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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Grand Saga of the CWG 2010

----Cynicism Alert ----

A little late to critique or comment on the concluded CWG 2010 in New Delhi but still I thought I would pen down my thoughts.

As someone very wisely said once...."Hindi filmon ki tarah humari zindagi mein bhi akhir tak sab thik ho hi jaata hai....happies endings" (like in Hindi films, in our lives too towards the end, it all falls into place). Little did the respectable king khan know at the time, he may as well have been referring to the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010.

First things first. How archaic to have a world sporting event named after the collection of colonies of the British Empire! And our Raj hangover for us to rejoice over hosting them!! Nevertheless, I put my cynicism aside and like every Indian, started hoping that this would help clean up my beautiful country and the capital city and once the hullaboo was over, we would be left with some great infrastructure to our disposal like the Asian Games did 3 decades back!

And then the media frenzy started. It suddenly became fashionable to criticise the games, the infrastructure, the money spent, the hygene standards. Barely would anyone of prominence have given a byte and media would be all over him like a pack of hounds! And the smart statesmen like Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh did not dirty their hands in this mudslinging and justifying.

So overwhelmed were we all with this crazied attacking, that most Indians almost involuntarily started hoping that the Games would be cancelled or a big disaster so that they could shake their heads in dismay and say - I told you so. And I have to confess, I was one among those who wanted Delhi to fail and showcase the routine nature of corruption in India.

And then a strange thing happened. 2 days before the games, suddenly there came this positive publicity when athletes started arriving. Canadian, Australian and other athletes started pouring in from 68 nations and seemed quite happy with the arrangements and the infrastructure. They gave interviews to the same effect completely ignorant to the fact that Indians were rooting for them to say the opposite! And miraculously overnight Indians developed sudden patriotism and started facebooking on how they wished the games well. How it was fantastic that Delhi had 18 new flyovers, a spanking new CP complex, Metro that now reached most corners of this vast metropolitan, an airport terminal 3kms long, cultural festivals, the Delhi Eye so on and so forth. The coup de grace ofcourse was the opening ceremony. I wouldnt compare it with the Beijing Olympics but frankly, the ceremony was spectacular, beautifully designed and executed and world class (the buzz word of the day)! And we all rejoiced on how we had triumphed. I rejoiced it!

And I am glad we proved it wrong, Delhi proved us wrong and India showed us how it works!!!

Hindi filmon ki tarah humari zindagi mein bhi akhir tak sab thik ho hi jaata hai....happies endings.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Chances - More Than Realism...!!!


For they define who you are and what you will be... Chances are only what we make them... And all I need...!!!


Monday, October 4, 2010

Changing Hues...!!!

Change is inevitable they say... and I say, that is the only constant. And yet, the mind wonders whether people ever change? Some schools of thought say that once a person’s personality has been defined (over the years), events may alter short term behavior; but long term behavior and attitude can not change.

This comes as a blow to most people who wish one aspect or another of someone they love changes. It could be anything – a habit, the way a person reacts, extent of expressiveness or even as simple as tidiness. But if you really think about people you know, you may realise that at the core of it, in the long term, the intrinsic person remains the same. Does this mean we should not believe in giving second and third chances? Does it mean it is easier to accept something rather than hope that the future will be different?

I have mixed feelings on this. I know in my heart that people don’t truly change. They learn to curb their behaviour or pretend otherwise. On the other hand, in my not-so-long lifetime, I have met a few people who changed completely. Some overnight, some over a period of time. Such that they often become the complete antithesis of who they were.

I pride myself to be that unchanged personality; but as such I have observed a few changes myself. My daily routine does not allow me to do certain things I like to do and keep pace with. And I hate it when people point out these as a change in me. So, yes I am confused and at the same time angered with my life. I feel there is a great need to get things in order and take that step towards gaining total control. Am I reacting too much... I donno... but all I know is that I am still the same Phani who loves the way he thinks, who loves his friends for whom he can do anything, who loves his family primarily responsible for him being at this stage of life, who still believes that Human is Divine and the blessings of his loved once sailed him past the various phases in his life and who thinks that LOVE can certainly change the world.

Is this a phase, I wonder? Or is it the reality?