Sachin: Great batsman, or Greatest batsman?

A few weeks ago, somebody took an exception to the constant usage of media’s pet phrase: “there are two Indias, one who XYZ and one who XYA” (fill in the blanks as appropriate). His point was that diversity in India can’t allow for such simple bisection. I replied:

There ARE just two Indias: One who think Sachin is a God, other who don’t.

Mind you, this was before the 175-run knock. But those who saw that piece of batting display would probably be wondering whether they were back watching Sharjah in ‘98, watching the same man demolish Australian (the same side) bowling, while the rest of the team (again) stands by thinking this is a one-man show. Not to mention, occasional wins aside, we are still being badly beaten by the same #1 side, Australia.

Well, if it is really 1998-‘99, it means I haven’t yet given my 12th std. exams, my engineering and grad school is in future, so is my first and second job. We have yet to see the greats like “Yaadein” (remember that one?) and “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna”, while Ram Gopal Verma has just one “Daud” in a line-up of Shiva, Rangeela and Satya. Then again, while my colleagues would agree that having 4 more months in Hyderabad is fun, and I am pretty comfortable about undergrad and grad school, I am not so sure I will get anywhere near the marks I got in 12th std. again. Wow, that particular fantasy didn’t last long.

So, let’s get back to the point. Before and after that knock, there has been (once again) a plethora of articles about Sachin, his place in team, his greatest hits and misses and so on. Many of his critics accuse him of playing a selfish game, point out that his first 7 runs (the ones he needed to get to 17000 mark) were very slow. Personally, I think a player who is playing for himself, not the team won’t score 168 runs after he has achieved a personal milestone. He will probably check out of the game mentally and be far away from the crease by the next ball. And seriously, if a mentally checked out Sachin plays an innings like this, I wish he would do it more often and more batsmen should start playing selfish games like him.

The other criticism is that even when he scores big, he rarely stays there till the end of the game. Then again, what says about our team when a batting line up comprising of 5 of top-50 players in ICC batting ranks (including #1) cannot together equal a single player’s contribution? One player overshadowing the entire team happens in other sports and other teams too, though I don’t believe it happens with such regularity.

So, while the critics point out his batting lows, his low strike rate series, his propensity to make one huge knock to “silence the critics” once in a while, I will reiterate my original point:

Sachin Tendulkar is a God of the cricketing population in India.

Then again, let me put that statement in perspective: Sachin is an Indian, a Hindu. And our Hindu Gods are not exactly known for their infallibility, are they? I mean, except for some notable exceptions (Ganesh), our mythology is filled with gods making mistakes, falling prey to all too human emotions (Indra, anyone?). So, cut that guy some slack. Losing against a few asuras (due entirely to the boons you gave them earlier) is all right once in a while, if on other occasions you are essentially lifting entire mountains on your hand, or decimating entire asura armies single-handed.

- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

P.S. This post is just a space-filler till I get back to regular programming, whatever that means for this blog.

P.P.S. Re: The header, I am aware of the futility of having “Greatest ever” debate unless it really is end of the universe for once and all. But viewers of Colbert will know where that question came from.

The Year is Over, Long Live The Year!

The Year That Was:

Personally, after last 2 years, 2008 was not a bad year for me. But then, I can imagine why some people felt like doing this:

 

On the positive side (just as a sample), India had the biggest medal haul in Olympics in its history of participation, (which included a gold medal after 28 years, and first personal gold). Viswanathan Anand successfully defended his World Chess title, and continues his third year at the top of ratings. And there is a piece of Indian technology in the form of Chandrayaan I, which is orbiting around the moon right now, and will continue for next 2 years.

On the negative side were (at the very least) last 40 days of the year, when India faced a horrific terrorist attack, and Pakistan government continues to change its stance with about the same frequency as the dress changes of actors in a typical Bollywood masala movie song, most of the times coming out as equally ridiculous (sorry, this is not a political blog). And then again, there is the looming (or rather, continuing) shadow of economic disaster (to say the least).

And then there was this:

The Year That Will Be:

So, here’s hoping all of you Have a Very Happy New Year!

May all

- feel safe in their homes and outside it

- prosper, keep your jobs and find new ones you like

- (and last but not the least) get what you wish for this year. And that means keeping your resolutions too.

- in short, be happy.

As for me, I think I will follow Chintoo’s aai’s advice and will “take the year as it comes”.

 

- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

 

* Translation for Chintoo comic:

1. Chintoo: In this year I will…

     Mother: Don’t decide anything.

2. Mother: You don’t follow your resolutions.

     Chintoo: All right.

3. Chintoo: I had decided to eat all vegetables in this coming year. :(

History, Politics and Logic

Since I am quite ignorant when it comes to worldly affairs, I often find myself applying logic to the news I read, trying to make some sense out of them. Some news cycles I read over the last year are a proof positive that human brain can still function after logic attacks.

Here’s what happened:

Sometime last year, Government of India submitted an affidavit to Supreme Court which said that they could not find any proof that Ram existed, ergo, Ram didn’t really exist. After many protests and a huge outcry, they realized that Ram did, indeed, exist.

Conclusion: In a democracy, vox populi = proof of existence

But then, that proof did come in the way of the Ramsetu project, which was really the reason for all the controversy. So, after a lot of research, GoI found out a mention that Ram destroyed the setu himself, based on the Kamba Ramayan written by Tamil poet Kamban. So the structure popularly known as Ramsetu cannot be the real Ramsetu. (Since Ram returned to Ayodhya by Pushpak, this may well be one of the first records of aerial bombardment.)

Conclusion: A mention in any of the records available = proof

This year, after 15 years of Dadoji Konddev Puraskar, Maharashtra Government scrapped the award since the committee assembled did not find any proof (sorry, the link is in Marathi) that he was the teacher of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Conclusion: vox committee = proof of absence (?)

After notable historians removed themselves from the committee, it was noted that the 17th century records at the time of Shivaji did not mention Dadoji Konddev’s role as his teacher, and the first record is the Sabhasadachi Bakhar, written during 18th century.

Conclusion: Contemporary records = proof (?)

My brain, trained by Sherlock Holmes, detected a logical fallacy here somewhere. And since such fallacies tend to keep me awake at night, I decided to solve this conundrum.

After a lot of research, I have come to the conclusion that one of the following is the missing assumption for all of the above statements to be true (I always did well on those “Find the missing assumption” questions in competitive exams):

1. Kamban was a contemporary of Ram, thus possibly predating Valmiki.


2. Our school board was not looking for just convenient curricular structure when they combined History and Civics (with detailed descriptions of Indian political scenario) together in one subject.

Got any other explanation?


- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

Jodha-Akbar

No, this is not a review of the film. I haven't yet seen the movie (nor any trailers), and I am not sure when I will watch it, since I don't know any place nearby where the movie is screened. These are just some random thoughts connected to the movie.


This movie will probably create a new famous Indian historical "pair", but that comes at the cost of another famous jodi. Where is the witty Birbal in the story? While Akbar has featured in not a few movies, Birbal has been ignored by Bollywood (even his so-called competitor Tansen got his own movie). Watching Akbar without a mention of Birbal is like watching Hardy with one of his on-screen crushes/fiance/wife. He may be is funny on his own, but he is not the Ollie we know and like without Stan goofing up things with him.

And Bollywood broke the famous Akbar-Birbal pair by matching him up with a fictional character. A character, who (as probably all know by now) was possibly his daughter-in-law, one of the wives of Jahangir. But that does not surprise me as much as it should. After all, Jahangir (when he was known as Salim) was paired off with another fictional character, in perhaps the most famous historical in Hindi film history.

Incidentally, Jeahangir and his son Shah Jahan defy the saying about art and life. Shah Jahan is famous worldwide for his Taj Mahal, Jahangir not so much. But on the other hand, almost all Bollywood lovers have heard of Mughal-e-Azam, while I doubt anybody remembers the fate of Taj Mahal.

And does this (third in the line) movie denote the start of a trend to convert the lives of Mughal emperors into film media? Akbar, his son and grandson are already covered. It would be hard to find any romance in the life of his great-grandson though. Although the marathi novel "Shehenshah" by N. S. Inamdar is a great one, everybody would agree that the last important Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb was definitely not a romantic.

So let's go up the family tree, shall we? I am sure as the exile, Humayun would definitely provide much fodder to the creative imaginations of the Bollywood. Don't tell me you can't put a romance or two in the life of the person who spent most of his life as a refugee.

So, here's to Humayun, or rather, Jodha-Akbar, till somebody have go at the idea. Ashutosh, Sanjay, Shekhar, call me and we will discuss my fees.

- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

That "Gedanke" Part Chapter II

In which I tell you a lot about myself, which you will wish you never knew...

• Talking to my sister on Friday, I realised this is the first time since Germany that I am living almost truly "alone" (i.e. in a place where the nearest person I know lives 45 minutes away by car on either side). If you think that 2 years is not that long a time (even though it is slightly less that 10% of my entire lifetime), this is only third time in my entire life till now. That should give you some perspective.

• Given point 1, what would you think my schedule on Friday night looks like? Yes, you got it: go home at 6:30 pm, and clear my laundry basket. Oh, and I decided not to go for a 8:30 pm movie because it would be too late.


• I went to National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian) yesterday. Apart from the normal "Do Not Touch" signs, what really interested me was that, some displays had "Please Touch" signs, along with some really interesting information. And, did I mention there were huge dino-skeletons there? Oh, does anyone remember/recognise these photos?


• After bugging my friend remorselessly for taking a camera minus the memory stick on a holiday, I did exactly the same thing yesterday. Luckily, the stick was in my laptop, which was in my bag. I think this will teach people who laugh at me for wanting to keep my laptop with me all the time.


• My use of a comforter often reminds me of today's party dresses. Despite there being more than enough material, the second it reaches any respectable cover in the front, I get an open back.


• Paraphrasing a famous personality, I don't like to eat anything which can talk cute in a cartoon/film (and no, Nemo does not count, as you don't eat Clownfish). I really used to like the mini-wheat cereals by Kellogs, but since they started airing ads where the "mini-wheats" talk about their holiday and their kids, I have completely gone off them.


• I didn't really consciously think of the impact the "Ramayan" serial had on the mythological genre in Indian Television, till I saw the episode of the "New and Improved Ramayana". Essentially the format looks almost completely like the old one (1 part dialogue, 2 part laughing/crying, 7 part songs and 10 part music), just the faces are different now. Or is it that there are only so many music directors/dialogue writers/story writers which will take on a mythological serial? Or is there a certain rule that defines the music everybody has to use to convey good news/bad news/shock? Not to mention, there was a moment in there when I expected Kaikeyee to go, "Oh Manthara, I mean... come on..."

If this was not random enough, today's quote is from a one-man show on cricket called "Maazi Phatkebaaji" (My Shots) by Shireesh Kanekar. I think I don't need to tell you the context. And I heard it a week or two ago, so it's not my laziness really that I am putting it up today.



- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

The Thin(?) Line

I finally got my hands on the elusive Tintin comics, "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets" and "Tintin in the Congo". Now, I agree that the comics were written in early 20th century, by a 20-century author. So, one on hand, I am happy that these comics won't ruin the umpteen re-readings of other comics for me (and I am still looking forward to the movie). But on the other hand, one of my sensors will always be looking for racial tones in the comics which I earlier dismissed as racial quirks.

This has also raised an old question to the front of my mind: When do the racial caricatures turn bad?

Those familiar with the writings of prominent Marathi author Pu. La. Deshpande will remember one of his most memorable characters, Pestonkaka. The story captures the tones, the language, the quirks of a typical Parsi gentleman in post-independence India (capturing such quirks is a typical characteristic of Pu La's writing). And yes, the story uses these quirks and accents for humour. Yet, even the most sensitive individual will find himself chuckling along, and nobody will find anything derogatory in the caricature.

On the other hand, is the "desi version" of "12 days of Christmas" doing rounds on the net. Personally, I found that particular video bad, if not in bad taste.

So, is this a subjective question to such an extent?

Every group, race, nation, people have their own characteristics, customs, accents, language (I am not talking about english, hindi etc. here), which define them as a group. Personally, I think any true to life portrayal of a particular person will have these, giving the person an identity. There are so many differences, that you are bound to find one or more of such characteristics funny. Just to give an example, every Bollywood (and even Hollywood) film watcher will have a plethora of characters to mind, which portray a particular identity in good, cheesy, all the way up to bad and pandering to popular perception way. And personally, I don't think writers using such devices for humour is bad, till the time it is in "good taste".

But at what point does the funny turn into bad? Is overuse the line to cross here? Do we perceive the "intent" of writer to be offensive (or think we perceive it) based on our sensitivities (and sometimes, our mood at the moment)?

Or, is it just a case of us v/s them, and everything is funny till we are at the other end of the joke?


- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

Million Dollar Blogging

Going through my Google Reader recently, I came across a post by Problogger where he addresses two questions:

Would you stop blogging if you get million dollars today? And will your blogging style change if you are suddenly a millionaire?

Apart from the fact that USD is not what it used to be, I would have to answer first question with a resounding "No, probably" while the answer to second one would be, "Umm... let me think". And no, this is not because I am not indecisive (interviewers please note).

So, let's get to the first question. Would I (like) be a millionaire blogger? Yes, of course. Would I still be a blogger if I am a millionaire? Yes, unless...

I didn't start blogging to earn money, indeed I was not aware that blogging pays until well into my second year as a blogger. So, for me blogging is not a way to earn money, nor does it pay me so well as to make me rich any time soon (hint hint). I use this blog to talk about anything and everything I like, while "Lazy Habits" is about my main hobby. So, unless being rich makes me completely secretive, unable to express myself in writing, and leaves me no time to read, I am going to blog no matter what my bottom-line says.

So where does the "probably" in the answer come from? Well, do you think I will get time to blog while dealing with all my accountants, my businesses and everything else that comes with being rich? Million dollars are not enough to make me stop working for life, and I would of course want to get richer (say a million euros, and we are talking something else). So, I guess people would have to be satisfied with very infrequent and short posts, at least for a while. For most readers, that would be as good as me not blogging. And lack of time is seriously going to affect Lazy Habits, as writing reviews takes a good chunk of time. So the part I am not sure is whether I can put aside time to write the posts like I am accustomed to. And given what I see of people's work habits and how people disappear under pressure unless they are "pro", that's a serious consideration.

On to second one. Will I change if I am rich?

Do you really have to ask?

I have no doubt that my writing style will not change. Which means that content-wise I am not going to change any time soon (sorry all who were hoping otherwise). Post frequency and lengthwise? I already answered that one (which is why the "think" part in the answer)

I would like to add a question of my own here. Although I am not blogging for money, and don't care much if I am missing from scene for some time, I would like to try and keep people reminding of my blogs. So, I would try and get somebody who can fill in for me, if only for Lazy Habits (being a theme-blog, it is easier to fill in). I would even be ready to pay for that in kind, if need be. So, the question I am asking you is,

Would you consider somebody guest-posting on your blog if you know you won't be able to blog for some time (at least, if you have a theme blog)? Also, would you consider blogging for money or turning Pro?

By the second question, I mean something like PayPerPost, or sponsorships of some kind. Most of the bloggers I know don't blog for money. So I am fairly sure of the answers most people would give here. Leave answers in comments, write a post and leave a link to the post, do it anyway you want. But I would still like to get the answers, and get them from heart.


- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

P.S. In a completely unrelated note, if you are in the market for some great (though serious) and inspiring short-stories, do read about the "Embrace the Wonder" stories on Bennie's blog.

That "Gedanke" Part Chapter I

Today's Chapter: "Inspired" Thoughts


You start a blog, and name it "Random Thoughts". You start writing, and after some time find that the thinking is becoming a bit too structured, and there is no place for "random" thoughts any more on your blog.

So, here's a place where I dump all those titbits and one-liners (which I came up with during my endless net-surfing and intermittent TV) which wouldn't have made it on their own:

• Kusum recently blogged about the lesson she learnt on the first day of school: "Let Sleeping dogs lie". What she forgot to mention is that this is the motto of the sister school of Hogwarts, the one for muggles and squibs.


• The review of "Mrityunjaya" on Lazy Habits was picked up by some blog directories. Among "Related Posts" were posts about Rakhi Sawant. Mahabharat and Rakhi Sawant... Can you think of more unrelated topics?


• Things I learnt from watching ads: in 1940s, a part of your annual car insurance would pay for a home in Beverly Hills. Either insurance rates have gone down a lot or real estate is getting way expensive.


• Where do ghosts get their powers? Why should the ghost of a person killed by falling weight be killing others by burning them (either that or electrocution through hand)? Where's the justice in that? Or is it just for sadistic pleasure of the ghost? In which case, I need to ask again, where's the justice in that?


• A lot has been written about the guys who write captions (subtitles) for hindi movies, making makhna into buttercup and so on. But their cousins in closed-captioning jobs are no less entertaining. How else can you explain the line I read during recent telecast of EPL? "Two girls in EPL for XYZ this season". As if we didn't know how football players "score".


• Ever wonder how Shahrukh Khan's sister would look like (well, I know everybody has seen the forward thousand times till now, but still)? Ever wonder who would be cast in the remake of "Duplicate" with elements of "Twelfth Night" mixed in? Wonder no more... (Picture picked from an ad in local newspaper)

- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

Quote of The Day:

This is my answer to the gap between ideas and action - I will write it out.
- Hortense Calisher