The foreign flop show

A common fan (just like a common man) will be very frustrated with the players with the way the results have gone down in the 2 ODIs played in South Africa. We are happy to label them as lions of home. Our batsmen are unable to cope with the swing, bounce and pace of the bowlers. Our bowlers are incapable to extract swing and bounce from the same wicket. This is highly incompetent team. We are now staring at another tour whitewash. But is that as simple as that? Just blame the players? Then throw some out of the team and they may never make a comeback?

There are still more. This is not entirely players fault. Instead of getting angry on them, I feel pity for those who play there for being made to look like lambs given for slaughter. The problem is even deeper.

The biggest contributor to this shame is the BCCI. Its their greed to gain more money from Sachin’s 200^th test has left us with a shortened tour and in turn no time for the players to prepare. How on earth you expect a sub-continent team, who had plenty of home matches, to land in South Africa and play an ODI the 3^rd day? Given that their bowling and batting are next to none, isn’t this a non sense plan? Pakistan had an immediate home and away series with them recently, with home matches first so that they will be able to know the opposition well thus leaving them with the task to win only the conditions (can say Pakistani bowling is better compared to India but that can made better with practice matches)

Last time our team went 15 days earlier to get used to the conditions. Result: we drew the test series 1-1 and narrowly lost the ODI series 3-2. Lack of preparation time is the root cause for the poor performance this time.

One more reason is the board’s decision to stick to flat tracks and turner tracks throughout the country. Its worth to argue that we need to play to our strengths, but we need at least one or two pitches where there is green top. This will help our bowlers to adjust their length easily and the batsmen will be able to adapt better. This need not be used in international matches but can be used in Ranji and few practice matches before a tough foreign assignment. There are lots of former players with the knowledge of the pitch in different countries who can help to set this up. It can be told that sub-continent conditions will not suit those pitches but there is one at Dharmasala which will help in this approach. 

Rome was not built in a day. This will take time but it will eliminate our shame. No player would want to look dumb in the ground. The board needs to stop counting its money and plan to restore our pride. We need to have invincible team one day. The 100 crore fans are always behind this team.

We are not consumers. We are swallowers

What is the activity that we are involved most of the day? That should be for the living. I mean, job that we perform. In the modern day world almost everyone earns money. More or less we try to live within what we make in the month. There is no problem if the salary is less. You are forced to restirct your expenses. The real problem starts when you earn more than what is required. Here 'required' has different definition in people's life. We will discuss about what that 'required' is.

Absolutely no planning
       
        I know of a couple of friends who are in early stage of their career. they have bought a new car in EMI. Almost entire salary is spent in paying back. Savings is absolutely zero. Leave out the savings, what you will do when there is some emergency expense? This I will call a poor planning of the salary. Savings should not be the left over of expenditure. It should be a fixed amount every month. A plan for the future. A new generation is coming with this kind of mind set of spend-whatever-you-earn. Widely believed that the US economic recession is due to this no savings and too much credit of its citizens. Now that trend is in Indian youth, especially IT professionals.
       
        A recent ad made me to appreciate the idea of a company to sell its product. Samsung Galaxy S II. 0 down payment. 0% interest on EMI for 12 months. My God!! It will mesmerize people to buy the product. No matter if they require it or not. Good marketing brain but no sense form the customers. Its not a good buy, if you really do not require that. Do not buy things that you don't require. One day, you will be forced to sell the things that you require. Great words said by Warren Buffet. Lot of thought put into these words. First rule to be followed for us to be a good consumers.
       
        One more thing worth mentioning is the temptation of people to do what others do (this is only in the negative sense). We involve in chat regarding latest bikes, gadgets, cars and one day we end up buying them. And there will be an ego between people to show who is the most updated and to show them who has the most latest version of it. There is no use in it. Its just a profit for the company which sells it. I have a basic mobile for the last 3 years. And I want to use it for more. I mean, unless you feel you need it, don't buy. I have an interesting colleuge. He will say I require that. He will buy things he likes. He already has a laptop in good working condition and now he wants to buy a new one just because he wants to be upgraded. And uses it mostly for movies and games. And he 'requires' it. There are lot of people of this grade who buy things that are not at all needed.

Too much planning

There is one more interesting set of people who spend almost their entire life paying the EMI of house that they bought in the outskirts of a city (we dont get houses in the city these days and the real estate thycoons now market those places as the city in next 10 years). This comes in the category of too much planning. One day that place will not be of any value. Most of these are again done because others do it. We never knew where we will end up in 10 years. Still we want to hurry in making decisions. This is another prime example of poor financial planning.
       
        One day we may end up in a poor situation where all our wealth is spent or locked. That moment will be the worst part and we may lose all our confidence of getting back from that position. We work hard to earn the money. Don't lose it in buying stupid stuffs. Have a plan, short term-long term-emergency. This is an advise to all my friends.

OH My God!!

I always wanted to write this. I always felt uncomfortable in doing certain things. But due to the fear of God you may say and to not hurt my mom's feelings, I was/am doing them. Nevertheless, I have questions ringing inside me. Why this is done? Why not that is not done? 'This' and 'that can be seen below.

Everyone has religious feeling. Many towards it and some against it. And let me make clear that I am towards it (although not so superstitious). I do believe in the existence of super power (you can term it as God or Nature). But there are few things that seem to be too much for me or in a since not required. The same effort can be spent in the good of several fellow humans.

The first big thing that puts me into a serious thought is the religious travel/yatra. Let it be any religion, people think that as a good deed that brings them moksha or heaven. But no one is sure if such an afterlife exists. Still we love to save for that not-so-sure life that is going to exist. Religions might have been originated in different parts of the world but how they have this yatra in common is the question that interests me. I will try to find that sooner. If someone could help me in knowing, that will be great.

Also the offerings to God, ranging from 100s to several lakhs is so common. People think if you give to God, he will give you ten fold!! I am surprised where this thought came from.

Maybe from a psychological stand point, it will give some clarity, atleast to me. This has something to do with the belief of the people. They always need someone to believe, someone to motivate them. That motivation factor is the one told above. In fact two. There maybe lot more like asking for forgiveness, but the point here is, we need someone to carry our burden. We choose God as he is the superior to all. Those offerings/yatras, we feel, will bring us good time. We believe, good will happen due to that. That belief gets transformed into a self belief. As some psychologists say, if you start believing something over a period of time, the belief will come true. In that sense, the offerings maybe accepted. But could that not be changed?

Can't the poor be helped with the money spent on that? Certainly they can but people generally expect something in return for their action. If we give to God, God will give us back (belief). But what will be get if we give the poor. If you believe in the almighty, then he is watching us every time. Our good deeds are noticed. Its more than what we do to God directly. I heard a story told by a writer about his friend. What that friend will do is, every year on his birthday he will buy 4 biriyani packets while going to office. He will distribute them to the beggars on the way. These kind of small things will give you greater satisfaction. You are noticed, don't worry. There is no politics here!!

I had a personal satisfaction yesterday when I contributed few kgs of rice and wheat for the people affected by flood in Uttrakand. I am not sure if that will reach the right guys but I have done what I could. Show love to the fellow humans. God will love you or you will get that great feel for that matter. :Pray to God that you will offer something, but to the poor!!

Helping hand is always better than praying lips.

Do we have someone in Jumbo’s shoes please?

You need not be 6 foot tall or a right arm leg spinner to replace him. What makes him special is his line and length. He bowls stump to stump, he has pace; and the line and length he bowls is consistent; he has the temperament to bowl long spells. He doesn’t spin the ball much. This has attributed to his success over the years. He was a new generation of spin in the 90’s when there was no legend in the dressing room to guide him (at least in the spin department). He was a refreshingly new talent but without much variety. He had that odd googly but apart from that he is not so special. That made people to take him for granted. Even when they understood his potential they felt difficult to handle him. He had that attitude to bowl tirelessly even when he doesn’t get much assistance from the pitch. That where he outplays everyone else (Including Bhajji).

If you have a close look, much of Harbhajan’s success came in Kumble’s playing days. After the retirement of him, Bhajji is just a pale shadow of himself. As experts say, spinners hunt in pairs. There was a good rapport between them. That was because, Jumbo was a selfless bowler. He sets the thing up for Bhajji to get wickets when he himself don’t get any wickets. They bowled in tandem.

It is not easy to replace any legend all of a sudden. When Sunny retired, it took another 15 years to find another good opener in Sehwag. So it will be in Kumble’s case. But I am surprised to see no one want someone in his place. No talks on the legend. Is that because we are traditionally spin bowlers and we can find another special talent? That will not be the case. Sometime you need to stick to the basics. Atleast in the longer format. Too many variations will cost us the match. That is what happened in the recent home series against England. And that is where you need someone like Kumble to set things up, make it difficult for the batsmen to score. The pressure will result in wicket, either your end or the other end. The young generation is now in a hurry for wicket and fame as well. Ashwin, dubbed to be the man for the future, fails in this aspect. He is yet to attain that maturity. I am not sure if the current bunch of players have the patience to watch a test match of 80’s and 90’s (especially between India and Pakistan, which will be draw most of the time and you can predict the result in the 3^rd day itself). That patience is missing in the modern days. There you need a man of Jumbo’s caliber to marshal the troops.

Having said that, I recently compare one man with the patience and skills of Kumble. I maybe to totally wrong or too early but if found right, you have to give it to me for this discovery. While I am writing this, he has taken his 2^nd wicket against Pakistan in the last edition of champion’s trophy. He was bought into the team as a spin bowling all rounder, failed in all aspects and c ritisised by everyone. Even Dhoni came under severe criticism but now it is paying off. Yes it is Sir Jaddu. Ok ok let me justify or try to defend myself first. I was a strong critic of him and his batting abilities (Still I am), but when it comes to bowling, I feel he is the best spinner in India at present. The stats will tell you. He is economical, doesn’t spin the ball much (odd ones turn) and that is his strength. He has a slower one and a quicker one. Bowls stump to stump as like the great jumbo. If you are not convinced yet, just go back to the India-Australia Hyderabad test. Just watch how he sets up Clarke for the wicket. I was convinced at that point. He is our man for a long term. He is now doing for India in the Champions trophy. Both with the bat and the ball. He has the temperament to bowl long spells. For me he is the man for the tournament against Australia. Without him, 4-0 would not be there (sure India would have won the series). This young lad has a long way to go!! For me he is the spinner to watch out for!!

Business stratergies to learn from IPL – Worth Read!!

If you are planning to start a business full time or part time, following the IPL closely will help as there are lot to learn from it. But I don’t know if this blog will help you.

The advertisement goes like, it is an alternate family entertainment. That’s the reason people come with families, spend atleast 5k in 4 hours and go back happily (or pretend to be).

You have all the stars. Only the player with star value will be picked in the team. That’s the reason Ganguly was picked in IPL 5 although he was terribily out of form. That is because Pune Warriors were out of the services of Yuvraj and they need some one to pull the crowd. There would be no better person than Dada. Statics prove that, the move was success. Out of the top 5 profit matches of IPL 5, pune warriors were involved in 3. Now Yuvi is back and Dada is gone. Why franchisee need to pull crowd. Simple. They get a share in profit in the matches that they are involved.

Lot of sponsors bid for the rights and become a household name by end of the season (DLF maximum, Karbon Kamaal catch). The reach is superb. Eventually people start buying those. So its a great marketing medium for products.

Lot of indirect business as well. We see team t-shirts being sold outside the stadium (obviously at elevated prices) which are bought with huge enthusiasm. I could also see a concept of package involved. Right from pick up to drop, everything is included.

So where this is leading to? Are the people going to really watch cricket? The intension is not clear to me. A cricket lover will not like this as this is just entertainment. People fall prey to the advertisement of the organisers. And we are happy to upload a pic in FB and feeling proud of our achievement(!!!).

We are making the rich even richer. Why not we have the heart to help poor? If you feel like going to an IPL match, just donate that money to the need. The satisfaction you will get is more. Just think over the same. There are lot of people without food, without books to study and not able to get new clothes. What we do is creating IPL rockstars and the heros. Small thoughts will make big difference in their lives.

Note: The heading of the blog is put that way to attract more readers. That’s the sad story of our current state.

Raja Muthirai - Book review

One of the Sandalyan's best. But I never got to know about the book untill I read. Actually I went to the library to borrow Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan. As that was not available I had to settle with this (The first tamil novel I wanted to read was Ponniyin selvan but I completed as many as 7 before that due to unavailability). Its goes with usual Sandalyan's style. If you don't like his style, then you wont like any of his books. He is someone who goes into the detail of explaining. It wont be entertaining throughout. There will be lows (the boring part due to too much explanation). But the high part that will follow, will run swiftly without your knowledge. When you realise, it will already be morning. That is the best part I like about him.

What this book is about?

Raja Muthirai is a story about the pandiyas. Of the Sandalyan's book this is the one which has a non-chola hero. The hero is the great Vira pandiyan brother of Sundara pandiyan (MGR has done this character in Madhurai Meetha Sundharapandian). The story deals with investigation of the pearl robbery in the country which is the biggest source of the country's income.  In the meantime, Muthukumari, daughter of Sundarapandiyan is kidnapped. The culprit is found to be Veera Ravi Udhaya Marthanda Varman (I like this name a lot!!), the Chera King. What unfolds is the lead up to the war and the war between the two Tamil Kings.

The situation is very bad for the pandiyas as they are rebuilding their empire from scratch. With few thousand soldiers how tactically they win is the interesting plot of the story. But the story is not completely about it. There is Sandalyan's touch to it. The romance. Two couples and lot of love. Story goes with the history and few characters are fictional. For example, Vira Pandiyan's lover. She has been shown as a typical girl in the first half but a fierce warrior in the second. The intimacy between them in the middle of tensed war situation shows how naughty the Sandalyan's hero is.

More than the war, the lead up and the war strategy is what that keeps you engaging. 

The material that is used in the climax to win the battle is explained something similar to today's Mortar (Beerangi). This is unbelievable those days, but barring that, you will get a feel of a period film. This again is one of Sandalyan's best and must read!!

Are we grooming the right guy for Lead spinner?

Ravichandran Ashwin. All set to become the fastest Indian to 100 test wickets. From a bigger picture he is the man for the future. But does he have that in him to lead the spin attack for another 5-10 years? Lets analyse.

16 tests, 90 wickets is no mean achievement. He has lead the spin attack after the disastrous tour of England to high success. R Ashwin - Take a bow.

But that is not what a critic will look at. There are lot more to it. Out of the 16 tests, 13 were played in India.


So he is very good in Indian or Sub-Continent conditions. We have 3 other teams in the Sub-Continent were he can be useful. Again, this is a wrong impression if you dig further deep. Out of these 13, 9 were played against weaker opponents (West Indies, New Zealand & Australia). The only stronger team to tour was England and they dominated him to the max. He looked dull, out of confidence and looked like he was not the man for the mission (To lead the spin attack).

His only overseas tour was a disaster. There is no more to discuss on that tour. He was simply out played. He was comparatively a better batsman.

So where is the problem? He is highly successful in the shorter format. The answer lies here. Ashwin knows what it needs to succeed in the shorter format. Variations. He has very good carrom ball, faster one, slower one. When he tried to apply them in tests, he was successful but only against weaker opponents who were unable to play him. But England showed how to play him. They were patient and made Ashwin to make mistake. He did and they succeeded.

When you look at the Indian spin legends, they stick to a line and length and drew the batsmen forward. They were successful. Waited for the batsmen to make mistake. Patience is the key which is missing from Ashwin.

But he looks to improve in the current series. He keeps bowling good deliveries and doesn't show much variations which is very good at this level. Although Aussies are weaker, this change from him is really positive.

Does this solves the complete problem? Will he be successful overseas or he will again be a flop show like Bhajji? That depends on how quick learner he is. Kumble doesn't have any variations but he was the man for the mission. He was highly successful in any conditions. There are lot of take away for Ashwin from the Jumbo.

I have made another observation in the current series. The discovery of Jadeja. Highly criticized player of modern times. His bowling is good if not great. He sticks to the line, odd ball turns and keeps a tight line. He puts a constant pressure on the batsmen from one end. To me he looks like a lead spinner in the alien conditions. But long way to go Jadeja!!

Clarke - The leader by example

When we think of an Australian player, especially an Australian captain, the thing that strikes our mind is attitude. After the monkeygate incident and the infamous Sydney test of 2008, the Australians are stamped as unsportive.

Yes!! You should have the spirit to not lose a game but that should be the right spirit. But the mighty Aussies of the last decade got used to the habit of winning that the defeat was unacceptable to them. They sledge, do all non sense on the field to distract and win the match. They were talented but they were also the most hated for their attitude. Kumble, the then captain, went on to say "There was only one team playing in the spirit of the game". Ponting was a major contributor.

But now, the transitional side, under Clarke is a much different one. The sledging came down and the team now looks to play in the right spirit. A very good example was witnessed recent Mohali test. They were defending a below par total of 133. India need to go at a brisk pace to avoid a draw. But the over rate, never dipped. That is the right thing to do and Clarke did it. There were no time wasting tactics involved.

There maybe couple of reasons involved in this change.

One is the captain. Captain is the face of the team. He gives a perspection about the character of team. Clarke is a good guy, atleast from my point of view. His approach is positive. He tries to lead the team by example. He knows the team is struggling. He saw legends retire. Now its his turn to rebuild the team. All he can do is do the bulk of scoring which he does constantly.

The second reason might be the drop in performance level of the team. they are no more the force to recon with. Their confidence level is low.

So what is the real reason in the change in the behaviour out of these two? We are getting the answer in current Delhi test. There is no Clarke and the Aussie aggression is back. I could see sledging during Kohli dismissal and Rahane play. So how one man can make a difference. That's a great thing about this guy. Today he maybe at the receiving end. He is in the process of building his team. Once done, he is all set to rule the world.

All the best pup!!

Simple ways to save power. Trust me, you can!!

You maybe wondering by seeing your monthly electricity bill!! How could this keep on increasing? And that will cause a big dent in your monthly income. Here I am presenting you with few simple steps to save power. You may know this but reminding them to you is not such a bad thing!

Lets start with the most simplest of the suggestion. Guys, switch off your lights when not used. This may save a lot of power. You can experiment this only by following it. If this does not solve your woes, then hit back to me, I will take back my words. Its like leave a room, off the switch. It applies to your lounge and entrance too. 

Next what you can do is, just replace your bulbs. Use of CFL and LEDs can reduce your power consumption nearly half of what you consume now. If you are using air conditioner, you can consider switching off them frequently.

Solar water heaters will save a lot of power in your household. Whether its summer or winter, everyone of us love to take hot water bath. It refreshes us right!! We feel great. But the consumption of power is huge in case of a geyser. Consider buying a solar water heater. It may cost around 7K but that is one time cost and from then on, you wont spend on hot water bath.!!

Finally, consider setting up a solar power plant in your home. This is again a one time cost and you will end up saving for lifetime

High Time for us apply for Aadhar!!

With Govt making it mandatory to have Aadhar number for PF transactions, its now must for us to have one by end of this month. This blog will give you details regarding how and where to apply. Refer the link below for the details on the same.

http://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/no-aadhar-card–no-pf-transactions-102235646.html

First of all, Aadhaar enrolment is free. You need not pay any money for application. It is just required to carry your proofs for applying.

Where to apply?

You can go to any authorized Aadhaar enrollment center anywhere in India with your identity and address proof. From anywhere you can apply with your permenant address. So its quite easy to apply even if you are not in your native but prefer to get the card in native address. To find the list of centres please click the link below.

http://appointments.uidai.gov.in/easearch.aspx

Note: There is no enrollment centre in TamilNadu

But it is possible to check with various partners who have signed MoU with Aadhar. For example, SBI is a partner. So, you can directly visit an SBI near your location and get the details from them. Please visit the link below for various partners.

http://uidai.gov.in/aadhaar-enrolments.html

List of proofs required.

You need to submit and ID proof (can be PAN card/voter ID which most of us have), one address proof (Ration Card/ Passport/ Bank passbook) and a DoB proof (Passport/Birth Certificate/SSLC Mark Sheet). For full list, please click below.

http://uidai.gov.in/images/FrontPageUpdates/valid_documents_list.pdf

நாட்ல என்ன நடந்தா நமக்கு என்ன

நமக்கு நம்ம சந்தோசம் தான் முக்கியம். யார் எப்படி நாசமா போனா தான் என்ன. இருக்குறது ஒரு life. Enjoy பண்ணுவோம்.

 பெட்ரோல் விலை ஏறிகிட்டே இருக்கு. Demand தான் காரணம். So what? I have a job. I have good salary. I will buy a bike. I can afford. அடுத்தவனால வாங்க முடியலனா எனக்கு என்ன.

பெட்ரோல் விலை ஏறுனா டீஸல் மட்டும் சும்மாவா இருக்கும். அதுவும் தான் ஏறுது. டீஸல் விலை ஏறுனா பால், பருப்பு, பஸ் டிக்கெட், ரயில் டிக்கெட், லொட்டு லொசுக்கு எல்லாம் தான் ஏறும். ஏழ பணக்காரன் எல்லாரும் தான் பாதிக்கபடுவான். So what? டீஸல் அதிக mileage தரும். Its slightly cheaper than petrol. I will buy a diesel car. I can afford. அடுத்தவனால சோறு வாங்க முடியலனா எனக்கு என்ன.

 நான் Corporate-ல work பண்றேன். Paper cup and Tissues are good to use. எவன் கப்பையும் kerchief-உம் தூக்கிட்டு சுத்துவான். எத்தன லட்சம் மரம் அழிஞ்சா எனக்கு என்ன.
5 வருஷத்துக்கு ஒரு தடவ தேர்தல் வருது. அதுக்காக ஊருக்கு பொய் வோட்டு போடா முடியுமா. எவன் ஆட்சிக்கு வந்தா எனக்கு என்ன.

எனக்கு சினிமாவும் கிரிக்கெட்டும் தான் முக்கியம். மாசத்துல இதுக்காக நிறைய நேரமும் பணமும் செலவு பண்ணுவேன். இல்லாதவங்களுக்கு உதவியா? நான் ஏன் பண்ணனும்? அதுக்கு நிறைய பேர் இருக்காங்க. ஏன் சம்பளத்த என் சந்தோசத்துக்கு தான் செலவு பண்ணுவேன். யார் எப்டி போன எனக்கு என்ன.

மண்ணெண்ன வெளக்கென்ன வேப்பெண்ண எவன் எக்கேடு கேட்டு போன எனக்கென்ன

Strange Habit of Corporate Employees

Past:

I am fond of reading historic tamil novels. When I was reading one such novel called Sivagamiyin Sabadham by Kalki, I noticed that people used to walk just like that from Kanchipuram (the then Pallava capital) to Tanjore (Chola capital) which is about 250+ KMs.

Present:

Now come to reality. In corporate world, people take autos to bus stop. Get a bus to office tech park. The get an inter office shuttle to office entrance (which maybe just a Km or two). Then get lift to their respective floor (Even if it is 1st or 2nd floor).

Future:

I remember a scene in the movie WALL-E when I think of the above 2 scenarios. People will be exported to some other planet by some corporate and will be living a great life. Completely in bed getting all the facilities. Suddenly a guy will fall down from his bed. Shockingly, he will not know how to get up. Then a machine will come and place him on the bed again.

I guess this will happen if we dont come out of our comfort zone. Life is all about happiness and not comfort. Just try avoiding those inter tech park shuttles and lifts to next floors. Walking and cycling are really great.

Go Green!!