A Reality Check: Raina's 87

Okay, first off, unlike my other posts, this one isn't a result of endless joblessness. No room for that once you step out of the bubble of college life. This isn't also because I've been out of touch of my creative side (Well if I don't laud myself, who will?). No, this is after a heartbreaking season of IPL, atleast for CSK. I know, I am another CSK fan, throw your stones, rotten tomatoes and age old biriyanis. But when you witness such a blinding innings and lose it all, its heart-wrenching, and you just cant check your emotions. As someone I vageuly remember saying "Dude, shagging isnt the greatest pain reliever. Write, and let your hormones do the work". So here I am.

It has been just another season for namma Chennai. By that I mean reaching the playoffs (yawn). But the means were unlike yester seasons'. Gone were the days of slow start, build up in the mid, and go kamikaze at the end. This year, CSK have been more dynamic. Explosive starts thanks to Smith thala and McCullum thala, decent middle overs and chak de patte in the end by Dhoni. But irresepctive of ways and means, one person who has never changed his batting order nor his cheeky yet determined attitude is Suresh Raina. He is someone who comes in quietly, gets quick fifties and by the end of the playoffs he is in the top 5 run getters! Over 400 runs in every season of the IPL so far, that is 7 times on the trot. Need I say more?

But today was different. After getting a lucky day off at work to watch the most consequential of playoffs and then being witness to multiple homicide by Sehwag, the feeling of bliss and joy watching Raina play like he did, and the faces of Punjab during the onslaught, brought tears to my eyes. Never have I seen such a belligerent yet composed innings. People thought he was smashed with heroin, meth, whatnot. Because those are the bizarre theories that come to mind when you witness the purity and class with which he played.

The goosebumps it gave me when I watched the ease with each he clobbered the target. In a blink of an eye, there he is, 87 off 25 deliveries! You read that right. You get that sense of pride when he carts everyone, whether it was Sandeep, Awana yevana, and even Mitch Johnson, the guy who put fear of god into England's test squad (Not that they needed one). And that taste of sweet revenge when the scorecard read 100 in 6 overs with Sehwag in the foreground, Oh! so Sweet! With only 126 more from the next 14 overs with Raina batting like Neo in Matrix, you would have thought of an embarrassing send off for Punjab. Right? Right? Join the club.

If ever, there was a turning point so monumental in a match, it was this. McCullum, with the faintest of brain-freeze, calls in and down charges Raina, putting all that fitness into work. The shock that followed wasn't as big as the Red Wedding. But it was right up there. The spell was broken. Raina dived and stayed down a moment, trying to digest the disappointment. McCullum must have hated himself as he was wildly brandishing his club trying to vent out. The stadium knew he was gone. Raina began the long walk, no emotions, no raise of the bat, no acknowledgment from the crowd. The camera followed him all the way to the dressing room. It would seem everyone was trying to reel back from the dream that Raina was batting in. And then the rest came and went with no dent on the target. The big names. Jadeja, McCullum, Hussey, etc. And then came Dhoni, the mighty ice cool finisher that you might imagine someone to be a Greek God holding a war hammer, but not tonight. Tonight, he was human.

The game was lost, ironically with the traditional last ball boundary off Dhoni's willow. But the 25 deliveries of sheer ecstasy, the joy watching Raina decimate the opposition so nonchalantly, reading posts claiming they just witnessed the innings of IPL and beyond, and then the helpless expression after the game, it's going to take a long time to write that off. Just like Virat's innings a couple of months ago, when the whole nation mourned.

And just like Virat's dominance in the ODIs. We have Raina, the face of IPL.

When Chennai met Delhi

Summer of 2011, the last of the vacations in an otherwise routine eat-bunk-sleep-LAN insti life. But unlike its predecessors, this had less of fun tagged to it. Reasons ranging from Internship woes to career decisions. A vetti month of May didnt help the situation. Parental advices centered only around a few words like future, jobless, buffalos etc. You get the point.

So after a rather dramatic end to the intern selections, I landed in Delhi on May 28th. After an effortless travel from the flight to the airport gate to the metro to IIT Delhi, I doubted if I landed in the right city. Turns out I was delusional. My earlier nuances about Delhi were getting shattered. So here I was. The capital. The richest city in the country. And what did a month's stay conclude? What made it different from my home city. Its for everyone to see.

The city
Delhi is a huge city with wide roads and well connected and rapid metro system. After effect of the billions spent in the CWG games. A busy Delhi road is a showcase of only cars. Not even bikes, cycles or pedestrians. Probably the summer or an endless amount of money that needs spending. Buses are modern and not crowded. However big, the city is stil congested begging for space. No wonder extensions arise every year, just to give a reason to beg for more spaces. Now from where I come from, the 2 wheelers set the rules. No matter how small the road is. Its definetely wide enough for them, especially when you include the pavement and the dividers. A glance at a chennai road is enough envy for a swarm of bees. Neither the buses nor roads have space in them to move around. Talk about a tight squeeze. Residential areas are similar in respect, with Hauz Khas and Anna Nagar competing on equal terms.

30 Days of Summer
Landlocked and probably airlocked too, this city is an oven without a door. An hour outside in the sun, and you are fried. Burns, allergies, strokes you name it. Even the air forgets it can be cool. Sun screens are indispensible. But occasional showers can give you a glimpse of the winters. Not surprisingly, Chennai isnt a paradise either. Here you wished you were naked. The humid stickiness evident. But Atleast saves you from the burns, A relatively healthy sun. But not enough water and you dehydrate.
Verdict? Worst places for summer.

The Living
Delhi is shit expensive. The living standard a little high with all the rich people here. Of course its a land invaded by the Punjabis. People with wands who weave money from thin air (no offense meant). But no mercy for people who visit. Cinemas cost a fortune. An escape level screen will rob you of atleast 300 against the 120 in Chennai. BMWs, Audis, Jaguars, even Bentleys are a common sight. High end cars like Lambos, Audi R8, BMW M3, Merc SL3 only speak to support. Chennai is more reliant on 2 wheelers but you do see an occasional BMW or Audi.

Food Fight!
Its an understatement that the entire north survives on Dal. The mess in IITD isnt an exception. Leaving out Breakfast, Its chapathi and Dal all the way. In a month, I had enough of them to race past my coll stint on the same regard. A South Indian would find it hard to adjust to this diet, and should be ready to spend bucks to retain the Southern taste. A single idli and vada is priced at 50. Back home we would call that as "Vada Poche!"

Mall-mania
One thing that Delhi isn't short of is the Malls. Whether its the huge circus at the Connaught Place or the triology at Saket, You'll never be short of a place to hangout. Keep driving around the main roads for a while, and your certain to hit atleast a dozen of em along the way. Contrary to that, Chennai's hangout woes never end. A mere 4 malls with limited shopping spots isnt a very prospecting thought. A year in chennai and you would have covered these 4 atleast so many times that you dont need an excuse to refrain from them.

The female quotient
I think its only fair that I do this topic more justice. Ironically, I dont know where to start! Well everyones aware of the reputation of the North and its culture and Its certainly evident. Fashion is a high - a tiny skirt, a low neck, a translucent T an and anything creative for an imaginative mind. Wherever you travel, a lonely city bus or a crowded metro, a deserted street or a market, There are hot girls everywhere. Its like the city's assets are being injected wherever you walk. Hard to imagine but even IITD had its share of the glamour. Malls are much more fun this way. You have a hard time keeping up with your tabs, and marking schemes no longer matter as there's hardly any loose ends (figuratively of course). For someone like me, who had to endure a drought in the city's driest colleges, the entire stay right from landing in Delhi to leaving by train via weekend trips to hill stations, parks, malls was a banquet of endless desserts. A week in the city with back to back visits to Express avenue, IITM coudnt match upto an hour on a Delhi street, The latter being the culprit for obvious reasons. Defintely the one thing i'll ever miss about Delhi.

Its Delhi in a Chennai point of view. A day or two can test your patience. The dry sun takes a toll. In a week, you'll beg for sambhar and idlis. Trust me any idli will do. But after you get the taste of the social life, you tend to change your opinions. A month and with enough familiarity of the city, you would think again of leaving the place, especially when you are leavin to a city like chennai where its only grayscale!

But whatever the faults and merits, Chennai is a place some people like to call home. A place where we grew up stitching up memories and friends and ex's. A place where you can talk your way through anything. A place where you can hog your mom's appetising food till you cry complaining about breathing problems. A place where the ringing of the local swears and curses lits up a smile. The city isn't a paradise, its not a quiet one, but its stil home. Its like they say in tamil " Chennai mathiri Varuma? "

CSK - The right side of IPL

Its been 4 years since the introduction of one of the biggest commercial tournaments - The Indian Premiere League (IPL). And everyone exactly know how well it has influenced BCCI commercially and helped in uncovering the dormant cricket in the country .

Over the years, the so-called "Talent meets Opportunity" themed venture turned into a circus where the audiences were witnesses to some of the most strangest (even funny) incidents. Not to mention in the stadiums where celebrities are paid to promote their teams and sometimes celebrities try to get promoted through their teams!. Cheerleaders who end up entertaining players and get sent off home for expressing their emotions. Team owners and chairmen who prove to be too human not to be tempted into money and inevitably, controversies. Got to say. IPL definitely spices up more entertainment than it promises.

Amidst all the ball-sucking, finger-pointing and attention seeking, a Team quietly denied all its worldly possessions and climbed on to the centre-stage of the circus. But unlike the Lions which are leashed and tamed to do a bidding, they were independent, ferocious, hungry to perform and win, and had their own unique style of expressing themselves and entertaining the crowd.

After the one-sided IPL 4 finals against the Beer boys, The Chennai Super Kings but extended their quiet consistency to a new cocky high, tightening the grasp around the title Cup, breaking a 1001 records on the way and spewing envy. But all this with the minimum dosage of fuzz. No unnecessary publicity stunts nor the vulturing media attention. CSK had its method of publicity but again in its unique way. Let me break it down.

Cheerleaders : Far from what they were contracted to do. I dont see the point in importing girls across countires. Of course some are hot. But all they managed to do was increase audience concentration around the cheering bench and inviting allegations ranging from player distractions to radical mood swings. Honestly, Then why bother flying them here. Chennai were on the right track here in not wasting their investments on foreign goods but at the same time, opening opportunities for upcoming indian cheerleaders.

Celebrities : Someone got it so wrong that the inflow of a stadium would increase if you appoint an actress as the team's ambassador. But come on, People arent gonna buy that. They would rather see a Sheila-ki-jawani on TV than getting a long shot glimpse of her Ray-ban-ridden face. Next day the media is more focussed on reporting on the cat fights that ensued, which occupy even more column space than the match coverage. Chennai in their first year, bought the bait and made their first and worst mistake. Appointing Vijay sent the Chennai team into a downward spiral towards oblivion. It certainly improved the cellphone business as msgs started to circulate connecting Vijay's films and its effects on chennai's perfomance. The owners then realised at the right time that our people are devoted to the team and that they dont need a Vijay or a Shakila to bribe them into the arena. The attraction for the people in Chepauk are the players thamselves and they will support them all the way. No matter how many defeats arise, they would still applaud the team off the pitch, because they know, they believe that they will bounce back. Such is the loyalty. And were rightly rewarded.

Advertisements : Its True that sponsors have the right to publicize through the players. But please, opening a contest inviting people for ideas on improving the team? Massages and poking bubble sheets? Probably they were unhappy with the coach and. Clearly it sends out the wrong view of the team. Chennai's official song became the anthem across the state. Millions of fan videos arise each year. Every kid in the city wants to have with him a yellow jersey. "Whistle Podu" is now the slogan of the franchise. Dhoni now has more fans than Vijay or Ajith. Never has a match in chepauk been without full house. What better publicity does a franchise need.

No IPL has ever been completely smooth. Thorns always arise. Controversies, scandal, rift have become integral ingredients.
Perhaps Chennai is one of the few teams that never landed into any controversy. May be its because of the Team's calm with MSD at its helm and the fans support.
Of course I'm a Chennai fan and hence all the above are in reference with it. But you definitely need an inspiration to appreciate your team and feel proud for.

Nuclear Saturday v1.1

People may be tempted into asking why start a blog now. When stuck in Goa for a month for my so called "Industrial training". We weren’t learning anything. We didn’t come all the way to Goa to watch the FIFA world cup or watch movies.

Moving on, we do something for 2 reasons. One, to beat the boredom that we are happy to do almost anything and two, we really want something out of it. Well my reasons fall into the latter category, something that happened to me, to us here in Goa, so extraordinary that I've never wanted to share or talk about so much.

So here we go

19th June 2010, a Saturday, more importantly a weekend. A time when people cool off their frustrations of the week. A time in Goa where tourists head off to another beach or a club. We wanted nothing less. The only prospecting thought during every day of the week was of the following weekend.

So here were we at noon in our hotel after another uneventful half-day at Goa shipyard limited. This time, everyone wanted to feel the picturesque roads of the state. The plan was simple - rent bikes enough for everyone, drive around and visit the historic churches, basilicas and other aliases to the same kind of places in Old Goa. Practically, it wasn’t so simple. We were 13 in all. A pretty scary number in itself, with 3 official driving licenses. You do the math. Deception was on.

And so we drifted out. Having no idea what the day had. With the 3 licenses, we took 3 bikes at one shop (an Activa, a splendor, a passion) and 3 at another. But we needed a 7th. So we casually went for the one that they would be happy to give out without a license. But they weren't stupid. Probably dumbasses like us already tried. Gph, ravikanth and shy why volunteered to be the risky non-licensed drivers. Meanwhile the legal three - me, TC, and DC helped ourselves into 2 FZs and a pulsar 150.

All set. We were filing out. It was then that our date with destiny began.

Incident 1 :

Shy why who was reversing the splendor, was so anxious that he forgot to look behind. But as slow as he went, the rear metal bars hit something solid. My lips opened a fraction before the impact. But - click. It dented the doors of a brand new Indigo Manza I thought shy and me where the only ones to see it. But a date never goes as planned, and soon the place became every pedestrian's ticket from their moronic Saturday life. Apparently, the car belonged to a pseud guy. And when he came, he looked as if he'd been called in halfway of something really personal, attracting everyone in the street to the commotion. He devised us as intentional brats and threatened to call up the police. Shy and others were justifying their case about the sudden appearance of the car. But this guy wanted popularity. Involving Police would a great place to start his ascension in society. Either way, once the police arrive, they will directly go for the license! And since he never had one on him, I thought it was going to be a long day. After some icing and cajoling, the pseud guy calmed down a notch and demanded we pay for the damage and so called up the dealer. Once here, he inspected the damage as if it was a rape, took his time, and finally blurted out 3000. We then paid off the debt, and calmed ourselves down. The plan was still on, with a difference of an hour and a 3k.

The Crew:

FZ 1, DC with Bouncy

FZ 2, TC with Doppi

Splendour, Shy y with Tharun

Activa, Ravikanth with lusty

Pulsar, me with Sappola (concluded finally after a hesitant Tharun gave up)

Passion, (GPH) with Bharan and Naveen.. yeah 3 on that.

Incident 2:

Old Goa was an odd 30 kms away from our city Vasco. We took the National Highway against the usual coastal route. A bad move, given patrol cars often show up. Nevertheless, we were going on smoothly, one behind another when we hit a warning of a patrol car not far ahead. Immediately, Bharan who was sitting in the back jumped off and started walking. Gph and I went on. True enough, the patrol car was parked ahead. Randomly the cop waved down Gph. Wonder its why always the non-licensed people who get caught. Anyway I went ahead and waited with TC who was waiting for everyone to catch up. He tried to call Gph, but unsuccessful. So we waited. Finally, after what seemed like a half hour, he came through. I realized he was driving a little too unconvincing. May be that gave him away. Meanwhile, the police had hit a jackpot, and robbed him off 400 bucks right there, but sighed a relief as they didn’t seize the bike like every good cop, if there ever was one.

A couple of more minutes on the Highway and we cut in the single lane road to old Goa. By then it was pleasantly dark for a 5 pm. With the monsoon on, there wasn’t a day when it hadn’t rained. But that day, it was scorching in the morning, only to lose color now. It began drizzling after a while. It was an exhilarating experience driving in the rain. But as small as the drizzle was, they felt like hailstones in that speed.

The place was a Portuguese invasion, adorned with huge churches, buildings and hot girls too. It was still drizzling and getting ever darker. After some roaming, camera clicking and shopping, the rain grew harder. Thanks to that and the delayed start it was 6:30 already and we had hardly done anything, except of course running into trouble on occasions.

Incident 3:

With the night creeping in, we concluded we would get some dinner done, hit a night show and get back. But as we were leaving, the splendor that was burdened with 3 was parked awkwardly, only to realize that the rear tire was deflated. Nice. This was really turning out to be our day. Then we checked the bike into the nearest air shop. Fortunately, but only this time, 2 minutes after pumping in air, it didn’t budge. At least we didn’t have to fix it, yet.

En route to Panaji, the rain took a turn for the worse and we had to take cover. TC, DC, Bouncy, Doppi went on bracing the rain to the theatre, while we had dinner at a cottage. Later we met up at Inox drenched and shivering, bought the tickets and waited for our shows. Show was supposed to start at 11 but some splendid housekeeping delayed our show by 20 minutes. So karate kid actually started at 11.20. Meanwhile people eager for Raavan were already in. After a couple of hours, we met up at the parking lot at 1.30 a.m.

It was still raining. We realized all too well how late it was. Still I thought we had gone through enough and I really wanted to get smashed into the bed. Incidentally, Sappola stated that he would be happy to get back to the hotel without any more trouble. Even as he said it, we all contemplated on it. A counter argument was hanging in the air, but nobody seemed to want to pursue it. Tired and defeated that we were. With this in mind, we left the place and were treading slowly. We didn’t bother about the triple ride as cops never showed after 8 pm or so we thought. So we were just enjoying the rain and the river that glistened along the road.

Incident 4:

We just crossed a bridge in the outskirts when it happened. A line of cars and bikes were standing, their tail lights shimmering in the rain. A closer look sent a chill down my spine. Cops! At least a dozen of them. Checking every vehicle. The pulsar and FZs went ahead. Tharun who was with me now, immediately called up shy and informed. Instantly he and Gph turned around and went back to the theatre. But Lusty with ravi in the activa was too close and hence had no choice but to deal with it. I think it was our yellow rent plate that convinced them of something here. So he waved all of us down and began examining our licenses and papers. Its really frustrating for a cop to learn that every document is perfect and that his guess didn’t yield him any greens. Well this man didn’t give up. He thought our licenses were fake and started demanding for our original. We looked back at him askance. This is never the case. He knew too well he couldn’t pin us down with that retarded idea. Meanwhile, Lusty stealthily walked his activa past a narrow opening in the barricade on the side and waited there for the right moment. On came the blaring horns of a couple of cars waiting impatiently. Just what we needed, the engine roared for one scary moment and it was gone. Lusty had zoomed past without anyone's notice. Well done. The disappointed cop finally let us through and the rest of us joined him. After rescuing the theatre gang through another route, we re-fuelled and left again.

Incident 5:

This time Ravi was with Naveen, sappola and another triplet of bharan, TC and lusty as shy came alone in the splendor as it was almost flat. I was a short distance ahead of bharan and co. We were in a slightly narrow section of the road when there came a blaring horn of a fast Omni, I immediately strafed left and allowed them through. But that wasn’t fast enough for them. He abused me and kept glaring as he sped off. Well you can only be patient so long. Off came the middle finger. The first time when I actually meant it after countless instances of casual gestures. But a fraction too late as he just ducked inside. But never knew that had been fortunate. A second later, bharan, went past me and paid him the same respect. Apparently he was pissed too. But this time the guy dint miss the gesture, he started slowing down. With that, bharan now sped past them and was doing a 90. Worried, I accelerated to keep up with them. It was a wild chase with the omni chasing the triplet in FZ, and I following them. It went on for another 5 kms or so. Finally, bharan slowed down allowing them to pass but they really weren’t in the mood to let go. Both of them stopped. Bharan went up to the driver and started talking. I passed them and it seemed to be in control. But I got off and went to check out anyway. Others passed us and stopped, wondering what happened. It wasn’t hard to guess that they were really drunk. And you know how hard it can be to convince an influenced man he isn’t wearing any pants. Best way around it is to proclaim you don’t have one either. This guy wasn’t different. He clearly wasn’t satisfied with the sorry and first-last-mistake excuse. He clearly wanted a fight. He looked like he just came from one. The driver reached his phone to call the cops. Ok, dealing a stoned gang is one, dealing cops with illegal bikes and triples is an entirely different game. It became clear that the driver was less drunk and so was a glimmer of chance out of this mess. But the other guy kept distracting him. If he could just shut up! Somehow we managed to reason with him and helped the non-pants-idealist guy back into the van. Add one more to the chain. !

No the night is just young and it aint over till it’s over.

Incident 6:

At one intersection, I stopped to direct the rest of the crew into the bypass and then I resumed. I was just pulling out when a Qualis squealed behind me! I turned for the source but I couldn’t see why. The Qualis passed by. Behind came an Alto with a family. As it came level with me, the driver started cursing at me. I couldn’t hear him. Well at least they should lower the windows first. I gestured the same. Seems it was my sudden start that had caused the entire incident. I wouldn’t have known. You aren’t supposed to be that fast at a 3 way intersection. Then he did something that blanked out my mind. Between all the cursing and the gesturing, he violently swerved towards me. Involuntarily, my hands got the bike off the road very close to the edge beyond which was a gorge deep enough to knock me out. But I noticed at the right moment that I was too close and violently went for the brake, Close that one. So far the scariest moment of the day. I took some time to pull myself together and steered ahead, hoping that was the finale for the day.

Incident 7:

Just before taking a right off the highway, we crossed another police barricade. Of course we weren’t spared this time either. Apparently, Ravi had dropped Naveen off before the barricade and let him walk past. But obviously no one in their right minds would be walking in a highway at 2 a.m. alone. And naturally he was nabbed by the cop. I was on the rescue mission, so I waited a while so I can pretend I came back for him after dropping others because we hit a flat tire. But this pile was smarter, all FBI sort of investigation. Got his story first and was now eager on mine. It was against all odds that I could nail the right story. The hell with it, let’s give it a shot. Luckily, the flat tire was common. Meanwhile, his associate had gone out to check the rest off us who were waiting. Back here, the nagging was getting intense and then I was left with no choice but to tell the truth. The cop was delighted at his own analytical skills. It’s always the fine in the end, doesn’t matter if you are guilty or not. But till then, they want to have some fun, sharpen their senses, and take a little time off. He demanded 2000 bucks. The good thing with cops is that you can always negotiate, or should I say bargain. But he wouldn’t agree anything below a 100. We joined the others. By then DC had reached hotel and informed us that there were no more cops along the way.

We managed to journey the final 10 kms without any incident. It was a very quiet ride. All of a sudden the hotel felt like paradise. Even with the tiredness numbing us down, we climbed the long stairs and threw ourselves on the bed. It was something close to how Harold and Kumar would have felt when they finally dove into those burgers in White Castle. And this time, beyond any measure of doubt, the day had indeed come to an end. It was 3.30 am. It seemed an eternity when we last left the place. How much had happened in the last 14 hours. I couldn’t help but smile at the way things turned out.

an arbit intro

okay then
now venturing past the social networking sites .... this is my first blog post... a rather jus a courtied one ...... and since im new here.... u may pls xcuse of me of the errors i might commit..... and yeah finally thanks for reading all this bulshit :P....