All Hail ‘Team India’–The team that finally won..

Raina and Jadeja Thrilled after a wicket

Finally.., after almost a couple of months, Indian fans tasted a victory. The Indian team gifted us a victory in rather a sheepish manner. As it is said, ‘One win is all it takes.. !!”, will this win silent the debate about Dhoni’s Captaincy.. ?? I guess so. I also guess not. Well.. Before you make an opinion, let me mind you that I am not bashing the team now. I am ardent fan of team India, it doesn’t matter whether they win or not.

Credit goes to fielders and Dhoni for an awesome display of athleticism on the field and a good keeping after a long time by Dhoni. Rohit Sharma and Jadeja excelled on the ground with their fielding and give the fans a ray of hope to expect a win in couple of matches at least during the coming Tri-Series with Oz and Lankans.

Dhoni – all beaming during the presentation showers all the praises towards the fielders “The Best fielding side I ve seen” he says.. well he is true for a reason. Kohli, Jadeja, Raina, Rohit Sharma displayed absolute excellence on the field committing no mistakes today.

Jadeja Congratulated after Running out George Bailey

Man of the Match.. awarded to Jadeja.. couldn’t understand why the commentator said it is going to be a controversial decision when he really deserves that better than anyone on the field today.

But, I wish the debate about the pitches in India, composition of team and search for fast bowlers in the country should go on. There are many factors that led to the recent test debacle of the team. IPL, over dependence on the senior clout, inefficiency of the bowlers to take 20 wickets – the main characteristic needed to win test matches. Let the intellectuals pour their thoughts into these, debate among them, come up with a solution and implement it before the senior clout phases out of the team leaving rest of the team clueless when they play abroad.

Till then.., we just enjoy this win to the fullest and debate on the test debacle.. who knows .. the next one may be as soon as possible .. or as late as never.. .. what say folks ??

Photos Courtesy: espncricinfo.com

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Let the ‘Taj’ Collapse.. !!!

In the wake of the reports that say Taj doesn’t last for more than five years.., I wish the Taj collapses before that. Yes.. I may sound weird and attract bricks and bats from you people.. but I wish the Taj Collapses.

Well.. the Taj has been the symbol of love, pride of the nation for so long that even I feel the monument is tired of keeping us, Indians on the top, when we do not actually deserve it. The alarm was raised long back and the people, government, activists everyone had a sore eye on the monument till date, and we react and protest now when there is no chance of bringing it back to life and guarantee it another life period extension. So, I do wish the Taj Collapse.

As soon as the alarm is raised, ASI team has assembled in the rear of the monument only to release a press note that states that there is no danger to the monument in the near future. But, when we preserve something of that great importance and which personifies our national heritage, I assume that the government should at least have a knowledge of the monument, its construction and methods to extend its life period.

Polluted Water from the River Yamuna, collected and displayed by SaveYamuna.Org foundation.

Ironically, that didn’t happen till the recent past.

In 1987, a Unesco-backed experts committee of BM Feilden and P Beckmann noted with concern that there was remarkably little information about the foundations and the nature of the sub-soil.

"In a building of this supreme importance to the world cultural heritage, it is essential to have full knowledge of the foundations and the soil to assess the effect of possible changes in the sub-soil and water regimes such as industrial water extraction and the consequences of seismic activity," the committee's report said. (Times of India, 9 oct 2011).

This is the interest we do have in the great structure that resembles a nation’s heritage. Such an interest is commendable and for this, the nation needs to be punished. So, I do wish the Taj Collapse. The other factor for the monument’s deterioration is the pollution of river Yamuna. The wooden foundations of Taj Mahal needs to be wet with water of Yamuna all the time so as to stay strong and put. With the rise of Industrialization in and around Agra, Yamuna River is polluted to such an extent that the effect is now almost irreversible. Concerns have been raised so many times, for which the government and the industrial world turned a deaf ear and now everybody is ready to save the monument. Why don’t we react early? Why don’t we react when it is the time to. Why do we always react only after something happens.

May it be the 26/11 attacks or Kargil insurgency or bombings in Mumbai, we react only after they happen and yes.. that reaction stays alive for two days. When India wins another cricket match, everything is forgotten and shelved. They are brought down by the so called leaders and politicians only when they believe that it will serve their purpose of attracting votes.

Who is supposed to change here.? The politicians ? and I know it is foolish to expect them to change. well.. atleast in the near future. It is we, the people of India, youth.. who are hailed as the new face of India are supposed to change. Stand for what we want.. Stand for what we believe.. Stand for what we want to pass on to the next generations. Time to buckle up and save our national heritage and let the world believe that we changed. we changed for good. If the collapse of Taj is necessary to bring the change we want in the country,

I wish.. Let the Taj Collapse.. !!!

 

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Egypt Soccer Riot–Who to blame for ???

 

 

The riot that killed over 70 people and injured almost 1000 spectators is the hot sport topic of the world. Well.. I don’t want to give you a news about this event as all the news agencies have already covered it, but would like to see where sport is taking us and what command it has on an individual’s perception towards other team fans.

The fans of local Al-Masry team chasing the visiting Al-ahly team fans with knives and daggers, pelting stones towards them when they are crushed by nothing but a closed gate at the exit corridor doesn’t actually seem to be spontaneous, but a planned attack by whoever it is. The links of these riots will be dated back to an year where the military leader Hoshni Mubarak was brought down from power by the people and his supporters waiting for an opportunity to hit back at the protestors. I guess these riots have nothing to do with sport, but are elevated as a soccer riot by the media. A group of fans, “Ultras” blaming the police for letting the rivals attack them and promising to have their vengeance clearly indicates the political angle of this riots and the consequent protests at Tahrir Square made this a national problem.

‘Ultras who support Cairo's Al-Ahly and Zamalek clubs have long been bitter enemies of the police who wielded wide-ranging powers under Mubarak-era emergency law. The fans' anti-police songs, peppered with curses, usually go viral on the Internet, an expression of the hatred many Egyptians feel toward security forces.’ (Huffingtonpost News).

“A complete Crime” this is.. the parliament’s defense committee head Abbas Mekhimar says. And yeah.. I agree with him because a rampage targeting a group of people cannot be done instantaneously and over a spur of defeat. Whoever it is behind this, It can only be said that this riot has nothing to do with the sport though it has brought a malignant image to Soccer in Egypt and turns the world’s heads towards the country with yet another incident claiming 74 lives.

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