Chak De India

Do it for Sachin please!!!

2011-04-01T00:57:00.000-07:00

“This is India’s best chance to win another World cup” said Steve Waugh. And certainly it is, when they take on the Lankan tigers in Mumbai. I have always considered the Australians as the biggest threat in any major event and now that they have been dethroned, this is surely India’s best chance to relive those unforgettable lords moments in wankede on April 2nd once again.
Dhoni’s captaincy has been spot on. Even though he is calm and composed fellow, his fielding set ups has been very aggressive and very effective too. Of course he is yet to fire with his bat but I don’t think that is much of a concern when the team is having an incredible run under him. This is also Dhoni’s best chance to do a Kapil dev. Hopefully he does what dada couldn’t in 2003.If not for India, at least for the little master blaster.
Like billion of Indians, ma heart is beating for Sachin Tendulkar. This is probably his last world cup match and surely he will give his skin out to add the cricketer’s most cherished cup to his countless trophies and imaginary records.
I am often annoyed by the ridiculous opinion that many have “Sachin shouldn’t score a ton. If he does, then India may lose the game” Cricket is a team sport, teams win or lose, not individuals. Take for example, the epic Chepauk Test against Pakistan where he battled unbearable back pain and still managed to score 136 runs or his 175 while chasing against the Aussies in Ahmadabad when he scored half the target. The other ten players could not cobble together the rest of the runs, but Tendulkar is still blamed for not winning it for India!!This is sick and totally ridiculous!!
It is said that, ‘you get what you deserve, not what you desire in life’. This could be so related to Tendulkar‘s case at the moment when he steps out to bat for the one last time in a world cup match tomorrow in his hometown. Maybe the Little Master might see his dream come true at last, by winning this time and thereby shutting all these sick opinions that people have about him.
Anything and everything has been said about this genius. He single handedly lifts the mood of this entire nation. He has been my biggest inspiration. His dedication and metal strength is unparallel and this was clearly seen during the last over in the world cup match against the proteas.
Sachin was standing on the third man boundary in the last over of the match when 19 runs were required by the Africans to complete a successful chase. Nehra had to bowl just six reasonable balls to win this game for India .What Sachin saw was four refined bad bowls bowled without any sense of focus, planning or regret. India loses - yet again, in situations when he has done just about everything right and this happened against the Englishmen too. He didn’t bark at Nehra or others. He didn’t do anything silly inside his hotel room and didn’t show any emotion too. Just kept his head down and left the field. He has seen it all over the past 22 years. And not just his teammates, family, friends, but the whole world has seen these failures. This is especially for those people who made fun of this great man again on the night India lost to South Africa.
Just watch out for him in the finals. I won’t be surprised if his tons of ton end up with the golden silverware on his hand.

An Eventful Night

2010-04-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

I don’t think Sourav Ganguly was wrong in saying ”God help their carrers”. Infact the knight riders justified his statement yesterday at chepauk.I always felt KKR has the best T20 players in the IPL. Having the destructive Gayle and Mccullum at the top with the smart Mathews and finest finisher David Hussey in the middle and the speed gun Shane Bond in their bowling department, I really don’t know how come they are losing so consistently. But the thing which is disappointing me so much is that they are losing despite of having one of the all time greats in the Odi format and India’s most successful captain Sourav Ganguly.

Coming to yesterday's match. neither Ganguly' s harsh words nor SRK's absence was able to fire the knights to play some better cricket.As Ganguly himself said, they were yet again totally rubbish at Chepauk. I felt that the match was over in the very first four overs of the day when KKR lost 4 wickets. The most saddest thing is that I was there at chepauk witnessing KKR(The team which I am supporting from the first edition of IPL) crumble like pins. I went there hoping for a another match wining innings from the Prince of Kolkata himself. But he was unfortunately given out for a wrong LBW decision ,as the replay clearly shows that the ball was missing the leg stump. When I came to know about this from my sister who smsed me , I felt that Muralidaran and Jakati would have been the most relieved men .I still remember the 1999 world cup match against the srilanka( which is often telecasted in starcricket) in which Dada smashed muralidaran all over the park to get his highest odi score of 183. It was one of the deadliest nightmares for Muralidaran.

But even after the disappointing performance from KKR , there were three thing which brought some smile on my face.

1 Before the start of the match, when I was heading towards the stadium with my cousins in our car, the KKR team bus went past us and I saw Manoj Tiwary and abdulla quite closely. It all happened in a second when we heard the loud noise of a police car and many policemen shouting at the car drivers( including ours)and the people nearby to make way for the KKR to enter the MAC stadium.

2 After the match,when we left the stadium,we saw one of Chennai’s best playback singer Chinmayee at the entrance of the pavillion gate. And I even took a pic with her and I will try to upload it in the coming days.

3 This one ,is probably the best of all, and this incident took place after the chinmayee’s ,when we were heading towards our car. In order to avoid any further comment on KKR from my cousins( they all r big big Csk fans), I increased my speed and walked ahead of them, when I saw someone going slowly in a Innova car. The next moment I ran towards the car and fortunately it stopped(probably because of my loud shouts). All Innova cars are big but this one was gigantic and special as one of India’s best percussionist Sivamani was inside. Being so humble, he gave his autograph and we chatted with him for five to ten minutes. We even had photos with him, but unfortunately due to bad light, it wasn’t clear. When one my cousins asked about Csk’s performance he said ”nallavella namba manathai kappatinannga” in a typical Chennai language.And he wished us a Happy Tamil New Year. It was a memorable night and in those delightful 10 to 15 minutes with Sivamani, I breathed some air of happiness after all those agony in the stadium.

Overall, it was an eventful day and I enjoyed the climax part of it. As far as KKR is concerned, they have to lift themselves up and play some good cricket in the next two matches. Eventhough KKR hasn’t qualified for the next stage in the IPL so far, I am still going to support them as Dada is still there. I hope Dada would continue as captain for the next season and change the fortunes.
You love him or you hate him, but you cant ignore him. i am sure he will bounce back in future as he is a man "WHO NEVER QUITS"...

First VTV and then DADA....

2010-04-01T23:22:00.000-07:00

After the stupendous success of the film Vaaranam Aayiram starring Surya, Gautham Vasudev Menon is back with his best. Being a BIG BIG fan of gautham, i watched the movie VTV with my friends at sathyam this afternoon. I know that it was too late but I guess it was the perfect start for this long summer ahead. VTV is a beautiful romantic film and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every part of the film. The film was pleasant and the feel of VTV is still alive in me. More importantly, the film was realistic with dialogues straight from the heart. The picturerisation was fantastic and the beauty of kerala was superbly captured.

These days in all lromantic movies, the feeling of love is not at all portrayed .They just show a girl and how she falls in love with a guy and immediatly a villan arrives, some kutthu songs(just to get the audience alive), and some stupid fight at the climax and all nonsense which are totally irrelevant to the movie. But VTV is a classical love film with frames only to simbu and trisha to picturize their love towards each other. And the chemistry between simbu and trisha was as good as suriya and sammera in Vaaranam Aayiram( or may be better for some people)..Trisha was eye catching in her sareers and was apt for the role Jessie.And Simbu after
all his funny style of acting with some stupid punch dialogues( trying to do a rajini) was pleasant and most importantly watchable in this movie as karthik.

Arr needs no mention and his innovation is just gettingbetter and better. The song “Aoromale” was just an example and it was beautifully captured. The background score was brilliant, but I still feel
"Bombay","Roja","Muthu","Iruvar","Minsara Kanavu",Rang de Basanthi" are some of his best musical album till date. The gautham –ARR combo was fantastic and will surely get better and better in future.

With a breezy love story in the afternoon and a wonderful knock from the PRINCE OF KOLKATA himself to finish off the day, I guess I had kicked off the summer on a high.It was once again so pleasing to watch ganguly murdering the left arm spinners(this time, it was ohja) and playing those elegant shots on the offside.And i just cant wait to see him play at Chepauk on april 13th.

VTV is a must watch film and it has created a new dimension for love and it has come from none other than GAUTHAM VASUDEV MENON, once again. And now I am going to hit my bed with the stills of
VTV still alive in me.

My First Poem

2009-09-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hii guys.. its been ages since I came up with a post.. very sorry for that..i was dam busy with school, exams.etc.. coming to this post..its a small poem, I actually wrote this for my English home work. This is my first poem, so guys be honest in ur comments,
here its is...

The moon in the night
Was twinkling bright
There ran a goat
woring his tattered Tattered coat
The goat hummed a whistle
And reached the lion’s castle
The goat saw the lion seated on a golden throne
A symbol of grandeur and splendor alone
The goat was as solid as a brick
But the glimpse of the lion made him sick
The lion thundered ”you will have to write my biography
And your handwriting should be as neat calligraphy”
The goat softly replied “my handwriting is the best
such that none can test.
Then the lion and goat had a bottle of wine
For some time
The goat left in a hurry
As not to become the lion’s curry
The next day, the goat started the work with full zeal
Even forgetting to take his own meal
Night by night, the work progressed faster and faster
And the lion’s face became happier and happier
6 months later, the work was completed
And the sales of book soar unabated
Sensing this opportunity, the goat went to the lion to make a deal
So that his economics wounds would heal
The lion thundered” hunger is fast approaching
So u may start disappearing”
Now days, the goat is reading quantum physics
And complex mechanics
To devise a plot to assassinate the lion and his subjects
who admire his prospects

TWILIGHT HAS FALLEN FOR THEM

2009-04-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

It is very hard to say good bye to the greats in the world of cricket especially, two of our greatest Indian players, Sourav Ganguly – The Prince of Kolkata and Anil Kumble – the Jumbo. I was very sober when these two giants of Indian cricket team bid adieu within fortnight in November 2008 against the Aussies.
Today, India is dominating the world of cricket. Thanks to Saurav Ganguly. I am a big fan of Sourav Ganguly and I loved the way he played his cricket. Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble are as different as they come. Kumble, a Banglore Engineer is full of dignity, calm and a kind of a responsible family man, while sourav from a royal family in bengal is full of aggression and a typical school guy, you would love to hang out.
A right arm leg break(a googly expert) and a graceful left hander may be a combination of contrasts, but kumble and ganguly shared the same desire to make India the number one in the cricketing world. The timing of their adieu is just perfect and cannot be questioned. The invincible aussies were laid to the pit and Indian cricket team had risen to the sky.
Kumble was often recognized as India’s greatest spinner and was later compared with Shane Warne– The Spin Wizard and Muttiah Muralidaran – The Off Spin Champion. It is very fortunate that Kumble was able to cope up with these critics and was able to finish his carrer with a memorable 619 test slaps in 132 matches at an incredible average of 29 with just Warne and Murali ahead of him and with 337 odi slaps in 271 matches.
A painful shoulder injury kept him out of action in 2001,when Harbhajan Singh rose as india’s lead spinner in the home ambush against the great men of Steve Waugh. Kumble, however returned tough as an individual and wrested the lead spinner responsibility. He continued his amazing job going even after being hurt for not considering him in the shorter format.
In the twilight of masterful performance and pathos, kumble brought up his first test ton against the Englishmen in 2007 at Lords. He was soon given the prestigious position of the Indian captain post 2007. The long drought of a win in Perth soon ended under kumble’s captaincy in 2008. It was also the period when ishant sharma–a fresh talented fast bowler breed from Delhi rose rapidly and often gave nightmares to ricky pointing.
Ganguly had similar start-stop to his career, after a sad tour to Australia in 1992, the Bengal tiger bounced back with a hundred on test debut at lords in 1996. There were many such comebacks in his 15 year career. At the end, he finished with 7212 runs in 113 matches.
Ganguly rose swiftly and along with Sachin Tendulkar, formed a formidable and dangerous opening pair in the odis, a format in which he excelled fabulously and also became evergreen champion with 1136 runs. In 2000, when Indian cricket fans was bombed by the match fixing scandal, Sourav handled the mantle of captaincy in an inspiring way and also helped Virender Sehwag, Zaheer khan and Yuvraj singh to blossom.He was the one who taught the indians the agreesive and attacking approach which has never been there for so many years.
Ganguly might have lost his shirt in a moment of delight in the balcony of Lords, but he never lost his passion and the hope of winning. It is this character which made him india’s most successful test captain with 21 victories in 49 matches.
Unfortunately his form deserted in his later stages as the captain and also lost him a place in the Indian squad after an argument with greg chappell- the man who deserted the Indian cricket team with an ugly attitude. Ganguly made another come back with a maiden ton in his home town and an inspiring double ton against the arch rival Pakistan. His come back series finished in a spectacular style with ganguly bagging the man of the series award against the arch rival Pakistan.
Kumble and ganguly might have had different attitude and would have played their game differently, but their commitments and their service to the Indian cricket are the same. In their retirement, Indian cricket has lost some of its gigantic pillars which can never be replaced.

WHEN SACHIN MET SACHIN

2009-04-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

It was worth every bit getting up early in the morning at 3 to watch the Master blaster smashing yet another ton. His 42nd ton and it was against the black caps. The way he batted to reach his 42nd ton and also during the odi series, seemed like he has hit the kind of patch he was on during the 2003 cricket world cup. The standard of bowling might have declined but in some ways Tendulkar might have gone better.

The master blaster might have lost his pure nature and bully strength a bit, but he has gained from his experience and his astuteness. He wasn’t at his best, but once he was given the amnesty when he was on 13, he turned it into no win situation for the bowlers against him. The cuts, the glances, the straight-drives, the cover-drives which he smashed during the match and all through his career, no longer inspired the awe. His amazing uppercut is a booster to the game of cricket.

Tendulkar has mastered the game of cricket like rahman in music.He might have ranked 23rd in the all time best batsmen. But his masterful skills are distinctive. The stillness of his head, the position of his feet as sachin completes a drive is a spirit lifting sight. The passion for his batting and his everlasting hunger to score runs has been the key to his mounting success.

Given his masterful skills and sound technique, Tendulkar’s role in the Indian cricket team is very vital. The expectations are immense and it is fortunate that he is able to bear with it till now. This little master has been a great barrier for the Indian cricket team over the years.

It has always been a treat to watch this master bat along with the wall -Dravid and the off side god –Ganguly. The world’s best opening pair of Sachin and Sourav is being missed a lot especially die hard Indian fans like me. Sachin’s match winning 98 in the epic wc 2003 against the arch rival Pakistan was an ideal gift was my 9th birthday. The upper cuts, the glorious drives and his unmatchable leg glace which he smashed against the legend Wasin Akram left me in awe.

Tendulkar romances injuries and lived fully with it during the starting of a disgusting era of greg chappell(slippers) greg chappell’s unhealthy idea of pushing this legend to bat at 4 in the odis was the main reason for the drop of sachin’s form.

Cricket might have thrown some worthless records. But 100 international centuries is not one of them. it is well alive on the hands of sachin tendulkar, if he plays for the next few years without romancing any injuries.

The mix of fresh breeds and sachin in the odi team is doing exceptionally well and they are playing with a lot of passion and unselfishness. It is this character that has proved to be India’s main strength in winning more and more matches. And with a positive and cool captain like Dhoni, who backs his players, there is every indication that India will get to the top of the ICC rankings in the very following year.

MUSIC WHICH NO LONGER STIMULATED THE AWE

2009-03-22T00:21:00.000-07:00

The clock struck 9 am on 23rd February,I was sitting like an effigy with my eyes fixed on the TV, with Divya(my sister) and Giri Prasanna(my best friend) around me. It was a moment which every Indian across the globe had been waiting for.It was the moment when the world was conquered by an Indian. It was the moment when everyone born in this world, from rich to poor, stood up to applaud the Mozart of Madras. It was the moment when the beloved golden oscar statuette became the worldwide recognition for A R RAHMAN’S SUPREME TALENT.

The sculpture was for his background score in the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire and for the sound track "Jai ho" which kept running on the lips of every man.There were lots of criticism that “Jai ho” wasn’t his best work. Was it better than the inspiring “Vande Matharam” or his sensational "Pray For My Brother" or his invigorating "Rang De Basanthi" or his marvellous tracks which he has produced over the years including Iruvar,Roja,Duet,Jillendru Oru Kaadhal,Jeans,Dil se,Jodha Akbar and many more…?. For me and all huge A R Rahman fanatic out there,”Jai ho” was just an ordinary number. It cant ever be his greatest work.

His chartbusters are immense and every number is exceptional in it’s own way The strains from the veena and flute in the awe-inspiring melodious track of Bombay theme, has the stamp of greatness and festooned the influence of the cosmic knowledge in music
that Rahman possessed. The leo coffee advertisement was just an example.

THE INSPIRING COMBO

Even now I don’t know how to thank Maniratnam sir for the supreme gift that he offered to the world,especially to the music addicts like me. It was him who intoduced this music idol- A R Rahman to the world of cine and it was Rahman who then took the Kollywood to the Eiffel tower.

In 1992, Rahman’s national film winning music Roja,was a revelation. Suddenly every one’s ears was tuned into the fresh charm of "chinna chinna aasai",the sweet voice from "pudhu vellai maalai" which took the listeners to the snow mountain and the king of melodious "kadhal rojave" which made the listeners in blush. The song "thamizha thamizha" also marked the birth of the legendary singer Hariharan When ever, Manirathnam-Rahman set to work together, people knew that a Diwali is on their way,whether it be Bombay or Iruvar or Guru.At the end of it all,Rahman's music left the listeners in awe.

Rahman has mastered the use of technology. he has not just produced massive captivating melodies including kanniku mai azhaghu, munbe va, sahana saral,minnale,paachai nerame……..but also numbers which brought fresh atmosphere in the field of music. Taxi taxi was just an example. it was chanted like a mantra by the youngsters.

A r rahman did a Sourav Ganguly in music. Like Ganguly he was also a master in bringing fresh breed to his studio. Be it a Hindustani musician, a Western classical expert or a young Carnatic musician, if he thinks he or she will suit the voice he expected,it will surely be right. Ennavale ennavale sung by Unnikrishnan was just an example.The song didn’t just give Unnikrishnan the way into the field of music but it also fetched him a national award.

A r rahman has not just worked with the youngsters like karthik, naresh iyer, chinamayee ……but also with legends including the veteran singer p suseela Not astonishingly, even the legendary music composer m.s.vishwanathan fervently sung a song for rahman in his film sangamam.

“He gives singers a lot of liberty,He would ask us to improvise and sing the same line in as many ways as possible. But finally, he would have made you sing it the way he wanted it. He is extremely efficient when it comes to making singers deliver,” was once said by the legendary SPB when asked about a r rahman in an cnnibn interview. SPB has given thousands of sparkling numbers over the years. But when a singer of his caliber, one of the paramount playback singers ever, sings for Rahman, it can only get even more special and memorable. "Kadhal rojave" was just an example.

WORDS THAT KISSED ME

The words “There is a Hindi dialogue ‘mere pass ma hai’ which means “even if I have got nothing I have my mother here”. I want to thank her for coming all the way to support me.”which he spoke after receiving the Oscars, inspired me. He is not just an extraordinary music composer but also a true son for a mother. He further inspired me to the core with his words “Ella pughalum iraivanuke (All glory and fame is to God)" which he spoke in front of enormous crowd of oscar lovers who wouldn’t have even known that a language called tamil existed. Every Indian especially tamilians like me across the world would have really been proud.

Rahman thus, emerges as a magician who could even treat an ill person with his mellifluous music.Even after receiving massive number of awards Rahman is still the same.He has changed not even a bit and I am sure he will never ever will. This is why everyone across the globe envies him and inspires each and every part of him. I am one of them too. At the end of it all, his music no longer stimulated the awe. With Rahman having conquered achievements that many fans like me dreamt of, there is only one more thing to look forward to, a lot more of his music

Ella pughalum rahamanke(all glory and fame is to rahman)

LET YOUR MASTER PIECE CONTINUE….....

A SUMMER TO CHERISH

2009-03-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

Yep!!! Last summer was something which I would cherish for ever. Summer holidays bring delight and excitement on the faces of school students. But its just opposite in my case. It used to be an awful disease for me. But it all got changed during last summer when a powerful medicine cured it. It was the spectacular extravaganza Of IPL.Actually Brendon mccullum's deadly storm in the inaugural match created the vogue in me for the IPL.I was fortunate that I went for 5 out of 7 IPL matches that were held in Chennai.It was like a get together for me and i enjoyed every moment of it. I was accompanied by mohan athimbher(uncle),sahana,shruthi,sneha(my sisters) and my close family friends, giri uncle and his wife.
The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible and its tough to get it elsewhere.The dance and cheers which roared every moment during the match were amazing.The cheerleaders entertained the crowds in their own way, even though it wasn't too appealing for me.I still remember those funny steps that I danced with one of my friends(I guess it was a friend of giri uncle) It wasn’t really a dance.I made those steps out of wild madness.
I also remember the beats scored by sivamani before the start of every match.I think in almost every match,he started off with the rocking beats of oruvan oruvan(from the film muthu composed by music genius A R RAHMAN).He made this mega event even more special.His presence got the crowd alive.The music played there was exceptional as it was all rahman’s. The mellifluous music gave me joy,happiness and even freshened me..Those soft buns, yummy sandwich, cold ice creams and chocolates(dairy milk) which I tasted during the match drove me to the stadium again and again.Sixers and fours travelled like unguided missiles all over the park.I still remember that gigantic six of morkel which flew like a rocket over my head..That was huge,it all most disappeared out of the stadium.
IPL is full of glitz and glamour and I am eagerly waiting for the IPL2.I hope it would be bigger and also hope to see big stars turn up for this season.I would be on cloud 99999999999999........if Rahman or Rajini or Kamal make an appearance.I know i am expecting too much.

comments and suggestions are always welcome.
cheers
vishal