Indian Series Win

Some past months have been good for Indian Cricket. From doing an excellent work in South Africa in inagural version of the T20 to winning the ODI and the Test series against the arch rivals - Pakistan. The beginning of the Test series too was what any Indian fan would have wanted. A winning beginning done in any form of cricket surely gets the confidence of the team sky high. No other man than Kumble would have wanted this. Appointed for the first time as the full time Test captain, Kumble got to work. Playing and experimenting with his bowlers, he did what he had to.There was a big onus on Kumble, firstly because he has been appointed as a full time Test captain, and secondly the ODI captain had just done India proud. But Kumble a seasoned campaigner was right upto his job. Leading from the front he led India to victory; not only in the series, but his magical spell also threatned to snach victory on the last day of the last Test. It was a much needed victory for the Indians as they are soon going Down Under for a tough series. And as usual, his Australian counterpart has begun with his mind games. Trying to discourage Kumble - a new leader - and all know how Australians are invincible. So this is how Australians begin their tour weeks and months before actually even a bowl is bowled.

India Vs. Pak Test - Day 3

Pakistan dominated batting on day 3, which seemed to be good enough to save the Test. But still there are 2 more days to go and scenario can change fast enough. But that said, no on can take the credit away from stand-in skipper Younis Khan who played well for his half-century. And equal credit goes to Misbah-ul-Haq who is playing defaently trying his best out there. Misbah and Kamran were on 54 and 32 respectively. These two had scored match saving centuries in the Kolkata Test, in quite a similar situation. But before that it was Younis Khan who carried the innings forward. He scored 80 important runs, to take Pakistan in a so-so position; if not quite good. On his way to 80 he once got a life when he was nearing his half-century. While trying to leg glance Saurav Ganguly, he edges one to the keeper. Dinesh Kartik collected the ball cleanly and all went up. And what a surprise! Kartik himself did not feel the need to appeal, when all his teammates were appealing. That, probably created doubt in the mind of ever alret umpire Simon Taufel. TV replayes did show the ball kissing but bat on the way.
The Pakistani made quite a good use of this opportunity that came his way and soon reached his half-century. The Terminator - Harbhajan Singh - at last got the better of him, when he tried to reverse sweep Harbhajan. The same shot gave him some success at the beginning of the day, when Harbhajan was reserve swept for boundries. Mohd. Yousuf too departed in the space of 11 balls while trying to drive Irfan Pathan. But it did not come before some verbal combat between him and Anil Kumble. Then started the repair works by Misbah, who looked rock solid in his defence. He did not hesitate to punish the loose balls. He looked patient and cool like a cucumber and left the good balls. He didn''t seem to be too excited and his second innings seems to be saving Pakistan. Firstly, he seems to have set his eyes firmly on saving the Test if not winning it; and secondly he is on his way to a consicutive second century. Of course, he would want Pakistan to win in any case, but the first task is to save the Test. But for him, it would have been a difficult task.

India Vs. Pak Test - Day 1

Who would have imagined India''s recovery from 60 odd runs when almost half of the team was sent back to the pavilion? And who were among those sent back? Last match''s double centurian Wasim Jaffer and centurian VVS Laxman - both dismissed cheaply this time. The Wall too could not resist the attack and crumbled. And who dismissed all these star cricketers? A debutant seamer. Yasif Arafat - the same Arafat who important document had gone missing some weeks before. When the fourth wicket fell for 61, Younis Khan, the stand-in skipper might have seen some hopes of disallowing the Men in Blue - but presently white - of not winning a series for nearly 28 years. The last time was when under Sunil Gavaskar, the Indians had comprihensivly beaten the Pakis. The reason why Younis Khan might have had hopes is that India already were 61/4, and another major reason can be the great Sachin Tendulkar and the corageous M S Dhoni are not playing the last match due to injuries.
But destiny had some other things in mind. The comeback boy & One Day specialist Yuvraj Singh - playing his first Test match almost after more than a year and his only Test in 2007 - stood upto the test. Hammering a fluent hundred - as he always does, and with a better strike rate than Ganguly - saw India through really tough tough times. His 169 - his third Test century of the career, all of which have come against the arch rivals, was a masterpiece in itself. He took the game to the opposition, knowing that offence is the best sort of defence. Those who were lucky enough to watch his game, will for long remember this very very special century. Another centurian of the last drawn match, Ganguly, too looked in a fine touch. Classy as he is, he was a treat to watch for any Indian fan. These two not only took India out of the woods, but also put her in the driver''s seat, dictating terms on the opposition bowlers. From a precariously placed 61/4, India was well placed 361/5 when the fifth wicked fell in the form of Yuvraj. till then a record was created for the fifth wicket for a whopping 300 runs. The fightback was led by both the southpaws amassing 127 runs in the afternoon session and 173 in the last. Yuvraj and Ganguly might well see a record created almost after more than a quarter century on home soil winning both the ODI and the Test series.

Sachin's Wrong Habit

India is proud to have a player like Sachin Tendulkar. He is one great man who is also God fearing. Till now many have used adjective like extraordinary, outstanding, one of the greatest player in the history of cricket etc. But how many have used words like 'unlucky' ?There is almost each one of the greatest players who have gone through a thing called "bad patch." There is presently Sehwag, Ganguly upto some extent. But the "bad patch" of Sachin, is all the different from others. Because maybe is himself is different. He himself had admitted after getting out on 97 against Pak in the 4th One dayer that he has come across a 'wrong habit'.This man has an uncanny record of getting out in the nervous ninties not ones not twice but a whooping six times in 2007 alone. And a total of missed centuries is 7. Add those 7 in his current 41, and he will soon have created a record of a half-century of centuries.Indian bowlers should consider themselves lucky to be Indian. Not because any other reason, but just because Sachin is in their team. They just don't get smashed all over the ground. They don't get nightmares like Shane Warne. Jawagal Srinath had once confessed to this fact. Anyways, many more will write much more about Sachin. Keep a look on it.

What may I write?

I feel like writing a lot. But can''t make up my mind, about what to write. So then I decide to write nothing. But I can''t do that either. Because writing is my hobby. Yeah ! It''s just a hobby that, I, somewhere deep inside feel, can be converted into a money earning source. But how is that going to happen ? Is my writing as polished as to do so ? Can I consider a ghost writer ? No. No. I am afraid. Of the ghost ? Nooooooooo ! But of getting something written for me by someone else. So I drop the idea of ghost writing and ghost writers. The readers will think, its not me, who the writer is. Someone else will write for me, if I pay. But no one else will develop my writing skills. I will have to do it all by myself. And not depend on any (ghost) writers. Because (ghost) writers just do not exist. I may not be J. K. Rowling to get a rags to riches turnover, and neither be a Arundhati Roy to get a Booker in the first instance. Being Shobha De too is no easy. But by thinking like this no one stops wiriting. You and I write too. Not every businessman is as successful as Bill Gates, or the Ambanis. But thinking this, others have not stopped their business. Have they ? So keep your thoughts positive. Observe each and every minute thing. You will find a story involved in almost everything around you. Always keep your eyes and ears open. Sooner or later you will be able to find and produce and create something of your own that will have a © symbol against your name.

The Superstitious

It''s human - to not get away from a thing, with which one is associated or to stick to something which even if is unhealthy - mentally or physically. To get things done in the wrong way, illegal way, unethical way is the order of the day in India. That''s why corruption is so strongly rooted here. The same is about superstition. Even in the highly technically influenced 21st century, almost each one of us has, and believe - knowingly or unknowingly - in one superstition or the other. The same has happened today. That''s 07/07/07. A date that comes ones in a century, which gives you pleasure of reading it as mm/dd/yy or dd/mm/yy or even howsoever may you like it. On this day many a couple, who were engaged to be married, chose this date. The reasons ? Well, they best know it. But this is not happening only in a country full of superstitions and superstitious people - India - but its happening all over the world. Now, why have alllllllllllllll the people the world over have suddenly gone so superstitious ?? The answer is may be (I say may be because this is a very very personal thing) because no one wanted to miss the once in a lifetime opportunity of 07/07/07. Another thing, the importance of 7 is also mentioned in the Bible, in the Quran, in the Gita, well 7 seems to be just about everywhere. Interestingly, there are more 7s associated. A bride takes 7 pheras with her husband, then she takes 7 oaths, then (the worst ?) -- both the bride and the bridegroom promise each other to be with each other all the 7 lives (which they think that this''s their first life :) ). And even the new 7 wonders too are to be announced today. Wouldn''t life have been gloomy without 7 ? What do you say ?

My TV Show

love watching serials on different channels. But the programme. I like most is the Zee Horror show. That day, as usual I watched the programme. In that there was a man with an axe in his hand. He had fiery eyes and an eerie laughter. Even though I was afraid I could not avoid the temptation of watching the programme.After that I went to bed. In the middle of the night I started having a nightmare. I dreamt that I was being chased by `that man.'' His eyes were glowing in the dark, his axe was glittering and he had such a terrible laughter. He was running after me. I ran and ran but was soon exhausted. I stopped because all my energy was drained out. The man reached me and seeing me helpless he raised his axe to kill me. ``Motherrr.. help meee......'''' I cried out, piercing the silence of the night. Hearing my shouts, my parents woke up, switched on the light and came up to me. When I told them everything they started laughing. My father told me that those ''eyes'' were nothing else but the dual lamp-set placed before the idol of Lord Ganesh and that ''axe'' was actually the axe in the Lord''s hand and was shining because of the radium coating on it. ``But what about the laughter," I asked. My father had a ready answer, ``Have you forgotten that people play cards in the next corner! They are the ones who laugh so loudly.'''' Hearing all this, what else could I do other than laugh and that too at myself.

India Vs. Pakistan

This India-Pakistan Series as usual promises to be a cliffhanger. The series till the last match was well tied at 1-1. But after India's superb win yesterday at Kanpur has thrown opened the series alive. And that was a win India needed. It served two purposes. As a patriotic Indian, I wanted India to win, of course. And secondly, for the sake of the game of cricket. Its good for any team to take a lead early on.
The India-Pak enmity is well known. It was fueled by the last ball 6 by Javed Miandad. In 1996
World Cup Quarter Final India had ousted Pakistan. In the 2003 edition of the World Cup too India had convincingly beaten the Pakis in a league match. Which many Indian fans termed as the virutal Cup being leafted. Then there was India's world record chase. India then had scored 325 to win the best of 3 finals. Then when India toured Pakistan in 12 years, there too India had won both the One Day and Test Series.
The enmity continued in the first edition of the T20 World Cup, where the Pakistan Captain pretanded not to have known the bowl out rules. How shameful an answer for such a responsible man. That was a way to hide all that went wrong. And the best came at the finals. When again the match went to the wire. And the Indians were the only team that could have lifted the cup. (The tournament too had no other choice other than India!!!)

But now seems that its too much for the Pakistanis, and thats why they keep loosing their tempers and get the support of sledging. Like this one:


Photo Courtsey : http://www.cricketnext.com/
Read Related Article

Revenge Series !?

Pakistan take on India in a (revenge) series from today. May they not call it a revenge series; but they are etching to do so, and that all know. Just some days ago another revenge series concluded. That the One Day Champions won. Ponting had, then, denied any such things. But saying no is an open secret. His soul might have been fealing cool after defeating India, in India; which many admit is a difficult task.
Some other day, before that start of the India-Pak Series, Lawson, the Paki couch had said that, India Vs Pak is greater than Ashes. And that it is an Asian Ashes. But I personally feel that, the enmity between Australia and England is and has grown just due to cricket. And there is no any special reason for it. On the other hand, why India and Pakistan are called so arch rivals?! Well, all know that. These two countries have a different reason that make them stand against each other so hard. Such enmity didn't ever exist between Australia and England. I didn't get to read why Mr. Lawson termed it the way he said, but surely India Vs. Pakistan is always a crunch series, a crunch game. Where not only a game is played, but pride is on the line.

Read related article

T20

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DOWN & OUT

How You Speak!

The language can be a pretty humorous issue. It depends how we use it. How? Read on.
The word 'WIFE' uttered alone seems pretty lovely. (Though it is Worries Invited For Ever). The gal in our life, with whom we have promised to spend all our life. If......... No the thought is not ready to come to our mind, that if not her in our life then,..........Its our love that speaks out.
Now -
The word 'FRIEND'. This guy too is quite important to us. Because -
Full of love
Root of Joy
Island of God
End of Sorrow
Name of Hope
Dear its You
Not only that,
'The Mountains are high, The Sky is blue,
I don't have another Friend like you',
and all such stuff is well known to us.
But if these two words - 'Wife' and 'Friend' together can shake one's feet, can make one go weak in his knees -
WIFE'S FRIEND.
???!!!

Manage Your Time

In these days of high speed, we find hardly any time at our disposal. Even 24 hours are not sufficient. (But will even 48 hours be??) But the problem is that, we don't manage our time properly. So, we think we are running out of time. If there are even 20 people unmanaged, they seem to be a crowd. But make them stand in a queue, and even small space is enough. It's all about management.

• Before going to bed, make a list of your work, that you expect to do the next day.
• Along with that, add even those works to the list, which you could not complete, or remained incomplete due to lack of time or any other reason.
• On Sundays, or on any holidays, make a list of the works that you want to complete within a week or a month.
• As and when you come across a new work, write it down.
• Make a habit of keeping a diary and a pen ready.
• While making a list, write the work by priority, so that while doing these works, you will come across the important works first.
• When you feel enthusiastic, when your spirits are high, try to complete the most important [(and boring) actually no work should be boring] works first.
• If any of your works is lengthy, divide them into smaller work-groups and set deadlines for yourself.
• Be on your heels as far as deadlines are concerned. Don't abuse your deadlines, respect them.
• Set reasonable deadlines, such those you can fight against.
• Before setting off for any work, study it thoroughly - how long may it take, how it can be completed, who can help you, what the hurdles might be etc.
• If possible assign works to your juniors and colleagues.
• Increase your decision power - it saves you a lot of time.
• Keep each and every thing you want in its place. The next time you want it, you get it instantly. Finding it at the eleventh hour makes haste and there has been no record of getting things done hastily and accurately. That will surely spoil your work and you will lose your temper too.
• Keep thinking positive when working. But a word of caution - be prepared for the worst.

Follow these simple steps and you will feel the difference yourself.

Twenty20

Learning from its experience in the previous Cricket World Cups, about Australia's dominance, the ICC and the organisers of the Twenty20 World Cup have come to a consensus. There will be only 3 ceremonies this coming 9/11 Twenty20 World Cup begining in South Africa:
FIRST - Opening Ceremony,
SECOND - Awarding the Twenty20 World Cup to Australia and
THIRD - Closing Ceremony

Warne's Half Century

Share Warne of Australia - the legendary spin wizard - has a half century to his name (though it is scored after retirement and off the field.) He has recently declared his 50 favourite players. Here's the list of all the fifty by Warne.

1. Sachin Tendulkar
2. Brian Lara
3. Curtly Ambrose
4. Allan Border
5. Glenn McGrath
6. Wasim Akram
7. Muttiah Muralithaan
8. Ricky Ponting
9. Mark Taylor
10. Ian Healy
11. Courtney Walsh
12. Mark Waugh
13. Anil Kumble
14. Rahul Dravid
15. Graham Gooch
16. Andrew Flintoff
17. Matthew Hayden
18. Merv Hughes
19. Aravinda De Silva
20. Adam Gilchrist
21. David Boon
22. Martin Crowe
23. Stephen Flaming
24. Brett Lee
25. Darren Lehmann
26. Steve Waugh
27. Jacques Kallis & Shaun Pollock
28. Saeed Anwar & Mohammad Yousuf
29. Shoaib Akhtar & Craig McDermott
30. Kevin Pietersen
31. Tim May
32. Robin Smith
33. Allan Donald
34. Bruce Reid
35. Michael Vaughan
36. Andy Flower
37. Stephen Harmison
38. Sanath Jayasuriya
39. Stuart MacGill
40. Kapil Dev
41. Justin Langer
42. Ravi Shastri
43. Michael Atherton
44. Alec Stewart
45. Waqar Younis
46. Dilip Vengsarkar
47. Chris Cairns
48. Brian McMillan
49. Darren Berry
50. Jamie Siddons

TOPIC OF THE WEEK - THINKING NEGATIVE !

What do you advocate "THINKING POSITIVE? OR THINKING NEGATIVE ?"

MY COMMENTS

Humans are the ones who can think. No doubt, dumb animals too can; but man is blessed with the power to think coupled with discriminating between the good and the bad. That's what animals can't do. (Well, who says humans can !?) Discriminating makes man stand out from the other species.

But humans are such that, they don't value what they get for free. If you pay for a thing, you will care for it. Get something free, and it is as good as useless to you. This is what man has, it seems, done with this brain. What do you think? We can think? Sure we can, but we don't understand what we are doing. And even if we do, we care the least. All know that smoking is injurious to health. So even when the smokers know that smoking is injurious to health, have they stopped smoking? Do you think they will?

This is what happens with thinking too. 99% of us first think negative and (if possible), then go on to the positive track. If our near-and-dear-ones do no arrive home on time, the first thing that happens to us is a negative thought peeping in our minds. Those who advocate positive thinking, knowingly or unknowingly, do thing on negative terms.

There are always two sides to a coin. Thinking too is no exception. There are people who teach others to think positive. Positive thinking, no doubt, creates a positive atmosphere. Those who meditate daily, will feel the difference. They will never agree to negative thinking. Positive thinking creates positive waves around us. These waves also make an impact on other, provided you are that powerful. And this needs no proof. But thinking positive all the while is too of no use. Why? I tell you.

Becase thinking negative makes you and keeps you ready for the worst. Because, mentally you are ready for what you were thinking. (The opposite of what you wanted to happen.) There are great thinkers, who support negative thinking. The great Indian Freedom fighter V. D. Savarkar, who had the great escape from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who promote negative thinking.

A last word that I feel, I should tell is - THINK POSITIVE BUT BE PREPARED FOR THE WORST!

Share An Answer

PLEASE SHARE THE ANSWERS OF THE FOLLOWING IF YOU KNOW THEM ! ANSWER AS MANY AS YOU CAN !!!

1) Which of the following was launched first - National Park or Air India ?
2) When was India included as a member country in the UNO ?
3) In which year did Ravindranath Tagore win the Noble Prize for Literature ?
4) Who won the Miss Universe 2001 title ?
5) Who was the first Space tourist ?
6) Where was the first Cricket World Cup played ?
7) What is a USB Port in a computer ?
8) How many days was Sunita Williams in Space ?
9) On which day is the World Asthama Day observed ?
10) What are Featherweight, Flyweight and Heavyweight all types of ?
11) Who has written the following lines :"The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sleep".
12) What is the name Sigmond Freud associated with ?
13) Which country is called "The playground of Europe" ?
14) Which British Prime Minister was murdered in the early 1800s ?
15) Where was Isaac Newton born ?

TOPIC OF THE WEEK - NEED AND LOVE

We care for what we shouldn't and neglect what we shouldn't. How ? Read futher.

MY COMMENTS

Its human to discriminate between the two. How ? Let's have a story to support it.
Once upon a time there lived a big Landlord. He had a a big mansion. He had hundreds of acres of cultivating land. He had money in abundance. He had servants galore to work for him. He had, most importantly, peace of mind. He had cows, buffaloes, bulls, donkeys to work for him in the fields. He had .......... Well, the list is endless. He had almost all the material pleasures. Like all humans this landlord too had a week point, and it was dogs. Yes, he was very much fond of dogs. He would not care to spend like anything for their simples needs. He had a host of breeds of dogs. He had the Australian Shepherd, Bloodhound, Bulldog, Doberman etc. But the one that he most liked was the Curly-Coated Retriever. It was as dark as night. It had an unusually straight tail, (that always stood up) of which the landlord was very fond. He loved all the dogs like his family member. He did never discriminate between the two.
He fondly called his Curly-Coated Retriever "Tiger." This Tiger could always be found lingering around his master or in his lap. Whenever he would see his master coming his way, he would stand on his hind legs, with his paws rested on his belly and would bark at him. This would send tingles down his master's belly. Tiger loved this and would bark even loudly and scratch the master's tummy, lick it and do all such things. Even when the landlord had to go somewhere for work, their servants would have to make arrangements for Tiger too. After seeing Tiger so lucky, the other pets and working animals felt jealous of Tiger. They would always dream of themselves as Tiger and being pampered by their master.
But among all these pets, a donkey was always more curious than jealous about Tiger. "Why is he so dear to the master ?", the donkey always wondered. "What if I do the same to my master?! He will pat on my head like he does to Tiger." Thinking thus, the donkey decided to act Tiger.
And see the donkeys luck !(donkeys too are lucky now-a-days). He got the chance to play Tiger right away. So he thought to himself, that even time is with him. Then what to care about the master (if he likes it or not.)
As soon as the donkey saw the master come his way, he gave a loud bark (imitating the dog), ran up to him and stood on his rear legs. As the height of the donkey was much more as compared to the dog. So the donkey's fore legs hit the head of the landlord pretty hard. His forehead became black and blue, and he turned red with temper. "A donkey that you are and remain one. Don't try to get in anyone else's shoes." He got a big long rod and beat down the donkey to his heart's content as he shouted at the unruly beast. The donkey was remained alive only because some other servants intervened. That day the donkey did not get any food. The dog was watching all this and felt for the donkey.
When the donkey met the dog and asked why all things went wrong, the dog answered: "My friend you dialled the wrong number. You went to seek pity from a human. A human who is fickle minded. He loves me and loves you not. In that neither is am lucky neither are you unlucky. When I grow old he may no hesitate to do that to me, what he did to you. And one more thing, presently he loves me and needs you."
"Man always takes care of the things that he doesn't need. He looks after them well and find. But on the other hand, always neglects them whom and what he should care for, who work for him. Life is like that my friend."

The landlord should take care of the donkey because his work is more laborious than that of the dog. Which means the donkey needs more maintenance. But exactly the opposite is happening.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK - HONESTY

Is man going away from honesty ?

MY COMMENTS

Well, to answer that question is a largely a personal issue. But whatever, there are some human values that always remain. They are here to stay. Some stories are very famous about this in the Indian context.

Once upon a time, there was a poor woodcutter. He was so poor that, if any day he failed to cut wood and sell it, then he would have to go to bed empty-stomuched. It was difficult to make both ends meet for him. But this poor man was a man of ethics. He sold wood at reaonable rates in spite of his poor economic condition. He would never lie for his benefit. This continued for days together, but still his condition would not improve. One day when he was cutting wood near a river, his iron axe happened to fall in the river. He was stunned. He saw darkness in front him. He saw his wife going hungry. He saw his children crying for food. He saw, that he was in no condition to provide them with their necessities. As he sat under the tree crying, from the river imerged WaterGod and asked him the reason for his helplessness. He was surprised to the the God, but related to Him all that had happened.

The Lord was sympathetic towards him. He on His own offered him His services. So down went He and came up with a golden axe. "Is this your axe my good man ?" The poor man replied in the negative. So the Lord went down again and this time came up with a golden axe studded with diamonds. "Is this your axe my good man ?" The Lord repeated his question. The poor man again refused. The Lord was observing all this. He went down the third time and this time came up with an iron axe. As soon as the poor man saw his good old axe, he was overjoyed. His joys knew no bounds. He sprang up and requested the Lord to give him his axe.

The WaterGod was very impressed with the poor man's honesty. And as a reward for his honesty, gave him all the three axes.

The moral of the story is -- HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY.

In this wonderful world don't be surprised if you come across people like this. The good Lord above has made all kinds of men. So always see the glass half full.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK - READING HABITS

Is the kid today going away from reading ?

MY COMMENTS

The 21rst century has changed the habits of the man. He is now addicted to computer, games, Internet, chatting, travelling,..... The list is endless. He will do everything except reading. In short, he is all dependent on machine, technology etc.And no one seems to be an exception to this. But the kids, do need to read. At least, as long as they are students. They need to. And even if, unwillingly, they do read it. And that's true.But the idea of reading for fun, pleasure is quite a distant reality. Because, one may read for fun, when he needs relaxation, when mentally fatigued. But reading for fun, is not necessary now-a-days. The reason is that there are more means to relax. Like go out with friends, go for long drives, use your i-pod, your mobile for taking pictures, listen to online songs, play online games, chat --- . The list goes on. "Do everything, but don't read", seems to be the motto of the kid today.
But then came Harry Potter. The first of the Harry Potter series - "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" - made the young and the old read alike. They became voracious readers. 325 million copies worldwide. 700 pages finished in just a matter of days. Children were really reading. And yes, they were reading for fun and only fun and nothing else. The tension, the curiosity and the excitement made them read it on and on. Kids didn't then need chatting, computer, games, internet for passing their time. They just needed their hero. The spell was cast. It was cast worldwide. It was cast on one and all. It was cast on the young and the old alike. With the Potter series being translated in almost all the major languages of the world, it showed how popular it was. And not only popular, it also showed how all were glued to the books.
But believe it or not, the habit decreased a bit when the Harry Potter series was taken up for film-making. That surely lessoned the current crop of readers.But whatever, and whoever tries it, it is now pretty difficult to make one read again. and read passionately.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK 7/11

REMEMBERING THE DARK DAY 7/11

MY COMMENTS

The whole world is with you through thick and thin,

Someone of you might have really lost a kin !

The vacuum created is really sad,

Because no terrorism is good or bad !

It's our duty to stop this bloody thing,

And to rescue ourselves from Osama - the underworld King !

Each one of us should come forward to uproot terrorism,

Because God has really made the earth a good place to live !

Let us not spoil this God-gift,

And not let them create between us a rift !

The tears, the sorrow, the crest fallen faces,

This has been experienced by many races !

This shows, safe that we are not,

This battle, now really needs to be fought !

India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka;

Australia, UK, America,

Who have been spared ?

But many a terrorist have dared !

So, let's pledge not to make another 7/11

I'll fight terror, this at least tell one !

(Dedicated to the victims of the 7/11 rail attacks on Mumbai)

Machu Picchu

MACHU PICCHU(PERU)

Chechen Itza

The Great Wall

Colosseum

COLOSSEUM (ROME)

Petra Ruins

PETRA RUINS (JORDAN)

Christ The Redeemer

CHRIST THE REDEEMER(BRAZIL)

The Taj Mahal

THE TAJ MAHAL (INDIA)

The 7 Wonders !

The new 7 Wonders of the world have just been declared. It's really heartning to see that our very own Taj has won it hands down. The ancient wonders that the Greeks had given the world were :

• The Temple of Artmis
• The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• The Colossus of Rhodes
• The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
• The Lighthouse at Alexandria
• The Pyramids at Giza and finally
• The Statue of Zeus

The experts selected a bunch of man-made structures. Then came in the common man to have his say. And then came the list of the New 7 Wonders of the modern world.

But how many of us have ever wondered that there are wonders galore around us and in us too. In fact, the human itself is a wonder. A wonder that no one can deny. But there are some more and actually important wonders.

• To Feel
• To Hear
• To See
• To Smell
• To Touch
• To Taste
• To Love

Aren't these all wonderful emotions ? These are all in you and me. Come and nurture these. And then world will be a place to live in - a place known as HEAVEN.

Heartbreak (Poem)

Heartbreak

The thoughts of my sweet-heart in my mind lay,
I thought I would meet her some day.
The distance between us was great,
So it was impossible to get her date.
Between us there were many a thorn,
So, for a relationship it was difficult to be born.
I wanted to meet her and tell her a lot,
Of her, that's why, I always thought.
I wanted to meet her in any case,
I couldn't help even a day seeing her face.
One day I decided to meet her and tell her everything,
And to remove all the wrong ideas and the misunderstanding.
But then I came to know that to meet her was in vain,
As she was gone never to come back again.
Yes she was gone...! gone...!! gone......!!!

Abhijit Dnyaneshwar Bangal
Copyright ©2007 Abhijit Dnyaneshwar Bangal

How Should I Love You ? (Poem)

How Should I Love You?

How should I love you?
By kissing you or hugging you?
What should I gift you?
My heart or the whole of me?
How should I see you?
By the inward eye or directly?
What should I tell you?
I love you or I miss you?
You know where do you live?
Nowhere but just in my heart!
Where should I meet you?
In the heavens, or in our dreams?
What should I write you more?
Nothing but just I love you..I love you...I love you....!!!

Abhijit Dnyaneshwar Bangal
Copyright ©2007 Abhijit Dnyaneshwar Bangal

Heart to Conscious(Poem)

Heart to Conscious

I know friend, I did not listen to thee
and so am suffering today.
With all my dreams broken, shattered
Which now seem to be at bay.
I am crying...Tears??? Nah... Nah...
No ordinary tears are these.
These are tears of...of blood,
Tears of my broken, shattered dreams.
aaaaaaaaa, it hurts, it aches, it pains,
Why didn't I listen to thee?? Why??

Abhijit Dnyaneshwar Bangal
Copyright ©2007 Abhijit Dnyaneshwar Bangal

TOPIC OF THE WEEK

Cell Phones for Explosions

MY COMMENTS

The present generation has seen the most tremendous change than ever. Even in the last decade on one would have ever experience or thought of that after some 10-12 years even kids would be using the computers as easily as an experienced engineers. Life hasn't been the same ever. Technology has come to the resuce of the man every now and then. Who will understand its importance then the one who needs it badly. Our's is becoming a global village. The physical distance might not have changed; but communicationally speaking we are not very far from each other.But every coin has two sides, they say. The recent bomb explosions in Hydrabad (India) has shown it. The bombs that did not explode were attached to a cell phone. And when the caller calls the number and the mobile phone rings, yes that's it. The inhumane work is complete. There have been many more examples in India itself where there have been explosions using the cell phone. Not only that there have been instantces of using the cell phones for pornographic MMSs. How is then the technology used ? Internet is quite a handful when it comes to communication at low costs. But yes, it too is used for all the dirty work whoever does it. Here too pornography is at quite a rise. When and how is all this going to stop. Who is that one man we are all looking for who can create waves against all this dirt. After all it depends on the holder of the gun to fire it at the terrorists or innocent people.Its the soul's call. How should the technology be used!The birth of a human is quite rare. Why waste it killing and troubling people. Technology is developed for the well being of the human. Why detaste it ?

TOPIC OF THE WEEK

Shilpa Shetty moves SC over Richard Gere kissing issue. Mr. Bush goes beyond the limits of his eye contact with Queen Elizabeth II.

MY COMMENTS

Shilpa Shetty seems to enjoy the publicity she is getting since the Big Brother controversy. She did not mind that Gere kissing her in public and that too ............... . Well can't mention that here. But she really likes all the limelight that is around her since the last few months. There were a lot of demonstrations after that issue. But now it is Shilpa herself who has moved the SC to bring a stay on all this issue. Maybe she wants to finish off the controvercies and keep the media attention on her.

This also seems to have affected the US President. But yeah, he did not go as far as kissing (which would have been more common in the US than here), but he played with his eys with the most powerful Lady on Earth. With Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom. Reports say the popularity of Mr. Bush is on the decline since the Taliban war. Is Bush taking advantage of this ? Well, afterall I am not going to be the President again. Why not enjoy ?

A WIN AT LAST !!!

Puff! Woof! India somehow have at last managed to win a series. What a great achievement. Wow! And that too against Bangladesh. Hats off Rahul !
But really a win is a win, is a win is a win. But Dravid & Co. might have been thinking of a clean sweep, a virtual white wash. But alas. That was not going to be. The Rain Gods came to the rescue of the already wonded Bangla Tigers. Not a ball was bowled. The last ODI was called of at around 1 PM local time. Sun showed up. But that was too late for Dravid. This will surely give him a sleepless night. That showed as he was leaving the two umpires and the Bangla Captain shaking his head. He very badly a match to take place. Be it a curtailed one.
But now all is set for the longer version of the game. The two teams take on each other at the same venue shortly. Lets see who gives whom a sleepless night.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK !

INDIA'S TOUR TO BANGLADESH ON THE HEELS OF THE WORLD CUP DEBACLE!

MY COMMENTS

"Mission Revenge !?"

Rahul Dravid confirmed "No." But can we so easly agree. Maybe not. But somewhere in the back of his mind he must be dying to make a whitewash in the current Bangladesh tour. But really, it was a must win situation for the Indians. Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again showed his class. Playing a uncharastaristic 'Dhoni' innings, he not only defied cramps but also his natural instincts of letting himself loose on the opposition. This win surely gave the Indians back home some sort of a respite and that would be a good news to the battling Team India. The Indians would now be looking to pocket the series on Saturday when they take on the wounded Tigers at the same venue. Meanwhile, India as usual looked as a team in tatters when Gautam Gambhir & Virender Sehwag got out cheaply. They were reeling at 144/5. But yes no credit to be taken away from both of them that they both have scored at more that an a run a ball. But that only helped to step on the average and did really no good for the team. Sehwag seemed to be set for a big score. But his fortunes just don't seem to be with him; even after being given a possibly last chance for his international appearance. But he celebrated his chances by joining the elite group by completing 5000 ODI runs.
And then came the saviours of Team India. The stronger team on paper had to perform out there in the middle. And they did it out of their skin. Dinesh Karthik proved a point why he should be in the team. His defiant half century along with Dhoni sealed the fate for the Bangla Tigers.
Now that's where India will be looking to improve their ratings on the foundation that such youngsters will create for them. Because India's lowest ratings was also below that of Bangladesh.

INDIA Vs BANGLADESH

All pics courtesy www.cricketnext.com

LETS GO !

Calling all the like minded bloggers in the blogosphere to chat, express their views about the topics of the week. Suggest your own subject for the week. If approved by our team it will be included for discussion. And yes the credit will of course go to you for that.
So come and speak you mind.

A FORGETTABLE WORLD CUP ENDS !

The most forgettable World Cup is over at last. Uffffffffff !!! What a relief !

This edition of the World Cup is the most forgettable of the total 9 played so far.

# It has seen a coach being murdered

# The final ends in utter chaos

# The referee too is irresponsible

AUSTRALIA WINS THE WORLD CUP !

Its 4/9 for Australia. Winning 4 out of 9 World Cups is really comendable. Hats off ! CONGRATS !

IS AISHWARYA THE SECOND WIFE OF ABHISHEK ?

Is Aish the second wife of Abhi ? Who is the low-profile actress called Janhavi Kapoor ? When will Abhishek get a filmfare award ? Did Abhishek really marry even before the first rays of 2007 had fallen ?All these questions come not in the mind of any seasoned jornalist but a common man like you and me. In the wee hours this selfproclaimed Mrs. Small B arrived in front of "Pratiksha" and created a real drama. Anyways, Mumbai is known for dramas - be it real life or reel life. This lady claimed to have got married to AB in December last. But how ? In court ? No. In a temple ? No. No one knows how they got married but THEY GOT MARRIED. Wow great isn't it ? And all this had to surface right in the hot period of the "hot" marriage of the "hot" jodi. Known as the most-beautiful couple that ever lived on the planet called Earth.
Janhavi got numerous offers of films after Dus. But the love for Abhishek was soooooooooo strong that she "rejected" the offers that she got. Now this Janhavi Kapoor claims that Abhi had a love affair with her and had even promised to marry her; which is why she declined the film offers that she had got; once he gets a Filefare Award ? (One wonders for what ? But we will suppose he will get one soon.)
Another thing that Janhavi is doing that she wants to put an end to her life. She tried to commit suicide just in front the house of AB.
But one dosn't know the timing of Janhavi Kapoor! She says he had married him in December last. But then why on earth did she keep quiet till the date of their marriage. She wants to meet him and settle all the things once and for all. Couldn't she then do it right then? What's the point in waiting for 4 more months. Not only that she also dragged the SP leader Mr. Amar Singh into all this matter, claiming that she is being threated for life by the leader. One can't say right now how the proceding will go on. But put your fingers crossed. There's more coming.

BIG HOT MARRIAGE !

"IS ANYONE CALLING US NAME ?"

"WAITING FOR THE 'BIG' DAY !"

"MADE IN HEAVEN"

"A SCENE BEFORE THE 19th SO EARLY !?"

"BLACK & WHITE GLORY !"

ITS ALL IN THE MIND !

When nothing seems to go your way,Keep your head.When the odds are against youKeep your head.When the time requires you to fire up,Show you can do it.If you think you can, you can &Show you can do it.Keep faith. Believe that you are going to reach theshores, what the odds may be, and that its just amatter of time. If things are going your way, thenrealise that you are doing something right and keepdoing it, stick to it because you are on the right path.And that's what will keep you taking ahead. That'swhat will raise you above all the others. That's whatwill make you stand out in the crowds.Even a birdie is willing to fly right from the word go. Itknows or even may not that its wings are still not strongenough to carry it forward. But the will to fly and experiencesomething new makes the little birdie restless. Probably itknows more than us that "WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THEREIS A WAY !"If you struggle, strive, fight, battle then success, achievement,the joy, the pleasure and the satisfaction of reaching your goal willbe all yours and one will be able to deprive you of you of that specialmoment. Help yourself on the path to success. And yes, positve thoughtsare the wings to success. So think positive always. Afterall its all in the mind !WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL LIFE !

SACHIN & SAURAV OUT !

For the first time in 17 years that the stars of the selectors of the Indian Cricket have turned on its head. How ? Simple! They have dropped the best player that ever lived on the planet Earth. And Saurav Ganguly to boot. What else will you call it ? And one more thing; who are the selectors to decide if a player who is performing should cool his heels ? Why don't the selectors adopt the same thing for themselves ? ONE MAN PER POST ! No they can't do it. Can they ? How can they ? Don't they want to continue occupying the chairs ? The Rotation System is only for the players; and not for them who are post holders. And the other thing: If a individual is earning and Lacs and Crores there will be a big problem in the already dusty heads of these board members. Well if any one is earning by their hard work, you have no right to deny them their income. That's totally undemocratic. And all know that India the largest Democracy in the world. Probably all have forgotten this grass root common philosophy about Democracy. Is India declining in her Democracy values ? If no then I may better say that all the players should take the help of PIL and sue the BCCI for their unlawful and dictator type commands that the poor players have to face in spite of performing on the field. A lot has been said about their non-performance. But who thinks and these cricketers are never compared with the Bollywood stars. Even the star of the Millennium has given innumerable flops even after being given the status of the "Star of the Millennium". Why has no one wondered, why has no one staged protests against the Big B about the flop films. Leave alone the protests, on the contrary he is the only Bollywood star who has a temple to his credit. IS HE A GOD ? (He can never be.) But he is earning in Crores. Who has asked him till date that you should not feature in more than say 3 or 4 ads. Even though considering our dismal performance over the years the BCCI remains the richest Cricket Board in the World. Had the President even made a oral statement that all the players should "donate"their 10% or 15% to the Board all would have done that gladly. Even the players would have earned and so the Board. And there would have been no need of any written order for this. (But should be done to curb corruption.) But it is not even for a legend like Sachin; who now seem to be just a toy in the hands of the selectors in spite of his Demigod like status. IS IT THE END OF THE LEGEND ? LETS SAY IT IS NOT. Because it is also in the hands of fans like us to support our dear ones.