Jan 29, 2008

A game of Polo in the cozy winters of Kolkata

Every year, just before Christmas is the time for the Kolkata Polo Season. This time in December 2007, it was jointly organised by the Fort William Polo Club and the 144 year old Calcutta Polo Club at the very famous Pat Williamson Grounds,which is at the centre of the Race course.
It was my first time to a Polo match and that itself was thrilling.
We went on 3 different days and watched 5 games.
It was definitely a great experience. The mid afternoon during winter seemed like we were transported to a different land, with the hazy light, clouds tryin hard to block the sunlight and especially with the Victoria memorial as a distant backdrop was truly enchanting.
The horses looked amazingly ready for the game with the Polo players and their mallets(the stick used to hit the ball).
The language of Polo includes Chukkas (the basic period of play... each chukka is seven and a half minutes long and there are four chukkas in each match), Handicap(comparative rating of polo players awarded by the Polo Association), Throw-in(The game is started with a throw-in where the ball is literally thrown in between the line-up teams by the umpires), and the usual penalties, fouls and goals....and it took me one whole game to understand it fully.







Jan 27, 2008

The R-Day Effect.

The 59th Republic Day of our country was celebrated yesterday.
With each passing year, the debate whether we should really have a parade showcasing our military might and power has only become larger.
But the point here, I think is that the R-Day parade is much more than just this.
Every year, the parade is one thing I've been watching regularly on the television since I was little, along with my grandfather explaining about it. It brings back old memories each time I watch it. I only wished the kids of today had the same kind of feeling towards our nation's pride. But unfortunately, it seems to be withering away.
The other thing the I felt was that this was one such days in a year that our nation and more importantly,our news channels remember the unsung heroes of our armed forces. There is a huge coverage on the heroes and martyrs who have given their lives fighting terrorism and insurgency. But unfortunately it is restricted to only a select few days in a year that they are remembered, whereas there are officers and jawans living in unimaginable conditions, away from their families fighting each day against the weather and the enemy, laying down lives every other day. But how much of it is covered and shown to the public is anybody's guess.
The media is not to be blamed wholly because they show what the people want to see.
The basic problem lies in the very attitude of our people. We'd rather see an interesting story about our favourite Bollywood star or discuss about the strategy of the next day's game of cricket or the mindgames of a certain cricketer.
Like my best friend often says... "Weird are the ways of the world".

Happy Republic Day to everyone.

Jan 25, 2008

Super Confident Novak

This match was definitely something I've been waiting for, like many have.
But the great tennis which we wished to see eventualy knocked out Federer.
The world number 1 surely had an opponent who came to the courts to execute the game plan he had.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic defeated the Swiss in straight sets 5-7, 3-6, 6-7, leaving the crowd shocked.
Yesterday, world no.2 and today, world no.1 were sent home,by the new kids on the block.
The confidence that Djokovic had and being able to convert the tie breaker in his favour in a pressure situation says a lot about our new champion in the making.
The finals on Sunday will see the unseeded Tsonga and the 3rd seeded Djokovic fighting it out for the title.
Looks like one interesting contest.

Jan 24, 2008

The Tsonga Song

The Nadal and Tsonga semi-finals in Australian Open was the highlight of today's games. World No.2 Rafael Nadal must have felt it would be an easy match against the unseeded French opponent. But little did he know, that Tsonga would defeat him in straight sets to clinch his place in the finals.
What a match that was!
The Spaniard played very well but Tsonga looked like he was there on a mission. It was breathtaking, with the game of tennis emerging as the clear winner.
Looking forward to the finals where he will have to face either World No.1 Roger Federer or Serbian 3rd seed Novak Djokovic.
Today's afternoon was very well spent. :)

Jan 22, 2008

Just finished reading the book "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.
I think I must be one of the last persons to have read it, because almost everyone I met in the last couple of days have read it and enjoyed it. Better late than never. :)
When my close friend recommended this book, I didn't expect it to be this good...honestly.
The compelling way of his narration and the story itself is so gripping. I just couldn't put the book down. One feels for every character in the book...makes for a wonderful read.

Jan 21, 2008

Mayapur, Perth and Vintage cars!!

On Saturday morning, we decided we would go to Mayapur, about 110km from Kolkata. Mayapur is the place where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,who was part of the very famous Bhakti Movement,was born and is also where the world headquarters of ISKCON is situated.



The 110km distance took us about 4 hours to drive...the roads were pathetic, considering it is such an important destination for people around the world. The place there was packed to the last inch of available space, and pretty understandable because weekends here are like that and one better get used to it. It becomes very difficult to maintain a place that huge when the crowds swell in number, and all it requires is that the devotees are more conscious of the place they are in and realise its sanctity.

The Sanctum Sanctorum was the best part with the deities dressed in bright pink and looked splendid. It was definitely an experience to be rememebered for a long time in every sense.

Go here and here to find out more about Mayapur.

And then, the best thing that happened that day was the superb win against the Aussies at Perth, wrapping up the test in 4 days. Cheers to our Team India and especially the ever-so humble Anil Kumble.



Sunday, the day we usually wake up late and laze around. But this Sunday was different.
The annual Vintage car rally in association with 'The Statesman' was organised at the Eastern Command stadium.
Hardly a few mins away from our home, we went there with a lot of eagerness.
More Information here.
The cars definitely stole the limelight with each one rich with its past, gleaming in the sun. One had to look at it over and over again to get the sense of how it must have in those days. Loved every minute of that experience. We spotted Cadillacs, Ford, Jaguars, Austins...and even a few bikes from the past.The proud owners of these beauties were more than delighted to show-off their cars. The stadium was full of car enthusiasts and people who just wanted a slice of history.

What a lovely way to spend a beautiful Sunday morning!!




Jan 18, 2008

Not so 'Welcome'!!

I wonder why the movie 'Welcome' was even made in the first place.
After having had a treat yesterday, watching the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream", I don't even know why we ended up watching this movie. Since this movie was shown in our Campus Auditorium, we decided to go, expecting a light hearted comedy, of course not expecting any logic. But it was even worse giving me a severe headache. The plot being dragged on and on for no reason. One of the worst movies I've seen in the recent past.

A Dream No Less!!

It was a completely different experience that I had yesterday when I went to watch the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream"by Tim Supple presented by The British Council at the Kala Mandir in Kolkata.

When I had told a few friends of mine in Bangalore,that I was going to watch this play, they had mixed reactions...warning me of boredom. But I was determined to go ahead with my plans.
The magic of it, the energy and the sheer canvas blew me away.
Firstly the play being multi-lingual,we took some time to adjust to their way of story telling, but in a few minutes one is totally glued to the performances with traditional Indian dances, Indian music and beats and even incorporating martial arts. Their agile and athlete bodies helped them perform superb acrobatics which leaves one wanting for more.
With a couple of international actors, the rest of the cast were Indians and Sri Lankans speaking Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, Sinhala,Hindi, English and a little bit of Sanskrit.
The live orchestra with three musicians added that perfect touch.

My personal favourite was Mr. Joy Fernandes playing the character Nick Bottom with his humour and Mr. Ajay Kumar playing Puck who was at his wicked best.

The creativity and the performances,the set, the music...just about everything makes this play very special. Its definitely enchanting whether one can understand or not, mainly the play being multi-lingual.
Cheers to Mr. Tim Supple for giving us such a colourful, interesting and beautiful play!!

Jan 15, 2008

'Dreamz Unlimited'

I'm not sure how many of us remember dreams...but I'm one of those who remembers it very rarely. But I have realised that in the past couple of weeks I have been able to remember one particular kind of dream.
Since 25th December, I've been getting frequent dreams about my grandfather,who passed away in 2004. I am more than glad that he keeps visiting me in my dreams, but what I dont understand is those are the only ones I remember quite well, sometimes, even the conversations we have.
Infact, I've always been extremely close to him throughout, and when he passed away, it was very difficult for me to come to terms with it, and I know, I haven't still.
My husband says dreams have a deeper meaning and have to be interpreted properly.
I dont know how and I dont know what my dreams mean, but one thing is for sure, I feel happier that atleast I get to see him in my dreams and remember it.

Jan 14, 2008

'Growth'

An article in one of the most respected National dailies has made us think about the way we perceive 'Economic Growth' (Click here to read ). Every nation and just about everyone thinks of growth, and we have always felt that 'Growth' can do wonders to a country and to a person. But, had we thought about it the way the writer does, for sure it would do us good in many ways.

'Left' stranded!!

Being in Kolkata would mean getting used to rallies...be it political, apolitical, for Rizwanur, for Taslima, or against Taslima, artisic freedom,by intellectuals or non-intellectuals, for Nandigram, for singur, against Nano, against a flyover, for water...just about anything and everything...
But, what happened yesterday was the mother of all rallies.

We had a hunch we would have a few traffic jams, but since we had to buy the 'all-so-impt' tickets for a play which was supposed to be real good, we thought we should be booking it in advance. We left our home in our car,just reached the main gate of our campus, only to see a sea of people walking with red flags and bus loads of people just about everywhere. Returning back definitely crossed our minds, but we decided against it and felt it would clear in a few minutes since we sighted a few policeman trying to help our car pass through the chaos. But, little did we know that that would be the last glimpse of a cop.

We managed a few feet, and then we were caught amidst haphazardly driven vans and buses. Thats when we decided we should indeed get back to our home...but it was too late. We were stuck. A few 100 metres away was another gate to our campus, so we thought we should be heading towards it and go home. But in vain, the few 100 metres looked like a mammoth task to tread...Not a single policeman in sight...no one to clear the chaotic traffic, no one to ask the buses to move which were parked along the road...and we had to just silently watch as the people were walking around with flags like there was no tomorrow. And all this in Kolkata's best 'Red Road'.
The taxis had a field day with their great manouvering,squeezing their yellow ambassadors into teeny weeny gaps between the vehicles, and each time they did, simply left us praying that nothing happens to our car.
The few hundred metres I was mentioning took us 'just' 2hrs to cover, and the very glimpse of our gate made us feel as if we had achieved something.

But this definitely made us wonder what would have happened to those who were very sick and needed immediate help, what about the ambulances that were stuck in the traffic...I'm talking about being stranded for 2 hrs to cover a distance of a couple of 100metres. Pathetic.

And, yeah, the rally was organised by the ruling party in the Maidan, with the CM being part of it, with a few lakhs attending from all over West Bengal,using buses meant for public transport for their own purposes, bringing the whole city to a grinding halt...
If the rulers of the state can be so indifferent to the common man's woes, who should we be complaining to?

Jan 11, 2008

NANO

Kudos to the TATAS!!

This is definitely a defining moment.
A 'Folks wagon' finally!!

Ever since, Mr. Tata had announced his ambitious plans for a one lakh car, there has been a spate of criticisms about how bad looking or how feasible the car would be...or even if its really going to be priced at just one lakh. And ever since its launch, people have been blaming it to be the one to create pollution and add to the traffic chaos on the existing 'pathetic' roads we have.

Cars have always been one big barrier between the haves and the havenots.I'm not saying that every Indian is going to buy this car, but atleast a long cherished dream for many Indians is going to come true.
Lets face the fact, that we Indians are basically emotional people...be it cricket or politics, we take decisions from the heart. This is one such thing.

How long do u expect a mediocre family to just travel on a scooter? Be it rain or the scorching heat,we have to make do with a raincoat n a helmet.
This is revolutionary by every which way.

Pollution and bad roads shouldn't stop one dreaming...lets look at how they can be overcome.

Aeroplanes have been contributing to enough pollution, but we cheer when one super rich businessman gifts his spouse a Jet to celebrate 'whatever occasion'. Celebrities take pride in owning a private jet, what are they doing about environment pollution? One eminent director simply burns his lavish set down,contributing enough CO to the atmosphere,so that he can claim insurance.

Whats the Government doing to improve our country's infrastructure?

Instead of tackling these issues,we are targetting the Tatas 'Nano' which is for sure fulfilling some man's dream in some remote town.

Why do we have double standards in every single thing and every single issue in this country?
Why should people jump the gun and criticise something when they dont have full knowledge about the product. The car is going to roll out by the year end, and we will know exactly what the Tatas have to offer.
Until then, I think we have a winner here.

I salute Mr.Ratan Tata for dreaming and dreaming big!!