Pak & Taliban Truce...Huh What a Joke!!?

Events in Pakistan are fast approaching critical mass. Islamabad's deal with the Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) has set off alarm bells from Washington to New Delhi. This is such a big no-no. Signing off on a pending measure to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan by 17,000, US president Barack Obama drew a clear link between the situation there and the rapidly deteriorating state of affairs in Pakistan. New Delhi has been unequivocal in its condemnation of the truce and NATO has expressed misgivings as well. They all have cause for concern. Islamabad's actions have raised a multitude of troubling questions which the no Civilized Govt. can answer.

Shown in the figure is the Afghanistan -Pakistan border, with areas colored in Red under Taliban Control & in Yellow under Taliban Threat as of 2004.

Trying to discern which of its multiplicity of voices represents the real Pakistan is the foremost of these. President Asif Zardari's admission that the Taliban are taking over the country seems like a powerless head of state's desperate gambit to impel US action. The truce, on the other hand, bears Rawalpindi's fingerprints. Some analysts believe that it is a tactical retreat so that another front can be opened against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Waziristan. A far more troubling possibility, however, is that some generals are giving the Taliban breathing space, still believing it an asset to be controlled even if it means compromising the integrity of the Pakistani state. 

Whatever it may be, the situation is close to crossing the red line beyond which the international community will have no option but to act. The Taliban is running a quasi-state stretching from east of Kabul to the western third of Pakistan with al-Qaeda elements finding safe haven in its territory. Threats have been made against India and there are indications of an eastward expansion by the Taliban into Islamabad. When US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said in Tokyo that the extremist elements in Pakistan posed a direct threat to the US, she was, if anything, understating the case. If the Taliban gains access to Pakistan's nuclear assets, it will be a game-changer for the world. 

In such a situation, India can do little save focus on the security of its western border and keep open lines of communication with the US, Russia and China among others. To assume that the Pakistani military would be willing or able to regain lost ground after the truce would be dangerous. If I am correct, it was precisely in this way that the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan commenced in 1994, with a populace weary of constant warfare welcoming it as the bringer of a tenuous peace, and finding too late that it was riding a tiger. In Pakistan, where the civilian government does not control the military, jihadi elements permeate both the military and the ISI and the generals still cling to disastrous tenets of 'strategic depth', the fallout is likely to be worse.

So is this a political drama or an intelligent move by "Bureaucracy of Terrorism", we just have to wait and watch. But to rather think that the truce would ease the tensions on the border is a farce proposition.

Religion & How is it different from GOD!!!

I am typically not shy from expressing my unrestrained views on a polarizing topic such as God and Religion but my friend Anoop had a tremendous impact on me when one fine day we were discussing this topic of God and it compelled me to comment and write some more.

God is a controversial topic. Actually its not....religion is...but in the middle of all the cacophony of religion, we forget the concept of God somewhere. 

I am not an atheist. I believe in God. I just don't believe in religion and irrelevant concepts around it. I don't believe in rituals ... but I believe in faith....

Similar is my theory of God. I do not know if God exists. But I believe that we create the thought of a God who controls everything so that we have hope in life. We like to have someone to blame when things go wrong, its always God's fault or fate's. When things are down, we like to believe that there is someone we can depend on. Some hope of things getting better by divine intervention. God gives us hope. Even if it is self created.

So by that logic, I don't know whether God really exists. To me, God doesn't really exist in reality, we keep Him/Her alive in our hearts to give us strength and hope....

I do believe that contrary to what most religions would like you to think, God (if he or she does exist) does not distinguish between good or bad (evil). Good and evil are purely human concepts which are not present across all living creatures and most likely embraced equally by God. Concepts of good and bad, morality and fate, etc. etc. are preached religions so that the sheep retain a sense of hope, restraint, and refrain from rebellion as they get mauled, eaten, and used by the wolves on a regular basis. Thus the wolves is sheep's clothing and some sheep allied with the wolves promote religion like a drug...

Don't be a sheep and don't count on the good shepherd to protect you from the wolves. The good shepherd may not exist, or worse, even if he does he may have equal affinity for the wolves and the sheep!

Talibanization of India? What Is Ram Sene...Trash Heads!!!

Fifteen-year-old Ashwini committed suicide because she felt humiliated. But the men who caught and thrashed her haven't been arrested yet. In the Mangalore pub attack earlier, right wing Hindu activists thrashed women publically. The men from Sri Ram Sene were bailed out within a week. So when Mangalore's reputation is under attack what do the authorities do? The Mayor presses charges against a Union Minister for calling the developments Talibanisation. 

“Pub Culture is not a part of our culture and has led to unfortunate incidents like the one in Mangalore” BS Yeddyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka 

“If St Stephen’s were to open a co-ed hostel, it would also be required to build a maternity house alongside” MS Frank, administrative head of St Stephen’s College, Delhi University.

“….one should not be so adventurous…” Sheila Dixit, Chief Minister of Delhi referring to a young lady journalist traveling home after work at 3am who was chased and shot point blank in her car. Saumya Vishwanathan is a producer with Headlines Today, English News Channel. She was covering Bomb Blasts in Malegaon and Gujarat and had to sit late to complete the assignment. She was done by 3 AM and was returning from her Jhandewalan Office towards Vasant Kunj, her home when she was shot in her own car.

"Our volunteers will check parks, hotels and restaurants and swoop upon young lovers found walking hand-in-hand," Vijay Tiwari, a Shiv Sena activist in Lucknow, said. "We are deadly against Valentine's Day," Sapan Dutta, a Sena leader, said. "We are for civilized love and affection." Bal Thackeray comments “Only those who are not patriotic and has a lot of parents' money to spend will celebrate the day”. 

India's Taliban is our very own elected government and politicians?? Last time I checked, I lived in a free democratic country?!?!! Please excuse me while I quit my job and go home to live within my 4 walls, covered from head to toe, saving the Indian/ Hindu Culture....

How Rubbish that in a Country like India, fascism of this sort still prevails. How disgusting to note today, that one voice that actually termed this whole incident as pathetic mauling and Talibznization of India, Mrs Renuka Chowdary, gets a notice for using the term Taliban against these unlawful proprietors from a NGO Activist. High time that the whole youth of India rise to thrash such farce and brutal acts of insanity.

Football Fanatics!!!

Football, as it is known to its billions of fans is the most beautiful game with breath taking skills and maneuvers from some of world’s greatest footballers. Remember my days from 12^th grade, where I had a little story describing the fierce rivalry between Glasgow’s Rangers and Celtics, which struck me intrigued on the frantic behavior of fans. Rather amusingly I now accept that I do the same. In England and more so in Europe, more than in any other country or region, there is a tradition of supporters travelling en masse to away games.

I am assuming those football fans who regularly follow their team away from home will be familiar with the concept of a "face"; a person you regularly see but rarely know, someone you nod at without saying hello to who reminds you that you're in the right place. Such things do inspire and motivate a fan to travel thousands of miles to watch their team play.

So how big is football without the fans. It sure remains the most beautiful game, but I say not even one tenth of what it is today. Those on the pitch are merely transient, just passing through; incidental to the whole shebang when compared to those who were there before they arrived and will be there long after they've left. Football supporters refer affectionately to the team as "the shirts" because ultimately it doesn't matter a stuff who's wearing them as long as they do so with honor and pride; what's important is the people and place it represents.

Though very controversial, the whole transfer saga of Cristiano Ronaldo’s move away from Manchester United to Madrid is a shab. The fans in this case, did not want any other player but CR to wear the shirt with Number 7 behind it. They wanted him to stay, unlike many clubs where players come and go, Manchester United is more of a footballing dream rather than a mere club. So, why leave all those fans behind and irk for some extra dollars? And the saga continue, with Real’s interim president Boluda admitting that he is very confident of Ronaldo’s move to the Spanish Capital this summer.

A paucity of resources does not result in a poor performance. An under-strength squad does not equate to underachievement. So whenever another manager whinges about a small squad or a lack of finances, he should be confronted with Ranieri's record with Chelsea back in 2002-03. The more players he was missing, the more Chelsea achieves.

The shame is that those playing and running the game continually fail to realise this. Players become ever more remote, content to milk the adulation of the crowd for the duration of the 90 minutes, before insulating themselves from its members the rest of the time behind minders, gates and VIP areas. Nonetheless its members would do well to remember that ultimately there will be a price; not all supporters will have the limitless loyalty.

Annoying Allegories to a True Legend...

“Consensus is that Sir Donald Bradman was the best batsman ever to play Cricket. Sir Don did not play One-Day Cricket but if he did, he could easily be Sachin Tendulkar.” – Barry Richards.

So, when this great man named Sachin Tendulkar was going through a lean patch in 2006, people all over the world starting counting his days at the international arena. But very few were to expect the kind of resilience and temperament he showed in the year to come. He was to show his critics and people who wanted to see him leave the dressing room, the true genius and magic of a diligent and committed cricketer. The year 2007 saw this great man amass yet another 1000 runs in a calendar year, making it 7 in total, and to show the world how India can reverse back after a dismal display at the World Cup.

Though I have been a great fan of this man ever since my learning days, the reason for me to pen my appreciation on his genius today is to make all those critics and boy lovers realize, that there is still that one name that draws attention in most opposition minds and makes them wonder – how on earth can we get this guy out!. Today when the over rated and over respected Mathew Hayden is on the verge of ending his test career, a 35 year old ‘kid’ is still wanting to win the WC for India, isn’t it a disgrace to have compared him to the genius of Sachin. Hayden does hold his aura at the top of the innings, but can it draw a comparison with that of Sachin, with a billion fans expecting a hundred every time he walks onto the ground and the entire dressing room looking up to him, I would say a big NO.

So, why the fuss about his selection before a tour begins, why an eye brow raise after every single digit score? Isn’t he human? Doesn’t he deserve the credit that of Mathew Hayden who even after 21 innings without a 50 is given a chance by the so called Aussie way of ruling things?

When drawing a comparison one has to look at what is the weight of balance on both ends. In cricket’s point of view, the kind of opposition one faced. In batting, Sachin has reached a stage that others can only dream of. He has hammered every bowling opposition in the world - from Shane Warne (Aus.) to Saqlain Mushtaq (Pak.), and Waqar Younis (Pak.) to Allan Donald (RSA), from Curtley Ambrose (WI) to Danny Morrison (NZ) and in style. What has Hayden faced, where did he get most of runs and against what kind of attack. 30 Test centuries do look credible, but are they credible enough to draw a comparison to that of Sachins’. This requires an entire new post.

Sachin’s saga though, continues as the master-blaster made the highest runs in a single calendar year in ODIs in 1998, amassing 1894 in 34 games at an average of 65.31, including nine hundreds and seven fifties. Tendulkar broke his own world record of 1611 runs set in 1996. He also crossed 1000 runs in five other years 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2007. At Indore against Australia on March 31 2001, Tendulkar drove Shane Warne for a single to long-off and went down as the first man to scale the summit of 10,000 runs in ODIs. Sachin Tendulkar reached another milestone during the third day of the second Test against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club when he struck Arnoldus Blignaut for his third boundary to move from 18 to 22, Tendulkar surpassed Dilip Vengsarkar's tally of 6868 runs to become India's second highest Test run getter. The highlight of the Queen's Park Oval at Port of Spain in Trinidad, 2002, test play had been Tendulkar scoring his 29th Test century to equal Sir Donald Bradman's record of Test hundreds. The young maestro had surpassed Gavaskar’s tally of 34 Test hundreds and now sits on 41 Test Hundreds.

“You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind midwicket. His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it's a toothpick.” – Brett Lee, on Sachin Tendulkar’s batting

Now lets in brief dig into his start. In his schooldays Sachin joined the nets of Dronacharya Ramakant Acharekar. With his schoolmate Vinod Kambli of Shardashram he enjoyed his school level cricket. These two Shardashram batsmen added a mountain of 664 runs for the third wicket in a Harris Shield game in February 1988 at the Azad Maidan to create a new world partnership record for any wicket in any class of cricket. Kambli made 349 and skipper Tendulkar 326 as Shardashram hoisted a total of 748/2 before taking mercy on a wilting St. Xavier's High School attack. It was then that he was picked up by eyes of selectors of Mumbai Cricket team. Tendulkar made them proud with his unique debut in domestic cricket. He remains the only player to score a century on debut in all three domestic first class competitions: 100 not out in the Ranji Trophy (Bombay v Gujarat at Bombay 1988-89), 159 in the Duleep Trophy (West Zone v East Zone at Guwahati 1990-91) and 103 not out in the Irani Trophy (Rest of India v Delhi at Bombay, 1989-90). (Stats courtesy www.howstat.com)

The wonder boy made his international debut in ODIs and Tests at the age of 16 against traditional opponent Pakistan and the fiery pace of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Tendulkar became the youngest batsman to score a Test half century when he made 59 against Pakistan at Faisalabad on November 24 1989. He also became the youngest man to score 1000 runs in Tests - at 19 years and 217 days - during his fourth Test century at Johannesburg in 1992/93.

When Tendulkar is on, there is no more regal sight in the cricketing world (except for bowlers…they get experience of the nightmare). The spectators at the stadium are on their feet cheering while all over the world, TV audiences are glued to the screen.

With such an aura and magic around him, a comparison to the likes of Hayden and Ponting are beyond my understanding. Hayden himself had this to say.

“His life seems to be a stillness in a frantic world... [When he goes out to bat], it is beyond chaos - it is a frantic appeal by a nation to one man. The people see him as a God... “–Mathew Hayden, on Sachin Tendulkar.

” I am a normal person who plays cricket. I am nothing more than that” – Sachin Tendulkar, on being told of above quote.

He is so much to learn from, not just as a cricketer but as a human being. So my sincere urge to stop all those comparisons to the likes of Haydens, Pontings, etc. They hold their own but nothing as compared to the great one. Beyond doubt, a living legend and a great title holder!!!

Long Live Mind Changing! :)

There are people who cannot or will not change their minds, as in: “My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the facts!” I feel these people have already finished living their lives. Why bother to wake up tomorrow as it will be the same as today anyway!

Yes. No. Yes. No. Actually, Yes. I mean, No.

It's totally cool to change your mind as many times as you want, assuming you communicate to people that you've done so, and not just got cross with them when they don't realize you have! :)
People who say, that their mind is made up and that they will not be moved on their decision are (and I'm making a big sweeping statement here! Sorry!), probably quite close minded or possibly stubborn people. Everyone should be open to the idea of changing their minds - for example, if new evidence is presented to them that they'd not previously considered!

To say that they don't want to be bothered with the facts is like saying "I don't care if it turns out the decision I've made is not based on all the facts, I've made my decision now and there's nothing that anyone can do to change my mind!" I know it's just my opinion, but, I cannot live my life like that and I see it all as a huge learning experience.

I believe most people who won't change their minds hold their ground because 1) they are afraid and/or 2) they are comfortable and/or 3) they are lazy, and/or 4) they've been seriously indoctrinated (either by self or others) toward one line of thinking, and/or 5) they succumb to cultural attitudes about 'standing one's ground' as a desirable trait (to the detriment of open-mindedness).

Some clever person once said that the only thing that remains constant is "change". To fail to be open to hearing new information and examining other perspectives, we are doomed to miss important cues to understanding, and to living wholly as the purposeful and miraculously-gifted human beings that we are. What a sad loss for humanity.

But what about an in-decisive mind?, isn’t it a waste to load your mind with too many things which finally let you end up with something similar to what you would have had with an instant decision, maybe with a small price to pay, of course!!, but none the less with something in a more easier and faster manner. Things that tend to occupy your mind with no concreteness are fatal. Now lets in brief discuss about people who are not IN for thinking at all.

Can you imagine a scenario where you try to communicate good to somebody whom you really like as a person and would want to see him/her grow with what ever he/she has and finally to see that he/she do not care of what you ever said ending up doing exactly the opposite. I have had great instances as such (here I am refering to my dear friend Hari Raju). I do not say I might have had the perfect solution in that case, but I am sure I was wiser.

It is interesting that many business models still silently promote firmness of stance at the same time they promote flexibility of thinking/open mindedness, and that the patriarchal attitude that seems to pervade even these days is one that says if you change your mind and are in a position of leadership, that somehow you are weak or indecisive--a clear negative. That's holdover stuff from an old attitude based in male “egocentrism” (lolz)--and it still holds a lot of great men and women hostage in business and life even today, although we're making progress.

Being tuned in for new information and "clues", and being open to weighing and combining them with inner knowledge & experience are the essentials of wisdom, hard-won only through the journey of critical thought and consideration. The generations that follow are counting on us to be open minded enough to gain such wisdom by being open minded enough to carefully consider new information, learn constantly, and apply our newfound wisdom and revelations.

Being open minded and not closing your eyes and ears calls for some timing too!!!

It depends on the circumstances. If, for example, someone says 'I will never kill anyone unless I absolutely have to, in self defense, and then steadfastly refuses to change their mind, I think this is a good thing. Killing someone is a terrible thing to do, and should certainly be actively avoided. If however, someone says 'I don't want anything to do with anyone from England' and then steadfastly refuses to change their mind, this is ridiculous and prejudiced, because there are a lot of perfectly nice people from England. Also, if you refuse to EVER change your mind about ANYTHING, you will be grumpy and stubborn and unwilling to learn, and nobody should ever be like that.

If it's something like changing your mind on your principles then I don't' think it's OK because that's what you stand for. Someone who changes their principles often doesn't seem like a strong/good person. And if it's like changing their mind on positions they take on controversial issues, then I think it's totally acceptable. The only reason the issues are debatable is that people can change other's opinions and broaden their minds.

In circumstances like those, changing your mind is part of the process that opens your mind to new ideas and concepts. It shows that you aren't completely narrow-minded and stubborn. It is crucial to being a good debater, or anything that involves discussion.

So, generally speaking, you should always be receptive to new things and open minded enough to make a fair and unbiased alteration to your opinion. But remember that there are exceptions-like the murder example. You need to have a strong enough character so as not to be led into evil.

So, should one have a fickle mind or an in-decisive mind? Well, like I discussed above, one has its own way of thinking and if its not too narrow minded its perfectly alright to go ahead with one’s own way. Completely refusing to change your mind and listen to others is like shutting the door that allows your mind to grow and learn. What's the point of life, if not to live and learn?

Breaking of an Annoying Habit!!! – Savings & Investments

By far the most controversial and irresponsible topic if I ever were to take up in any form of conversation dealing with Money. For some reason my aversion towards money is unreasonable. I cannot specifically list out an incident which made me hate money or in other words made me never keep money with me. Like most of my buddies describe me as a spendthrift, I typically am one. Before you guys make up your mind that I am boasting myself here, I want to make it clear, this is not just one testimony, I have had several individuals point out this side of my character. For me to be characterized as an insane spender is one, but I do hold myself well accounted of the money that I spend. But yeah, I am not here to talk about my spending, but in general the whole idea of savings and investing, on which as of today I have no intentions and given that I remain the way I am, will never have. Why cannot we spend what we earn without even thinking about the future? Living for the future? Bull Shit!!! Since this is a highly personal way of going about life, I will have the two sides of the coin flipped in this post.

Just a thought...

When I was young my Dad used to always encourage me to save, opening an account on my birthday, matching any money I put into an account with the same amount from him, making me list my spending in an account book, etc. It really left an "investment" mindset in me. I've never been comfortable with this idea of not having "money put aside". I always want to get rid of what ever I have. Even today I have no intentions of taking a house or for that matter anything else for investment purposes.

Newton’s First Law

States that all bodies continue in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless a resultant force is applied to it to change its state.

There is a tremendous risk in slowing down and stopping. Being stationery far too long would expedite the rotting process. Life is about going on and on, definitely NOT about stopping or slowing down. So why stop and save, I say spend and move on.

Living is a continuous journey, ending only when things die and remain motionless forever. It is a daily strive for freedom and improvement, financially, mentally, and in all other senses. We just cannot stop unless there is no more energy and life in us. No one, including myself and you would want to regret at the end of our journey of life and wished that we have another chance to live our lives all over again. We all live once and we may not get a second chance again. So we would never want to think when we die (lolz), hmmm should have spent a little better! Sure does sound vague but true.

So, is it better to enjoy your money when you earn it or is it better to save your money for some time in the future?!

The first, most important requirement for financial freedom (and release from the stress and anguish that financial problems often cause) is to live beneath your means. No matter what you earn, there is someone in your neighbourhood who lives on 10% less than you do -- and is happy with his or her life.

Saving money is clearly a trick to learn.

We should have been trained to spend every last penny we earn (this is clearly a cultural phenomenon -- contrast it to Japanese spending habits, for example). But do we have to? Saving just 10% per year over the course of your career makes for a very smooth financial future. Eeeeeeewwwwwww, now I am taking about savings. Yes I am, but look at the proportion, 10% of what you earn an year is good enough for you to make a smooth progress. One has never to repent for his doings in the past, but certainly gain from it.

According to me, there are three ways you can use money. You can waste it, you can spend it or you can invest it. How are you spending your money? Let’s have a look at the three ways of using your money.

Wasting Your Money

Those who waste their money don’t even give a second thought to where their money goes. They waste their money on stupid things such as gambling and porn, and they have an “it’s not my responsibility” towards money where they will never apply principles for good money management but instead they simply blame someone else for their poor financial situation. They blame the government, or they blame to lotto and the fact that their numbers didn’t come up. If you fall into this category then it is time to change you attitude and mindset towards money quick smart. Stop wasting your life and wasting your money, learn to invest your money.

Spending Your Money

Spending your money is a step up from wasting your money but it is not much of a step up. People who spend their money use their money to provide themselves with items and pleasure right now but do not care to think about the future. People who spend their money often end up with large credit card debts as all they use their money for themselves right now, they don’t think about the future. I see people all the time who work all week and then spend all their money on the weekend drinking and smoking and partying. Effective spending is a solution for this; I certainly fall under this category.

For example, Buying a $40 shirt can be cheaper than buying 3 shirts at $13 each -- if the more expensive one is better quality, it should last longer than three cheap ones. The trick is to buy LESS items but items of better quality. Shopping where everything is $9 and under can make you go broke as the items may constantly wear out. Buy better quality, not to be confused with higher price. Most consumers know when something will last a long time and give them little trouble. These things also may have a better warranty, which makes ownership more cost-effective and reassuring.

Investing Your Money

People who spend their money in this way think they are spending their money wisely. Instead of just wasting or spending their money they are investing their money so it brings a solid return. This can be a return for themselves or a return for other people when they give their money away.

Investing money is a completely different mindset to spending money because you are not just thinking about now. You are more thinking about the future, you sacrifice now so that you and those in your sphere of influence can have a better future tomorrow. So, is this where you should be spending the most of your money? Certainly not me.

Like I said this post has many things tide to it, I do not hold anybody stupid for what they are doing now. But still, isn’t it an annoying habit!!!

Woolmer's Supari-Cricket-Dawood's Link-Fight onTerror

I know this case is long gone and worthless digging my head into it. But instead to have started off in the most cliched manner of addressing the war on terrorism, I thought cricket would be a better way considering it's chumminess with the under world, and also in the process paying homage to the Englishmen. Its been 10 days since the Mumbai Tragedy and the prime accused has been labeled as Dawood Ibrahim, one name which comes to my mind when ever I watch any RGV movie. Ever since his alleged match fixing days in Sharjah, Dawood has been an active spectator of Cricket. Even very recently, after the bans on the three major cricketing captains for match fixing allegations, at the time of the WC '03 in South Africa, sources alleged Dawood's presence at the India vs Pakistan match, so was that true?. I have a strong reason to believe so, the then Pakistan coach Miandad had invited Dawood for the match and the Interpol was bribed for this to happen. Then his active involvement in Pakistan's cricket took a new chapter, with the ties between Miandad and Dawood's family. Pakistan's cricket has been alleged of many match fixings and more recently is the Pakistan vs Ireland match during the WC '07 in WI. The amount on bet that day, a whopping Rs.2000 Crores. So what is the connection to this and Woolmer's mysterious death?

The tragic death of cricket coach Bob Woolmer had created much brouhaha in the cricket world. This sorrowful event had also thrown light on the caliginous yet remunerative side of the cricketing industry. The whole issue had raised many eyebrows concerning betting in cricket and the engagement of big gangsters. The mysterious Woolmer murder had raised concern on possible threats like match fixing and had unveiled a rather ugly side of the game. The very foundations of the cricket world had been shaken with there being a possibility of betting on the sub-continent, raising doubt regarding a betting amalgamation being involved in the murder.

Various sources and clues point in the direction of none other but mafia don, Dawood Abrahim. Gambling is strictly banned in Pakistan. However, it forms part of an extensive underground industry run by a chain of connections between bookmakers with hookups in India and Dubai. My investigations into this issue since morning revealed details of his involvement.

A very strong reason to believe that the murder could have been plotted by Dawood, is because of the statements made by his own ex-gang members. A statement issued by estranged partner of Dawood, Om Prakash Srivastava alias Babloo Srivastava, Dawood was allegedly behind Woolmer’s murder.

Dawood and his abettors before the commencement of the World Cup fixed the Pakistan-Ireland match, but Pakistan’s unfortunate defeat against West Indies in the opening match resulted in the exit of Pakistan. Woolmer was aware of the details of the match fixing and his life was taken because the fixers did not want it to come out in the open. I also believe that the Pakistani players would have wanted to defy the match fixing against Ireland but could not go against Dawood. Had the match been fixed by any other bookie, not backed by Dawood then the result would have been different.

The secrecy maintained by the Jamaican Police till date is worth note taking and raised the curiosity level of several cricket fans. I think that the names of those who backed the murder conspiracy are being withheld. There is a lot of resentment in me as a cricket lover.

Cricket is no longer a game that can be played with the true spirit of sportsmanship. Unless countries like India & Pakistan fight this war on terror I do not see peace of any form in this World. The World peace has been degraded to the core by the so called Mafia big shots like Dawood Ibrahim. Should Pakistan hand us back Dawood?, I do not think they are capable of doing that. Pakistan has always been in this denial and considering the fact that a proxy Pakistan is what the Country's leaders have at their helm, I do not see how a hand over is ever going to happen. The way to deal with this is to co-operate with the Russians for an attack on the militant lands of Pakistan. Why Russia?, now that question can only be answered by the USA. As I see there is no other way to end this terror strikes on Indian soil except for India to go ahead with a war.

I will have a detailed comparison between 9/11 & 26/11 in the coming days. Till then, thanks for reading and take it easy.

Oyeeee SACHINnnn...My Old Composition...

He holds his bat with all his might,

The bowlers bowl with full of fright.

He is the man, he is the king,

He smashes every ball out of the ring.

Once he entered the pitch by chance,

And changed the game in a single glance.

He is the man depended on hard times,

For he is the king of all the times.

He is a batsman, an aggressive one,

He goes to the pitch and strikes everyone.

He is trusted for he plays for his team,

For when he blasts, its a disgrace for the opponent team.

He holds a record, the one from all his time,

And none has the strength to break it a single time.

He plays this way in every single match,

World cup finals or a domestic scratch.

He bowls too, in his own stylish way,

His leggish googly, very hard to play.

His leggy, his flipper, with scorching pace,

And he sends the batsman off with a disappointing face.

It is true, luck favours him only a few times,

But when it favours the score flies in no time.

He is a king, a king with no hidden mystery,

And when he strikes he creates history.

He is a night mare for every bowler,

No matter if its the world’s fastest wicket howler.

He is the world’s best batsman;

And no doubt he is a destructive batsman.

His shots are not just shots but superior missiles.

And he influences with his most appealing smiles.

He plays this way for he loves thee,

And yes he is indeed our Number 10.

SACHIN TENDULKAR!!!

32 Strange Things You Couldn't Have Known...

1. A rat can last longer without water than a camel.

2. Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucusevery two weeks or it will digest itself.

3. The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle.

4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagnewill bounce up and down continuously from the bottomof the glass to the top.

5. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat andcannot find a mate.

6. A duck's quack doesn't echo. No one knows why.

7. A 2 X 4 is really 1-1/2" by 3-1/2".

8. During the chariot scene in "Ben Hur," a small redcar can be seen in the distance (and Heston's wearinga watch).

9. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrongparents daily! (That explains a few mysteries....)

10. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finlandbecause he doesn't wear pants.

11. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given outduring World War II were made of wood.

12. The number of possible ways of playing the firstfour moves per side in a game of chess is318,979,564,000.

13. There are no words in the dictionary that rhymewith orange, purple and silver.

14. The name Wendy was made up for the book PeterPan. There was never a recorded Wendy before.

15. The very first bomb dropped by the Allies onBerlin in World War II killed the only elephant in theBerlin Zoo.

16. If one places a tiny amount of liquor on ascorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself todeath. (Who was the sadist who discovered this??)

17. Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had tos-l-o-w film down so you could see his moves. That'sthe opposite of the norm.

18. The first CD pressed in the US was BruceSpringsteen's "Born in the USA."

19. The original name for butterfly was flutterby.

20. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an oldEnglish law which stated that you couldn't beat yourwife with anything wider than your thumb.

21. The first product Motorola started to develop wasa record player for automobiles. At that time, themost known player on the market was Victrola, so theycalled themselves Motorola.

22. Roses may be red, but violets are indeed violet.

23. By raising your legs slowly and lying on yourback, you cannot sink into quicksand.

24. Celery has negative calories. It takes morecalories to eat a piece of celery than the celery hasin it to begin with.

25. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a CharlieChaplin look-alike contest.

26. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep youfrom crying.

27. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said, "Elementary, my dearWatson."

28. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made itillegal for a woman to take more than three stepsbackwards while dancing!

29. The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher.

30. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from publiclibraries.

31. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans beforethey go into space because passing wind in a spacesuitdamages them.

32. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave!

Saurav Dada...The Forgotten Hero!!!

Unjustified criticism is a popular desi pastime in most of our households. Knock over the hero image and belittle his or her achievements by humiliating their performances. It has rarely ceased to surprise me that in the past years, how players who have performed well for our country have been ridiculed by those who have not played a professional club game let alone a Ranji Trophy match or in a Test.

I agree to the fact that most of us forget to realize the pressure the cricketers take on themselves when they walk onto the field. Dada has been a servant of India ever so admiringly and to call him off about 2 yrs back early in his career was a sin. I believe in a player more than the administrators do. Players do not play down their time for money, which of-course is an essential element for them to get lured to play for India, but they make enough money from the initial 10-12 yrs playing career. I believe they would still have the zeal in them to perform and satisfy their individual goals. Forgotten is how months earlier he had defied a rampant Australian attack by scoring 144 in the first Test in Brisbane: walking out to bat with the top-order a mess at 60 odd for 3, Tendulkar lbw to Jason Gillespie for a duck, and later 4 down with very little on the board. But India still managed a first innings lead because of his century. The match was eventually drawn due to time loss due to bad weather. Also forgotten is how he led India to a World Cup final in South Africa when there were those who wanted India to win but Ganguly to fail.

Put yourselves in the player seat and come up with the daring acts that Dada had crafted. Be it, opening for India and consistently performing against arch rivals Pakistan, or defying his critics for not being able to play the short ball, or winning the all important overseas ODI series in England, or the World Cup episode, or getting Sehwag, Yuvraj and many youngsters into the team, he has done things which most cricketers in India would never lay hands on.

If everybody is thinking that, it is Dhoni doing wonders today, take a chill pill, because the foundations were very laid strongly, under Dada's leadership years back. For a fact, to most of the people's ignorance, it was on Dada's recommendation that Dhoni found a place in the side after his flamboyant 200 in a domestic ODI even without a game from the Ranji. Raina, Yuvraj, Sehwag, Gambhir, Zaheer, Nehra, Irfan Pathan, Parthiv Patel and many more, who were and are playing wonders for India today were experimented during his helm. If a team has to be built, it needs the backing of a captain who is never against experimenting. And Dada had plenty of that to offer. He picked sides specific to conditions and made them deliver. He prompted Sehwag to open in SA, got Yuvraj and Kaif to lead the fielding department during the WC and things that I do not recollect at the moment. But even while doing all this, he had to satisfy the then established players like Srinath, Kumble, Prasad, Azhar, and more.

So I am writing this today, so that all of you can ask yourselves, if you were fair in criticizing Dada and wanting him to do bad so that he can be thrown out of the team.

He has an aura that can never be replaced. People who know me might doubt my ethical values for I had not been fair myself, but I feel my comments on him in the past were always to see him perform better if not best. To justify my writings above, I have been an ardent admirer of Dada ever since his century against Pakistan in the inaugural Independence Cup in Dhaka. His shoes are too big to be filled in, and if people feel that Yuvraj can do that today, he better prove himself to counter the Best, which in my opinion, is unfortunately least on offer these days than those of Dada.

There was agony in Australia in 1991-92 where he was largely misunderstood by a self-indulgent team management system (of-course, it still is); then, a heroic 'debut' century at Lord's a little more than four years later. These are all part of the often haphazard journey.

How Time Flies By So FAST!!!

It seems like 2008 just crept by so fast, beyond our very eyes. I could feel the nip in the air, and the leaves are now down, a true sign that winter is here. There are lots of things that happened yet all the days felt like they all melted amongst each other, that I don’t remember much anymore. I am forced to realize this year that I have passed more than 20 years of my life almost in ignorance. To know what, where and why things happen the way they do, has always been my earthlier quest, but never have put in any work into it.

In these years of my existence in ignorance and trying to know things better, I have learnt life in quite an unusual way. Unusual for the fact that, my childhood though extravagant and satisfying has been a mystery in its survival. I have grown under the impressions of spirituality, religion, disgust, hate and above all Love & Blessings. I somehow feel, today my existence is more to do with the Love & Blessings of my Mother and my Grandmother. I have done nothing merely good to deserve what I have today. But that said, I have off late built a persona of confidence and trust, and deserve to hold my head high. The reason I start this blog today is to burn out my thoughts piled up in my brain over all these years.

To start off today, I present to you, things I feel every individual would have learnt or would do during the course of his life. I have been fortunate enough to see things the way they are at this early age. I am listing out things that I personally came to understand and believe in. Your list could be totally different. Perhaps you only have a few, it doesn't matter. The key is that you learn from your life, your failures and your successes. Neglect any one of those and you are taking a rocky road to learning and personal development.

Negativity will only bring more of it: When you focus only on negativity, obviously that's all you will see. You will not seek out positivity, and even when positivity comes into your life, you'll look for the negative part of it.

Where you are does not determine where you can go: It doesn't matter if you're homeless or living in a mansion, poor or rich, or if you have a 4.0 grade point average or "failing", it won't make any difference in the future. There are countless rags to riches stories to back this point up. If you have the drive and talents, you can go anywhere. You create your own limitations and horizon.

If you can't help others, you can't help yourself: Even if it's just to hold the door for someone or some other simple gesture, it will do wonders for your life. You'll feel great and you'll eventually be returned the favor sometime during your life, whether you realize it or not. If you don't want to help others, then others won't want to help you, and nor should they.

Follow your passion, money will follow: If you have passion and have fun doing your job, then I wouldn't consider it a job. You can focus on creating even more passion for that subject and money will eventually follow you. If you focus only on the money, it won't come because you're focused on the quantity of your work and not the quality.

Enjoy yourself: Have fun as much as possible, don't take everything so seriously. Push your worries aside and bring enjoyment closer.

If it were easy everyone would do it: This is why get rich quick schemes will never be true. If it was so quick and easy then everyone would be millionaires. Making money and accomplishing tasks is hard work, but well worth it.

Planning is good but so is being spontaneous: Planning ahead in life is important but so is being able to quickly change that plan. Various people and events will get in the way of your plans, so you have to be able to modify or forget your plans at times. Be spontaneous once and awhile, it makes life interesting.

Don't work hard without rewards: What's the point of working hard to follow your dreams if you aren't going to treat yourself along the way. Each little or big goal you accomplish should be rewarded with a proportionate treat, maybe a day off or a big slice of cake. Something I really believe in.

Money does not bring happiness: As I said, you shouldn't be chasing money but when you do earn it, you know you've been accomplishing something. But it should never overpower the actual things that bring you happiness because you know you'll have more freedom and time to do what you want.

Someone always has it worse: At times you may be having a bad day, but stop yourself and think about it; there has to be millions of other people are having a worse day than you.

Being open-minded is the key to more knowledge: If you want to know more about the world you have to be open-minded. "Give everything a chance".

Failure is great: One of the most important, if not the most important steps to success is failure. You have to fail at least once, but it's better if you've failed multiple times. You can learn so much more from your failures than you could any other way. And when you finally achieve success, you'll appreciate it so much more.

Most people are actually nice: This is something I've only recently realized. The tendency is to curse anybody you relate with as a stranger. Most people are nice, but not usually to strangers. Once they get to know you and you get to know them, they will most likely seem like very nice people.

Words and thoughts control everything: What you say and think will ultimately become reality. If you say you're going to fail, then you will because you'll find a way to make it happen. If you say you're going to succeed, the same will happen, you'll find a way.

Your view is the reality: How you see an event or situation is how it exists. If you see something as tragic and negative then that's what it means to you. If you see something as exciting and positive, then that's what it is.

Inspiration and motivation are everywhere: I don't care where you are, there is something there that can motivate and inspire you. You can be at war in some far away country, in horrible conditions, but there will be something there to keep you going and strive for something better. You just have to recognize it and keep it with you.

You can change the world: Every single person has the ability to change the world whether directly or indirectly. When you change your life and the lives of those around you, you've changed the world. Small things that you do can make a huge impact on the world.

Be The Change You Want To See In This WORLD!!!