the mosquito's  sting.

Towards the twilight of his career, Ferrero had silently started preparing for the after-tennis life, with his Luxury hotel, tennis academy and ownership stakes in the Valencia Open. He also showed signs of revival in the past 3-4 years, with better showings at the slams, and ending a 110 tournament long drought with a win at Casablanca in 2009, and impressive showing in the grass court season. Then came the 'Golden swing' in 2010, and the magician was in peak form, winning back to back titles in Brazil and Argentina, and then almost making it 3 titles in 3 weeks by reaching the final at Acapulco. This resulted in his return to the Top 15 in world, two years after he had dropped out of the top 100 for the first time since his debut. however injuries forced him out of action for the end of 2010 season and much of the first half of 2011 season. He could never bounce back fully after that, though maintaining a top 100 ranking for the most part, and finally after plenty of early round losses in 2012, he announced his retirement, attributing it to the significant time away from the game due to injuries and surgeries, as well as a lack of ambition after 14 years on tour.

Maintaining a quite dignity throughout his career, he won over millions of fans, as well as earned the respect of his peers, with Federer, Nadal, Ferrer, Roddick and many others acknowledging his place as one of the most talented and hard working players the game has seen. For Ferrer, his best friend and long time rival and nemesis, as well as Nadal, his heir he would always be the silent slayer who laid the foundations for the Spanish domination over the ATP tour.