tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85416807313927099882024-03-13T03:48:51.920-07:00ramblings---whateverabhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-55291053645021846452019-04-12T13:38:00.001-07:002019-04-12T13:38:39.549-07:00hello world<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
hello world</div>
abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-53665877209305434142014-08-21T17:15:00.000-07:002014-08-21T17:15:00.986-07:00One world one fight and yeah one global sport - FOOTBALL<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So the unthinkable for me has happened as far as sport is concerned. I never thought would come a day when I would extol the virtues of a FIFA football game more than that of a Cricketing contest. But it is not entirely my doing friends. With Dravid, Ponting, Lara, Sachin and Warnie gone and all the other greats of the 90s, what choice do I have to watch. And the performance that the team displayed in England this summer only reminds me as to why I have virtually stooped following cricket after Dravid retired back in 2012. But the point here is football.<br />
I have never really followed club football but did view the world cups and the Euro matches regularly. But this WC it was different. I suddenly realized that it was a truly global sport. For starters, the name of the players rang a different bell every now and again. Ii mean if it is cricket, it is either a watSON or a jonSON, a PieterSeN or an anderSON. It is really the commonwealth so there is not enough variety in the names to begin with. OK there is every once in a while a DeVilliers or a Kallis who may be of continental european ancestory. But those are really few and far in between. Now compare it to this galaxy - Suarez, Van Persie, Diouf, Rodriguez, Neymar (that sounds way too cool man), Di Maria, Honda and a lot of more Asian and African names. It suddenly makes you realize the diversity of our globe. The fans are sometimes called a little bit on the Hhooligan side but they know the merits of a team game. No? You ever saw a placard that read "Mmessi"? It is always "go Azzuri" or "Tiki Taka". My cousin pointed that right. I am no expert on Football by a long shot. I liked the excitement of the Dutch-Columbia encounter much more than any Cricketing fixture I had witnessed. Ok I did overstate it there. But yea, you get the point. So I want to know more about football now. More than I ever did and I am happy about that. So Never say never. </div>
abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-12162756574285304212014-05-15T08:40:00.002-07:002021-02-01T23:25:59.300-08:00The detective<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Prologue: Hello my dear readers!! This novel was being written way back and I am not sure about some of the writing elements here anymore. Sometimes its a little immature. But still, reminds one of their thinking pattern back in the day. So while being embarrased about it sometimes, I shall publish it. New one coming in soon!!</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The wallpaper at the back of the study had always amazed John with its mysterious symbols and a coiled serpent residing at the base of it. It was one of the many indulgences that his friend possessed to stimulate his ever alert and charged mind. It was some mystical philosophy from the east. Beside it lay the portrait of the deity of the Hare Krishna temple that had grown many chapters in the United States over the decades. To the untrained eye, the setting may have indicated the presence of a scholar of theology even if they were not able to see the Torah and the Old testament peeping out from the far-left shelf among many other scriptural texts that occupied that shelf amid a plethora of books in the room. But, comparative religion and spirituality and then synthesis from the same was just one of the many interests of his friend. He tend to gobble up any piece of "natural" knowledge that he liked to call it that he could lay his hands on. Thus anything related to geography, history, physics, medieval art, victorian sports, astronomy, astrology and a host of other topics could easily find way into his study provided it was sufficiently thought provoking and promised to stimulate the neurons of the occupant of the study. John had wondered many a times how so much volume of information did not run a riot of its own inside his brains.<br />
But at that moment he just waited with a mix of anticipation and boredom for his friend and flatmate to acknowledge his presence in the room. For someone who did not understand the setting, it would have come across as rude on his part to not engage with someone sitting on the other side of the table while xxxxxxxxx browsed through the pages on his screen seemingly oblivious of the trivial details of the mundane existence. But John knew better. "I pity the poor economist," opined the somewhat stoical voice of xxxxxxxx while his gaze was still fixed on the screen. "The macroeconomist in this case.," he completed his sentence. "What has fallen upon him as you say it," John tried to generate some interest in the conversation in hope of further engagement. "Ah, it is the honest spirit of contribution purely in work in this case. But his doubts that I decipher between the lines are unfounded," declared the grinning countenance as he turned his torso now to face John finally. "Am I supposed to understand any of it," John inquired more matter of factly than ever. "That depends on whether you are interested in anything of real import outside your banal practicalities," replied xxxxxxxx with an equal fervor. "And what if I did," John now appealed to know more without getting any further into the verbal charade. "Well, the lot of the Economists is a particularly interesting case. Please make no mistake as I identify a lot with their line of thinking and respect the work they do. However, almost all of them are beset with a deep sense of doubt and even mistrust regarding their own profession of years. They secretly question as to whether the work they do with so much fervor and ado is actually as meritorious in the real world. Of-course, it is a question beyond the grasp of a mojority of them even if they are discerning enough to raise the question in the first place. But let me clarify once and for all to you that their doubts are dumbfounded and people like John Maynard Keynes did not se on a wild goose's chase through their lives. But, yes this discipline is wrought with enough impostors as well to cast a spell of doubt on the profession in certain situations. But a practitioner who really devotes his time and thought towards the understandings of the complex market driven world which by the way is much easier today with the advent of the internet, is sure to stumble upon an axiom or two to find the beautiful patterns that lay covertly beneath the more mundane functionings of the markets. It was afterall a simple idea of unemployment versus production capabilities that drove the foundations of the most quoted macroeconomic theory of the last decade. That was the time of the great depression anyway. But let me not trouble you with a topic you clearly are not much energized by. What it is infact that you wish to tell me with so much eagerness anyhow," inquired xxxxxxx. That he had deciphered that John had wanted to discuss something peculiar with him had no more amazed John as such deductions formed a more trivial part around xxxxxxx. He would have arrived at it somehow he thought.<br />
Then John explained to him about his meeting with the Sheikh with some enthusiasm. "The real question here is whether or not vengeance leads to a gratification in the mind of the avenger. My experience and insight point to a place which states that the plan needs to be a little more elaborate than a crude extraction of revenge by the one going for it. It is really a matter of sealing an argument in essence between the parties," concluded the masterful xxxxxxx. John grasped a little bit of what had been said and was fairly satisfied with the response. Discussions with xxxxxxx were never bereft of substance after-all.</div>
abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-41534486030699802832014-05-15T07:13:00.001-07:002021-02-01T23:27:05.620-08:00the trans-atlantic adventure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">Prologue: Hello my dear readers!! This novel was being written way back and I am not sure about some of the writing elements here anymore. Sometimes its a little immature. But still, reminds one of their thinking pattern back in the day. So while being embarrassed about it sometimes, I shall publish it. New one coming in soon!! With new observations!!</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">chapter 1<br />
<br />
"Humse na ulajh ae zaalim, hamne har haal mein jeene ki kasam khayi hai, tera nadaan guroor na tujhe wahan le jayee ke jahan uski maut aaye hai", spelled the placard hanging above the desk of Musa Sheikh. The script on display was that of Urdu which was a derivation from Persian and Arabic. After trying in vain to resist the urge, John gave in and asked Musa: "So what does it mean the truism hanging over your head?". The Sheikh moved his neck with a visible strain on it and also the girth of his abdomen, although he did not particularly need to as he remembered every word of it. Just to absorb the essence, John thought. Well Mr John Baker, it is the essence of patience and renunciation. "How so?", John got more interested and inquisitive. "You have a keen interest and an innate curiosity", the Sheikh professed. "Ah you should meet my friend someday", shuddered John. "But the truism now", he completed his sentence. "Ok let me put it this way, have you watched Jack Reacher the movie. There is an instance in it where Reacher talks about a blind spot.", John's nod grew in amplitude as the dialogue progresses clearly hitting the spot in the feature film where the conversation had occurred. How could he not. This was the stuff that he lived by. And he really grasped the essence of the writing as well. Reacher had spoken about the run to the finish line. His station in life was that of a man with nothing to loose and ample skill. And ample intent to add to it. And his MO was the striking of the lightning when it was least expected. His disposition was to avoid confrontation but his dint was to outwit and out-race the adversary. He was ready to go to any length of time and rationale in a fight. And it was always going to be a losing battle for his opponent. He was in a way the destiny's instrument to bring the uncouth and arrogant aggressor to justice. And he believed in saving the mean-ness for the end. "A arrow once shot should hit the target and should need to fire just one for one." There was little more that the Sheikh explained to John on that one. "The real satisfaction in revenge is when you see fear, helplessness, worthlessness, weakness sans repentance in the eye of the perpetrator of the injustice when you brutally bring him to closure. And when your own eye is devoid of mercy. That brings the kind of terror that finds its place deeply etched in the wiring of the mind in an instant that would cripple him forever. My faith does not allow me to believe in rebirth but any practitioner of the law of reincarnation worth their salt would tell you that such impressions or samskaars would carry into their next lives", concluded the Sheikh. The passion and intensity that had lit the countenance of the otherwise dull Sheikh was an added confirmation to John that there was more to his story than was known to the gentry in the inner circles of San Francisco. "You make no attempt to conceal your deeply sinister vengeful thoughts," John could not help remark. "It is the wisdom and the burden at the same time Mr Baker, presses you with the melancholy but lifts you with its own freedom. Only if you have taken the hard yards that is. But remember, there needs to be the disguise of the fixed smile before the moment arrives.", the Sheikh retorted seemingly regaining his poise. After an extended second of awkwardness, John smiled and bid adieu eventually.<br />
"A conversation after his own heart. He would definitely find the Sheikh intriguing. Only that he would have a more balanced outlook and not be swayed by passion. He would rather synthesize something out of it for a more constructive result. But he would understand the sinister side of things nevertheless. I wonder how their conversation would flow if they ever met. Anyhow, I would make it a point to mention this rendezvous with him tonight.", thought Baker to himself. If it was bizarre that he had been reminded of his friend as he moved out of the house of the Sheik, it was only to the uninitiated. That was because the only man there could be to grasp the essence of the Sheikh's utterances through experience and then add some to it, it had to be John Baker's flatmate and somewhat kindred spirit of xxxxxxxx. The pragmatic side of John had successfully prevented him from wasting any time on deliberating whether what characterized his and xxxxxxx relationship was friendship in the conventional sense. But he knew that their thinking patterns were similar. They saw sense in the same stuff and the world made sense to them through each other's understanding. Of-course that was when xxxxxxx stooped to John's level of consciousness or that of the mundane world. John was closest to someone who understood the functioning of his brilliantly gifted mind. And also his eccentricities. He just grasped how the wiring worked and was able to actually marvel at it. And he thought the mundane world was the poorer for not deciphering that. Or he pitied the mundane world for it.<br />
<br />
menagerie<br />
<br />
chapter 2<br />
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The muzzled sounds of the fast pressing of the keys was interrupted only by the sharp loaded? sound of the "enter" key. He had always been one for a little bit of histrionics albeit much subtle. And he felt really charged at that point and hence every line of code that his being churned out was meted with a victorious thump of a key stroke. He knew the importance of each line's code. This was "functional" programming at its best and at the cutting edge. It was different from the mundane world of the PHPs and the Javas that ruled the regular programming world. It is so 90s he thought once in a while. He liked Scala and NodeJS. He liked the philosophy of it. Every line of code keyd-in punched in a lot more of essence and made him feel erudite and even creative sometimes. How many programmers could claim that he thought. But again, it was not about coding anymore he thought. He had conquered the crazy world of geeks and nerds way back in high-school with all the hackathons, p2p products that attracted users like a charm and ruling the IRC discussions of the geekiest kind. Part of his migrating to Europe from the flash of the life at the valley was his appreciation of the open source community towards the development of the programming IP. While the world relied on awesome products that were churned out in huge numbers from the garages or makeshift offices of the silicon valley entrepreneur or heck even NYC now, the real power that propelled them was with the technology stack he thought. And Europe fared much better in that regard. At least that was the impression he had from his time at the IRC. And he would give up on the dusty swathes of California any-day for the verdant scape of the trans-Atlantic continent. So he migrated to France to begin with and morphed into a pan-Europe being of some sort. His current "hideout" was amid the sharp backdrop of Eastern Europe.<br />
But he was not thinking programming at all now. He had done that long back and now it served as a means to an end. He had had enough of the "wow" moments in his life as a geek to have felt it grow banal. It was then that he had decided that he needed to influence and touch the lives of people more than anything else if he had to garner any sense of lasting achievement and professional happiness. The money that he would make in the process if he did would be an added incentive. He would bother about that only when he got it. He did not get inspired by the thoughts of accumulating bundles of cash. That for him was mundane and boring. The only thing that you would achieve with that was "Show-off" and manipulation at the hands of the "consumer economy" which was an idea he loathed with passion. He knew the import of financial independence but he had a lifetime left to achieve that. This was the period of his youthfulness. Well relatively speaking. This was the time for madness and energy. This was the time to form original ideas, be a rebel of sorts, have a spirit and form lasting memories of life. This was the time to feel the "LIFE" in his being. If the times spent at the IRC channel more than a decade back could satisfy him and lift up his spirits still, the more meaningful endeavor he had set on now should get him through the life on the satisfaction quotient he argued. The only thing that would be left would be health-care and a roof for his old-age he thought. A family would fit in somewhere as well if the fate intervened.<br />
And if at all he got overwhelmed with the world of computing someday, he could very well teach medieval history to pupils back in the United States. He had acquired a first hand knowledge of the facts from history by visiting those sites and had developed a passion for the same. He could feel the story of humankind unfold in his vision post the "Dark Ages" in continental Europe. He always thanked his gut for that whenever he had a chance. His well-wishers had posed all kinds of questions on his move. Even the ones who did not have a clue of their own lives. But many had appreciated his plan. Water under the bridge he thought now. A lot of his friends had made trips across the Atlantic and stayed with him through the years. It had started to feel intrusive sometimes of-late but he knew that was not the correct way to think about them. A bit of the "yank" flavor every now and then was just so good he mused. It was also a good reminder to him that he was to being with, always an American at heart. For all the accusation of materialism? and consumerism, leading a self gratifying life and caring less for the environment, he knew there was a deeper spirit at work in the regular American. It was the spirit of honest inquiry in life. If the philosophers of yonder in Greece had spent lifetimes understanding the mind and the greater questions that beset life, the thought leaders in America were doing a similar job through action. They seem earnest enough.<br />
And who in the world did not like the American Cheese Burger. The fact of the matter was that xxxxxxx had it all in him to make or do something that could shape the lives of people around him or even beyond. And he tried very hard to achieve that. And while he was pondering all of that, opened the door and in came yyyyyy. yyyyyyy had been a very calming influence on xxxxxxx. He could be the United Nations symbol for chaos.<br />
"Hey mate (yes he was an Aussie), looks like you could do with some food and I brought you the Pizza", murmured yyyyy in his strong voice quickly. The swiftness in his being from his walking speed to speech gave a hint to the onlooker of his being an Aussie. And the love for beer confirmed that. And his fluent English in that part of the world was what had made xxxxx's choice for a roommate easy.? "Ah, ya I was kinda starving really. Been up all night. And Ii survived on Coffee through it", explained the very American xxxxxx. "But looks like you ordered a truckload for your party and could not gobble it up. Giants like yourself."? yyyyyy was a member of the local Rugby team and looked the part. And they had had a party the previous night celebrating their victory over the local rival team. "yea, but its very eatable still. Ill put it in the oven. This is a fresh box and untouched," claimed yyyyyy. "Oh no no no worries, I'd do it myself," exclaimed xxxxxxx umping out of his chair. He had anyway done enough work in the past 12 hours to take an entire day off from work. "Thanks a ton mate. I cant go on without fuel and some distraction now as I used to back then,", reminisced xxxxxxx while he headed for the adjoining kitchen. How correct he was in saying that. There was a time back in the day when he could go on coding for days together with little else than short naps and some chips to go along with. He was more like a machine then. Now his brain had allowed compartments to develop inside of it with interfered with his thinking and yearned for acknowledgement from his being. Hence it was not possible for him now to sit inside of the same room doing the same stuff for more than say a stretch of twelve or fifteen hour. Obviously that was beyond the cognizance of yyyyy still but he was relieved that he did not encounter the earlier avatar lest he may die of amazement and embarrassment of his own more mortal concentration powers. Concentration of-course not relating to anything that is done indoors or more particularly while sitting on a desk. They were worlds apart in most of the sense but that worked out perfectly for them. And they were less self centered than average and it suited their goals in life to have a flatmate of that kind. It was not incorrect to say that they actually enjoyed each other's company more than the average guy they met.And they both were there for some purpose.<br />
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Chapter 3<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">His balance never ceases to amaze me", quipped Vaishnavi. Although he seems to hide one part of it well within himself. Jahanvi instantly knew who it was that he brilliant roommate was talking about. As a matter of fact, it was the noe popular character of Benedict Cumerbachs' Sherlock Holmes from the popular BBC TV series. That someone could be as inspired by a fictional character was beyond her cognition. But again such fiction was mostly inspired by real life, she thought to herself and retorted mischievously "like it were real". Oh you dont know replied V instantly. The original from sir Doyle was inspired by a man he knew from his days in medicine. Infact Doyle himself had a pretty distinguished career from being a army man who served in SF in the Boer Wars to a great writer and a first class cricketer and everything in between. Adding to all that she said "and you know he even had one of the funniest dismissals as a batsman you would imagine in first class cricket". google it. so this was the somewhat nerdy but cloyingly charming roommate Jahanvi had who she adored like a sister really. Part of how she felt a surge of gratitude towards Vaishnavi as she had helped her so much in their previous three years together as roommates. "By the way, what is the other side he has so adeptly hidden according to you" she tried to part fake her enthusiasm while also being a little interested " you know how he always tries to sell the idea that he was heartless and emotionless. Like when he told this Moriarty fellow that on the pool side" and the two friends chuckled.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">Thousands of miles away from the duo lay John fixing his gaze into the azure sky on the beautiful California shore. Life could not be any better thought the tech geek from Sydney. He had just sold an internet startup for a cool 5 million - not a killing by the valley standards - but hey, he could have gone bankrupt by a quirk of fate. So he the one who liked to play it safe in real life. Poker was different he thought. Every now and then, the thought that one of the most known and now admired tech entrepreneurs who was now a multi billionaire had actually discarded offers of buyout from Microsoft tried to throw him into confusion but he managed to be distracted from them most of the time. "he lived life "in the moment" and did not plan it. That he was one of the best "scala"/node-JS programmers in the world did not harm him much either. He could lead life on his own terms. To add to it, no one could ever blame him of being lazy. Unlike now, when the cool pacific breeze had seemed to cast a spell on him. "You know the ocean has a way of relaxing your mind", he philosophized with his mentor and friend David who lay in the adjoining mattress seemingly relaxed with his ray-ban limited edition on. "That is not exactly news to me mate", he sounded bored as he answered back. Yes, both of them were from Sydney, Australia. "Yea, that is not the point", John retorted. "The thing is why that is so". "Hmm I guess it makes the numerous thoughts inside of the mind get lost into the sound", David bemused. "Should be", chuckled J sipping his tropicana. Ever since the duo had sold a company they started with a sheer chance happening, their lives had turned around. They were career geeks, nerds if you may, in some scenarios. They were very good in what they did. However, they had not been astonishingly successful in the first 30 years of their lives. They were the quintessential underachievers. They were good programmers who had CS degrees from the prestigious university in the Bay area of California state. In-fact, that is where they had met when John was guided by David in his pursuit of becoming the most loved to hated hacker in the campus. They hit it off from the word go. Not because they were geeks. Everyone around was. But because both embodied the Aussie spirit to the tee. They loved the rules football and swore by Ricky Ponting, the best ever cricketer according to them. Well, they knew that was not quite true. But hey who cared for facts. Only the fact that they had Tropicana cans with them rather than Foster's could throw an onlooker into any kind of suspicion of their being Aussies. They had their own reasons to avoid alcohol. David had a liver condition that precluded him from consuming any amount of liquor. Infact, it could go malignant if he neglected his body his body had warned him. And he definitely wanted to live a long span. So he parted ways with alcohol one fine day. John on the other hand, did not want to be dependent on "substance" for a high in his life. He only had a tipple in say a business meeting or when it was absolutely critical. Quirky as it sounded to many, it instilled a certain discipline into his psyche which had part helped him in his success. He had slogged hard and with a single minded devotion in the previous three years to reach the point he was at and he valued it much. And he knew how much he had David to thank for it. David was the businessman to John's creative pursuits. David met the investors while John motivated the team and marketed his next generation wearable device to the junta. They were the perfect co-founders. And it was this very useful thought that had anchored in his mind when his cell rang. It was an unknown number from what looked like NYC to him.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">"Hello", John answered the phone in a somewhat professional manner unrepresentative of the sanguine mood he actually found himself into be. "Hey, can I peak to John Bracken; and this is Aaron Smith from Barnes securities and investment management from NYC". "You got me on this side, please tell me what I could do for you", said John. "Hi John, nice to be talking to you. Infact, my senior here in lower Manhattan would like to talk to you later in the day if that would be fine with you. It is a call regarding a business proposal we have for you that can be pretty lucrative for you," declared Bracken. It was a little unexpected for John to get a call from an investor of some kind and that too from the hallowed and tricky turf of New York city, Wall Street even he thought. What could they be talking about, he thought while asking for more elaboration on the subject to Aaron. "Well, we are a boutique investment bank operating from Manh and we have launched a program to fund fledgling companies like yourselves in the times to come", clarified Aaron. "But you are not exactly a VC fund or a PE house, so why bother with the internet and like", John queried even as he knew the answer in part. It was the next big innovation that the Wall Street smarties had thought of that Aaron presumed was being spoke about at that moment in time. With the success of tech-IPOs over the previous decade, it had become the latest strategy of these funds to catch them young. The idea was simple. Once a company became big enough to be caught in the PE/VC net, it was the seasoned investors that ran the show. That meant that if the company or the associated management ever ventured for an IPO, it ws always going to be one of the largest wall street banks that would run the show vis-a-vis an IPO like it had always been. The best these boutique shops would get was a chance to be a co-book-runner of some kind. But the guys who thought themselves to be smart enough thought they ought to get a better share in the world of innovation that the high-tech industry was. So they strategized to catch the good ones young in hopes that some would go for an IPO or even one could go for an IPO and that meant huge brokerage fee in the least and potentially the chance to stage a huge IPO that would help them propel into the scene across the board. And that was what was explained to John by Aaron eventually. "Aaron, I understand what you are talking about, but I would need to discuss it with my people here.", he spoke in a more relaxed manner now with the amusement of a somewhat seasoned entrepreneur . He had had such calls before and this was special as it was from the distant land of NYC. "No problem there my friend," Aaron tried to play it cool along the supposedly easy going tech circle gallery lines. It had the desired effect. "OK then, I'd get back to you mate," answered John and somewhat hurriedly disconnected the call. What had just happened got him thinking.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"> How in the good world did a banker from far-off NYC get to contact him when he had all but started his new venture. And this one was not even in one of the big boom areas of the future as the market predicted like the medical wearable devices. Or the automated agent arena which was the talk of the town. But it felt good to be recognized for his achievement nevertheless he thought. But the doer in him got all excited at that point and he discussed the whole thing with his minority stake-partner David. And in a flash, he was also on to his laptop researching about this boutique i-bank from the Wall street. And he figured out that it was actually a London based firm which also had a major WS presence. "So it is the POMs who are looking for me," he grinned at David showing him the screen. David glanced at the screen and retorted in a friendly tone, "Looking for us Oz folks </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">rather mate". And they both knew what they were talking about.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">"How did the call go Smith,", inquired Alan Jacques. "Well not much of a call this yet,", answered Aaron. "I hope they would call back sometime in the evening although," Aaron tried to sound more optimistic than average. " They better do that quickly," retorted Jacques angrily. He was not in the best of humor that day. To be fair, he was not most of the time anyway. It was an irony that he was the head of a division that warranted as much interaction with the outside world as the investment management division did. He sometimes gave an impression to be disinterested even. But probably that was exactly why he was as effective as he was as well. He was very good at the table of negotiations. He was a salesman who seemed more like a buyer. Did that always trick his clients into believing that they could loose out on a very lucrative deal. Was that art that he had mastered the secret sauce behind his lucrative career in Wall Street salesmanship. Those were the kind of thoughts that grappled Smith's mind while he was around Jacques. He had even admitted to being in awe of his boss among his friends sometimes even as he had joined the firm recently. " That guy reminds me of Lipperman, only angrier," he said in reference to a brilliant salesman they had read about in one of the bestsellers around the life at Wall Street. Aaron always had showed great commitment to work himself and that had led to a pretty successful career for him. " meanwhile, Ii would try to finalize the ppt for the investors from Berlin," he tried to divert the attention of Jacques. "Yeah, whatever with that", said Jacques making his irreverence for that part clear instantly. Assuming the conversation as over, Smith trudged out of the cabin. He did not mind the sudden lapse in attention from his boss as he knew the pressure that he faced that week and knew that it was not a personal assault by any means. As he walked out of the cabin, he reflected on his station in life then. There was every reason to believe that he had arrived. Having spent his childhood in a remote Texas town. He had a well paid job, a cabin and a Chauffeur driven ride. He spoke to the whos-who of the western business world and was many a times privy to much sensitive information that moved the market. With all that and a plush flat in a post district of the city, he could justify all the rigors of life of a professional in high finance in the Wall Street. The long hours he sped inside Italian made suits and the dreaded power point presentations that had stopped making sense a while back all seemed justified when he saw the smile on the faces of his two kids. There was more a addiction to power that drove the average guy in the street alright than a genuine feel for finesse but he had adjusted to such practicalities a long while back. And his family provided the much needed balance to him afterall. So he had every reason to be perfectly satisfied and even cheerful he thought. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">"Hello John and Dave in SF. This is Aaron facilitating the call from the NY office of --------. I have with me Mr Alan Jacques who is the head of the investment management arm, Mr Tim Ranker, our sales manager for the Asia Pacific markets and Sachin Ganguly from the research division. We know that this meeting is regarding an investmetnt proposal into your new company in the sports arena and we welcome you aboard for it," briefed Aaron pretty straightforwardly.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"> " Thanks Aaron and it is a pleasure for me and John here to be talking to you guys from NYC. I also have with me Mrs Nancy Lisbon who is a co-investor and helps us in pretty much everything we do as far as advisory goes. Now over to you to let us start the proceedings,", Dave concluded abruptly. "Sure thanks Dave and if I may give you a heads up on the things here. We have looked into the performance of your internet portal and the app and we like what we have seen there. It looks primed for success if handled nicely and this is where we think we can be more than a shot in the arm for you as sophisticated investors who can help you pull through the cycle of it," suggested Aaron in a more businesslike tenor.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"> " I am glad you liked our work Aaron and I agree with you there that we have a good thing at our hands here. You know it has really been fantastic even. So we would like to do the good work continued. And we would be interested to know as to how exactly we would need your guidance and help if I may ask," asked Dave suggesting that they meant business as well. So here was the game set for the two parties. The proverbial Dollar sharks at one end and the creative clients to be at the other tried to keep their respective leverage intact and at the same time tried to assess the position of the other side.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"> "Very well gentlemen and the fine lady out there. This may be a little bit involved for a conference call but I will try here as best as I can on this introductory call," stated Aaron while getting into the sales groove. "Look, you could get an investment for this thing from a lot of quarters and we are not even getting into the valuation and stuff here. We like to take the convertible note route anyway. Infact, I would be surprised if you may not have already heard from a couple of VCs already. But hey, we are not just a VC firm with money to offer. We infact are a full-fledged Wall Street bank knocking at your doorstep," Aaron pressed the histrionics a little bit. You imagine how often that happens. We are looking at the big picture that ends into the mother of all investment deals - a big Wall Street IPO. And that is where you guys want us in. You may have sold a neat company in the past But you need more than just good entrepreneurship for an IPO. And believe me, you may be sitting on a goldmine here. This thing has an IPO potential. You need contacts, mentorship, market timing and you need a marketing blitz at another level. And that is what we specialize in. Like here and now you know. So what do you think," asked Aaron after pressing the gas for a sharp sales pitch. But Dave was more than prepared with a quick response himself.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"> "Thanks Aaron for the update there. But in my opinion, you missed a thing about VCs there. They got contacts as well mate and they got the kind of contacts, skill and advise that make the difference for a tech startup. Enough to make them good to go for an IPO in the first place. So you know, one just does not need the money and IPO muscle. The skills that the investors bring if I may say are equally important. They need to bring the right kind of people on the board and the guy who could head our marketing division once the company starts to scale up. So I wonder as to what could justify your thinking that a good VC is doable without at such a crucial juncture in our journey if I may say so.", concluded Dave half knowing the answer.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"> " So I think we are getting somewhere now. We do not want you guys to loose out on anything. How would you reach an IPO stage otherwise really I must wonder. So hey, we have got with us here industry veterans who have seen it all in the tech circles. People who saw the dot com boom from a mile away and then bust firsthand back in the day. I am sure you guys would appreciate that kind of a pedigree. People who sat on the table with the founders of the p2p phenomenon and then the web2 pioneers. and everything in between and beyond really. So when I say you need to be assured you would not loose out on anything in bargain, you could take my good word for it.", Aaron seemed in full flow.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"> That was how the call continued for the next few minutes and then a tone was set for further discussions that seemed much certain to happen given the business opportunities for both the parties that lay ahead. Afterall, both the companies relied on innovation to survive in their respective fields. Product market was tough game. It was decided that they needed to meet face to face at a later point for a more involved discussion or assessment so to say. The meeting had served the purpose of getting the main stakeholders to acquaint with each other and assess their counter-parties' position as best as they could. At least both the parties felt that they had played their respective cards pretty well and had kept their cards close to their chest.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"> " I think they want us to be thankful already," remarked John with unusual sarcasm. Wall Street folks had a different appeal definitely. " They have a point I think afterall. It is a good opportunity to work with NY bankers.,"declared Nancy with a usual quietude. Well I see that you guys are pretty balanced at the opposite ends of the spectrum. And that is a good thing to have. We need to be smart and even circumspect. This is early stage investment we are talking about and it is tricky business as so much of the things are in future.," Dave summed. " I think we all made all the right noises. So far so good.," muttered John. "You dont like unsolicited advice, do you?", patted Dave on John's back as they moved out of the conference hall laughing.</span><br />
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The wallpaper at the back of the study had always amazed John with its mysterious symbols and a coiled serpent residing at the base of it. It was one of the many indulgences that his friend possessed to stimulate his ever alert and charged mind. It was some mystical philosophy from the east. Beside it lay the portrait of the deity of the Hare Krishna temple that had grown many chapters in the United States over the decades. To the untrained eye, the setting may have indicated the presence of a scholar of theology even if they were not able to see the Torah and the Old testament peeping out from the far-left shelf among many other scriptural texts that occupied that shelf amid a plethora of books in the room. But, comparative religion and spirituality and then synthesis from the same was just one of the many interests of his friend. He tend to gobble up any piece of "natural" knowledge that he liked to call it that he could lay his hands on. Thus anything related to geography, history, physics, medieval art, victorian sports, astronomy, astrology and a host of other topics could easily find way into his study provided it was sufficiently thought provoking and promised to stimulate the neurons of the occupant of the study. John had wondered many a times how so much volume of information did not run a riot of its own inside his brains.<br />
But at that moment he just waited with a mix of anticipation and boredom for his friend and flatmate to acknowledge his presence in the room. For someone who did not understand the setting, it would have come across as rude on his part to not engage with someone sitting on the other side of the table while xxxxxxxxx browsed through the pages on his screen seemingly oblivious of the trivial details of the mundane existence. But John knew better. "I pity the poor economist," opined the somewhat stoical voice of xxxxxxxx while his gaze was still fixed on the screen. "The macroeconomist in this case.," he completed his sentence. "What has fallen upon him as you say it," John tried to generate some interest in the conversation in hope of further engagement. "Ah, it is the honest spirit of contribution purely in work in this case. But his doubts that I decipher between the lines are unfounded," declared the grinning countenance as he turned his torso now to face John finally. "Am I supposed to understand any of it," John inquired more matter of factly than ever. "That depends on whether you are interested in anything of real import outside your banal practicalities," replied xxxxxxxx with an equal fervor. "And what if I did," John now appealed to know more without getting any further into the verbal charade. "Well, the lot of the Economists is a particularly interesting case. Please make no mistake as I identify a lot with their line of thinking and respect the work they do. However, almost all of them are beset with a deep sense of doubt and even mistrust regarding their own profession of years. They secretly question as to whether the work they do with so much fervor and ado is actually as meritorious in the real world. Of-course, it is a question beyond the grasp of a mojority of them even if they are discerning enough to raise the question in the first place. But let me clarify once and for all to you that their doubts are dumbfounded and people like John Maynard Keynes did not se on a wild goose's chase through their lives. But, yes this discipline is wrought with enough impostors as well to cast a spell of doubt on the profession in certain situations. But a practitioner who really devotes his time and thought towards the understandings of the complex market driven world which by the way is much easier today with the advent of the internet, is sure to stumble upon an axiom or two to find the beautiful patterns that lay covertly beneath the more mundane functionings of the markets. It was afterall a simple idea of unemployment versus production capabilities that drove the foundations of the most quoted macroeconomic theory of the last decade. That was the time of the great depression anyway. But let me not trouble you with a topic you clearly are not much energized by. What it is infact that you wish to tell me with so much eagerness anyhow," inquired xxxxxxx. That he had deciphered that John had wanted to discuss something peculiar with him had no more amazed John as such deductions formed a more trivial part around xxxxxxx. He would have arrived at it somehow he thought.<br />
Then John explained to him about his meeting with the Sheikh with some enthusiasm. "The real question here is whether or not vengeance leads to a gratification in the mind of the avenger. My experience and insight point to a place which states that the plan needs to be a little more elaborate than a crude extraction of revenge by the one going for it. It is really a matter of sealing an argument in essence between the parties," concluded the masterful xxxxxxx. John grasped a little bit of what had been said and was fairly satisfied with the response. Discussions with xxxxxxx were never bereft of substance after-all.<br />
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abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-45564644745761339012013-07-02T13:28:00.001-07:002013-07-02T13:28:27.568-07:00Man of Steel - the movie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">So I watched it today, just back in-fact. And about the review, well, it was.......pretty good! ..:)</span><br style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">There was the general Nolan mark over the film although he was not even the director of the movie - well he was the writer! now I did not read the DC comics episode so I can't tell how much justice he did to the storyline in the comic-book, but yes, that is for only academic purpose. </span><br style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">First of all, Ill begin with saying that our mother earth is beautiful, much much beautiful. If I were born in the dark, macabre and gloomy desert of Krypton, gosh sod save me! Guess that is why kal-el/clarke kent/superman chose to save earth's environment and people over Kryton afterall......:) So the storyline began in Krypton with all the artificial life creating technologies and what not and could be lauded for Russel Crowe's performance. I guess he could be lauded for bringing life to such characters who are not from our times or in this case, world! I maybe prejudiced here coz the only two period movies I have truly liked are Gladiator and Robin Hood..ok digression it was..so launch to our Earth..it was mostly the dense high-rise of Manhattan-like business district or something and the verdant greens of the village which ought to be smallville (however it was never mentioned like that I guess, on purpose maybe, but why?), anyway. </span><br style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">It was 3D and the goggles and all that. I am gonna make a revelation here. I am not a big fan of those as they dim the brightness way too much so it bothers me and I watch a lot of the screenplay without them generally eventually!. So it was more bright, the movie for me generally.</span><br style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">But Henry Cavil was awesome. For a old-timer honed in the clarke kent kool-aide from the Smallville show and Tom Welling's fan at that, this should mean a lot for Cavill's performance. He managed to feel like Clarke Kent, Tom Welling's aura in my mind notwithstanding! And of-course he looks good they say for whoever might care..And he brought the decent intensity to the character as well..Mike Shannon as Gen Zod was fine and so was Louis Lane..</span><br style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">The music and screenplay were pretty good, a touch below the Btman trilogy but yes, you cant take anything away from Zack Snyder and Zimmer on that one..I always believe that Superman is a difficult task for a director than Batman like Nagraj was than Dhruva as the element of human genius is hard to project. There I think Nolan being Nolan, he has managed to fir in that touch easily and masterfully. You dont feel like - oh god, not again that super-duper powergame..There is more to offer here..</span><br style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">I dont think I have missed any major pointers here. But if anyone manages to read thjis this point, I would be glad to take it further if thy may please in the comments section..till that time, its good-bye!!</span></div>
abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-15697032101509567382012-10-02T13:03:00.001-07:002012-10-02T13:03:19.102-07:00Of Ghazals and Sufism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Chamakte Chaand ko toota hua taara banaa daala...meri awaragi ne mujhko aawaara banaa dalaa....Sounds like a rhyming prose or poetry at the best. But you need to hear the rendition from the Ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali to be mesmerised by the lyrics. I mean the import of the words is there definitely, but they pound you with an intensity altogether different when sung in the Ghazal. Outside Cricket and Bollywood, he may be one of the handful personalities who enjoy such high patronage and liking on either side of the border. And why should he not. For that matter, the Ghazal tradition in Pakistan has flourished always. Mehdi Hassan and Abida Parveen are two more names that ring a bell of familiarity across India, both Pakistani scions. Meaningful poetry often laced with deep rooted philosophy and melody are two almost essential elements of a good Ghazal. Ofcourse sublime rendition like that by Ghulam Ali (Bade Ghulam Ali Sahab or even Chote G A) makes a Ghazal what it is. It may be of concern to the vetean patrons of the art that there seems to be little interest among the youngsters towards this sublime craft. The Ghazal evenings are far and few between in the day and age while the rockstars hog all the lime light and then more. The sensibility towards poetry seems to be declining and the romanticism ensconsed in it has few takers among the young. It is just not pacey enough. But they might well be keeping themselves bereft of a flavour of living. <br /> Another art form or rather more so a way of life indeed is Sufism or the rendition of Quawwalis. Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan can be credited to internationalize this music form. Sufi music has been cultured and practised in praise of the almighty for no less than six or seven centuries. The saints of yonder and old expressed their love and devotion to god through the mystical Sufi music. And the tradition flourished. This music form enlivens and charged the ambience like no other. Often incorporating high pitch truisms, the best proponents of the art form have been widely classed as among the most capable singers. Nusrat is a very good example to boot. Quawwalis have specially taken centerstage in Bollywood over the decades. And Pakistan continues to be the land of genesis for the best talent there is in both these music forms. Here is hoping that the practitioners would always find enough patronage for these music styles to sustain and flourish in times to come.</div>
abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-78129234044301967762012-07-11T16:23:00.000-07:002012-07-11T16:27:45.711-07:00What an Idea Sar Jee, or no-brain jee?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The famous TV commercial of our beloved Jr. Bachchan explaining the reason for more than a billion human souls in our homeland first felt like a banal comic act to just continue the "Bhat an Idea" campaign. Not until a supposedly very intelligent/or just intelligent friend of mine seriously quoted the reason in one conversation. And also his flatmate there. And then they quoted it a second time. I had to shed my lethargy and blurted "U really believe in what they are saying"? And their expression was like huh, have u even got a brain there? Dont you know India has always been a backward (always?) nation. Ok wouldnt even argue on that one. So? What about the Europeans? Did they have the trendy phones with a xG connectivity ever since the land was carved out? After a few minutes of senseless arguments, atleast the question came "Ok so what do you think would be the reason of our mammoth population? Wars, I reckon. The Europeans lost entire generations of men in the wars they have fought among each other as tribes for ages. Their tribal footing in any case started pretty late - the Frank (modern day French) and Germanic (Germany etc) tribes et al were forest dwellers as late as the 4th century into the first millenia after the christ trudged. India on the contrary has been there since much before (even if we discount the mythology, the Buddha and Mauryas wrote indelible history 500 years before the christ. What is however more important is that Indians have never really fought wars or witnesses large scale demolotion of the populace. The foreign rulers established their holds among the people since at least the last thousand years without any significant bloodshed in retaliation really. Even the movement for Independence was wrought with nonviolence. So all things equal India would anyway grow much fast. But even the other things have not been equal historically. The black death - the dreaded plague - of the 14th century wiped half of the European continent. The world wars have been the most recent among the annihilation sagas. I might have made - terribly tired that I am - an error here and then there at this time of the night, but I do not find it not to be a better explanation of India's high population. What about China you might ask. I would put forth my reasons later. Size and strength are two pointers I would just throw for now.</div>abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-21953549500027899242012-07-11T16:01:00.001-07:002012-07-11T16:01:09.801-07:00The family oriented species there are<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This one is really interesting. Looks like we humans have made our lives much more complicated than it ought to be. Cliched? Well, take this. The national emblem for the North Americas is something of a "Bald Eagle". Big deal? <br />
The not so big deal actually is that the members of this species form a very tight family unit. So tight that the mum and pop do not divorce at all ! Yep. They are a couple for life. How easy for the kids of the family. The irony is that the divorce rate is much higher for human Americans. So the kid Americans do not have as much a priviledged life of having the parents together as the kid-Eagles then. When curiosity got the better of me, I searched for the other species that endured the hardships of a commited life together or for long periods and there were many. The much loathed Wolves and the Jackals are family folks as well. The elder siblings in the Jackal family even help the mother in nursing the younger ones. The Albatross and the insignificant termite are two more pro-family people. The grown ups may have their own preferences, but the kids of these species are definitely going to lead a less confused existence than in the multi-tier structured human families of the day with three set of siblings one each from mum and pop and one set from them both together! </div>abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-22199466624081367502012-07-04T14:53:00.000-07:002012-07-04T15:02:07.181-07:00Business and passionIt has been some time since Paul Buchcheit, the developer of Gmail and Google adsense and also the co-conceiver of their mantra "Don't be evil" left Google. But that is not the only reason Google seem to have shunned the motto. Perhaps its not just Google. The whole corporate/capitalist world seems to have embraced a hypocritical approach to the way they do business. Its not just Google or Apple, it is also the story of Goldman Sachs or Bank Of America as that of UBS. And a lot more. But it is not the point of this writeup to harp on the scandals and profess the impending doom. I feel that these very so called leaders are at a loss. A loss of sensibility, a loss of inspiration to keep the pace up with the elevated expectations of the world around them. A loss when they find themselves in the midst of the bad bad world of business. Let us talk about Google. I saw/read some time back (a few yrs maybe) an interview with Page or Brin I dont remember who of the cofounders about the culture at Google - work and general. They spoke among other things, a culture around work and simplicity. They said how they did not encourage a show-pony culture and discouraged employees flaunting their top of the draw cars and things like that. I mean he did not need to say that and the fact that he did say it, I thought they actually were pretty keen on instilling a clean work ethic like focussing on the work and coming out with great ideas and stuff and thus dint want any distractions. Also the motto professing "Dont be evil" was afterall seeped into the psyche of the emploee then. Brin and Page look like sensible guys and afterall their empire was built from a hard written algorithm and not any kind of plagiarism. But still today we read stories about how Google has usurped Microsoft from the throne of the "" as they call it. The only contention from some circles is that its actually Apple which is the true - another larger than life success story. And I have much less confidence in Apple personally, I like Google better. But the point is that there is always professed an.
<br /> They said so about Microsoft in the ninties and early noughties what with all those antitrust laws and big lawsuits. And perhaps they were true. Perhaps MS was doing everything in its capacity to monopolise the market. They made sure Netscape went out and since 1997 IE has held the crown of the most preferred browser in the world, a position which has only recently been threatened seriously by Chrome. The antitrust lawsuits were filed and MS did loose those disputes. Movies were made and MS was rubbished the world over. But there looked nobody would be able to dethrone them from the position of undisputed kings of the technology world, whatever that means. Keeping up with the natural law of change however, Internet arrived on the scene like nothing earlier had. And suddenly MS was beaten not by any competition but seemingly by the vicissitudes of nature and natural law. Around time companies like Google blossomed. They were perfectly positioned to reap the benefits of the internet revolution. There were other internet success stories like Yahoo, Amazon, ebay, craigslist (now little out of favor, but the credit is due to Mr Craig for being his own man) and a few more internet behemoths. The scene sprawled with tech startups as there was little investment needed to build a success story. A brilliant and viral idea would suffice. It felt like the advent of a truly efficient marketplace had begun and there was hope for the masses. So over the span of the last decade and more we have a more balanced market cap. scenario as far as the tech. giants (not hardware) are concerned - MS, Google, FB, Amazon, also Yahoo and ofcourse Apple.
<br /> So the numero uno position was snatched from MS. And a lot of water has flown since then even under the Old Delhi rickety British-raj railway bridge despite the drying volumes of the Yamuna river. And meanwhile Mr Gates has completely changed his ways of living. He now travels the worldover and tries to solve the more human problems in the world he inhabits. Well, atleast it looks like that. But scandal still looms large on the tech. space or to be fair for that matter any industry vertical. The spate of Patent suits unleashed at Motorola by Apple and now even by MS (Funny in a way if you think how Apple themselves have enriched the "i" experience by taking cues from few Android features), the privacy issues circling the internet space which have now really gained momentum, the Apple Foxconn saga, the spying stories between these big corporations, not to forget the delusional marketing and branding of Apple (a personal subjective take agreed), the closed ecosystem and locking tactics of Apple and many more such stories doing the rounds everyday do not feel like the act of these sensible brainiacs, although I always felt S Jobs was a bit too arrogant and egomaniacal for my taste and MZ'berg felt like he was guilty of his success. It looks more of a a case that to be at the top you got to bend a few rules and find your ways through the maze to deliver the best results to your shareholders. So the shareholders and the bankers come into the fray. The starry eyed tech geek actually metamorphosises(m sure its a spello) into the shrewd businessman. And to survive in the dog eat dog world of frontline business, changes his ways. More so if he happens to represent the top notch firm with the highest market cap or active users. There is pressure from the investor community, shareholders and there is a reputation at stake and the egos have blown up a little bit as well. And worse still, if you dont do it, the competition would implement it and then wipe you off the slate, such volatilily pervades this sector. For every FB, there were a couple Myspaces and Friendsters and there is no guarantee the same fate would not befall that particular company with such a fickle and volatile userbase. So how do you survive. Where do you bring the dollar to spend on the research and development, essential spendings in this technology intensive space.
<br />And how do you create the hype if you plan to go public (IPO) in near future. Else how do you stop the paper wealth of your stock from plummeting if you are already listed. And what if there is widespread lobbying - political and business - to grab the next big opportunity. I have a feeling the average tech geek turned businessman does not understand why he landed in such a place. I mean Page and Brin would have certainly known that their idea was big and useful and would earn them the big moolah and they would lead comfortable lives when the Google algorithm would have started to find widespread acceptance and usage initially. But would they have thought it would turn into the juggernaught it is today or of the zillion ramifications of their every strategy or move they make today. I doubt even they make those strategic calls today. They would like to think that they have the opportunity to change the world for the better and they certainly have, but still they are not born businessmen. I cant bring myself to believe that they enjoy making the shrewd business calls or playing the mean businessman.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-1530667699357560352012-06-29T00:06:00.003-07:002012-06-29T00:24:07.497-07:00Football Frenzy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am not a football junkie (thts. the rite word right?). Not even a follower, not by a fair margin. But during the WC and the Euro championships, I wonder why not. Especially when the game progresses to the last-8 stages or when Germany is playing. It is a strange phenomenon really. I may not even register a high profile club clash on a giant screen in a hotel lobby, but I am all glued at the sight of Klose or Ozil or sometime Ballack making their deft and efficient moves. Or even a intense encounter (towards the later stages) like the one from yesterday between the neighbours Spain and Portugal. I have started to understand why that is lately.
A game like cricket which I adore like nothing else is very technical in detail and is highly cognitive. There are countless facets and nuances and not-so-nuances to hold your attention or even consume your mind. Football (whts. soccer btw, another glamor quotient in the game of adrenalin?) on the other hand, is played with emotion and passion. Not that there is no technicality around soccer or for tht matter Cricketers are robots plying their calculations on the pitch. But those in my humble and simple opinion are the defining characteristics of the two games. So now consider this game of soccer being played today between Italy and Geramny. I am no football historian but definitely know the ageless names of soccer superstars. Also, the epic clashes maybe - alleast the ones I have watched. So if you scroll the internet, half a dozen encounters from yesteryears would prop up between the two giants. I myself remember the sour taste towards the last minutes of the 2006 clash when I had fallesn in love for the German national football team, not the least coz they hosted the tournament with such elan or the much awesome Michael Ballack (whts. with these Michales from Hussey, Schumacher to the fictional Schofield).
Not just that. A typical search might also land you on a history page detailing the ties between any two such countries - diplomatic ties or maybe their war history. The group stage clash between the co-host Poland and Russia was dubbed as a mini-war in the media reminiscent of the war fought between the two at the banks of the Vistula river in Poland in I think the first world war. Italy and Germany themselves share the common Fascist might I say history with their two controvercial leaders Hitler and Mussolini at one time acting as comrades in an imperialist cause. And the Europeans have fought for more than two centuries now (up untill the last world war that is) right from the days of the Roman empire, the Greek city states to the Frank tribes (modern day French), the Germanic tribes (Germany and others), the Slavs(Russia, Poland?), Vikingsthe Scandinavia?), Goths, Vandals et al. Cannot football then be looked as an avenue to channelise that same vigor away from the battlefield to a more civilized expression of nationalism though I really doubt if it was that in those wars) or jingoism rather. Wishful thinking that. In any case, the history is there and who would better understand it than the Europeans who now are a truly cosmopolitan crowd with diluted ethnicities.
The drama and intensity start right from the start with the teams and fans singing their respective national anthems. All through the game, there is a chorus in the background. There are high fives, yellow cards, red cards, players sliding/heaping/somersaulting, heightened emotion, coaches with tempers and what not.....its a surreal feeling really. But then you wonder how could this feeling sustain if it was a club encounter!!abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-75362835252798222682012-03-08T13:35:00.006-08:002012-03-11T14:38:25.410-07:00Tribute - Dravid, the inimitable being!There is a saying which essentially means that everyone wanted to be the chef of the winters and the gardner among the rains. When the spirit is so elated by the circumstance, it is little wonder that the outcome may have that little extra flavor and brilliance. But then who is the one who wants to take care of the petals in the scorching sun of a summer day. Really, who is the one who wants to do the hard work, sacrificing in the process, the pleasures of extravagance and flair in his outcomes. Rahul Dravid for one, thrives in this business or art if you may please to call it that way. He announced retirement from first class cricket earlier in the day today and again embraced the hard task of walking into the sunset before any of the other stalwarts. That lure was overpowering for us mortals to get the one final chance to watch him don the Test flannels and then being carried around on the shoulders of the players. Ofcourse Rahul was not unnecessarily concerned and his detached, calculated and consistent decision soon imparted more wisdom on us like it has been the case for so many years now. He would not be human if he would not have been tempted to have grandstanded a farewell but the key point is that he actually overcame it like always.That is why he is a role model. No psuedo smartness which really is a selfishness of leaving at a high and no dragging-through for no reason. Is not this the way he has conducted himself always. Honest and equal to the task and circumstance. As he rightly pointed out, there is absolutely no merit in waiting 6 months to just appear in a Test or a farewell series for the sake of it. Sounds Australian right. Well, our dear friend as well played his cricket for and in exactly the right spirit and reason. I get a feeling he relished just being part of a group and contributing to remain that part towards the end of his career. He understood that individual success was good but also brought a duality with it which, if the individual focussed too much on the individual success, might take the sheen out of the achievement eventually. But if he dissolved his craft and consciousness in the whole and contributed, there could be just the positive aspects to be relished. Or something similar, he seemed to point.<br /> He grew as a batsman, cricketer and a human in the ensuing period since his much celebrated debut. A chronological reading of his views and statements would corroborate that. After the 2008 Mohali century that some believe saved his career, he said he had grown older and wiser. I suspect he consciously aimed at that after a point in time. He has invariably sounded more mature than his years all through and that is not any kind of exhibitionism. It just comes so natural to him. His being a avid reader does not hurt either. And he has constantly reinvented himself. That is sheer determination, pure hardwork and a childlike love for the game on display for you. All this entails the cognitive aspect of his game that is the most celebrated aspect of his story. This is where he begins to carve his own landscape in the cricketing wilderness. Of all the modern great batsmen, only Ponting seems to be nearly as much involved in his craft mentally, well not as much involved still. Ofcourse this can be an incorrect perception, but that is how it appears to me. And for all the goodness and gentlemanly attributes he carries, there is a bloody mindedness which engulfs his persona while he is in the middle. No image of his flashes in my mind with a bat in his hand in a Test match and him sharing a light hearted smiling moment with anyone. Not that the kind of relaxing is in any way undesirable, but it speaks volumes of how much seriousness goes into the business of being Rahul Dravid the batsman. And it is in my opinion the single most important and startling achievement of his Test career, this consistently high degree of intensity he has conjured in every single session of his Test match days. And beyond. One just needs too much energy and mind-space or mind-matter to be able to do that. And I suspect he has had to sacrifice a lot to achieve that. And this in itself a hallmark of greatness across the board. The intensity he generated in those moments was infectious really for anyone who would care. <br /> Then there were the more tangible cricketing aspects such as the impeccable technique, the incredible fitness, the fulfilling bat-arcs, the calculated shotmaking and the intuitive catching. Add to it the inimitable style and vibrancy. The one common trait among all these is their being methodical and product of a immaculate work ethic. He could have chosen to be a lesser cricketing Genius than three of his contemporary international superstars - he relinquished anything associated with a Genius - if he did not work as hard to bring such rewarding method to everything about his cricket. And consequently he became an absolute cricketing crisis man whose act was based on the value it created and much more purposeful. And it feels more fulfilling than even a Genius. Thus, when everyone else failed among alien conditions which did not respect their extravagant and jolly brand of Cricket much, his method coupled with innate talent became the saviour at every call of duty. <br /> His achievements in the limited formats of the game have been excellent and he would not mind at all to be an also ran in that department, not that 10000 plus runs are scored in every alternate career. But he would be the first one to put his hand up to count ten better contemporary batsmen in those formats. And I suspect there would not be many more than that. It is ironical in some respect that the final batsmanship we will witness from Rahul would be in the T20 drama. It is a good way for the celebrated senior cricketers to walk into the cricketing sunset, this brand of cricket. And we should be grateful to it for that. But he is also now a leader in that contest and would try to pass on his cricketing legacy one final time inside of the hallowed oval. And if Cricket is a team game, there can not be a better practitioner and so his team should look forward to extract those values from him. We do not know the future. Times have changed and media and commercial interests have much changed the dynamics of Cricket. He is sure to take some time off from the game for various obvious reasons. He has the experience and ideas but there is a different set of challenges in the Cricketing world outside the dressing room, a fact he would be well aware of. I would like to leave the thinking part to him and wait for what conclusions he draws and path he charts for himself to follow and us to understand. But I suspect the following cliche is going to hold true. You can take him out of active Cricket but not the Cricket out of him. So maybe we need not be too sad afterall, maybe he would still be seen around Cricket very soon. But the huge fan imbued with a heavy dosage still gets apprehensive.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-50953250603518201782012-02-27T23:47:00.003-08:002012-02-28T22:12:31.187-08:00The {uro crisis, and realitiesIt has been a long time since we have been hearing of Greece and all. Just when people start to think it is gonna be the end of the day for the Eurozone, suddenly the warcries die and one presumes that a solution has been achieved. This is the kind of sentiment that arose - specially in faraway countries like India- after the big congress of the Eurozone leaders happened a couple of months back. We all heard that David Cameron and Mr. Sarkozy did not shake hands once when they crossed each other and eventually Dave left the meeting without signing the MOUs (well, the treaty is yet to be signed). This sparked speculations about the future of Britain inspite of the Eurozone and the Financial Services industry that thrived in Britain and all. But on the other hand, there was muffled praise at having saved the Eurozone and all and if memory serves right, the markets gained a couple pennies. Then there was the lull and now since the last fortnight, the Greek demons raised their heads yet again. I for one got interested to know the real facts and numbers. So it turned out that there was a principal payment due coming March on the Greek debt and the Eurozone leaders along with the Euro Central Bank(ECB), uncle Sam's IMF and all were fighting yet again to resolve and voila looks like they have again pulled the strings or so they clim. There are proposals of another bail-out fund from the nexus and if the parliaments of the zone ratify it, Greece would get the funds before they need to shelve out the money to its creditors albeit in some Escrow accounts. And on the other side, is the minor issue of the harsh austerity measures that lady Merkel and her team would impose on the Greek sheep (read people really). <br /> But is it such a bad thing this austerity. Thats the whole point of this writeup, I dont know. How am I supposed to know when the greatest of the Economists and political leaders with tonnes of experience and age backing them are everyday mincing words and have not been able to speak coherently. Ofcourse some of them say austerity means less spending and brings down the growth rate and doesnt help in any way. Makes sense. But then hey, my inexperienced mind's common sense says who is stopping you from increasing the GDP. Just produce goods and export them. Oh well, I dont understand how exports work but this doesnt look like too complex. But hey, then one Economist educates that this is the real problem with Greece. They are part of the Eurozone and have a common currency. So the exports happen in Euros and it might be the difficulty they would have. A highly values currency discourages exports we have heard. Anyway this is a base argument and outside the main reasoning. The Economist tells that the real reason for the Greek crisis is something called a balance of payments. He shows how the much professed welfare state is not the reason for the problems by demostrating how Germany, Austria, Belgium and France, closely run by Finland have a higher % of GDP in their public spending by governments. Then he shows how even budget deficit does not account for the issue by depicting how Portugal, Spain and Ireland lag far behind in such deficits to the above mentioned states. Then he goes on toshow how a surplus money and consequent inflation, some kind of an overvaluation of the southern states (this is again noteworthy, all the affected states are generally southern) in the early noughties led to a decreased competitiveness of the now troubled states. But still the policies that are being built are built around the budget deficit and welfare state concerns. So whats the point here really. The simple point is that the more you read into the arguments and facts, the more you are baffled as some of the generally professed and accepted bytes of wisdom when dug deeper, do not comply with good old plain common sense and then you can find some source corroborating your understanding. Consider this.<br /> The latest plan to save Greece is really an exercise in anticipation. The debt sustainability assessment which is drawn for a long term as much as till 2030 is clearly pretty ambitious. If everything goes well which includes a very generous private sector involvement, great political stability within states and among Eurozone, and a multitude of such factors, then by 2030 the Debt-GDP ratio would come down to something like 110%. That assumes a average 50%-70% haircut in principal balance on the bonds to private investors. That it is a highly leveraged curve is a truth and a slight discord in balancing factors may cause it to tumble is a real possibility. <br /> Still, some tabloids may paint the picture as much more rosy and inspire a greater confidence in the situation and its ultimate solvability. Make no mistake, the situation may still be solvable and I hope forthe best. But I also worry for the fact that are elections looming large over the Euro landscape. And my fear is that the current measures of pushing the real scene under the carpet to just buy some time may well be to find the way to the power corridors first. And it makes perfect sense as well. How are you anyway going to solve a problem if you loose your own crown. But I am afraid that the problem may still not be solved even after the current breed of leaders make it to the power chambers again. And then, they would have no incentive in hiding the real grim political-economic situation and all of us, being so accustomed to the sugar coated headlines might find it harshly indigestible to confront those news bytes. But then, it might just be a figment of imagination and we may well and truly reach a solution later in the day. Heres hoping for it.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-4551250108940003692012-02-12T18:38:00.000-08:002012-02-12T19:41:07.901-08:00Buddhism in mainstream Indian householdThe middle path was introduced in the land of the Hindus by the enlightened one around the 5th century BC. It was a welcome respite from the mindless ritual that had become the part of Hindu life. The faith and its practice had been reduced to just mechanically conducting those rituals and effectively controlled in a large part by the priest class which there is no evidence to suggest that was not corrupt and pushed its own agenda in the name of worship. Buddha was a refreshing change, the zephyr from the eastern floodlands of India. His ideas were potent and his cult was that of compassion. He was himself a burning light to the seeker much impressive in thought, ideas and practice. And by virtue of this force, his doctrine spread through the vastness of India with much regard. Ofcourse it had political overtones which have always been present to adulterate any spiritual movement throughout the recorded annals of human history. The patronage of kings like Ashoka led to its propagation in foreign lands as well. There is an allegation - like there is always an allegation in everything - on Ashoka that his conversion to Buddhism and eventual adoption was non-violence was not sincere and a political gimmick. Ofcourse he had no more conquests to be made and would have liked to have a stable and thriving empire. Peace and non-violence were necessary to maintain a stable empire.<br /> But eventuall Buddhism eloped from India. Today it thrives as a faith in the mainland ofChina, Jpan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Burma. But it has long gone from the mainstream of the Indian society at least outside the expanse of the sister states of the north east. It is a curious case for me. I mean even if it was just a case of a marked decrease in the number of followers, it would have been understandable. But it is completely wiped off and it calls for an analysis. Especially in the light of the fact that the Hindus have never been aggressive in history to have effected the downfall of the Buddhism by force. There just seems to be a natural cycle in action in the curious case which we have at hand in this exercise. There are suggestions that there were some uprisings from the Hindu fold during even the times of Ashoka, but they were not prominent. <br /> The ideals of Buddha were noble and high grounded. He was an enlightened one and with a compassionate heart urged his fellow men to apply themselves to break from the fetters of their mental captivity and realise their true nature - glimpses of the original Hindu or for that matter any other spiritual faith. But Buddhism was still largely cult following. He had propagated his faith by sheer force of his personality. Once he was gone, the natural cycle resumed. Buddhism would have inevitably been corrupted by its own powerful people and their politics. Then the Hindu revival happened during the periodof the Guptas and followed into the later centuries when various discrete events augmented the rise of the original Hindu thought and practice - the Bhakti movement, Sankaracharya, Vaishnavites, later in the day Sri Chaitanya mahaprabhu. They all were learned scholars and practitioners and passionate about reviving the old school. So we can see that the original thought reemerged. But the main point here is, notwithstanding the natural cycle, why did the faith got completely wiped off from the face of India even as there is a history of peaceful coexistence among faiths and spiritual movements in this land. Jains, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians have always been a part of the fabric once they were assimilated into the mainstream society. Buddhism seems to be an aberration in this trend.<br /> The ideals of Buddhism are noble and filled with compassion, are very powerful to lead a society forward. They ofcourse do not believe in a universal godhead which is again an exception from all other mainstream faith. Mind is all that is to Buddhists - the individual and the universal. There were once large congresses organised in India for the gathering of the Buddhist scholars to contemplate on the thoughts of the Tathagata and further the ideas of the Tripitika. The kings patronised them then. There were followersof the Buddha in the average Indian household. And then for some mysterious reason, it all vanished!abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-81341023090053817642012-02-12T04:36:00.000-08:002012-02-12T04:49:37.113-08:00On Hritik Roshan in AgneepathI watched the new age Agneepath starring Hritik and Priyanka Chopra. It was definitely not a waste of time. The cinematography was good as one of my colleagues had pointed out earlier, like the grey and sombre backdrop abound whenever Kaancha was on screen. The poem was rendered with just enough tempo and passion to sound stimulating than loud. And there were a few songs thrown in as well including the guest appearance by Katrina. But then let us talk about performances. Hritik as we all know suits the role of the quintessential suave professional or a metro man effortlessly. But here he had to deliver in a different avatar. His makeover was just fine and the body aesthetics and muscle in the climax scene was just ok. But the point is that when I returned, the first question I was asked was, "Hritik ne overacting kari hogi na". And my answer was "well, no". I thought he did overact in a few flicks like Mein Prem Ki and stuff but I did not feel that way in Agneepath. He is no Amitabh Bachchan in dialogue delivery agreed but he did not sound bad either. I have always thought the one thing that fails him is his dialogue delivery in various portrayals apart from the suave ones like in ZNMD. But he looked well in Agneepath. His expression and eye intensity was fine and he delivered in a measured tone. There were moments when I thought Ajay would have done a better job but then comparisons are hindsight science and are not holistic anyway. When he delivered the poem in the climax scene, he did not sound over the top at all and I thought he had improved. Priyanka did a character which she should be at ease portraying, bubly and all..Sanjay Dutt was fine and looked like a villain but I thought Danny's dialogue punches were better. Rest all the crew fared good. All in all, it was just fine.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-30095018759195568552012-02-12T01:19:00.000-08:002012-02-12T09:32:39.348-08:00Attributes for Batsmen!The other day I heard someone say that Sachin's batting was all class. I beg to differ. He is definitely in a class of his own, but class is not the defining element of his batsmanship or the cricketer he is. The word I like to use for him is Genius. That is the attribute his entire being is impregnated with. What with the paddle sweeps, upper-cuts, compact strokeplay, all the engineered repertoire of shots or even spin bowling turning miles together for that matter. He can do things with a cricket bat that few others could dare venture into. He can play 5 shots in a space of 15 minutes that will leave you gasping in awe and just make facial expressions without saying much. But he is a Genius in my book. The word Class fits easier on some other batsman. <br /> Now if you are really interested you may ask what is the adjective i'd use for say KP. He is no class (remember I dont mean to say he is not classy, just that he is not described bythis word) and not even a genius. His switch hit does not quite fall under that category. People use the word unorthodox for him but what would you then se for say a Gilchrist. KP is more than just unorthodox. He is a maverick. He just wants to do it his way. Thats about it. Now what would you call Jacques Kallis. I would give him the sobriquet "The Stylish Workman". Workman, huh? Blasphemy. The guy with the best aggregate all round numbers in the game (runs/wickets/catches) is called a workman and thats not even considering his awesomely elegant stand-and-deliver cover drive. But did you quite miss the word stylish there. He does not look ungainly - not my a mile. But he is an honorable workman. He will keep on stealing those singles and suddenly look like 45 n.o. I hear a few murmurs that Rahul Dravid is slow too. The thing is, I did not say Kallis was slow. I said he liked to accumulate. Dravid would rather leave it alone while Kallis might nudge it though the off side field forthe single. While they have scored almost equal number of runs, Dravid has hit 1654 boundaries(4) to Kallis' 1359. Thats about it. Dravid has hit about 300 more boundaries (4s) than Kallis in Tests. He is expected to leave a few on the trot and suddenly unleash a flurry of boundaries quickly. Kallis on the other hand would give you a feel for every boundary. If he hits 3 boundaries in 2 overs, I would get a feeling of much more drama. He looks good at the crease definitely. Then there is his teammate ABD. All flair and exuberance. The bend of the knees in his cover drive and lofted strikes with the handkerchief(spello?) tucked in his trousers, makes you feel just that. The same is with his catching. But then what would I say for Ricky Ponting. He definitely has flair and exuberance but so do ABD and also did Lara (well Lara had a lot much more than just that agreed and is the greatest). But Ponting is in my book an electric champion. He is electric quick in whatever he does - talk, walk, run, catch, field, initial bat speed, swift pulls, cover drives and he scores at a quick clip as well. But what I mean by electric here is that he that fraction quicker than the rest which matters all. He is likely to effect a quick run out or take that out-of-nowhere game changing catch or play a quick long innings to demoralise the opposition like in the 2003 WC finals. Then he is very tough mentally and does not give an inch on the field but is quick to praise the opposition if they deserve. He plays it hard and fair and is a leader of men. And he wins matches too. All the attributes of a champion. But the post had started on the note of Genius vs Class and I remarked then that there is a batsman on whom the word Class finds its meaning like it was ever brought into language for just that. And that cricketer in my opinion is Rahul Dravid. I can write an essay on his class, but its some other day's job.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-25055275324495658852012-02-06T00:16:00.000-08:002012-02-06T00:31:09.220-08:00Cricket EnduresMock at me, take the cheap jibe, question my capability to cultivate fine interests or call me a Cricket tragic or whatever, but I will write more on Cricket now and will write still more in days and years to come. Ever heard of the stock ball you mean hearted Cricket basher? How would you? I will still forgive you and explain to you what it is. A bowler can have thousand variations in his repertoire with which he can baffle the best of the batsmen. And batsmen will abhorr the idea of facing him. He would bowl those for the best part of his career and days of the year. But, but and but, that will not make him an all time great. He has to have the stock ball. The best of the practitioners in bowling will have off days or rather they will have more average days than brilliant days. But there is something which sets them apart from the rest. Among others, it is the stock ball. Wake them in the middle of the night and they can bowl that stock ball then, half-asleep. It is that guarantee they bring with their name in the sheet. And that is the difference. In their off days, they will make comebacks. They will stop bowling any variations, bide their time and bowl their stock ball. The ball which they have natural control on and which keeps them in stead in those difficult days. They will survive by virtue of the stock ball and almost inspite of the variations. That is there is to them. Longevity and survival, a change of gears and something which comes too natural to them. Crciket is like the stock ball to us diehard fans. I might be too bored to write, too lazy to write, too dull to wrte, too out of ideas to write and too busy to write. But for other disciplines and subjects and issues. If I love my piece of writing, I will write on things Cricket. That will keep the proverbial ink flowing. The other variations will fill in sporadically. But Cricket will endure.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-18580939304939009752012-02-01T18:48:00.000-08:002012-02-01T19:01:16.360-08:00On the spirit of CricketNawroz Mangal and Taj Malik make a happy unit along with other members of the Afghanistan cricket squad in a youtube video featuring their upbeat mood as they traverse through various echelons of international associate cricket. The coach proclaims that amidst the war and vitriol in the world, cricket holds a promise to resurrect peace and impart normalcy/hope to the mad rush which is so much the harrowing reality of their everyday life.<br /> That certainly looked the case thus far the spirit in which the all important semi-final was played between India and Pakistan. While disappointing the fan expecting to witness some drama-laden skirmishes to enliven the humour, the rather congenial conduct among the members of the two outfits presented a fresh perspective. And the captain of the Pak outfit certainly won a heart or two in his generous display of cricketing chivalry - did he not pat Sachin in a friendly manner each time his catch was dropped and was in fulsome praise of the opposite team in the press conference. The doubters/cynics may sniff manufactured gamesmanship befitting the occasion and the diplomatic overtones in the atmosphere at the PCA stadium. But is not even this possible worst case scenario a first step towards a more real appreciation for each other's capabilities and empathy. If the odd heat would have entertained, the lack of it did surprise affirmatively. Indians would not mind playing hosts to the Pak team for a few more days now that Mumbai has been obliterated from their itinerary. Every one in India is anyway busy picturing in their mind's eye, the hero's 100th ton while lifting the cup in his home turf. And despite the obvious disappointment in losing to the arch rivals and keeping it aside, many a Pakistani would feel a sense of vindication in the way the WC campaign progressed for a most unheralded (at start of tournament) Pakistan WC outfit ever. There is expectation, jubilation and euphoria in the air in the country hosting the final. For the moment, they live in a much realistic hope of winning the coveted prize. On the other side of the fence, the fan while rueing on what might have been, may just fleetingly hearten on what the future may hold, that which looked a far cry just a month ago. Sport after all they say like life, always presents that one more shot at redemption.<br /><br />( Written earlier, only published now)abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-18467141930935681292012-01-31T09:35:00.000-08:002012-02-01T19:03:59.262-08:00of nature and things naturalWell, this time round, I am commited to not write about Cricket. There is too much of it already - I mean not in life - but in this virtual space. What else could it be? Hollywood? I simply havent seen enough movies as someof the peopleI know and do not follow the fraternity off the silverscreen at all. Bollywood? Guess I was a leading Bollywood viewer till mid-late 90s. The sporadic viewing bursts happen but they are mostly on TV. And admittedly, the latest output from the India tinsel town fails to capture my imagination. Tennis or F1 is still sport although I am almost tempted to write an essay on Sebi. Some other day maybe. Cars? May have commented better than few ten years back but I now find myself at mostly the hearing end whenever there is a discussion around those. Any electronic gadgetry and the same thing applies. Politics and culture are catching up but I am still learning from others there. Without much deliberation thus (as if it aint enough already), I would take my pick in Geography and Geology with a little bit of wildlife thrown in. So one may be forgiven to not count this one really as a blog entry, but more of an essay.<br /> Geography is an interesting discipline, well really. How can it not be. It is totally and entirely about the vast and wild world we live in. And it is so in the most sublime manner. Its about things natural and things collective. The meandering rivers that inundate the face of the earth and script the rise of civilizations and now modern cities, the gargantuan mountain ranges that at once seem to mock the relatively tiny human existence and also challenge the human spirit to surmount them, the vastness and mystery of the unforgiving desert, the beauty of the snow capped altitudes and the quietly scenic fjords, the majestic volcanoes which spell the ruin of the nearby life and land with their own, the majestic seas concealing life and treasures in its unexplored bosom and the dark, deep rainforests full of life and vibrance, all <br />actually exhibit as shared wealth of the community both in the pragmatic and artistic or sentimental sense while still being entirely pristine in their purpose and existence without the least of impurity and perversion of intent in their genesis and existence. <br /> The foremost case can be made of beauty. We really need and eye for a genuine and heartfelt appreciation of the beauty that is concealed and revealed in the mega structures and formations of our world. When the humor may grip us, they have a potential to numb our outwardly senses and engross us in feeling the complete range of emotions that elevate the spirit. It can be so liberating that it is only fleeting. But mostly reproducible. The beauty spoken of here is not just the physical formation but a deeper sense of harmony with the cosmic existence, the serenity it brings and a purpose which is more than anything else just being in a state of existence baring entirely one's natural condition, here that of the terrain or the landmass. Without further deliberation on the intangible, we can just catch hold of such a sight and try to understand if we get a connect of any kind with it. <br /> Then there is the case of significance and practicality. The geography of a place one may argue is the single most important deciding factor in shaping its lifestyle and popular culture. The discipline of human geography is dedicated to such a study. It is not the purpose of this deliberation do delve deeper into the actual accounts of such a correlation - some are common knowledge in any case but some more subtle ones are the ones that mesmerise you. On deeper observation, cannot we decipher that the mild disposition and approach of a person from a place of scenic beauty like a hill can actually be attributed to the wholesomeness it brings to his life. What is more than the harsh realities of everyday survival in the tough and sharp mannerisms of a desert people. True to my fault, I bring in Cricket again. Even the pitches - which gain there nature from the soil they are composed of - of Asia are much milder than those of the rough lands of South Africa and Australia. <br /> Geology begins just where physical Geography ends. It is that much more technical in nature and is more of a experimental science. Since this piece is written keeping in mind the everyday value these disciplines may bring for a person, let us see what Geology holds for us. Geology can tell us the categorization of a rock into sedimentary or igneous and thus the origin of that rock. This is more of an interest to an academic or a construction worker than a layman. But the layman can definitely learn into the basics of this discipline. The various rock faces that are cut into multiple layers across ages in a large Gorge like the "Great Canyon" depict and teach you the various timelines in their life. The volcanic ash, the sparse desert flora with peculiar characteristics, the ice deserts of Antarctica, the vast Limestone deposits, the huge ice sheets and glaciers, the dense rainforest flora and associated wildlife, the Gold or the Diamond mine, the faultlines that run through the seabeds and continents,the Geyers and the Volcanic remnant land or crater lake and the magma flowing out in the sea-bed have all their own unique story to tell. contd..abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-10988619005537757452011-12-29T08:01:00.000-08:002012-02-01T19:21:28.728-08:00A case in point for team culture and respect that breeds successLet us go back in time. I will take you to the spring of 1996. I was a school kid then who had sometime back fallen completely in love to cricket viewing. I always loved the game as the closest thing to my heart and played since as long as I can remember (albeit with the soft ball but I reckon I transformed from a ungainly softball batsman to one who could put bat to ball in the year 1995). Thanks for bearing with my personal info. But I simply loved cricket on television after watching almost every ball of the West Indies tour of India in the year 1995. But then the zenith was reached in 1996 in the World Cup(dont mention the official title sponsor, its a tobacco tabboo). I dint quite understand what Dominic Cork or Dikie Bird meant when they said that there was nothing official about Pepsi. Yes, I was naive to the alluring worlds of advertisements and sponsorship but I definitely understood what it meant when BRIAN LARA demolished South Africa in the quarter finals or the concept of pinch-hitting which was used to overhaul New Zealand's total by sending Warnie up the order in another match. So I was heartbroken when on a otherwise pleasant evening I returned from a short stint of play and found Siddhu caught by Jayasuriya in the semis at the Eden Gardens. Little did I know there was worse to come. We know what happened and it got me in pains. But we endure. Fast forward to the Gaddafi (anyone for a name change?) stadium in Lahore and those scenes of a helicopter (whats the difference between it and a chopper btw?) trying to dry the outfield. Surprising as it may sound, I was rooting for Sri Lanka. That they threw us out of the championship (oh, its the World Cup) did not matter, I simply did not support Australia. I do not understand why but I did not. So I was happy when Ranatunga sliced one through the thirdman boundary and accepted the trophy from Late Benazir Bhutto (I realized this only now, how far back in time it was and how the backdrop of my neighbouring land has changed). So much for nostalgia, but the real point is, I did not like Australia winning then against anybody. Fast forward to the 1999 WC and I was rooting for the OZ against the Saffers and cheered when Allan Donald was actually runout in that gut churner of a tie. I had started to choose Oz against any other nation but my homeland. So, I cheered every wicket as it fell in South Africa, from Sreesanth getting Haydos to Bhajji cleaning up Clarkie in the inaugral T20 WC. Same story in the CB cup finals down under and the Perth Test win at the start of 2008. I admired their brand of cricket alright and the firce but light hearted spirit they played in (I see in my mind's eye many eyebrows raising, but seriously keeping aside a couple of really arrogant pricks, they were always being aggressive on the field of play). I may be wrong but it felt like they always played the nice way. They were always smiling and chit-chatting in a pally manner among each other which did not at all look like street-side banter. The point I think is they played very well as a team and respected each other as the guys playing together and that I sensed. A fringe player in the playing 11 never looked like not having a good laugh. I dont know, I quite liked what I saw. But still I was a team-india fan. And I was pround of it. It is my national team. I had few of the world's best batsmen, good spinners, a keeper-captain with a nice hairdo who made bold suggestions and statements and they were winning (albeit just the limited overs rubbers). But today I envy an Aussie fan. And not just because they won the MCG test. <br /> This is because I see them playing a team game like one. That reflects the culture that is prevalent in their first class cricket or thus it looks. I do not think India fared too badly in the match through the first 10 sessions in terms of putting bat to the ball and releasing the ball from hands or even grabbing the ball. Anybody would think that way. Still they managed to be outdone handsomely by a talented but fledgling Aussie side. Because they did so in a very disconcerted manner. This is what is so detrimental to a team game. Team India do not look a committed bunch of people playing with and FOR each other. They do not seemt to have enough respect for their peer in the team and that hurts subconsciously and eventually in my humle opinion.<br /> When an opener plays in a manner because that he thinks is the way he batted, it is after much consideration a fair call. But it is a different thing when he boasts about that in very naked terms. It is a statement of an individuality which does not purport to be forming a part of the whole. This in my view is blasphemy in team sport. It would be much a better thing if Sehwag keeps on playing the way he does, improves upon that but not take it as a personal agenda or an avenging mission to demonstrate one thing or the other to the world. This adds fuel to the opposition firepower and they are running in with their tails up all the time. Sehwag has much more to prove in foreign conditions and he seems to give Sir Viv blushes in plain arrogance. He may be well meaning but someone needs to tell him that in order to leave a legacy and be consistently of benefit to the team in a structured manner, he needs to fit into a role and that role is definitely not blabbering among the media about his cricketing mannerisms. Who knows if the foreign media just intentionally puts him into a delusional state by pumping his ego. Because I honestly do not see any reason for them to go head over heels on Sehwag when he has still left so much to prove in foreign conditions. He might win the odd test but that is far outweighed by the negligent manner he plays his cricket in increasingly. A bloke who hit his first test ton in Johannesburg ought to have learnt better. Actually, he has been a little bit of a victim of his fanfare and hype. He has certainly not improved an iota. So much for speaking antagonistically for a batsman who I am a big fan of. I like his free spirited natre and the good laugh he seems to share always on the field. This is why I am increasingly frustrated and impatient with him. Being a good bloke who could do so much more, he must now curb his ego and look for some advice and help. If he looks around, he may have it at an arm's length. I would not venture to analyse the faults of a couple of other players as I do not think there is any merit in discussing Test cricket credentials or improvements of players who are not even the most capable to be playing the version of the game in the country. The humble message to the majestic Tendulkar however is that he being the biggest cricketer we have ever produced (Kapil maybe, thats another day's talk however), I would always feel a part of the responsibility of whatever kind of work ethic related issues happen in the team rest on him. This is because all the players listen to what he has to say with open ears. He ought to instill that discipline and team culture among the group. And here is wishing him best for his 100th ton. I am sure he is least bothered with it and would like to win the next test before anything else.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-37296162851020521112011-12-28T19:52:00.000-08:002011-12-28T20:20:55.432-08:00The electric genius is back.Not too far down in this space, have I put a piece written almost two years ago in defence of Ricky Ponting the leader, the cricketer without delving into the batsman that he is, much. He faced criticism and "boos" then and just a few days back he still was facing the criticism and the occasional "boo-ing" but also a danger to his place in the Test side. I was for one never convinced of the noises. Various reasons accounted. First and foremost, there was no replacement. Had there been a barrage of young upcoming batsmen who had proved the mettle and were out of the team for just want of a place, we would have had a serious debate and a possible ousting of Ponting at some point. That was not the case apparent in the most overt and lucid fashion. I do not comprehend who gave this argument to oust him. A look at the starting lineup against India in the MCG confirms the situation. An opener without first class experience, another in all fairness solid but yet to prove he belonged to the highest level and a number three who repeatedly got out to typical limited overs shots. There is plenty in the plate for the selectors to sorth these slots first and leave Ponting alone till it is all sorted out. Even apart from the above, he might just hold his place on pure merit. The two innings he played in the MCG are proof enough to the suspicious and fickle minded. He played with flair and confidence there. After the initial jitters of a two-paced track, he found his repertoire of shots flowing out like in his pinnacle. The pulling and cutting resumed normal service and the feet moved with electric pace. The "style" resumed and the straight drive put a final confirm. But that is not the issue. The point is why is he supposed to be put through this acid test unnecessarily. He could have done if anything, a little better without the added pressure. The people who wished his ouster should decipher and savor the taste of the dish of humble-pie for goodness' sake. Then there is the case of a side rebuilding itself where experience is a most valuable commodity to be had and also some knowledge and ideas disseminated to build a culture and a new "brand" as they say of playing. Also, if not for any other reason, hisefforts in Johannesburg should have earned him some respite. But then, may be all this talk was actually from the quarters which mattered the least and in an extent just regular media stories. The team management had continiously backed him and also rightly another champion cricket in Mike Hussey. For the moment however, the case is rested so we can focus on more real and substantial issues. If Australia win the MCG test which is the most likely result now, India will have reasons to fear more than those at the start of the tour as Ponting would most certainly be back to his confident self after the match saving and who knows career saving as well, two innings.<br />Ricky Ponting was fluent amid trying conditions and majestic among cricketing adversity in Melbourne at the start of the summer and did best what he has done all along his glittering career, delivered under pressure with electric flair.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-56697236642834382432011-12-24T13:35:00.000-08:002011-12-24T13:47:27.257-08:00The cricket is back!Its Christmas day. Whats more its the eve of the Boxing day (well almost) and India is in Oz. That means the Boxing day test is on the cards. How I remember the summer of 2007-08, actually the winter (look I am already transmuted to Australia) and the 26th Dec. test. If my memory serves me right, Matty Hayden was in his pomp and got no less than a century in the opening day. It was a memorable series in various ways. I remember it all. Dravid's struggles, bad luck (remember that ct Gilly bl Symmo dismissal?) and eventual 93 to win the match in Perth. Brett Lee's last successful test series (guess he won the man of the series honour). Sachin's uppercuts, Ponting vs Ishant, Sehwag's harmless and friendly swearing in the course and many more like Gilchrist's farewell. <br /> Thats the beauty of a well played Test series. It turns intoan epic deeply etched in your memory and providing benign and enjoyable reminiscences of cricketing and sometimes human endeavour. And India-Australia down under is just that material. It maybe because they have been the team to beat (not anymore) all through these years of our cricket viewing or for a myriad other reasons, but the point is that we need to savor these memories. After all, in a life equated to an illusion by the sage, these moments of unadulterated joy look the least malignant! And rather uplifting.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-91952775146860008652011-12-24T12:36:00.000-08:002011-12-24T13:35:02.147-08:00real economy and real banking.If you read through the messages inside the intranet of one of the frontrunner European Bank and read the executive comments rather closely, you would find an increasing reference to some "real economy". You would get a mixed feeling of satisfaction and a little surprise. Satisfaction because you would quickly understand that what you always thought was indeed correct. That the investment banking profession or practice seemed alien or detached from the ground realities. You just had this feeling or suspicion, call it intuition if you may but you never really believed that would be true. But the fact remains that our Banking system has been stretched a bit too far. Banking and finance have their prominent and justified places in Human society and always have had. Ancient texts could be found which delve into the science of Finance and I am not even alluding to Kautilya's relatively recent "Arthashastra". If endeavor hasto happen and someone has to venture into business, starting capital is needed. To give expression to one's creativity in Business and commerce, the leverage happens with capital. India's religious (not spiritual expression I say) tradition has a sacred seat for the universal consciousness' manifestation in the form of the goddess of wealth. In a nutshell, the world moves on finance and trade. Yet, it is a means and not the end.<br /> The case in point is just that. What we saw in the ensuing phenomenon and the consequent crisis was that it became and end in itself. Few examples merit attention. Someone, like a pension fund needed to invest money in some kind of rated "AAA" lockers which promised the money invested was safe. So they created these lockers once. Probably they were AAA safe-lockers (these bonds and securities really) to begin with. However, folks got greedy then. There were fee cuts and bonuses to be had for creating such lockers and finding such investors and if you neighbour i-bank would do that blindly why would'nt you. Everybody looked happy and things were hunky the-dory. Only that the lockers were not really AAA safe. No-one really bothered though. There were some locker-testers (those Rating companies) there which stamped their AAA veracity and that was enough. However what started to possibly happen was that all the drive for the investor-locker syndrome came from the fee and bonus for creating the locker in the first place. I call it a Locker and not a Train because that what it really proved to be. I train or a car for that matter is a necessity. If someone finances someone to buy a train to do some sincere business, it is Banking. But what if someone finds two parties, one to invest and the other just on the street walking around and asks them if they were interested to have some quick money financed and the street-walker fancied yea, why not have a go. It becomes a locker no more a train. Whats more, the greed went a step further. They created "locker squares" (CDO squared really). They found more AAA investors and promised them the best money that would come from the lockers later. And they got some more fee cuts and bonuses. All in all, this process (only one of the multitude of such processes) quickly became the end. But such senseless and counter-natural finance could'nt sustain. Investment banking by itself couldnt sustain. There is definitely need for some mergers and those acquisitions and thus advisory duties. There is some need for hedging among communities and around commodities - currency hedges for instance. There is need for some simple derivatives. But looks like they stretch those a bit too far. Those exotic derivative products, those inflated CDS trades which none knows where the other end of the trade is. The so called "proprietory trading" where you take bets on the money given to you trustedly for safekeeping. It almost feels like taking your friend's money to a casino and hope you would always somehow win and take your share. Do we need Banking or gambling in casinos. To top it all, there is no regulatory oversight on these transactions, or rather there was no oversight. These Basel 3, Dodd and Frank and all these are just the regulation mechanisms suddenly everyone realised were missing in the playground of broker-dealer investment banks. It from the outside looks and feels like merry-making by these so called i-bankers (not many really know I guess what it really means to be an i-banker, some kind of an apple inc. creation, ridiculous thinking that). Maybe I am mistaken, accept my apologies then you i-banker. But I reckon they themselves started to believe at some point that they had unearthed some kind of a magic formula or machine to churn out transactions in multitudes without taking note of the financial sense beneath those. Hire that nerdy Physics Nobel laureate to come up with some kind of formulas to stratify different classes, get two parties interested, sit on the deal table (I wonder did they cut those deals on some expensive Cruise liners or somekind of a beach resort on the haven-of tax Cayman island). We are the superguys. We wear black suits, talk some nice-wrapped Finance jargon, flaunt our company logos, reside in expensive hotels, do zillion business trips, work (real mail) day and night and know so much about how the world business would function. Enough banker bashing? Alrite, done with it. There are nuances involved which we may not understand. Some of this trade may actually be required for our world's functioning. But please do not overdo it. Please understand you have borrowed money from countless shareholders, investors and stakeholdersand are the trustees of that money and not superstars who own the money to flaunt it. If you have an urge to have celebrity mannerisms, please try Hollywood. You may just have the charm. Good luck for that. But do not do the banking for the sake of it and as your favorite pastime like it were some kind of a Monopoly session.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-42473732363827687522011-12-14T13:42:00.000-08:002011-12-14T13:46:31.728-08:00On Dravid's speech at Sir Don's Oration.I wonder how many other current cricketers could have fit the bill for the esteemed regard, knowledge and adroitness for a Bradman reminiscence Orator. None flash automatically. The complete flavors of his personality were on display through the piece and so much so that he threatened to steal the show from the reverence of the great man himself, not purposefully so I am sure. His stately disposition was evident in the opening lines vis. "I understand that I am supposed to speak about cricket and issues in the game - and I will.". It was no leisuserly chit-chat and he set out his erudite stand at the outset. Not that there was any shortage of humor, the self-deprecating brand of which is so easily and fittingly borne by the modern great now. <br />Then there was the profound knowledge about issues ranging from world wars to pre-independence anecdotes delving into the psyche of the then Indian fan and man. Of course there were handy and may I say indispensible suggestions for the future well-being of the game from experience and a matter-of-fact description of the current affairs with the occasional expert-advice which he is legitimately entitled to. None better than the following in my humble opinion: "One of the things, Bradman said has stayed in my mind. That the finest of athletes had, along with skill, a few more essential qualities: to conduct their life with dignity, with integrity, with courage and modesty. All this he believed, were totally compatible with pride, ambition, determination and competitiveness. Maybe those words should be put up in cricket dressing rooms all over the world." If the above were to become the code of ethics hung in every Cricket dressing room, I guess a lot of the issues would settle for themselves in some measure. In any case, it is a good advice. <br />He represented Indian cricket pretty well without sounding jingoistic and still communicated the plethora of issues, passion and emotions which unfold in the backdrop of the story of India's romance with cricket. And finally there was the poetic ease, inspiration and grace, what with the instance of not letting facts hinder those great stories and the meditative experiences he shared. It helped remind oneself that behind the dodgy and almost robot like methodical approach which has served the legend fine, there actually was a mind seeped rich in spirit and controlled passion. That is a blend which distinguishes him immediately from any cricketer who comes to the mind. <br />If I really had to find some shortcoming in the speech to save the world from an impending doom, I would hesitantly say "Isnt it heavily India-centric?". But then, isnt he supposed to speak for his country and from his personal experiences rather than do research and put some facts together covering the entire cricketing community the world over. Thats up to the critics to mull over. <br />Overall, there is little surprise as to the quality of the content and delivery if one cognized the goods were to be delivered by Rahul Dravid. The only highlight is that his pre-eminence among current generation complete cricketers is now for all practical purposes, official.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-74522896788501823212011-12-14T13:37:00.000-08:002011-12-14T13:40:25.088-08:00Ponting as at the start of 2010...champion cricketer and captain.Ricky Thomas Ponting, the prodigy who started wielding the willow aged 10 for his father's club and got junior sponsorship from <br />Kookaburra soon after, always made an instant impression. He scored quick and big for Tasmania as a teenager and his three year<br />senior (only in age) Gilchrist cant miss recalling the uber confident Goatee wearing pro making him feel shallow while both<br />were making their claims for a Aussie test spot. Only that Punter was a certainty even then. But then there was the downside.<br />While he scored runs on the field, his personal life did not seem to be the stuff of dreams. He had his share of controversies which all<br />culminated in the famous sydney brawl where his black eye was infamously captured on camera. He personally admitted to have an alcohol related<br />problem. A common sight these days is him walking to the presentation ceremonies and the crowds booing him from Lord's to Guwahati.<br />He is the perennial bad boy when it comes to an image and arrogance, haughtiness seem to be the adjectives people tend to associate <br />with him most.<br />So what exactly is the point here. Sachin, Lara, Gibbs and even Bell were all prodigies earmarked for success. And there are the good boys like<br />Younis and Sanga who are liked by all and sundry for their apparent gentlemanly traits. Is there really anything that sets Ricky apart for him<br />to leave a legacy for cricket. Doesnt look like he could hope to match up to even his predecessor captain.<br />Or does it. <br /> After all he is the only captain after Murdoch from the last century to loose the coveted Ashes twice in England. And dint his side<br />exit the T20 world cup in the first round. Did he not loose a test series in India followed by the loss at home to SAfrica. And who lost the all too<br />important ICC ODI team rankings from the position of supremacy. Makes for a rather bad captain. Does it not.<br />But what was made of the OZ after the famous tri-retirement of Chapell, Marsh and Lillie. They lost 12 and won 3 tests in the next three years and<br />lost Test series to West Indies, twice to England, even to New Zealand while even India could salvage a drawn rubber down under and<br />it took them almost four years to register their first series win againt the lesser brothers New Zealand in home soil. The trio had won the<br />last series they played in for them 2-0. Both Kim Hughes and Border suffered ignominy at the hands of all other teams.<br /> Ponting's captainship blemishes still are interspersed with series wins against S Africa, India and a plethora of ODI wins.<br />Even after Hayden, McGill and Gilly followed the other heavyweights out, he could win one of the next three test series and a historic win at that<br />in South A frica. Even after losing a closey fought Ashes he could win the ODIs 6-1 followed by the champions trophy win and a series win in India and regain<br />the top ranking.all too soon. He has achieved all this while only Hussey has consistently been in the playing 11 to answer the call<br />for any established cricketer other than himself. Clarke, Clark and Lee have been injured or out of form. And one and all from Beau Casson, Jason Krejza,<br />Bryce McGain, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Cameron White, Hauritz have been entrusted with the job of winning test matches with <br />their spinners. Even Shane Watson has opened in Test matches and three wicketkeepers have lent service to the national cause.<br />A player has joined the playing 11 with the flight boarding ticket in his pocket and one of the Aussie winning combination has looked more like a Pura Cup outfit. <br />And among all this, he has managed to accumulate most ODI runs in the year worldwide with almost every run worth the record unlike<br />some other player's runs which are no reflection of their contribution to a team's particular objective on that day. <br /> And then there is Ponting the batsman. It is not the aim of this essay to decipher or list the electrifying attributes that make him the magnetic batsman he is<br />while on the crease. There is however the final product which is so pleasing to the eye and satisfying to the intellect. There is a sense of purpose in virtually<br />everything he does on the cricket field. He has successfully maintained the high standards for a long period now to answer the calls for consistency required to<br />bestow an all time great tag on a batsman. And ofcourse he has made the number 3 position his own as no one else has in both the formats of the game.<br />The only frailty which could be put against him is his occassional tentativeness against quality spin. Not to state that he has a decisive weakness against that form <br />of bowling, but just a case. However, it is not substantial enough to bother him or any critic and is far too occassional. <br /> Now revrting to the original issue of a general criticism that he has to endure, we can only sympathise with him. He is actually one of the most sporting losers<br />in the game. He takes all the losses on the chin and doesnt shirk from responsibility and thats the mark of a champion. That comes from a confidence and a belief in <br />one's own abilities. He is always matter of fact. Adam Gilchrist quotes how he was matter of fact when Adam got vice captaincy ahead of him and also in the same <br />vein when Ricky got the captaincy ahead of Gilly. And Gilly himself assures everyone in his book that Punter was the best possible leader after Waugh among<br />the lot of legends. He throws light on how it was only Punter who could handle and confront if the need be, to the mercurial Warnie. Any other person in charge, <br />Gilly argues would have failed miserably in tackling Warnie without bias and hesitation. That is how Ponting is - matter of fact, forthright and that<br />is what comes as brash and rude to many a fellow. That is pitiful as such a person warrants highest respect for his professionalism and honesty to his craft.<br />Well, he is ultra competitive and thus would not sport that fake smile during close games. He wants to win to the last drop of his sweat and the last clause<br />of legality in the game. And like a truly confident professional, he does not seem to bother what anybody else has to say about his craft. Such is the confidence<br />which beams out when he trudges or rather sprints to the batting crease when the Aussies are one wicket down. That is what a fan would long to look in his/her <br />favorite player. And that is what Punter offers to his fan more than any other cricketer does to their's and that is where his true value lies.abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541680731392709988.post-83702899731742303902011-11-24T17:57:00.000-08:002012-02-01T19:23:28.500-08:00What afterall is so good about Cricket?I dunno man. Whenever I visit this space and think of penning down my mind, I inevitably think Cricket. I was following the game much less all through this year and was pursuing some other vocations instead which are as fascinating and closer to nature (Anyone game for some Geology/Geography/History talk? or some refreshing dosage of eastern philosophy around compassion and harmony?). But guess what, I opened up here today and its still Cricket on my mind !! Huh..<br /> Part of it is attributable to one Rahul Dravid. He just completed his 13000 test runs. Collossal, aint it. And guess what, it is also cathartic. For someone who had been trying in vain for few years of defending among peers, his value and even position in the test side, it was a sigh of relief and some lighthearted happiness.<br />Not that people did not support him or like him, but they had all lost any confidence in him or doubted his relevance or thought someone youngster was better- off filling his shoes. He seemed just one knock away from some hard browed expert comments and passionate scrutiny. Is not there the lad from the west who has compiled mountains of runs in the domestic seasons, someone uttered. Are jaye yaar ab apna kaam kare kuchh wo kya karraha hai ab mauka dede auron ko, kab tak khelega. But something was quite not right in all these assertions and I found out what. I told myself - But what when we tour outside the dusty comforts of our subcontinent into the unknown entity where batsmanship was more than driving on the up and I suddenly found all the answers in my pursuit of his support. Rest was duly accomplished in the English summer and now everyone has gained perfect confidence in their minds for his abilities. Good for him and for cricket!abhikartaguru.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12654188860099483325noreply@blogger.com0