The Missile Man

My President and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Dr Abdul Kalam turns 75 today. It was a proud moment for all Indians when Dr Kalam was elected as the President of India. Though the President is essentially a figurehead, its a highly visible post and has been much politicised in the past. But the election of essentially a man with an academic and apolitical background was widely supported across all sections of the society.
The reasons why Dr Kalam is revered by all Indians is not hard to fathom. For some he is the secular face of modern India- He is a practicing Muslim but yet reads the Gita and plays the Veena. For millions of young Indians like me he is the face of a vibrant India driven by technology and an example of how far hardwork can get you. He was also one of the men responsible for the Pokhran-II nuclear test that symbolically announced to the world that India has arrived with a bang though we all knew that our nuclear weapons will never be used for offensive purposes.

I wish Kalam a very happy birthday and hope his dream of a developed India by 2020 comes true.

Water

I am talking about Deepa Mehta's latest offering starring John Abraham and Lisa Ray.
It has been nominated by Canada as its official entry to the Oscar's foreign film category. Its surprising since its a Hindi language film and is not considered to be among Canada's native languages. It makes me feel happy since its primarily a Indian film with an indian cast and script. Not only that, it also reflects on Canada's maturity as a multi ethnic society that has allowed it to nominate a Hindi language film.

Three Cheers to Water and Deepa Mehta.

The Indian Soldier

I was watching a BBC news piece about the ceasefire in Lebanon. UN Troops from India were in charge of monitoring the Lebanese side for any transgressions. As i watching the news a ticker at the bottom informed that UN is asking for India to mediate the Darfur crisis in Sudan and also contribute troops. My thoughts then immediately moved back to the Kargil war where men as young as 20 gave up their life for our country while I was enjoying a cushy life in Singapore. Whether it is a natural disaster or a threat to our nation, the nameless, faceless soldier is there without any question.

I Salute The Indian Soldier.

GMAT Preparation

I started preparing for my GMAT a few weeks back hoping to write it around Dec 2006. You realise immediately that it is not going to be a walk in the park. You need to prepare with single minded dedication and purpose. More than the amount of time spent in studying it is how you study that actually seems to set apart those who score above 700. You have to relentlessly track every weakness and focus on them. It doesnt matter how big your armour is, it the number of chinks that the enemy actually seeks to target(in this case the GMAT test).

Thailands fall from grace

Seems like military coups are the order of the day with Thailand being the latest country to have a coup. This seems to be the last straw in a saga of political upheaval and uncertainty that has rocked the country ever since the controversial snap pools held by Thaksin Shinawatra. Its a shame that one man's selfishness and greed has caused collective national grief. Thailand was one of the high performers in the Asean region with robust GDP growth powered by exports and tourism. I sincerely hope that everything returns to normal as it is important for the Asean regional stability and growth.

A Damp Squib

What was turning out to be a great game between Australia and India was spoiled by the rain. It was the kind of rain that kills your hope slowly. A steady drizzle that stopped in the middle only to allow two disastrous overs in which 5 batsmen were back in the pavilion. Then it started off again to kill the contest.

Vintage Wine just gets better

Watching Tendulkar light up the Kinara Oval with a magnificent hundred I couldn't but help compare him to Andre Agassi who just retired. Tendulkar has not played a game for over 6 months and after being subjected to endless criticism, the perseverance shown by him can only be matched by Agassi. Both in their twilight of their careers have been plagued by numerous injuries but their mental strength more than made up for this.

At the beginning of their careers they both were completely different personalities. Andre Agassi was a maverick and a rebel but Tendulkar was mature beyond his years. Andre Agassi never had to bear the expectations of an entire nation when he played. Contrast this with Tendulkar whose every move is watched with bated breath. To Tendulkar's credit he has carried himself admirably in people's eyes.

Though its sad that lately Tendulkar has had to endure endless criticism and taunts on his usefulness to the team. I agree the same quality of perseverance can be viewed differently in a team sport. You have to play to the needs of a team and only as long as you contribute to the team. But then you could say Andre Agassi trying to prolong his stay on the tour has deprived another youngster of a possible Grand Slam place for a few years.

I hope that we can appreciate Tendulkar for what he is and give him a whole hearted farewell when he decides to hang up his boots. He should be made to feel every minute spent in this game was worth it. Lets enjoy whatever shots he makes for it might just be his last.

Three Cheers to Lexy

I attended a concert yesterday held at the newly opened concert hall of Yong Siew Toh Convervatory of Music. I am not a big connoiseur of western classical music but a very special friend was part of this concert. Her diminutive frame does pack in a big punch when playing the piano. I hope she goes on to do great work in the years to come and entrall people with her music. Love you lexy.

DLF Cricket Series

This saturday 16th I will hopefully be off to watch the DLF Cup in Malaysia. I will catch the India vs Australia match. Awaiting Dhoni's sizzler sixes.

Target Half Marathon 23.1 KM

83 Days Left.

03/09/2006 Choa Chu Kang Ave 4 to Jurong East MRT 8.5 KM 1 Hour and 10 Minutes

10/09/2006 Choa Chu Kang Ave 4 to Jurong East MRT 8.5 KM 50 Minutes

Next Target CCK Ave 4 to Clementi MRT

Chemical Locha and Gandhigiri

There are some movies which leave a wide smile on your face even after leaving the theatre. Munnabhai Lage Raho absolutely rocks and every character plays his part beautifully in this 3 hour joyride. A must see for its great take on Gandhian philosophy told in a very light manner.

Another blast.....the same Rhetoric

I love my country and I always have believed in India's journey to greatness. But now my boundless optimism and blind faith has been laced by a slight sliver of doubt. Another series of blasts has occured in Maharashtra shortly after the previous blasts in Mumbai. All our brilliant politicians can say is "Please stay calm, this is the work of antinational forces. ".

Previous governments were softhanded when dealing with issues of national security but this administration has be given the Oscar for being among the most inept. I think its time Manmohan Singh's resigns as Prime Minister and goes back to teaching economics at Oxford. He has carried on long enough on the strength of reputation gained through his economic reforms of 91'. Maybe the Government is afraid of losing investor confidence by doing something drastic, but its better to use the scapel to sever the tumour when its small.

We should realise that its not terrorist entities based in Pakistan alone which are pinching us but we are turning a blind eye to nefarious elements from Bangladesh. These countries should be made to understand even a pin prick on our soil will evoke a strong reaction. We should take a leaf of out of our dear Mr George Bush. He might be under fire for the disastrous war in Iraq but we should not lose sight of the fact that not a single terrorist incident has occured in America after 9/11. Our actions should be swift and decisive. Every Indian life taken has to be accounted for. Nobody should mess with us.

I pray for the victims of blasts and hope no such incidents occur either in India or anywhere else.

Vande Mataram

Here's to fusion of Bhangra and Dapanguthu

My close friends Karthik and Jasmeet recently got engaged after nearly 7 years of courtship(phew...) Three cheers to them and many more coffees at Starbucks .....

A fresh start

I usually start most things in a fit of enthusiasm and energy, only to find myself distracted by other pursuits. Blogging is one such activity. Mostly i find i am too lazy to post anything or find myself doubting my command over the english language....especially when i read stuff written by my more eloquent friends at http://lollysparkyshady.blogspot.com and http://3potties.blogspot.com. But i can assure you that I am not planning to let loose inner feelings or my frustrations with my world in this blog. I just hope to gain confidence in writing in general.

So lets toast to my first post.......cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!