Why the world needs Superman

Everyone needs a hero to look up to, at least we humans definatly do. Real or Mythical our hero's help us in the guide to the development of our morals. Some look up to Doctors, some to Firemen others to those who strive to protect out borders. Call it a childhood obsession but my hero was always Superman and it still continues to be. The world today could well do with someone like him, not because he could solve all the problems it faces but more because he would be the best example of what we could become if we endeavor to solve them ourselves. But then he would only help not because someone told or asked him to do so but more so because he wanted to do so.

According to Jor-El, Superman's father we humans could be great people and even wished to be so, the only hindrance to it was that we lacked any kind of light to show us the way.

But then why does the world need Superman ? There are no super villains we need to be saved from. We dont have a Lex Luthor or a Doomsday planning to take over the world. But then we truly need Superman as beyond all the superpowers and fantasy themes he posses , he teaches us that even when all hope seems to be lost there is always a small bit of faith that is left in all of us. All we need to do is search within. We as a race have always needed hero's no matter if we live in Bangalore or Baltimore. We need hero's to show us how to rise up against the darkest parts of our own nature, we need them to make us believe that no matter what the odds there is still hope. We need them to show us right from wrong, keep us noble. It doesn't matter who your heroes are, exactly. What matters is that you have them. What matters is that you remember them. And what matters above all is that they inspire you to be more than you thought you could be. If you can get that far, you can change the world. See? The world really does need Superman.

“More than a man of steel, Superman is a bastion of honesty, honor and courage. We may not have super strength. We may not be able fly without the aid of machines, see things hundreds of miles away, or hear what’s going on in Egypt, America and Brazil at the same time. But there are things each of us can do to make this world a better place to live. Superman has taught us that.

In a world saturated with negativity and violence, Superman’s idealism is needed now, more than ever. A fictional character like Superman may not be a savior, but he is certainly an inspiration. More than just a comic book character he has become a symbol of honesty, integrity and strength - qualities anyone would want to mimic.

The Joy Called SACHIN

Outside grounds, people wait until he goes in before paying to enter. They seem to want a wicket to fall even though it is their own side that will suffer. We sink into despair if he fails and a maddening surge of patriotism frenzy breaks out when he does succeed. He is virtually GOD to most who follow the game and a single ray of hope to the expectations of a billion people. For over 20 years now and since the time he was 16 this is how Sachin Tendulkar knows cricket.

Its a treat to the eye to see how the great man scores his runs waiting for the delivery like a boxer ready to deliver the KO punch. He moves quickly into position flashing his bat to guide the ball where he wills. Its a rare combination of textbook classicism and raw aggression. He always seems to have the measure of every ball as he smacks it cleanly through the panicking fielders. His statistics are too numerous to show his greatness but a few words from the bowlers who stare him down 22 yards shall put all doubts to rest. In many ways he is like Maradona, at 5 feet 4 the stature is the same but what he shares with the Argentinian star is something called “Peripheral Awareness”. Its awareness of a man who even without looking already has a map of the field logged in his brain. Even before the ball leaves the bowlers hand he knows whether to go front or back while lesser men still decide, and once the blade meets the ball right underneath his chin the result is another helpless gasp from the bowler and leather hunt for the poor fielders. The opposition cant help but praise as he exists in a place where only a few can.

I personally liked the Sachin back in the 1996's and 98's, pulling McGrath for a six, hitting Warne out of the ground, destroying Henry Olonga. Captain ship put a unwanted burden on him which hampered his batting and then in 2001 it was found bowling a negative line hampers the great man which was cruelly put to use by England and Australia. A few failures and may claimed it was “ENDDULKAR” for the great man but then suddenly out came the paddle sweep and the slash over slip shots. Sachin was back. He wasnt as ruthless as he used to be but nevertheless batted with the same tenacity and aggression. He plays more freely now thanks to a loosening burden of expectations due to the increasing number match winners in the team. The 200 was a testimony to the fact how well he understood the game. He cut pulled drove his way to 150 and as he neared the landmark choose more to hit the ball into the gaps and run. The already hapless fielders had given up way back even to try and effect a run out.

But how in hell does this man do it? How, after all these years, does he not only maintain the phenomenally high standard he set at the start, but constantly raise the bar even further? And how in hell does he convey the impression that his enjoyment has only increased with time? He himself perhaps is the motivator as he battles not against the opposition but against himself. He is his own bar and strives to overcome himself.

In a country where cricket is a religion Sachin serves to be be its baptism, for us ordinary humans, it is enough to say that we were privileged to have lived in the same era as this awesome batsman.

Wish i never grew UP

We recently had a group of freshers join office, ice breaking session yesterday they claimed they enjoyed the work. Overjoyed my group head flashed is teeth around for the entire day enough to give Deepika Padukone a run for starring in a Colgate ad. ENJOY WORK, poor sods dont even know what work is, seriously how can going to office 6 days a week be fun ? How can working 12 hours a day straight, every day, 7 days a week in a row month after month be FUN ?? How does one enjoy being exhausted both mentally and physically, too tired to carry on with the social niceties and then being labeled as a social recluse ? How does is feel realizing that you would be on call for every holiday and weekends for the coming year.

As a kid we were often blackmailed by the family elders, “Abhi Padh lo bete, agee jaa ke zindagi aish hai” (Do study now as once you grow enjoy all you want). Good I didn't pay any heed to that. Yeah I have grown up and life right now is planning for my future or planning for my future investments neither of which is fun. And to top I need do all of this sitting in a 3 X 3 feet cubicle and making MOOLAH is the biggest necessity of all !!! Spare me the irony is any of this even supposed to be fun ?

Fun was playing cricket in the by lanes, football in a slush pit, enjoyment was sitting on the wall with friends sucking on to orange candies in summer, that was FUN. As we moved to college it was bunking class to catch the latest movie at 10 in the morning so that we got the tickets at half the rates. Fun was deciding on where to eat lunch and end up having puffs and coke at the nearest bakery. We ran out of places to eat and drink but never tired of hanging out. Fun was the days spent is hostels and dorms, TV was a luxury we ourselves were the entertainment we had. Planning meant trying to save every scrap of the meager pocket money so as to buy the dream camera. Investment meant finding the proper girl and holding on to her so dearly that it would put shareholders of Reliance to shame.

I don't need to save money to buy the latest Digital SLR Camera, I can buy it directly off the shelf as my salary permits me to do so. But I rarely have to time to shoot and all I do with the camera is clean it and put it back in the cupboard. I remember the day my dad used to deposit my pocket money in my bank account, 2000 it used to be and I used to save enough to ensure I could twice a month blow some cash eating or drinking. I earn more than 20 times of what my dad used to send but the happiness of the MOOLAH coming in is not as that when my dad used to send it. I can afford to eat and drink at a restaurant every day but suddenly the appetite for it has gone. I traveled general class as a boy / student on overcrowded trains, I move around in flights these days but the days for vacation reduce every year. Back then my wardrobe was 2 pair of jeans and a couple of shirts, branded shirts and pleated pants fill it up now but how would I love to go back to those days in jeans. Bunking aint possible, you cant fall sick, watching a movie means late at night and going into deep sleep only to be awaken when its over.

I wonder why the hell did we ever grow up, but then we were never BORN FREE and thus cant expect ourselves to be LIVING FREE for as the moment we were born we were hurtled into a rat race and I at least have a long way to go before I finish it.

Calcutta !!!!

Being in Calcutta is like watching a mid twentieth century love story, everything is excruciatingly SLOW. Traffic inches along, people plod sweat pouring out of their pores, the heat sags the city. Everyone over here waits as if its a written rule, any questions asked the answer is “eikhaney to erokom-i hoy", (This is how it goes on around here). Its a city of closed desolate factories not empty mind you as the cadres with red flags dotted the perimeter giving a demonstration of the so called strong trade unionism and the “Leftist” ideas which have strangled the city into despondency and stagnation. My beloved city is getting decayed but then great cities decay and are reborn again, unfortunately Calcutta wont, it wont because of the perspective of the people who live in the city. For a city / civilization to grow and evolve it must change. Talk about change in Calcutta , its like a dirty word. For them “Old is Gold”, change certainly is not welcome here. And then there is the typical bengali “Sab Janta” attitude (I know it all) coupled with a sheer disdain for anyone who talks sense that brings the cities fortunes down to levels of Ashish Nehra's batting average.

I left Calcutta some 8 years back just when the air around was optimistic about some change. I left nevertheless but in a turn around none ever expected the city seemed to have gotten rid of the attitude that strangled it for decades. The Grand Old man of Stagnation “Jyoti Basu” finally stepped away and Buddhadeb his replacement was supposed to be a trans formative figure. The slammed doors were reopened again and with IT majors, heavy industries and other projects lined up to open offices and factories it seemed Calcutta was turning over a new leaf.

“We feel it in our fingers, We feel it in our toes.

Change is all around us

And the feeling grows”

And that was all we got a feeling that change might happen. A few years later the government shot itself in the foot. Mamata who was subdued and almost forgotten for a few years arose from the ashes while burying all chances of TATA opening up a factory and with it went all hopes of Calcutta ever becoming a manufacturing hub. But then it not Mamata's fault completely, what did we do to claim a share of the riches of investment when the doors were opened in 1991.We shunned it !!!! So while the state coffers went empty our streets became the hub of business, Hawkers I mean. Footpaths were as if meant for them to run business as they took them over forcing people to plod on the roads, we did so too as “eikhaney to erokom-i hoy". And then once the arteries became too clogged for tolerance they were tried to evicted only to be rescued by the perennial “Didi” of all Mamata herself. Votebanks restored she put her eyes on the naxal situation thus gathering support by letting out false sympathy. And while she chugged away with the Railways the WB “Goborment” lies almost brain dead and dis functional. How “Brain Dead” they really are was put to show a few weeks back when 30 or so were cooked inside a burning building while the fire brigade ran around trying to hunt for pneumatic ladders, once they did arrive no one knew to operate it and the belly pouting firemen watched as people having more faith on miracles tried jumping from the 20^th floor rather wait for the firemen to reach them.

The state was slow to come to terms with the market driven regime that dismantled the so called command driven economy the left used to rule the state , but ask them and they claim “Change is all around”. Well yes if we look at the basement car parks of the sky gazing apartments built all around no longer has the slow moving huge Ambassadors but shiny American, Korean and Japanese models. “Adda” has been shunned as people spend more time in fancy restaurants, lounge bars with ethnic themes, and coy night clubs which have sprouted all around the city. The eternal “Shonar Chele” has shaken up inhibitions and traditions but willing to work at nights, the family get together now takes place at the nearby country club where the 150 kilo odd “Boudi's” barely manging to squeeze herself in the latest designer jeans tries sampling wine, “Aare eta to grape juice ei” (its grape juice after all). All for a “Resurgent Bengal”, and what if industrialists dont come in with the money we have SRK pouring in the MOOLAH, all we need to do is shout “Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re”.

But then is this the change we are really looking for, if yes then the renaissance for change in Calcutta was started with small change. The city needs to adjust to the global market while the Left themselves have to remove the old industrial map and dismantle its kind of protectionist economy.

Modi Ka Jalwaa - Season 3

If there was ever a requirement of a Multitasking gadget to feature a single person Lalit Modi would surely be one of the favorites to feature in it. While most of us shy away from problems Mr. Modi has made problem solving his favorite pastime. Like having a AESA radar (read - Active Electronically Scanned Array ) which tracks down multiple targets at the same time and even prioritizes on the most important one Mr. Modi not only finds solutions to the problems but even deals with them with a certain panache. He does not believe in defeat probably doesn't even understand what it means as he doesn't seems to face one. The “Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika” act last year or the “Tweeting Out” act of not holding a match in Hyderabad this season are examples of how the man truly has “Defeated” Defeat. He even ensured that the “Security Concerns” were proven false by plane loads of Cricketers arriving in India thus ensuring what Modi predicted was correct, “ the players' need the IPL more than the IPL needing the players”. Quite true, other than the cricket they get to groove with “Shilpa Shetty” or hugs from “Priety Zinta” and then there is the moolah. Paul Collingwood last year did nothing and got 1 million for it. Money for Nothing and …......

So as Yusuf Pathan smashed the hapless Mumbai de Munde suddenly “Aal Waaz Well” and no one seemed to miss any of the “Left Out Pakistani's”. The world Champions were omitted but soon the omission was judged to be a correct decision as Mr. Butt in one stroke “Omitted” most the Pakistani players from the national team.“Modi Ka Jalwaa Season 3” has begun well with Lead Players “Sachin” and “Dada” raking the most TRP's. Aal unfortunately is not well for the “Royal – Aussie” connection. The chances of the Royal's getting to the semi's are as slim as Shilpa Shetty's waist and her hyperbole (not to be confused with Halla Bol, but adds to it) statements of them coming good are as useless as the pain relieving capabilities of their co sponsor “Moov”. Kings X1 like their owner PZ needs a “Hit” pretty bad, the original “Punjab Da Puttar” Yuvraj has been displaced for the newer “Sanga” but the luck doesn't seem to change. The “Vada Pav” boys from Mumbai seems to have enough “Vada” (Read Beef) this time to make it to the final stages. But the thunder in them is not coming from “Pollard” but rather from a left handed “Dhoni” named “Saurabh Tiwari”. The “Super King” didn't look anything but super until “Dhoni” became the ultimate “Mad Max” and handed “Dada” his first loss of the season. Damm him now we would have to wait for 2 more matches in order to watch SRK dance. “Bond” seemed to be bonding in quite well at least till “Hayden” was present there after though he turned from “Daniel Craig” to “Timothy Dalton” all thanks to Mr. Mad Max “Dhoni”. The “Chargers” looked to be the best till Rohit Sharma decided to be Roger Federer, luckily CSK decided to treat their neighbors well and decided to conceded a match. Delhi again has had a decent start but “Dilshan” is still “Scooping” for runs and AB soon needs to “D”eliver. Karthick hasn't been“Called” as yet thus as usual the team looks to depend on “Viru”, “Nannes” and the ultimate “Sour Face”“Gambhir”. RCB got a “Royal” beating from KKR but “Mr. Lensman” ensured a “Happy Ugadi” serving a very RARE “Spicy Uthappa”.

Time we said something about the Commentators too, Ravi Shastri coined a few old phrases and made then sound new by shouting them out after every few lines he spoke. The sheer no of times he saw “Electricity” left the municipal corporation of Navi Mumbai baffled as they themselves have been unable to generate so much to solve the cities growing power shortage. He also ensured Modi was referred to with a different adjective every time his name was taken and put in extreme amount of stress to announce “Modi” was working overtime. And then we have Mr. Sidhu himself trying to web a words that would flummox the creator of Wren and Martin and Oxford Dictionary put together. Whilst Mbangwa and co try and find out what keeps the cheer girls going and the favorite song of Shane Bond , Arun Lal should surely be missing Rameez Raja. Alas there wont be any in fighting between them trying to prove each is wittier than the other at the cost of making us listen to garbolic balderdash. And if ever there was a prize for consistency among commentators it should go to LS and his “What a Player”. Poor LS his only claim to glory shall remain bowling to Sachin and accepting to be “Cannon Fodder” while the great man found out ways to conquer Warne. The fact he has seen so much of the great man I guess he just cant stop using the phrase.

At last the main question of who would win ? Should be Delhi looking at the “Rich and Enriching” recourses they have, Mumbai too have a quite strong team but then this time I guess the favorites are RCB and KKR. They should win for the clear amount of entertainment they bring on to the screen. Memories of the 1^st match of IPL season 1 are still fresh when in reply to Mcullum's blitzkrieg RCB sent Wasin Jaffer and Rahul Dravid as openers while Sunil Joshi padded up to be the pinch hitter. That audacity alone should have resulted in SRK accepting defeat to Mallya bowing down in full rather face the consequences of watching Jaffer and Dravid bat. KKR had 11 captains in the field and a Joker as a coach in the last edition and along with Sir Paul KKR too had bid for the most expensive bench warmer with “Mortaza”, sadly he was played for the last match where Rohit Sharma took him be “Practice” for hitting sixes. We still have not got to see a glimpse of an ear flopping Agarkar get hit for repeated sixes and then giving expressions as if he didnt bowl the delivery. For RCB there is “Robbie” who would find ways to get out and then stand in the middle of the pitch with an expression of a man lost in his own house.

But at the end I am all but a humble Bengali stuck in kannada land and would hope “Dada” would inspire KKR to rise, scratching his hair and biting all that is left of his nails. Sorry Mr. VM even though I am very loyal to the beer from your brewery my “Bheto Bangali” attitude comes to the forefront in this case.

Joy Baba Fhelunath …. Oops sorry Joy Baba Sauravnath

Dear Dada

According to SRK dancing time aint arrived and according to Dada they have had enough “Dancing Around” for the past 2 years. After halting the Chargers “Charge” and giving the RCB a “Royal” beating Dada seems to be in a no nonsense mood till his team is safely through to the final stages. According to SRK KKR has promises to keep but then is it the promises that is driving KKR ? They drove right into the wall in the 1^st edition and all around during the 2^nd , much due to a “Buchananism” drive shaft. The real force to drive them was treated as a mere outsider last year but then on Friday night, though, it was time for the Dada-show again.

The start was a “knightmare”, Dada fished once again and even though Oawis and Angelo managed to put up 160 Gilchrist looked to finish the match in double quick time. Despair for everyone in KKR as all the smiles vanished and it was time enough for Saurav to put back his Dada mask. Suddenly as if ordering school boys around his arms flailed like a windmill, the voice rose above the din and the brows burrowed in determination he moved his resources with the skill and panache of a hardened general and then from the very dins of despair he stopped the Chargers charge 13 runs far from victory. Dada was back and along with him was his “Dadagiri”, as usual he got fined for slow overate and voicing his dissent but then who cared. The 1^st match of the 3^rd edition of IPL and Dada ensured a purely stellar show. As usual he did not do much himself restricting himself only to the ordering around but the that is him, mesmerically brilliant in doing so. Next match in home turf and for a change Eden’s lights didn’t fail and Dada made mincemeat out of Jumbo's RCB.

The match looked KKR's right from the beginning. Robin Utthapa looked as useless as he was last year, Eoin Morgan just realized why the British should refrain from playing the “Reverse Sweep” especially in Edens and a particular “Dhael Ston” got hammered by A certain Manoj Tiwari who until a few days ago was more looking like a Halwai from Bangalore' s Tewari brothers. While Hodge helped himself to a 50, Dada found himself totally unable to rotate the strike when suddenly he rolled back the years and sent “Ston” into the stands with the shot of the match.

While SRK wont be dancing Anandabazar Patrika & The Telegraph for certain would as these two wins would mean more articles on our beloved Dada which in turn would mean more sales. Dada even after remaining out of top flight cricket is still an enigma, the proof of which came when even after the numerous attempts of the DJ at Edens to get the crowd to chant “Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re” all they did chant was “Dada, Dada”. The crowd I guess knows that their beloved Dada does not believe in “Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re”, for him its “Bolbo, Korbi Jeetbi Re” (Do only as I say and you shall win).

So Thank You Dada and hope later in the series we get a glimpse of how God would play an Off Drive

Thank you Pranab Babu

Pranab Babu must be a happy man, last time around PC's superb oratory skills had left both us and the opposition spellbound, many considering the fact that that it was the best budget ever presented. But then the stock market crashed . The markets went up by 300 points this time and kept risen at 175 when it closed. Pranab Babu thus must be very pleased. Yes the opposition walked out and the contents of the budget are likely to make much of us happy but still the market rallied to some expectation which all of us failed to see. Pranab Babu often has been labeled boring and was expected to deliver a budget which was supposed to be low on both form and substance. But then as if giving out free “Rosogullas” during a famine he probably delivered one of the most most pronounced budgets when compared to ones in the past decade.

The budget did not look spectacular, but it was never meant to be so. It was only when one saw Pranoy Roy dissect it that it looked so. This was a more a workman like Rahul Dravid carving out a win than Yuvraj blasting 6 sixes. For starters the Stimulus measures initiated by the Finance Ministry wasnt being round upped but only partially wound up and an increase in excise duties by 2 percent. The fiscal deficits were supposed be be reined in (a welcome change than just passing it on every year). And even though the opposition walked out on the announcement of increasing of fuel prices but the actual hike by Re 1 excellent news for the market, in accordance to speculation it was supposed to go up quite significantly. The direct tax announcement was also something to cheer about but then the picture does not look that rosy when one looks into it in detail..

The contents of the budget does not necessarily make everyone happy, the “Mango People” would be hit by the price rise of petrol and increase in the service charge for domestic air travel. Pranab Babu expects a GDP of 9% per annum and the budget he says is geared to do that. Tall claims one may say as inflation is around 8% and food inflation is around 17%. Putting these into consideration we would require a growth rate in actuals of around 20% in order to have a actual GDP of 9%. then there is the big question of actual growth of Rural Infrastructure which is supposed to get 25% of the total funds set aside for for Infrastructural Development. Such was promised before but then there are mass farmer suicides and the no of poor keeps on getting increased every year. But then for all the budgets which have been passed every year keeping in mind the to be coming vote banks for the next general election this one would stand out. It would stand out for being simple and not merely promising stuff like a politician on a election warp. It addresses the most simplistic and basic issues a finance ministry needs to address, maintain GDP growth, remove the fiscal deficit and ensuring the delivery machinery to reach these targets are running smooth.

Personally for me the best part of the budget was the news of new banking licenses, many of us have often been harassed for simple stuff and an hours job max has often been a month long wait. While the Private banks refused to let go of money and slapped false charges the Public Sector largely lethargic ever worked. We as a society have come a long way since the days of Priya Tendulkar to hauling public figures for gross negligence. But then nothing is done in case of a bank even if it is their fault.

The fault largely remains with us as we are too damm lazy but the new rule of “Licensing” might just allows a few “Lazybones” to take up issues.

So Thank You Pranab Babu for a “Boring and quite Uninteresting Budget” and while you may take a well earned break and sample “Macher Jhol” here's hoping what you did present rallies the country to heights as it did the stock market.