RajniKanth Day in History !!

December 12^th, 1950 is one of the most important days in the history of mankind. After all Shivaji Rao Gaikwad aka RajniKanth was born on that day. He turns 62 today and millions of fans are celebrating. No better treat for them than the release of Sivaji in 3D. RajniKanth is not just the SuperStar, he has become a cultural Icon. Tamil Cinema = RajniKanth.

I can go on with the adulation  but moving on. Being RajniKanth day, there have been many more landmark events which have changed the course of history in some way or the other on December 12^th.  Nothing more altering than his birth of course, but you do get what I mean. So, here is looking at a few of those events :

1901: Gugliemo Marconi succeeded in sending the first ever transatlantic radio transmission. He had transmitted the Morse Code Signal for letter S from Cornwall, England to Newfoundland, Canada , Over 2000 miles apart. He disapproved the cynics who believed that the curvature of earth would limit transmission to 200 miles or less. This was Marconi’s way of Rajnikanthing the non-believers. What’s more, he received the nobel prize in Physics in 1909 for the same. Only because he did this on 12^th December.

1912: The original Mona Lisa painting was recovered 2 years after its theft from the Louvre Museum in Paris. It was recovered in Florence, from the hotel room of an Italian waiter by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia. Legend has it that on Dec 12^th of the previous 2 years, Vincenzo heard booming voices in his room which went something like “Kanna, I am coming”. He ignored the first 2 warnings, but the 3^rd one was a bit too much for him and he left the painting unhidden in his room to make it easier for the search party. Though unproven, you know it’s true.   

1943: Tide detergent was introduced. The detergent which gives you the whitest of white. How did they get the formula to make such a detergent? They just got lucky that their launch date coincided with RajniKanth day. 

1963: Kenya gained independence from the British forces. Kenya African National Union (KANU) headed by Jomo Kenyatta took over the country. Why did it happen? RajniKanth on his 13^th birthday wanted a lion as a gift. His parents asked him to go get it. He swam his way from Mumbai to Nairobi. As the clock struck 12, RajniKanth had reached the Kenyan shores. The British knew it was a lost cause. You know what happened next.

1981: Yuvraj Singh was born. How do you think he managed to hit those 6 sixes against Stuart Broad? How do you think he managed to win the World Cup for India, in spite of not being in the best of health? How do you think he can hit sixes so effortlessly? You really want me to answer these questions? I am sure you know why.

And just in case you want some more trivia, Washington DC and New Delhi, the capitals of the two biggest democracies, i.e. USA and India were established as capitals on this very day. Washington in 1800 and Delhi in 1911. I am sure you won’t ever forget this now.  

My First Marathon- Ok, 10km Run !!

I am a pretty lazy individual. Someone who wanted to do things, but later. Walking from my house to the nearby market was a strict no at most times. So, running a marathon was going to be as tough as Pi Patel’s rendezvous with Richard Parker.

I came to know about the Wipro Chennai Marathon a few days ago. Though I was not much confident of doing any good in it, I just had to give it a shot. After all , this couldn't be done later. There were 3 categories. I chose the 10km run. The full and half marathons were never going to be my thing. Riding 42kms on a bike is hellacious, I mean how could I possibly walk/run that much. Having done 5-6kms on the treadmill, 10km was just a bit further. I was pretty “confident” of doing it.

2^nd of December was the D-Day. IIT Madras was the venue. The entire course was within the beautiful IIT campus. The run was to begin at 7:00 AM. I was there at 6:30 and joined my fellow runners who were doing their Warm-ups, choreographed by an instructor. I was joined by a couple of my friends, who were inevitably late. A shot of an energy drink and a banana later, we were all set. As the countdown trickled down to zero, off we were along with hundreds of fellow runners. It was showtime.

The first couple of kilometers went pretty well. The adrenaline was pumping and the confidence of finishing the run was growing. The legs held up well and weren’t behaving funny as yet. As we reached the first fueling station, around 3 and a bit kilometers from the start line, things were just getting a bit tougher. Jogging had been replaced by more of walking. Though the stamina was still there, legs were starting to make noises of their own. Every passing kilometer made it more of a “mind over body” matter. I pushed, pushed and pushed, alternating between jogging and walking.

The finish line made its much sought after appearance, and so did a bit adrenaline rush. A dash to the finish line was made, and when I did cross the line, immense satisfaction. Being able to complete the run was an incredible achievement in itself for me, considering that I never practiced even a bit and the longest distance I have ever walked in my life wouldn’t have been more than 3kms.

A special shout out to Wipro and other organizers. The marathon was organized quite brilliantly and It was great fun to be a part of it. The IIT campus was as beautiful as it has always been, making the run extremely easy on the eyes. The Chennai weather too was extremely considerate and spared us from exhaustion due to heat. Overall, it was a Sunday well spent.

I did make a 10km run sound like a hike to Mount Everest, but that was how difficult I had considered it to be. Now that I succeeded in getting done with it, I have my sights set on the next marathon event. This time, with some practice, I might just give the Half Marathon a shot.     

Facebook : Social Network to Daily Chore

When I was first introduced to Social Networking 6 years back through Orkut, I was excited about it. I used to genuinely look forward to Log in to Orkut, Check for scraps, get immensely happy If I got one, stalk people’s profiles and uploading “real” photos used to be like the coolest thing ever. A person’s coolness factor used to be directly proportional to the number of scraps in his/her scrapbook, and the number of friends he/she has.

Then came facebook. It started gaining prominence around 2007-08. People were hooked instantly. The magnitude of the Orkut to Facebook migration of the human race will make the Emperor Penguins proud. Things were a bit different here, FB Chat replaced Scraps, Wall posts replaced testimonials, People could now stalk without the fear being revealed, and we got introduced to perhaps the 2 worst social networking Inventions of all time, Poking and “Like”. Facebook became the in thing, and the coolness factor was now measured by how fast one made this transition from “Boring Orkut” to “Happening Facebook”.

Then we had Twitter, Google +, So.cl (Does anybody use this?), Linkedin, Pinterest, MojoStreet, Instagram and a plethora of networking sites, designed for different purposes.

Things have changed though. Social networking has lost the novelty factor it possessed even 2-3 years ago. From being “Cool”, It has become a given to be a part of a social networking site. Also, with usage of smartphones and tablets increasing exponentially, one doesn't even need to have a Desktop or Laptop with them to get access to these websites. With such ease in access, people have become so addicted to these sites, that it has almost become a chore.  

With people logged into their facebook and other social networking accounts in multiple devices, the existence of logout button is on the verge of becoming a myth. We have traversed from “going online” to “being online”. As I said before, Social Networking has become a chore. It would no longer be a part of a person’s “To do List”. You eat, You sleep, You bathe, and similarly you facebook (Yes, It can be used as a verb).

There are many ways in which one can look at this. One can go on with the pros and cons of Social networking addiction and blah. The point here is we have surpassed the addiction phase, and It has now become an inherent part of life. As much as one would want to restrict themselves, there is always a limit to how much one can fast. Anyone with views, the comment section has been served to you on a platter.  

Jab Tak Hai Jaan - An SRK - Yashji Special !!

Jab Tak hai Jaan. Yash Chopraji’s final directorial venture. Expectations were really high. Afterall, SRK and Yashji were coming together after 8 long years. Veer Zaara was their last outing together. JTHJ does not disappoint at all.

This movie is about Major Samar Anand, A stubbled bomb defusal expert of the Indian Army. This movie is about his undying, unconditional love for Meera (Katrina Kaif). And about Akira Rai’s (Anushka Sharma) realization on what true love is.

So, the movie beings with Samar on his Royal Enfield clad in black tee and aviator glasses makes his way to diffuse the 98th bomb. The theatre echoed with whistles and claps. After all, it was King Khan.

Akira ,who is a 21 year old intern who wishes to work with Discovery Channel, is rescued by Samar as she passes out trying to take a dip in the chilly waters of Ladakh. He helps her out and makes her wear her jacket. Akira gets hold of Samar’s diary from his jacket, and we go to flashback mode.

Enter Meera, and a younger Samar. Meera a rich spoilt brat, who drives a Bentley. Samar, yet another asian in London trying to do petty jobs and meet his ends, still hoping for that elusive London dream. Their paths cross, Love happens. However, As fate would have it, Meera is already engaged. Also, she makes a series
of promises to Jesus, one of which leads to Samar going back to India and joining the Indian Army.

A complex tale of love at its purest ensues. The protagonists have done a good job. Katrina has actually managed to act, and done a wonderful job out of it. Anushka is at her chirpy best, and is proving that she is a very capable actor. Which brings me to Shahrukh Khan. Love stories seems to bring the best out of him. We have had Raj Malhotra, Veer Pratap Singh and now Samar Anand. He has given a very honest and compelling performance. After an Indifferent Ra-One, SRK is truly back with that loverboy persona. Cameos from Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh are worth a mention too.

Rahman’s music, though not at his belligerent best, gives a really good music score. “Challa” and “Saans” will delight your ears. Special mention must also go to the piece of music before “Ishq Shava”. Now, that was ARR at his best. Yashji also does a phenomenal job with the camerawork. The locales of Ladakh and London are extremely pleasing to eyes.

I would give Jab Tak Hai Jaan 3.5/5. And a must watch for SRK fans. Considering this is the last time we will see the Legendary combo of Yashji-SRK, it is a definite dekho for Movie buffs. Samar’s character is said to be the “The Man Who Can’t die”. Similarly, Yashji may be no longer with us, but his Legend just can’t die.

Preview : South Africa's Tour of Australia

Australia vs South Africa. The last time we saw these 2 teams meet in a criminally short test series, we saw a scoreline of 21-9, we saw one of the finest counter-attacking innings in Test Cricket from Micael Clarke, we saw Hashim Amla at his graceful best and we saw the arrival of Patrick Cummins and Vernon Philander (Cummins working out Jacques Kallis and Philander’s exceptional control of the cricket ball are among the finest endorsements of Test Cricket).

Exactly a year after that series, South Africa will begin their first campaign as No.1 ranked test side in Brisbane. South Africa need to draw or win the series to retain the rankings, whereas Australia needs to win by any margin to reclaim their No.1 rankings, hence making them the 4th team to reach the throne in 2 years. All signs point to this being one helluva contest between two cricketing giants, one that just reached the pinnacle, and the other that fell down a few years back, but has done commendably well to climb its way back up, in spite of the numerous disappointments in between. A treat for the neutrals.

There are lots of key battles one needs to watch out for in this series, which will go a long way in deciding the contests. This should be a good time to have a look at those.

1) The battle of the pace attacks: South Africa has Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and the uncapped Rory Kleinveldt. Australia has Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Josh Hazlewood (Injuries to Cummins and Ryan Harris has made their decision easier). On paper, the saffers should run away with this contest. But on current form, the Aussie pace attack are among the best in the world and playing at home could be a plus for them as well. Though It can be argued that the SA pacers will have the easier task against the brittle Aussie batsmen, one It really isn't safe to bet against their Aussie counterparts.

2) Jacques Kallis vs Shane Watson: Both these players will double up as the fourth pacer and No.3/4 batsman for their respective teams. Both these players are in the form of their lives. And both these players need to perform to give their team a better chance of winning. Watson more so. We all know that Watson will never be as good a player as Kallis is, but will be the better player this series? Whoever it is, I dare say their team will sneak the trophy. With Watson out of the first test due to yet another injury, Kallis seems to be having the upper-hand already.

3) Australian Batsmen vs Their Form: The aussies have a brilliant bowling attack but their batsmen are a bit vulnerable.  And when we put these batsmen against the likes of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB DeVilliers, it’s a no contest. If this was a traditional WWE Survivor Series wrestling match between SA and Australia, SA will win the bout without a single of them being eliminated.

We have Warner and Cowan as openers, one who despite a decent record, is suspect to quality bowling, and the other who just can't seem to convert his starts. They are Australia's version of the Sehwag-.Akash Chopra alliance. The middle order consists of Watson (Quiney), Ponting, Clarke, Hussey and Wade. Looks good on paper, but only Watson and Clarke are safe bets. Quiney though in great first class form, will face a huge challenge against Steyn n Co, Ponting is in the twilight of his career, Hussey hasn't looked himself in recent tests and Wade doesn't yet look test match material. I predict a tough series for the Aussie batsmen against the SA bowling attack. The tail would need to wag almost every time to help them to a reasonable score.

4) AB DeVillers the Batsman vs AB DeVillers the Keeper: Following Mark Boucher’s freak injury and forced retirement, AB Devillers donned the gloves in the England Series, though they had Thami Tsolekile as the backup. This was done to maintain the balance and extend an already intimidating batting line-up  He did a reasonable job behind the stumps, but it seemed to have affected his batting. He was not at his fluent best during the English summer. He scored just 161 runs in the 3 tests, with no centuries or half centuries. A big failure for a player of his calibre  So, It will be interesting to see if DeVilliers can get that monkey of his back and get back to his belligerent best. If not, South Africa would need to find a young keeper who can bat, for their test side at the earliest. Quinton de Kock anyone?

Smith and Clarke, in happier days.

5) Graeme Smith vs Michael Clarke: The Captains. One leading his side since 2003, for 93 tests. The Other took over from Ponting in 2011, has lead his side for 15 tests. Smith is known to be a defensive captain, however since the arrival of Philander and Tahir, that seems to have changed. His bold declaration in the first test in England lays testimonial to that. Clarke has always been the aggressor. He makes bold, calculated moves, which in his short stint have clicked more often than not. His decision to declare the innings in the first test against West Indies, in spite of being in deficit comes to mind. Both are also crucial batsmen to their teams. Will be good to see who gets one up at the end of the series.

So, we surely do have a cracker of a series at our hands. I’ll like to put my hand up and predict a 2-0 series win for South Africa. It will be a close contest, but I believe the Aussie batsmen might just spoil the party for their team. Let’s see if there is a surprise or two in store for the viewers.  

The Group of fools - Review

Looking for a light, quick read to bide your time with during a short bus or train journey. You can place your bet on “The Group of Fools”. Authored by a first timer, Yaagneshwaran G, it will keep you entertained for a few hours. That’s all one would need to get done with this book.

The group of fools is based in a Business School and revolves around a group of friends (If you were wondering where “Group of fools” came from). The main protagonists include Shaun, Varun, Diya and Anusha and the narration is from Shaun’s perspective.

The book takes you on a journey through life in a B-School. The style of narration is informal, striking a chord with young readers. The tales of friendship and love within the book is something that everyone can relate with. Anyone who has gone through the rigors of a B-School life will definitely find a piece of themselves within the book.

One might find a semblance to Chetan Bhagat’s style of writing in the Group of fools. So, this definitely is a good light read for his fans. Certain aspects of the book could have been better though. The font looks childish and might actually distract readers. The character building of the key protagonists and the B-School as a whole could have been handled better. For a debut novel though, Yaagneshwaran has done a commendable job. I would give it a rating of 6 out of 10 

Move over T20's, November is Test Match time !

After a T20 overdose over the past t2o months, which saw us sitting through 58 T20’s over 42 days, its finally some serious cricket time. Its Test Match time baby. There are plenty of test matches on the horizon. So many that, there wont be a single day from November 9^th to December 9^th when there will not be a test match played. I for one don’t mind this overdose.

So, we have 4 test series lined up for us this November. It starts off with Australia vs South Africa on November 9^th which will be a tussle for the No.1 spot. Will be interesting to see if the newly crowned Test champions do better than their predecessors against a gritty Aussie unit at home. Will the young Aussie quicks make their mark against the might of Kallis, Amla, Smith and DeVilliers. Can the Aussie batsmen handle the Saffer pace Attack. And, also Will this series be the end for Ponting? 

Next up is Bangladesh vs West Indies, starting from November 13^th. Not necessarily a contest many people will be looking forward to. The T20 champs will be in the house for the first time since their victory. Can they come off their gangnaming and switch to Test Cricket Mode? Whereas Bangladesh, Can they finally convert potential to Victory? Seriously, No more minnow talk please.

And then, is the 2^nd big series. India vs England. A battle of two “Lions at home, Lambs overseas” teams. A battle of two former No. 1 teams. And also, a revenge series. Indians will not be pleased with anything less than 4-0, England will be pleased with even a 1-1. KP “Reintegrated” back into the English team, Yuvi might make a comeback to the Indian team and of course, Could this be Sachin’s retirement series? All these questions might put you into a “spin”, so tune in on 15^th November to find out the answers.

And finally, Its Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, starting from 17^th of November. The losing T20 WC finalists will be looking for some kind of redemption. New Zealand will be looking to win a test series against a team not named Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, for the first time since 2005. This is the only series for which the result looks a foregone conclusion, Sorry New Zealand.

So, November looks all set for some really good cricketing action, with quite possibly two legends hanging their boots (My Prediction). Next up, I’ll be giving my preview on The SA-Aus and Ind-Eng series. Ciao till then J