Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Life in the "fast" lane

Hyderabad is getting a facelift. With all its new flyovers & skywalks, Hyderabad is gung-ho about how its going to look in a few years time. But till then we have to face the horrifying prospect of driving through Sardar Patel Road, MG Road, Punjagutta Crossroads, RTC Crossroads and as Yul Brynner once said Etcetera Etcetera Etcetera.
There was a time when driving used to be a relaxing experience, now it is something most of us fear. Going from Somajiguda circle to Begumpet flyover( the one opposite HPS) used to take 3 minutes & 46 seconds, but now believe it or not it takes a minimum of 45 minutes during the evenings not to mention that all hell breaks loose if it rains. Road widening & extensive traffic planning have eased the pressure a bit and also the new Chief Minister residence requires that too many vehicles are not stationary in front of it for too long as it might pose a threat. So it has become a little easier, but once the flyover construction begins in full swing, we're in for some excruciating traffic jams. Methinks in the future when kindergarten teachers say 'J for Jam', it will rather be for these traffic halts rather than the jelly.
Some people think Traffic Jams can be fun. These are the people who have their girlfriends/ boyfriends/spouses next to them, the AC running & loads of fuel to burn. Oh Yes ! This post would be incomplete without talking about the skyrocketing fuel prices. This means no more long drives for broke people like me. I will have to settle for long walks with my mp3 player for now. But some drives like the one to college are really refreshing. The grey tar road, the bright blue cloudless sky & swaying trees on either side of the road are regular traits of a typical morning drive to college. Sometimes drives can give you a very fascinating perspective on life, the long winding road ahead, the speedbreakers, the sudden U-turns all mean something to each one's life. But for now the focus still remains on the Traffic & the pollution that is burning our lungs. Hope we are rid of this, atleast by the time my children can be old enough to experience long drives.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

The God of Little things

Have you ever taken time of to think about those small little mundane things which you never really gave a second thought about ?? Things that you took for granted, suddenly when you experience them give you that rush all over again.

I have always been a person who was too busy doing a million things in life & never took time off to see those little things in life that gave you the most heartwarming feeling. It has only been in the last few weeks that my life has been moving at a pace that even a snail would be ashamed of.

But a few incidents here & there have brought genuine smiles to my grim visage. First there was this little kid from the US who kept making me jealous about the amazing walks she took along Lake Michigan. I thought,well my college has a lake near it too, so I shall go for a walk also. So finally my benchmates & I took off from Kinematics of Machines class at around 10.30 am. Armed with two packets of Potato chips we started for the walk. We reached & sat on the wall adjoining the lake. Then we thought, why not get closer to water. The walk was now becoming an adventure. The wind velocity was now several knotts higher, we took off our shirts & sat along the bank on rock admiring the different shades of blue that the Osman Sagar was parading. It was still 11.30, we kept walking till we were finally totally out of fuel. It was 1 pm. We finally ended the walk when we reached the Khanapur bus stop & then we hurriedly got back to college dreading the thought of sitting in the class especially since there were regular powercuts. This little excursion of mine revealed to me how a quiet little walk with genuinely caring people along with Nature’s splendour can just make your day. So next time a friend says,” Mama,Gandipet podham..”, do not refuse. It might just make your day.

More little things were coming my way.I got home from college this evening to see a little box with multicoloured wrapping paper sitting gleefully on my table. It had arrived by courier apparently. immediately I read the from address & started ripping the paper apart. Inside lay the smartest radio in the world, it was shaped like a football with two legs. The feeling inside when an old friend actually remembers what you like & actually makes it a point to send it over to you even though you are at different locations now, you realise that some people are always meant to be a part of your life. These friends will stay on like a pyramid through time,unfazed by the weather or time to stand testament to their affection for you.

The day doesnt end there. We had a little cousins day out,which is very rare in my family since we hardly get to see each other. I was initially thinking that since all of us were different people we would hardly have anything in common & we would just eat & leave. But to my surprise, we had all grown up to become fine young men & women without any of us realising it. The games arcade was the best part of the night, with me realising that not only did I love football,but now I loved foosball too. Methinks I should spend more time with my family also. Thanks guys !

We’re still talking about the same night, I’m just planning to hit the bed when me & a friend hit of on this really thought provoking conversation about life, and how dogs & buffaloes have more fun than we humans do. All we do is worry about the future & are busy doing something about it in the present. When I was on my walk I noticed a herd of buffaloes, all they did was graze around all day, drop dung wherever they like & the only thing asked of them was to give milk, another human necessity. Buffaloes are lucky. Period ! She then asked me,” Adi, what would you like to be reborn as ? “. I probed & probed, then pat came the answer. HUMAN. I went to the extent of saying that I would like to be reborn as myself. No matter how much we suffer or curse our boring lives, I’m sure none of us would ever want to give up what we are.

MORAL:ENJOY EVERY MOMENT, EVERY CHALLENGE, EVERY DISAPPOINTMENT & WALK ON VALIANTLY

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Hamari Azzurri Kahani


Football is a religion for many. I belong to the many. And mere mortals could experience a slice of heaven as the footballing demi-gods descended upon Deutschland. The last one month has been exciting & there are so many around the world that would be feeling lost now that the tournament is over.
The Italians are elated. After the Serie A was rocked by the match fixing scandal, I think Italy finally has a reason to celebrate again. It was a world cup to remember with some exciting games. This tournament has been dubbed the Defenders tournament & that is how it was till the end. The team with the better defence won took top honours. Fabio Cannavaro who I first saw at Parma along with a young Buffon. Of course the both now play at Juventus. I had predicted at the start of the world cup that the partnership of Cannavaro & Nesta would be unbreachable. Although Materazzi deputised for Nesta, he was no slow poke although he made a few mistakes sometimes. But he was a busy man in the final, he equalised, made some ruthless tackles, got headbutted & dispatched the spot kick.
Enough can not be said of Cannavaro. He was the player of the tournament for me & deserved the Golden Ball more than Zidane. Zidane only came into his own after the match against Spain, Cannavaro had been a rock for Italy since the first game. He marshalled his troops and was the perfect captain throughout. He will now occupy a special place in Italian football history alongside some legendary names life Giuseppe Bergomi,Franco Baresi & Paolo Maldini. Along with the menacing wingbacks Zambrotta & Grosso, they had a formidable defence. Their brain & braun central midfield consisting of the grimacing Gattuso & the sublime Pirlo was instrumental in their victories. Though their attack was lacking, Toni & Totti showed rare glimpses of their true self. I would not say that the best tean won, but definitely the most organised team won.
Talking of the best team, I definitely think Germany or Argentina should have taken the prize but luck had a different say. The four teams ie. Australia, Argentina, Germany & Italy, I was rooting for played against each other & consequesntly knocked each other out. Australia along with Ivory Coast, Ukraine & Ghana were the surprise packages of the World Cup. The Socceroos comebacks against Japan & Croatia trult epitomise the Aussie Spirit.
The Albioceleste of Argentina had the firepower & the defence that a tournament of this nature demanded but luck wasn't on their side. The Germans were dazzling going forward with Klose,Podolski,Ballack & Schweinsteiger. Solid in defence, Mertesacker is a name to look out for in the future. But this world cup has done them a world of good.
The French... Zidane could well have the architect of a french win, but it was a sad end for the mercurial playmaker. But youngsters like Ribery & Malouda made their presence felt.
Brazil was just as they were reaching their peak, the french pulled the carpet from beneath them. Roberto Carlos who I thought was the best left back ever was at fault for Henry scoring.
Spain still remain PERENNIAL UNDERACHIEVERS.
The Dutch will surely be better next time around because they had a very young team this time & these guys are sure to mature.
The Portuguese were a tough outfit but filling the shoes of Luis Figo will be a tough task.
The names of Ballack, Klose , Robben , Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Zidane , Vieira, Cannavaro, Totti, Pirlo ,Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney , Beckham, Raul ,Torres, Messi ,Tevez etc will be etched in out memories forever.

Friday, July 07, 2006

Temporarily distracted

For all those who love my blogs & for all those who just read it because I send them the link, I would like to say Sorry,that I haven't been blogging off late. Been occupied with my first love, FOOTBALL. So after the World Cup is done, you can expect a maha-big post. Cheers