Some Jealous Pakistanis?

The terrorist attack on Mumbai on 26th November 2008 is the handiwork of some Pakistanis, as per Zee TV. But why? What did they want? What did they set out to achieve when they left the shores of Karachi, if Zee TV is to be believed? What have they got by doing what they did?

Could it be an extreme case of jelousy and hatred?

While Pakistani president is going about the gulf region with a begging bowl, India is being talked about as next super economic power!

While India's satelite is circling the moon, Pakistan does not even have sufficient wheat to feed it's people!

While India is accepted as a responsible nuclear power by the world, Pakistan's nulclear hero, a crook who stole engineering drawings from his employer, is rotting in his own country!

While cricket playing countries are so eager to come to India to play cricket, they refuse to travel to Pakistan because of security reason!

Could all these and many other humiliations faced by Pakistanis, when they try to compare themselves with India in other matters rile a few of them so much that they would take the extreme step of attacking Mumbai in the manner that they did?

So far I have not been able to understand why did these terrorists do what they did.

The only thing they might have achieved is to scare some people into believing that India is not a safe place to go to. But this would be a temporary phase. India will ride over it. Unless ofcourse, these people are planning to repeat such acts all over India!

And I would not be surprised if they are planning to do exactly that.

But I have a gut feeling that this time these terrorists have bitten more than they can chew. India will not let them go this time. I have a feeling that this time Indian agencies will go after these groups like never before.

It is not a question of loss of life and material alone this time.

This time they have challenged the very being of India. This I feel, will not go unanswered. And the reply would be such, they would never have dreamt in their life.

I am sure next few months will prove my gut feelings right.

26/11 In India - Mumbai

The terrorist attack on Mumbai is not just an attack on Mumbai, it is a slap on our face, on the face of all India. It is not just a question of catching or terminating the individuals who infiltrated Mumbai. We MUST go to ANY length in order to TERMINATE the planners of such attacks, whichever part of the world they may be hiding in.

Our government should allow absolute free hand to agencies, experts and people who have the intellectual capability and physical ability to go out and GET THESE vermin. Diplomacy should not be allowed to come between our agents and these terrorists.

Let the whole world know that India WILL NOT TAKE IT ANYMORE. Period. Either you are a friend or a foe.

I am also a bit perturbed (hopefully unnecessarily) by the news channels showing pictures and asking questions, which are sensitive in nature for a successful operation of flushing out the terrorists and safety of hostages.

Also, one person Deepak was able to speak to NDTV using his mobile (apparently) from inside Taj. My worry is that if he could speak, then so would the terrorists with those who are providing logistic help, so why is mobile services not disconnected?

Another question that comes to mind is, there are around 5 different agencies working together to bring situation under control. They are wearing different uniforms. My worry is: if they storm the premises together, have they gone through any or sufficient exercises together to instinctively recognise each other as friendly force or else their would be a possibility of 'friendly fire'. It would be a matter of life and death to recognise in a split second, whether the person across the corridor aiming a gun at you, is your partner or terrorist. I hope our forces have taken care of such basic things while preparing a joint action.

Finally once again, we HAVE to go after these people who are planning war against India absolutely ruthlessly and with a sense of urgency. And only those who are truly competent to deliver should be taken into such a task force - right from top (cabinet minister) to the peon who moves files.

The other thing that bugs me is titles like "India's 9/11" in Star News, NDTV etc. It smacks of an inferiority complex somewhere.

I also did not like Srinivasan of NDTV talking about Taj Hotel's past with world leaders while trying to fill the air time - when the backdrop is about hostages, guests' lives in danger, cops already killed. It seemed a bit flippant, though he did not mean to be that. Also, in his eagerness to please Roy the DG of police, Srinivasan said that Bombay police is in forefront of counter attack, only for Roy to mention later that NSG is actually leading the combined forces and Bombay police is doing as instructed.

A question for Raj Thackeray: Should NSG be allowed to operate in Mumbai - most of them may not be Maratha!

Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag: "I don't believe in astrology but my family members do. Too many people used to call up and pester me and my family to use different numbers. I was so fed up that I decided not to take any of their advices."

And he was the man of the match.

I hope people who marry a banana tree before marrying the girl because the girl is 'manglik' are listening. And also those who wear tons of 'holy jewellery' to bring in luck!

I truly believe that sensible celebreties like Sehwag should be given more air and TV time to help in getting rid of ridiculous customs and superstitions.

More power to Virender Sehwag, I say!

Payback Time For BCCI ?

BCCI is making tons of money. And why should it not? It just struck me that one way for it to payback the people who have filled it's coffers is to support the hundreds of monuments and historical places in the neighbourhood of the stadiums where the matches are played.

For example, Kanpur and Lucknow have very rich past. BCCI would earn lots of respect and goodwill if it contributes towards the upkeep of these places of interest. Chhatar manzil, imambadas, Residency in Lucknow come to mind. There are hundreds like them all over India.

BCCI would be well justified if it decides to let the world know what it is doing for the society at large. In fact it would help in spreading the word about the places to visit and would help tourism business in India too.

We won! We won!! We won!!!

We won the second ODI against England also. That too rather comfortably. So well done again and congratulations to Dhoni & Co. What a magnificent performance by Yuvraj! Back to back century and then 4 wickets! WOW!!

Harbhajan & Zaheer Guilty Of Not Showing Proper Respect To Yusuf Pathan

India made 292/9 against England in the 2nd ODI of the series in Indore, no thanks to Harbhajan and Zaheer. Coming straight from victory against Australia and also scoring some runs against them, Harbhajan and Zaheer got too cocky. They forgot that the senior batsman, Yusuf Pathan, is standing on the other end, twidling his thumbs. It showed lack of respect to Yusuf's batsmanship. Certaintly, they would not have dared playing in this fashion, had Yuvraj or Dhoni been on the other end.

Dhoni would do well by speaking to them. With so many overs in hand, all they had to do was to try taking a run and put Yusuf Pathan in charge. But no, they had to show that they can hit too (and keep missing the ball)!

It is these little things that differentiate a champion team fron a non-champion one. Australian cricketers will not do such a thing. At every stage of the game, win or lose, one gets the feeling that Australians are thinking what is best for the team. They rarely get carried away by some recent high profile win. Perhaps one reason is that they are used to winning. If that is the reason, Indian players too should get used to winning so that they continue to think in balanced manner, win or lose.

When you are world class, you must continue to do the small, little things right; good results will follow.

India Is Over And On The Moon!

Yes, today the proble landed on moon from Chandrayaan with Indian Flag. It has also sent some (at least one) pictures. So yes, we are ON the moon.

We are also OVER the moon because today we beat the heck out of English cricket team in first of seven ODIs in Rajkot.

India 387 for 5 (Yuvraj 138 NO, Sehwag 85 and Gambhir 51).
England 229 All Out.

Deshdrohi Banned in Maharashtra?

It seems the movie Deshdrohi is banned in Maharashtra because it might lead to tension in the region!

I thought the movie is about fight against forces that are trying to bring disharmony in the nation. From short adverts on TV, it seemed to be a movie that very strongly spoke about the importance of India's unity.

So if a movie that speaks for India's unity, advocates anti-regionalism and basically wishes to inspire patriotism would, in opinion of Maharashtra government, lead to tension in the state of Maharashtra, then what kind of governance is this?

Shame, I say, on such a government. If under your governance, a movie about patriotism can't be screened, then you have no business to be in government.

Congratulations To Indian Cricket Team

Yup, well done boys. You made us proud. But it seems Amitabh Bachchan wants the Indian commentators to go overboard when India wins. Strange from a man who seemed quite a balanced sort of chap.

Well, lets not forget that we still need to find a solution to this Ajantha Mendis fella who is making life miserable for us. So boys, forget about Amitabh Bachchan and keep your feet firmly on the ground and keep winning.

The way to win is to "Think". Yes, think a lot. About your game, your opponent's game, your strategies and tactics. But do most of your thinking when you have spare time between matches. On the ground, try to execute those strategies that you thought about.

Think.

Smart Kumble Retires From Intenational Cricket

Kumble showed why he was so successful in his career. He could think on his feet and come out with a solution to the problem posed by the batsman. He showed same skills when he got injured and knew that he would not be able to play in 4th test at Nagpur. He also wanted a bit of nice send off drama. So he announced his retireent, declared the Indian innings, came out to bowl few overs and went off on a high.

Well done Anil Kumble. Well played and thank you so much to make Indian cricket richer by becoming the 3rd highest wicket taker ever in test cricket. I do feel that you did not get your full due during your cricketing career, but then that is life. There can't be too many heroes in one era. So with Tendulkar clearly getting into limelight more often, it was difficult for you and Dravid to be hero worshipped the way you both deserved.