Kashyap leads India's resurgence in men's singles

There was a time when India was a force to reckon with in men's singles in badminton. It was a time when Prakash Padukone and Syed Modi, the stalwarts who put India in the badminton map, used to play.

But I unfortunately don't belong to a generation that was fortunate to see Padukone or Modi play. Padukone won the Commonwealth Games gold in 1978, becoming the first Indian to do so. He won the All England in 1980, a year before my birth and by the time I was 10 years old, he had already bade good bye to the game.

Even Modi, the last men shuttler to win a gold in the CWG, achieved the feat in Brisbane in 1982, a year after my entry to the world.

Ofcourse, there was Pullela Gopichand making inroads in World badminton but I admit I was not aware of his exploits till I joined the journalism field. Blame it on my poor GK or lack of inclination to read newspapers. TV was not an option then as it is only recently that TV has started reporting the achievements of any sport beside cricket.

But after Gopichand, there has been a lull. It is not that we don't have talented shuttlers. We have a pool of them, we have around 10-15 players in the top 100. Shuttlers such as Anup Sridhar, Arvind Bhatt and Chetan Anand have defeated many top players and made their presence felt in the world. But still in CWG 2010 we didn't have a serious contender for the gold.

And so when P Kashyap scripted some sizzling performance beating higher-ranked Rajiv Ouseph of England twice (yes, I still consider the semifinal a win for Kashyap coz it was a clear wrong decision that spoilt his silver) and the stylish Mohammad Hafiz of Malaysia, he had just given that hope to Indians that perhaps the resurgence of men's singles is round the corner.

Kashyap had to settle for a bronze where he deserved a silver atleast. If he were in final with Lee Chong Wei, he nevertheless would have competitive if not more. When Kashyap played him in the team event he looked much more at ease than Ouseph (who played him in the finals of individual event).

In the Denmark open, Kashyap again created a stunning victory over Thai Boonsak Ponsana, who has victories against Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, Chen Jin and Peter Gade to his name.

The Indian may have lost in the quarter against a chinese but that doesn't demean his stunning victory in any way. It means only one thing, time for India to regain its pride and place in men's singles is very near. The dawn is near, the resurgence nearer and we wish Kashyap shines in the days to come.

"Shine like a crazy diamond" as Pink Floyd would have put it.

Life of a journo in the times of CWG

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Surely it is not easy being a journalist in the times of Commonwealth Games. If you are a electronic journo then you will have to warm your seat at the main press center (MPC) because your cameras are barred from entering the venues. So all you can do is operate from the MPC and make reports taking the low-quality videos footages from Doordarsan, of course you have to keep the public entertained.

But if you are a print journalist, you can't have the luxury of seating at the MPC. Everyday you will have to walk miles just to enter the MPC and then hang like a hanger around the shuttle service which takes you inside, needless to say through a bumpy road, of course that too if you are lucky. Otherwise, you will have to again depend on your legs and bear the scorching sun till you reach the MPC.

However, your ordeal is not over. It is just the beginning. You have to go through the numerous check points where they will frisk till it doesn't border in the lines of manhandling and if you bump against a foul policeman, he might throw the stuffs which are not allowed, which ranges from cigarrates, matchbox, coins to as important a thing as a water bottle, rather rudely with a glare as if he has just nabbed a terrorist.

If you are a cameraman then things are worse as you have to open everything perceivable and lay them bare infront of them and that too after your bag has already gone through the checking system. After you complete all formalities, you would enter the MPC, a swanky work place where there are 100s of computers and an efficient bunch of young volunteers who will be very eagar to help you.

There is another thing. While all these time you were sweating like a dog under the sun, now you will suddenly enter the antarctic zone where you will shiver till your blood turns into ice crystals. Inside you have coffee, tea and britania biscuits -- all free of cost to keep you warm. There are sandwitches and pasteries which you can buy but if you want a meal in the afternoon, you will have to burn holes in your pocket and even after that the food might not be satisfactory. Also you might have a dog for company inside the foodcourt, which is outside the MPC.

But that's ok because jounalists don't have the luxury of staying inside the MPC for too long. So you too set off for the day to cover an event. You walk to the bus stand where you might end up waiting for hours if you are unlucky to get to the correct bus which takes you to the venue. Of course, if you can get into one of these buses things are cool, quite literally for it is an AC bus, which will run in Games lanes.

While you will have a chilly time inside the bus, which have tainted panes, the driver, although on the games lanes, will still have plenty of difficulty in maneovouring the vehicle, thanks to the Delhities who don't mind spilling over the lane every now and then , leaving the driver with no other option but to honk the horn all through out.

Once you reach the venue, you have to show your accreditation cards and have to go through the checking drill many times till you enter the venue. Now that was for those who can manage the bus.

But, suppose, if you are coming from your home straight to the venue, soon you will be transformed into a pedestrian journalist since even if you have a car or motorcycle, you can't take it inside so you will again have to depend on your legs and it is in such times that the music begins.

In many venues, the policemen also don't have a clue what is the route for the media. They perhaps not even given a lecture about how to read the passes. You will keep shuttling from one gate to the other as whosoever you ask, he will either ask you to go to the next gate or will bring out his guidebook to see if you should be allowed to enter through that gate as you burn under the sun at times.

There are Gates where you can travel in a vehicle but can't walk though them. The first day I went to the Siri Fort complex, My friend cameraman was stopped at the gates and told that he can't carry his cameras inside. After a lot of phone calls and after walking a mile, the volunteers helped us to enter the venue. But once we were inside, the cameraman was told you can't take pictures as it is not allowed.

Even though there is Doordarsan and BBC radio recording bytes of the players, if you want to record an interview in your cellphone, you would be stopped.

All these little things point fingeres to the inefficiency that plagues the working of the organisers. It is a classic example of too many cooks spoil the broth as here right hand doesnt know what left hand is doing. There is a huge communications gap among the various teams, who are engaged in organising the event. But that's ok because we are Indians and as the Sport Minister M S Gill once said in India, everything happens like an Indian marriage. Sir you couldn't have been more right!

Do we understand the enormity of Commonwealth Games?

For a country starved of any achievements in multi-sports events, the commonwealth games is the biggest opportunity for India to inspire a billion people to take up sports and make india a sporting nation but a look at the stadiums at the various venues and one can't help feeling disappointed. It is the second day of the mega-event but there is hardly any crowd at the stadiums. It puts a question in my mind: Do we Indians understand the enormity of Commonwealth Games?

Well, perhaps not. It may is the biggest sporting extravaganza that the country has ever hosted, being only the second multi-sport event after the 1951 and 1982 Asian games but that hardly seems to excite the Indians, if the lack of crowd is any indications.

For someone who was born and brought up in a far-flung small town called 'Silchar' in South Assam, CWG is nothing short of a dream. A dream to see the greats of the game live in front my eyes. people whom you have seen on TV, athletes about whom you always read on newspapers, an opportunity to see them with your naked eyes gives me goose bumps.

I am stationed at the Siri fort stadium where the badminton mixed team event is going on in full swing. India is playing a lowly Barbados but that should not matter because it is Saina Newal, the current world number three, who is playing here. Someone who had put India at the world badminton map. The Chinese, the Indonesians envy her because she is one who has threatened to break their strangehold in the game. The English, the Australians, they look up to her with wide open eyes as she jumps in the air and plays a cross-smash, they hardly can hide their amazement when she plays a deceiving drops but for Indians perhaps it is not that exciting.

The Whole stadium, which has a capacity of around 4500, is occupied by a handful of around 50 people, the rest of the crowd are the volunteers who have been employed for a smooth organisation of the event. These small crowd does all the cheering for Saina. These are the ones who took the pain to get up in the morning and come to the stadiums just for the love of sport. Does it disappoint the sportspersons? Well it does. While speaking to Saina when I ask her about the lack of crowd, she breaks up into a smile. "Well, may be it is too early, so people are not coming in the morning session. I am sure they will start pouring in as the day progresses," she says with her infectious smile.

Well, they do start filing in but still it is not enough to fill up those vacuums in the stands. Perhaps, even the atheltes have started excepting the fact that perhaps we don't understand the enormity of the Commonwealth Games.

Blade Runner: A must watch sci-fi movie

A science fiction dealing with rogue androids may not seem to gather much interest at a time when such scripts and films have been over done with, especially those cheap movies which tries to entertain the audience with its bloody and violent scenes if not those sexually explicit content.

But Blade Runner, a movie made in 1982, is a masterpiece in that sense because of its futuristic visualisation and also for its script that tries to encapsulate the sensitive sides of the Nexus, as they are referred to in the film. The sensitive fabric of the movie coupled with an melancholy background score, gives the movie a must watch for the cinema aficionados, especially who love sci-fies. It raises a very important question: what is it to be human?

Humans have tried to play GOD not only in reel but also in real life and are still trying with umpteen experiments which have led to many discoveries which have helped mankind. But there is another spectrum too. We have tried to create artificial intelligence and that quest perhaps will prove to be our doom.

The continuous attempt to create a life form (bio-mechanics) which can be perfect and at the same time do not out do humans in the long run and are also under control of human being has been going on since time immemorial. But in this quest, perhaps it will trample their rights in the future. After all who are we to create life and decide its longevity?

Ridley Scott's Blade Runner shows a 2019 Los Angeles, littered with high rises and neon-lit dark alleys. The set is immaculately designed, dipped in darkness and coupled with a continuous rain, gives a feel of an dystopian world. There is hardly any scene where we can see the clear sky. Even the rooms are dark and always lit by artificial neon lights.

The film is a quest of immortality by these androids, who were created with a limited life span and enslaved to work in the exploration of some other planets and how humans try to hunt them down, when some of them defy the norm. It puts the audience in the hot seat asking questions. Truth is after all a perception, isn't it?. How you see it? Life threats makes a villain out of a man and so it does to these androids? The fear to die is as normal phenomena both in humans and androids.

Harrison Ford may have acted in sci-fies like the Star War trilogy but this is one of his best. It is dark and gritty and has many shades and layers of personality. Even Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, the leader of the androids, has given some poignant lines in the climax and of course Sean Young looks lovely.

The film is roughly based on the book Philip K Dick's 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and has many similarities to the characters and plot. The complex fabric which deals with identity, life and being human gave the movie a cult status. But there is a rider, if you are a fan of tube-light fights and flying saucers then this one is not for you. Otherwise, it is a movie not to be missed.

Saina: Go play, play till the end of time

A nation mourns the loss of Saina Nehwal in the quarterfinals of the World Championship. A nation which followed the 20-year-old’s graph as she scaled different heights in her career, bringing laurels to a country starved off any recognition in Olympic sports such as badminton.

It was a dream that was shattered. A dream that was weaved over the years of watching the little star making giant strides in the field of badminton, making history and creating moments that India never believed ever existed before. And now that all these dreams have come crushing after her defeat in the World Championship, millions have suffered heartbreaks but even all these zillions of heartbreaks can’t ever equal the pain and disappointment that she must have gone through after the defeat.

At an age when teens walk in the corridors of college, either digging deep in their books or trying to live life in the fast lanes, here is Saina, carrying a billion hopes in her young shoulders, striving hard to make her country proud in a field where she found her calling. It takes guts to shut oneself from the world and all amenities and live a life of a monk, with discipline and dedication. And here she is walking the line without complaining because this is what she chose for herself.

It can be maddening to stand in all the glittery, to be the focus of the world, to be the cynosure of a billion eyes because at the end of the day as Paulo Coelho puts it “A winner stands alone”. Add to that the ubiquitous media, which want to know everything about you, the moment you return from winning a crown and then shuts you out once you lose. The amount of pressure that rests on Saina, I am sure none of the former champions such as Prakash Padukone or her mentor Pullela Gopichand had to face in their career.

So let’s not mourn her defeat but rejoice the moments that she has given to this country, moments which filled our heart with pride to say that we are Indians. Let’s wish her and pray for her and give her the confidence that we are there irrespective of the results because we believe in you. So go and play, play till the end of time.

The three-month-old status of my blog was getting obnoxiously (I learnt it from Hayden) difficult with each day. There are things to express but not enough willingness perhaps to do so, or perhaps i'v become more lazy or handicap in my expression that i stayed away. It is difficult to be honest, I mean it could have been so easy to blame it on my 'lack of time' and 'm busy these days' reasons. Anyways, whatever.

What has changed in these three months?

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As far as I can remember, India played Sri Lanka in three different tournaments. I can only imagine what the boredom of watching(or listening or hearing anything about) them might have affected the fans. Well, many depression patients got over the habit of popping those sleeping pills as it was a natural sleep inducer.

The Players tried there best to make it interesting though, complaining about overwork or perhaps not. I mean it is still a mystery as Srinivasan has stuck to his robotic head-gear denial: "We have received no letter".

But the way 'Times Now' followed it up, I guess more than the players, it was the journalists who got really pissed off seeing the same faces every day and it had its affect.

Seeing the helpless Indians, Randiv also tried his bit to make it interesting by depriving Sehwag a century, desperately hoping that it will jolt the BCCI from their slumber and they will call it a day or may be will give the indian fans some fodder to chew on.

Such a selfless guy, lost his match fee and was banned for a match, still he tried and was amply helped by Dilshan and Sangakkara. But all went in vein. Not all though, as it did give 'Times Now' enough to plough on for 3-4 days and make it a national crisis.

Commonwealth Games (CWG) became 'controversy-ridden' CWG, bad for Kalmadi. I mean things were going pretty fine for him but his scapegoats...aarr...i mean..his collegues failed to plug the leaks and ofcourse 'Times Now'. I mean how can you forget them. The result is in front of you, the OC chief lost so much (read dough) in plugging the holes and it's still not over.

Well, i guess, now I need something to chew on or plough on atleast. Being Lazy is bliss, at times.

Of IPL, India and World Cup T20

India mournes World Cup debacle
Dhoni blames IPL spectacle
'late night parties hurt us'
people say 'Ipl was a curse'

media juggles with truth and TRP
blogosphere pours anger on their lappy
I too sing and sulk and see the drama unfold
Surely, India blows hot and cold.

Why Roy should choose Pune's name properly?

'IPL' delivered two more babies recently and doctor Modi have said no more babies for the next seven years.

Well, even as the babies (different fathers) are yet to open their eyes and the world awaits their 'Naming Ceremony', it has raised quite a lot of concerns in the heart of the IPL aficionados.

Shakespeare might have said, "what's in a name?". Reality is it remains the first indication as how a team fares.

If we look at history, Rajasthan named themselves 'Royals' and so they were crowned in the first edition. Although Punjab got the hint they lost the plot naming 'XI Kings'. Ditto is the case with Chennai, who over did it by adding a Super, hoping to get a super-duper result, only to falter time and again.

Going by the same logic, one might challenge the downfall of the Royals in South Africa but one has to consider that Royals in India doesn't guarantee you the crown in a foreign country. No doubt, Modi hurriedly brought the IPL back to India.


To win in another country, you need to have challenging capability, you need to have the audacity to charge, to display some daredevilry, which brings us to the success of teams like Royal 'Challengers', Deccan 'Chargers' and Delhi 'Daredevils' in South Africa.

So now that he is one of the proud father of one of the babies, the onus is on Subroto Roy to name his kid properly.

Considering Sahara's pioneering efforts with the Indian cricket team, He might name it as 'Pune Pioneers' or 'Pune Paragons'.

I am not too sure about his obsession towards animals but if he had one or still has one, Roy might go for 'Pune Panthers' (speed is the key here) or 'Pune Porcupines' (no one can lock horns with them) or if he wants his members to have a permanent purple patch then the name can be 'Pune Purple martens'.

Knowing his business acumen, Roy can also go for a name which reflects the things he deals in. In that case, 'Pune Pilots' (keeping in mind his aviation industry) could be an option or may be 'Pune propellers'. What say?

Crammed Parthiv runs in haste to the point of no return and falls short of by inches, blame it on his

height....Hayden keeps the spectators in a tizzy with his mongoose plundering boundaries....but

Subramanium lulls them to sleep once again...so much so that even the cheerleaders decides to take a

break....but when there is Hadyen in their side...situation can never be tight (was just trying to be

funny)......bhatia brought in ....a silent first ball....followed by two huge sixes....brings the cheergirls back

on their feet and spectators eyes pop out....subramanum still finding it tough to clear the

infield....sangwan looking like Sunil shetty with his beefy muscles, charging in but bowls

wayward...second ball hayden does a Parthiv.....but thaks to his height he is safe which pours cold water

on Dlhi's premature celebration....Subramanuim wakes up from his Rip Van winkle dream, slogs one over

the bowler's head......Bhatia's mauling brings yadav in his place........he starts with a wide ball......te next

one would have been no different if only Hayden had not cut it to the backward cover for a single.....subhu

then repeats the shot for a boundary.....Subhu gets struck by a Yadav delivery....he is having a torrid IPL

....last match, he had a collision with Dhoni...and in this match he gets struck....I hope he has his

insurance ready......poor fellow...pulls the next ball straight to Amit Mishra.....that brings shoehorned

captain Raina into the crease and Dilshan on the bowling end....Hayden's welcomes Dilhan with three

sixes to complete his half century......(can't blame Dilshan...being a foreign recruit he just wanted to

contribute, if not with the bat, with the ball...its just that every dog has his day and this is Hayden's day

and not Dilshan's day so he ended up conceding 21 runs in his first and perhaps only over)....
Hayden gives respect to Yadav, Raina also keeps mum....prompting, karthik to bring in Bhatia....Hayden

sends him again blazing along the carpet.....and then over the mid-wicket area....Raina develops a sense

of lagging behind...so he launches a Sangwan out of park....but Hayden is not someone, who would allow

someone else to take the edge...what he does...he just plunders one over the cover area and the another

one blazing the greens in the same area.....hopefulless Mishra is asked to stop the Hayden juggernaut....but the bulky opener just heaves him over the midwicket...scared he pushes the ball down the offside......

Crammed Parthiv runs in haste to the point of no return and falls short of by inches, blame it on his

height....Hayden keeps the spectators in a tizzy with his mongoose plundering boundaries....but

Subramanium lulls them to sleep once again...so much so that even the cheerleaders decides to take a

break....but when there is Hadyen in their side...situation can never be tight (was just trying to be

funny)......bhatia brought in ....a silent first ball....followed by two huge sixes....brings the cheergirls back

on their feet and spectators eyes pop out....subramanum still finding it tough to clear the

infield....sangwan looking like Sunil shetty with his beefy muscles, charging in but bowls

wayward...second ball hayden does a Parthiv.....but thaks to his height he is safe which pours cold water

on Dlhi's premature celebration....Subramanuim wakes up from his Rip Van winkle dream, slogs one over

the bowler's head......Bhatia's mauling brings yadav in his place........he starts with a wide ball......te next

one would have been no different if only Hayden had not cut it to the backward cover for a single.....subhu

then repeats the shot for a boundary.....Subhu gets struck by a Yadav delivery....he is having a torrid IPL

....last match, he had a collision with Dhoni...and in this match he gets struck....I hope he has his

insurance ready......poor fellow...pulls the next ball straight to Amit Mishra.....that brings shoehorned

captain Raina into the crease and Dilshan on the bowling end....Hayden's welcomes Dilhan with three

sixes to complete his half century......(can't blame Dilshan...being a foreign recruit he just wanted to

contribute, if not with the bat, with the ball...its just that every dog has his day and this is Hayden's day

and not Dilshan's day so he ended up conceding 21 runs in his first and perhaps only over)....
Hayden gives respect to Yadav, Raina also keeps mum....prompting, karthik to bring in Bhatia....Hayden

sends him again blazing along the carpet.....and then over the mid-wicket area....Raina develops a sense

of lagging behind...so he launches a Sangwan out of park....but Hayden is not someone, who would allow

someone else to take the edge...what he does...he just plunders one over the cover area and the another

one blazing the greens in the same area.....hopefulless Mishra is asked to stop the Hayden juggernaut....but the bulky opener just heaves him over the midwicket...scared he pushes the ball down the offside......

If Joginder had not bowled that final over in World Cup and if Sreesanth had not caught that cathc....he would nt have been here today....some people are born with lucky stars......

Delhi's wrath forces Chennai to remove Morkel and bring in one-match wonder Joginder Sharma.......but Sehwag sent him for two consecutive fours..... Sehwag pajji on fire........

Warner warning notwithstanding...Delhi dasher Sehwag pajji hits the first four.......
sehwag toying with the ball
two fours already as fielding kept looking the chery go up in the air

Aswin introduced in the next over.... Warner introduces him with a four .....

IPL eye:

Th umpires are on the field. Firt game for David warner...must be thanking his stars that Gambhir has finally made his way to the playing XI clear...never mind the injury....