Journalism at its best in India..

After a goof up in the case with Moninder Pandher, throwing allegations on Air Deccan without any substantial proofs, IBN is at its best in journalism and they are now diversifying into publishing the SMS. Email and MMS forwards. The latest in their ranks is cricketers photographs with alternate job options. See it for yourself. Well, if disclaimer is something to care about then you can publish all sort of jokes about national personalities like Gandhi (Mahatama, Indira and Sonia) and incest stories. I am wondering that maybe if this is the quality of the journalism, then maybe that day will come soon.

Hit a hundred. Earn a citizenship..

Well, even then Indians cant deliver. Mat Hayden hit a century (fastest in WC) in St. Kitts and was awarded the lifetime membership of the golf club and a honorary citizenship of St. Kitts (Cricinfo report) . I don't know whether Hayden needs it or not but poor Indian players (not literally poor) may need a citizenship of St. Kitts because they are not going to be accepted in India for long long time. You can make that out from the images of Rahul Dravid speaking to media and hoping that no physical damage would be done anywhere. But poor Rahul you say that its just a sport, then where is the passion for the sport. For Australia also its a sport and not even their most popular sport but can you point a finger to any of your player and tell that he can match even the worst Australian player in the commitment and passion? Well, the only one player Mohd. Kaif was missing from the ground. I don't know what you people are thinking about but truth to be told, you all didn't play cricket like sport. Anyways come home, many angry fans might be waiting for you at the airport. You have brought shame to us and now time for you to face the shame and humiliation. Dont shy away from it, you guyz have earned it.

Two great articles before the Big Match..

As usual, was reading through the pre-match stories of expectations and beliefs about Indian team, I don't know whether we will win or loose but then perhaps this will be a match people are not going to forget easily if we loose today, and if we win here people will start building up expectations for the next and then next. Well, read the articles.

• Anand Vasu
• Rahul Bhattacharya

Door Darshan's Family HIV education..

Fulfilling its corporate social responsibility job, DoorDarshan has crossed all the limits of innovative advertising. Sehwag hits a six and the next moment you see a guy making passes on a girl and thinking that when a girl say no it still means an Yes and then the girl rudely say to him that we are just friends and the guy agress. What a sensual portrayal of a "desire" turning into pure friendship. And then the next over from Bermuda. DD is so involved in its role that sometime they even forget to show the last ball of the over and suddenly instead of Sehwag or Ganguly you see a character playing carrom (where the hell is cricket?) and then a dialogue from background that "Are you going to touch the electric wires with bare hands?" and then the guy replies "Pagal samjha hai kya bhau" (do you think that I am mad?), the ad culminates by advocating the need for condoms. And then, in third series you see HIV affected person jumping, laughing and celebrating.

Over the years, the quality of the advertising has deteriorated, these messages need to be conveyed to the public but then the audience you are addressing (youth) is not the only one watching TV. When a cricket match come, chances are that the whole family (you call yourself a family channel) is watching it and there you mix up the message. I dont know what kind of thinking goes behind media planning for these ads that even when there is a need to convey these messages to society, their process is entirely ineffective and not called for.

The Google Phone.

A recent acquisition of mobile application development company, another acquisition of mobile software company Android, and rumours about Samsung and Google coming up with bundled offer of handheld device plus softwares (google search, earth) is all giving air to the smoke that google is working on a mobile phone project which will most probably use VOIP for its telephony services. If its true that we are going to enter into a price war between various VOIP players and even between the mobile operators. Indian mobile companies being the low cost players have not to worry too much. But the future looks bright as given the thin profit margins, the competition will be on functionalities and that means keeping our fingers crossed.

Read the full article here

When to know that you have progressed in your life?

When you start feeling that your friends do not fall into the sample set of your simple market research project. Not making any sense? I guess most of the B schoolers will understand.

Time to focus on other sports..

They started with "Hu Haa India, Aaya India" - India came and lost in the mini world cup.

They changed to "Hu Haa India, Phir Aayega India" - They went on a loosing streak and recently lost against Bangladesh also.

They need to change to " Hu Haa India, Haye Haye India" - This is more rhyming and even when they launched the first version, it sounded like Haye Haye only. But they calrified it by putting stars like Ganguly, Shahrukh, Shreyas (Iqbal) and others that it's "Aaya India".
Anyways, India's performance will keep up fluctuating, who knows they might actually create a record of sorts today or again get close to loosing. Don't know but most of us suffer from the same mindset. Take things easily, and when it gets tough, blame external conditions. Task for Indian team is easy that Bangladesh played better but for corporate India whose thousands of crores is hinging on India's performance in world cup there is no such excuse. Why the hell these people are hell bent on promoting cricket when people are actually running away from watching this 8 hour long lazy game. It's time to invest money in sports like football, hockey, Kabaddi and even for that sake in Kho-Kho. Remember Yuvraj broke his leg/hand (don't know whatever) while playing that. Time to put in money in all those sports and make them more glamorous.

I am dying to write something on the various advertisement which are centred on Team India. Will be ready with that sooner.

Bob Woolmer 'The death of an Era.."

The way he died, many controversy stories will sprung up in near future and all of them will strike a chord with audience because we all like to see things consistent with what we already believe. Two days back, I wrote here on my blog that the way Indians react and the way Pakistanis react towards defeat are entirely different. Indian story is marked by shamelessness where your Captain comes up on the stage and says that we were 30-40 runs short, So? there fore? I guess even teams like Bangladesh and players like Habibul Bashar can make mockery of our great team and great captain any day. Chappel has made no formal announcement, Dravid has done nothing. The only clear signal is that Indians lack the passion for cricket. All they care for is their stardom, their egos and their bank balance. Pakistanis even if they are lacklustre on the field but still passion is there. The way Inzamam announced retirement and Bob Woolmer died of cardiac arrest (not clear) shows that the shame is unbearable for them but I guess I will see all the Indians players showing off on the ground against another minnow Barmuda today. They will perish to flashy drives and will throw everything at the ball but then boys, whatever you do, if you are not getting the cup home this time, Indians will not forget you for long long time.

The death of Bob Woolmer has signalled an end of an era. He fought against the system, against the attitude of players, against all the odds just because he was a perfectionist. He took South Africa to the hilt of success but was unlucky they didn't win the world cup (Gibbs to be blamed) but then, he changed everything in South African cricket. Pakistan was a tough nut to crack but he managed somehow. All he did was right and if something has happened wrong in the Ireland match then only players are to be blames. Coach is not going to keep your bat straight, he can only teach you how to play with a straight bat. Coach can not stop you from showing off in the ground, he can only tell you that how to keep your calm. Well, coach can not do all the things for you but you should be feeling lucky enough that this coach has gone one extra mile to save you all from humiliation by laying down his life. Public will surely sympathize with Pakistani team and as a matter of the fact with Indian team too as they are going through almost the same situation except that they got a warning shot.

Come on guyz, if you don't need a martyr coach or a player better play your heart out.

A finance student's perspective :- On India loosing to Bangladesh

The Indian cricket players are needed to be told that they finally earn their bread and butter out of public money and time. We spend our time watching all those stupid matches and advertisements and we pay taxes so that DD can use that money to broadcast matches. And Darling if we stop doing any of these you will be out there like Zimbawe players or Canadian players selling insurance or repairing vehicles. Some might have to go again driving Tractors or may be fishing also is not a bad idea. So we all are stakeholders of this mighty Indian cricket empire.

Now, suppose a company which have lost everything in a Day what is the moral responsibility of the band of their top line officers? If you loose out your stakeholder's money in a night then either you will be fleeing over night with your suitcase (and girlfriend maybe) or you will be sitting in your bathroom with your veins cut or as most of these players like to drink, you might be drinking some champagne with that extra bit of heroine or some other lethal drug to sleep and never wake up. Or you might prefer to jump from the fourteenth floor of your apartment building so that atleast people can see that you went through the same pain, you suffered the same, you felt what they were feeling, you also lost something and you care for their time and money as well as they do. Comeon guyz they don't want you to bat for Pepsi or Coke or Bank of Baroda, they want you to bat for India. They want you to actually go out and make a statement that we are the best.

How long we will keep hearing "Hu Haa India, Haara India". If you have some shame left in you, go and do something which proves that you are also as hurt as we are. Go break your TV, go shoot your hand, go have an heart attack, go try and jump from 14th floor. Don't hide behind that its just a mistake and you will try to improve. This is not just another mistake, this is as good as giving a murderous dose to an ailing patient, you just saw the death of cricket there come on go do something with yourselves. We want you to see hurt and in pain. We promise that we will forgive you for whatever stupid you will do with yourself. We love you ofcourse.

But then, Indian team is a bunch of shameless people (some of them call themselves great also) who go out there without any preparation and push everything on plain luck. These people don't even have the shame to sit there in their rooms and reflect on what went wrong. These shameless creatures are only good enough to give angry look to 17 year old youngsters and then shamelessly will watch him to come out of the crease and hammer them for long sixes. Zaheer should be the first one to learn some modesty. You did the same thing in last world cup final and if you have forgot the hammering, pick out the record book and watch your bowling figures.

Dravid should lock himself in a room and do whatever he want, Ganguly should celebrate a little, Yuvraj can have a bottle of his regular drink and for rest of them, West Indies is a coastal area and people say that the sea there is deep. Come on guyz, jump off what are you waiting for? Do you want people to go around and break your window panes? Well, you are lucky that you play for a country where people easily forgive mistake. Just wait and watch what happens with Pakistani team if they lose to Ire-land. They would run out of places to hide their cars in Pakistan. And may be for hiding themselves too.

Collapse of a mighty Indian Side..

Most of the news papers will be flashing headlines like "Bangladesh Stuns / humbles / defeated / upset India in a interesting / thrilling/ easy encounter". But that's not it. What happened in WI is end of one story and beginning of another. Its the emergence of a team which is no minnows and have the talent to take on any other side. Last week they beat New Zealand and the clinical manner in which they changed the gears shows us something that they have arrived.

But for India, it's the beginning of an end. Chappel/Dravid/Sehwag/Sachin they are old, they are lazy and they are making statements only off the ground. Sachin is coming out on TV with all kinds of ad, Sehwag is talking that how Dravid's decision is justified and Dravid is talking the same. Chappel do not talk much but by now people have come to know that most of the things that he talk about are bullshit.

Suprises :- Dravid/Chappel combine is out there to surprise people. They are changing the batting order, playing only four bowlers, keeping Kumble out (why the hell you have taken him when he is not your spinner no.1, bcoz we all know that the no. 2 is Powar) and then today the best surprise was batting on a wet wicket. Awesome decision making. This shows that they are under a lot of pressure by mere presence of Ganguly in the team. They know that their future is in danger. Mr. Dravid do some batting on the ground also don't just save it for advertisements.