The Veda team doesn’t mind having a meal like this sometimes.

Business requires conducive and peaceful environment to sustain and thrive. Devoid of these parameters confidence buildup is likely to take a deep plunge. By the word environment I mean economical, political and social aspects of a nation. The event clashes with the global economy already on a roll back mode and India (I hear) is set to play a role model in global transactions.

It is no news that the country is under threat and the crusade has been executed by young mislead boys who have decided to take scores of people into hostage, step by step. The English cricket team has decided to pull back their team back in the wake of the deadly Mumbai attacks. A 1 Kg RDX consignment was found in Jorhat District, Assam today and diffused eventually. The final test match was scheduled in Guwahati which earlier this month was under the terror target lists.

The Mumbai incident happened in a time where almost every intelligence department is trying hard to unfold the mystery surrounding the attackers and their mother organization. The whole country is trying to come into the terms that an attack of this nature and size, has taken place, LIVE on television. Bollywod produced a couple of films inspired by terrorism in 2008 A Wednesday and Mumbai Meri Jaan to quote a few taking terror perpetrators and their gruesome images right from our bedrooms to coffee table discussions.

I saw film by Steven Spielberg ‘Munich’, where the Israeli intelligence Mossad in a bid to take revenge eliminates key members of the PLO in retaliation of the infamous Munich Olympic massacre in 1972. There are more than 325 casualties in India as of now this year, and counting.

Yes, there is a stark grim connection in India’s own 9/11 and that what happened in New York in 2001. As the images flickered across television screens, I gathered the facts and explain you my own take of this one event.

9/11 and 11/26

New York and Mumbai

1. Where one is the world’s financial district the latter is India’s if not the entire south East Asian region
2. Both the events unfolded dramatic and unbelievable visuals which got viewers from all over the world hooked into their television sets. It was happening LIVE.
3. Both the events were planned much in advance and a dedicated fidayeen squad deployed for execution of this task.
4. Caught the viewer attention in Prime Time. (Mumbai: The first reported attack happened a little after 9 PM GMT. New York 9/11: although the planes started ramming the WTC at 8:45 AM the Indian viewers were hooked to the television very much in our evening, night slots.
5. WTC –World Trade Center and the Taj/Oberoi Hotel and others. Strategic locations of both the places are worth mentioning. Mumbai and New York are one of the costliest places to dwell and the two locations are strategically placed and of high real estate value.
6. Both the events managed to attract immense national and international print/ TV coverage primarily on account of the number of casualties.

Spiegel.de (Germany) reports that this event (Mumbai) is Barrack Hussain Obama’s first test as a future president of the US in terms of his own foreign read Asian relations.

It started with the May 13 Jaipur blast and Bombay being the latest. A colleague of mine expresses her naiveness by saying that this event will fade out of our memories sooner and we should get used to listen news of this nature and that this piece of news will gradually found in the newspaper’s 4^th or 5^th page soon.

Where do we go from here, is there a way out from here? I am not very sure, who are these people and what do they want and where did they come from? Also not sure if such events will stop here (Apparently the gun fights and hostage crisis is still on- should stop sometime).

Are we going to forget what happened today, are we becoming indifferent? How can I, as a citizen of India contribute to thwart such accident.

26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks - WikiPedia

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Hard day’s work

Children are in a good mood

Unperturbed

Pirate Flag of Rack Rackham

Alright so the Saudi king has just lost $100 Million worth of oil. The pirates took away. Even some years back I assumed that the pirates have lost their sheen and shine. Sheer physical prowess and bravery they used to display (have been hearing stories about them anyways). No, I’me not feeling pity for the Saudi king who lost undervalued crude oil, but it has somehow sowed a curious seed of imagination how these neo or modern day Pirates operate.

I have an imagination set in my mind, of a pirate, thanking Johnny ‘Sparrow’ Depp for his immaculate performance in one of his pirate centric films. My picture of a pirate archetype has to smoke Cuban cigar, tattooed and brave, oh yes he also has to be a one eyed fella.

I’me amused. Who is a Pirate? Do lady pirates still exist/ or if they ever did for that matter? A google search delivers 65,600,000 results in 0.22 seconds against this infamous element of the global society.

“Well my ideas are mostly the romanticised version - the sexy, rogue type but I suppose in reality they are horrid, dirty thieves.” So well said by Romila of Veda, please excuse me for that (making an off the line chat public) but the answer was so natural and prompt that I couldn’t help but putting it across.

Known and recorded events surrounding piracy and their cheerleader dates back to early 16^th century and events surrounding these brave men on/off since then have been very much around in news. The earliest of these infamous lots were Blackbeard aka Edward Teach, Anne Bonny and Sir Henry Morgan (you read it right there is a Sir behind that name. He was a knight bestowed in 1674 by King Charles II. British commander, Lieutenant Robert Maynard beheading, Blackbeard pirate where his head was kept for display at a sailing ship, now that is history.

The film industry and the entertainment world have also actively contributed by telling stories about pirates and piracy to the world by producing films dedicating them (inspired, as many would like to put it). The figures are surprising. The earliest known feature film on Pirates was ‘The Pirate Gold’- 1900, and over 300 films in all, I can be wrong. There is a museum dedicated to pirates, it’s by the name of The New England Pirate museum, 274 Derby Street, UK.

Yogesh, from the Art/graphics department almost voices Romila, “Not much. I have a bleary image that of a pirate, a muscular and rugged male (one eyed again). And, a beautiful girl beside him”. What you think of them. Would appreciate if you pen a line or something like that.

There is an enthusiast.

http://www.thepirateking.com/movies/

With this Border Gavaskar series win the India has upped its test ranking. They are number 2. It reminds me of a famous advertising campaign run by Avis- the car rental company a couple of decades back ‘We are #2’. The campaign was immensely successful. Being number two is no easy because it decodes two things, broadly 1) retain the spot 2) Capture the top slot.

Getting up there has only added fuel to the tubo charged team India. I won’t be surprised if our players do similar campaign prior the South Africa event, or may be early. They (the players) are equally good acting and don’t mind at all shaking a leg or two with those PYT’s. Dhoni is a package. He is dashing, photogenic, articulate and can relate with the Indian masses very easily. Others are Sreesanth, Harbhajan, Utthappa, Irfan, Yuvraj, Munaf etc. Trust me they are learning the trick faster.

The shorter version of cricket, the 20-20 is futuristic, designed and tailor made for TV audience. When the going gets good, wanting to do better doesn’t cease, seems appropriate for team India, as of now. I see more of those eye candies, poster perfect faces hankering for eyeball in the Idiot Box ahead.

Thanks

Gully cricket

India 2-0 Down Under

The Border –Gavaskar Trophy ’08 will be remembered in the history of cricket for more than one reason. Lot of milestones achieved from the series. The once formidable, determined, unbeatable, arrogant Australians are a bunch of demoralized team, whose dominance was confronted by Indians.

The baton has been passed to new captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The best part, he deserves it, viewing the quicker format of cricket catching steam in years to come ahead.

The statistical figures speak more than what can be written at the moment. The Border Gavaskar series has conjured up a combination of emotion and ability to perform to prove, right from the first ball being played. With a phenomenal win of this level the BCCI (Board of Cricket Control if India) has added more chink in existing armour.

Let me point out major highlights of this series. Dada voluntarily retires from international cricket. Saurav Ganguly the most successful captain led the team when shadows of match fixing hovered over prime players then. Over the years he has earned love and respect from one and all by sheer 24 carat performance. He has displayed diplomatic temperament, PDE Public display of euphoria (The Lord’s shirt swinging episode) and talking more with his bat as well as shooting from the hip (the Greg chapel mail leakage and Dalmiya to name only two).

Anil ‘Googly’ Kumble will be known as a player who has scored a century also. He is a fighter who had an inherent ability to turn the game during crucial overs. It was the same venue where Delhi witnessed a 10 wicket haul by this silent killer against traditional rivals Pakistan and he fought till the end spilling his blood to save a run against world champion Australia. We can’t forget you AK.

Sachin ‘little master’ Tendulkar becomes highest test run getter from this series with most centuries in test cricket. Sachin has been playing for more than 20 years and a win at ICC World Cup to be held in South Africa 2011 will be the last brick in the wall.

Harbhajan ‘turban-ator’ Singh found himself in the 300 plus test wicket takers club next to Anil and Kapil Dev. Punter ‘Ponting’ was his catch.

VVS (special) Laxman at Nagpur joined the elite club of players who have played 100 or more tests. There are just eight Indians.

MSD is a lethal mix of the entire above mentioned players. “Dhoni has that extra bit luck. He has a great future.” Ganguly spoke of him in his outgoing speech at Nagpur. Get set to be to see and read more of this guy in years to come. Dhoni is a package that fits all, to be crisp, he is a dynamic player who can handle tight situations.

The Border–Gavaskar Trophy 2008 will be remembered in the history of cricket for more than one reason.

Thank you!

An entrance at old fort

There’s something that I have been pondering over and thought I’d pose the question to you. Would be great to hear what all of you think. It’s something I read as part of an email signature.

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

PS. You cant write a whole list. Just one thing that you would attempt to do.