Incredible India- Credible?

When the whole world is focussing on their technology to tackle the power crisis and improve the standards of living, India is having a hard time dealing with the numerous Rape cases that are popping up recently, flooding the entire print and visual media.

Meanwhile, Delhi Rape case: Sonia breaks Silence, Offers prayer.

What use are prayers when you cannot assure the victim that her friend or her sister or any other girl  won't undergo the same situation as the victim?

When the entire country is in a mental trauma over what happened in Delhi, here are our politicians trying to politicise the incident in their favour. They are simply playing mind games with the citizens. Sexist and chauvinistic comments are being passed by the politicians that not only hurts the sentiments of the people but also ruins the image of the country. They are trying to shelter themselves behind the comments they pass so that a self-assurance can be made that nothing big happened.

This dented and painted poignant article is just to express my acrimony against the shame that is piling up on the country and  tearing it apart.

Why do these rape cases keep occurring?

It doesn't take a Sherlock to figure this out. The answer is simple and it is right in front of us. Rapes were so common back in the 20th century when the industrial capitalists were busy waging  wars to establish superiority. Women were captured and raped brutally. People craved for food and sex.

In India, lack of punishment is the reason. The punishment should be such that the one that assaults should face pain twice the amount faced by the victim.

What does it take for a man in poverty to feed himself in India?

It's easy. Rape a girl, get arrested, enjoy your meal at the jail, come out in a year or two and repeat the same thing again.

We are suiting ourselves to the western style in terms of clothing, food, lifestyle but when it comes to the punishment for the offenders, we go easy. We have got our own system that actually ensures that people commit crime, a system that is corrupt and tarnished.

Meanwhile, Abhijit Mukherjee: I withdraw my comments. I appalasize(apologise).

So much from the President's son.

Benefits from all these?

First of the beneficiary is the psychopath who actually commits the crime in the long run.

The next on the list is the opposition party.  This is how the politics behind a crime starts. The opposition party prepares a detailed statistics of the crime rate and the success rate of the police in catching the offenders, they use this to edge the ruling party accusing them of erratic ruling.

The last on the list of the beneficiaries is the media. Enough said.

In a country where even the deodorant advertisements are made vulgar, where ministers watch porn in the Assembly, Rape just becomes an another incident which has the spotlight for a month or two after which there are more important issues to be focussed upon like Sachin retiring from the One Day Internationals etc.

Sitting in the living room and writing all this would seem easy than doing something about it. But what can I do for I am just the common man, when the one with the power is unable to talk even three sentences?

Nothing but humiliation taunts me, scares me and is eating me out alive. 

Daunting Diversity

India is one of the largest democracy in the world. Diversity and Fraternity are a part of our constitution. In today's world almost all the nations are diverse. One can't complain cause diversity is something that cannot be eradicated. Although in other countries people are able to sustain midst the diversity in culture, In India it is quite a difficult task for the country is torn to pieces day by day.

India with its potential resources could possibly be one of the leading countries with its net growth in the field of economy surpassing that of the United Kingdom or Germany. But what is it that is preventing us from doing so?

Diversity.

A lot of weight is given to a person's origin than his skills/ideas. This is a parasite that is drawing us back, eating our chances of becoming a better prospect. Diversity exists everywhere. With the current scenario, people are migrating to different countries in hope for a bright future. So many Indians shift to the United States of America looking for jobs.

A lot of stress in diversity has pulled us back for quite a long time. When the British occupied India, we struggled to secure independence. This wouldn't have been the case if diversity was not given importance. The Hindu-Muslim controversies are an age old tale. This was the main reason why our independence was delayed. We were fighting amongst ourselves when we should have fought the Britishers.

The tensions continued even after the independence. This ultimately became a big barrier that sat heavily on progress. We are deeply caught in the web of problems and recovery is plausible but a long process.

Diversity has slowed our advancement for we Indians are busy with the caste system and untouchability. We are not able to join hands against the evil forces that prevails in our country. Diversity by itself is proving to be one. Diversity has resulted in schism and this proving to damage the integrity of the nation. As an acrimonious citizen, I detest the way the nation is heading.

Unless issues like this is not given a thought and tackled soon enough, it is going to pose as a problem in the long run for the higher caste people are going to become rich with resources, while the lower caste will be at your doorstep craving for food and money.

Diversity should prevail in the ideas and thoughts and not in culture and race.

With this in mind, one can certainly look further to see a gleam of light that could well be the path for development.

Diversity is an integral part of India, but why give it much of importance when our unity is undermined and our progress hindered? 

Far-fetched, Are We?

The sky was placid, the sea was calm, silence was setting in until the Mayans predicted the doomsday, which they have been doing for quite a long time. Not only them but also the "learned" ones who brand themselves as scientists  have been conducting various experiments in order to predict when the world is going to end.

There are movies released on this too. The entire world is waiting eagerly for the doomsday, 21-12-2012, just to sneer at the people who made this prediction. The numbers sure do look fancy. People are reacting to this in various ways. The god-fearing have turned their backs to the reality and are now too deep in their faith, oblivious to the surroundings. The impious just want to watch the world burn, god's own action, something that would make them believe some elemental force indeed does exist. Some are totally not bothered about anything.

Year 2012 seemed to be the one for so many reasons. The year was cursed the minute it was predicted that it was going to host way to the doomsday. Also there were many disasters culminating throughout the year. Though these disasters were not new or exceptional, they still convinced the feeble that the year was jinxed.

The scientists predicted the end to be by natural disasters like cyclone, earthquake, tsunami etc. What they have failed to understand is that right from the scratch it's the humans who are to be blamed for all the global warming, adverse climatic conditions and drought affecting millions throughout.

We've just been waiting for a co-relation. The movie has shown us a possible turn up of the events that may prelude the ultimate end. Any incident that occurs, we are trying to relate it to the movie like trying to fit a random piece in the puzzle just because the corners match.

With only a month and a half more, there is a chill running down the spine. Though nothing spectacular has happened so far to actually believe the end is nearing, but one may never know. A single domino strike is enough for a contraption in a infinite loop. The dominoes will keep falling creating a addled atmosphere with chaos. The gregarious will soon turn misanthropes.

The whole of human integrity will soon be put to question. The entire human race will be scrutinized  There is a minimal chance that the world will end on or before 21-12-2012, but with the current way of things, the world is sure to end in the near future. Only but this time, our hands won't point towards the natural calamities but towards each other. Our ignorance and atrocities will soon bite us back very hard. 

I Just Want To Go To School

These are dangerous times. The world is full of putridity. Escaping this to live a peaceful life is not in the books and practically not possible too. You have only two options, see through it till the end or kill yourself. Not all men are alike, a woman, entirely different altogether.  A teenager, Malala Yousafzai, from the disturbed district of Pakistan, rallied against the oppressive Taliban group.

By rally, she never sought to warfare. She didn't want physical violence. She believed few letters strung together could be more lengthier and mightier than a sword or a gun. Being a poetess by passion, she started her rebellion by writing blogs. This happened when her father was asked by a BBC reporter if anyone girl could write about life under the Taliban regime.

The Taliban under Maulana Fazulallah were banning women from shopping, their right to education, etc. Women were confined to their homes having lost their freedom to express. Amidst all this, Malala was bold to have started writing for BBC. Once her articles made it to the dailies, she rose to fame. She was criticised a lot. She was hunted by the Taliban too.

Through her diaries to the BBC, she was being an education activist. She was fighting for her rights back. She un-hid  the hidden. She is believed to have risen to fame through her aggressive ways of fighting back for the right to education and peace at the Swat district, Pakistan. Her approach to oppression was done in a methodical way such that everyone could relate to it and sympathize.

At an age where she should be playing with the kids of her age, she resort to peace and politics with late Benazir Butto being her inspiration. Her ambition was to become a politician and she worked towards it by convening various gatherings among children of her age. She was active on facebook too. But due to constant threats and fake profiles in her name, she had to delete her personal account. Amidst all these threats, she continued to built upon the momentum to throw the Taliban from Pakistan.

Owing to her activities, the Taliban decided death was the ultimate decision and they issued a shoot at sight order. One fine day, She was shot in the neck and head while returning from school. As of now she has been sent to the United Kingdom for special treatment.

Human atrocities have no bounds. A determined child who had the sense to fight for her rights was forcefully shutdown. Incidents like these prove that recovery from human misery is just a dream dreamt by only a few and it shall always stay that way. 

Her Wilting Regrets

Clear skies, warm sunshine,

Up before to welcome the shrine,

Worn out her face,

Hiding past her palpable grace.

A Mechanical life,

She someone’s wife,

Life held with a knife,

At her neck,

Not once she complains grief.

Doing her daily chores,

Dominated by the social mores,

Shut down by all doors,

Her hand full of pores.

Yet doesn’t complain,

For her fate is a strain,

Yet from work she no refrain,

For her life she inane.

Hiding behind her eyes a tear,

For she could exhibit quite a flair,

All that glimmers her hair,

Exhibiting full care.

Chained is her soul,

Having forgotten her goal,

Shines the moon,

As she goes,

Her face like that of coal.

Making a move,

As though nothing to prove,

Reasonable are her claims,

Kaput she end her life.

Rapacious world

“Be happy with what you have.”

This has never been the case in this era. Everyone wants more these days and it’s increasingly difficult to quench a man’s thirst with the limited available resources. Owing to this, man has started to exploit anything and everything he could come across just to earn an extra penny. Yet it’s still impossible to satisfy his ever-growing selfishness and arrogance; those nothing but idiosyncratic to man.  The world is just atrophying at the hands of the filth with no “quality” life left.

Amidst all this there are some incidents worth mentioning. To begin with,

“Finders keepers.”

It’s sad that people don’t really know, to be precise understand, the meaning of this phrase. The phrase originally coined as a rhyme for children has a different meaning for men altogether. In this present era this phrase is understood differently by different people. The following is a real life incident,

“I was walking from the Express Avenue mall in Chennai to a bus stand deep in thoughts, nothing out-of the-ordinary, just the post movie trauma. When I was nearing the bus stand, I saw a man roughly 45 to 50 years of age bend down and pick a wallet. Suddenly I heard a voice from behind asking the man if that wallet belonged to him. He casually replied, “No! Naa kandupudichan, so naan dhan vechipan.” “

What he meant was since he found it, it ultimately belonged to him. He even argued that he was going to keep it. I was utterly shocked to see such happenings that too right in front of the public. What I could get from this was, Men these days are so desperate that they are willing to stoop down to any level to get what they want.

Stealing has been a prominent issue right from time immemorial. There are a lot of reasons given for the cause, the most acceptable one being hunger and poverty. The general scenario is it’s usually the hunger stricken who steal for they have a purpose. This anyway doesn’t justify their act. But, still partially it’s not their mistake that they are poverty stricken. The society and the modern era need to take half the blame, for we are not living the scenes of Mahabaratha or Ramayana. People around us are so money-minded and corrupt.

When this is the scenario around us, I feel an incident is worth mentioning.

I once went to this place called Barbecue Nation for dinner. The waiter was friendly and helpful. He did his job perfectly. At the end of the meal, when he was offered a tip, he politely refused to take it for it was against the hotel rules. Everyone these days would want to have some extra cash, but here I found a man who was devoted and professional.

The world is full of garbage. The filth outweighs its opposite. But there are people out there who still believe it’s possible to recycle the garbage and put to good use rather than leaving it as filth itself. And it’s that hope that people need that ensures them a content life.

“The night is darkest just before dawn.”

But that doesn’t mean the dawn ain’t coming!  

The Euro that it was

Poland and Ukraine were ready to host the fourteenth edition of the Union of European Football Association, commonly known as UEFA, Euro 2012. The stage was set and the competition started on the eighth of June with the co-hosts starting off things against Greece. The match was not as exciting as it seemed to be, but the host fans were on the edge of their seats, as they were praying for a win against the 2004 champions, but all they got was a draw and they couldn’t be happier with the result after seeing their nation play. The blues keeper, Petr Cech had a bad start in the tournament against the Russians letting the ball past him not once or twice but four times. The qualifying teams were decided on the last game day and to everyone’s surprise the Greeks knocked out the Russians to secure a place in the quarterfinals. The co-hosts Polish were knocked out and there was no surprise there. Czech Republic qualified after having had a good game against Greece with a convincing 2-1 victory and a struggled 1-0 victory against Poland.

The next group certainly justified the title given, Group of Death. The Germans were definitely the favourites in the group having the youngest team in the tournament. The Portuguese defense couldn’t hold the Germans so long with Mario Gomez striking a good header scoring past Rui Patricio. The underdogs Danish outplayed the Dutch with a neat 1-0 victory. Mario Gomez seemed unstoppable with two more goals to his name against the Dutch with the Deutschland claiming a 2-1 victory. The Dutch fans and players were having a nightmare. Two consecutive losses meant they had to win against Portugal with a goal difference of two which was nowhere close to possible. Cristiano Ronaldo having had a bad game against the Danish was set to make a mark against the Dutch, and he most certainly nailed it with two goals. Portugal won 2-1 against Netherlands. Netherlands were humiliated very badly having lost all the games they played. The Germans topped the group winning all their fixtures followed by the Portuguese. Lionel Messi and football seemed inseparable with fans chanting his name even though he had no role in this tournament.

The third group seemed un-exciting when compared to the previous groups. The former champions were definitely the favourites and it was partially right. The Spanish side started their Euro campaign against Italy. The match ended as a draw. The Spanish side was playing a different formation altogether, 4-6-0, they were without a striker. Republic of Ireland stood no chance and they ended up losing all the games they played. It was Spain, Italy and Croatia battling it out for two spots in the quarters. Chelsea’s golden boy Torres proved his critics wrong by scoring two fabulous goals against the Republic of Ireland. Balotelli too silenced critics with his phenomenal strikes. In the end, it was Spain versus Italy.

The last group promised action for three reasons; One, it was Roy Hodgson’s first major competitive game as a manager for the English team, Two, teams wanted to put an end to France’s 20 match unbeaten streak and three co-hosts Ukraine were in the group. The English team played no different except that they were more defensive. They couldn’t dribble past the ball and majorly depended on air balls. Captain Steven Gerrard was the heart and soul of the team. Andrey Shevchenko showed he still had it in him with two goals against Sweden. John Terry was rock solid for the English side and his last man save against Ukraine was brilliant even though the ball was over the line. This again brought in the debate of the use of goal line technology. It was a fierce contest between the four and ultimately it was England and France who were through to the quarters. Sweden’s exit was not a big surprise but they did have something to cheer about, ending France’s 23 match unbeaten streak by beating them 2-0. It was sad to see Ukraine exit leaving no hosts in the quarters.

The quarter final clashes seemed fiery. The Portuguese and the Germans had easy fixtures against Czech and Greece respectively after having been in the Group of Death. The results of both the matches were easily predictable. Portugal and Germany marched on. The other two fixtures seemed a delight to watch. With the former champions looking to scrape through to the semis, the match was not all that exciting. Alonso’s early strike put Spain in the lead and the French had a tough time breaking the Spanish defense. Roy Hodgson’s side was put to test by Prandelli’s men. The English were playing more defensive than ever. With the game ending goalless after 120mins, shootouts seemed the decider. The two Ashleys-Cole and Young let the team down having failed to score a penalty.

The semi final fixtures were certainly something to look forward to. The Portuguese were battling it out against the former European champions, Spain. It was an amazing match even though it ended goal-less even after 120 mins. Both the sides played an amazing football creating lot of good chances. At the end of the shootout, it was a good bye for the Portuguese side. Funny thing here is they were out before Ronaldo could even take a kick.

The Germans’ fortress was falling down. Mario Balotelli and Pirlo were tearing the team apart. The Germans did create a lot of chances but only to be denied by the skipper Gianluigi Buffon. Again a great quality of football from both the teams. It was absolutely delightful to watch the game. I, a German fan, appreciate the way the Italians played. They sure did deserve to qualify.

The fever and hype was high as the Italians were set to face the Spanish side in the finals at the Olympic stadium, Ukraine. Spain were defending their title. The Spanish dominated throughout the match. Italians were left ablaze. Xavi was the man for Spain with his incredible passing skills. David Silva gave the Spanish side an early lead converting an amazing through ball from Xavi. Spain had no intensions of stopping there; they kept penetrating the Italian defense easily. Jordi Alba gave the side a 2-0 lead with an incredible run converting another through ball from the engine (Xavi). Things were getting bad to worse for Prandelli’s men. Cassano was taken off and Di Natale was brought in at the half time hoping for a miracle. Italy was finding it difficult to maintain possession.  The Spanish were on top of their game. Fernando Torres replaced Cesc Fabregas and he scored making it 3-0. Juan Mata was set to play for the remainder five minutes, his first five in the tournament. The Italians couldn’t have been more humiliated just then Mata converted Torres’ pass into the net. It was 4-0 to Spain and they after a long tournament successfully defended their title with Fernando Torres winning the golden boot even though he was on the field for just 150 minutes.

The tournament had lot of twists and turns and in the end it was Spain tasting the glory for the second time. This tournament brought into light many things and it sure did pressurize Fifa to look into the Goal line technology.

Global Economy-A Gamble?

If the United States sneezes, the entire world catches cold.

Nothing could describe the global economical situation much better than this phrase, a phrase very aptly coined.

Global economy we call it which started as a simple trade much earlier. It started as a barter system and was termed unfair by the greedy humans who wanted to establish their superiority and brought about the invention of currencies, well coins to be precise. A dame of nickel with a symbol imprinted having a face value was going to shape the world. Little did everyone know it was going to bring about the ultimate end?

The introduction of money changed every aspect of things in this world. It was at start a very convenient method to settle debts rather than roaming around in search for the one we need. But as the world seemed getting closer to progress, humans changed for worse. The whole idea changed with the introduction of different forms of currencies. Man started to establish his domination. The one with money had the power too. The era of division soon creeped in, the division was all different. It was based on money. The one with money was superior!

Money lending took to new heights and on came the banks to capitalize on our savings, reaping profits. After a millennium as we entered the year 2000, the crisis seemed not far way. The power shifted from the politicians to the economists. Meanwhile, in India, our worries were the exchange rate. Once we shifted to the floating exchange system in the foreign exchange market, our worries turned into nightmares.

In 2002, the economic condition of the developed countries like that of the United States, France etc boomed. Banks started lending cash at a nominal interest and every god damn person availed a loan, housing loan to be precise and ultimately landed up in a position of not affording to pay back. Banks’ debts increased and the Government had to intervene taking over the banks thereby leading to the Wall Street crash as we know it. Bailing out banks resulted in reduced exports and imports and in the collapse of the foreign market.

The housing market also suffered, resulting in evictions, foreclosures and prolonged unemployment. The crash had a huge impact in the rest of the world. Unemployment rates increased all over and it became seemingly difficult for one to sustain. The dominoes started falling once the United States’ economy crashed and the Governments of other countries started to panic. The politics worsened the situation. The congress in the United States vetoed the 700$ bailout which sent all the leading banks home!

Recovery was a utopian dream but in the long run seemed possible. There came the role of an economist, one who could foretell the world’s future sitting in a remotely abandoned place. They could make sweeping claims about countries in which they had never set foot in.

They had the power beyond their wildest dreams to bring the world out of crisis. With the financial market in a bustle and the entire foreign trade turning into a gamble, how simple things would have been if the mankind had just stuck to the rice-wheat exchange?

Home pass please! (Amrita)

The “process” would start approximately 2 to 3 days before the period of holidays with a notice, in the hostel, that would read “Home pass for so and so holidays given from 6pm to 8pm. No pass will be issued after 8pm. Blah Blah.” This would be followed by 2-3 days of impatient wait. After the entire last minute packing and wait, its exultation for the students who availed the pass for a temporary escape from the “Prison”.

One would find the campus with lot of activity on a day like this. The college will end at 3:30pm and five minutes later one can find students with their luggage roaming around the campus, chit chatting, dining in the canteen, and walking all the way to gate, withdrawing money from the ATM and after this the only person obstructing freedom would be the security; handing him the pass would shut his mouth.

Then the crowd eventually shifts to the Ettimadai railway station, now there are two sorts, one on their way to the Coimbatore junction and the other to Palakad City. The station becomes deserted after 7:00pm. A thirty minute fun journey from the Ettimadai station is all that separates one from good food. After an impatient walk, with a growling stomach, amidst the swarm of people to the cloak room and depositing the luggage there after a long wait, the noises from the stomach turns into a roar before one can lay his hand on the food.

After a sumptuous dinner followed by dessert, spiced up with conversations, all that is left to do for one is to board the train after bidding farewell and promising meet ups. As the horn sounds and the train moves, sitting with excitement and expectations at its peak, the thought of mom, dad, friends and not to forget the good food for the next few days. 

P.S. Something all hostelers can relate to.

Paranoia

On a journey that was supposed to take only 30 minutes, although taking twice the time, all I could see on the road, watching through the window was CHAOS and CRISIS.

The inception to all these was the power shortage and the scheduled power cuts across India. While cities like Chennai, Bangalore had only two hours of the power cut, places like Tuticorin, Coimbatore experienced the wrath of the TNEB with power cut up to 12hours.

Adding to the list of crisis was the water shortage which was more imminent in Bangalore, which is now so full of software companies and malls that residents have had to compulsorily go in for external supply. Houses are being built across every inch of space available thereby adding salt to the wound.

Okay now moving over; I’m eighteen and I, like every Tom Dick and Harry had a dream of getting a bike and a license so that I need not walk always.//you might all say walking is okay as using a bike causes pollution and crap, well it’s not possible to walk in Chennai in the month of April, May…//But now, the dream is nowhere near to reality. With the prices of petrol shooting up overnight and the limited availability has resulted in the increase of prices in everything, right from auto fare to the income tax rise, and not to forget the long queues outside the petrol bunks. It is sad to see the international oil prices go down whereas here in India we have a shortage and costs are on upward spiral.

An eternal problem, in India there are Engineering colleges in almost every street and we produce the maximum number of Engineers, yet we’re far behind in development. I have always had this insecurity of ending up without a job for there are enough people. There exists an imbalance, surplus people and job deficits. This has not only created an atmosphere of division but also to the era of malnourishment and poverty.

While we keep pointing fingers at others and are happy to let them take the responsibility, there really is never an end to this entire crisis. We have never really stood up to any cause that actually is worth all our time. We are content in watching a staged show. We are greatly elated in watching the Indian Premier League when we very well know there is no cricket involved in it. The league is just like a circus where each match is an act.

The league is watched by the division-ed upper and certain middle classes whereas the lower class is not greatly connected with the tournament. The league is just another way to rob our money and time.

 I am not against cricket; it’s just that I don’t think IPL is cricket. Cricket as a sport I enjoy when played between countries. Even the lower classes are connected with the sport when the national team is in action. The IPL has contributed a lot to the era of division based on money.

A winning parade?

We bloody waste our power like this and the Government expects to find solutions in scheduled power cuts.  Our Government is continuing to do what they are good at, taking things from the common man and giving it to undeserving idiots.

It’s even sadder to watch political ass holes like Mamta Banerjee stooping down to such low level by honouring a team that has effectively done nothing but win a staged show.

 With the resources being depleted at a rapid rate and the power concentrated in the hands of few, is it going to be the end of the world as we know it?

Staring at the signal (red) and seeing the countdown, I could only relate it to the wait for destruction, to chaos and to the very END as predicted by the Mayans; with each second in sync with my heart beat!

P.S. I very badly wanted to bring in IPL.

A Melodramatic First Year

I remember when I was a small kid, I used to wish I skip school and go to college directly. I watched my cousin step into college and I wished I join him too. Then I watched my own brother get into college and I longed to go too. So desperate I was to get into college. The reason was not because my school life was dull and boring, which was so not true, I did have a splendid life at school but I thought college will be even more fun because I would have turned 18, My friends would have turned 18, limited restrictions and a carefree life. It was then a utopian dream.  

The hunt for colleges begun, indirectly, when I started my 12^th boards. It continued for another month or two and finally it was decided, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. On checking out the images and later the college itself, I thought, alright cool college.

My first year begun unofficially on July 30^th and officially on the third of August. It was not a great beginning. Like everyone I was homesick and kinda raped by the shit rules in the hostel. I was kind of lucky to have had some company from my school. Classes were pretty boring and dry. I was dozing off in every damn period and every time I would think if I used to do the same at school. Then I realized that I had perfect company at school, set of friends to have fun with which never made me sleep in school.

By the end of my first month I did find myself friends but it was not that welcoming. Entering into the second month, I made more friends and I started feeling at ease. My homesickness completely went off as I found proper company, yet classes were still boring and irritating. The most fun part would definitely be the hostel life. Group of people gathering in a room and bragging for 2 or 3 hours with eatables and all that, it definitely was fun, that too knowing about each one’s past etc.

There were certain topics which were redundant, few of them being , girls, movies etc.Talking was never boring; we came to know about each other more.

Semester II started in the month of January. It was bloody awesome.

Cage football, practice, vetti talks, anokha, bunking classes for anokha, Green-I conference, Krishna hut, Aleez Dhaba, Boomerang, RHR, City passes, Home passes, Thunderbirds comedy, more vetti talks , fights, patch ups, kalais, birthday bumps, the so called group studies, the renaissance, cage cricket, hand cricket, Sandy dudes, movies, Brookefields, atm walks, the tree outside the hostel, warden mishaps, swimming in the morning, kovai express, cheran express and not to forget the champions league victory…

What a semester it had been! The fun and action packed in one semester and it was indeed awesome.

First year was a combination of fun and annoyance. Semester I was annoying and Semester II proved to be just the opposite.

After a n awesome first year, YB will definitely be missed.

ENDING THE DROUGHT

The season 2011-12 officially came to an end with Chelsea and City claiming the glory. The season had lots of twists and turns.

The Premier league winner was decided in the final few minutes, big guns like United and City being eliminated from the Champions league without even qualifying for the round of sixteen, clubs like Newcastle and Spurs finishing above Chelsea etc.

I wouldn’t include Liverpool here cause they have been performing bad consistently, wait probably I might include their Carling Cup victory.

The Blues started their campaign this season under a new manger, Andre Vilas Boas, who seemed promising and vibrant. AVB started off by winning the Barclays Asian Trophy with a victory over Aston Villa. The BPL begun for the blues with a draw against Stoke in an away game. Four months into the season, Chelsea was fourth in the table and AVB heavily scrutinized. After a couple of bad performances, Chelsea dropped a position and was fifth in the table. With the Premier League out of the vision, qualifying for the Champions league became an issue. Owing to these problems, AVB was sacked on March 4.  It was Roberto Di Matteo’s job eventually, interim manager. He stepped into the shoes of Vilas Boas and took the responsibility. He started off as the Manager for the club having securing a Semi-final spot against the mighty Barcelona with a victory over Benifica in the Champions league.

The first leg of the Semi-final took place at the bridge. Chelsea started with a defensive formation ultimately to play the entire match preventing Barcelona from scoring after securing a lead in the 45+2min. With a 1-0 victory at the bridge, they marched into the second leg at the Camp Nou. Chelsea was completely dominated upon. Everything was going against Chelsea’s way till the 40^th min, a controversial red card for the Chelsea Captain John Terry and two quick goals from Busquets and Iniesta. It takes special stuff for a team down to 10 men trailing 2-0 to produce something sensational.  In the 45+1 min, Ramires equalized the margin with Chelsea having an away goal advantage. Petr Cech was put to test continuously by the Barcelona attack. In the 90+2 min, Fernando Torres took a long run and rounded the keeper scoring a winner confirming a ticket to Munich. Beating Barcelona was not only secured them a finals spot but also got their revenge for the 2009 Champions league Fiasco.

Chelsea was to play Bayern Munich in the final at Munich. With Terry, Ivanovic, Ramires and Meireles out of action due to suspension and doubts over Luiz and Cahill due to injury, the odds were against Chelsea. A week before the match it was declared that Luiz and Cahill were fit and were set to return.

There was a ray of hope for the fans as the whistle was blown signifying the start of the match. Again Chelsea was being dominated upon with Bayern having the maximum possession, number of shots, corners etc. The first half ended nil-nil. The second half saw no difference; Bayern was helplessly trying to break the Chelsea defense which they finally succeeded in the 82^nd min with a brilliant finish from the German ace Thomas Muller. With only 7 minutes on the clock, it was thought this was the end for Londoners until the 87^th min. With a fabulous header Didier Drogba silenced the Bayern fans.

 1-1 at the end of the 90 minutes.

The game went into extra time with each team trying to capitalize on their opponent’s mistake. Drogba gave away a penalty after a poor tackle on Frank Ribery. Robben failed to use this opportunity to take the lead for with Petr Cech producing a good save. With no goals in the extra time, the game went to penalty shoot-out.

Bayern Captain Phillip Lahm started off with a good strike taking a lead. Juan Mata stood in front of Neuer with lot of boos from the Bayern fans. He failed to score with his shot being saved. Next to strike for Bayern was Gomez. He made no mistake. Then smashed David Luiz in the top left corner. Neuer scored a sitter and in response the Chelsea stalwart Lampard sent the ball straight down the middle. Then Cech made no mistake producing a fabulous save to prevent olic from scoring. Ashley cole equalized sending the ball to the low left corner. The scores being level with each team having a kick more, in walked the star against Madrid, Bastian Schweinsteiger, only to hit the post. Walking to the D box  to take the decider kick was the Ivory Coast forward Dider Drogba.

// I was praying, holding hands with the fellow fans with sweat and tear dripping, hand shivering as Drogba took steps. //

The Ivorian coolly placed the ball low and into the bottom right-hand corner as Manuel Neuer was deceived and dived the wrong way. Chelsea were crowned the European Champions 2011-12 being the first club from London and the fifth English club to have their name in the cup.

What a night it was!

The season was a complete chaos. 

Finishing sixth in the Premier League, losing the carling cup, another manager sent off,

Yet after all this a champions league, F.A. Cup Double.

t was said that Bayern was the team that dominated throughout the match and missed a lot of chances and that they were not lucky. Moreover players like Thomas Muller claimed that it was they who deserved to win and that the deserving team never wins.

Well Bayern might have dominated throughout but ultimately what matters is the final result. Okay they had loads of chances and they missed sitters.

But who cares. This just shows they just didn't deserve to win. 

KTBFFH.

The Eighteenth..

Lot of expectations, enthusiasm, insane questions-Will it be better than my previous one?
There were several questions on my mind exactly a week before my birthday. This time the foreplay was all different. A new atmosphere altogether.

I was in a hostel and not that i had a problem here but i wanted to spend my eighteenth birthday in Chennai with my friends there and my parents, not by being confined in a prison.

Days passed by slowly, every minute seemed to count, every second seemed to tick and i was waiting for that could be the day out of the way from the monotonous daily life. Everyone would look for reasons to escape reality and apparently i had one-My Birthday!

What did i expect?
Well nothing much actually, just a few surprises and an uncommon day. As time flew all i could think of was my previous birthday. It was epic!
Zero expectations for i had Chem boards on that day and i knew it involved struggling. But never did i expect my friends inside my locked house.

And finally March 7 2012, 00:00 hrs.
Phone calls, texts, wall posts and patient replies. There were surprises, quite a lot actually.
Apart from that anything different?
BIRTHDAY BUMPS!
Damn people bashed me pretty hard. I was beaten up where ever i went, i had no place to hide. The impact was twice the beatings i gave on people's birthdays.
<Not beating a friend on his birthday doesn't mean he would the same on yours.>
After all this was it over?
Hell no. Remember all the free food you gobbled at your friend's treat? Well now its your turn.

There were a few downs to that day but who cares, am EIGHTEEN and i have the license to freak out!

P.S. Am not exaggerating, my ass was swollen and i had bruises all over my back!

An Anecdote...

*Pen is mightier than sword*

*Ink is thicker than blood*

Its not easy to start new at a place which is new.
This was exactly how i felt when i started my hostel life...


New place, New people,
led in by an experienced hand,
walked brave,
head held high.

Then came a time for farewell,
tears trickling down,
boldly hidden,
bye ma, bye pa,
staring at the distance,
their outline,
a mirage.

Four beds & four cupboards,
a room soon to be my home,
random roommates,
random convos,
never could set me right.

The long corridors,
vacant mornings,
lonely moon,
new metaphors in life.

Compromised on life,
mobile my new best friend,
pictures like novels,
worth a million words,
beyond infinity.

New place, New people,
crouched like a caged lion,
gloomy and desolate,
prowling for company.

Came along more strangers,
starting off with a hi,
exchanging numbers,
talking reluctantly,

a beginning of new dawn...