Monsoon Hide and Seek On!

The South West Monsoon is progressing steadily and has reached the national capital of Delhi yesterday. But it is not stopping anywhere for the pouring task.

Mumbai has a break of now over four days with very little rains. Some other cities are having the same fate and some other areas are having rains--but only temporarily. Mumbai is yet to see and hear lightning and thunder this season!

Is the Monsoon saving its efforts for one day show--the show of the millennium? We have not forgotten the deluge of 26/7 in 2005. And what about the country?

Monsoon is hereby requested to review and answer soon!

Monsoon Please Pour!

India achieved independence on 15th August, 1947. But it's dependence on the monsoon rains still continues.

Now it's a delay of over 15 days and all villages and cities are reeling under water and electricity cuts. Farmers are worried for crop failures. Drought like situations in many regions.

What to do? Infrastructure cannot be changed over night.

So, pour and pour and pour!

Raghu Krishna: Adieu!

The man in the blue suit

He was more of a dear friend than a boss. Raghu Krishna, the former Chief Producer of Films Division, Mumbai and Director of MIFF(Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films) for 2004 and 2006 versions, passed away today following a brain stroke and coma.

I first knew him as a film director in Films Division, Mumbai. As we became close we started playing table tennis. He was an attacking player specializing in smashes. Once I was defeated by a colleague and next game Raghu defeated him. Later, Raghu came over to my room for a fag and told me proudly, ‘I wanted to beat him because he beat you!’ I sensed his love for me instantly.

Raghu appeared for an interview for the top post and finally got selected. He joined as Chief Producer in January 2004 and immediately took charge of MIFF 2004 as Festival Director.

Till MIFF 2006 I worked under him and enjoyed every bit of it. He showed tremendous faith in me in the role of a writer-editor. Once I showed him an article to be printed in the official festival book. He read it intently and uttered, ‘Fantastic! See to it that not even a comma gets changed in the final print!’ For any kind of meetings and festival inaugurations he always insisted that I write his speeches.

He had a great heart and believed people easily. So, he got entangled in admin complexities and was eventually disillusioned.

As I moved out of Films Division in 2006 we hardly met after that. Today his death came as an absolute shock. Fond memories rushed to my mind and I realized how dearly I missed him.

We pray for the eternal bliss of his noble soul and offer our condolences to his family.

Diagnosing the Ganguly Malady

In my cricket articles you find one called ‘Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Traces of Arrogance?’ where I tried to point out telltale signs of Dhoni going off the positive track. After ICC T20 experience I feel Dhoni is fast going the Ganguly way.

I give below a few symptoms of the Ganguly Malady which can be diagnosed in Dhoni too:

• Creating friction between captain and vice-captain and between team members.
• Showing favoritism to some players and lobbying with the selection committee to include them in the playing eleven.
• Taking unpredictable strategic decisions.
• Success bred arrogant behavior.
• Getting into a consistent out-of-form black hole.
• Passing on the buck.

Please prove me wrong and help us all to bring Dhoni back to the right track.

Why Envy?

Envy is a universal human characteristic, but the reasons for doing so seem to be very personal and often unpredictable.

We know a couple who has no money stacked up, no wealth to hide, no vehicles and not even a owned house--normally the reasons for envy. They live simply, dress simply and go about doing things for their cherished goals in life without malice or ill will to anybody. Of course, with less money they try to do the best--dress in a decent way choosing the right colors and combinations, they eat in a healthy way at affordable best, they go to movies and eat out to enjoy life as they can afford and they always love their dear ones and try to take care--again, as best as they can afford.

But dear ones keep them in constant watch and envy everything they do or say. This attitude causes them tremendous pain and grief and they cannot make anyone understand their feeling.

They do not understand WHY.

Shrutinaad's Events A Huge Success

The two events held respectively on May 28 and June 02, 2009 at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati, Assam by Shrutinaad were huge successes despite hurdles faced at every step of the way.

I thank all the office bearers and members of Shrutinaad for their dedicated efforts.

I express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Goutam Sarma, Secretary of the Kalakshetra who provided all the facilities at venue.

I am very grateful to respected Lakshminandan Bora, Birendra Nath Dutta, Dhirendra Nath Chakravarty, Swapnanil Barua and other dignitaries who graced the occasion.

I thank all the musicians and artistes who lent their excellence on short notice, all music lovers, all appreciating audiences and all eager participating young students.

I thank particularly the print and the electronic media of Assam without whose support the events would not have taken off.

I am also grateful to the State Bank of India, Dispur Branch, for their patronage to the second event.

A Lucid Thought!

Centuries and half centuries are basically test cricket concepts where you can dig yourself in and build your innings as you have ample time.

Come one day cricket and overs allowed have reduced to just fifty per innings. You have to make a hundred or a fifty within that limit.

Come T20 cricket and you have only twenty overs to do so.

It’s a different matter that you can still do it, but I think this is pure injustice. While one changes the other cannot remain the same.

So can’t we change the rules? Say, for one day cricket you achieve a virtual century by making just 50 and a half century by making 25. For T20 let’s make it 25 and 15 respectively. On humanitarian grounds this seems just fine.

What about rules? Well, when there is a BCCI, there is always a way!!!