Sudipta's Life

If there is one sport in my mind, where it is simple non-stop adrenaline where one has to be both tough and skillful at the same time, it is football. No, I am not talking about American football here - neither do I want to call it "soccer" as that word seems to take away the glory from the sport. I would let John Cleese clarify this detail before I speak my own mind about football itself: I do have an appeal, however, to all the modern heroes of this game: please grow some balls and become men again. See, otherwise it becomes difficult to call you a hero. The strange thing is, when a child is growing up, the act of faking an injury never comes naturally to him. However, suddenly on the day when the school is playing another, or even just Class VII section A is playing section B, people start dropping left and right, writhing in agony. Tough guys who would easily take a blow from a hammer to their shin bone without showing the slightest pain suddenly become these pan...

In the old days, there used to be wars; fought with swords and daggers and hoarse battle-cries and men looking murderously at each other from horseback. These days, the action has shifted to the playground. Wars are still fought, on football and rugby fields amidst rain, snow and mud. The men still look at each other murderously, and the spectators still cry themselves hoarse in support of their team --- welcome to British rugby and soccer. We went to a football match between Hearts and Aberdeen some time ago, and it is an experience worth telling. Both these teams belong to the top Scottish division in soccer, and so the match promised at least a good game. It was scheduled to start at 3:00, and we went there to support Hearts!! (Direct dil se ;) Well, the real reason we were supporting Hearts was that three of our colleagues from Edinburgh (umm, not colleagues, really -- client system admin, client associate manager and project manager) were Hearts supporters. We met at 12:00 noon ...

Oh yes, cricket.... it is just one of those days when nothing seems to go right. Right from the time when Shaheed Afridi was 'bat'-tering anything that came within his reach, the body language had changed (or should I say, drooped?). And I must quote Javagal Srinath when he says that the Indian bowlers looked keen on saving runs than on taking wickets. I am sure the Ganguly faction is a teeny-weeny bit happy that the team is not performing without Ganguly, but I do personally think that his presence would have made no big difference. Maybe we would have lost the precious 33 runs of Dinesh Mongia as well. Ah... for sometime, no cricket, no bak-bak, no wasting my time on Saturday-Sundays... it feels good for a change, doesn't it?

This is the best equivocal comment I can manage; read on... How would it sound if I called your mother an old haggard waiting to kick the bucket, when she is really ill and has the signs of age telling upon her? How would it sound if I told you that your father is the worst bacchanalian creature to have crossed the earth when he returns home one day from work, very late and very drunk? Will you feel bad? Will it tell upon your daily work? Will you not want to slap me? YES!! Is it? Then consider this --- What did the Indian team lack before that it has now? If you can be impartial, you'd admit that it was the aggression, the fire that was lacking. If there has been one man who has been able to integrate the team into a really rocking team, if there has been one man who has been able to take the reins in his own hands and then mould a team from one of many stars but zero unity to one of full-throated strength and unity, it has been Sourav Ganguly. He has been the one who has brought ...

Oh yes, you have read about this one all right. Notwithstanding the huge expectations of a 3-0 whitewash, Inzamam-ul-Haq has played it right. As the commentators had been saying over some days, this series has been a test of character for both the teams. And although the series is drawn from which we can technically conclude that both the teams are as good, I personally feel that Pakistan have been able to step a few rungs up the ladder, and India have bowed down a little down the ladder to be able to meet midway and play to 1-1. I must say that Inzamam has done his job well, although in some cases it might have been done better. For example, when they were cruising along smoothly for the loss of just a couple of wickets, they could have stepped up the gas and accelerated the run-rate, so as to get another psychological blow on the Indians. Sometimes, as per the commentators, he should have brought some bowler into the attack and rested the other... and all that. But all is well that e...

Deep within the recesses of our mind are some fears... some deep-set fears about our self, or rather the image that we hold so dear to us as our own self. We dread those moments when our own identity is at stake, our own existence is at stake, and when you overcome this fear... you are the winner! What if I was asked to tell someone constantly that he is no good! You hammer that into his brain, so that every waking moment of his, he is reminded that he is impure, and that he is a living burden on the face of the earth? As far as I know, he will be shattered. And that is precisely what the ICC is doing! Even after being cleared by an official panel of ICC judges who pronounced him NOT GUILTY , some people still have their doubts... meaning they are above the ICC! These people cannot bear to see someone beating them at their own game, and so instead of fighting an even battle, they are trying to do it the other way. The next time Harbhajan steps into the field to bowl, he will be aware o...

What can you say about an umpire who is standing in his 100th test match? That it is unprecedented? That he must be the best? And that he enjoys his work? Well, some things are never healed. At least, if India had gone on to lose this test match, I would have voted him to be the culprit. I mean, you could make a horse case its tail in the gap that was there between Tendulkar's bat and the ball. I belive a fine of the match fee for teh umpire as well can be implemented atleast to bring back credibility in them. But since we have won, hee-hee... all is well that ends well. Frankly, I expected something of a 3-0 whitewash considering the relative team strengths. Anyway, I think we can settle for 2-0 as well.