I and Y

There is a great sense of irony in the names of people who run the two cricket leagues in India.

While IPL has been consummated, mid-wived, delivered and nurtured all by Lalit MODI, its lesser known step-brother ICL has a Himanshu MODY to take care for. Modi and Mody - I and Y.

While IPL has been busy giving logistical lessons to FIFA, helping South Africans to go to school and lest we forget, boosting the South African economy by 3 million Rands, ICL has plummeted to spiralling rounds of self introspection catalyzed by the latest ICL tournament's cancellation and the impending mass exodus of players following BCCI's amnesty.

It is only ironical that while Modi seems to suffer from capital I disease, Mody is left asking: Y is all this happening to me?

Bliss

Consider these factors:

- Being up all through the night
- Sitting on the 4th floor terrace
- A good breeze blowing
- Being with the 8 best friends of yours who you have spent the best part of your last 5 years
- Sharing a bottle of scotch
- Hogging the last leftovers of grub that you have in your wing
AND
- Doing all the senti talk like you have never done before
- Inventing theories on the existence of your being

With the knowledge that you have an end sem to write within the next 24 hrs.


Nothing but sheer bliss!!

Cricket Trivia

The first testicular guard was used in cricket in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. It took 100 years for men to realize that the brain is also important!

Tells quite a bit about our priorities.

Plain Comical !!

Here is Ponting:

In their first innings, it took us 70 to 80 overs to get the reverse-swing going. Their guys were doing it within six to eight overs. That's a big difference. (Source)

Death of Cricket

Can anybody hear the death knell of cricket (sans IPL) ringing not too far away?

International cricket will die of neglect if this pattern carries on. Zimbabwe is already a basket case; West Indies is relying on Allen Stanford to kiss it back to life. Many of Bangladesh's senior players, who have never yet been invited on a full tour of India in spite of playing them in the country's maiden Test in November 2000, have given up hope of ascending to the big time, and have instead sold their souls to the Indian Cricket League. Don't be surprised if a raft of Pakistanis follow suit. The Champions Trophy may have been detested as a competition, but right now, no one feels quite as detested as its jilted host. (Source)

And not to mention, according to the Australians, you have a far greater chance of being attacked in Pakistan, which hasn't seen attacks in its cricket hosting cities far a while now, in comparison to Bangalore (venue of the 1st Test Mach between India and Australia) and New Delhi (Venue of the 2nd Test Match)

This and that

Chalk and Cheese !!

Source

The snow and the scarf

I am currently reading, rather very slowly, a book titled Snow authored by the Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk. Haven't read much of it - only the first hundred odd pages.

The book narrates the experience of a poet who goes to the distressed town of Kars, Turkey to report on the prevalent suicide epidemic among the young girls there. The primary reason being - the modernist and secular Turkish society bans the girls from wearing head scarves lest their names are struck off the roles. The head scarf has always been a symbol of the girl's dignity and her love for Islam. She considers the innocuous act of removing the head scarf demeaning to the Almighty. Stuck between the dilemma of being allowed to lead a normal life without her head scarf and being considered as a social outcast with her head scarf, most of them took the easy route of taking their lives themselves.

Given the uninteresting nature of our classes, it is always advised to carry some reading material to keep oneself occupied while the professors blabber away to glory. Snow has been my reading accompaniment for the last few days.

As I was walking the corridors of my college the other day with nothing but this book in my hand, I spot a beautiful petite female Muslim student strolling around dressed in a traditional salwar kameez with the head scarf on. For a moment, I was standing still wondering at the coincidence.

Pretty co-incidental and I am proud, albeit for a moment, about the liberalized education system that I reside in. Please for a moment, allow me to forget the Rajs and Nandus.