A Wednesday

“Gang war in Mumbai, 2 groups open fire”, that’s what my Gchat alert told me at 2101 hrs when I was talking to my wife on the net. I was relieved. Yes it was after a long while, I thought, that the bad guys have resorted to the old ways. To me it’s the most effective way of reducing the number of bad guys.

But slowly the story started to unravel. We witnessed probably the most co ordinated terrorist attack after 9/11. The motto behind the attack is still unknown but we need be a rocket scientist to acknowledge the fact that we are now an economic super power. Some people do not like to see that. They want to us to feel weak. They have proven that we are venerable to every kind of attack. They attacked us with Bombs in 1993, they attacked us in Local trains in 2006 and now they have used guns to shatter our confidence. They have succeeded…. Yes they surely have shaken us. There is another theory being propagated. They say that the attacks were directed more towards the US and other western world rather than India. Foreigners were specially targeted in the Oberoi, the Taj and the Leopord. An attack in any case was on Indian soil.

India has seen more than 14 major bomb blast incidents in last 3 years and I am sure most of us will agree when I say that we have now taken it in our stride to accept blasts. But this time was different. This time people have been terrified by attacking the symbols that were of pride to us. It’s the same way as Al Quaida attacked the Twin towers in US.

A logical question that must now be asked is 14 terrorist attacks in 3 years …. Where is the security system? Its easy for us to criticise but we need to understand the complex nature of the job that our security forces have to perform. They have to work without a political will to tackle this menace. Not to mention issues like the huge population, the age old and inadequate terror laws, the huge size of the country and its diversity. Intelligence in India is neither scientific nor reliable. Human Rights activists are seen at every corner of all metropolitan cities. But now with this attack I feel that we should declare A WAR ON TERROR. Lets start action on war footing basis.

We in India have a billion brain… Brains which should now be used…. Lets come together to try and think “out of box” and try and find a solution to this problem which I am sure everyone will agree is a bigger crisis for India …. Even more critical than the Economic crisis. Its time that we have a national policy on terrorism

Some of the common Solutions to tackle terrorism as suggested by many experts include

1. A New stricter Anti terrorism law to be enacted
2. Intelligence method and network needs to be revamped

I urge all the brilliant brains to share their Ideas. We cannot take this any more.

Lets pledge to fight terrorism!!!!

India : A nation of Cowards

14 Incidents of terrorism in last 3 years have left us speechless. But I would like you all to study the pattern of these blasts


Oct. 29, 2005 – Delhi- 62 Killed, 3 Blasts
March 7, 2006- Varanasi, opposite to a temple - 20 Killed
July 11, 2007- 7 Blasts in trains in Mumbai, at least 200 killed
Sept. 8, 2006- Malegaon, Communally sensitive city – 31 Killed .
Feb. 19, 2007- blast in a train heading to Pakistan- 68 killed
May 18, 2007- Blast in a Mosque in Hyderabad –11 killed
Aug. 25, 2007- 3 Bombs- 43 killed in Hyderabad
Oct. 11, 2007- Ajmer, City of famous Dargah - 3 killed
Oct. 14, 2007- Ludhiana during Eid al-Fitr, killing six people.
Nov. 24, 2007- cities of Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad, killing at least 16
people. All Communally sensitive places.
May 13, 2008- Outside Hindu Temples, Jaipur
July 25, 2008- Seven small bombs hit Bangalore, 2 Killed
July 26, 2008- 22 Bombs in Ahmedabad at least 42 people.
Sept. 13, 2008- As many as five explosions, in Delhi during the Ramadan month

You don’t have to be a hardcore Intelligence detective to understand the patterns or the motives. Terrorists know for sure that India can easily be divided on communal grounds. Also they have attacked commercial centers like Bangalore and Mumbai. BJP ruled states are targeted more than others. Our Govt. has a standard “videshi Haath” reply. They also blame SIMI for all these terrorist activities.

But I have often wondered…. Why does this happen to us and why don’t we do something about it. Stringent laws like TADA and POTA are abolished without suitable substitutes. Is it easy to get away after committing a crime in India. When US found that Al Quaida was responsible, they ensured that the country that apparently protected them was bought to dust.

But then we do not do anything about it. We blame politicians for inactions, Politicians blame foreign Terrorists. Basically we are a weak nation… A weak nation in its very foundation. Our foundation is based on “Non Violence” and showing the other side of face when someone has slapped on one side. Dirty politics by Nehru Gandhi then and incorrect foundations are prime reason for we becoming a nation of cowards. Total inaction on part of our politicians is blood of today’s politicians. Otherwise how do u explain that our Home minister still does not think that we introduce stern laws. I know our blood does not boil when we read the above list. We got our freedom the same way…. Didn’t we …. The so called non violent way.

Films like “A Wednesday” in the recent past have depicted the that frustration is growing among common people like me and you. Its hi time that our internal defense system and intelligence do something about it.

These days I live in UAE, where hands are cut for stealing, where eyes are taken off for staring at women. I haven’t heard of a bomb blast in this country.

Strong laws and stringent implementation are badly required. Democracy in current form has made us ineffective against terrorism of this kind. Agression is the order of the day and we need to do something about it ASAP.

Till then, we should continue to live with fear…. A fear that when our loved ones leave our homes…. May be they wont return…. Because we and our Govt are a bunch of cowards.

A rivalry Rediscovers Down Under

Over the years India has been colonised, scorned and patronised. Inevitably, the hackles of its more abrasive citizens have periodically been raised. Always the struggle is between earnest reformers and rankled revolutionaries. It can happen on battlefields, in newspapers, on sports grounds, in the spirit and in the mind

And then comes the settling of scores. In some respects the recent series down under was such a settling, but to a much higher degree it was an assertion of fearlessness. India looked Australia in the eye and did not blink. And the look told not of temporary passion but serious intent.

By and large India has done extraordinarily well over the last 60 years. From the chaos of Partition, from the demonstrations and the slaughter, has come an enduring nation that commands respect. A country that has retained its independence in Independence. Although outbreaks occur here and there, India is intact. Still it plays the game of the coloniser, a game once described as an Indian game accidentally invented by the English.

To the embarrassment of some, but through economic inevitability, India has become the dominant force in the game, a circumstance that has released its entire character. Nothing builds confidence half as well as power. Suddenly India has no need to sue for grace for it carries a big stick. India does not need to protest about anything. Its task now is to apply the rule of law and to advance the principles of justice, for none takes such care of the underdog.

Nowhere was the changing of the guard more apparent than in the recent campaign down under. Always the true test comes when the champion steps into the ring, for then bluff is called and shallowness exposed. India arrived expecting to win. It was not a question of mere fragile hope. Nor did the various turbulences distract them from their purpose. To the contrary the Indians answered every slight with one of their own, joined every argument and added a few of their own making.

Australia is a land of fires, droughts, floods, flies, kangaroos and koalas. Even the birds there make a lot of noise. It is not sensible to expect its cricketers to tiptoe. It is a place that crushes the spirit or enhances it.

That India ended the campaign in better shape than it began confirms the impression of a nation whose time has come. It is idle to pretend that cricket does not tell us something about the state of a nation. To the contrary it offers a window into the minds of a people.

Of course sport serves other purpose as well. Nowadays it provides entertainment to all sections of society. Formerly it was regarded more as a craft than an adventure. Opening batsmen were not expected to hit boundaries in the first hour. These days they are supposed to strike three in the opening over. Twenty-over cricket has risen from the need to entertain. In any case, even Test cricket has awoken from its slumber. Cricket survives not because it has merit but because it has a market.

Competition is another part of sport's attraction. Men and women relish the chance to push themselves to the limit, enjoy pitting themselves against each other. Satisfaction of the sort obtained from a superb football goal, or a last-gasp winner is hard to find. Sportsmen also relish sitting in the rooms afterwards, all energy spent, skill released, divisions erased (unless Harbhajan Singh and Matthew Hayden have been playing), and only the reckoning remaining.

Yet the most significant role of sport is as an expression of the energies, talents and culture of a school, group, village, city, province and country. Cricket is an expression of culture and the clashes at the SCG reached into the depths of Indian and Australian self-knowledge. It turned out to be a battle between equals. The players looked each other in the eye. India did not blink!!!

Indeed, the visitors looked fresher by the end. Meanwhile the Australians suffered more mysterious withdrawals as Brad Hogg and Shaun Tait followed Damien Martyn into the paddock.

Australia has always played cricket by its own lights. Turning its back on English customs, yearning for action, Australian sportsmen must attack. So Australian cricket forged its own path forwards, formed its own ideology. India has never been as clear-minded about itself.

Whereas the Australian settlers had an almost empty continent on which to create a nation, India had proud memories of itself, traditions recorded in books or burned into minds - attitudes and customs strong enough to survive any empire. But hundreds of years of foreign influence were bound to leave their mark besides which no nation can stand still. Since 1947 India has been rediscovering itself. Of course the same applies on the cricket field and the triumph of 2007-08 lay not so much in the results as in the sense that an identity had been found.

Under the admirable captaincies of Anil Kumble and Mahendra Dhoni, India discovered a new, contemporary voice. Too much has been made of the various episodes involving Harbhajan. More significant has been the way the Test team fought back in Perth, and the manner in which Dhoni's men took the ODI finals. India was not broken on the wheel, was not affected by the local noise, did not take a step backwards. In short, it met the Australians on equal terms, as an united force.

The Indian team expressed the confidence of a nation. Consider the last over of the campaign. Australia needed 13 runs to win. Already Sachin Tendulkar had played another beautiful innings. Already Dhoni had played boldly and thought fearlessly, summoning an unsung swing bowler from a family of wrestlers, and a teenage legspinner, and throwing them the ball at critical times. Now he tossed the ball to Irfan Pathan, put his arm around him and muttered not the usual platitudes but a cheerful, "Irfan, you cannot be so bad that you give away 13 runs in the last over." Afterwards Pathan told that he had not felt the pressure as he had grown up seeing his father trying to put food on the table. That was pressure. Dhoni had grown up the same way, fighting for his place. It is also the Australian way. And who was Kumar except a boy from the rural areas who has risen through the ranks? Ishant Sharma's dad repairs air conditioners.

Indian cricket has found its voice. Not that the inheritance has been abandoned, for that is childish. Rather it has been interpreted and renewed. Australian cricket had always belonged to the people. Now the same applies to India. Australia had been crying for an opponent that plays cricket with sustained intent. The rivalry between the nations, Australia with its 108 years and India with its 60, both with booming economies, has just begun.

LESSONS FROM SYDNEY : INDIA MUST LOOK FORWARD

India's performance in chartering a plane to take the players back home in the event of an independent judge finding against them in the Harbhajan Singh case counted amongst the most nakedly aggressive actions taken in the history of a notoriously fractious game.

Yup that’s what people call it but you know what I don’t care what people say. Now that India has proved that it’s a “superpower” of sorts as far as the money making goes and that gone are the days when any one could bully us, we as a cricketing nation need to look ahead. They say power comes with responsibility and I also believe that if we have to remain powerful over a period of time, being rich alone wont help. We need to win and that’s my point of debate here.

To me, we face a stark challenge in the years that lie ahead. Not once in 60 years of independence have we, the cricketing powerhouse attained top ranking in its chosen game. Certainly we have had happy memories of successful days in the sun. Winning the World Cup in 1983 was a fine achievement by a hardened group of seasoned campaigners. Taking the spoils at the first official world Twenty20 tournament was another inspired effort by a bunch of likely lads. Under various captains the current team has secured memorable victories against strong sides at home and overseas. But it is not enough anymore !!!

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. India must expect more of itself or else we cannot rise. Success ought not to regarded as a welcome guest who raises spirits for a few nights before bestowing his favours elsewhere. It cannot be accidental. Rather, it must be the result of sustained effort from every part of the cricket community. And that can only come with proper structures and constructive attitudes.

In any case, a cricket World Cup does not attempt to identify the best side on the planet. Instead, it brings together the senior cricketing countries and obliges them to play an abbreviated version of the game. To lift the trophy at the end of months of intense competition is no mean feat but it is not to be mistaken for domination. Clearly the same applies to 20-over tournaments, a form of the game best suited to players of roughly that age. It is an enterprise that demands skill, power, nerve and strategy, but it has limitations. We were right to rejoice in victory. And when we rejoice, we do so deliriously. But we needed to get back to work straight afterwards. Instead, hungry Australians arrived and put us in our place.

From a small nation periodic triumphs might be acceptable. Some countries lack the resources required to sustain a challenge. New Zealand has a tiny population and unreliable weather, and therefore must live on its wits. But we have vast wealth, a population devoted to the game, an accommodating climate, a fund of knowledge, a proud tradition, great heroes, and an immense opportunity. Yet we has not yet imposed ourselves and the reason is simple. We has not driven ourselves towards excellence with the required single-mindedness. Far from passing on their wisdom, some older bears have put their own paws in the pot. Administrators have served their local community and not the wider interests of the game. Young players have been feted and fattened. Defeats have led not to rational introspection but to loud protest.

In the last few seasons India has had at its disposal as impressive a bunch of senior players as the game has known. Most of them are coming towards the end. They may have a few more glorious days left in them but the finishing line is in sight. As a group they have been intelligent, committed and unspoilt. But did they rise though a system that tested them every step of the way? Or was India lucky to find a group of well educated and devoted cricketers able to define their times? India has reason to fear their departures. Plainly, the time has come for officials to confront the underachievement.

Securing top position in the Test rankings within five years must become a stated ambition pursued with vigour by the entire community. Goals help to define actions. It's hard to know what path to take unless the end of the journey is known. If it is not achieved, the entire management team ought to be held responsible. Accountability is crucial in these matters.

Nor ought anyone to pat themselves on the back about victories in minor tournaments whose main task is to raise revenue and attract crowds. Caesar was not rewarded for overpowering some hapless tribe.

We as a nation must recognise the primacy of Test cricket, not least as a way of planning properly. Fewer mistakes will be made once Test domination has been identified as the most important target. It is inconceivable that a nation that takes Test cricket seriously could give a team a few days to prepare for a series in Australia. On this evidence the administrators concerned are either foolish, greedy or arrogant. They assisted the Australians and undermined their own players. The blow to morale must have been devastating.

It is not easy to develop a cricket community as efficient as the one prevailing in Australia, but the benefits are obvious. A team that lost four mighty cricketers at the end of the previous season still managed to win its next three Test matches in a landslide. Not long ago an attack comprising Brett Lee, once an erratic speedster, and three relative newcomers would not have caused sleepless nights. By no means did these players have better records or more ability than opponents. To the contrary, Brad Hogg and Stuart Clark spent large parts of their careers plying their trade in domestic cricket. Meanwhile Mitchell Johnson was driving a plumber's van.

However, Ricky Ponting and his coaches extract every last drop of ability from their players. Throughout their careers, players keep working, keep improving. It is expected. Andrew Symonds, Hogg, Michael Hussey and Phil Jaques count among those who had to wait a long take and score a lot of runs before the call came. They did not give up or count their pennies or become lazy or complain.

India is better placed than anyone else to challenge the Australians. Some progress has been made. Players are emerging from rural areas as transport and communications improve. Mahendra Dhoni, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma and others were not born with the proverbial silver spoon. Clearly it is becoming easier to tap into the pool of talent across the country. Also, the various Twenty20 tournaments attract bold youth and raise fielding standards and running between the wickets. But it will come to naught unless India as a cricketing nation decides to devote its energies and resources to reaching the top of the Test rankings. The BCCI must outline its position. Staging the next World Cup will be a challenge but ought not to distract attention from the true purpose. India must not settle for second place on the podium.

The time has come for an ancient civilisation and an emerging nation to go for gold.

DADA : THE WARRIOR PRINCE

I often wonder….. how will history remember Saurav. Will anyone actually remember him say 50 years down the line. After all he has played his cricket alongside India’s arguably best sportsperson Sachin Tendulkar. So why will people remember him? If not for his comeback, we would have associated our Dada by his blunt aggression shown by him by waving his T shirt at lords after the Natwest victory in 2003. He could easily have been forgotten.

Fortunately Saurav has done much more than that. He has done much more than playing Cricket. His career coincides with India’s new found self belief as a nation in its abilities and I am sure it will not be a overstatement that Saurav has been a catalyst to this new found belief. It is not uncommon that a nation finds its inspiration… its aspirations through sportsmen. Especially in a country like India, which has no role model to look upto in its public life. Plagued by corruption, indecision, instability India looked upto the cricketers. But Indian cricket was no different. In 1999/ 2000 season, when Saurav took on the captaincy, Indian cricket was rocked by its worst crisis ever: The infamous match fixing scandal!!!! The revelation that shocked the nation where Cricket was a religion and cricketers were no less than gods. Trust was shattered and people, understandably so, turned their backs to cricket. Saurav took on the job of captaining the Indian team when the popularity of Cricket in India was at its all time low.

Like a true leader, Dada, started collecting the pieces left after this Tsunami. To be true nothing much was left after this Tsunami. So he started picking the talent from all parts of India. The Shewags, the Harbhajhans, the Yuvrajs and so many more. At a time when every failure was being criticized heavily by critics and looked upon by suspicion by public, he defended each of his boy like he was defending himself. India achieved what others might consider impossible under his captaincy. In 2001, when Aussies lead Series 1-0 when they enforced a follow on to India in Kolkata. Who can forget the miraculous turn around of the series from there. Not only India won the Kolkata Test but we went on to win the 3rd test at Chennai and the series with it. Within 3 years he made a team which almost won us the World Cup in 2003!!! We won almost all ODI series in that era. Impossible wins like in the Natwest Finals in 2003 where Kaif and Yuvi chased down 326 had almost become a habit. Even the mighty Australians had nightmares of India at that time. They were seriously challenged in the drawn test series in 2003/ 04 for the 1st time in over a decade in Australia!!!!

But destiny had different plans for Dada. As if to say, this is not enough for a life time… lets see if you can handle more challenges. Ganguly’s personal form dipped from there on to a extent that he was asked by his coach to drop himself from the team!!! The aggressor lost his cool and the Indian public lost its memory. He was infamously dropped from the team for more than a year.

He was picked for one of the hardest tours… South Africa. And what did he do there … well not much. He was only the highest run getter for India in that series!!! And since then every series he has got better and better. So much so that he was the Man of the Series against Pakistan in the recently concluded series.

If you're looking for a clue to what has helped Sourav Ganguly sustain his spectacular run in Test cricket since his return at the fag end of last year, don't bother looking at his footwork or the flow of his bat. Take, instead, a close look at his eyes while he is batting. They speak of a calmness that borders on serenity, and a combination of composure and resolve. You could see it in his comeback innings in Johannesburg, which fetched him an unbeaten 51, and you could see it through his epic innings in Bangalore that marked a new high in his career.

Ganguly has taught India the true definition of aggression. People in India wrongly conceive that if you sledge you are aggressive… far from it. Ganguly has always been aggressive not only by his words but by his deeds. One need not be a rocket scientist to understand that that Ganguly has hardly spoken anything after his come back and yet is mighty aggressive. In his bowling, and on the field, we have seen the more familiar Ganguly; excitable, emotional, even fiery. He has appealed cantankerously and celebrated his wickets and catches with child-like gusto.

He has let himself go only once after his comeback: it was an emotional moment, getting to his first hundred before his adoring home fans. But his celebration after he got to his first double-hundred, a landmark he sought and will cherish, was far more subdued. There was the raising of the arms and the acknowledgment of applause from his team-mates and the crowd. But then there was also a series of little pumps of the fist, and a waving of the helmet. Those were for himself. There was an air of fulfillment, of a man celebrating privately in public. His smile touched a million hearts: his struggle to regain his place, and some would say his honour, have been among the most stirring and uplifting stories in cricket.

His story is about a man who simply refused to surrender to what seemed inevitable to most. Much can be said about his improved footwork and the decisiveness of his stroke-making, but in the end, it has been a triumph of spirit, of incredible strength of mind and faith.

But he is living out a fairytale at the moment, and nothing he achieves will be a surprise anymore. There are many, me included, who believed Ganguly's time as an international cricketer was over. We owe him an apology and a salute.

Dada you have made us proud !!!!

Pakistan : The Worst Team Ever!!!

Wow!!! Finally the day came when Indians can clam that indeed their cricket team is much better than that of their arch rivals.

However, believe me, my heart bleeds when I see the Pakistani team perform as bad as they have done in India. But facts are facts and they cannot be denied. Just look art the following stats of this shattered team for 2007

M W L W/L
Tests 6 1 4 0.25
ODI 21 8 12 0.67
T20 10 7 2 3.5 (1 match was a Tie)

I am not a great believer of stats in Cricket. However, the above stats more or less signifies why my heart bleeds. Pakistani test team has never be so down since 1972 and believe me this pathetic record would hurt every cricket fan across the globe.

Except for the T20 finals, Pakistan have more or less nothing to show for their efforts this year. If one analyses their problems this year, one can easily say that they have problems in every department of the game. Their Opening batting has been a issue since Syed Anwar and Aamir Sohail combination left the international scene. Their middle order looks extremely thin without Inzy. Their wicket keeper drops a crucial catch almost every match these days. They have no all rounders which once had had in abundance. Their bowling is no where to even county team standards. And their fielding ….. well even school boys will be ashamed of the effort Pakistanis are putting in these days.

Pakistan was surely my favorite team, after India obviously, and yes it hurts to see the powerhouse of cricket falling the way they did this year. As if the trauma of early world cup exit wasn’t enough, we are seeing them perform they way they did on first two day of the 2nd Test. They are so down that their think tank cannot even think logically. Inclusion of Shoiab Akthar in the playing 11 is the biggest blunder I have seen in test arena!!!! It gives me no pleasure, as a Indian, to see them being defeated by my team. They are not worth opponents.

I wont pull the topic more but I only hope that Pakistani cricket does not follow the path of West Indies Cricket. I hope good sense will prevail in selection of their team and we get a better opposition to play our Ashes!!!! Till then the present series is dead and its not good for cricket

This is Vikas from ICC head quarters in Dubai.

India Pakistan to Clash again : It doesn’t get any bigger than this !!!!

As a child, when I was growing, I was told that Ashes was the mother of all Series and that winning the Ashes was the most important thing in a career of a International Cricket from Australia or England. But even the purist have to agree that over the last 3 decades nothing matches the excitement offered by a Indo- Pak series. Fortunately or unfortunately, the clash between the arch rivals is just more than a just a game. It was very well depicted in the recent Bollywood block buster “Chuk De India” where it was shown that one game turned the life of a man upside down. Didn’t it reflect the career of Chetan Sharma whose life couldn’t be same again after the infamous last ball six by Miadad.

In fact the main reason for Indo Pak series are so famous are due to the fact that players from both the teams cross the limits of possible and go on to do things which are almost hard to believe. Who can forget Miadad’s last ball six, Prasad’s famous comeback in the Bangalore Quarter Final in 96, Sachin’s arrival in International cricket against Qadir, Shoiab’s Yorker to Dravid, Aqeeb Jawed’s LBW hattrick in Sharjah, Sehwag’s Triple at Multan, Kumble’s perfect 10 at the Kotla and the most recent Misbah’s flick to find a mallu at short fine leg to loose the T20 World cup. These are some of the finest moments in International cricket and hence no one can underplay the importance of a Indo- Pak series.

This year has been a mixed kind of year for both India and Pakistan.. Out from the world cup in 1st round. India then went on to beat Bangladesh in Bangladesh, S. Africa in Ireland in 3 match series, won the English test series, lost the One day series, Won the T20 cup and then lost a home series to Australia. Similarly Pakistan lost both One day and test series at home to S. Africa after having reached the finals of T20 Cup.

However, in this it does not matter what form a team is in nor does the reputation of a player matters and hence I am not going to tell you that on paper Indians look the favorites. But as it is very clear, it is just on paper. For all practical purposes, it is safe to assume that this series will be a cracker of a series. Players would be tested not just on their talent but mental resolve as well because these games separate the men from the boys.

This India-Pakistan series would be of the utmost importance because it is a series between two countries who share so much history between them. History that has blazed the two cricket fanatic nations with feverish excitement every time the two arch-rivals have met on a cricketing field, history which has epic battles that have set one nation in a frenzy while the other mourns and history which with every series has been recreated.

Come November 5 and the world will have its eyes on the mother of all series. As is said, 'It doesn’t get bigger than this.'

This is Vikas Gupta from the City that saw closest Indo Pak matches … Dubai (Sharjah isn’t that far :) )