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...??”