Soccer Wednesday!!!

Went to a friendly soccer match last wednesday.The match was between Germany and Argentina...and although it was a friendly match,the atmosphere was electric.Europeans are as crazy for soccer as we Indians are for cricket and maybe more.

The match was in Allianz Arena in Munich.Its a magnificent stadium with a seating capacity of about 70,000(including standing room) and the only stadium in the world that has changing color outside. The stadium was packed with German supporters and a few Argentinian Supporters scattered around.

We were about 15 Desis and we had hired a bus to go to Munich and come back.Incidentally, I was the only female in the group.The bus ride was pleasant and fun filled with lot of chattering and hot samosas with cold beer.

There was a huge crowd gathered for this match and it took us a while to enter after clearing the security check. The stadium was packed with football enthusiasts who were carrying German flags and wearing team shirts of their favorite players...people were drinking beer...cheering their team...singing and creating a lot of noise in general which made the entire thing a lot of fun. It was a dream come true for me to watch players like Messi, Ballack etc play in person and I even got to see Diego Maradona as he is the coach of Argentinian team for this World Cup. Argentinian defence was amazing and they thwarted a lot of goal attempts by the Germans and at the same time,their centre forwards continuously attacked the German goal. At last their relentlessness bore fruit and Argentina scored a goal just before the half time. There was a long queue for the snacks counter outside and a separate card was needed in order to buy the snacks instead of cash and this card was being sold at another counter.Finally we did manage to buy something and when finally entered the stands again,the match had already started. Compared to Argentinians, the Germans performed rather dismally and players like Ballack,Schweinsteiger,Podolski etc were huge disappointments.All this while Maradona paced the sidelines enthusiastically cheering his players...making quick changes and boosting their morale. In the end,Argentina won the match 1-0.The only dampener was the weather which was very cold and it was really chilly inside the stadium.

German supporters were rather quiet on their way out as their team had lost but we Desis were upbeat because it really didnt matter to us who won.The journey back was pretty much the same...Beer...Post Match discussions....Soccer stats...heated arguments over the correctness of these Soccer stats..bets being placed...Beer Jokes (named it so coz they are really lame but since everyone is high, people laugh at anything being said) etc.

My first International Soccer match in a stadium.....all in all,a very memorable experience. :)

Azincourt...

Read this amazing book by Bernard Cornwell. Azincourt (also called Agincourt) was an epic battle between England and France in the 14th Century. Although these two countries have had many such battles like Crece, Waterloo etc which were more significant strategically and otherwise,the battle of Azincourt holds a special place in the history.

This book gives a graphic account of the war waged by Henry V as the rightful heir of France. A battle which started with the seige of Harfleur,a small harbour city in France and the march towards Calais where the French intercepted the English Army near the town of Azincourt.The seige of Harfleur took longer than expected and by the time it was won and English army started its march towards Calais,it had shrunk to mere 6000,and dysentry raged in the army with many soldiers falling prey to it. This small army was intercepted at Azincourt by the huge French army of about 30,000. Unbelievable it may sound, but the English won this battle with as few as 200 casualties whilst the French lost about 5000 men.

The battle of Azincourt established the power of England and the claim of Henry V but more than anything else it was a battle for Honour and Pride, which were the only motivating factors for the demoralized and suffering army of England when it faced the mighty French Army. This battle reinstated the notion that a battle is never won by numbers,its won by will and the English army proved this through its bravery and resilience as it faced the sea of French Army.

This book also provided a lot of knowledge on the importance and use of Long Bows in the war (English Archers were the main reason England could win this war).I was amazed to find that Long Bows used to weigh atleast 120 Pounds and the Archers who used them had powerful arm,shoulder and back muscled developed by years of training and practice (an archer started training from childhood!!).

All and all an amazing read...a battle that has been celebrated by the English ever since it happened...as Shakespeare put it "We Few....We Happy Few"

Master :)

"All kneel down and praise whatever god you fancy for the mighty Sachin Tendulkar. This could just be turning into the greatest year of his international career, more than 20 years after it began"...The Times

It was a historic moment....Sachin Tendulkar scoring a double century in an ODI against SA in Gwalior...As Imran Khan put it "A truly Phenomenal knock by a truly Phenomenal Player", Sachin has yet again proven that he is the master of this game. What is most admirable here is the commitment and resilience that he has shown for now 20 years. Playing for an entire inning of 50 overs at the age of 36 without the aid of a runner is no mean feat but this little genius is not an ordinary player either.


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Although he has broken and set many records, this double ton would always be considered very special. It was a delightful exhibition of the sheer genius and the determination of a competitior who would not give up or ask for a runner despite cramps.

In a Mathematical Equation he can simply be described as:

Courage+Character+Class+Commitment+Cricket = Sachin R. Tendulkar

Today his knock is being celebrated world over...his fellow countrymen who consider him God of Cricket....among Cricketing legends...his contemporaries and the media. This is my tribute to the Little Master and how lucky I am to be living in the same era as him.

P.S  In the video,after the Presentation, the salutation video dedicated to Sachin is very nice and the reason I have posted this video :)

Old Melodies :))

Old folk songs have their own melody and beauty which is unmatched and time immemorial....be it Bhojpuri,Punjabi,Bengali,Oriya,Malyalam or any other tongue...these songs touch hearts even today and although one might not understand the meaning but the music remains with you forever....




We had all gathered in this Indian restaurant to bid farewell to my husbands' long time colleague and friend along with other assorted Desis....the atmosphere was happy...the food was good....after a couple of beers, My husband started humming this tune and then broke out singing(who incidentally is an amazing singer) this old punjabi song which left everyone spell bound...although I could not understand much of the lyrics,but the music touched my soul with its sheer beauty...even the restaurant owner and his wife started listening (who are also punjabi) and his wife couldnt stop praising my husband afterwards :))

Thats the beauty of these old songs...they have meaning...charisma and above all great MUSIC.....Music is a great unifier...it binds souls together...brings unity even in cultural diversity...develops a sense of belonging and togetherness and above all brings immense joy and emanicipation :))

Snow....Oh please Go :(

It happened first in November....I was thrilled because before this I had only seen snow once in India.I was happy...dancing around...enjoying the weather....my spirits still managed to be high when in December the temperature dropped down to -17 to -18 degrees....But now it is February and the damn thing isnt going away.....the cold is bothering me....I cant go out without wearing atleast 2 layers of clothing... cant wear open sandals....oh I am getting so bothered now with this snow....I see all those people clearing the snow manually and by machine early in the morning at around 5-6 am...I marvel at their resilience....

I enjoyed the Ski trip we had in mid-January where I learned to make a snow plow also called a Pizza and by the end of the 2 day training, I could ski without tripping over....

But now this cold is bothering me...I was unwell since past 1 week and now I am missing the mild weather of Bombay,Pune or even Bangalore with a vengeance...Hope this snow gets the message and goes away and make some way for spring...:))

White Tiger

Read this amazing book by Arvind Adiga...White Tiger which is also the winner of The Man Booker Prize 2008 is a dark comedy on our Indian society....Its a satirical account of our Indian society and its norms where on one side we claim that we are on our way to be a superpower and on the other hand we are still clinging to old ways of suppressing the poor and downtrodden....

The author has wonderfully portrayed the way in which servants are treated in the smaller cities and villages and the mentality of both master and servants. Its a satire on the entire indian family system which writer has compared with a chicken coop and how one servant rises up to rebel and treads his way towards his own "start up" in this booming economy where entrepreneurship is the most happening thing currently.

All in all a very interesting read :)

Ubiquitous Terror...

Another Terror strike in India...German Bakery in Pune has been blasted..I have now lost the count....does anyone remember how many has it been??....has these terror strikes have become a part of our daily routine??....so ubiquitous and frequent that people dont even notice anymore....

Same story so often repeated...this place has been blasted...these many people have died or have been injured....U.S had warned about these strikes....intelligence failure...Pakistani Terrorists involved....strict action will be taken...Govt. has announced compensation.....same thing again and again.....

How many times will it happen???....its time to review some things...what action has been taken so far??....why are we so helpless??...why cant we protect ourselves??...why cant we nab these perpetrators??...

Why are we holding peace talks with a nation we know for sure is never going to let peace prevail in our country...we know Pakistan sponsors these indiscriminate attacks and killing of all these innocent people then why are we insisting on peace talks...true there is no alternative to peace but can peace prevail like this when on one hand peace talks will go on and on the other these terror attacks will continue??....Isnt it a mockery of the entire Peace Process???.....

Why is Ajmal Amir Kasab who is branded as "No.1 enemy of India" still alive???...what are we waiting for??... All those victims of the Mumbai Terror attacks...brave army officers like Maj. Unnikrishnan and Police Officers like Hemant Karkare have long gone.. but their families are still waiting...waiting for justice that is taking forever to come.....what are we waiting for???....Are we waiting for another Plane Hijack like that of IC 814 in Kandahar which secured the release of Masood Azhar who after that founded LeT??....

If not dealt with strictly..this terrorism is going to become a part and parcel of the daily life....everytime someone is shopping at a mall...or watching a movie at a multiplex or eating at a restaurant....the idea of a possible bomb attack is always gnawing at the back of his mind.....Such insecurity and helplessness will create irreparable damage to this country....

Its about time our Government take some strict action and not just words to deal with this situation.