how Zizou headed a player,
got red carded,
kicked the world cup,
and ended an illustrious career
July 10, 2006 | Filed Under Point of View | Leave a Comment
When Italy played their first match of the world cup against Ghana and defeated them, they showed all signs that they were going to go a long way. I wouldn’t say the same for France. France were quite frankly on the other end of the see-saw. I gave them zilch chance in the world cup. Three people were largely responsible for their journey till the finals – Zidanne, Henry and Thuram.
Prince said that to surprise me was a great deal. If France have achieved that then probably the have definitely staged a great comeback. Unfortunately they didn’t win the cup. Though being fair to them, they didn’t deserve to lose. But then again they seemed to have won more than they deserved to too.
And finally, why did Zidanne do what he did… it may take a while to overcome that shock. But I hope he overcomes it for himself and not let the ghost of his last few minutes in football bother a career that many a little kid will grow up aspiring to live.
Poet’s don’t mind
July 9, 2006 | Filed Under Point of View | 5 Comments
Today a statue of Meena Thackeray was desecrated in Bombay. Buses were burnt across Maharashtra, stones were pelted at open shops, and Bombay was shut down by rioters who ensured that Bombayites rested on a lazy Sunday.
Not too long ago, there was a bust of Ram Ganesh Gadkari at the very same site where the bust of Meenatai Thackeray stands. He was a greatly loved poet and writer of the marathi speaking audience. After Meena Thackeray died (Bal Thackeray’s wife), the bust of the poet was replaced by her bust. I don’t recall there being too many protests then.
Who would want to protest for a poet?? A poet doesn’t have a role in politics, a poet isn’t a mother of anyone (i mean in the larger sense, like a nation or a small clan of people), a poet has a voice which cannot be easily muffled and neither can someone else put words in the mouths of dead poets.
The pictures on the TV didn’t reveal any sentiments of hurt, people seemed to be revelling in the destruction they were carrying out. There was so much joy in their hearts. It’s like finally they got a reason to do some hulla-gulla. Poor Uddhav Thackeray, I do feel sad for him, it was his mother’s bust that is out there for people to use as a tool for politics, I don’t know who will benefit from this all but the middle-class is largely inconveienced.
Early in the morning my mother expressed an irritated sentiment. She said that all these statues must be removed from wherever they are and put in a museum. And there shouldn’t be any more permissions given to people to put up these statues. PIL anyone?
An interesting page, it’s about some great people who were born in Maharashtra but probably have been forgotten in today’s times of goondaism.
The Crow with a Black Raincoat
July 4, 2006 | Filed Under Poetry | 3 Comments
Got up to a morning and saw that Rain was playing on the TV and in the window panes. The rain disgruntles most people in Bombay. Dealing with bad roads, traffic jams and train delays will obviously not put them in a good mood. But if you block all this from the picture and just watch the rain falling and the natural beauty surrounding it, you will be mesmerized. Rain is like God’s screensaver.
Whenever I watch people seeing the rain, they appear melancholy to me. Even if their life is filled with happiness and even if they are enjoying seeing the rain, they just seem sad. Sad but at peace with themselves. A kind of sadness that is so rarely achieved.
