Leading the “I” way…

There were three apples that changed the world as we know it – first, the forbidden apple that ignited the “basic instincts” between Adam & Eve and made contraceptives today a worldwide necessity; second, the apple of discovery that Newton saw falling from a tree and gave the world the “science of gravity” and apparently, the “gravity of science”; and the third, much later, appeared as a quarter-eaten apple of Steve Jobs that digitized, gadgetized and hypnotized the modern consumer society. Perhaps, it was none other than Steve Jobs, who first truly bring innovative concepts and shaped them into the real life. He merged futuristic technologies with simplistically aesthetic designs and packed them all into single tangible entities that soon became benchmarks for fulfilling contemporary human desires. Surely, an apple would have been just another nutritious fruit, but with the magical touch of Steve, it looks seductive too…

Technology, by its core definition is not just about rocket science or building war ships. In fact, it should be more about transforming those rocket sciences into simple accessible formats that brings change and happiness to the mass human lives. This was the message that Steve Jobs lived to create successfully in his short yet significant life. As long as Apple as his living example will continue to wonder, people won’t mind to stay hungry and foolish.

To read Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford Speech follow the below link:

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Cut-Copy-Edit-Paste: The Clever Art of Plagiarism in Indian Film Music

Inspirations, Adaptations, Remakes and Remixes are all different forms of reproducing art, but often in the commercial world, they doesn’t bear a clear line of distinction from the otherwise  derogatory term called “Copying”. And many a times, it becomes cheaper, illegal, unethical and contradictory towards all artistic sensibilities when such things are done without copyrights, consent and/or proper acknowledgement of the original. In the context of music, plagiarism, like piracy, not only causes economic loss for the original artists and producers, but at the same time, they are an intrusion to someone else’s intellectual property.

Once, Bappi Lahiri made headlines by suing American producers for plagiarizing his ‘Kaliyon ka chaman’ in their song ‘Addictive' by Truth Hurts. And now, it’s Anu Malik again. On the recent drama of Anu Malik accusing Pritam for lifting his tune, I took a dig at both of them… and this is what it looks:

Anu Malik

It sounds surprisingly funny when accusation comes from someone called Anu Malik who is by the way, now more known for judging reality shows where he tries to make a fool of himself with his instant idiotic shaayris. The old hindi saying aptly fits here – “Ulta chor kotwal ko daate”. Anu Malik accused composer Pritam for lifting his tune in the Salman starrer ‘Ready’ (2011). According to him, the song ‘Charcter dheela hai’ is a copy of his song ‘Mohabbat naam hai iska’ from the film ‘Ajnabi’ (2001). Though once, he was the most sought after music director of 90’s, but now perhaps he has nothing more left than to remind people of his previously forgotten tracks. Still, if one looks back, he will definitely loose count of his own infamous Choris. From Qawalis to Spanish pops, he had a diverse source of “inspirations” - both from inside and outside of the country.  He shamelessly took Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s ‘Mera Piya Ghar Aaya’ and put it up in ‘Yaarana’ (1995), which was of course, superbly spiced up by Madhuri Dixit thoomkaas. Around the same time, came the film ‘Akele Hum Akele Tum’ (1995), and most of its songs were far from original. Ironically, the film itself portrayed composers who steal music from the protagonist.  The now “virtually non-existent singer” Kumar Sanu number ‘Dil Mera Churaya Kyun’ in that movie is a straight lift from ‘Last Christmas’ by British pop duo Wham! (one of the duo is George Michael) from their album ‘Music from the Edge of heaven’ (1984). In some way, ‘Aye mere humsafar’ from ‘Baazigar’ (1993) was a good work but still you cannot hide the fact that its mukhda clearly resembles ‘Khubsurat Hasina’ from the old movie ‘Mr. X in Bombay’ (1964). The original song was sung beautifully by Kishore Kumar and composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.  Most of his other “inspirations” came from the west, where he often couldn’t resist the temptations of lifting from the western catchy tunes and beats. He took the identical beat from Michael Jackson’s ‘They don’t care about us’ (1996) and used it in the masala number ‘Neela dupatta peela suit’ from ‘Hameshaa’ (1997). He used Spanish Los Del Rio’s global chartbuster Macarena twice in the same year in ‘Auzaar & Dhaal’ (1997). The film Duplicate (1998) had songs like ‘Ek shararat hone ko hai’, where Anu Malik copied a catchy tune from Laura Allens ‘Slip And Slide’. And its ‘Ladna Jhagadna’ is a copy of a children song called ‘A-Tisket A-Tasket’. You can see, quite literally, he has justified the name of that movie by his "sincere" musical efforts. In ‘Kareeb’ (1998), there is a song ‘Tera gussa’, and believe it or not, it’s a plain copy of the ‘Happy Birthday Song’. Seems, he sometimes even ran out of the “inspirations”. His works in movies like ‘Murder’ (2004) and ‘Zeher’ (2005) are basically not more than just a compilation of copies. In Murder, ‘Kaho na kaho’ is an adaptation of the Arabian song ‘Tamalli maak’ and has been acknowledged in the track itself. But surprisingly, it’s not the same treatment with the ‘O Jana’ number, which is also a note-by note copy of ‘Firiye dao’ from a popular Bangladeshi rock band called Miles. In fact, in a case hearing, the Calcutta High Court has ordered Bhatts to put off the track from the movie. Also, the superb ‘Bhheegey honth tere’ was again a total copy (including its lyrical parts) of a Punjabi track ‘Menu tere naal’ by a Pakistani singer named Najam Sheraz. So as you can see, Anu Malik has clearly left his foot-prints in the already stained saga of plagiarized music in Bollywood. However saying all that, I still feel that it would be unfortunate if he won’t be remembered for his rather good works in ‘Refugee’ and ‘Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Aaayi’. Oops, wait a minute, I just realized that the ‘Tere dar par sanam’ prelude is also a copy of the theme track from 1971 film ‘Summer of 42’ composed by Michel Legrand.

Pritam Chakraborty

True, we couldn’t stop our laugh when Anu malik accused Pritam. But again Pritam too is neither a “washed-basil-leaf”, since this whole game of lifting tunes in Bollywood is not less than a vicious circle of some repeated players. So let us concentrate now on the composer who stepped in bollywood with a Dhoom. Soon after the success of ‘Dhoom’ (2004), a hardly remembered singer-composer lyricist called Sanjay Raina resurfaced and claimed that he lifted the tune and catchword ‘Shikdum’ from one of his album ‘Hungama’ released way back in 1996 by Magnasound. Pritam defended, saying that he was actually inspired by the Turkish song ‘Sikidim’ (actually it’s Simarik) by the group called Tarkan. So it seems that he wanted us to imply that it’s always okay to take “inspirations” from outside. Now moving on to his more direct intrusions, of which the first is the hugely successful ‘Gangster’ (2006). In that movie, the producers purchased rights from Gautam Chatterjee for the ‘Beegi bheei’ number. What a nice gesture and act of decency, but hold on. The movie also has a track ‘Ya Ali’ with which Zubeen Garg–a talented singer from northeast rose to fame. The song was a straight rip-off of an Arabian song called ‘Ya Ghali’ by a Kuwait based band named Guitara. Incidentally, the music company which owns rights of the Arabian number is owned by Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal from Saudi royal family. As usual, Pritam characteristically denied all the allegations and said he was inspired by a Muslim folk song instead. Other hits of that same album are also direct lifts, such as ‘Tu hi meri shab hai’ (from ‘Sacral Nirvana’ by Oliver Shanti & Friends) and ‘Lamha Lamha’ (from Waris Baig’s ‘Kal Shab Dekha Maine’). Then there is ‘Life in a Metro’ (2007) of which the song ‘Baatein kuch ankahe si’, which has got several versions in the same album, is a copy of a Korean song ‘Ah reum dah oon sa ram’ originally sung by Seo Yoo Seok in the 70’s. The same is the case with ‘Pehli nazar mein’ from ‘Race’ (2008). The song in the soulful voice of Pakistani sensation Atif Aslam is a “pure” copy of another Korean song ‘Sarang hae yo’ from the hit Korean tele series, ‘Kwae-geol Chun-hyang’ (2005). And, remember KK’s ‘Kya mujhe pyar hai’ from Who Lamhe' (2006)? Yes, again, it’s a copy of an Indonesian song ‘Tak bisakah' by the popular Indonesian band ‘Peterpan’ (it was a part of the soundtrack for a 2005 Indonesian film ‘Alexandria’). The other favorite - 'Chal Chale’, sung brilliantly by James with his usual sleepy touch, is a copy of a 1965 track, 'A World of our own’ by the band named, 'The Seekers'. So you see, like many, both temptations and success is keeping Pritam’s motivation going… and we can expect that it will continue to go as it is.  

Indian Film Music Industry: A Chronicle of Plagiarism

The Indian film music is perhaps one of the biggest entertainment industries after the Indian film industry itself.  And the distinctive identity of Bollywood has been substantially maintained by its colorful music, since generations after generations. Though, plagiaristic practices in Indian film music are as old as the industry itself, but the early 40’s to 60’s were generally seen as largely clean period with strong classical, folk and regional influences. Occasionally, there have been western influences, especially in some of the works of O.P Nayyar, Shankar-Jaikishan, Usha Khanna and S.D. Burman. But one wouldn’t deny that those influences or adaptations were actually aesthetically incorporated, enhanced and aptly Indianized versions of the originals. And that creditably paved the way for the beginning of further developments and popularity of Indian film music. But the 70’s and 80’s were the times when  trends really started changing. Even though legends like R D Burman maintained originality in most of his work, but he too occasionally took inspirations from different sources including Rabindrasangeet. However, it was the later new breed of music directors like Rajesh Roshan and Bappi Lahiri who took this trend to another level by mastering the art of plagiarism. They made, borrowed and stole heavily, by directly copying western music from different genres like Pop, Latin, Hip-hop, Disco, Country etc. The trend was further carried forward in 90’s by the likes of Nadeem-Shravan, Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen, Jatin-Lalit, Anand-Milind, Sandip Chowta and of course, Anu Malik. Some of the composers even shamelessly copied A.R. Rehman, who at that time infused fresh blood in the industry. The other distinctive change was that the “influences” were not just limited to West but also had already embraced the Middleast and Pakistan for their immensely rich musical resources. And today, in the new millennium, with the rise of talents like Pritam Chakraborty, the “music expeditions” has even reached to the earlier untouched territories of Southeast-Asian countries like Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia. A truly global robbery!!

P.S.: Visit the following site for a shockingly fascinating experience: http://www.itwofs.com/itwofs.html

The Fast… And The Furious…

How to get rid of a person who gets stuck in your butt like a “freshly-used” chewing gum? Certainly not an easy situation to be in, but still it didn’t quite seem as if the Government’s only core-option to deal with it was a sudden post-midnight use of force. And they did it in that very strange way, inviting criticism from every corner. But one would wonder: at a time when they almost had a grip on the whole situation (thanks to a Technical-Sibal brain backed by some shrewd Prime Ministerial and Party Presidential support), then where was the need of taking such a gutsy-gusty decision?

Earlier, we have seen live on our TV screens, that how this simple looking but over-ambitious middle-aged self-declared messiah – Shri Ramkishan Yadav (yes, in case you don’t know it is still his non-celebrity real name) made a mess of everything. First, he traps himself into an unnecessary documented deal. Second, he tries to script a glamorous victory with a stupid sense of timing. Third, realizing all this self-created blunders, he loses his mind and gives disastrous explanations in front of his media ke bhaaiees. Fourth, he drinks “mineral water” (wonder, was it Kinley or Aquafina?). Fifth, he hides behind the Palloos and later, he himself becomes one. And the best of all, he redefines Satyahrah with the furious idea of creating an army. However, not a long time ago, things were pleasantly conducive for his side. His political ambitions were looking to take a stride with the obvious back-staged Sangh support and thousands of fat-bellied fans across the country, who themselves might have some secret bank accounts in countries famous for picturising impractical Bollywood romantic dreams. But then unfortunately, Politics and Pranayama are as different as Rajnikanth and Amol Palekar in their “reel” lives. So, sadly, the dream of superseding a modern Gandhi in taking on with the national causes has been broken for a while, and along with it, perhaps the motive of becoming a national leader as well. Now, his proposed journey from Shaastra to Shastra will be more interesting to see than a full one hour ride at the Disney World.

So, if it isn’t that good for the Yoga Guru, it is even worst for the troubled power at the centre. Though, the next big election is still some times ahead of its stage, but the crisis they are facing are still far from over. Because, unlike laptops, petroleum is never going to get any cheaper; the “neighbors” are never going to turn “friendly”; and from 2G to CWG, the deep-rooted “G” (for Ghotala) factor is here to stay… isn’t that Sonia “G“? The funny (and perhaps positive) side of it is that when politicians throw mud at each other, we know they make both sides look dirtier and sillier.

The good thing is, for us, all the innocent home-loan seekers, budget basmati-eaters and gossip hungry channel switchers, the Great Indian Tamashas are never going to end. After all, it’s all in our blood. We grew up in a country where rich people hide Tijories under their beds and keys under their pillows. We grew up in a society where a neighbor’s new color TV was a bad news for all the hard-working husbands and used to become the next trigger for silly inter-household competitions. And now we are grown-ups. We wake up late and walk past the white Mercedes running on the unplanned streets of our own miserable cities. We glance at the news paper headlines standing near the traffic points but never bother to buy it from the under-aged hawkers. And at the end of the day, most of us are happy to buy cheap Chinese electric rackets to kill the even poorer mosquitoes in our balconies. We are proud of our nine point GDP, even if it means that there are more cell phone users then toilet users in our country. It’s all a part of our big living – the white clothed politicians, the grey markets and the invisible-like-ghost “black money”. Since clearly, India is a place of contrasts and conflicts and bound to stay like that… Or else, where will we get our natural diet of “entertainment” news?

Class, Confidence & Comebacks…..

Have you heard about a mythical bird that rises from its own ashes??… And here there is a story of a living man, who not a long time ago was abandoned like an old navy ship. About whom, probably even no Daruwalas could have predicted a comeback that looked like as if an alien has suddenly come from the mars and joined a full house party on earth. And this happened at a time when the entire tournament was showing the signs of “getting-a-bit-monotonous syndrome”. So, Dada is back… and back in style…. Tuning himself to the million anticipations he proved once again that you can never write off a true legend… Sometimes in the past, I have always wondered why there is a section that has always resisted his presence… Was it jealousy? Was it regionalism? Or was it simply the deliberate attempts to force down his effective dominating influences? Whatever the reasons may be, but time and again he has shut those foul breathing mouths with his hard hitting bat; and this time he has done that quite elegantly.

The comeback this time is like a well-scripted movie… the background begins during the auctions where he was ditched by his “own” KKR… and then more, to put “salt-in-the-burn”, no team came forward to offer him a respectful position… But later, Kochi – the flamboyant debutant team did try twice to put Ganguly in their shopping cart; first as a best deal from the de-marketed “Stock Clearance Sale” and second as an opportunistic replacement. But understandably their plea was rejected both times by the “Excuse-Me-Type” Governing Body. And in the mean time of course “Ra-One” had to fight a bit (with words as well as performance) to win back the heart-broken angry Kolkatans. However KKR did started wining matches and the “some section” (which I pointed earlier in my opening para) did started buzzing with their co-relation analysis and hypothesis testing on constants like KKR and variables like No-Ganguly and the no. of Wins this time… But ultimately, in an extremely unexpected circumstance, like a sudden “lightening-without-the-clouds” as somebody said, he appeared in the stage (and then of course didn’t disappear like the flashes). He was selected by the supportive Roys for their new team where he found his old protégée Yuvraj Singh holding the responsibility-umbrella as a Captain. The two of them are known to be sharing a great rapport (Ganguly, during his golden days has always pushed an extra inch for Yuvraj Singh). Even after he got dressed in black, he patiently and cleverly decided not to play a few matches to get himself fully ready for a big show. He didn’t comment too much on his position, coach, captaincy or anything. And Tuesday when the time came, he successfully stole the show with his open-faced willow. The crowd that perhaps primarily came to see their home team wining end up enjoying and cheering for Dada as soon as he came to face his first ball…

But this is just the beginning; the best is still yet to come. Yes I am talking about the match Knights Vs Warriors. And if it would have been played in the background of the Edens, I would have rated it almost at par with the Indo-Pak encounter at Mohali. Isn’t that interesting to speculate what would go through in the million minds of Dada-cum-KKR fans? Will that be a similar situation like when Sr. Pathan was playing Vs Jr. Pathan and Abba Pathan came to watch the match from the gallery? Now, I wonder how SRK would have reacted on such confused supporters in the stadium. I have an inside feeling that SRK may have “warmly welcomed” Ganguly’s inclusion in another IPL team (Just joking… hee hee… I know what you all are thinking). .

Now let’s move on to the other small things of the show so far. I believe that it was not only because of the Gayle-Grenades and Malinga-Missiles that people’s eyes were glued on to their TV screens; there are many other things that are equally soothing for the eyes in this year’s edition. Here is a (partial) list of some of the enjoyable off-the-field actions:

1. The Kissing Couples – Now you see that not only the Gora’s can show their intimacy publicly. Mallya Jr. can do it too in front of the camera (with ultra slow motion capabilities), in front of the Dad (I bet Pappu must have wished he had a Dad like that too…), and in front of everyone…
2. The Flirty SRK – I always wonder why he keeps hugging anybody, anytime and from any sex.
3. The Always Animated Preity – I think all cameras are in love with her expressions. But looking at her "original" career, one would wonder when she will have her bollywood comeback...
4. Shilpa in Saree – Isn’t she looks gorgeous in that blue saree? So what she would say if you ask her about the secret of her de-aging….? Yoga of course…
5. The Best Ever Cheer Girls – Yes in spite of the Bharatiya Sankriti and stuff, they are still generating those spicy vibes in the stands. And did you know that the Dadajis are also enjoying the moves through their thick convex glasses. However some of them may point out that the Cheer Queens are more decent, elegant and talented.
6. The Gavaskar Vs SRK at Eden – Yes and that 3-ball cricket under the power-saving-mode Eden made us feel that Gavaskar has forgotten a woe that he had carried on for a long long time.

Now moving on to other sides of the story, it seems that the IPL has become bigger than the official international events. Players are risking injuries to continue playing while their international tournaments are just round the corner… Well the senior Indian players may justify from opting out of the forthcoming tour by saying – “we’ve won the world cup for you, now what else do you want?? Give us a break man...” But is this a good (moral) sign for the interest of international cricket? May be not… However, in spite of that I feel there is positive side to this as well. Given the fact that there is a multiplicity (and concentration) of talents in Indian cricket, many never gets the opportunity to play for their country. So, occasional shuffling of some senior players with new players may be good for the national team. I believe it’s an essential requirement for maintaining the consistency and balance of a team in the long run. The IPL has obviously proved to be a boon for many young cricketers who are lucky to be chosen, playing alongside international players and getting noticed by the national selectors in the witness of larger spectators. For some of the more established ones, the IPL is still either a platform for a pre-retirement farewell or continues to be the post-retirement honeymoon. I'm happy that once again Dada has become a part of it too...

The Myth about the Global Enemies

Remember the days when the Enemy No. 1 used to be assumed dead every week but the very next day a mockingly corresponding video would evolve from nowhere. There was always enough to keep up the “Tom-n-Jerry” chase. So, the first time when the news broke, majority must have thought – “oh no, the same old crappy rumors…” And the remaining perhaps wondered that isn’t he dead already. However the point here is not about debating on the death of the century’s most celebrated terrorist. The point here is about the dramatic turn of events, surprising revelation of secrets, and the conflicting, contradicting statements released from every quarter. The official versions of the operation do raise some eyebrows on many grounds and thus may imply motives that go beyond the obvious and the visible.

Firstly, the timing of the triumph – if US did knew the facts for almost 10 months then why did they took so long to open the chapter and then perhaps close it for once and all (even if they have intended to catch him alive). Generally people would assume, they would not have thought twice before gunning down anyone being suspicious, having a long beard, and with a complementing white turban. Is it just a mere coincidence that at a crucial time when the President is eying for a difficult-to-secure second term suddenly got the opportunity to stand on a solid ground? Perhaps nothing could sound more orgasmic to the average American ears than the process that started by “Yes, we can..” and finished by “Justice… has been done”.

Secondly, Pakistan’s unsubstantial remark that they were unaware about the whole operation is so laughable. They even claimed that they didn’t have any clue about the most wanted terrorist who was actually enjoying their hospitality (and protection) at an army-crafted hill station. All these could only suggest either of two things. One, the US didn’t trust the Pak army (which of course nobody actually does… except China perhaps). Or two, there must be some mutual understanding between the two strategic allies (of unequal forces) on not poking the little domestic bubbles.

Thirdly, how did the US carried out such vital operation with such optimum precision. There wasn’t any objection (or permission) from the Pak administration in a town that has a dedicated military presence and is comfortably close to their own capital. How could Pak radars refuse to point the US army helicopters flying over the unexpected areas (isn’t that area should come under a restricted flying-zone?). Pakistan’s ex-president thinks that the US has insulted Pak’s sovereignty. I believe that they chose themselves to be insulted under what must have been an extreme pressure from their partner and also under their own characteristic dilemma.

Fourthly, why was such haste for the burial of the body? And, “buried at sea as per Islamic rituals” – well… it certainly raises more technical doubts than religious controversies. Just imagine of soldiers going under the sea with a gruesome dead body and digging out a grave – how gross is that…!! Certainly, throwing out the body in to the sea would have sounded much simpler. No wonder, that the US intelligence has decided to maintain extreme secrecy and didn’t release any photographs or videos of the operation (pre or post). The only conclusive evidence that they offered to the public is a DNA test. Also, the official statement that the enemy wasn’t armed but offered some resistance doesn’t trigger the necessity of a spot killing. Well, all these make me little wonder that they did kill the man or not. Couldn’t it be possible that they captured him alive (yes.. like the other past enemy) and interrogating him privately to find out everything about Al Qaeda and all its unidentified working associates (which probably is the more clever thing to do if they really wants to dismantle a overtly threatening terrorist set-up). 

It doesn’t seem too unlikely that there exists obvious US-Pak understanding. Perhaps Pakistan knowingly sheltered Osama. Perhaps, they gradually sold his life and location to the US. Perhaps the purchase proved to be a precious electoral investment for the miracle-starved President. Eventually, the US takes all the (possible) help from Pakistan and almost silently finishes the operation in 40 minutes. Pakistan confusedly denies of any joint-effort in the on-ground mission. US happily acknowledges Pak’s dilemma and keeps the credit (blame) entirely upon itself. Thus, somehow Pakistan manages to protect the continuity of moral, military and monetary support from the US and same time, subdue the chances of any embarrassing backlashes in the backyard. Therefore to summarize, the role of Pakistan in the entire operation lies in somewhere between a blind spectator and a passive partner.

So, finally the US government can proudly justify its decade long mission of the “War against Terrorism”. In the mist of severe financial crisis, it was perhaps becoming practically hard for the President to justify the implicit flow of sincere tax payer’s money on extravagant military aggressions. I can still imagine how the President’s eyes must have been lit with joy and relief when he signed that precious “Kill Order” on April 29^th. Fortune couldn’t have turned its favor at a better time than this. The whole story of American-Style Justice seems to have become much of a face-saver for burning billions of dollars and millions of people (including its own army) who risked their life in all kinds of programmed frenzies. So here, people must understand that it was never about terminating one fragile person (who is more weakened by his own failed kidneys than devastating air-strikes on his headquarters i.e., tents, caves or whatever…) that would give them the ultimate peace of mind..... Now the question we need to ask is – “Does the world without an Osama Bin Laden really makes it safer than before...??”

Khan, Kricket & Kolkata…..

Once upon a time it was – "haar ke jeetney walon ko baazigar kahte hai..." now would you say something about "jeet ke haarne walon ke liye...”? haa haa... well, dear SRK, in case you have noticed, Dada still rules.... even though he was “retired hurt” early after being denied of the cap and captaincy.

We all used to think that this Kkkhan has got some brain as he kept making money from the game even though his team successively failed to perform during the last 3 seasons... The fan followings, the anthemic korbo lorbo jitbo, the gold and black aggression (now reduced to purple though) – everything was a crowd puller. There was a magic that was created by a powerful emotional branding that KKR managed to build with its image. And it was built upon the active presence of two big personalities, SRK himself and of course the center of all attentions – “DADA....” And it definitely worked in favor of the owners as far as the business sense goes. But now looking at the half-empty stands and half-hearted crowds, it seems that the buzz has died somewhere, the magic has faded and the entire positive emotional feel has turned into some sort of negative emotional vibes.... Clearly, without Dada fans are not happy, not coming and not cheering like one would normally expect from the Kkkrazy Kkkolkatans. I think the recent Eden match and the low turnout was little hard to swallow for SRK who seemed definitely not ecstatic as he always used to be even after being such a habitual looser in the past (it’s good that he chose to enjoy the final form Mannat and let the Rajnis-Ghajnis gear and cheer at Wankhede, so thankfully there wasn’t any “Clash of the Kkkhans” and eventually we won).

Even if you leave your emotions aside, it is still impossible to justify that Ganguly – the 4^th highest run getter of the last season wasn’t picked up by any team during the auctions. There is definitely a fair amount of cricket left in the legend that he always proved in the past through his strong comebacks. And also it’s hard to understand that someone like Kaif or Balaji still makes it to the dressing rooms while legends like Lara and Ganguly were left out. And what would you say about Dravid and Laxman who are neither getting younger nor turning into big T20 specialists, but are still comfortably in. The new gen cricket revolution in the form of IPL could have been a fair platform for all… but unfortunately, it’s not.

Looking at the circumstances, no matter how much SRK dedicates his win to DADA, it would be really tough to win back the fans like before. And it seems equally unlikely that Ganguly himself accepts the invitation to come and rescue by manufacturing an association with the team. The only thing SRK may hope is that his team keeps winning matches and proves a point to the fans. As we know, it’s ultimately the wins that make people forget everything (like everyone has stopped talking now why Sreeshanth? Why not Ashwin? Why Nehra? Why not Harbhajan?). I know SRK would be dying to see the fans forget everything and start chanting the korbo lorbo jitbo like ever before... but will they?

The Making of a Time Bomb

The fact today is that we are living in an extremely volatile geo-political environment worsened by our own mindless, shortsighted and uncontrolled human activities. The future repercussions (which are not a future anymore!) of our egoistic developments that were often (always) neglected and forgotten looks now more prominent than ever. The world today is facing serious issues that are all somewhere linked to this monstrous human greed. There is global food shortage, economic crisis, risk of epidemics, nuclear emergencies, terrorism (and/or war)…. There is shortage of natural resources, energy crisis, climate change and natural (unnatural!) disasters like the recent earth quake and tsunami in Japan. It’s ironical that the nuclear reactors which were meant to meet the energy requirements to make life run are now posing the biggest challenges apart from the earthquake and tsunami itself in this post-disaster aftermath. The developed countries burn chunks of their resources (not just dollars) in defense (or attack?) technologies and armories to show off their domination and power. They build super highways, neon cities and skyscrapers, to stand tall (and laugh at the miseries of poor nations). And they always sends (invests) money and people (army) after every devastation (self or natural) to show their solidarity (and superiority) to the international community. But one would wonder that instead of sensitizing international equilibrium and pushing people towards uncertain and riskier political environments they could have primarily addressed to issues that are beyond a country’s local concerns. The need is global unity and true cooperation by which we can (“Yes We Can…”) cope with unforeseen natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis or even any epidemic flue that they names after some unfortunate innocent animals.