Much-awaited IPL tournament’s schedule.

Here’s the quick link for downloading the pdf file.

IPL Matches Schedule

Cricketers on sale!!

Every dog has its day!!

This proverb is best suited for Indian Cricketers. There is absolutely nothing wrong in saying that if presented an oppurtunity money will always beat passion. If you ask a cricketer about his ambition, his reply would be that he wants to represent the country but he will never tell you what lurks behind in his mind which is ofcourse a big fat paycheck. If you still don’t agree then ask Anil Kumble why is he in the T20 team when he can’t even find a place in the 50 over game. He is not doing any charity work either. The fact is Anil Kumble is not there for playing cricket. His job is to pull crowd inside the stadium and pull money outside. IPL (Indian Premier League) has given aging players a last chance to hoard as much money as they can and secure their future. Even foreign players have set their eyes and don’t want to miss the bus. It doesn’t matter even if their price tag doesn’t show a amount greater than that of local heroes. Ricky Ponting would be in great dilemma and must be scratching his head and trying to draw a logic to understand 

1. Why teammate Andrew Symonds is getting thrice as much he is getting?

2. Whether he should buy the argument that even Manoj Tiwari who has not played even a single one-dayer, forget about cementing a place in the national side, is getting much more than him.

3. What will happen to his captaincy skills with which he has led his nation team to win 2 world cup titles? Will Sourav Ganguly come to him for suggestions during any of those IPL matches?

Michael Hussey must be laughing at himself for not finding anyone who considers a man with highest average in 50 over game and second highest in Tests (after Bradman) worthy enough to bid for. If he is not then atleast his brother David Hussey must be because ironically, even he is wearing a price tag of 2.5 crores INR. Piyush Chawla will probably never beat Warne’s charisma on the field but he has already beaten him up in the bidding game by getting signed a paycheck of whopping 2.6 crores. My sympathies are with the legendry Mc Grath, the athletic wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu and the finisher Ramnaresh Sarwan. They don’t deserve to be in the reserved pool but they should accept the fact that it’s Indian premier league and it’s all about doing business in the name of cricket.

Such things can happen only in India and such things can happen only for crazy people which India was never short of.

Whose Mumbai is it?

The first two weeks of february generated a lot of heat in Mumbai. MNS chief Raj Thackeray popped up a question which created a lot of chaos in the city. Politicians and Media kept the issue open for a long time, started a blame-game, challenged each other and then left the entire episode inconclusive. Keeping an eye on the entire issue as a mute spectator so far, I have some suggestions and points which i feel should have been considered.

1. In 1983, 70% taxi-owners were Maharashtrians, the figure is 10% today. Where are those ppl? or is it that the number is stagnant and others have outnumbered them?

2. If there are lot of illegal slums used as shelter by migrants in the city, then who provided them electricity and water for daily living.

3. When nobody bothers about observing the lane discipline and lowering the traffic and accidents, then why does the goverment spend a lot maintaining them. It is comparitively easy to make Mumbai a city like Shanghai but hard to discipline the citizens for not converting it into Dhaka.

4. Constitution was written in 1950, more than 55 years ago. So, when are we going to make an amendment in it? Are we waiting for the situation to go out of control?

5. One politician who raised his voice was none other than our Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav. Why don’t Lalu take a ride in local train from Thane to Dadar during the peak hours as a common man? Lalu can make arrangements for his 9 childrens in Bihar but not everybody can. Mumbai continues to lure them for money.

6. Kolkata and Delhi are other Metropolitan cities much closer to UP and Bihar. What is so special in Mumbai? What is here which is wooing parties like SP and BSP? What does these parties mean by slogans like “UP hamari hai, ab Maharshtra ki baari hai” and “UP to jhaanki hai, Maharashtra abhi baaki hai”?

7. What measures have been taken to provide jobs to poors in UP and Bihar? Is there lack of political will that stops these states from catching up with other states?

8. Why does it always happen with people from UP and Bihar and not others?

9. Why don’t we make such hue and cry in US where Indians are called Browns and are victim of hate-crimes?

10. Who should be held responsible if a situation like July 26, 2005 arises in the city?

11. What should a farmer of Vidarbh region, belonging to the same state, should expect from politicians who are busy all the time solving only the problems of financial capital of the country?

I am not an ardent supporter of MNS and I fully condemn the way this situation is handled but you can’t make someone think what is bad or what is good unless and until he is a happy man. Till then, such things will only bring shame to the country. We haven’t understood gravity of the situation and our lackadaisical attitude is akin to something written on an illusory blackboard with a non-existant chalk.

  

The Elephant has left the building.

07/07/07 .. numbers can’t make any day auspicious.

8 months and I have seen it all. 

The incident has taken a toll on me. I have experienced 2 major surgeries. I have seen greedy, arrogant and careless doctors. I have seen fair-weather friends. I have seen the world shifting gears. I have seen eveyone moving ahead. I have understood that even if you die, nobody cares. I have fought hard to kill time but now I am back. My time has come.

Ready to take on the world.