Hailing "Wall"

There are a lot of duels played nowadays, both on and off the cricket field. A politician threw a kitchen sink at a cricketer who is probably bigger than any state, and found that a bathroom tub was hurled at him from all directions. Matches have been played in newspapers rather than on cricket fields. Small issues have been made obese thanks to the media, which acts like junk food to the human body. However, one man has been industriously constructing batting knocks in the same passion which reminds you of the glorious days of the Fab four.
Meticulous preparation and earnest resolve to be successful has made Rahul Dravid a serious force to reckon with after being buried by critics and cynics. In October 2007, when the stylish batsman from the garden city was ejected out of the Indian ODI team, few would have envisaged a sort of comeback that the “Wall” has made in the longer version. He was made a guinea pig down under due to the lack of openers in that tour. Still, Rahul answered critics with a sublime knock in Perth, a wicket whose texture can give even silicon carbide serious competition in terms of hardness.
It took more than 15 months for the Indian think tank to realize that Rahul Dravid can never be a liability to a team; the man is always an asset without the slightest of doubt. He was faced with a tough challenge of chasing down a meaty target in centurion, against a rejuvenated Pakistan which was exploding (oops. Wrong word!) With enthusiasm and were intent on turning the table of fortunes in big tournaments, which had always been partial to the its traditional rival. Dravid again replied in style, manufacturing a well paced knock in tough and slow conditions. However, his knock could not deliver a knockout blow as poor running cost him his wicket, and as a result the match.
I am happy to know that other sports are played by the team in training sessions, but the predicament starts when they start applying rules of the other game in the one where they are professionals. Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh seemed to have played baseball in training, and are hell bent on running as soon as bat makes contact with the ball. Few seconds of their haste made sure that the well crafted innings was a total waste.
To his shock, Dravid found himself out of the team for the ODI’s vs. Australia. If only his knock would have been a match winning one, he would have been inside that dark blue jersey at home. As a result of poor commitment and temperament, India could not cling on the No 1 spot, and Australia with a bunch of players whose experience totally put together would be less than Sachin’s experience, went home with a smile as broad as the flight they were in.
Meanwhile, Dravid returned to domestic circuit. The commitment and dedication of the man was shown in the way he conducted himself in Ranji matches. The once” Wisden Cricketer of the year” was prepared to stay in run of the mill type hotels, just for the passion of playing the game.
Soon, he was part of the test series at home against the feisty islanders from the subcontinent. The Lankan lions have struggled and choked in India, making them go on a winless streak of 14 tests without a win. The Indians went into the test seeking the top spot in the test rankings, but were in a soup early on as they lost 4 wickets in a flurry, leaving much to be desired from an intimidating batting line up. However, there was Dravid’s technique. He came, he watched and he conquered. The Motera knock would be one of Dravid’s finest as it saw Dravid in a very positive frame of mind. He dispatched loose bowls with blithe and counter attacked perfectly to pull India out of the quicksand eventually saving the test match. Dravid has once again proved that in time of crisis, it would more often than not be him to the rescue, than other batsmen. In many ways, Dravid would have cursed himself for having been born in the same era of the Sachin Tendulkar. For the past decade, Dravid has been part of many records and partnerships, has played brilliant innings, and has mastered several Indian victories. But still, he falls behind the master who just can’t stop people from admiring him.
The century in the 2nd test at Kanpur is just a testimonial of the fact that when the Dravid gets going, centuries might tumble from his bat. I wonder why people call him The Wall, the wall does not have the tenacity to come back after it is floored, there might be walls that can break easily, but this man is not going to break, he will be expecting to play in the World cup couple of years from now. Dravid’s experience and his keen acumen of the game is a better option than stupidity of certain young players which is falsely termed as exuberance.

Peahen Plunderer

Hi plunderer,
How are you? Hope this letter finds you in the poorest of health. I often wonder what makes your community worse than the British who plundered and robbed India of its wealth and possession of precious antiques. The British lived luxurious and lavish lives in their home land, but explored uncharted territory and robbed the things which they didn’t have in their kitty. No one can forget the unreasonable confiscation of the precious peacock throne by those whites. But your community is no different from those obnoxious creatures my brother! Oh I am sorry, you are not my brother. At least not till you vote for republicans or democrats and pay income tax in dollars. You study in expensive and high quality schools during the days in your native land where character and the ability to learn are embodied in you. I always feel education not only makes us learn, but also teach us how to learn. You utilize the nation’s best schooling and college resources to the maximum and acquire colossal knowledge about all the technologies possible on this earth. Then one fine day you write an exam which consists of few juvenile math’s problems or should I say math; and synonyms of few complex unheard words in English which are seldom used in life. You get admits from various mediocre universities across the globe which claim to be the best, but the fact is there is nothing unique about them other than the bizarre names that they possess. Needless to say, you have a blast in your college life which revolves around parties and girls. Don’t think I am being jealous here! In fact don’t have that doubt in your mind, because I am extremely jealous and I am fuming right now as I write these words on paper. You experience all sorts of physical comforts that a foreign culture can offer you (all sorts of physical comfort which make you stand up and applaud).but suddenly, seriousness strikes your mind which has made it numb like anesthesia does. You decide to get married and be a committed guy in future. You seek for traditional homely goddesses after having dated women worse than sex workers. Good for you mate! Bravo! But suddenly you do something strikingly similar to the white (bad words in English) did few centuries ago, only difference being the gender of the product being robbed. You strip away the peahen from its native land and fly away with happiness. Firstly, you send pictures of sight seeing places in USA where you give the same pose in different postures. Then, you impress the peahen by chatting with her online and bragging about the life in USA , being how cool it is to be mocked about and ridiculed by Americans, how awesome it is to have mortgages five times your pay check etc . you don’t have to impress the peahen’s family as they are on cloud nine in the first place , as soon as they know that their son in outlaw! Sorry son in law is an American by birth in India. It is really ironical that you turn to your native land for some thing that you need badly, but turn your backs to it when the land needs you (does it need you? I don’t think so. Just added the line for some cheesy statements). It is really annoying that your community keeps snatching away our property. There is a concept called sons of the soil, I guess you would have heard about it; which has certain quota for the natives. I guess we have come to a situation where we have to instill quota system in our matrimonial network which is bigger than any other enterprise in the world. It is extremely disheartening to see pretty girls in Anna international airports. I would prefer seeing them in railway stations filled with stink and dirt. But we are humans, we will never curse you . we will never wish for the plane in which the couple travel to crash. We will not wish for a divorce between the pair before the first night (for the girl! mind you). We will just hope you find someone very traditional in USA.(maybe an afro Brahmin or something like that ).
Don’t take care.
Hopefully never yours,
Piteous peacock

Eternal Product Of The Senseless Mind?

I have always wondered whether statements quoted by great men make any sense in times of hardship. Not many people would have the grit and tenacity to mortgage properties in these adverse times; however mortgages with bad credit are the last resort for some who are taking frantic steps for their redemption. The disturbing fact is that bad credit mortgages have interest rates that are far more bloated than their conventional counterparts. The entire brain child of the concept of bad credit mortgages was born due to the competition amongst lenders which forced them to diminish the rates in order to acquire customers. The financial crisis has not only annihilated the eco-chain, it has also made a severe bump in the credit rating of the borrowers.
Credit rating is a measuring scale which checks the reliability of the lender making note of the past history. Credit rating examination is a litmus test for the borrower which he ought to get through. It is crucial that the borrower survives the intense scanning as every time he is turned down, the credit rating takes a beating which eventually reduces the chances of getting a mortgage. In the scanning process, the lender will analyze the source of the capital, relevance and sensibility of the investment and past records of bad credit.
The financial slump has given a black mark in almost each and every person’s credit history. This is where the quandary starts for both the borrower as well as the lender.
The lenders are very strict in rejecting deals due to bad credit history of people in the same family. A victory can be called a flash in a pan but one defeat often gives people a dire impression to the lender. Investors are mislabeled and in some cases even ostracized from the mortgaging world.
But as always, there is hope and light in the form of a concept known as bad credit remortgages (i.e. borrowing against equity in your home). It acts as a savior by washing off other debts and being abreast with the payments of your remortgage. The common mistake that investors do is decreasing the amount of down payment and in turn escalating the interest rates. It is healthier to make a heavy down payment and reduce the interest rates. Even here, credit rating numbers play a pivotal role in prevaricating the value of the down payment.
The entire concept of bad credit mortgages is a product of the senseless and hasty minds of the various components existing in the system of mortgaging. The pricking query lies in the fact that whether it will be eternally successful or not. We are not Nostradamus and hence it is better we wait for time to give an answer!

Castles In Vacuum

There is an idiom that was probably framed centuries ago, but was it said anticipating a cataclysmic disaster which was to occur way into the 21st century? The phrase “ don’t build castles in air “ was quoted by some one who had no idea of what sub prime loans could do to the entire economical chain of the world. But, it had greater relevance in the early stages of the millennium. Mortgages with bad credit have been instrumental in disrupting the entire eco- chain (economical chain) of the globe. The crisis was an after math of various factor’s lethal combination.
Buyer’s mortgaged property without waiting for the prices to slide; which dug a grave exactly to their body dimensions .It requires a lot of patience and wit to do things exactly opposite to your other counterparts. Being greedy when others are reluctant and waiting for the storm to abate instead of pressing the panic button are a few postulates which are imperative for an investor to make profit at a colossal level. However, none followed the right path. Every investor wanted a short cut which led to a ruinous consequences eventually leading to massive mayhem. People forgot the basic essence that a home was a place to live and enjoy rather than a place which would enhance your status of self esteem in the society. The troubling statistics annoy us even more as in the previous recession of the 20th century; the reason for the fall was because of first time buyers who invested when the market was at its peak of ductility. If this was not enough; this time 2 out of ten mortgages were for more than 5 times annual income of the borrower. This is where the predicament started and the doors for hell were opened for the borrower.
The lenders were an equal partner in crime. Initially, Lenders were skeptical in giving a deal for the self employed. However things changed with time and lending mortgages to people with terribly turbulent economic status was considered innovative actions. But all actions have effects and this action had adverse ones. Every business has its shares of ups and downs but the high mortgage levels made sure that the borrower culminated with bad credit history. The problem lies in the method in which borrowers are scrutinized. A source of the capital is a vital criterion in choosing your borrower. Unconventional sources of income must ring the alarm for lenders as the stability of those sources are bound to be tentative.
The crisis could be an appalling amalgamation of slip-ups by lender and borrower, but the phrase still holds good “don’t build castles in air “for the borrower. In fact the phrase has attained new dimensions this time round as a reason of the greed of the borrower. It would not be wrong if it is rephrased to “don’t build castles in vacuum”

The Fresher

Differentiation is probably one of the scariest things on earth. Not only the mathematical term which catalyses the excretory system of a certain people, but also certain things can not be differentiated. However, there is one thing on this earth that can be easily segregated from the rest with out a break in sweat. You don’t need to have great judgmental skills nor a great intuitive instinct. You also need not be a Sigmund Freud to understand complex psychology. You just need to understand what frantic fear and preposterous panic is on a face of a student.

Even if you are transported back to history through a time machine and put in a college in the 1970’ . you would be able to single out the fresher from the rest.

A fresher through all eras and generations is the same. He has a big bag which weighs almost as much as him and a lot of books in it which would help him start a library of his own.

He also carries a water carrier as he requires lot of fluid due to frequent visits to the washroom as a result of terror and alarm.

It is also quite common for a fresher to dress up in a way as if he was to attend a high profile meeting such as G-8 summit. Formal outfit is what the fresher wears which is so spic and span that would even put presidents and white collar professionals to envy.

A fresher’s forehead usually reveals his caste, sub-caste, sub-sub-caste and additional details. It is a thing that needs to be appreciated but unfortunately the forehead goes blank after few days as students think it is not cool to be following traditions in a place where people are fashion and fitness freaks.

A fresher combs his hair in such a way that the partition on his head is so vivid that would put neighboring countries into serious introspection. I wish countries were so beautifully partitioned. we wouldn’t have had border conflicts in that case.

A fresher’s neck is an amazing device which has miniscule degrees of freedom. It is always in constant motion checking out the college infrastructure and college woman’s structure.

The most distinct thing in a fresher across all cities and countries is the skepticism and apprehension on the face which clearly written. No matter what your language, religion , caste you are from, this is the expression you would have found hitherto.

The fact that he doesn’t know what is waiting for him makes the fresher even more timid.

It is an expression which would make you feel that the poor soul’s body is going to be crucified in a few hours time.

But the expression on their faces is justified, as they are put into an act similar to

One which laid Jesus to rest.

It is an unbiased act that would not spare the best from the rest,

It is a miser act that does not spare poor or rich,

It is an audacious act that does not spare influential tycoon’s kin,

It is a fair act that does not separate people as per their skin,

It is an antifeminist act that does not differentiate on the basis of sex,

It is a relentless act that would not allow the fresher to relax,

It is called RAGGING.

PROUD AND PREJUDICE

The prejudice call it the land of the snake charmer,
The proud calls it the land of the great farmer.
The prejudice call the country as poor,
The proud Knows there is improvement for sure.
The prejudice is adept in the game of blame,
The proud takes responsiblity on his name.
The prejudice thinks there is no deed,
When the proud knows there are lot of people whom they can help read.
The prejudice has spilt milk to cry,
The proud wake up and give it a try.
Some enjoy and relax,With out giving a damn for tax.
The Prejudice curse their fate,
The proud are happy to donate.
The prejudice often cross the sea,
The proud first explore the country's beauty.
The Prejudice criticize films and leave the makers with a scar,
But the proud brings back home an Oscar.
We did get a gold,
But there is more talent to mould.
Are we Goin to be Proud or Prejudice?
latter is an act of cowardice,
and former is the way to go,
Just Say " JAI HO".

FRUSTRATIONS OF A BACHELOR.....!!!

I sat down in a car with carriage,
and wondered about marriage.
Arranged on one, and love on the other.
The former requires help from mother,
and the latter will leave your clothes in tatter.
So which is better, which is better??
Finally I wrote a letter, to my immediate ancestor,
saying with all anger and rage,
That I'll become a sage.

A PIECE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PEACE

The environmentalists wanna go green,
but the automobile producers are really mean.
They produce vehicles which are cheap,
and increase pollution by a heap.
No wonder the ozone has a hole,
and its all 'cos of coal.
So lets wake up and be agile,
'cos a walk of few mts can make a difference of a mile.
Its time to be bright,
so dont forget to switch off the light.
In a time where we have no clue,
to a menace called swine flu,
lets hope the nightmare doesnt come true,
of trees and plants found in man-made zoo.