Light the fire

A team of security men open the gates and herd the huge gathering inside. They do their best to keep the mob orderly and try to stop them from running amok inside the house grounds. But all their efforts go in vain as the crowd catch a glimpse of their Goddess. They run forward and prostrate themselves, tears of joy and gratitude running down their cheeks. They cannot believe their fortune. They are seeing their saviour in front of their eyes.
The camera zooms upwards and we get a look at the object of their worship and gratitude. Her Holiness, Purutchithalaivi Dr. J Jayalalitha.
Now i realize why India needs to be educated. It is not enough that we know how to code in java and insert customized genes in our DNA. Our people need to be brought out of the darkness of ignorance. They need to be enabled such that they can use their powers of discretion. But our politicians reign because of the vulnerability of the poor. It is not in their interest to alleviate the downtrodden. The ignorance and sacrifice of the poor is what ensures another term in office. Another stint at making hay while the power shines.

Innocence was writ on the face of these people as they fell at the feet of their proclaimed God. Their tears were true.The gratitude was sincere.But the person they worship does not do justice to their devotion.But then which Indian politician deserves the kind of adulation they receive?
When will we have a leader who raises Indian politics from the mediocrity of present to a height never visited since Independence?
How will it, when we, the honest citizens , do not want to dirty our hands in the muck that is Indian politics? I guess this is just a reflection of the insensitivity that has gripped the Indian public. A country gets the leader it deserves. Who are these people but one amongst you and me? They rise because we allow them to.

Getting out...

Choices in life are a nuisance. Unless you have such clarity in thought that nothing wavers you from seeing the right path. But then again,is there a 'right path'?
Do choices really matter? I, for one have never lamented about a choice I made. Look whats in front of you and deal with it is my way.
But before you have made your choice, the possibilities are endless and therefore confusing. No I am not confused right now, but I could be if I chose to.
Do I want to spend the rest of my life in front of a computer writing things in a language no one understands and debating about things I don't really care for?
Or do I plunge into the unknown which promises no money and probably no future? I've never been one to play it safe. My time will come. Then....I want out.
Shouldn't life be what I want it to be?
Why do I care about the parameters the world sets? Money, Job, Social Obligations.
Why should I be obliged to do anything I see no reason to?
Im thinking about giving up one at a time. Social Obligations - ive kind of given up. Job and Money next :-)
Anyways the driving force for me never has been money. But I have to do a job I don't care much for.
But till I figure out what I do want to do, I go on.
Not too far away from now.. I will get out...

'D' company

India went into the 3rd test against England with 5 bowlers.
In my opinion we should go in with 9 bowlers,Dhoni and Dravid.
And change the name of the team to 'D'.
I remember Sachin saying a few years back that he doesn't mind getting out playing an attacking shot. The present Sachin gets out playing defensive pokes ( not even shots ) at balls wide outside the off stump. Sachin needs to sort out in his mind the approach he is going to take before he resumes his cricket. Maybe even an Azhar style attacking game (remember Lance Klusener getting it from Azha in Eden Gardens???) could work. Atleast i'd like to see that :-)
This Indian team seems to frustrate you in many ways but in the end, we seem to be winning. So am i being too critical here?
One thing is for sure. This is a team that doesn't say die. Sreesanth and 'old man' Kumble fighting it out as i write.
*******
India all out and in the span of 15 overs, India has already grassed one. Simplest of catches according to Prem Panicker.


Anyways... look out for an Aviator clad dyuude roaming around town.

50-50

And the ICC wanted a 20-20 world cup!
If the Aus-SA match is going to set the trend for future ODIs,and I believe it will, then we don't need the 20-20 format. Why see slam bam matches for 40 overs when you can see it for 100?
No team is going to be up against a 300+ score and feel intimidated from now. No team which puts up a 300+ score is going to feel complacent. You can almost hear Shastri say " Well the Indians will feel they were 30 runs short. But its a competitive total. Indians have 367 on the board and will have to bowl and field like tigers to prevent Bangladesh from getting that."

Life is pregnant with possibilities.( No, I am not speaking about cricket. )
For me to be delivered from the rut of my mind, I need to break the chains that form the boundaries of my life. Can I do it from the confines of my mind without the changes breaking over and spilling into the physical world? Or is it a necessity that the physical world which is a reflection of the subtle world I create in my mind also changes? I guess it has to. What does not change other than change?

But if you had to, what would you change first? People try to change the physical world and hope that frees their mind. Sorry. I do not think that works. Change has to come from within and then the world around you changes. Now how do you change the world within?
That i guess is The Search.

Multipoly

After months of ceaselessly playing the game at every opportunity, we have now officially decided than too much monopoly ( multipoly ) is not the best way to spend your friday, saturday and sunday evenings. Our dear friend Abhi came up with an alternative, a brain racking and philosophical game. Hide N Seek.


You know what brings sense into my life?
Death.
If Seena makes upma in the morning, i ask myself "if i died now, would it matter to me that i had upma for breakfast?"
See how death puts things in perspective.

Entertain me boys

"I'm a cricket match person. I appreciate it. As I understand it, I may have a little chance to learn something about cricket. It's a great pastime."
The US President George Bush aims to watch some matches while visiting India

Right. I don't think this warrants any further comment. Where do I hang up my boots?

I didn't see Laxman get out today first ball but im sure, as usual, he had a bewildered expression on his face that said "huh did I just get out? didnt I just come in? Whats going on???"
If Kaif gets a ton today ( since we're wishing, Pathan too), Lax will pay the price for his lax attitude. Yuvi will come into the team and Kaif will be breathing down Laxman's neck ( Imagine that, Kaif on Laxman's shoulder..breathing down his neck..)

Very often cricketers forget that the game is about entertainment and when they do that, inevitably they don't do well. Case in point - India got 54 runs in 26 overs today. How many wickets fell? Five.
Ofcourse you may argue that because the wickets fell, the scoring rate dropped.
Tell me this, how many times have you seen a team scoring at the rate India was today and keeping wickets intact and going on to make a huge score ( I don't know about the Boycott era, im talking about now). The very proposition is absurd. You cannot making a big score without scoring. Simple as that. If India had attacked more, they might still have lost wickets but the session might have ended like this - 120 runs in 26 overs, 5 wickets. Better than what we have now, right?

Distorted perception of the ultimate Reality

I don't know the world.
Every second of my life I see it through my mind. And the vision I get though my mind is narrowed by my past impressions, subtle fears and desires. Most feelings or thoughts which arises is not because of the present. Its a slightly, if at all, altered flavour of what my mind tells me I should feel or think. The more I am aware of it, the more I know it exists. And this awareness is my road to freedom.