IPL 2009 – congratulations to the Deccan Chargers

Congratulations to the Deccan Chargers on winning this year’s IPL at South Africa. They have shown the resiliency required to win a big, long tournament like this.

 IPL 2009 has been a revelation to the cricket lovers. It proved that classy players will always excel in any format of the game. The performances of the veterans like Anil Kumble, Mathew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist delighted the fans. For me, the notable disappointments were Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S.Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar , Sanath Jayasurya, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan.

 The find of the tournament is Manish Pandey. SO many young players including Pragyan Ojha, Naman Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja and many others demonstrate the bench strength that Indian cricket has. This is a good omen and the BCCI needs to preserve and nurture the budding talents.

 Looking forward to the Indian team retaining the T20 World Cup....

We are living in an era of mindless, brutal blood shedding and violence. Often, the war is for some cause or the other. The dreams, aspirations, ambitions, love, lust, greed, agony, anguish, anger, frustrations all spill out in the form of bullets and swords. Even petty feuds and silly arguments end up in large scale destruction and communal clashes.

 We live in an age of heroes who seek to build their empire atop the graveyards. The Osamas, Prabhakarans, myriad forms of Naxalism, extreme Maoism, communal and caste hatred and all forms of oppressive idealisms seek to establish their dominance on the world order. Saner voices like that of the Dalai Lama are drowned in the midst of the loud, fervent war cries. Even devil’s hell would be a better abode than man’s earth.

 When I saw the reports of Prabhakaran’s death, I couldn’t but wonder what the moral of his life is. His fight was against the oppression of Tamils by the Sri Lankan government and the Sinhalese community. But, what did he achieve for his people? What did the Tamils gain?

 Wasn’t it Prabhakaran’s mistake that he could not make use of the good will and the support that he initially got from world over and especially from India? Perhaps his biggest blunder was the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. This ill advised move left India totally incapable of interfering on his behalf, no matter what the situation in Lanka became. Rajiv had committed an equally big mistake by signing a pact with the then Sri Lankan President and sending IPKF to the Lanka. But, two mistakes never add up to anything more than a bigger mistake. Prabhakaran never had the courage and vision to lead his men on the path of reconciliation and participatory politics.

The same is true for the Osamas and other pretenders who seek to salvage their tribe from something or the other. The common man’s sufferings are the same whether it is in Lanka, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Somalia,  Zimbabwe or in any other place. He is betrayed and oppressed by the same leaders who seek to champion his cause and take him to the Promised Land. The story is the same, only the names change. A mass of oppressed and impoverished junta kept in the shackles by a visionless coward at the helm.

 For it takes more courage to face the bullets than to shoot them. As these thoughts raced through my mind, I was struck by a lightning bolt. Suddenly, I found myself awe struck at what had happened in India in the last century, the leader who took us from slavery to freedom.

 The Mahatma. I just cannot fathom the enormity of a non-violent movement, that too against the most powerful imperial force that ever existed in the world. Like every Indian, I have also learned about the Mahatma in my history books. I come across references to him at least on his birthday and the day of his martyrdom. I have read his autobiography too. Still, the gory visuals from Lanka splashed across the news channels triggered an unprecedented wave of disbelief and awe in my mind.

 I suddenly recalled what the great scientist Albert Einstein said:

 “Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this (Gandhi) walked the earth in flesh and blood.”

Indeed, it is difficult to believe such a man existed. May be they should start teaching more about Mahatma in schools and colleges ALL OVER THE WORLD. Preserve whatever Mahatma memorabilia available to perhaps try and convince the future generations. Start a global campaign on non-violence as an effective and most powerful political tool.

 Resurrect the Mahatma and bring him back in to our lives. Or else, not many generations would survive to wonder whether he existed or not... 

Prabhakaran’s death..a chance to make a fresh start..

The death of dreaded LTTE chief Prabhakaran is a defining moment in the history of Sri Lanka and in fact that of the entire Tamil World. His death is a defining moment in the history of the small Islan nation. I hope this would bring some semblance of peace and stability to that country.

 The onus is on the Sri Lankan government to rehabilitate the Tamils and give them their due status. This is a rare second chance that the government has got to correct the past wrongdoings.

 India must also find it easier to intervene in a post-Prabhakaran era. India has the responsibility and duty to make sure that the Tamils and Sinhalese peacefully co-exist in the beautiful Lankan nation.

Election results 2009 review – Kerala

The results of Lok Sabha Elections 2009 show that Kerala has remained faithful to its record of switching between the two prominent fronts, LDF and UDF. So much so that one can even predict the results of the next Lok Sabha Elections which should be held in 2014 unless the new dispensation at Delhi fails to be a stable one. It would be an exact opposite of the current results.

 Why? Because by then we will have a UDF government ruling the state for over two years and would be as fed up with it as we are with the current LDF government. It is the utter disappointment of the neutral voters, those who are not hardcore LDF or UDF supporters, which results in the alternating fortunes for the fronts in successive elections. The net result is that the state and its people suffer from the negligence and lack of will power from its rulers. Even the achievements of the government get sidelined due to various controversies that keep flooding the state.

 Another side-effect of this is that each government invariably abandons whatever few successful programs the previous one may have implemented, often to come up with a new one that requires everyone to start from the scratch. This means there is no continuity whatsoever in the developmental front. A good example would be the fate of the Smart City project.

 Contrast this with the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. DMK and AIADMK may not have many things in common, but both are aware of the importance of development politics. The result is evident in this election as there was no anti-incumbency wave against the DMK, even when the power cuts in TN was a major problem.

 Apart from the above mentioned factor, the LDF managed to antagonize the voters even more this time around. The factional fight within the CPI(M), arrogance of the state party leadership especially with regard to its relations with its own allies and with various factions like the church, NSS etc and the failure of the party mechanism as a whole in gauging the mood of the voters all proved costly for the left Front. In central and southern parts of Kerala, the church and organizations like NSS have contributed significantly in large victory margins of the UDF.

 On the other hand, the BJP has yet again failed to put up a good show except in Kasragode and Kozhikkode. In a state where the presence of an anti LDF or an anti UDF wave is almost a guarantee in any election, the BJP and all other third aspirants like the NCP, BSP etc will always have a difficult time in making their presence felt. Yet, the BJP should strengthen the organization so as to make sure that all its political votes are polled in every election.

 Coming back to the LDF, CPI(M)’s decision to align itself with the PDP even at the risk of alienating other LDF constituents was a fatal mistake. In the process, the LDF not only lost the elections, but it also lost the moral high ground as far as communal politics is concerned. Same is the case with fight against corruption. After proclaiming the willingness to fight the Lavlin case both legally and politically, the party has sunk down to unprecedented levels in trying to avoid the prosecution of its state supremo.

 The CPI(M) which has always been in the fore-front of anti communal and anti corruption movement made yet another historic blunder by experimenting on these two fundamental issues. In the process, it ended up looking pretty similar to the Congress. Large number of party members and core supporters have voted against the LDF, especially in Northern Kerala. The CPI(M) failed to poll its guaranteed political votes in party citadels like Kannur, Vadakara, Palakkad and Kozhikkkode. This is a clear signal to the party leadership. If the party does not take immediate corrective measures and acknowledges the same in a convincing manner, it is in the danger of losing its relevance in the ideological arena.

Elections 2009 – India

UPA improves its tally, disappointment for NDA, severe drubbing for the 3^rd front…

The UPA is all set to form the government at the centre for the second time. Disappointing as it is for many like me who would have liked to see Advaniji as the Prime Minister, I still hope the UPA would get its priorities right this time around.

 In an earlier post, I had expressed the hope that the Indian polity at the national level would finally come around to a bipartisan system two to three elections from now. I reiterate the same at this juncture.

 As for the next government, I strongly suspect there would be a mid-term leadership change if Manmohan Singh stays on as the Prime Minister at initial stage. In spite of being an optimist, I don’t have much hope regarding the performance of a fresh UPA government in key areas like employment generation, inflation control, foreign affairs and anti-terrorist and anti-insurgency drive. I would like the new government to respect the verdict and deliver on the grass roots level.

 The coming years would be crucial for the country as it positions itself as the major global player alongside China. In the recent years India has not lived up to its rightful role in international affairs, especially in addressing and influencing the volatile situation in the subcontinent. Here is hoping for a bright future for this great nation…

Elections 2009 – Kerala

Anti LDF wave wreaks havoc…

 

1.       Ponnani & Kozhikkode - CPI(M)’s Pinarayi group had estranged all other sections in the LDF regarding the candidate selection in Ponnani and Kozhikode. I am delighted at the LDF’s drubbing in these two seats as it deserves the same for its arrogance and total disregard for coalition etiquette. A strong message to the CPI(M) from Left supporters and cadres.

2.       Kannur & Vadakara - Two seats which are the citadels of CPI(M) chose to teach a lesson to the party this time around. A strong political message to the CPI(M) from its own cadres and support base.

3.       Palakkad & Vadakara - CPI(M) rebels who contested the elections putting up a creditable show in these two CPI(M) strong holds.

4.       Thriuvananthapuram -  Shashi Tharoor makes his debut in election politics. This manifests the extend of anti-LDF trend across Kerla.

5.       BJP – As usual, decrease in the BJP vote share across the state would be cause for much brain storming. K.Surendran did a commendable job and increased the BJP vote share in Kasargod but the performance is dismal in Trivandrum where the state party chief Krishnadas was contesting.

 It would be most interesting to see who takes the brunt for this rout, Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan or the CPI(M) state general secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. This issue calls for a separate post and would get the same soon…

The political adultery set to reach new lows...

India has seen myriad forms of horse-trading and political back stabbing in its post 1947 history. From the respected Netha going underground with his precious stack of MLAs, who are kept under house arrest till a deal is struck with interested parties, to the honourable MPs being bought with the help of divine God Men and suitcases laden with cash.

 Lok Sabha elections 2009 will also throw up interesting and downright comical moments of political bankruptcy and ideological ambiguity. Yesterday, we had the pleasure of watching a former Chief Minister going to meet the leader of the Grand Old Party in a clandestine fashion. The pictures reminded me of criminals and prostitutes who often hide their faces in front of the camera. I cannot understand why the gentle man had to hide himself in such an amateurish fashion.  Even I could have done a better job if I wanted to avoid being identified in front of the camera.  

 More cynical and disturbing trends are being reported from Rampur where Jaya Prada is finding her very dignity as a woman being at stake. Political affiliations apart, I really feel sorry for her. Like the ultimate symbol of wounded woman hood Droupadi, Jaya Prada is being attacked by her own brethren in the presence of those who are obliged to guard her.

  I cannot but wonder what the next one week has in store for us, and more importantly, what impact it will have on the future of this great nation. 

Selfish minds, selfish politics...

This election has been characterised by shameless, opportunistic positions adopted by different players brazenly. The latest among these is the atrocious demand made by Mulayam Singh Yadav regarding post-poll support. He has promised support to any party or group that guarantees the dismissal of Mayavati Government in UP.

 This position betrays the total lack of moral and social commitment on the part of a leader who has been one of the major players in the national politics for more than two decades now. Mulayam has been the Chief Minister of UP and also a union minister earlier. One would have expected the leader to have gained some maturity and semblance of accountability after all these years.

 It is the bane of Indian polity that egoistic personalities with highly volatile temperament get to control the future of this nation. People like Mulayam, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mayavati, Mamta Banerjee, Jayalalitha etc have time and again demonstrated their utter disregard for political and moral niceties.

 I hope that in due course, elections will iterate the polity and bring about a stable bi-polar system in this country. 

Buchanan must be thrown out...

The IPL season 2 which is underway in South Africa is proving to be a closely fought tournament. With about half the matched over, most of the teams are still with a chance to go into the semi-finals, except for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

 I wanted the Knight Riders to stage an impressive show in this edition. But, the stupid four captain theory ensured that the team had quite a few worries even before the tournament started. Just what was the theory all about? In spite of the miserable show by the team, we certainly have not seen any captain other than the pitiable McCullam in the whole tournament so far. I suspect the whole theory was just an excuse to remove Dada from the captaincy. And now John wants more foreign players to be allowed in the team. Really this is ridiculous.

 While all the other teams have shown the vision, courage and the skills to bounce back from the most precarious situation, Buchanans’s team has performed well below expectations game after game. A coach has to have the ability to bring out the best in the players available. He has to inspire the team and get their spirits up. Buchanan has failed in both.

 Even the Bangalore team is on an upsurge under the captaincy of Kumble after the departure of Pieterson, which has proved to be a blessing in disguise for them.

 One can only hope that SRK has the good sense to get a sensible coach as soon as possible. He could also bring in a quality spin bowler and a good all rounder to his team. Otherwise his team will remain the whipping boys of the tournament yet again.

Back to harthal politics

After the lacklustre performance in the election campaign, the political parties in Kerala are back to what they are best at, politics of harthal. With the LDF government deciding to accept advocate general’s advice against sanctioning the prosecution of CPI(M) Kerala general secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, the opposition parties have called for a twelve hour harthal in the state.

 It is notable that the election was hijacked by the single issue of Madani factor. The opposition parties failed miserably to highlight any other political issues in any meaningful fashion. In this sense, Kerala has followed the national trend of debating sensational but non-productive issues in the elections. I strongly feel that the media too has not served its role well so far in elections 2009.

 It is these factors that are responsible for the increased number of apolitical citizens in this country. The decrease in voting percentage is a direct result of an uninspired political leadership and a main stream media which is equally out of touch with the common man. 

Jai Ho show..

It was a magical evening for music lovers from different parts of the country who converged at the Corporation Stadium at Kozhikode yesterday for A.R.Rahman’s Jai Ho show. While the event was an unforgettable one for the exuberant crowd, it still had its flaws which somehow dampened the spirits of the capacity crowd. This show had its positives and negatives.

 I got inside the stadium with my friends by about 4PM for the show slated to start at 7PM. The scorching sun and the summer heat beat down on us while we were seated in the uppermost tier of the gallery (ticket cost 500Rs). The crowd kept pouring in and by about 6:10PM, the gallery was almost full. As the sun’s ferocity started to subside, the spirits began to soar among the expectant crowd.

 This was the first time I had gone for any such programme in a big stadium. When I watched cricket and other programmes from different stadiums around the world on my television, I have always wondered how the atmosphere would be. I found myself immersed in the midst of a noisy crowd chanting Jai Ho and the build up had begun.

 Suddenly, the waves started. Mexican waves swept from one side of the gallery to the other, catching us all in its wild beauty. Waves after waves splashed around the capacity crowd chanting Jai Ho. I was happy that I was on the gallery, among the noise, chants and the wave, rather than among the upper class enclosures.  As the clock ticked away, we became more vociferous and the Jai Ho chant became all the more vigorous. At last, the programme started at around 7:30PM.

 And what a start it was...The orchestra started out with strand from Slum dog Millionaire. We were at the edge of our seats in anticipation. Suddenly, the lights on the stage revolved to bring the maestro on to the stage standing on steps...There he was, Rahman with his trademark smile and shy posture..

 I was deafened by the thunderous applause that erupted around the stadium. I joined the chorus and screamed at the top of my voice, JAI HO....Rahman started off with Oh Siaya and we were caught on to his magical music instantly.

Then Sadhana Sargam came on to the stage, and when Hariharan came with his trade mark singing style, he got a warm welcome. The other singer who got total crowd support was our very own Chithra. With these two brilliant singers on stage, the expectations ran even higher. Sadly, they colluded in a duet only once. I felt that the Rahman team missed quality singers who could connect with the crowd. We had a singer(or is he a guitarist?) from UK singing Kabhi Kabhi Aditi from Jane Tu Ya Jane Na.I don’t understand why Rahman had to opt for such a listless singer to ruin such a wonderful song. Sadly, that singer got on the nerves of the crowd and the booing started.

 There were too many performances by not so good singers and the orchestra failed to lived up to the promise every now and then. Yes, Shivamani’s absence showed...

 Two things that disappointed me the most about the show were:

 1: Poor audio system: Really, the audio system was not even average. The orchestra was too loud and except for Hariharan, no other singer could be heard even decently enough over the noisy orchestra.

2: Totally indifferent song selection: Sadly, most of the first half consisted of songs which could be rated as average, by Rahman’s high standards. In fact, throughout the programme, Rahman’s group seemed strangely reluctant to sing Tamil numbers. They even had Chitra rendering the smash hit Kannalane from Bombay in Malayalam (I was waiting for this number right from the time she came on stage). This was a huge let down for the Kozhikodan fans.

 Then Rahman came on stage with his harmonium and suddenly we were watching a gazal or shayari mehfil kind of performance. He rendered two excruciatingly slow numbers including Khwaja mere Kwaja. Even I got disappointed with this. We had not gone there to listen to such sleepy numbers.

 During the intermission, we had some of the politicians and ministers from Kerala on stage. Many of us could not take any more and some of the crowd actually left at this point. The only highlight during this totally repulsive intermission was Rahman giving away the aid to the AIDS affected children.

 By the time Chithra came on stage after the break, the mood among the corwd was very very negative. The show was then rescued by the performer par excellence, Hariharan. He called Rahman on stage and then had the crowd involved in a musical class. Really, Hariharan knows well how to get the crowd going and Rahman owes much to him for rescuing the show.

 From here on, there was no looking back. The build up to the climax was exquisite with Rahman belting out his trade mark numbers. This included Mustafa Mustafa, Orvasi Orvasi, Taxi Taxi and Hamma Hamma from Bombay. Even I jumped around in the gallery, the crowd on their feet dancing to the super hit tunes...Did I mention Pappu Can’t Dance? This ultimate dance number drove us wild and the stadium rocked. In fact the crowd joined in on the singing starting with Mustafa and we had a splendid time.

 The finale was Jai Ho followed by Vende Mataram, with fireworks lighting up the sky, providing the perfect back drop to the grand finale.

 All in all, the show in itself was not up to the expectations. Still we had a pretty good time and I am thankful for the opportunity to see these legends performing right in front of me. I wish Rahman could have been a little bit more judicious in selecting the songs and the singers. Surely, singers like Shankar Mahadevan, Sukhwinder Singh, Unnikrishnan, Sujata, Asha Bhonsle etc could have made all the difference. I just feel that the maestro took too much for granted. This show would have been perfect for an audience in a foreign country, or even to a North Indian crowd. But for us Mallus, who loved Rahman through his smash hit Tamil numbers, the show was just not good enough.

 Having said so, will I go for the show if it were to be held at Kozhikode again?

 I would say, yes. To watch the legendary composer and his team and to be among the wonderful crowd in the gallery, dancing and singing along in one voice, with one mind..

 Jai Ho.....

Rahman is in town...

It has been a tiresome, but enjoyable week spent travelling across the God’s own Country. And when the journey takes you closer to the loved ones, it is all the more special.

Now I am back at Kozhikode and have the perfect arena to recharge myself. Yes, I am going for A.R.Rahman’s Jao Ho show this evening. For fans like us it is a once in a life time opportunity to see the maestro perform live in our own city. Obviously, I am very much excited about the event.

Watch out for the updates tomorrow...