Happenings

India 'Bowl Out' Pak

September 15, 2007 Happenings

ICC World Twenty20 LogoIndia and Pakistan never fail to entertain when they play each other. Be it Hockey or Cricket, their performances are keenly watched and scrutinized on both sides of the border. Yesterday’s match at the World Twenty 20 in Kingsmead, Durban (South Africa) proved to be a nail-biting event unlike all their previous encounters.

First, it looked like India would be bowled out within 15 overs as they were tottering at 36/4 after Mohammed Asif picked up four Indian wickets. However, the Indians managed 141 in their 20 overs thanks to some hard hitting by Robin Uthappa who scored 50. Then defending their modest score, the Indians were gaining some ground early before Agarkar gave away 17 runs in his penultimate over and the match went down to the wire with 1 run required of just 1 ball. Sreesanth then bowled the last over of the match superbly to end the Pakistan innings at 141/7 in their 20 overs and the match was tied — a first for any Twenty20 International. A ‘Bowl out’ method — much similar to the penalty shootouts in Hockey and Soccer — was applied for an outcome despite both teams already qualifying for the Super8s from Group D.

The rules were simple — each team nominates 5 bowlers to bowl at the stumps. The team with the majority hits wins. Sehwag, Bhajji and Uthappa made no mistake to help India win 3-0 and keep its winning record against in world playoffs against Pakistan intact. The young Indian side maintained a characteristically cool head till the last ball which helped them snatch victory from the Pakistanis. The sad reality of going into a big tournament without a regular coach hasn’t come to hassle the Indians and the way they performed yesterday it seems there’s no requirement for one at the moment if they keep winning consistently. Great performance surely and I hope they bring back the world cup and with it the glorious days of Indian cricket.

End of the Road for Munnabhai

August 1, 2007 Happenings

The law caught up with Sanjay Dutt but the timing was horribly wrong. He was sentenced to 6 years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs. 25,000 fine. A decade ago, he was the ‘Khalnayak’ who caught the imagination of the media, a skirt-chasing-long-hair poster boy who seemingly cared less about societal norms while stacking guns at his home. Today Sanju baba is Munnabhai who preaches non-violence – the darling of the masses, the mellowed middle-aged actor who’s a class apart from his Page 3 rivals, if he has any. The film industry stood firmly behind him this time than before – Ravi Chopra cancelling the premiere of his colourful saga ‘Naya Daur’ and co-stars writing odes on his character in the press. He might not be in the same class as his father, but Sanju is the hero of the common man.

The real jail isn’t going to be easy for an actor of reel life. He’ll appeal in the Supreme Court and cross his fingers tight for a reprieve from the judgement. With over 100 crore INR running on him, even the film fraternity would want him out quickly. Let’s hope and pray things turn out well and we are able to see another sequel of Munnabhai.

7/11 – An Year After

July 11, 2007 Happenings

Last year on this day, 7 blasts ripped through passenger trains in Mumbai causing the gruesome deaths of 187 individuals and injuring countless. It was a shocking incident for every Mumbaikar and revived the memories of the serial blasts of March 1992. No city in the world has been a frequent target of terrorist attacks then Mumbai and yet on the streets, life goes on as usual and people move on with the scars left behind.

On that evening of 7/11, I was homeward bound on the 6:14 Borivli fast local which got stranded between Lower Parel and Elphinstone Road railway stations for unknown reasons. Just then I received a cell call from my colleague in office, informing me about the serial blasts which I could barely believe. The only option left was to get home somehow, so I walked up to Elphinstone Road station on the tracks and then onto the road when it started raining heavily. There were no buses or other conveyance which could afford to take me to my destination and then I found 2 guys in a cab who lended a helping hand on that fateful night. We then picked up 2 more persons on our way; one of them an elderly woman and started off to our landing-place. It was only after 6 gruelling hours that I reached home — I was the last person to get off the cab after paying him a handsome fare. Unfortunately my entire account for that day was wiped out in the database crash that occured last year. I would like to thank Sameer and his friend, who helped me out with the taxi service on 7/11 last year.

I see little practical changes on the ground in terms of securing our city from another attack. Somehow one gets a feeling that internal security is not on the priority list of this government. The action items after the blast — A few CCTVs hang above our heads, a few constables relaxing on stations and most foolishly; luggage racks being removed from train compartments for some reason, causing utter discomfort to the waiting passengers. There are families of the departed who are still grieving the loss. It feels sad to see the sorry state of affairs in our city but Mumbai lives on with us, scarred and scared.

Goodbye Yahoo! Photos

June 14, 2007 Happenings

Current users might want to take note of this latest development. Yahoo! has decided to shut down it’s photo sharing service Yahoo! Photos and focus on its other twin, Flickr. I read this bit of rather surprising news on the Yodel blog. Curtains will formally come down on September 20, 2007 and the all the current users will be moved to a photo sharing service of their choice – Flickr, Kodak Gallery, Shutterfly, Snapfish, or Photobucket. For a complete list of the FAQs, you can click here or visit this page.