Catastrophe at Wimbledon...

The mark of a great playr is that even though he looses or gets defeated it is still he who makes news and not the one who won against him. And that is what has happened at Roland garros and Wimbledon. The Swiss is a 6 time winner at wimbledon and he has not only set a precedent for others to follow but also a tradition that there can be only one winner at wimbledon and that is him. Roger, unarguably was given the title of the greatest grass-court player ever produced by his predecessors when last year he won the most coveted title winning the 6th wimbledon title. No doubt, his supremacy at grass-court was challenged by the rippling Spaniard many times but still at 28 he has the elegance and aura to be the number one player. He entered this wimbledon with apprehensions among his followers because in one of the Masters cup held at grass court he was defeated by 15 seeded Hewitt...Will have to wait to see as to how he makes a comeback... bt for the time being am eager to watch the semis and the finals...it has to be Nadal v/s Djokovic final...lets c...

On the roads of Gujarat...

Almost everywhere in and around Gujarat you may find the eccentric culture of the state and that is true with most of the states. But recently a friend of mine came from Karnataka and we went for Gujarat darshan on our own and i should say it was a deightful journey. But at end of the journey my friend noticed one thing above all that along all the major cities in Gujarat there is one common thing. And that was Narendra Modi's hoardings every few kilomitres on any road major in Gujarat. Every half a kilometre you will find one person smiling at you from a corner that is Mr. Narendra Modi. I dont about other states but the way Modi flaunts itself i think the marketing aspirants should learn something. Let us not discuss as to what he is doing is right or wrong because its an endless issue. But the question is about accountability of "public money".
It is said that hoardings all across Gujarat is costing about hundreds of crores. From where does the money comes? In a recent controversy Bihar CM Nitish kumar criticised Modi for flaunting himself in all sorts of advertisement. But who cares? What matters to people of Gujarat especially who blind-foldedly support Modi is his Hindutva face. There is s difference between Development and Growth and what we are witnessing in Gujarat is not development but Growth which is natural and not Modi-crafted. It is thought by most people residing outside Gujarat that it is one of the most non-corrupt state. But it was never. Its a catchy punch-line thats it. I know its almost impossible not to taste the honey kept on the tip of your tongue. Menace of Corruption prevails everywhere but to flaunt it just to extract some votes and reinforcing the habit of institutionalised corruption is a matter of shame. I read somewhere that " Power unravels the real Man" but here it has come true in the form of " Power unravels the Real Modi".

"Half"- World Cup...

The world is awaiting the biggest event of this year and that is the "Football World Cup" being played in South Africa. Yes, ofcourse it is special for many reasons because it is for the first time played in an African nation with an overwhelming jubiliance and fanfare. Around 25 top playing nations will qualify for this years trophy. But there was one thing which amazed , surprised me the most that is there are only two countries from Asian continent playing this world cup that is Japan and North Korea. The continent which has Maximum population, maximum land area and maximum countries are least represented. The reasons may not be apt but then how can we say that it is a "World Cup" rather it has to be termed as "Half World Cup", isnt it? If the name "World Cup" is based on viewership around the globe then the name is apt but not for any other rational reason which i could find...
The top two populous countries are not represented which almost constitutes 30% of world 's living population then is it fair enough to say that we are viewing a world cup. This reasons may look absurd but still shocking. Any game should be judged only on performance and merit and not on representation but then FIFA as world class regulatory body should promote infrastructure facilities in those countires which is lacking it. India is ranked 134th in the world not because football is unpopular or not played enough or because the denizens lack the talent but its just because of lack of infrastructural facilities and politicization of the game and ofcourse the idolization of cricket.
Qualifying rounds do provide chances and opportunities to many such countries with utmost passion but lacking facilities but of meagre help. The onus is on FIFA to see whether there is maximum representation from every corner of the world. We can only hope that this "Half World Cup " which is being played gets converted into a real "World Cup" in times to come.

An inhuman act...

The Maoist-induced derailment of the Howrah-Kurla Jnanesari Express in West Bengal, which led to the death of over 140 people is inhuman and outrageous. It clearly shows that the Maoist have no human values. They misled the underprivileged sections and want to seize power int he name of revolution. They will never agree to talks with the government as their aim is to capture power after overthrowing the state. Nor will they allow development in the regions they dominate as they will end up losing people's support if the locals tase the fruits of development. The government should take strong decisions and go for a full-fledged attack on them.
One hopes the state will act decisively before it is paralysed. One failure to act will demoralise the security forces. The naxal-infested regions can develop only when the writ of the state is reinforced there. Centre should evolve a coordinated approach settin aside their political differences, nothing concrete can be done. It has also put a big question mark on our internal security.
The huge disparity in development even after six decades of independence has served as an interface between the educated and ideologically motivated naxal leaders and the illiterate tribals whose minds are ready to accept but not analyse any ideology. Naxalism has gained more space mainly due to the failure of the state and mainstream political leaders.
The naxal affected "Red-Corridor area" should be tackled with centre-state coordination.

My last prelims...

So, finally i gave my last prelims of my life. though it has been an exhaustive tryst with UPSC but surely not less fascinating. It was on 23rd of may on a scorhing summery afternoon in ahmedabad. I was lucky to have witness the toughest paper of general studies in the history of UPSC. All this days i was on an " academic vacation" surrounded by plethora of books right from khushwant singh's latest to ancient historical literary. Though i would like to leave UPSC with a winning note but then wont lament if land on any side. Its been a delightful journey and I am lucky that i made this choice to be a part of this collosal examination considered the toughest in the world.

Insecurity prevails i know that but "risk to saala spiderman ko bhi lena padta hai hum to phir bhi insaan hai ". I know planning always helps to create a better future but the best things happen when it is unplanned. Try it sometimes.

Jeffery Archer was in bombay few weeks ago and I would like to share some excerpts from his speech. He is basically an avid fan of cricket and was commenting on the significance of working hard with respect to talent in terms of cricket. He said that, " If you are talented and you work hard then you can be Sachin tendulkar, if you are hard working and not talented then you can be Rahul dravid(i know rahul is talented but it is his opinion and we need to respect individual differences), but if a person is talented and not hard working then he is a pauper ".

MOVE-ies of the month...

It’s been long time since I have taken up blogging. Finally my pent up feelings have reached its crescendo so couldn’t stop myself writing. Movies and books are keeping me busy nowadays. I have watched a lot of movies this month and would suggest every moviegoer to watch in your leisure. If you are a pet lover and want to watch a slow pace movie and love experimenting then do watch this movie named “Eight Below”. The way movies are made in the west I really feel it’s a lo`ng arduous path for the Indian film industry to ever reach their level of expertise, character framing and of course the script.
Then if you want to have a laughter riot in a wacky way then go for this movie “How to lose friends and alienate people” again a startling performance by all the characters.
One of my personal favourite if you go by the character performances then a must watch is “The last king of Scotland”. The lead role played by Forrest Whitaker has received an Oscar for this role played by him. Coming to our Indian cinema I did watch “Chhoti si baat” by the genius Hrishikesh mukherjee. I just love that guy. Even after several decades you watch his film you are enchanted by the cinematography, the livewire performances, the screenplay and everything else I have missed. These are my genre of films which I love watching repeatedly.

I have heard people saying that Aamir khan is better actor than shah rukh khan. Mass is always right, let me agree to it. Shah Rukh Khan is not a bad actor either but I will tell you what makes them look different. Just go back and remember any of the films of Aamir khan you must have watched say for example “Sarfarosh” the good thing about aamir khan’s performance is you don’t remember the person in real but the character in the movie. I never remember Aamir khan in any of his movies but only the character he has played. In “sarfarosh” I don’t remember Aamir khan but instead of that I remember A.C.P. Rathod and that’s the mark of a great actor. And fortunately or unfortunately Shah Rukh khan lacks this. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. I would say SRK is a charmer and persona unlimited. Even in the best of performances I don’t remember the character he has played but simply remember SRK. And I think he has no regrets because the world appreciates him because of that. One should do what he is best at. And so Aamir is surely a better actor but SRK a better entertainer, charmer and hero.

hi...

hi...hope you all are rocking...
my desktop is out for repair for sometime now...
so am not able to post blogs...
will be back very soon with some interesting blogs....
till then have fun,have peace...