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.

India, the world's doormat - Are we a nation of pushovers?? - In light of Indo-China relations.

How often have we heard the phrase "Bhaisaab thoda adjust kar lijiye"??? And more often than not, we do end up adjusting. Yielding to others, even at the risk of discomfort to the self, is an affliction ingrained in us Indians. Though this statement sounds to be against my own principle of steering clear of generalizations of any kind, and commit a great folly in painting our immensely diverse nation in a single color, I should make it clear that my intention is to analyze the impression we shed on the world as a nation. An upcoming economy, a nation swinging between extremes of all kinds; culture, diversity, poverty are known and well - characterized aspects of our country. But I can't help and think, that to a close observer of our foreign policy, especially in the recent years, wouldn't India appear as a giant doormat with the phrase "Welcome!! Walk All Over ME!!" written on it?

On countless issues relating to foreign affairs and world politics, our country has often portrayed itself as a spineless, toothless spectator content with watching from the sidelines and "playing it safe". Apart from making tall claims of being the next, big thing, a superpower in the making, begging for nuclear fuel and a UN Security Council permanent seat, and crying hoarse over Pak - sponsored terrorism and asking the Big Boss (Uncle Sam) to reprimand our naughty neighbor time and again, we really haven't done much to validate our claims of being any kind of influence on the world's political stage. The most glaring examples of weak responses from our government have been the US backed sanctions on Iran and China's constant threat to India' territorial integrity, especially Arunachal Pradesh.

China has, time and again, threatened and claimed parts of Indian territory as its own, be it Aksai Chin or Arunachal Pradesh (the so called "South Tibet"). From Government officials, including the Ambassador to India, declaring Arunachal Pradesh as part of China unabashedly in the media, to sneaky forays into Indian territory in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and J&K by the Chinese army, there have been constant jabs from the other side. What is alarming is that in the past few years ,their frequency has increased dramatically. While on paper the status quo of "Hindi- Chini bhai bhai" is maintained by both the countries in the garb of border dispute talks, joint military drills and booming trade ties, the Chinese side audaciously objects to Indian flag hoisting, infrastructure development, or even the visit of the Indian Prime Minister when it comes to Arunachal Pradesh. Simultaneously, underhanded techniques are being used to apply pressure on Indian Govt., like issuing stapled visas to J&K citizens (citing J&K as disputed territory) and also AP, denying visa to officials as well as locals from Arunachal (claiming them to be citizens of Chinese territories and thus not needing a visa), deeper and deeper forays into Indian territory by Chinese military in Sikkim, J&K, and AP - demolishing stone structures and intimidating locals. There have been many instances of cyber attacks from China on key Indian installations like the navy, electricity grids, websites of government departments and ministries etc. It is widely speculated that these could have been state-sponsored. The tightly state-controlled Chinese media regularly paints India in a negative color, often declaring it as a "wanna-be" which dreams of matching China's growth and status as a superpower, but is incapable of doing so. The standard Indian Government response to any such activity was "registering protest" or "taking a strong exception" in a press release. China doesn't have a cricket team, or the other standard response by our country could have been to suspend cricketing ties with them!

A serious issue like the stapled visas did not figure in the talks held when the Chinese premier arrived on an official visit in 2010 while celebrating 60 years of diplomatic ties. India was more keen to push trade ties and cooperation at the international level. on the other hand, the Chinese foreign ministry was not even slightly hesitant in strongly protesting Manmohan Singh's visit to Arunachal Pradesh in 2009 for election campaigns, calling it an attempt by India to destabilize relations by creating unnecessary tension in the "disputed area". All the External Affairs ministry here could do was to express its "disappointment" over the Chinese objection, when the situation called for India to assert its claims and reprimand the other side in no uncertain terms. While many called for retaliation by India by issuing stapled visas to people from Tibet, Hong Kong etc., the government officials were merely "searching for a de-stapler", and for over two years, China continued to issue stapled visa to J&K residents. The issue came to a head in 2010 when it extended the policy to AP, and was finally resolved when the practice was stopped after talks. Why did it take more than two years for India to get this blatantly provocative issue addressed? Why did it take "talks" for India to get what was right? It was almost like begging for your rights! While a 'tit-for-tat' response might have been immature, and it might be argued that a restrained approach by India addressed the issue without escalating tensions. But how long can we play the nice guy, and get trampled on? While we bask in the glory of our supposedly calm approach, maps all over China would be showing AP, and huge chunks of J&K as part of China, and might as well Sikkim (which hey had earlier recognized as part of India, but still continue military interventions there). China has time and again shown that it can't be relied on, with memories of 1962 still fresh in the the hearts of Indians, and now with Sikkim as well as J&K. China has maintained a long standing policy of being neutral on J&K, and not to favour its buddy Pakistan, but that too went out of the window when the first stapled visa to a J&K resident was issued. While India on its part, seems to have betrayed the thousands of Tibetan refugees by recognizing Tibet as part of China, in an effort to improve relations, similar to its abandoning of friendship dating back to ancient civilizations with Iran when it came to US-backed sanctions at the UN.

That escalating tensions in an already unstable region is not in anyone's interest is beyond doubt. But how long can we watch from the sidelines as the big "brother" of ours continues to bully us?

Musical highs!

When it comes to music and movies, I have pretty unconventional tastes, as most of my friends will vouch for. Especially in the case of movies, I have a tendency to like movies which have been universally dissed, as is the case with Saawariya, Raavan, What's your Raashee, Teri Meri Kahani, 127 hours and so on and so forth. With music, the unconventionality lies in the humongous variety of the music I tend to like. I am a guy who openly admits to loving Shania Twain's music, as well as counting AC/DC, Coldplay, Maroon 5 among my favorite bands. Blues, R&B, Pop, Alternative, Rock, rap, House, Country ...... nothing is out of bounds.

However, I have had been pretty conservative in terms of the artists I would listen to. I would never actively seek out and listen to new artists. I was pretty content with just listening to everything and anything by the artists I already knew. But off late, from about an year or so, I have been having the most amazing time discovering music by artists which are new, or I have never heard before. The Internet, more International music on Indian TV channels and radio stations in Delhi, Facebook .... plenty of contributing factors. But I have heard entire soundtracks of movies lately (Step Up series, Country Strong), many TV series have introduced me to great music (Grey's anatomy being the chief contributor, a well as Private practice, Glee, and the odd episode from sitcoms like Cougar Town). Joining dance classes introduced me to a kind of music I would have particularly cringed at few moths back (the likes of Taio Cruz, Britney Spears and many other unknown artists - to me, that is). But on some level I have learned to appreciate even these, if only as music you can really dance to. As my love and exploration of country music expands beyond Shania Twain to artists like Joe Nichols, Brad Paisely, Blake Shelton and the likes, the contemporary pop artists ruling the charts have also left their impression - Rihanna (We found love), Carly Rae Jepsen, Chris Brown, Wanted, Hot Chelle Rae and so on.

But its the new alternative music that' really buzzing my musical buds lately. As Maroon 5 firmly etched themselves as my all time favorites with Over exposed and moves like Jagger, I rediscovered Jason Mraz's beautiful music all over again after The Remedy. Bands and artists like Fun (Some nights, We are young), The Script, Gym Class heroes, Lady Antebellum, One Republic, Foster the People (HUGE FAN!!!!), Mumford & Sons have got me waiting anxiously for new music from them, something new to me. Now I just feel like listening to all the music by some of these artists which they produced before I got acquainted with them, their older albums - a very scary prospect, considering how much time I already blow away on the Internet. Anyway, I would probably do it anyway, starting with the band whose song stimulated this post - The Killers' Runaways. Something tells me I have heard and liked this band before too, but just can't recall anything. But if this song is any indication, I am sure I would love them. Doesn't this song just reminds you of the 80's music of Springsteen, Meatloaf, a bit of Queen ..... lots of drama. Anyhow, here's the video, and looking forward to more exciting, new music. Suggestion will be highly appreciated.

Growing Pains

If you are an avid Facebook user like me, you would have probably come across a thoroughly entertaining comic strip (or gag, in the latest terminology), featuring a curly haired little boy Guddu and his gang. These gags, found on the Facebook page titled "garbage bin", have almost become a cult among Indian Facebookers, especially the ones who grew up in the late 80's or early 90's. The reason these strips have gained such a massive following in a matter of months is that they touch a cord with our childhood. The use of daily incidents, situations, brands, shows and other icons of the late 80's and early 90's and presenting them as hilarious adventures of two lovable characters was a stroke of genius which instantly hit its target audience. Most of the comments on these strips by followers gloat over the fact that how much they can identify with these situation or characters, how the exact same thing happened with them in their childhood, and their astonishment on the fact that others went through the exact same experiences. The references vary from obviously common phenomena of that era, such as iconic Doordarshan shows and adjusting the TV antennas to get clear reception and 8 bit games like contra (things today's generation will have no clue about), to some which even surprised me like being asked to rush out and get snacks when guests come over, last ki choti wali roti, the ladoos handed out in assembly during Independence day celebrations in school and so on. All of them are so unique and authentic to that era that you can't help but smile and reminisce. Though the kids of that era did not swear as explicitly like the characters of garbage bin (as far as I know), maybe that's an addition to help the modern youth connect. 

According to me, what draws the young, or rather newly adult individuals such as myself, to this strip is our inherent tendency of wanting to escape the troublesome present and worrisome future, and revisit the simpler, happier days of our childhood. Now this may just be me, but I would like to think of it as a wider phenomenon. When life becomes too much to handle, we all tend to seek comfort in the past. A past devoid of responsibilities, one where our actions did not bear consequences - well they did, but the worst was being closed in the dark bathroom or a slap. We knew whatever trouble we got into, our parents would be there to get us out of it. They were there to take care of us. Cut to the present, where the tables have turned.and where we are the grown ups. Our actions, each of our choices, bear major consequences which decide the course of our lives, as well as of those around us. We assume the role of caretakers, rather than the receivers. Its something probably every human being goes through, but while some may never even realize it, others may have a seamless transition. Some might be forced to grow up earlier than their time by circumstances, others because of their natural tendency. But for all of us, at least once in a while, that moment comes when we wish for the security blanket of childhood. As the famous ghazal goes,

"Yeh Daulat Bhi Le Lo,
Yeh Shaurat Bhi Le Lo,
Bhale Cheen Lo Mujhse Se Meri Jawani,
Magar Mujhko Lauta Do
Bachpan Ka Sawan.....
Wo Kagaz Ki Kashti....
Wo Baarish Ka Paani..." 

( loosely translated as "take away my youth and money and fame, but please give me back my childhood"). I guess one eventually learns how to be an adult, how to fend for yourself, how to keep going on forward when there is no one behind to catch you, and how to make lemonade from all those lemons life throws at you.  Ultimately, the onus is on us, whether to use the free-of-cares childhood as an occasional refuge from the harsh realities of life and reclaim our past for a while, or be an escapist, permanently settle down there and refuse to grow up, and live! Because isn't that what life is all about? Constantly growing up (read maturing). But just for now, all my heart is singing is "hum bhi agar, bachche hote...... " !

P.S. - I sincerely apologize if the excessive cheesiness in some portions of this piece made you cringe or gag. 

     

The Indian Olympic Story

The first week of the 2012 London Olympics fortnight is over, and India has already equaled its best showing of 3 medals at the 2008 games. It was widely speculated that this would be the groundbreaking year for Indian sports, with predictions going up to as many as 10 medals. While that might look out of reach now, with medal hopes in archery, tennis and some shooting events dashed, India can still hope to look forward to adding to the tally of 3 with medal hopes still alive in boxing, wrestling, and shooting. A couple of heartbreaks in the boxing ring with unfair decision against Sumit Sangwan and Vikas krishan's win being reversed did mar the Indian party, so did the failure of some sure shot medal hopes in shooting. However, its been a fabulous outing already so far, with historic showing in badminton (Saina's bronze and Kashyap's quarterfinal showing), Irfan Thodi bettering the 20 Km walk national record by more than 2 minutes even as I write this piece and finishing 10th overall, a fantastic showing for Indian athletics.

It has been heartening to see athletes performing their best at the grandest stage a sportsman can hope for, as in the case of Kashyap, Thodi, the rowers, boxer Devender (who is looking good for a medal). Some of them might not be among the medals yet, but its a massive accomplishment if you are achieving your personal bests at the Olympics when faced with the best quality opposition from around the world. That is all one can really expect and hope to do. And especially if you are an Indian athlete, this achievement assumes epic proportions. The usual table toppers, USA, China, Australia have well established sporting infrastructure. Athletes are manufactured and trained in state-sponsored programs. All they do is train and achieve perfection. A Michael Phelps has more medals individually in 3 Olympics than India has to its name in its entire Olympic history. That is why even a qualification for the finals of an event, or finishing among the top 10 is a great achievement for an Indian sportsperson, and winning a medal is phenomenal. A Sania Mirza or Saina Nehwal, an Abhinav Bindra or Mary Kom, a Vijender or a Deepika Kumari do not receive the kind of state support a Chinese or American athlete does. They have to rely on their parents, who move from Haryana to Hyderabad, pour their lives' earnings in their training, take them for training on a scooter 25 km everyday, massage their sore limb and backs, sweat it out with them on the courts, fly them across the globe to participate in ITF tournaments and basically dedicate their lives for their wards' moment of glory.

Things are changing, billions of rupees were evidently invested in training for these Olympics by the government, sponsors are taking interest, infrastructure is improving thanks to events like the Delhi Commonwealth games. But these efforts have just polished the sheen for these athletes, and have just started. The foundations were laid by the dedication and unflinching commitment of these athletes who are now doing us proud. And possibly what makes it all worth it, is the fact that on a day when India clinched a ODI cricket series against arch-rivals Sri Lanka 4-1, the news channels and Indian population were reveling in Saina Olympic glory, and half hour specials were being watched on India's day at the Olympics, with not even a passing mention of the cricket series win, pother than the blinking blob at the bottom of the screen. Slowly, but surely we might be getting there, and as Krishna Poonia takes the field in the women's discus throw finals right now, India's sporting tradition may have also taken a flying start like her discus.   

Random Musings

One of the articles in today's The Hindu was titled "Mamta gets Pranab's letter seeking support". My instant reaction to this was "So what!?", as I am sure it would be for most people. Really, who cares about the presidential elections!? They did hog as much limelight in the last few weeks as they could, but now that its clear that Pranab dada is going to be the next "head" of the country, P.A. Sangma's valiant efforts being futile, does it makes sense for an esteemed publication to carry such a useless piece of junk on its front page? Personally, I feel it doesn't even merit a place in the classifieds. Many stories buried in the centre folds merit that place. Why would it be essential for us to know how the UPA is inflating Mamta didi's ego? Time and again I wonder if our media has got its priorities right. It took three months for the news about the African student beaten inhumanely in Punjab to make it to the mainstream media.

Talking about hogging the limelight, the shameful Guwahati molestation case has captured the nation's attention in the last few days. Nothing new or more can be said or discussed about it than already has been. Here again the television news channel displayed tremendous insensitivity by replaying the video of the incident over and over and over again, with poor attempts to conceal the victim. They claim that the aim is to highlight the offenders, which could easily have been done by just showing their faces repeatedly, instead of playing the incident's video again and again to cater to voyeuristic tendencies of the audience. But what I have been wondering is that while everyone worth his or her weight in salt, from politicians to members of Women's Commission and other NGOs and activists, Police officials and even Mahesh Bhatt, has discussed the issue on national television till the cows come home, I wonder has any thought been given to the victim? Justifiable angst and anger has been stirred in the masses against the offenders, but I just hope someone has bothered to help the victim through this trauma. I am not sure if adequate mechanism or protocol exists in our country to help victims of of such traumatic crimes. I wonder if the victim has received any post trauma rehabilitation, counselling to deal with the experience and repair the emotional and mental damage following such a harrowing episode.

Tennis the Menace!

The only sport that I follow religiously, almost to the point of obsession, is tennis. I have been hooked ever since I saw a 16 year old Martina Hingis win Wimbledon in 1997. From Hingis to Ferrero to Henin, I have always been fascinated with certain individual players at a given point of time. Ever since Sania Mirza burst on the scene in 2005, starting the year at 150 odd in the rankings and ending it in the top 30, my interest in Indian tennis spiked. So come 2012 Olympics, and I was excited for Indian medal prospects in tennis at London. Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupati, Rohan Bopanna and Sania all had stupendous 12 months in doubles, and chances of a medal looked bright, especially in mixed doubles with Bhupati-Mirza at the helm. Bhupati-Bopanna pairing up for men's doubles seemed a foregone conclusion to me, as the two were playing together since the beginning of the year, and Bopanna had broken his highly successful partnership with Aisam from Pakistan to prepare for the Olympics with Bhupati. So it was a terrible shock when last week AITA announced Paes-Bhupati as their chosen pair, and thus fielding only one team when India was eligible for two.

As the week long drama continued, I was totally against everything the AITA was proposing. Pairing Bhupati and Paes who have failed on previous attempts, and have not played with each other in a while, and most importantly, have no trust and camaraderie between them, seemed preposterous. As did denying Bopanna a spot, who is ranked higher than Bhupati, and was the only one who sacrificed personal interest on the ATP tour for the sake of the Olympics.But as the week rolled on, things began to get murkier. The absolute refusal by Bhpuati and Bopanna to team up with Paes seemed more like a spoiled kid's tantrums to get what he wants. Details of the spat and confidential communication was leaked to the media, fathers of both Paes and Bhupati hopped from one channel to another defending their sons' decisions respectively. Paes, who till now had agreed to play with anyone, was encouraged by AITA's backing and refused to play with a lower ranked player, demanding the right to choose his partner by virtue of being the world no. 7, and highest ranked Indian. Slowly my opinion started aligning with that of the AITA's. Pairing Paes, who has been in great form this year, winning the Australian Open doubles, with someone ranked outside the top 200, with whom he has never played before does seem totally unfair and illogical, as there would be no realistic chances of winning a medal. Meanwhile, Bhupati and Paes, with years of experience behind them, could just rise to the occasion if they could overcome all the pettiness. Also, Bhupati and Bopanna have not performed exceptionally on the big stage together, even if showing flashes of brilliance. As such, sending a single team with reasonable chances seemed more palusible and in the interest of the nation than ending two under prerpared teams.

However, objectively looking at the situation, Bhupati-Bopanna's request was also not that beyond reason. But the fact that it was put forth as a demand with a threat of pullout, rather than request, was what made it seem irresponsible. Clearly there could have been no winners. The AITA has to shoulder the blame, as they were aware of the players' situations since the beginning of the year. Paes and Bhupati who paired last year with moderate success with an eye on the Olympics, split again at the year end and made it clear that they couldn't play together anymore. Immediately, Bopanna and Bhupati teamed up. Deliberations should have started much in advance by AITA, and not a week before the deadline to submit names to ITF. Now that AITA has bowed down to Bhupati and Bopanna, they do risk losing the country's best player - incidentally the one who was responsible for India's first individual Olympic medal post independance. The bait they have thrown him is promising him a mixed doubles spot with Sania. But the problem here is clear, as for one, her wildcard is not confirmed, and there may not be any mixed doubles entry from India at all, and two, Sania is playing regularly at slams with Bhupati and has just recently won the French Open with him. So basically we will end up with three teams which will not be our best possible representation. 

One only hopes that Bopanna and Bhupati live up to their premise, and vindicate their stand with a brilliant performance at the Olympics. And if Sania does receive a wildcard, she should enter the upcoming Wimbledon (also the venue for the Olympics tennis event) mixed doubles with Paes instead of Bhupati, to have some big match practice as a team if they are to be paired together. All said and done, where it should have been love all, things are still stuck in at a deuce, and Indian tennis may be down the game, set and match!

Happiness Lies in Sore Legs

From health issues to total confusion and chaos on the career front, the last couple of years haven't exactly been a cakewalk for me. Compared to them, all that cribbing about my life at Pondicherry University (PU) in the initial posts of this blog seem frivolous. Though these issues are far from being sorted out, I have at least learned to live with them, if not just as yet figured out a way to get rid of them. However, last week I did take a small but significant step towards taking control over my life - another attempt at reclamation of my life from the all pervading chaos, most of which is self created.

It is often said that life and all its shenanigans are much easier to deal with if we can manage to take out time for ourselves, and do the things we really enjoy. Though in my case, it wasn't as much a question of taking out time, as it was of getting off my butt and stop being lazy. My first attempt of doing so was when I started this blog, which after showing initial promise, has been dying a slow death lately.

During the two years in hostel at PU I rediscovered my childhood love for dancing, which I had long forgotten. All thanks to the incessant "interaction" sessions with seniors (also known as ragging), and then being part of two rather embarrassing and ill-conceived performances. Apparently, cutting the rug to "Pappu can't dance saala!" (Irony #101) in hostel rooms and labs for nearly 2 months was the trigger needed to reignite my love for dancing. I noticed that I was the happiest when I was dancing. It was literally, a case of "dancing the blues away" for me. So ever since I came back to Delhi, I vowed to take up dancing - i.e. join dance classes. This was mid-2010. Nearly two years down the line, that plan remained a permanent fixture on my countless to-do lists. Many Cul-de-sac plans ensued. I even found quite a few friends who shared this interest, and were willing to give me company in this endeavour. This was crucial for me, as finding a partner for an activity serves as a regulator to ensure that you go through with it. In a rare departure from my usual self, I even showed initiative in compiling a list of dance schools and academies, their contacts, class timings etc. But that's where it ended, cause I never did use any of those contact ids. Nor did my "regulators".

However as they say, nothing happens before its time. Of course, it may be total Bull, and a easy way out for lazy slouches. But it did kind of work that way this time around. Fate, being in the right place at the right time, and one of those supposed-to-be-regulator friends got together and an opportunity landed in my lap to join a jazz workshop being conducted by choreographer Ashley Lobo's dance academy, The Danceworx, literally a day before it was to begin. That might have been a crucial factor, as my ever-doubtful brain didn't get much time to think of excuses for me to shirk and back out. I agreed, managed to stifle the doubts and dozen of reasons that came up for me NOT to join the workshop, and showed up on the fateful Sunday to indulge in the activity that probably elicits my biggest endorphin-rush. And needless to say, I have been reveling in the pure bliss caused by extremely sore legs since then. A six-week workshop with one LONG class a week, culminating in a public performance, may not be enough to satiate my senses, but at least its a beginning. Plus now I don't have to defend the ever-growing share of upbeat, dance tracks in my music collection to my mother, which had really begun to puzzle and bother her off late!

So as I try to bust a move every Sunday, I realize to my utter dismay that I am no Chris Brown or Justin Timberlake as I would picture myself in my head while dancing. Getting down and jiggying with it on the dance floor to a DJ at a party, and coordinating your feet and hands to counts of 8 and uptempo music in front of a mirror and professional dancers are entirely different ball games. However, I am relishing the challenge and the journey from being the apparent star on the dance floor (in my head, that is) to the guy with two left feet who can't get a simple routine down. But I am sure this would be a real help in letting go of some inhibitions and loosening up a bit, not to mention providing the much needed physical exercise to my sedentary ass. Just hope that I would be motivated enough to continue beyond this workshop and take up regular classes. But till then I have these 6 weeks, aur yeh 6 hafte mujhse koi nahi cheen sakta! So, just Turn Up The Music, cause I am gonna Dance Again!

"Always remember, you'll live, you'll love .... you'll dance again"

Exasperated by online bullying!

No, I am not being bullied online, by people at least. I am being bullied by two companies which have off late become an inherent part of the daily routine of millions of people around the world - Google and Facebook. What's with these authoritarian attitude towards these new, so called modern interface updates? In spite of near universal backlash and negative feedback, these two giants are sticking with their new interfaces like a stubborn three year old. Whatever happened to "the customer is the king"? When the primary users of these services are completely against the new looks, then why are these service providers hell bent on imposing them on us? I had been "reverting back to the old look temporarily" on Gmail for many months now, but now Google has preyed upon my account with the new look. I was horrified, utterly dismayed to see that the only savior, the option of "reverting back to the old look temporarily" had been taken away from me today when I logged in. I can't even bring myself to stay on Gmail for more than 2 minutes since the switch. I instantly expressed my indignation on facebook, but that wasn't enough of an outlet. And as soon as I came here to unleash my tirade, I was greeted with a bar "Blogger is getting a new interface in April. Update now". Yeah! What way to kick me when I am down, Google! But a new interface on Blogger or google+ or any other surface doesn't affect me as much as that of Gmail. I start my working days with opening my gmail account, a ritual I believe most people who spend their day working on a computer follow religiously. Especially Grad students like myself, and that too a Bioinformatician. Now I dread the prospect of staring at this hideous new interface, where I can see only one of the two - my chat list or my carefully managed labels - at a time, one has to strain to differentiate between read and unread mails, and what not! I am seriously considering switching to my now defunct Yahoo mail account, cause that is what these companies thrive on - the belief that people eventually get used to whatever you impose on them. Facebook has made a habit out of it, introducing horrible changes again and again over the past couple of years, and people do get used to it. Hundreds of complaints about the new look on Google's feedback group all elicit a cautious, unapologetic, polite response from a Google representative, offering videos and links to aid people in getting adjusted to the new look, and totally ignoring the actual feedback - that the new look SUCKS and we want out of it!

I am just dreading the day the much dreaded and detested Timeline catches up with my Facebook profile. maybe that's the day I'll start getting more productive, and drastically reduce the hours spent on staring at my Gmail inbox, chatting or facebooking.

The wait was not Endless!

If there is a celebrity I am cuckoo over, it has to be Shania Twain. And no, this is not a tribute post or anything, there is enough written about her out there for anyone interested. Its just a celebration of her return with new music...... well not new technically, as its a cover version of the classic duet, "Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross - dubbed by Billboard as the the greatest duet of all time. frankly, I never cared for this song, or any of Richie's earlier stuff. In fact, I can positively say that I hate one of his most popular hits, "Hello". But I like him a whole lot more now, for coaxing Shania to do this. And needless to say, I think this one surpasses the original in every possible way. Now eagerly waiting for her new album, though I am skeptical, because this would not be produced and co-written by Mutt Lange. He might have been a scum of a person, but his compositions were definitely a big part of Shania's success, and it remains to be seen if she can deliver the same quality of music on her own, which made her one of the best selling female singers of all time with just four albums.

The video has a quintessential Shania-esque feel to it, and the vocals by both hit the right notes, with Shania slightly edging Lionel with her passionate rendition.

Sania ka Swayamvar....... for a doubles partner?

Its the Olympic year, and after its best ever performance in 2008 with a gold and two bronze, India has been gunning for an even better show at the ultimate sporting event. And these hopes are not entirely misplaced, if the top of the table finish at the 2010 Commonwealth Games is any indication. The Shooters will be the flag bearers of medal hopes like always, but will get tough competition from the Boxing Contingent, Archery, Wrestling and Badminton. However, another event, which might not be too high on the Common Man's medal-hopeful list, is Tennis. The Indian men have always been a potential threat in the men's doubles circuit on the ATP tour, but what brings Tennis into the limelight this year is the introduction of the mixed doubles event at the Olympics after a long gap.And the Indian players, most of all Sania Mirza, strongly believe they are contenders for a medal in this event. This might very well be the case, with both Sania and the men (Paes, Bhupati, and Bopanna) doing considerably well on the WTA and ATP circuits respectively.

Till last year, there were hopes for all the singles and doubles events, but with Somdev literally out of contention due to an injury since the beginning of the year, and Sania's singles ranking showing no signs of defying the law of gravity, it all boils down to the doubles. Sania, after showing initial promise in the singles with a career high ranking of 27, has now quickly settled into the Indian habit of being a doubles specialist. She's had a remarkable run with Elena Vesnina of Russia since exactly an year ago, when they won the Premier level Indian Wells event. Since then, she has won 3-4 doubles titles (13 in all), been to a couple of grand slam finals and semifinals in both the mixed and women's doubles, and has remarkably broken into the top 10 (currently ranked 7). She understands that she needs to be ranked in the top 10 in doubles or top 64 in singles to participate in any event, and with singles looking like a distant possibility, she has decided to focus entirely on the doubles this year, and skipping singles WTA tournaments, to maintain her top 10 ranking, which will be difficult, as she's defending a lot of points from last year. However having made it to the SFs in both the doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open, a win at Pattaya, and couple of other SFs, she's in good nick, and could easily maintain her top 10 ranking till June. This will allow her to play in both the women's and mixed doubles at the Olympics. But the prospects of a doubles medal are severely hampered, as there is no other Indian girl even close to international levels, and it would be tough to see Sania and her prospective partner top the pre-quarterfinal appearance by her and Sunitha Rao in the 2008 games. Hence, in interview after interview, Sania has reiterated that the mixed doubles is the best chance for India to score a medal in Tennis.

On the men's side, its all messed up. Paes and Bhupati, the Indian express, got back together last year with an eye on the Olympics, and did a pretty decent job. On the other side Bopanna was working up a miracle with Pakistan's Quereshi. Hence it was a shock when Paes and Bhupati decided to split at the end of the year, causing a split in the other team too. Now Bhupati has teamed up with Bopanna, while Paes is playing with Stepanek. Bhupati-Bopanna pairing seems like an obvious shut out of Paes from the men's doubles event, which is ironic, as Paes is the highest ranked Indian, and has had a fantastic year, winning the Australian Open doubles and runner up in the mixed doubles, and doing pretty well in most ATP tournaments. On the other hand, Bhupati and Bopanna have not lived up to their individual potentials as a team, and have just managed a single title recently, with Bhupati not even being in the top 10.

Though its not the players who decide who gets to partner whom at the Olympics, Bhupati and Bopanna playing in the Men's doubles seems like a foregone conclusion. So for the mixed doubles event, its a problem of ek anaar, teen beemaar for the AITA (All India Tennis Association).

IF Bhupati and Bopanna play in the Men's doubles, it would logically mean that Paes gets to partner with Sania in the mixed doubles. This may not sound so bad, as Paes does pretty well in most of the grand slams wit different partners, and they have won the Doha Asian Games gold together, but that was in 2006. However, Sania and Bhuapti have played in the mixed doubles of grand slams frequently, winning the Australian Open, and finishing runner up and a SF appearance this year. So they ought to play Bhupati with Sania in the mixed doubles. So far, Sania has been discrete, as have the men, leaving the decision making on AITA. But one gets a feeling this one will be a tough nut to crack for the AITA. Lets see, who walks away with the prize?

Limitless

Perseverance has no limits, as I found out today,
it only has meaning, if you never go astray.

Keep chippin' away at the stone,
even if it don't seem to move an inch,
cause you never know when,
you are just a push away.


If you give up prematurely,
you ain't never gonna know the whole story,
and all you would be left wondering with,
is what could have been?

Got a problem? Form a Committee!

The nation has been rocked recently with the news of three BJP MLAs in Karnataka caught watching pornographic clips and photographs on a mobile phone, whilst exercising their "duties" in one of the so called temples of our democracy - the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Not even the fiercest advocates of free expression or free will would argue for this shameful act - do it in your house, in your bedroom, fine! But the legislative assembly! C'mon!! Even a teenager with raging hormones would know not to indulge in such liberties in a public place, leave alone THE state legislative assembly!!!! And we thought watching images of politicians dozing off in the Parliament with open mouths, throwing shoes and mikes on each other, scuffling and slapping, was proof enough that we are being governed by a bunch of immature kids, who have no sense of responsibility to the country whatsoever. But what the heck, we are the ones who put em' there, aren't we?

So anyway, the ironic twist in this incident is that it involves MLAs from a right-wing party, associates of which have taken up the "honorable" task of moral policing in our country, by going after couples cosying up in parks, vandalizing shops and terrorizing couples on Valentine's Day, attempting to chastise women for dressing up "inappropriately" or going to discos and pubs. Yes, its the very state where women were beaten up for going to a disco or bar (not really sure what was it), by members (oh sorry, I believe the word is hooligans!) of the "Sri Ram Sena" - a right wing group which has taken upon itself the burden of preserving Indian culture, tradition and values in this particular state of Karnataka. And what's more, the main miscreant in this "porngate" once gave a statement implying that women who don't dress appropriately invite rape. I wonder if he was checking that theory out? His laughable justification for this act, according to an article in The Hindu was that the video clippings had women dancing and they were raped by four men. He said, "Palemar told me such things happen abroad in rave parties. Since the House was discussing the Malpe rave party, I watched it...... Just watching it is not a crime." Tell me if this doesn't make you laugh out loud, you know, once you overcome the burning indignation at the stupidity of that statement. To top it all, he "rules out" resigning over the issue. The party has condemned it, isolated itself from the incident and says it was a personal act by the MLAs and not representative of the party. Though it is true, but for a party that demands the resignation of a different Congress leader every other week, its shameful that it refuses to suspend these three offenders from their posts, leave alone the party!

But the thing about all this that really got me worked up was the response of the speaker, which was to "form a committee" to investigate the issue and file a report by March 13. I mean .... What is there to investigate? What will the in-house "committee" do? Sit around, joke about the whole thing, have tea and snacks and go home? What else is there to do except suspend the three offenders, which the speaker can do, and make sure that they do not see the insides of the House ever again? The solution to every crisis in India, it seems, is to form a committee. Whether its riots, or a multi-billion scam, or something as trivial as this one - just form a Committee - or loosely translated as - buy time to subtly push everything under the rug. How many of these committees have ever actually led to an outcome? I bet if they were asked to answer this question, they'll probably set up another committee to probe this issue!