The life I live is keeping me from living my life,
All I want is calm, All I get is strife,
Life has become a double edged knife,
I'm helpless, dancing to the tune of its fife,
Stuck between these two different ends,
I've lost count of enemies, there are no friends,
Life in such horrid ways bends,
The pain, the agony, only ascends,
What I want to do and what has to be done,
They are not the same, they are not one,
No matter how far, how fast I run,
Life doesn't stop using me for it's fun,
I've tried to hide, tried to run away,
It finds me again the very next day,
Pulls an unwilling me back to the fray
Still I believe this will end some day.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Lalit Modi
Warning: The contents of this post have been collected from internal sources in the education ministry. The author can not be held responsible for any claims made in the article.
After changing the world of cricket with his innovative ideas and ruthless approach, after introducing to us the shortest version of cricket known as 20-20, after being thrown out disgracefully from the IPL, his own baby, and after having failed in creating a rebel league in England, Lalit Modi has decided that he would now turn his attention to something that is very similar to cricket, at least for us Indians.
And that is examinations. Just like there is no running away from cricket for any Indian, similarly, there will never be any respite from examinations. Just like cricket, examinations have the ability to bring people together (if you know what I mean). And just like cricket can make the entire nation wait with bated breath for the result of an important match, similarly, exams make not only the students but also their parents expect the unexpected.
Keeping all this in mind, Mr. Kapil Sibal, the saviour of students, the abolisher of board exams, the man of the moment, the salvager of Indian education has decided to rope in Mr. Lalit Modi. And what you are about to read is the first draft of their proposed policies to revolutionise education in India forever.
Here it goes: 20-20 version of examinations:
- Auctions would be held for determining the seating arrangements. The most sought after seats (near the toppers, at the back of the class) would have a higher reserve price than the not so sought after ones.
- Students of each class would have the option of naming their teams. Rights for names such as Kolkatta Copiers, Delhi Duplicators, Cochin Cheaters have already been auctioned off. Please check for availability before deciding on your team name.
- Power play would be applicable for the first 30 minutes - No invigilator in the room.
- A five-minute strategy break would follow every hour of exam time to allow for a healthy team discussion. This time would not be added to the total exam time.
- Cheerleaders would be present in every room: they will cheer every time someone turns over a page (I know it can cause a lot of wastage of paper, but that is being worked upon).
- Freehit marks to be given to every student for any unexpected question.
- Post examination parties would be held to allow for intermingling of students with the examiners. This would undoubtedly increase the quality of results.
Lets us all unite in prayer for the passage of this bill in the Lok Sabha (after our ministers are through with creating a ruckus, walking out and other stuff that politicians do to make their presence felt) so that the future generations of this country do not have to go through the pain, the suffering, the trauma, the torture and the anguish suffered by us and millions of others before us. AMEN!
After changing the world of cricket with his innovative ideas and ruthless approach, after introducing to us the shortest version of cricket known as 20-20, after being thrown out disgracefully from the IPL, his own baby, and after having failed in creating a rebel league in England, Lalit Modi has decided that he would now turn his attention to something that is very similar to cricket, at least for us Indians.
And that is examinations. Just like there is no running away from cricket for any Indian, similarly, there will never be any respite from examinations. Just like cricket, examinations have the ability to bring people together (if you know what I mean). And just like cricket can make the entire nation wait with bated breath for the result of an important match, similarly, exams make not only the students but also their parents expect the unexpected.
Keeping all this in mind, Mr. Kapil Sibal, the saviour of students, the abolisher of board exams, the man of the moment, the salvager of Indian education has decided to rope in Mr. Lalit Modi. And what you are about to read is the first draft of their proposed policies to revolutionise education in India forever.
Here it goes: 20-20 version of examinations:
- Auctions would be held for determining the seating arrangements. The most sought after seats (near the toppers, at the back of the class) would have a higher reserve price than the not so sought after ones.
- Students of each class would have the option of naming their teams. Rights for names such as Kolkatta Copiers, Delhi Duplicators, Cochin Cheaters have already been auctioned off. Please check for availability before deciding on your team name.
- Power play would be applicable for the first 30 minutes - No invigilator in the room.
- A five-minute strategy break would follow every hour of exam time to allow for a healthy team discussion. This time would not be added to the total exam time.
- Cheerleaders would be present in every room: they will cheer every time someone turns over a page (I know it can cause a lot of wastage of paper, but that is being worked upon).
- Freehit marks to be given to every student for any unexpected question.
- Post examination parties would be held to allow for intermingling of students with the examiners. This would undoubtedly increase the quality of results.
Lets us all unite in prayer for the passage of this bill in the Lok Sabha (after our ministers are through with creating a ruckus, walking out and other stuff that politicians do to make their presence felt) so that the future generations of this country do not have to go through the pain, the suffering, the trauma, the torture and the anguish suffered by us and millions of others before us. AMEN!
Monday, May 10, 2010
IPL T20 vs ICC Twenty20
Watching India loose another match (this time against West Indies) yesterday, I couldn’t help but feel overcome with sadness. This had nothing to do with the fact that India had lost: I’ve become immune to that bad feeling one gets after a lost match, because it seems to happen so often. This took place because I was actually not being able to enjoy watching these matches. And I had to ask myself - WHY? Why is this happening to you, to the person who loves cricket so much? So, I talked to fellow enthusiasts of the game to get some answers and got the same reply from each one of them- that these matches are not as enjoyable as those of the IPL.
That does not make sense. The cup is being played in the land of the people who enjoy their cricket the most, the land that has given us some of the best cricketers to have played the game. It is being played in the grounds where the crowd creates an amazing environment: brass bands, home-made musical instruments that you see nowhere else, happy, smiling faces, and people having lots of fun. Also, being an international tournament, one expects that the level of cricket to be better and more enjoyable than the IPL. Yet this is not so. The obvious question is why. And here I am trying to get to the answer:
1. The quality of cricket- The quality of cricket that we are getting to see in the
world cup is nowhere close to what we got to see in the IPL. This is due to 3
reasons:
-The inclusion of teams like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Ireland has
ensured that 8 of the first 12 matches were one-sided.
-Hard hitting, in-form batsmen like Uthuppa, Sehwag, Hayden, Symonds, Virat Kohli,
who set the IPL on fire, are missing from the world cup.
-The pitches in the West Indies do not support the slam-bang version of cricket
that we witnessed in the IPL. Batsmen are concentrating on not loosing any
wickets for the first half and going for broke in the last few overs. This was
not the case in India (with the obvious exception of Feroze Shah Kotla) where we
got to see lots of big shots and high scores.
2. Playing conditions- The playing conditions are not nearly as good as they were
during the IPL:
-The matches of the world cup are being held in the day time, which are not as
entertaining as the all-night affairs of the IPL. This does not allow for a party
like atmosphere that one got to see in the stands in India.
-The grounds are not big enough to pack in the sort of crowd that could blow off
the roof, as we got to see in India. Also, the organisers have been unable to
ensure that the stands are filled to capacity.
3. Poor Promotion- The promos of IPL were on air a month before the tournament was
to start. They were designed smartly to create hype about the tournament and had
people talking about it much before any action started on the field. And even
while the tournament was going on, we got to read about it every day in the
newspapers. Every day, something or the other was happening which could become
the headline for the next day’s paper (and I refer to the brilliant cricket,
glamorous personalities in the stands, and the glitzy parties, not to the
Modi-Tharoor controversy).
4. Timing of the tournament- Coming right after the IPL, the world cup had big shoes
to fill. There were great expectations and the world cup has failed to live up to
them. If the cup would have happened 6 months later, maybe the result would have
been different. There was probably an overdose of this format that has proved to
be detrimental to the popularity of the supposedly biannual event.
5. Cheerleaders- For the fair skin obsessed Indian male, this is one aspect of the
20-20 version that just cannot be compromised upon. Not only do the West Indian
cheerleaders loose out on the complexion factor, but they are also found wanting
on the cheerleading front.
That does not make sense. The cup is being played in the land of the people who enjoy their cricket the most, the land that has given us some of the best cricketers to have played the game. It is being played in the grounds where the crowd creates an amazing environment: brass bands, home-made musical instruments that you see nowhere else, happy, smiling faces, and people having lots of fun. Also, being an international tournament, one expects that the level of cricket to be better and more enjoyable than the IPL. Yet this is not so. The obvious question is why. And here I am trying to get to the answer:
1. The quality of cricket- The quality of cricket that we are getting to see in the
world cup is nowhere close to what we got to see in the IPL. This is due to 3
reasons:
-The inclusion of teams like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Ireland has
ensured that 8 of the first 12 matches were one-sided.
-Hard hitting, in-form batsmen like Uthuppa, Sehwag, Hayden, Symonds, Virat Kohli,
who set the IPL on fire, are missing from the world cup.
-The pitches in the West Indies do not support the slam-bang version of cricket
that we witnessed in the IPL. Batsmen are concentrating on not loosing any
wickets for the first half and going for broke in the last few overs. This was
not the case in India (with the obvious exception of Feroze Shah Kotla) where we
got to see lots of big shots and high scores.
2. Playing conditions- The playing conditions are not nearly as good as they were
during the IPL:
-The matches of the world cup are being held in the day time, which are not as
entertaining as the all-night affairs of the IPL. This does not allow for a party
like atmosphere that one got to see in the stands in India.
-The grounds are not big enough to pack in the sort of crowd that could blow off
the roof, as we got to see in India. Also, the organisers have been unable to
ensure that the stands are filled to capacity.
3. Poor Promotion- The promos of IPL were on air a month before the tournament was
to start. They were designed smartly to create hype about the tournament and had
people talking about it much before any action started on the field. And even
while the tournament was going on, we got to read about it every day in the
newspapers. Every day, something or the other was happening which could become
the headline for the next day’s paper (and I refer to the brilliant cricket,
glamorous personalities in the stands, and the glitzy parties, not to the
Modi-Tharoor controversy).
4. Timing of the tournament- Coming right after the IPL, the world cup had big shoes
to fill. There were great expectations and the world cup has failed to live up to
them. If the cup would have happened 6 months later, maybe the result would have
been different. There was probably an overdose of this format that has proved to
be detrimental to the popularity of the supposedly biannual event.
5. Cheerleaders- For the fair skin obsessed Indian male, this is one aspect of the
20-20 version that just cannot be compromised upon. Not only do the West Indian
cheerleaders loose out on the complexion factor, but they are also found wanting
on the cheerleading front.
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