Hope And A Little Sugar

My most recent dekko – The Shawshank Redemption – emphasized the value of man’s most enduring quality till date. I AM talking about hope, that hope which helps Andy Dufresne overcome 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, for a murder he didn’t do.

Andy Dufresne: That’s the beauty of music. They can’t get that from you… Haven’t you ever felt that way about music?
Red: I played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost interest in it though. Didn’t make much sense in here.
Andy Dufresne: Here’s where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don’t forget.
Red: Forget?
Andy Dufresne: Forget that… there are places in this world that aren’t made out of stone. That there’s something inside… that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. That’s yours.
Red: What’re you talking about?
Andy Dufresne: Hope.

Andy Dufresne: [in letter to Red] Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

This is the kind of hope which keeps people alive, whether in calamity or in disaster. Life only dies down in a man when he stops hoping, stops dreaming of the life that was not his to be. This is the kind of hope which keeps a city like Mumbai on its feet, day in and day out. Without hope, the people of Mumbai would have lain down to die a long time ago. Through the 1993 blasts, the train blasts of recent times, communal riots, the monstrous rains of 26/7 and the countless ordeals the common Mumbaikar has been through. Such a man hopes that one day, he will have the life of comfort and that his family might enjoy the fruits of his desire to succeed.

Even Greek Mythology explains the importance of hope. Everybody knows the story of Pandora’s box. It was a box (jar, actually) which contained all the evil of this world. Pandora was a curious woman, and in spite of being warned about opening the jar, she released all evil into this world. But she did manage to close the jar before hope exited. The Greeks considered hope to be a great evil, but they were relieved when Pandora re-opened the jar to let hope out.

Hope and determination go hand in hand. Only an optimistic person will be determined to see his dreams come true. The story about the king who watches the spider in his cave, and inspired by its hope and determination, wins his empire back, is a household by-story for explaining determination.

Hope was most prevalent in two mega-cities of the world, in New York during the Twin Towers collapse and in Mumbai during the recent spate of communalism. Nothing embosses what I want to say in a better manner. People who have lived through it will know. My friend’s father was in one of the trains which contained the bombs, but fortunately escaped with only minor injuries. But life in Mumbai continued as usual. Hope set everything right.

P.S :- Salutations to all those people who have been a victim (directly or indirectly) to all the monstrosities which have plagued Mumbai in the past 2 decades. I wish to God that all these so-called terrorists rot in hell. The sooner, the better.

Footy Favoured Flavour

Aren’t you just waiting for the 16th of August. And no, not because it is just another Olympics day. But because it is a Saturday. Dare to ask me why I’m so happy on a regular run-of-the-mill Saturday? Risk a bloody nose or black eye from football fanatics all the world around. It is when the new season of the English Premier League begins! Oh, syntax error. The Barclays Premier League. Don’t snicker. I know its abbreviated BPL. Very funny. Ha Ha Ha.

As I don’t have anything to do on this Saturday Bloody Saturday, I am going to analyze the most 10 most publicized transfers which have made the err … BPL a much better place to be in. Better did I say? Well, that’s for those stars there to decide and us to watch. Of course, the month isn’t over as yet and there might still be some last-minute fiascos. Just wait and watch.

(Of course, I’m not a professional analyst. Its more of my opinion than an actual breaking-to-pieces-and-observing-thing.)

1. Luka Modric – Dinamo Zagreb to Tottenham Hotspur
2. Jo – CSKA Moscow to Manchester City
3. Samir Nasri – Marseille to Arsenal
4. Deco – Barcelona to Chelsea
5. Valon Behrami – Lazio to West Ham United
6. Robbie Keane – Tottenham Hotspur to Liverpool
7. Giovani Dos Santos – Barcelona to Tottenham Hotspur
8. David Bentley – Blackburn Rovers to Tottenham Hotspur
9. Jonas Gutierrez – Real Mallorca to Newcastle United
10. Jose Bosingwa – Porto to Chelsea

1. Luka Modric – Superb

Let me begin with this man from Croatia. Signed by Spurs befoe Euro 2008, he has proven himself to be an astute choice at the European Championships. The slight man is an excellent passer of the ball, tackles well and generally has been all over the place. His capabilities and enthusiasm cannot be underestimated. All in all, I’d say he is a superb signing, even at the supposed £15 million price.

2. Jo – Don’t really know

When I first about this signing by the blue part of Manchester, I exclaimed at the price spent on this Brazilian. But on later learning more about Jo, I noted that he is a prolific striker, ergo, in Russia. Signed at a supposed price of £19 million, he is one of Man City’s most expensive signings. He might yet paint the Premiership blue.

3. Samir Nasri – Superb

Known as the next “Zidane”, but relatively unknown outside France. I would say he is a really good signing by Arsenal just on the basis of the few videos I saw of him on Youtube. And he is a very young signing, at the age of 20. (What else did you expect of Wenger?) Nasri is supposed to be a very good dribbler and would also fit well into Arsenal’s style of playing. The only problem would be his penchant for the spectacular, where he is more apt to take on defenders that passing the ball.

4. Deco – OK

Deco has been signed at the age of 30 by Chelsea, at a price of £9 million. A bit expensive, I should say, for a player on the wrong side of 30. But there is no doubt that this is one player who can change the face of a game completely by his technical skills and brilliant passing. There is no doubt about the class, only the age.

5. Valon Behrami – Good

Behrami participated in the recent European Championships with the host team, Switzerland. Although the Swiss crashed out early, Behrami has been a breath of fresh air for the team. He was one of the few people in the squad who impressed me. Behrami is a good dribbler and a decent passer. He would fit in well with West Ham. Needless to say, West Ham Could do with a bit of his qualities, if he stays fit, unlike other West Ham crocks.

6. Robbie Keane – Superb

Although I mostly included players coming INTO the Premier League, I made the 1st exception with Robbie Keane. Robbie is a brilliant player, and has played superbly for Spurs. An ex-Inter player, Keane has been looking for European football, and who other than Liverpool can provide it for him? Superb signing by Liverpool, the suckers finally signed their second great striker, after Torres signed last summer.

7. Giovani Dos Santos – Don’t Really Know

A young signing by Spurs. Dos Santos is a Mexican international, and was Carlos Vela was caught saying that he is “too good” for Spurs. Maybe, haven’t really seen him in games for Barca, but I guess he will be good, considering he is from Barca’s Premier Academy.

8. David Bentley – Superb

Has shown himself to be a brilliant player for Blackburn. Nice way to spite his former employers, Arsenal, by joining their loathed rivals, Tottenham. (For the record, Arsenal disgraced Bentley by selling Bentley, saying he wasn’t “good enough”. And that Arsenal fans refer to Spurs as “the scum”)

9. Jonas Gutierrez – Don’t Really Know

A signing from Real Mallorca, he is best known for his goal celebrations, where he takes out a Spiderman mask from his shorts and wearing it, runs to the crowd. But I believe he is a good signing for Newcastle, who have really struggled in previous seasons. Not that I have any sympathy for them, believing that Newcastle fans are the world’s most fickle fans (besides Real Madrid fans, that is).

10. Jose Bosingwa – Bad

Please don’t comment on the “Bad” before you read the whole thing. Not that I believe Bosingwa is a bad player, in fact, he is a pretty good one. But where Chelsea is concerned, there always have to be inflated prices. This deal is no different. £16 million is too great a price for a defender, especially a right back. And I don’t think he is in the class of Dani Alves, who is worth every bit of the £16 million of Bosingwa. Besides, Chelsea already have 2 right backs in Ferreira and Belletti.

Misty Mountain Hop

Admission process notwithstanding, a brilliant summer vacation was in the works for me. So, as a sort of season finale, I will be writing about my experiences during my recent vacation to North India, namely Uttarakhand/Uttaranchal/tiny-bit-of-ex-Uttar Pradesh, whatever takes the fancy of the very highly respected Indian Government.

Some of my observations during the trip:-

• Never pre-book your tours (unless with family). Or be prepared to play cards at a height of 6000 feet above mean sea level.

• When going to North India, be prepared to eat Alu, Potato, Taters, Spud, Alu again, Batata, or whatever you want to call it. And tell me if you don’t get sick of it after coming back.

Us :- What can we get to eat?

Waiter :- Saab, Aloo Paratha, Aloo Baingan, Aloo Jeera, Aloo Mutter, Aloo Thitchwani (A Local Dish), Aloo Tamatar. Oh, we also have plain Aloo if you fancy it.

• You might find yourself dangling off the edge of the road, just when you thought you were going to reach the national highway.

• National highways in Uttaranchal (I prefer the earlier name) are a little more than bullock-cart tracks. An inch or so wider. Ah, the bliss of driving at 20 kmph.

• Supposedly one of the holiest places in India, Rishikesh is little more than a shanty-town, with more crooks than Gods.

• In Uttaranchal, the retail price of manufactured goods varies directly with altitude above sea level, or inversely with temperature, or better still, inversely with waistlines.

• The flies and bees in the Valley Of Flowers are so incredibly dumb that I stamped on a fly and killed it. And I flicked another one off a rock into the nearby river with my shoe. 😛

• The “pure” water in the water-falls of the state has its source immersed in a deluge of plastic bags filled with stuff which would make you throw up.

• Do not scream, speak, jump around, talk, whisper, change your underwear or have a bath anywhere near the road. Or be prepared to have a landslide and be stranded there for the next few hours.

• Oh, and be prepared to wear the same set of underclothes for days on end.

• Maharashtrians and my family (from Mumbai) are the only people in God-forsaken, but “very holy” places of this area.

• All the “sacred” cows in Uttaranchal are lethargic to the point of being frustrating. Lazing around in the centre of the road. Can we make these cows martyrs by pushing them off the cliffs?

• All roads lead to heaven here. Just drive off the edge of the road.

• The District Headquarters of each district in Uttaranchal has a general store, a clothes store, and a Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam hotel.

For now, that’s all folks!

Nevertheless, I had a brilliant holiday. Trekked 68 kms on foot. A commendable achievement. Very antithetical, aren’t I?

November(?) Rain

Okay, I didn’t know people missed my discourses so much. So with a view to alleviating their pain *ahem*, I am writing this interim post. I had been on a hiatus, fortunately or otherwise. Will try to continue my prolific *again, ahem* writing in some time. As soon as possible. Gentleman’s promise. Deja vu, Chinmay?