Cricket will go on...

I just found the below paragraph in my drafts which was saved in February 2010:
"The two top test teams fighting for not only a test match but the series along with their ranks in stake. India finally managed to draw the series against SA by winning the second Test @ Eden Garden by an innings and 57 runs after loosing the first one by an innings and 6 runs and stayed at the top."

4 years, and so many things changed, except the rankings. Both teams played with each other yet again last month. This time South Africa managed to be the better team by winning the second match convincingly, post the nail biting draw in the previous Test match.

One common thing for both the teams is that their batting legends, highest Test run scorrer from their country, will never play again in a test match for the country. This was last test match for the best all rounder of this era and the master blaster has already taken the most difficult decision of his life.

Nevertheless cricket will go on as life goes on.

T20 - a game of luck or talent

This was saved in my drafts.

In the first half of 20th century, cricket meant playing a game with bat and ball for five long days. Teams used to have a strategy which they used to implement based on the proceedings and change it at times, if needed during those tensed five days. Though there were only a few results, it was supposed to be the best showcase of talent of the individuals as well as the team as a whole.

Then came the ODI era which compresses the time required to 20% and halved the number of innings. It surely increased the entertainment among the audience. As far as players were concerned, though talent was still key to most of the matches, there were a few innings which was commanded by the blind slog of the bowlers. As the time progressed and the rules were changed to suit the batsmen, the talent got covered up by the ability to hit the ball harder and more frequently. Then, powerplays made it necessary to have two slots of hard hittings in an innings. It became more interesting.

This advancement led to the yet again compression of the game. this time, it was compressed to 40% of the time, keeping the innings same and a brand new name Twenty20, rightly as they had 20 overs in each innings. This again braught more hard hittings and much more entertainment; not to mention the huge amount of money which converted it to business from a mere sports event.

As far as luck vs talent fight of T20 cricket is concerned, it varies from more talent to more luck as we advance from Tests to T20 games. Unlike in a Test match wherein a team needs to play persistently well throughout a span of five days, in ODIs its a matter of a day and in T20s just a few hours. As the testing time decreases the requirement of pure talent to cope up with demanding situation decreases and the requirement of blind hitting increases. Its true that even in a game of 20 overs a side, the more talented players will play better and should win. But here comes the deal- whatif its just an odd time for that talented player?

Health

Health, nowadays, is one of the important factors considered in most aspects of life. The normal trend,especially among girls, is that if a person is overweight, he's straightaway discarded. Over-eating is the major reason consiidered to be behind putting on unwanted weight. I don't suppport that view. Let us consider this for a while.

Today, I read a few articles by Raj Bapna. In one of his articles about health, he mentions, two times noble prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling's book "How to Live Longer and Feel Better" and its content about the daily intake of vitamins and minerals.

Vitamins	Minerals
Vitamin C 1-18 g Vitamin E 800 IU Vitamin A 20,000-44,167 IU Vitamin K none Vitamin D 800 IU Thiamine, B1 50-100 mg Riboflavin, B2 50-100 mg Niacinamide, B3 300-600 mg Pyridoxine, B6 50-100 mg Cobalamin, B12 0.1-0.2 mg Folacin 400-800 mg Pantothenic acid 100-200 mg	Calcium 100 mg Iron 18 mg Iodine 0.15 mg Copper 1 mg Magnesium 25 mg Manganese 3 mg Zinc 15 mg Molybdenum 0.015 mg Chromium 0.015 mg Selenium 0.015 mg

I don't know which all are the factors Dr. Pauling considered when he was preparing this list. I believe all these depends on the various environmental conditions and the physical capabilities of a person. If I and my thinner friend Abhishek take these stuffs in accurate amounts, I don't think we both will be equally benefited by it.

An alternate solution can be deciding a set of rules (probably using a software) which can take all the important variables required to calculate the amount of intake of vitamins and minerals per day to give an approximate result and then let them approach the accuracy through routine experiments, consultations and wide research. By doing so, they will not only remove the inconsistency among various individuals but can also get deeper into the matters related to health.

Let me tell you, even after considering all these issues there will be few things which you cant consider - heredity. As I have seen and experienced over the years, it plays a decisive role in deciding the health and overall structure of one's body. I can give you a very good example in me. I deny neither the fact that I am overweight nor that I am pretty energetic, fit, healthy and free from diseases. They do seem to be contrasting in nature, they definitely are. The explanation is where the heredity comes into the picture. Its not that I havn't tried dieting or exercising or running in the morning or playing. I have tried all of them, more or less consistently for a period of time. I have seen the changes too, but then they were not worth it. My entire family is like that - extremely energetic, somewhat in the fitter side, not having the regular diseases (irregular diseases are definitely there, but not to a large extent), healthy look but slightly overweight. So am I. That, in no way, should mean that we are not among fit and healthy people.

Luckily, today I went through one more article, this time published in Times Of India. Just check here. According to the research, the persons who has a BMI of 25-30 at the age of 40 has the more possibility of living longer. Well, I am not a great fan of the researches carried out like this (considering a bunch of people and coming to a conclusion), but astonished by the fact that this time it may be correct! As the article has rightly pointed out in the end, that shouldn't mean that one can put on a lots of weight (somewhere around that 26 mark, where I belong to [;)]) just to live a year longer. Anyway, "the link between physique and life expectancy is not clearly understood" (again rightly pointed out by the article). So, we shouldn't be too wary of the overweight factor till one stop feelling fit and healthy himself/herself.

I do agree that being overweight means having comparatively more physical trouble than an average person in real life, especially in the old age. But then, in no way it should mean that overweight people should be discarded when any day-to-day thing is considered. They may seem to be doing something lazily but it may be just an illusion. Personally, I have been in situations where me, being overweight, did matter to others where it didn't matter to me. Thats the only difference it really makes.

P.S. - This blogs doesn't intend to encourage those having overweight to increase it further. It doesn't even demeans them who are in the better side of it. This blog just aims to clear the conception in few people who think that the over-weight people have some serious health problems or they have come from some suoernatural world. It is also aimed at those persons who has a wrong notion that over-weight means over-eating. Beyond that, If I have written anything which hurts the sentiments of anyone, I would like to say that I was just sharing my views. And then, comments are always welcome...

Compress and Rise of Cricket

Written long back.

Cricket, nowadays, is the most famous game limited to only a few international level countries and played in three different versions. It may not have been included in the Olympics yet, but we can't rule out its ever-increasing stance as a popular sport. In a few countries, especially the Asian countries, cricket is a craze. It has overhauled the limits of sports and has been placed as a source of pride in the present system.

Geographically, it originated in England and spread in Australia, South-eastern countries of Asia and a few countries in Africa initially. At present, there are ten test and 16 worldcup(ODI) playing nations. It is also rapidly gaining its popularity in the middle east and America.

In its early years, cricket had only one version - five days test matches, comprising of two innings each played by both the teams. Those days, the number of matches played were not significant mainly due to its long duration. It was viewed as a game of youth nawabs who had lots of time to spare. As the time progressed, increase in competitiveness led to its increase reputation as a great sport.

In the later part of the last century, the 50 over per innings (one day) games came into picture and gained incredible popularity among both the entertainers and the entertained groups. It not only led to the quick finish of the matches but also ensured much more entertainment both ini terms of quality and quantity. Though it saw a a bit decrease in talent utilizations, it didn't mattered much. It did bring a change in the way the word 'cricket' used to be viewed. The organisation world cups in the four year intervals just ensures that the spirit is always kept high enough.

In the first decade of this century, the still smaller version of the game was started, called 20-20, increasing its stronghold in the sports world. As the name suggests, its a 20 over an innings game which finishes in less than four hours. It not only brought the increase in participation and entertainment but also played a vital role in changing the outlook of the media and advertising sections.

The journey from IPL1 to IPL2 and Last World Cup to this one, just confirmed the public view of the changing world.

With the new shorter version of the game gaining so much attention worldwide, it'll be unfair if its not included in the Olympics.

Partition of India into States & Religions

On 6th April, I came across a NEWS "What led to India's partition according to Bal Thackeray" in which Bal Thackeray attributed the country's partition to what he called "love affair" between Pandit Nehru and lady Edwina Mountbatten :

"Lord Mountbatten took advantage of this madness and the country was ditched," Thackeray said in an interview carried by the party mouthpiece 'Saamna'.
When I read this, I was actually laughing of the fact that the political blaming game can reach this height. Then, actually I thought that it might be true. I mean, the posibility of something of that sort can't be ruled out completely when the fact remains that nobody can know the complete truth. After all, History is as written by the historians.

Then I went through the comments. One of them was : Partition was a good thing. What is bad was uncompleted Partition. Muhammadans promised us that after getting their Pyara Pakistan they would all go to Pakistan. They did not keep their promise. If we do not pack them off to Pakistan then they will try to break up India one more time. Their loyalty is to Islam and Mecca, not to India.

I don't know exactly what the actual reason behind the partition was, but one thing which I can say definitely is that there were many people like the one posting this comment during those tensed days.

We hear the great words that we live in a modern world, we are a secular country, unity in diversity and all those stuffs. But do we really mean them? What about the Hindutva, Islam terrorists and others? Are they mearly political terms to keep ruling the great country applying the old rule - 'Divide and Rule'? Are they the terms which came out of nowhere just because of the selfish thinkings of a few people in power?

Well, a few days ago, I got a mail in which American visits India and then meets an Indian friend in America. Hos friend asked how was India. He replied that it was great. Then he was enquired whether he liked the Indians. To this he replied, "Indians? who Indians? I didnt find or meet a single Indian there in India. In Kashmir I met a Kashmiri; In Punjab I met a Punjabi, In Bihar, Maharastra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu I met a Bihari, Marathi, Bengali and Tamilian. Then I met a Muslim, a Hindu, a Christian, a Budhist and many more. But I didnot meet a single Indian".

That's really a bitter truth. British ruled us for so many years because we were divided. How united are we now? We have self divided us not only in the name of religion but also in the terms of the borders which were created just for better management of such a large democracy.

There are people even now who thinks that Mumbai is their property. I would like to ask them what is their contribution in making Mumbai. If they have an accurate answer(say x%), then give the rest (100-x)% to India and keep the rest. Can they do that? When we say Mumbai, it is meant to be an Indian city, rather than a maharastrian. Only few people from a place can't create a city like that. It is evident from the fact that Mumbai showcases the cultures and talents of whole of India. The same is true for the other parts of our country

This is one aspect. The other one being the religion based partition which is about to take a dangerous shape anytime. Just because of a handful number of self-centered people, we shouldn't blame all those who are associated with that person's religion. Osama is a terrorist, that doesn't mean we directly associate terrorism with Muslim. Bal Thackeray boasts about his being a Maharastrian more than that being an Indian, that doesn't mean none of the maharastrians are Indians. Pakistan is a Islam country, that doesn't mean all the Islams fom India should be thrown out of India. Bangadesh's language is Bengali, that in no way should hamper the authencity of the people of West Bengal.

India is in the top three of the rapidly developing countries in the world. But if we continue these kinds of differences between us, then the time will be near when the other countries will overtake it.

I appeal to all Indians to be united and fight against the social evils together like a unit as we did a few decades back.

Jai Hind

Love...

"love me kuch bhi likh sakte hai... thodi pyar ki baate... jo b dil se nikalta hai.... ek kavita likh sakte hai, ek shayari likh sakte hai... itne saari love stories me movie ban rahi hai to ek blog kyu nahi ban sakta..." This was chinu's reply when I asked him what to write on love (btw, chinu is my present rumie). Believe me, he took longer time to say it - the "..."s tried to show it a bit.

Whenever the word 'love' comes into any discussion, most of us are clueless. We simply try to translate the heart's language into our's. Undoubtedly, the responder himself is not satisfied with the brief description of the most widespread word.

Once I was watching a cricket match. Suddenly, one of my friends came and asked me - "Yaar, love ka definition batao to jara". I repled, "Love is undefined, baaki match k baad" But during the rest of the match I thought, why is love undefined? Why can't we define it using such a large database of so many different languages? Why can't we add up all the words like care, respect, trust and many more to define one word.

Well, the reason is - Love is a word in itself, it cant be replaced by any other word or word combination. Mathematically, it can't be represented as a linear combination of words (ofcourse, except the corresponding word in other languages). Love is a kind of feeling which can only be expressed by highly encoded mental analog signals.

"Pyar k liye to hum apni jaan bhi de sakte hain" - It's a normal line of all the 'aashiques'. Whenever I hear that, I can just think of a large smile. Is it so? If it is, then why does it change when it comes to real life implementation? Why are there so many divorces taing place nowadays? The answer lies in the difference between love and true love. A person saying the above sentence thinks that he is in true love. Whether it is true or not has to be left for the time to prove.

When it comes to true love, true enhances the so called definition. But the difference can only be felt through time. It may take a few hours or a few years to know whether a love is true or not.

Letme now try to define love. Remember, even after I complete this blog, I will have points in my mind to enhance the definition(as mentioned earlier) coz true love doesn't need words, it can explain itself.

According to me, love means caring for someone selfishlessly, throughout our life without expecting anything in return. It's a feeling which is not felt manually but it comes automatically and it doesn't leave you even if you try your best.

As a mathematician, I'll define true love as a point in the infinity, which you know that it exist but you can never really reach there to catch it, you can never feel the exact feeling associated with it, you can only view it as a star and tell about its properties. As large numbers can just tend to infinity, love just tends to that ideal real love. There's no limit to it.

A few 'definitions' of love from various sources:

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things; believes all things; hopes all things; endures all things.

Love is just a miserable lie - Morrissey

When we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness - and call it love - true love - Robert Fulghum

A temporary insanity curable by marriage or by removal of the patient from the influences under which he incurred the disorder - Ambrose Bierce

Love is a strong liking for someone. It's a strong passionate affection for another person.

Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection and attachment - Wikipedia

Real love isn't blind. It sees, sees everything but loves anyway.

True love is giving all you have to someone you know you're going to lose - Ray H Wall

Love gives us in a moment what we can hardly attain by effort after years of toil - Goethe

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own

Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination - Voltaire

For weeks and months it is a steady physical pain, an ache about the heart, never leaving one, by night or by day; a long strain on one's nerves like toothache or rheumatism, not intolerable at any one instant, but exhausting by its steady drain on the strength.

Love is when you look into someone's eyes and go all the way inside, to their soul and you both know... instantly - Angela Chase

New Year Resolution..!..?..@

New Year knocking the door and we all started to make our yet another New Year Resolutions.
Here is mine : umesh.majhi/root/HOME/MyFiles/Docs/Recent/Resolutions09.txt

Well, Almost all of us wait for this particular day to make resolutions for the upcoming 365 days! Come December last week and we are busy in preparing our general resolution list. One of the common questions on Dec 31st and Jan is - What's ur New Yr Resolution?

If we go a bit dipper into the list, we'll find that the most of the items are repeating each year. Common stuffs like waking up early in the morning, going for jogging, dieting(esp. girls), control anger, contact friends more frequently etc always occupy the bulk portion.

Why do people wait for a particular day to live a better life. Can't they just implement the same in their life whenever they feel the need for a change. What is gonna happen if one starts going for evening walk from 31st December? Is the moon gonna fall down if someone thinks of jogging early morning from a fine day in October? Does it cost you more if you start getting in touch with your friends right now?

I guess, one doesn't need any special day or time to think and act in a better way. If one feels like stop watching movies so frequently, he/she can do it straightaway. It doesn't matter whether its 1st of January or 18th April or 23rd July or 12th August or 31st December. The only thing matters is the way you approach, the determination you show, the hard work you put in, the courage you need and the satisfaction you get in achieving it.

@ the top of this post, I had given you a link. That link doesn't exist! I don't believe in special resolutions on special days. I always think and whenever feel like a change is needed, I simply go for it. I had thought of controlling my emotions, I did that on 26th Feb. I had thought of calling atleast one contact(mobile) daily, I am doing that since 23rd July. I had thought of trying Hathway, I straightaway contacted and kick started on 29th Nov. I had thought of writing more blogs, I implemented it on the fine morning of 31st December.

As per today, I don't feel like any suitable change at the moment. May b in a couple of days I'll come up with another new idea for myself and then would go for it...

Comments are Welcome.
Keep Smiling :)