Friday, February 22, 2008

Other sports are losing out to Cricket

Ever heard of Dhyan Chand, Leander Paes, Milkha Singh, Kunjurani Devi, Vishwanathan Anand, P T Usha, Michael Ferrera, Zafar Iqbal, Merwyn D'Souza, Shiny Abraham etc.

Give them and others one tenth of the support that cricket gets, they will give back stupendous returns.

Cricket thrives because as a nation we get a rallying point to beat our neighbours. It is played as a nation. It is always India vs. Pakistan or India vs. Australia. Football could not thrive simply because Pakistan never had a football team. But hockey had. And hockey lost out because of giant idiots at the helm of its affairs who thought they could revive hockey through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while what the team wanted was full scale nutrition.

And is it not curious that we never did well in squash while Pakistan had World champions.

India, on the other hand, did "relatively" well in athletics, but unfortunately athletics does not stir our "patriotic" , or to be more accurate "jingoistic" zeal. After all, eight athletes in eight different lanes is hardly a "war". Win or lose, how does it matter. Oh, polite clapping will always be there. Remember the reception V Anand - received after he became the World Champion. contrast that with the welcome the Indian T20 got after their World Cup win.

Truly, we do not know how to respect our valiant achievers. Whether it be in sports or in war. Simple.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

What right, brother, do you have to tell me not to say that Jesus is the only way?

Hi Dheeraj,

But of course Jesus is the only way. And I, though I am no "evangelist" will continue to say it. You are fully free not to hear it or to ascribe me and and my supposed rantings as that of a mad man.

But the beauty of living in this absolutely wonderful, great and free country is that I can propagate what I believe in.

But were I to go around offering inducements to my fellow citizens, to convert to my religion for a "fee", you could cheerfully kick the shit out me and I wouldn't complain.

All monotheistic religions are built on that fundamental pillar. Dont ask them to stop believing it. Conversely, you have all the right in the world to continue in your religion or to convert to one that you choose. Is not that what democracy is all about?

When you pontificate that "one should not say Jesus is the only way, only God and so on..." you are no better than the one you are preaching to?

To preach from a moral high ground, you need to create one.