Box Cricket!!!

Raashi had an Inter-department Box Cricket tournament at her office. Each team has eight players (2 girls and 6 guys). A total of five over were to be bowled, of which two were to be compulsorily played out be the girls, everytime a girl got out the team earned minus two runs. The third over onwards the guys played and it was like a normal game of cricket, except for the underarm bowling, ban on sixes (if you hit a six you are out) and the fact that you played it in a ground hardly larger than a average sized room.

Raashi's Team won the toss and elected to bat and made 13 runs and set the target of 14 runs to the opponents (The lowest target set for chasing during this tournament) not a very big total to chase. Both teams played a very below average game and there was nothing great to write home about, except for the what happenned after the match. The opposite team struggled to make the 14 runs and one of the "batsmen" came up to Raashi after the match and in full view of all says, "Thank you very much!!!"

Raashi was zapped, it is true what the wise men of old used to say, if you want to judge a man, watch how he conducts himself on the sports field. Here is a "sportsman" who just barely won(they made the winning run off the last ball and if they had lost trying to chase a paltry total of 13, they would be laughing stocks), instead of being humble in victory, he was so consumed in his "victory" that he forgot basic ettiquette!!! Everybody on the field made mistakes, some gave away their wickets for free, some gave away a few runs, some dropped catches, etc, then why was Raashi singled out for this "sporting" gesture ??

After Shocks!!!

The terror attacks are behind us but the political circus continues.....

1) RR Patil comments that such small incidents happens in big cities...the clown must have been watching Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge non-stop last week...nothing else will induce a man to say such a tacky dialogue out of that tacky film in context of an attack which has left the nation traumatised. Mr. Patil, wake up, there are more important things that a Dy. Chief Minister should be doing other than depriving hardworking bar girls of a livelihood and making such crass statements.

2) Moshe turns two, his grand parents and other relatives wants the Israeli government to issue a visa for the nanny who saved him, so that she can enter Israel, all of a sudden Israel is safer that India...

3) The Rat who also doubles up as our Chief Minister steps out of his house on Sunday for a picnic at the Taj with his actor son and Ram Gopal Verma in tow. Ram Gopal Verma, known for making "realistic" films no doubt joined in to collect "inputs" (sic) for his next film. Ritiesh Deshmukh(I hope this is how he spells his name, dont want to get numerology wrong) tagged along no doubt hoping for leading role (sic) in the film. If Mr. Verma makes the film and it turns out something on the lines of "RGV ki Aag" or whatever crap the name of the Sholay remake he made and names it something like "RGV ka Taj" all of India will want to turn fidayeen for a change and want to strangle him with our bare hands!!!

4) Kerala Chief Minister waltz into Bangalore to offer condolences at Slain NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan residence, hoping for some free publicity. The brave Major's even braver father refuses to accept the condolences and ejected the former out of his house with a firm statement that no politican should enter his house. According to a TV report he told the Chief Minister "Get out of my house, you dogs". Hats off to you sir!!!

My father what goes!!!

This is a disease that seems to be endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. This refrain is almost like the national anthem these days...the chalta hai attitude...the one thing about this disease is that it affects the rich and the poor, the leaders and the followers in equal measures. It has come to the fore in the recent past against the gory background of the firings at various locations in Mumbai.

Let me recount some of the instances, most of the below relate to the media...but it is not meant to be a rant against the media....I have nothing against the media...but guys, how about some responsible journalism for a change!!!...

1) News channels hounding the freed hostages...I vividly recall, the Times Now reporters hounding a Polish National who has just been freed, the poor guy kept repeating politely "I have promised commissioner not to say anything" but the reporters persisted like a pack of dogs, throwing stupid questions at him, hoping he will say something ...anything...atleast Arnab (the guy sitting in studio) had the decency to look embarassed at the way his reporters were behaving, the reporters were all for anything goes, so long as we get a sound byte from him...then they would keep crowing about how they were the first to report it...

2) When they were not hounding the freed hostages the media was busy trying to get inside information from the police and army as to the next move...freely giving out strategic information...showing footage of our commandos landing on the rooftop...was this necessary ??? this was indeed incredible...and the worst part being that they were successful in getting this information most of the times...information that I am sure in other nations would be kept closely guarded till the operation is over....I mean what kind of idiot gives out information which is likely to be used by the terrorists...for instance read the following, this is one of the reporters of some channel, for the life of me I cannot remember the name (I went into shock when I heard what followed next), reporting live from the Oberio "We have just received information that the police have managed to move some of the hotel guests to a safer location...they have now been moved to the REGAL room!!!!"... I rest my case...if this is not a chalta hai attitude... nothing in this world qualifies for it!!!

3) VIPs who made their presence felt...by visiting the Taj and giving free sound bytes to the mediapersons whether or not the media was interested in listening to them...the kind of crap that they were saying made ones blood boil...in the first place VIPs should not come anywhere within a mile radius of the place...as it is the police were grappling with the terrorists...then these vultures descend there and the police have to ensure bandobast for them...infact I was hoping that the police and army would shove atleast one of them into the corridors of the Taj to experience the situation first hand and also as a warning to any other so called VIP who has the burning desire to make his presence felt...

We win again!!

Finally the Operation Cyclone at Taj comes to an end, with the TV channels showing a terrorist being shot whilst jumping out of a window, they continue to alternate this shot with the shot of the terrorist lying prone on the ground with one of his legs in the air, then they pan to the Army, police, NSG commandos shaking hands with one another...whilst in the background the Taj continues to burn...

Yesterday Oberoi Trident Hotel and Nariman House were secure again...but not before we lost some more innocent lives...commandos were air-dropped at the Nariman House to help secure the place...The Operation at the Taj continued... VIPs dropped by to give sound bytes to the media...Ratan Tata lamented about the sad state of infrastructure...When the Oberoi was cleared of the terrorists as many as a total of 30 hostages were found dead in the hotel raising the toll in the worst terrorist strike against India to over 160 including 16 security personnel. The toll at the Taj is still unclear...we will know the extent of the damage sometime later today...

The Mumbai Mirror carried front page news with a picture of the cocky terrorist walking at CST, carrying ammunition and guns as if he is walking in his backyard...when caught he “pleads" for the doctors to save him...such galling impunity...after killing scores and injuring many more and causing emotional trauma to the country...he wants to be saved!!!... Yes, Doctors...save him...he cannot die so easily...he ought to be dissected in public...a millimetre of his body cut at a time...his screams of agony should ring in every corner of the world...sending a strong message that India will not tolerate any more nonsense of any kind...I know this is gruesome thinking...but I can’t help it...this is my space...this is what I am feeling at the moment...anyone who wants non-violent methods can go elsewhere...

Since 1993 when we had the serial bomb blast we have been hearing of plans... plans and more plans...governments come and go...plans are made ...remain in blueprint...never to be actioned...the resilient spirit of the city tested time and again...serial bomb blasts in 1993, the city bounced back, bomb blasts in trains 2006 - the city bounced back, Terrorist firing the city...we have bounced back...but does this mean that the city bosses take advantage of us...when will we see better infrastructure...when will we see autonomy given to the police...what really gets to me is that the terrorists literally SAILED into Mumbai...such cheek...But the question remains will all this teach us a lesson ??

Krishna Ni Begane Baaro!

This devotional song in Kannada has been playing in my head all day today....

Krishna Ni Begane Baaro!
Begane Baaro, Nina Mukhavane tooro!

Loosely translated in English this means, Krishna please come fast... please come fast and show me your face...

Here the Lord Krishna's mother is calling her child to come to her fast, stop hiding and show his face. Given the scenario in our country, the context in which I would like to use this, is the one role played by Krishna in Mahabharata...he became "Saarathi" or charioteer to Arjuna and guided him when he lost his will to fight in the battle field. The need of the hour is a Krishna who will help is find our way in this battlefield at a time when we are slowly losing our will to fight in the face of the degeneracy of politics, apathy, rampant corruption...each one of us at the moment is like Arjuna who has lost his will to fight...we do not vote because we think "Oh, what is the point, we have to choose between two crooks, anyways!!!"...we do not stand up for our rights...just bow our heads and look the other way when we see something wrong. Gandhiji’s principles have been badly distorted out of context. I am sure he meant well when he said, “Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil”...but the way things are progressing is taking it a bit too far!!!

Take what is happening in Mumbai at the moment...I have been following it closely on TV all day...this entire thing is like a badly made Bollywood potboiler...bad guys come by boat...take hostages in the poshest hotels...good cops die...governments silent, there was not a peep from the state government till sometime in the afternoon....news channel having a field day, disclosing all the strategic plans and giving a live telecast of what our police and commandos are doing and while they are at it reminding the viewer that "we got this information first"...the world shocked at the way things are being handled...England's Cricket team gets an excuse to rat it from the country after the Indian Team beat the crap out of them and they are citing "security reasons" whilst trying to cancel the rest of the tour...

The Chief Minister holds a press conference and sleep-walks his way through it mumbling something about there being no hostage situation, claiming that the people have just locked themselves into the rooms...all this when the news channels have been screaming themselves hoarse since last night that the terrorists have taken 40 foreign nationals hostage...then our PM comes on AIR around five in the evening...what in heaven’s name has he been doing all day!!!...this address should have come last night... latest by the early hours of morning!!!!...the address should have been something on the lines of boosting the sagging morale of not only our heroes (the army, police and NSG) who were fighting for our safety inspite of the loss of their chief officers, but also to the nation as a whole...but what do we get out of him...he goes on to condemn the attacks...some more incoherent mumbling about reforms on some crap policies....saluting our fallen heroes, stricter Anti-terrorism laws... but no talk as to what is he going to do next...the whole thing proceeded from him like he was talking about some blasts that have happened in another part of the world!!!

This is what is missing in us at the moment...the passion...but, I refuse to lose faith in the Indianess that is an unshakeable part of our mental make-up...one day or the other this Indianess which is hiding behind cowardice and apathy will come to the fore and I know in my heart that day is not far...it is in desperate times like this that a HERO emerges...This is why I say what we want now is not only a HERO but a "Saarathi" like Krishna... who will guide the HERO in the right direction... and lead India to her rightful place in the world scene!!!

Jai Hind!!!

Attack on Mumbai

10.15 p.m.
I was finishing up at work when I first heard about the attacks. A co-worker received a call informing him that his brother had been shot at in Colaba. It was not clear then how he got shot, speculation was rife then that maybe it was some gang war and innocent people are getting injured in the cross fire. As far as I know he worked at one of the poshest shops in the poshest hotel in town. He was not the kind to go walking in streets frequented by the gangland baddies. My colleague and I left the office both praying that his brother has received a mere flesh wound.

11.00 p.m.
I reached home and find my mom glued to the television, which was relaying the following news items:-
1) The Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) under attack.
2) The Taj Hotel under attack
3) The Oberoi Trident Hotel under attack
4) Cama Hospital under attack
5) A taxicab blow to bits in suburban Vile Parle
... the gory pictures splashed on all the news channels...Cameramen panning the entire area held hostage by the terrorists...TV Correspondents talking nineteen to a dozen

11.30 p.m. ish
As we watch, fresh developments take place...Terrorists hijack a police vehicle in a desperate attempt to escape from CST... when the van reaches the area teeming with the police and newspaper crews...the open fire at point blank...injuring many.

12.00 a.m.
Reports come in that there are two terrorists aged around 20-22 years (I am shocked and appalled, such young boys who should be in college, at the most spraying graffiti on the walls not spraying bullets into random strangers)... The terrorists walk in to the Oberoi Trident and ask all except foreigners to leave and take about 40 foreigners hostage. Five of the hostages escape and tell the media about these developments.

12.30 a.m.
My mind is still reeling from the shock as I try to go to sleep.

Today Morning

6.00 a.m.
My sister leaves for work (she supports the Singapore region, hence needs to be in office before 6.30 a.m.)

6.30 a.m.
My neighbour knocks on our door to inquire whether my sister has left for work, urging us not to send her to office since there are terror attacks on Mumbai. We inform her that she has already left...

7.30 a.m.
The newspaper arrives, "IT'S WAR ON MUMBAI" the headline screams
1) 8 places attacked,
2) 78 killed,
3) 900 injured,
4) Top police officers die in the firing
- Vijay Salaskar -Celebrated Encounter Specialist
- Hemant Karkare - Anti Terrorism Squad Chief
5) Disturbing photographs
- photographs of the two terrorists looking at the police and newspaper men,
- a gun wielding terrorist - the young man actually appears to be grinning,
- charred remains of the taxicab,
- a policeman giving water to a child that is covered in blood...

8.30 a.m.
I am still trying to work up the courage to switch on the television as I know that the images and news on TV will be far worse than what is reported in the newspapers. Finally I switch it on, the first image that appears is of the area under the dome of the Taj Mahal Hotel engulfed in flames, the Fire Brigade is trying to bring the inferno under control. Firing still continuing... National Security guards, Black Cat commandos called in and have taken up their positions...

9.00 a.m.
Some of the people who were trapped at the Taj Mahal Hotel freed and taken to safety...reports that the NSE and BSE to remain closed on account of the terror attacks...reports come in that the sea route was taken by the terrorist to get into Mumbai....

10.00 a.m.
This has set me thinking...is this a message...a crude joke by the terrorists...that whilst the Indian Navy is protecting ships in the Gulf of Aden our own waters and shores are not safe... the terrorists have calmly and brazenly sailed into the heart of our financial capital and taken the city to ransom...all I hope for is that this situation is over before the day is out!!!

More later...I have to get ready to go to office...this is my response to the terrorists, we Mumbaikars may be down but we will never be out!!!

Centre and the poverty line

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

The last week has been an eye-opener of sorts; first of all I am positively above the poverty line and so is my bai (household help, superwoman, who single-handedly manages to keep many urban families together by taking on the “top work” thereby alleviating the mistress who can now go to work or catch her favourite midday television sob story).

I read in the newspaper last week that the Centre in an affidavit to the Supreme Court said that a person only needed to earn Rs.454.11 and Rs.327.56 in urban and rural areas respectively, to be classified as being above the poverty line. I decided to do a bit of investigative blogging for a change.

Now, my bai works in about 10 households and rakes in Rs.300 for every chore, for eg: she charges Rs.300 for swabbing the floor, another Rs.300 for washing clothes etc), on an average I believe she earns anything between Rs.3,500 to Rs.4,000 a month( I did not dare ask her the real number, for it would be a good excuse for sobbing about the inflation and asking for a pay rise, and yes, thanks to the news channels, and the extensive coverage , these days everyone is an expert on what the inflation is, where the stock market and the country as a whole is headed), now I know for a fact that she pays Rs.2,000 as rent for the “kholi” (which means room) in the slum that she lives in. That is 50% flat on rent, then to get a gas cylinder she has to shell out about Rs.340, given the sorry state of civic amenities in the slums if she falls ill that is Rs.100 on medicines, so she has Rs.1,560 to buy food, which is about Rs.52 a day, she is well above the poverty line!!!

OK, Mr Prime Minister, this is the case of a well off person comfortably over the poverty line, let’s talk about a person just on the poverty line or a border line case, say living in Mumbai and earning Rs.600 a month. Let us track his monthly expenses, we assume that this money should be sufficient to buy him “roti, kapda aur makan” , the basics, since he earns Rs.20 a day, the only food he will be able to afford in Mumbai is “vada pav” - the burger of the poor, this costs Rs.5 per vada pav so he spends Rs.10 straight on food, now that the roti issue has been sorted, the rest of the money should buy him clothes and a place to live, where in Mumbai will he get a room for Rs.10 a night ??

If you go to the market Mr. Prime Minister, which I am sure you do not, you will realise the Tomatoes are Rs.28 a kilo, potatoes are Rs.20 a kilo, onions are Rs.24 a kilo and every other self respecting vegetable is above Rs.30 a kilo. Fish and other non-vegetarian items are also crazily expensive.

My mother remembers when she got married and first arrived at her sasural she chided the fish monger for charging Rs.5 for three mackerels, she had told him “where well you keep all this ill-gotten money”... now we have to pay Rs.50 for three. Or for that matter, my grandfather bought all my mom’s wedding jewellery for Rs.3,500, given the rates today, I am sure in the near future it will be every above poverty line father’s dream that his daughter elopes...

Sincerely,
Sen