I Stray

NRIs Panchapeke and his son on a trip to Tamil Nadu to revisit their roots and catch up on Sivaji.

Panchapeke-son: Dad, what does 'Paalam' mean?
Panchapeke : It means Bridge in Tamizh.
Panchapeke-son: Doesn't 'Surangam' also stand for Bridge.
Panchapeke : Son, Sunrangam ain't bridge. It means 'Subway'.
Panchapeke-son: Ok, get me a foot-long 'Veggie Delite' from the Surangam.
Panchapeke : Phew!

Song of the week #5

CCR's cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' 'I put a spell on you'.



Youtube video is available here

A wonderful album and a 10th standard mokkai...

There is still hope left in Hindi film music. There is someone other than AR Rahman to provide quality. Pritam reminds us with his latest offering 'Life in a Metro' that he definitely has it in him to make it big. Amidst all the mindless crap churned out in the name of music, here comes a wonderful album, one which can be truly stated as different. 'In Dino' is my favourite, and all the other songs are immensely listen-able. Pritam, Take a bow!

Anu Malik, Himesh and the likes - Take a piss!

Now, an old innocent mokkai - PJ, for the uninitiated - for the benefit of humanity (courtesy Dinesh).

Once 24 Ants went for swimming. An elephant came there for taking bath. When he jumped into the river 23 of the ants were thrown to the bank. The remaining warrior found himself displaced to the head of the elephant. Then all the 23 Ants shouted..... "AVANA AMUKKI KOLLUDA" mapla!

Song of the week #4

Led Zeppelin's version of 'When the Levee breaks'.



When God plays the Guitar...

The king vacates the international stage

No words. Just awe!

'I want to be walk off the cricket field with a walking stick' - Vaughan

Speaking to the press on the wake of England's exit from the World Cup, the English captain Michael Vaughan was his usual self, effusive in praise of his team. "We had a gameplan, which was to suck in all departments, and as usual, we executed it without any glitches. The lads played upto their potential and all the efforts that we have not put in did not go in vain."

When quizzed on individual performances, Vaughan did not pull any punches back "I always back myself not to score runs, since I was leading the team and a real English captain never scores runs. Freddie, understandably, did not want to spend too much time in the middle with the bat since he has always thought that beer is a man's best friend. KP was as selfish as ever. Collingwood and Bell tried spoiling our party, but they weren't successful, were they?" he remarked with an evil grin.

A few years down the line, a walking stick might soon replace the cricket bat in the familiar sight of Michael Vaughan walking back to the pavilion

"The bowling has been excellent throughout the tournament. Sajid Mahmood and James Andersen have bowling averages more than the batting averages of greats like Sachin, Lara and Ponting. Take that Ricky" he roared demonstrating the fierce Ashes rivalry with the Aussie captain.

Vaughan also promised to carry forward the rich legacy of English captains and players playing on pointlessly well after their shelf-life. "It is a well known fact that Graham Gooch, Mike Gatting, Alec Stewart and many others were not in their primes when they retired. I want to take it one step ahead. I want to be walk off the cricket field with a walking stick" he coughed.

"The future definitely looks bright for English cricket. There are a lot of positives to take forward, especially with youngsters like Paul Nixon - who was blessed with a grandson recently - showing their potential and teenagers like Mal Loye waiting in the wings." he concluded.

Song of the week #3

Lynyrd Skynyrd's epic 'Free Bird'. The wailing guitar piece featured in the song is one of Rock's very best. My favourite bit comes at 4:55.



PS: An interesting article related to the song

BCCI shocker to Rajnikanth fans

In an unprecedented move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has called for a ban against the song 'Sahara Saaral thoovudo' from the much anticipated Rajnikanth blockbuster Sivaji. The reason, apparently, is that the BCCI feels that such a pathetic song being propagated by heavyweights like Rajnikanth and AR Rahman seriously dents the image of their official sponsors Sahara.

Commenting on the issue, the BCCI Seceretary Mr.Niranjan Shah said "It is a sad state of affairs that we have in our hands. A sorry song like this coming from the music maestro Sachin Tendulkar himself seriously tarnishes the reputation of the official sponsors of Team India. I did not expect this from Sachin." evidently confusing Tendulkar with AR Rahman.

Sources close to Dinesh Karthik claim that he is extremeley disppointed by BCCI's appeal. He is supposed to have said "First they say I cannot speak to the media. Now I cannot even listen to Thalaivar's song. What next, ban on Namitha movies?"

Sri Lankan ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who is a Thalaivar fan himself was vehement in expressing opposition. "They can stop us from hearing the song. But no one can stop me from singing it. Sahara Saaral Thoovodo, Bopara Bowled Aanado..." he quipped, manifesting his delight at winning against England.

BCCI received unexpected support from England Skipper Michael Vaughan. "I wholeheartedly support the voice of BCCI. This whole sledging thing by Murali has to be investigated. And there is no drinking culture in the team. Ulla-la-la-leyo, hic hic" he hicked before retiring with a sprained ankle.

"This is totally ridiculous. Perform or perish. Chappell must quit." howled Former Indian Captain Kris Srikanth on CNN-IBN in response to the question "Is Rajnikanth finally growing up?" put forward by Rajdeep Sardesai.

Other prominent Chennai Thalaivar fanatics like Lakshmipathy Balaji, WV Raman and Dennis Lillee were unavailable for comment.

Song of the week #2

Van "the Man" Morrison's definitive romantic song - Moondance.

Song of the week #1

Ok. Here is a new feature. Thanks to Radioblog, a song right out of my favourites list, will be available on my blog, every week. I will start with Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. Its a wonderful song with powerful lyrics.

A champion bids adieu

Anil Kumble's retirement from one day international cricket was expected and will serve Indian cricket well, since it will help extend his Test match career. He has not been the first choice spinner in the shorter version of the game for quite some time now. Ganguly and Dravid have shown an inclination towards Harbhajan Singh over Kumble and there was no point in him continuing. With all due respect, Kumble was just a shadow of the one day bowler, who tormented batsmen within the first 15 overs as well as at the death, post his return from the rotator cuff injury. His contribution with the bat was minimum and fielding was never his claim to fame.

But the fact remains that he is the best spinner the country has ever produced. What makes him the best is that, unlike the prolific quartet of Chandra, Venkat, Bedi and Prasanna, he never had a quality spinner to partner him at the other end. He had to deliver every time he stepped into the field, and he has managed to accomplish it more times than not. He has run through opposition more frequently and won more matches for the team in Tests, but his contribution in coloured clothing should not be overshadowed by his achievements in whites.

Vintage Cricket

4 runs required from 32 balls, 5 wickets in hand. Should have been a cruise for South Africa. Lasith Malinga had other ideas.

44.5	Malinga to Pollock, OUT, BINGO! Finally Malinga strikes, that is a superb bit of bowling. It's a slower ball on the stumps, Pollock just does not pick it, plays inside the line of the ball and loses his leg stump. Even with the game all but gone Sri Lanka are fighting. Pollock played a good hand but now he's gone!
	SM Pollock b Malinga 13 (23m 24b 1x4 0x6) SR: 54.16
44.6	Malinga to Hall, OUT, ANOTHER! Andrew Hall goes off the very first ball! It's another speared-in yorker, Hall just about manages to dig it out, but he can't keep the ball down ... it bobs up into the air for the man at cover to pouch easily! Is there a twise left in this game
	AJ Hall c Tharanga b Malinga 0 (2m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Over number 45 - Chaminda Vass concedes just 1 run.

3 runs required from 24 balls. Malinga reloaded!

46.1	Malinga to Kallis, OUT, Would you believe it? Malinga has got the hat-trick! Full, furious, outside off stump, Kallis goes for a square-drive and nicks it behind. Loud appeal. Kallis stays rooted. Even louder appeal and Harper raises the fatal finger. SA eight down and choking real badly.
	JH Kallis c Sangakkara b Malinga 86 (187m 110b 4x4 0x6) SR: 78.18
46.2	Malinga to Ntini, OUT, And then they were one! Malinga gets four in four. Unbelievable! Screaming yorker and Ntini drives, plays all over it and ball crashes into the middle stump. Malinga is slinging down magic deliveries and SA are nine down.
	M Ntini b Malinga 0 (2m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
46.3	Malinga to Langeveldt, no run, beaten Just kissed past the off stump. Tremendous nerves out there. Full and just outside off, yorker-length, Langeveldt pokes at it and gets beaten
46.4	Malinga to Langeveldt, no run, full, straight, on the off stump, pushed to mid-off. 3 to win from 20 balls. Camera pans to South Africa dressing room. They look stunned
46.5	Malinga to Langeveldt, 1 run, Jayasuriya mis-fields at squareleg and SA sneak in one run. SLower one, on the middle and leg, turned to behind square. Jayasuriya moves to his right but misfields.
46.6	Malinga to Peterson, no run, beauty, another delivery that teases the outside edge. Full and tailing

2 runs required from 18 balls. Over number 47 - Vaas bowls a maiden over (in cricketing parlance).

2 runs required from 12 balls. 1 wicket in hand. It Malinga again.

48.1	Malinga to Peterson, no run, Swing and a miss. What a cracking game this has been. Full and just outside off stump, slants away, he has a drive, but inside the line and the ball rushes past the outside edge.
48.2	Malinga to Peterson, FOUR, Peterson does it for SA with a edge past the slip. Fullish, outside off stump, Peterson drives, gets a outside edge and it runs down to third man boundary. SA have won. They nearly choked but have pulled it off. Peterson jumps in the air, pumps his fist and then smashes the stumps down at the other end. Immediately apologises! What a cracker of a game!

This is what the beauty of the game is all about - the glorious uncertainties, as they call it.

Youtube video of Malinga taking 4 wickets in as many balls is available here. Not sure how long it will be there, considering ICC's endeavour to "protect" the commercial broadcast rights . It is a must watch, if you missed the game live.

Commentary Courtesy: Cricinfo

Adios Inzi

He scored 37 runs off 32 balls. The calm at the crease, the unhurried manner in which he walked around, 3 huge sixes, a pull shot of the second ball he faced, nudges to the offside for singles - all were so typical of him. Then he tried to smash one more over the rope, but did not get it out of the middle of the bat. As the ball soared high and Sean Williams, one of Zimbabwe's better fielders got underneath it, millions of ardent followers of the game around the globe would have uttered a silent prayer for Williams to drop the catch. But it was not to be, and it was time to say goodbye to Inzamam-ul-haq. The members of the Pakistan team were there to salute their captain, arguably the greatest batsman to grace the turf for Pakistan in coloured clothing. Understandably, Inzamam was in tears. So were many of his fans, whom he has entertained so well for the past 15 years. The 60 off 37 deliveries against New Zealand in the 1992 World Cup and the century against India in 2004-05, chasing an improbable 350 to win, will be remembered forever.

The developments over the last couple of weeks have taken a toll on Inzy, and it reached a point in which he could take it no more. The shocking loss to Ireland and the huge outcry back home were bad enough for any captain to handle. The death of Bob Woolmer perhaps, was the last straw and led him to take the decision of quitting One day international cricket. He will continue to represent his country in Tests. But knowing the fickle nature of cricket in Pakistan, one can only hope, wait and watch.

Inzy - Thanks for all the cricketing memories.

The saga of rebel tours

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan of Cricinfo, looks back at the rebel tour of West Indian cricketers to apartheid South Africa in 1983. A must read.

The bunch of 18 talented cicketers, who could not break their way into the strong Went Indian side undertook the trip, since the money on offer was lucrative. The fact that immenselely talended cricketers like Colin Croft, Collis King, Alvin Kallicharan, Sylvester Clarke and Lawrence Rowe took this decision is a testimony to the tremendous strength of the West Indian National squad at that point of time. They became instant heroes in South Africa with their typical aggressive style of play, though at home, they are still considered as outcasts. All the players were handed out life bans by the West Indian Cricket Board.

During South Africa's isolation from world cricket during apartheid (1970-1991), a number of rebel tours were organized by Dr.Ali Bacher. Here is the list:

1981-82: An English squad led by Graham Gooch was the first team. All the concerned players, including the captain were banned for 3 years.

1982: A group of players from Sri Lanka toured South Africa under the name of 'Arosa Sri Lanka'. B Warnapura led the side. The whole team was banned for life, which however was subsequently revoked.

1982-83 and 1983-84: Lawrence Rowe captained the side, whose participants were subsequently banned from West Indian cricket and in some cases even cast out from social life in the Carribean. A few players like Richard Austin and Herbert Chang had their life busted and are still leading a reclusive life.

1985 and 1987: Post his resignation as the skipper of Australia, Kim Hughes led a group of Australian cricketers to South Africa.

1990: This was the final rebel tour which featured England, led by Mike Gatting, who was consequently banned for three years. This tour was a debacle since it was at a period when apartheid was about to be relaxed.

Mass exodus in Pakistan cricket

After Inzamam, now it is the turn of the selectors and the PCB chairman to put forward their resignations. Things did not shape up the same way four years ago post Pakistan's 2003 WC debacle. A lesson learnt perhaps! Knowing the stability, or the lack of it in the cricket administration on the other side of the border, expect more of the unexpected.

And finally...

... India managed to register their first win in the World cup, thought they would have liked to run through Bermuda a bit quicker. But overall, a performance to take confidence from and now the Ind-SL match should make for interesting viewing.

Half done

Irony! A pitch termed as a batting paradise produced 191 runs against Bangladesh. Today a pitch termed as tricky with cracks and overcast conditions produced 413 runs, a World Cup record.

A more than satisfactory batting display by the Indians. The job is only half done though. If they manage to bundle Bermuda out for less than 150, then it will put them on a ground which cannot be termed as solid, but a lot firmer than where they were post their defeat at the hands of Bangladesh.

Cricket, more often is a game played between the ears, as the Indians have shown so far today. They have come up with a desperate batting performance when pushed into a corner. Hope that they continue in the same vein in the coming games...

Bangladesh outplay India...

...in all three departments and earn a much deserved victory. The real disappointment being an Indian fan stems from the fact that the team played agonisingly poor cricket. Batting, bowling and fielding lacked spine and Dravid, for all his strategies, looked like a lost kid on the field.

Play has just been stopped in the Pakistan vs Ireland game due to bad light. It looks like there is just a very bleak chance of play resuming and status quo would result in an Irish win on St. Patrick's day effectively ending Pakistan's chances in this edition.

Minnow bashing...

...is the flavour of the season. South Africa are carrying out a massacre of Netherlands. Kallis and Boucher are still cashing in on low hanging fruits as I type.

The Dutch skipper Luuk van Troost was confidence personified before the start of the match. Wonder if he is still feeling the same...

Common sense prevails

...And Finally, ICC has changed the rules for the toss in case of rain.

ICC General Manager – Cricket and Chairman of the Tournament Technical Committee David Richardson said: “Under the original playing conditions the result of the toss was carried over to the reserve day even if a ball was not bowled on day one but there was a groundswell of opinion against that in the meeting. The concerns included the fact that conditions may change overnight and that might result in a side being unfairly disadvantaged if the original toss remained in place."

As an offshoot, the re-toss will also allow the captains to make a team change on the reserve day. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Get Set, Go...

Sir Garfield Sobers officially declared the World Cup open yesterday. The opening ceremony was impressive, considering all the hoopla around West Indies not ready for staging this event. The organizers need to be commended for making up for the lack of floodlights in the stadium. Generators were used to provide lighting and it was not too bad. The speeches were brief and pretty much upto the point. No mindless drawling.

So overall, a fine opening to the 2007 World Cup. Let the games begin...

Cricket Videos

A very neat collection of cricket videos.

He commits suicide, but does he die?

It was 8 pm on a Friday evening. He was standing on the edge of the open terrace of his office building. It was a thirteen floor buliding overlooking a busy street. He saw the vehicles speeding away on the road below. 'Mean streets'! Rain was coming down in small drops. He had always loved the rain. But not today. He was planning to jump off from the altitude. He was sick of the people, the objects, the emotions associated with them and particularly, of himself. He thought about the triviality of the world around him, and the thought made him to allow himself a wry smile.

Anyone may be forgiven. But not those who lack the courage of their own greatness. Not me. I was not born to be a second-hander. What have I done to myself? I do not deserve forgiveness. And I do not believe in any person other than me forgiving myself. I love myself. I have always done and I have always lived for myself. But why is my thought process diametrically opposite to that of the world. Why does each and every route, every concept, every opinion in this damn world always lead to sacrifice and love for others. Doesn't this give the impression of every person in the world being a bootlicking sucker.

Thoughts crowded his brain, and he was unable to take it any more. Over the last few minutes, he had developed a severe headache and the pain was excruciating. He was unable to take it anymore. he had to put a full stop to the nonsense. he had to take the next step. He moved ahead, he stumbled a little, but he was ok. It was over quickly, suddenly he felt light and feather-like. He was sinking, out of this demented world.

Ram woke up with a jerk on his bed. He had sweat beads across his forehead. He felt exhausted. He searched for his alarm clock to check the time. It was 3am in the morning. 'What a nightmare'! He reached for a the waterjug and poured it into the glass beside it. He drifted back to sleep after sometime. He did not want to think about the dream again. 'What if it was true....'

TR the great

Pure joy!

Understanding Tamil is not mandatory for enjoying this masterpiece. Just that knowing the language multiplies the humour.

More fun can be found here
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=t+r+comedy+time&search=Search

PS: I have become a Chitti Babu fan after watching this.

The Thiru-Thani story

Thanigaachalam was standing before the mirror in the Men's Restroom at his office. He splashed water on his face. He felt the cold drops streaming down his face. He smirked at the satire of the later half of his name sounding like jalam, which meant water in his mother tongue. The wrinkles that he had recently developed were a clear sign of the stress he had been under. He thought about everyting - the torrid time he had been having under his rude manager, Thirumoorthy. Its been 4 full years, he thought. He had worked his heart out without rewards. "Attention to details is missing" would be the standard remark from his manager. I deserved more, he thought. I always did. He instinctively wanted to break the glass in the mirror. But the thought of the last hour stopped him. He felt happy.

There was a vacancy for a position that matched his profile in a competitor's organization. He had seen the ad in the jobs section of "The Daily Siren", the local newspaper and had hurriedly applied for it. He made the job quite easily. The new location was closer to his home, saving him a full 4 km travel daily and the rise in salary was highly appreciable. Everything is going to end. No more invidious remarks from the manager. He took out paper napkins from the dispenser nearby to clean his face.

Thanigaachalam entered the posh building of his new organization. The relieving process in his old firm was surprisingly smooth. He was surprised when Thirumoorthy offered minimal resistance in releasing him. "The fact that he does not like me made it easier" he thought to himself. He spoke with the receptionist who guided him to the 7th floor to meet his new manager and team. He could feel the anticipation brimming inside him. He had never felt better. He took the elevator and walked up the floor briskly and asked the security "Where is the cabin of Manager, Operations". "Fourth one on the left saar". He located it and was surprised to see no Name plate on the cabin door. "Strange" he thought. On stepping inside, Thanigaachalam almost fainted. There he was, Thirumoorthy in all his glory.

"Welcome Thani. It is great to see you here." Thiru smiled
"Sir, How come you are here?" Thani blurted out
"I am Manager, Operations for this company Thani. I joined yesterday. There was an ad on The Daily Siren which directed me here. I wanted to keep it a secret from you since I wanted to give you a surprise. I am very happy and consider myself fortunate to get to work with someone I know already. Isn't it?"
"Err. Yes sir. Me too"
"You look so tired. I think you can do with some water. By the way, did you also make the job through the ad on The Daily Siren. I saw a vacancy for your position right above mine"
Thanigaachalam remembered water and jalam, but was not amused. "If only I had read the contents of the ad properly. Attention to details" he thought.