Game ON !

To be very honest, I'm loving this season of the Champions' League. Yes, Chelsea are out and that still hurts, but that now allows me to view the remainder of the competition as first and foremost a football fan. This year's edition has been the most exciting in several years! It seems that finally, the romance is back, and that the giants of Italian and German football are performing to their potential rather than meekly surrendering to the English and Spanish! The quarterfinals this time around feature only 1 Spanish side, Barcelona ( though arguably the best in the world ) and 2 English sides, Arsenal and Manchester United, along with 2 French, 1 Italian, 1 German and 1 Russian outfit. Granted Michel Platini's vision for European football aims to promote teams from other regions , the likes of Scotland, Portugal, Austria, Turkey reaching the quarterfinals, but this is at the very least a great first step!

I am loving the unpredictability of this tournament! Liverpool have been rank amateur all season and unlike in previous seasons where they struggled for 4th in the league but still prevailed in Europe, this year their European pedigree matched their Premiership pedigree! To be dumped out at the group stages is a scenario Benitez wouldn't have rehearsed for too often. Real Madrid succumbed in the last 16 to Lyon, scoring only once over 2 legs, inspite of the array of world-class attacking talent at their disposal, to go 2-1 down on aggregate. Madrid still need to gel as a team, and watching them play, you would agree that unlike in other teams, the stars in that side take away each others' space, rather than creating space for each other! Lyon were regular contenders at the last 16 a couple of years ago, but seemed to go downhill, losing ground not only in Europe but also domestically. With Bordeaux also in the quarters, the signs for French football are promising! Inter Milan dumped out Chelsea, though this tie might have turned out differently if Chelsea had taken their chances in the first leg or been lucky with a couple of penalty decisions in either leg. Either ways, one can't deny that Inter's performance at Stamford Bridge was superlative. They rugby tackled Drogba to oblivion, body-blocked every single shot on goal, broke the flow of the game, and in Sneijder, they had an in-form passing machine. Sneijder did not get possession often given how fractured play had become, but he seemed to find Milito and E'too at will as they ran and got behind the Chelsea back four. If Milito had timed his runs better and not been caught offside nearly 4-5 times, this match would've been over by the 60th minute. Before the tie, not many would've voted Inter as favourites to go through, but they did!

Last night, the surprises continued. Manchester United put in arguably their worst performance of the season against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. Their play lacked pace, their passing was horrible, and they couldn't keep the ball for more than 5 seconds. An early free kick and a slip by Demichelis gave them a fortunate lead, but Bayern pressed all night, and Van der Sar was kept busy throughout while Hans Jorg-Butt probably fell asleep at the other end. That said, Bayern's attack was hardly effective, and even though they passed the ball well, their final balls always seemed to go awry. That changed with a bit of luck from Ribery's free kick deflecting off Rooney into the back of the net. Rooney himself was a lonely figure, isolated up front with his midfield thoroughly outclassed all night! And 2 minutes into injury time, eerily reminiscent of the night at the Nou Camp in the 1999 Champions League final, Bayern righted a wrong and this time BROKE United hearts as Olic robbed Evra and shot past Van der Sar to make it 2-1. Truth be told, Van der Sar was probably the only United player on the pitch who played upto even half his usual ability. Shocking for a side in rich vein of form, having won their last 7. Bayern got little more than they deserved, but the 2nd leg at Old Trafford will still be a challenge. At the very least, Bayern have an equal chance now though, since United have no option but to look to score and settle the match early. But this Bayern side was without Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and both Ribery and Mario Gomes were carrying injuries. The return leg will feature a much stronger side that will be a whole lot more effective and innovative in attack! United have only themselves to blame for backing themselves into a hole, though most, including me, still believe they will get out of it! For now though, it's Game ON!

Updates

After another unplanned break, I'm back blogging, God knows for how long and how often, because to be honest, I'm tired of making promises that I can't keep!

Life's gone on well. 4th semester university exams are on the horizon and I'm spending the study holidays fruitfully by sleeping, eating, blogging (well, at least now I am), watching TV and in a couple of days, meeting up with old friends! The B.Tech syllabus might seem pointless to some but I thank it sincerely for providing me with at least one valuable trait : time management! Though in the conventional sense this might seem like a contradiction, given the earlier sentence, I've managed to understand exactly how much time (as a rough estimate) I require to efficiently cram my brain with knowledge I need for the short term, but which may not serve any long term benefit. I've always known that I have a threshold of suffering that I can endure when it comes to subjects that don't matter or subjects that I hate (usually the two go hand in hand), so all I had to do was know how long it takes me to fool my mind that I like those very subjects.....the answer comes to me as about a week at most! So that's why the plan to delay my 'study leave' till a week or so before the exam : Not much of a plan maybe, but it hasn't failed yet! As they say, when it isn't broken, why fix it?

Went to Ragam, NIT Calicut's Arts Festival a couple of days ago! It wasn't nearly as good as the last year's edition, and the paltry attendance was a testament to that fact! Most people had already left by the end of the 2nd day. I was meant to reach early on the morning of the 2nd day, but unfortunately my train got delayed by nearly 8 hours, stretching the usual 11 hour journey from Tvpm to Kozhikode to an unbearable 19 hours. By the time I reached, the 2nd days' events were already over, and so was my dream of taking part in roughly 8-9 events! I met up with some batchmates of mine : Rejul, Bilal, Preetish, Rohith and gang and joined them for the Naresh Iyer concert! Personally, I like his voice as a playback singer. His soft, almost childish tone suits a studio recorded song, but as a performer, I have to say he was disappointing. He was horribly off-pitch for most songs, he sang a lot of songs which were HORRIBLE for his voice : can't imagine WHY he took on DALER MEHNDI! His band was mediocre, his backup singer awful, and unfortunately that has to rate as the worst concert I've been to! I remember Benny Dayal being vocally average last year but he chose songs that suited his voice, and nothing he sang made me cringe! Can't say the same for poor Naresh though!

Took part in 2 quizzes the following day since those were the only events whose prelims hadn't already finished : as a consolation for the train delay, God handed me a 3rd in one of them, making up for the dismal 2nd day! Higher on Maiden, the tribute band to Iron Maiden that performed the last night, were in one word - AWESOME! They were simply outstanding : the drummer, the two leads, the bassist, and the vocals, all standouts but I guess the drummer and the vocalist stood out to me the most! The vocalist had a good, strong voice, awesome range and could scream well too.....and the drummer must've lost 5 kilos at the tempo at which he was playing! They missed out some really good songs, but besides their song selection, you couldn't fault anything else! They were so good that the screaming audience made them do an encore of 'Fear of the Dark' at the end! Perfect way to end Ragam and have some reason to return maybe the next year or in my final year!

Mountain out of a Molehill

The economic recession is blowing away from Indian shores the fastest, yet the Great Indian Thamasha draws more eyeballs than the strength of our financial system. Day after day, the stories get weirder and the disillusionment of the public with the political class and the media grows deeper!

Amitabh Bachchan attends the opening ceremony of an addtional line along the BWSL and the reverberations are apparently so huge that it receives front page coverage for the next four days. A man becomes the ambassador of a state and somehow is then perceived to be an ambassador for the ruling administration. Are these people serious? Do Congress workers have their faces jammed so far up the first family's a$$es that they need to manufacture an issue out of nothing to display their 'loyalty'? Manoj Tiwary, Congress spokesman, appears on every god-darned political debate claiming Bachchan made x number of demands to the BJP regarding his wife's political future, land for a film studio etc etc, and in this way was trying to arm-twist the Modi government to make his role as Ambassador a mutually beneficial one! If that is indeed the case, then why should the public give a rat's ass about it unless land is being sold illegally to Mr. Bachchan? And how does that amount to supporting Mr. Modi's role in the 2002 communal pogrom?

Attacking a national icon such as Mr. Bachchan on such flimsy ground is ludicrous. Whether he approves or disapproves of Mr. Modi, he shall never be idiotic enough to make a statement for or against him, when he knows that either public faith or his (alleged) wishlist with Modi will be held hostage to his statement. When his actions have so far not warranted any statement on his stand on the Modi government, why the sudden uproar? Are you going to ask every celebrity in this country now to declare his/her personal stand on every political issue when nothing they've done can be deemed by a rational human being as 'political'?

Being an ambassador to a state means promoting its culture, its heritage, its people : NOT its politicians! So unless the state government comes out with an ad promo featuring Bachchan alongside BJP stalwarts, praising the real and imaginary achievements of the government, how is this a 'political move'? Mr. Tiwary argues that it is Modi who appointed Bachchan as ambassador to the state, so there is political affiliation! But who shall appoint him the ambassador other than the Chief Minister of the state, genius? Do these people really take the common man to be a numbskull?

Yes, Modi is a criminal, and if the SIT is sincerely intent on investigating him, more power to them. Reports though, indicate otherwise, but I digress. That Narendra Modi is the worthiest candidate for the death penalty in this candidate is a fact agreeable to all other than the most ardent BJP supporters and Hindutva fanatics. So why is the Congress so thoughtlessly shooting itself in the foot by aiming for those around him? If anything, the Gujarat Chief Minister is a master at this game: painting himself as the 'development guru', the 'perennial victim', 'one of the people', and a soft target for the Government. He is none of the above, but the more the Congress tries to verbally assault him without thinking it through, the more believable these claims become. The BJP on the other hand, is probably grinning with glee because an incompetent Congress keeps handing issue after issue for the BJP to exploit and remain politically relevant even though their support base is shrinking and their leadership is inept. So now the BJP can also claim that appointing Bachchan as ambassador is yet a visionary decision by the great Narendra Modi, monument of Gujarati pride! It is a testament to a vibrant Gujarat, and a testament to the competence of the 'good ol' BJP' who have honored the people's trust in them!

It all sounds like the script of a badly written Priyadarshan comedy, but it irritates me that this tripe qualifies as news in this country! It happened a month ago with the Shiv Sena-Shahrukh Khan row in which the only real loser was the general public which was duped into going out in large numbers to watch an average film under the pretext of 'supporting freedom of expression'! Is it just me, or do all these episodes reek of that not-so-new fragrance 'eau de cheap publicity stunt'??

Farmers in Vidarbha are still dying, Operation Greenhunt is using criminal force against tribal people to crush the Maoist revolt, Delhiites are paying the bill for the CWG, terrorists are readying to cross the border, food prices are rising.....but this child-like banter between the two national parties over a promotional event is grabbing headlines. To all these people I say.....GROW UP YOU, MORONS!!!!

SOCIOPRENEUR : Be the Change You Want to See!

India is a country of great diversity, but as much as we may admire its varied heritage and culture, so too must we recognize the great complexity of the problems it faces. We live in a world riddled with contradictions : the wealth and prosperity of a few accompanies the destitution of many others. With poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and other social ails still staining our nation's report sheet of the past 60 years of independence, the time is ripe for society as a whole to heal its own wounds rather than merely implore local governments to tend to our every need.

Each of us has their conscience pricked by the articles in our daily newspaper! News of declining sex ratios, reports of farmers forced to take their own lives owing to the debts they are ultimately ensnared in, tales of young children brimming with immeasurable potential which remains forever untapped thanks to a state machinery incapable of supporting them : the outpouring of sympathy is all but natural! We dream of leaders and stalwarts who share our own sense of outrage and dismay at the issues we see plague our nation, but with the power and gumption to make a difference! Though our own moral base and skill set projected on another seem sufficient to help pioneer the social revolution we seek, why do so few of us listen to our own hearts to help realize the visions we often wax lyrical about? Why do we shrug them off as our dreams, rather than our responsibilities? Why are organisations such as Make a Difference and Help Age India the exception rather than the norm?

At Sociopreneur 2010, we challenge you to rise to the occasion for your fellow man as your conscience must have pleaded you to so often before. At IMA Hall on the 20th of January, 2010, will be conducted a social entrepreneurship competition unlike any other event held before in Kerala! Participants from across Kerala, and indeed, across the whole of South India shall present their blueprints for the India they envision, and the work to be done to attain it! IMA Hall shall be the breeding ground where participants nurture their plans for a sustainable social venture targetting a core problem whose solution,they feel, can be at hand! On the line will not only be the tag of being the ultimate "SOCIOPRENEUR", but also a cash prize of Rs. 10,000.

Participation is open to all Indian citizens, and participants may register in groups of upto 5 persons. Participants are expected to prepare a summary of their proposed social venture (not exceeding 600 words) and mail it to sociopreneur@technopreneur.in on or before the 10th of January, 2010 . Innovation as well as the social impact that the venture creates shall earn most points, while the financial sustainability of the project proposed will also be a factor in the final evaluation! An eminent panel of judges shall then shortlist the many entries received to obtain a list of 6 finalists, who will then participate in the final round at IMA Hall, Kochi, on the 20th of February. Each team will be allotted a sum total of 20 minutes to present their idea before the judges in the quest to earn the tag of the very first 'SOCIOPRENEUR(S)' !

For further details, readers are encouraged to visit the Sociopreneur home website. Participants can also contact the in-charges for the event :

Samir Madhavan - +919995116815 Joel Mathew - +919048546746

A Reason To Dream

It’s really astounding how movies have the power to mould your opinion, the power to give you hope, to make you experience love, joy, pain and suffering all in such equal measures within the space of an hour and a half. Most movies serve to stay in our minds only as long as their novelty doesn’t wear off. Yet there are a select few which stay in your mind and beg a revisit ever so often.

I watched “A Walk to Remember” again, probably for the third time, though I might have seen it about 4-5 times in small parts I guess. Romantic movies or romantic comedies don’t always fit into the top of my movie ratings, but when they’re done right, they usually tend to leave an impression. I’m guessing by this introduction that my opinion of this film has become quite apparent.

You might argue that the kind of bond that the 2 characters share in the movie is almost too good to be true. That the transformation of a rowdy arrogant and popular teen to a considerate, generous, thoughtful young man within not more than a few days is far-fetched if not entirely impossible. To some extent I could agree that perhaps the extent of their bond is slightly exaggerated, given that the movie world does not always mirror what we see in real life. It’s ridiculous to consider that ANY relationship could be as divine as portrayed in the movies. There are always ebbs and flows.

However, there are some things I do agree with. The fact that love forces you to change for the good, and that little else seems to matter much anymore. That sickness, even terminal, doesn’t change the way you feel or behave, but rather puts things in perspective, and only increases your desire to keep her happy for the rest of her life. And moving away from what the movie showed : the tendency to drift off into a daydream about her, all along experiencing an unearthly warmth in your heart that could possibly be the single greatest feeling known to man. The urge to pray for her with unwavering sincerity in their times of trouble, more than you do even for yourself in the darkest of times, and the conviction to let no harm fall upon her. How a single phone call/meeting seems to override everything else on your schedule for the day. Most importantly, the feeling that bringing a smile to that ONE person’s face would make your day, and at the end of your time, you’d know that at least one person‘s life in this world would‘ve been incomplete without you in it. My ideas on love are a strange combination of what I’ve seen, what I’ve felt, and what I believe. Whether what I’ve described is a crush, an infatuation or true love is a matter of conjecture, because I still can’t ascribe a word to it.

To me, personally, the concept of love itself is immortal. The pursuit of love and happiness go hand in hand, and it comes as naturally to us as the air we breathe. Growing up in this world is hard, and every year I find my own responsibilities and concerns bearing down harder upon my shoulders as the protective barrier of childhood slowly but surely evaporates with my foray into adulthood. The challenges, frustrations, trials and tribulations multiply, and I can only wonder how balanced my life will be once I’m a gainfully employed (God willing) tax paying citizen of this country. In the midst of all the chaos ahead, it’s comforting to believe that there is perhaps one person in that world outside whose companionship alone would make my mountains of worries seem like mole-hills. I believe because it makes me happy to think so. It makes my worries seem irrelevant. It bathes my entire outlook of life in rays of sunshine and hope. I believe life gives us more than one opportunity to find this person (whether deserved or not) who becomes a well of inner satisfaction for us, but it’s we who fail to often fail to recognize them in time. I pray everyday that I lift myself in the eyes of God by a fraction of an inch, hoping one day to have done enough to deserve the greatest gift that He can grant .