The other nite I was just clearing up my cupboard and came upon a bundle of nostalgia ...well it was a collection of cards given to me by my near n dear ones on various occasions. Amongst the collection, one really stands out due to the range of vibrant emotions that it stirs up in me of years gone by.
The words on the card go thus :
"Do You Know Brother.....
What the sweetest melody fails to
suppress, what words, the choicest of
them cannot express, what spring in
full color cannot change to bleak,
what time with all its testing
moments, cannot make weak....
Is only our relationship our
bond so true,that shall triumph
above all, celebrating me n u.
By and by we 'll realize with time, how very
special is our life, where together we've
experienced change n evolution, where together
we've kept a promise, n a resolution,
how as friends, companions n comrades
we 've come a long way, understanding,
discovering n exploring together, life's each
facet thru its each day, and amidst
all this what 'll come in my share, is a realization
so true, that my life wud 've been too
pale, without a brother like u, for u can make
autumn seem as luvly as spring, u can
make the simple joys of life mean everything
and so it's no wonder that u 've cast an
indelible impression on my mind, for today
Brothers as great as u, are impossible to find."
...................Ani.
Its very true......brothers, like u are impossible to find. God bless.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Relationships - new metaphors
Hello World :), feels gud to be back..btw I chanced upon a couple of metaphors which define a relationship (or shud I say, Soulmate relationship, Kelly :) ). Btw Kelly is the person who offered me a view of the 2 beautiful metaphors by way of putting up her fanfic post on the public domain.
This post, I believe does 've connections to my March29th post written in 2007. To see that post, please go to the "blogs archive" dropdown utility placed placed jus above the firefox logo.
Well, so comin to the matter @ hand..the 2 beautiful metaphors that I happened to chance upon were written by Kelly for the 2 X-files agents Dana 'blue eyed' Scully n Fox 'green eyed' Mulder or Dana 'Annapolis' Scully or Fox 'Alexandria' Mulder :P. So without much ado here goes the metaphors :
---- (M1)
2 ppl can be like 2 materials in a fusion, comin togther as two separate, very different things. And with a lot of pressure and a lot of heat they become something new -- something different than they were separately(hopefully somethin better :) ), something that cannot exist by itself.
---- (M2)
The 2nd metaphor says that 2 ppl can be like binary stars. Amazing things, these binary stars are, from far away they look like one star,one light, one heat. But when you get closer, you see them eternally spinning around each other in a cosmic dance.
They can be different sizes, different colors, different intensities, but they're held together by this force of attraction that keeps them the perfect distance from each other so that the dance can continue forever. They're always separate, but they can exchange matter, which lets them evolve in ways that no single star ever could. It's beautiful, held together and apart by attraction.
This post, I believe does 've connections to my March29th post written in 2007. To see that post, please go to the "blogs archive" dropdown utility placed placed jus above the firefox logo.
Well, so comin to the matter @ hand..the 2 beautiful metaphors that I happened to chance upon were written by Kelly for the 2 X-files agents Dana 'blue eyed' Scully n Fox 'green eyed' Mulder or Dana 'Annapolis' Scully or Fox 'Alexandria' Mulder :P. So without much ado here goes the metaphors :
---- (M1)
2 ppl can be like 2 materials in a fusion, comin togther as two separate, very different things. And with a lot of pressure and a lot of heat they become something new -- something different than they were separately(hopefully somethin better :) ), something that cannot exist by itself.
---- (M2)
The 2nd metaphor says that 2 ppl can be like binary stars. Amazing things, these binary stars are, from far away they look like one star,one light, one heat. But when you get closer, you see them eternally spinning around each other in a cosmic dance.
They can be different sizes, different colors, different intensities, but they're held together by this force of attraction that keeps them the perfect distance from each other so that the dance can continue forever. They're always separate, but they can exchange matter, which lets them evolve in ways that no single star ever could. It's beautiful, held together and apart by attraction.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Monsoon Meditations
Its been some time that I put ma thots to paper or e-media to be precise. Yesterday was "World Environment Day". It was also Raj's birthday. The nice thing abt this was that Raj had been born on a Thursday and Thursdays are considered to be holy in general by Hindus and all the more by Satya Sai baba's devotees. I stumbled upon a meditation workshop while surfin the net a couple of days back. Thot it wud be a cool idea to try it as I'd never been to one b4. So off I went to Santacruz (an hour's drive in bus) takin an early break from work. 6' o clock was the session startin time and since the address was new to me...I left early and reached there 30 mins before the startin time. Courteous volunteers greeted me @ every step. I was led to a large spacious hall with cream coloured walls. The SPACE (as the teacher very oft addressed the hall, welcome to the "space", he used to say :) ) was dimly lit with the aroma of incense sticks waftin by and a thick red velvet carpet 'd been laid on the floor. The entire ambience was soothing no doubt wat with the ACs doin the rest. Mumbai heat can be terrible and with the crowd and pollution one wud feel like a baked bean in an oven and boy o boy was I pleased to be here in this "space" :). U bet.
The skeptic in me was raisin all sorts of qs..okaaay..so far so gud..whats next ?? I went and sat on the carpet in the 3rd row. An elderly couple was in front of me and a muslim lady besides me. Many PYTs had assembled too. Plungin necklines and rising hemlines was the norm..I felt like I'd come to a fashion show rather than a meditation gathering. Bright lipsticks, heavy mascaras , dark eyelashes, man, these gals wud have taken atleast an hour to put all these up. Suddenly a gal stood up dancing..I was like cant these ppl sit quitely for a second...why do they have to call attention to them always..surely seem to be of the ASD (attention seekin disorder) type..n suddenly I saw a small black lump of mass whizzin past me, it went brushin ma legs..Ohhhhhhhh God..what the bloody hell it was a raaaaaaatttt. a rodent...rabies injections...how careless of these volunteers. Oh no wonder the gal stood up and danced .
Puttin the rat incident behind me, soon I was chattin up the muslim lady and suddenly a beautiful gal came up to the dias and told us to stop talkin and close our eyes. I dunno how come these teachers or swamis always seem to have beautiful gals with them . Hmmm that qs cud be analysed later..I was here for meditation so I closed ma eyes, made ma spine erect sat in a sukhasana pose(the easy form of padmasana). How many ppl cud these hall seat ? I cud hear thunder and rains...oh...finally the showers 've hit Mumbai, huh. Greatt!! Where is Varsha, the volunteer whom I contacted for registration ? When wud the session start...hmm IST (Indian stretchable time as usual),,what if another rat came around..rabies is very fatal...especially after seein Meera get affected.
My thots were interrupted by a soft sound and I opened my eyes and saw a 6.3 footer of a guy standing in front of us on the stage. He looked very young, 'd the guy next door look but there was somethin abt his eyes..it was as if they took up all his face..big set of eyes. Soon he was talkin to us abt many things and then he told his attendants to put off the lites except for 1 or 2. Soon the 350 odd ppl (thats waht he said) who 'd gathered were soon takin deep breaths of inhalation n exhalation. Soft soothin music played in the background..and the teacher, Mr. Prasad was guiding us abt the things to concentrate and the hand positions to be done. I was feelin comfortable in the beginning but after a while my legs began to pain..I dunno how long it 'd be but my legs were hurtin for sure...the music in the background changed from soothin water drops to a sad violin tune, at this time precisely Prasad told us to remember all that was sad in our lives...to pick up each of the sorrowful thots, angry thots, guilty thots, heavy thots bring it up and go thru' the emotions and then put them back to forgive ourselves for whatever happened...and suddenly tears sprang forth from ma eyes. Suddenly I heard a sobbing sound...it came from my left..the muslim lady..she was crying..and then another wail..another suppressed sob...ohhh this music is what is makin us cry..my rational side interrupted...but soon I was busy doin what Prasad was tellin us..didnt feel anything not even the pain of my crossed legs....I cudnt hear any cries too...suddenly Raj's face came up b4 me, she 'd been thru' lot of pain n struggle..I was surprised by the thot..but spontaneously felt like blessin her with lotsa peace n happiness and I happily did it. Next came up Achan n Amma n ma thakur(bro) wit a mischievous smile on his face, blessed all of them with peace n love and then suddenly as it had gone,the pain returned with renewed intensity...oh goddddd I cudnt bear this...I need to straighten ma legs. Its killin me...aaah.
After what seemed like an eternity...I heard sound of chimes and then we were told to open our eyes slowly. More than the eyes, I was eager to straightem ma legs...my legs were feelin numb..painfully numb.
I looked at ma watch..it was 8.40 pm, 2 hrs n 15 mins since we started our session. Prasad then asked us abt how we felt...a PYT raised her hand..she said..she felt faboulous, deeply connected, 'd a very +ive experience...I was like...okaay ??..and then Prasad interrupted her sayin but werent u lyin down....hahahah..so that is the secret of her connectedness.....(well with all due respect to her) but boy, if I get to sleep on a velvet carpet in a dimly lit aromatic AC ambience..I wud feel so connected that it wud be difficult for ppl to wake me up...how is that for some DEEP connection ?! Soon every uncle aunty n youngster was feelin absolutely great...me bein the sole exception, I dont know if there were others like me..well I cudnt lie to myself...I felt nuthin, of what they described....but I was happy...I saw my dear n near ones , my friends and though the moment lasted mayb some secs...the feeling was very deep and spontaneous, so deep to have made me 4get ma pain. Well that was a +ive that I was certainly takin away with me. I felt happy but also tremendously tired..terribly exhausted....and also seemed to have developed a slight pain in ma stomach.
In hindsight, it was an interesting experience. Monsoon meditation..it was nice. "WELCOME TO THE SPACE " :).
The skeptic in me was raisin all sorts of qs..okaaay..so far so gud..whats next ?? I went and sat on the carpet in the 3rd row. An elderly couple was in front of me and a muslim lady besides me. Many PYTs had assembled too. Plungin necklines and rising hemlines was the norm..I felt like I'd come to a fashion show rather than a meditation gathering. Bright lipsticks, heavy mascaras , dark eyelashes, man, these gals wud have taken atleast an hour to put all these up. Suddenly a gal stood up dancing..I was like cant these ppl sit quitely for a second...why do they have to call attention to them always..surely seem to be of the ASD (attention seekin disorder) type..n suddenly I saw a small black lump of mass whizzin past me, it went brushin ma legs..Ohhhhhhhh God..what the bloody hell it was a raaaaaaatttt. a rodent...rabies injections...how careless of these volunteers. Oh no wonder the gal stood up and danced .
Puttin the rat incident behind me, soon I was chattin up the muslim lady and suddenly a beautiful gal came up to the dias and told us to stop talkin and close our eyes. I dunno how come these teachers or swamis always seem to have beautiful gals with them . Hmmm that qs cud be analysed later..I was here for meditation so I closed ma eyes, made ma spine erect sat in a sukhasana pose(the easy form of padmasana). How many ppl cud these hall seat ? I cud hear thunder and rains...oh...finally the showers 've hit Mumbai, huh. Greatt!! Where is Varsha, the volunteer whom I contacted for registration ? When wud the session start...hmm IST (Indian stretchable time as usual),,what if another rat came around..rabies is very fatal...especially after seein Meera get affected.
My thots were interrupted by a soft sound and I opened my eyes and saw a 6.3 footer of a guy standing in front of us on the stage. He looked very young, 'd the guy next door look but there was somethin abt his eyes..it was as if they took up all his face..big set of eyes. Soon he was talkin to us abt many things and then he told his attendants to put off the lites except for 1 or 2. Soon the 350 odd ppl (thats waht he said) who 'd gathered were soon takin deep breaths of inhalation n exhalation. Soft soothin music played in the background..and the teacher, Mr. Prasad was guiding us abt the things to concentrate and the hand positions to be done. I was feelin comfortable in the beginning but after a while my legs began to pain..I dunno how long it 'd be but my legs were hurtin for sure...the music in the background changed from soothin water drops to a sad violin tune, at this time precisely Prasad told us to remember all that was sad in our lives...to pick up each of the sorrowful thots, angry thots, guilty thots, heavy thots bring it up and go thru' the emotions and then put them back to forgive ourselves for whatever happened...and suddenly tears sprang forth from ma eyes. Suddenly I heard a sobbing sound...it came from my left..the muslim lady..she was crying..and then another wail..another suppressed sob...ohhh this music is what is makin us cry..my rational side interrupted...but soon I was busy doin what Prasad was tellin us..didnt feel anything not even the pain of my crossed legs....I cudnt hear any cries too...suddenly Raj's face came up b4 me, she 'd been thru' lot of pain n struggle..I was surprised by the thot..but spontaneously felt like blessin her with lotsa peace n happiness and I happily did it. Next came up Achan n Amma n ma thakur(bro) wit a mischievous smile on his face, blessed all of them with peace n love and then suddenly as it had gone,the pain returned with renewed intensity...oh goddddd I cudnt bear this...I need to straighten ma legs. Its killin me...aaah.
After what seemed like an eternity...I heard sound of chimes and then we were told to open our eyes slowly. More than the eyes, I was eager to straightem ma legs...my legs were feelin numb..painfully numb.
I looked at ma watch..it was 8.40 pm, 2 hrs n 15 mins since we started our session. Prasad then asked us abt how we felt...a PYT raised her hand..she said..she felt faboulous, deeply connected, 'd a very +ive experience...I was like...okaay ??..and then Prasad interrupted her sayin but werent u lyin down....hahahah..so that is the secret of her connectedness.....(well with all due respect to her) but boy, if I get to sleep on a velvet carpet in a dimly lit aromatic AC ambience..I wud feel so connected that it wud be difficult for ppl to wake me up...how is that for some DEEP connection ?! Soon every uncle aunty n youngster was feelin absolutely great...me bein the sole exception, I dont know if there were others like me..well I cudnt lie to myself...I felt nuthin, of what they described....but I was happy...I saw my dear n near ones , my friends and though the moment lasted mayb some secs...the feeling was very deep and spontaneous, so deep to have made me 4get ma pain. Well that was a +ive that I was certainly takin away with me. I felt happy but also tremendously tired..terribly exhausted....and also seemed to have developed a slight pain in ma stomach.
In hindsight, it was an interesting experience. Monsoon meditation..it was nice. "WELCOME TO THE SPACE " :).
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Chess doesnt drive ppl mad, it keeps mad ppl sane
Bobby, who has the game of the century to his credit, left behind a rich legacy of chess moves when he departed on 17th Jan. 2008.More to follow
Monday, January 21, 2008
My sense of deja-vu has been vindicated !!
Well, my sense of deja-vu in ma previous blog on the ongoing Indo-aussie test series proved to be spot on ..for India proved yet again to be the great spoilsports of the baggy green caps.
With this win India has become the first test team to defeat Australia in Australia in the last 5 years....and also the first team to defeat the aussies in their own backyard (Perth) since the Windies way back in the 80's. I was really happy to see our so called inexperienced bowling line up giving the more illustrious opponent bowlers a run for the money...and the aussie batting line up was found wanting on more than one occasion against the swing of RP Singh n Pathan. It was a real treat for the senses...but one thing that disappointed me was the way Shastri extrapolated this win as the beginning of the new world order ..that is so downright funny. Maybe someone shud remind Shastri that "one swallow doesnt make a summer". India will have to keep the intensity goin on not only for the next match @ Adelaide but also for a consistent period of time to mount a serious challenge for the top spot in tests.
The second thing that disappointed me was the ill timed announcement of the one day squad. Ill timed, bcoz the veterans like Dravid, Ganguly n Laxman have not been included in the ODI squad..and the timing of the announcement is bound to adversely affect the morale of these men during the 4th test.
With this win India has become the first test team to defeat Australia in Australia in the last 5 years....and also the first team to defeat the aussies in their own backyard (Perth) since the Windies way back in the 80's. I was really happy to see our so called inexperienced bowling line up giving the more illustrious opponent bowlers a run for the money...and the aussie batting line up was found wanting on more than one occasion against the swing of RP Singh n Pathan. It was a real treat for the senses...but one thing that disappointed me was the way Shastri extrapolated this win as the beginning of the new world order ..that is so downright funny. Maybe someone shud remind Shastri that "one swallow doesnt make a summer". India will have to keep the intensity goin on not only for the next match @ Adelaide but also for a consistent period of time to mount a serious challenge for the top spot in tests.
The second thing that disappointed me was the ill timed announcement of the one day squad. Ill timed, bcoz the veterans like Dravid, Ganguly n Laxman have not been included in the ODI squad..and the timing of the announcement is bound to adversely affect the morale of these men during the 4th test.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
SCG test : A slur on the Australian sporstmanship and umpiring standards
For the uninitiated and for those who didnt follow the 2nd cricket test match between India and Australia at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground) and who may be wondering what the hype and hysteria is being genereated in the media, allow me to walk u through the proceedings.
Well India are currently touring Australia for a period of 40+ days to play 4 tests as part of the Border-Gavaskar trophy. The test iternary is as follows :
1st test :26 - 30 Dec 2007 - MCG
2nd test :02 - 06 Jan 2008 - SCG
3rd test :16 - 20 (WACA) - Perth
4th test :24 - 28 Oval - Adelaide
In the first test, India were truly and squarely thrashed by the hosts by 337 runs. The touring party then landed in the city of the "The Opera House" for the 2nd test. Well here is when the action (of all the wrong kind) begins.
Ponting won the toss and elected to bat. The Aussies lost the openers cheaply and Ponting and Hussey also cudnt contribute much and the new talent , the baby faced Micheal Clarke went on a 1. At this stage the formidable Aussies werent in a healthy state with the total around 160 odd runs with 5 wickets down. This brought Symonds n Gilly to the crease. Soon Gilly departed and Symonds was the last recognised middle order bat and the tail was to follow soon. Hoggie was givin Symonds good company when with the total around 190 odd runs for 6 down,...Symonds survived a caught behind appeal which was so loud and clear that everyone except the umpire @ the bowler's end cud hear.The Indians were disappointed but little did they know that this was a precursor for greater misery to follow.
Symonds survived 2 other sure-out decisions and went on to make 162 runs thus contributing decisively to Australia's first innings score of 463. In the second innings Ponting was not given out for a clear n loud nick which the snickometer faithfully reported whereas Rahul Dravid was given out to a sound when the ball kissed his pads and when his bat was right behind his pads. Rahul's was a crucial wicket as he was starting to look solid. Similarly was the case with Ganguly...his catch was grassed and still Ganguly found himself the victim of unfair and biased umpiring and this decision mind u , was given after the umpire referred to Ponting rather than to the square-leg umpire or the 3rd umpire. In all, 8 decisions went against the Indians and 2 against the Aussies. The umpiring was so sub standard (3rd rate I must say)that BCCI has decided to lodge a formal complaint against both the officiating umpires (Steve Bucknor n Mark Benson).
During the 1st innings when Bhajji was batting alonside Sachin...Symonds was continuously sledging the sardar and when Bhajji called up Symonds and gave him a piece of his mind, Ponting (the cry baby) runs to the umpire suggesting that Bhajji has racially abused Symonds. And if at all Bhajji called Symonds a big monkey(thats what the media quotes ), I'm unable to fathom where does the racial undertone come from ? Ponting's statement implies only one thing and that is too obvious for me to state here. Aussies have always known to go overboard with their sledging which they very hypocritically justify as their culture , their way of playin the game (what they very unabashedly call as playing it the hard way...I wud say there are other ways to play the game the hard way mate...ask Anil Kumble and he will tell what real guts and hardplay is and he shud know it bcoz he bowled with a broken jaw against the Windies. Kumble fractured his jaw and the doctor put a supportin' plate and told Kumble to take 3 weeks rest n then start normal practice, Kumble went back and resumed the next day, from where he left off..bowled 14 overs with a broken jaw n took the prized scalp of Lara..this is what is called as playin the hard way mate.) and when any team gives it to them in their own kind...they wilt and suddnely turn mamma's gud boys. Oh mummy mummy ...look Bhajji is callin Symonds a big monkey...isnt that bad Mommy ?? See I'm such a good boy..I came and reported to you what Bhajji said. But I wont tell u that Hoggie called Kumble a ba****d .. u see mommy ba****d is such a harmless word but hell, moneky is a such an infuriating word. By calling a monkey..u are questioning a person's race :O ... and that is such an unpardonable offence mommy, isnt it ?. Bhajji should be severly punished .
Well, agreed, that Bhajji isnt bowling anywhere near his best but he is surely bowling with enuf guile to have the Punter in loops. Ponting was dismissed on all 4 occasions by the sardar in 2 tests and it wont be unfair to say that Ponting must have been on the lookout to keep Bhajji @ bay..and in such a case when a golden opportunity presents itself how can the punter ever not grab it...and yeah, grab it he did, with both hands. Otherwise why would he go and report to the umpire abt the ongoing spat involving Symonds n Bhajji..when Symonds himself quoted in the newspapers that it was jus a friendly verbal exchange and when the Aussies believe that sledging is a way of playin the game.. so, surely punter's action here smacks of hollow sportsmanship and double standards.
With the win here in the SCG test, Ponting's men have equalled Steve Waugh's record of 16 successive test wins but this test would be remembered by many, not for the Aussies 's feats but the controversial catching rulings, biased umpirings, hypocritical approach of the aussies's towards sledging (Bhajji case) and the excessive appeals and over the board ungracious celebrations. With emotions boiling all over abt this issue, many want the Indian team to come back but I think Team India should stay back and compete and defeat the Aussies but only after the racial abuse charge against Bhajji is dropped and after ICC replaces the 2 men in black-n- white, especially Mr. Bucknor (many past incidents prove Bucknor having a -ive bias towards team India. It is so sorry to see an umpire of such repute goin thru such a stage). Thank u Mr. Benson, thank u Mr. Bucknor...u both have been so very kind and gracious. It was an unforgettable experience having u both in our midst.
Finally....if the charges are dropped and if BCCI has its way abt the 2 umpires then cricket enthusiasts all over the world can look forward to some spirited display of cricket. At this point, I cant help but feel a sense of Deja-vu and to understand that we need to go back in time
Occasion : India - Australia test match and Australia with a record no. of 16 wins.
Year : 2001
Result : India won.
It was Team India who 'd brought the mighty Aussie juggernaut to a halt in tests when Steve n his men 'd successively won 16 tests on a trot.
And here we are again face to face with the same team and the same record. Will we see history repeating itself ?? Well you never know :).We may be in for a surprise. Lets wait n watch the drama unfold :-). My prayers and BEST WISHES go out to Kumble n his men. Common TEAM INDIA.
Well India are currently touring Australia for a period of 40+ days to play 4 tests as part of the Border-Gavaskar trophy. The test iternary is as follows :
1st test :26 - 30 Dec 2007 - MCG
2nd test :02 - 06 Jan 2008 - SCG
3rd test :16 - 20 (WACA) - Perth
4th test :24 - 28 Oval - Adelaide
In the first test, India were truly and squarely thrashed by the hosts by 337 runs. The touring party then landed in the city of the "The Opera House" for the 2nd test. Well here is when the action (of all the wrong kind) begins.
Ponting won the toss and elected to bat. The Aussies lost the openers cheaply and Ponting and Hussey also cudnt contribute much and the new talent , the baby faced Micheal Clarke went on a 1. At this stage the formidable Aussies werent in a healthy state with the total around 160 odd runs with 5 wickets down. This brought Symonds n Gilly to the crease. Soon Gilly departed and Symonds was the last recognised middle order bat and the tail was to follow soon. Hoggie was givin Symonds good company when with the total around 190 odd runs for 6 down,...Symonds survived a caught behind appeal which was so loud and clear that everyone except the umpire @ the bowler's end cud hear.The Indians were disappointed but little did they know that this was a precursor for greater misery to follow.
Symonds survived 2 other sure-out decisions and went on to make 162 runs thus contributing decisively to Australia's first innings score of 463. In the second innings Ponting was not given out for a clear n loud nick which the snickometer faithfully reported whereas Rahul Dravid was given out to a sound when the ball kissed his pads and when his bat was right behind his pads. Rahul's was a crucial wicket as he was starting to look solid. Similarly was the case with Ganguly...his catch was grassed and still Ganguly found himself the victim of unfair and biased umpiring and this decision mind u , was given after the umpire referred to Ponting rather than to the square-leg umpire or the 3rd umpire. In all, 8 decisions went against the Indians and 2 against the Aussies. The umpiring was so sub standard (3rd rate I must say)that BCCI has decided to lodge a formal complaint against both the officiating umpires (Steve Bucknor n Mark Benson).
During the 1st innings when Bhajji was batting alonside Sachin...Symonds was continuously sledging the sardar and when Bhajji called up Symonds and gave him a piece of his mind, Ponting (the cry baby) runs to the umpire suggesting that Bhajji has racially abused Symonds. And if at all Bhajji called Symonds a big monkey(thats what the media quotes ), I'm unable to fathom where does the racial undertone come from ? Ponting's statement implies only one thing and that is too obvious for me to state here. Aussies have always known to go overboard with their sledging which they very hypocritically justify as their culture , their way of playin the game (what they very unabashedly call as playing it the hard way...I wud say there are other ways to play the game the hard way mate...ask Anil Kumble and he will tell what real guts and hardplay is and he shud know it bcoz he bowled with a broken jaw against the Windies. Kumble fractured his jaw and the doctor put a supportin' plate and told Kumble to take 3 weeks rest n then start normal practice, Kumble went back and resumed the next day, from where he left off..bowled 14 overs with a broken jaw n took the prized scalp of Lara..this is what is called as playin the hard way mate.) and when any team gives it to them in their own kind...they wilt and suddnely turn mamma's gud boys. Oh mummy mummy ...look Bhajji is callin Symonds a big monkey...isnt that bad Mommy ?? See I'm such a good boy..I came and reported to you what Bhajji said. But I wont tell u that Hoggie called Kumble a ba****d .. u see mommy ba****d is such a harmless word but hell, moneky is a such an infuriating word. By calling a monkey..u are questioning a person's race :O ... and that is such an unpardonable offence mommy, isnt it ?. Bhajji should be severly punished .
Well, agreed, that Bhajji isnt bowling anywhere near his best but he is surely bowling with enuf guile to have the Punter in loops. Ponting was dismissed on all 4 occasions by the sardar in 2 tests and it wont be unfair to say that Ponting must have been on the lookout to keep Bhajji @ bay..and in such a case when a golden opportunity presents itself how can the punter ever not grab it...and yeah, grab it he did, with both hands. Otherwise why would he go and report to the umpire abt the ongoing spat involving Symonds n Bhajji..when Symonds himself quoted in the newspapers that it was jus a friendly verbal exchange and when the Aussies believe that sledging is a way of playin the game.. so, surely punter's action here smacks of hollow sportsmanship and double standards.
With the win here in the SCG test, Ponting's men have equalled Steve Waugh's record of 16 successive test wins but this test would be remembered by many, not for the Aussies 's feats but the controversial catching rulings, biased umpirings, hypocritical approach of the aussies's towards sledging (Bhajji case) and the excessive appeals and over the board ungracious celebrations. With emotions boiling all over abt this issue, many want the Indian team to come back but I think Team India should stay back and compete and defeat the Aussies but only after the racial abuse charge against Bhajji is dropped and after ICC replaces the 2 men in black-n- white, especially Mr. Bucknor (many past incidents prove Bucknor having a -ive bias towards team India. It is so sorry to see an umpire of such repute goin thru such a stage). Thank u Mr. Benson, thank u Mr. Bucknor...u both have been so very kind and gracious. It was an unforgettable experience having u both in our midst.
Finally....if the charges are dropped and if BCCI has its way abt the 2 umpires then cricket enthusiasts all over the world can look forward to some spirited display of cricket. At this point, I cant help but feel a sense of Deja-vu and to understand that we need to go back in time
Occasion : India - Australia test match and Australia with a record no. of 16 wins.
Year : 2001
Result : India won.
It was Team India who 'd brought the mighty Aussie juggernaut to a halt in tests when Steve n his men 'd successively won 16 tests on a trot.
And here we are again face to face with the same team and the same record. Will we see history repeating itself ?? Well you never know :).We may be in for a surprise. Lets wait n watch the drama unfold :-). My prayers and BEST WISHES go out to Kumble n his men. Common TEAM INDIA.
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