Ball Tampering by Steve Smith and Ugly Aussies

Australian Cricket captain Steve Smith was caught pants down yesterday during their test match . He can't escape with his preposterous defence of this incident as a "brain fade" situation. Caught red handed on camera such lame excuses like "brain fade", " My Ass farted" to come to his rescue. 

A great sporting nation nevertheless, the guys from "Down Under" have earned the sobriquet of "Ugly Aussies" for their unsportsmanlike conduct on and off the field. They are known as arrogants, sledgers and now proven cheats as live camera doesn't lie.

Sledging has been the motto of the Aussies from time immemorial and listing all is beyond the scope of this blog. The Ashes rivalry between England and Australia is legendary, with the English all rounder Ian Botham (Beefy) being a perennial thorn to the Aussies in 1970s and 80s. Once when Botham was batting, wicket keeper Rod Marsh attempted to annoy him - "How is your wife and my kids" ? A cool, witty Botham, a Champion womanizer himself responded - "My wife is fine. The kids are retarded".

Another instance of the infamous Aussie arrogance to win by hook or crook came in early 1981 when they used an unconventional tactics in form of the famous Underarm incident. It happened during the Benson & Hedges series final between Australia and New Zealand.

New Zealand needed a 6 off the last ball to tie the match. It was that moment when Greg Chappell called his younger bother Trevor before the later was going to last bowl the last ball.

The elder Chappel told his younger sibling to bowl an underarm delivery rolling on the ground to the Kiwi batsman Brian McKechnie. Like an obedient Laxman to Ram, Trevor Chappel duly obliged his elder brother. The hapless tailender threw the bat in disgust.

Next day all the newspapers in cricket playing nations screamed at this unsporting gesture which even led to a diplomatic row between the two nations. I still remember a newspaper headline - "CHAPPEL'S UNDERARM STINKS". (Incidentally India was the other team in that triangular series who didn't qualify for the finals, eliminated with just 2 wins out of 10 matches).  

A Kiwi underarm company promised to supply Deodorants to the Chappell brothers to relieve them from their underarm odor, tainting the game more than their underarm sweat soiling their shirts.

Yet per laws of cricket they didn't break any rule. In fact the Umpires were told before the Underarm delivery was delivered and it was perfectly legal under the law. Australia won the match, Kiwis the heart. 

Later that year in November, 1981 the overtly aggressive Dennis Lillie almost came into blows with the Pakistani Batsman Javed Miandad (no gentleman himself and not new to controversies). But the incident initiated by the fast bowler in Perth yet reinforced the nation of the Australians prone to trouble making.

It is an irony the same Aussies protested vehemently crying foul when English fast bowler Harold Larwood ripped through the Aussie batting line up in the famous "Bodyline" Series of 1930s - single handedly contributing to restrict Don Braman's career batting average to double digit. They dubbed the English tactics as unsportsmanlike, when they themselves are champions of such behavior to win at any cost. It just reeks of double standard and hypocrisy of the ugly Aussies.

The decision to ban Steve Smith for just one Test match vame too little, too early. It's not too late for ICC (unfortunately known to be Spineless compared to FIFA or IOC) to reconsider this decision and impose a more stringent ban.

Zuckerberg scared by Ravi Shankar Prasad's summon

Heard after hearing Ravi Shankar Prasad's summon a scared Mark Zuckerberg is scrambling to board the latest flight to Delhi.

Reminds me of this incident which happened decades ago in Odisha. In a meeting, the then Editor of the Odia Daily MATRUBHUMI (Motherland) Balakrushna Kar was having a tete a tete with the much Revered Godabarisha Mishra (A Freedom fighter and renowned philanthropist, one the famous PANCHA SAKHA or Five Friends which included Gopandhu Das and Nilakantha Das). 

Mr. Kar boasted - "Today I taught a lesson to America". "What do you mean by that ?", asked Godabarisha Mishra. Continued Balakrushna Babu with a sense of pride and accompliment, "On my Editorial page, I have grilled the Americans with so much that...". In the meantime an inquisitive public stared gathering, listening to their conversation.

The witty Godabarisha Babu responded sarcastically - "Oh, Ok. I got it. Because of your editorial story, today they stopped cooking dinner in the White House". Seems an apprehensive Priscilla Chan has stopped cooking at her California home ever since Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has issued summons to her Facebook founder husband.

Get well soon Irfaan Khan

Actor Irfaan Khan is in news these days for his Brain disease. As reported, he is all set to travel abroad for treatment. An awesome actor, who has carved his niche in both Bollywood as well as Hollywood.

It reminds me of his movie PAAN SINGH TOMAR where he has done a commendable role playing the leading character Paan Singh -a class IV drop out from the Badlands of  Chambal, who joins the Army where his passion for running is recognized by his Superiors. 

Yes, Indian Army in 1950s was part of a system which was was still honest and efficient at a time only a few years after our independence. We then still retained the old school of ethics inherited from the British (Corruption hardly existed during the British days, but slowly crept in when we owned our own nation).

In that movie Paan Singh's talent was recognized by his Sardar (Sikh) superior as he makes him run for arriving late during the perfunctory military drills. A la Forrest Gump from the iconic Hollywood movie, he never turns back to stop running. Soon he crashes into limelight as he breaks the National record in Steeplechase at the 23rd National Athletics Meet in Cuttack, Odisha. It earns him a ticket to the Asian Games held in Tokyo a few year later, where he ran in the 3000m Steeplechase race.

A heart touching saga of a person whose sacrifice to the nation as a Sportsman and an Army man never came to his rescue, when circumstances turned a hard working, proud patriot into a dacoit-cum-kidnapper. It was 1970s when Corruption well aided by the high handedness of Indian bureaucracy did everything possible to turn the man to take to guns for his own survival. The system failed him big time.

In this movie, Paan Singh is a straight shooter, both from his mouth and gun. When a newspaper reporter interviewed him asks why he became a dacoit, the fugitive retorts back - DAKAIT TO PARLIAMENT MEIN MILTE HAIN, HUM TO SIRF BAGHI HAI (Dacoits are found in  Parliament, I am just a rebel). He wasn't far from the truth.

Another monologue from Irfaan Khan needs some reflection - "After crossing 28 barriers to be the Steeplechase champion, no one cared about me. Now that I have become a Baghi - a thorn in the flesh of the tri-state (UP, MP and  Rajasthan) Police, I am getting some fame. I ran and won medals for my country nobody took a note, now when I became a BAAGHI  (rebel) on run I make news."

Quite a story and kudos to Irfaan Khan for his remarkable role. You crossed 28 barriers as Pan Singh Tomar. I sincerely wish you to get ahead of this Brain tumor you are suffering from as reported by the media back home and get well soon.

Similarities between Modi and Amitabh

What is the similarities between Amitabh and Modi apart from both being vegetarians ? As Amitabh was the one man Bollywood industry in the 1980s, Modi is the one man party and one man pan Indian leader, above and beyond his current counterparts.

Forget about a good movie, a badly performing Amitabh in a movie used to guarantee a box office hit, so much so that noted directors like Manmohan Singh and Prakash Mehra churned out one junk after another from the aging superstar - as his tall presence assured of a safe box office return.

Same goes with Narendra Modi. When and wherever he campaigns, BJP performs a whole lot better. When he doesn't, BJP falters - loses its focus, losing even from its strongholds. This was just reinforced in the recently concluded byelection in UP where he didn't campaign. Modi is akin to the fang of a poisonous snake, without him the party is impotent. It can hiss, but its bite lacks venom. BJP is a constipated party sans Modi, which can fart but can't shit.

In 2014, at the peak of the Lok Sabha election campaign a few grassroot journos visited Ganga ghats (docking station of boats) across the cow belt. It was the place where people criss cross across the river, discussing politics. They picked up a Modi wave which was brewing, eventually translating to a massive mandate. 

Since then, riding on his charisma, BJP reaped one successful harvest after another - his (now the party is pretty much synonymous with him) defeat in Bihar assembly not withstanding. If Modi did not campaign extensively in Gujarat, BJP would be presently sitting in the opposition benches. Same will be the fate of his party in 2019 sans Modi's charisma.

But every product has an expiry date. What goes around, comes around. What climbs up, has to come down. Every crest is followed by a trough, every high tide by low tide. Modi magic won't last forever. There are still signs of it ebbing, though he still retains his charisma and punch as a crowd puller which is enough to eke out a win. 

A la Amitabh of the 80s indispensable to Bollywood, Modi is indispensable to his party - the one and only one man who can deliver. It has to be seen how long his rally will last, how long BJP will ride over his charisma, which will eventually be determined by governance, not by rhetorics alone.

Two races to watch this week with far reaching consequences

Two important political one off elections are to be watched tomorrow in both US and India. Normally these would have been dismissed as just another mid term race, but for the following reasons.

In America this Congressional race in South Western Pennsylvania should have been a cakewalk for Republicans, considering it their safe seat. But the Republican candidate is running neck with his Democratic counterpart. The neophyte Democrat is giving his opponent run for money in a seat carried by the Republicans for last 15 years - with Donald Trump carrying this district by 22 points in the last election.

Even if the Republican candidate manages to scrape through by a narrow margin, a win by 2 points rather than 22 points will be a red flag for GOP in a crucial swing state. It will energize the Democrats for the upcoming House and Senate elections at end of this year.

Now let's move on to India, where the byelection for two Lok Sabha seats was held last Saturday. BJP is likely to retain both seats which it held earlier. But it will be important to observe the voting patterns of the two important opposition parties of the state - SP and BSP who have recently joined hands together to fight against BJP.

If the common candidates of the SP-BSP duo are able to give a tough fight, then it will give a boost to carry on this alliance to the next Lok Sabha where they might be able to slow down the BJP juggernaut in the politically important state of UP, if not bring it to a screeching halt. If they lose by a considerable margin, then it will put a spanner on any plans of a future MAHAGATHBANDHAN (grand alliance) against BJP. So, tomorrow is the day...


I will be closely watching the results of the Pennsylvania election which will be held this Tuesday, 12th March and its results will be out late in the evening. Later late evenint, when it will be the morning of 13th in India the trends of the UP byelectiona will be available. The evening of this 12th March will be the harbinger, throwing some light about things to come in the more important national elections to follow.

I will be closely watching the results of the Pennsylvania election which will be held this Tuesday, 12th March and its results will be out late in the evening. Later late evenint, when it will be the morning of 13th in India the trends of the UP byelectiona will be available. The evening of this 12th March will be the harbinger, throwing some light about things to come in the more important national elections to follow.

When specialists are preferred over generalists

In 2006 the then IT minister of Odisha was in US. He was supposed to attend an IT Tech investors meeting within next few days. My friend was driving him from Baltimore to New Jersey.

During their tete a tete, the IT Minister asked - "What is Microsoft ?". In my friends own words his mind went blank, how to answer him. That's the kind of prople who run ministries back home.

But I see some positive streak here. Ignorance is Bliss. As no news is good news, no knowledge is good knowledge. Little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, no knowledge can be dismissed. Yet as we say in Odia - MANKADA HATARE SALA GRAMA, literally meaning "Lord's statue in the hands of monkey", or giving a pivotal role to the ignoramus may backfire big time.

I have seen Sobha De and Suhel Seth on panels discussing about Union Budget and macro economics. No question the lady and the gentleman are connoisures in their respective areas, but they shouldn't be expected to be experts on fields beyond their realms of expertise.

Once during a Cricket World cup the Tennis player Sania Mirza was sitting with Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee discussing details of swing bowling. Sania is an outstanding Tennis player who has earned rare sports laurels for her nation, but I was never aware of her delivering in/outswings or swinging yorkers. (There is no dearth of quality women cricketers of caliber in our country who could have been invited to the panel instead).

We have our economists Amartya Sen and Raghuram Rajan, a former Nobel Prize winner and later an aspiring one in the field of economics. Both are great intellectuals in their own rights and own fields. But rather sticking to their job and ademics, they utter utterly unwarranted political statements, creating avoidable controveries.

As we win very few Nobel Prize, probably at the rate of once in a decade, we put them on a pedestal and expect them to be a SUBZANTAWALLA (Mr. Know All) on every subject on earth. Being a Nobel Prize winner doesn't make one expert on everything, from igneous rocks to rocket science.

Raba Ramdev is a great teacher of Yoga which contributes to good health and spirit. But he goes overboard and claims of curing cancer and homosexuality through Yoga, which is at best fallacious as there there is no scientific evidence to back his claim. Next what ? Baba Ramdev addressing ISRO scientists on a symposium on rocket science ?

Bottom line - a system where generalists rule the roost and specialists are pushed to backburner can never prosper. Period. All humans are equal - they all fart and sneeze. It's the proper harnessing of human resource which makes the difference.

One off Congressional election elections in Pennsylvania

Hypocrisy of the Elected Republicans. A one off election is going to take place in Western Pennsylvania coming Tuesday. This congressional seat opened after Republican Representative Tim Murphy, a staunch anti-abortionist resigned in 2017 amid reports that he asked his mistress to get an abortion when he believed she was pregnant.

Define hypocrisy. A politician and champion of family values, a vocal opponent of abortion has a mistress, impregnates her and asks her for abortion. In a district where Republicans won by a landslide, the current Republican nominee to replace his distressed incumbent is struggling against his Democrat opponent.

Now Hypocrisy of Elected Democrats. Traditionally a party of the working class Americans, they have left their core supporters in wilderness for years. So Donald Trump has announced his tariff against imported Steel well timed to save this seat located in the Steel belt of Western Pennsylvania close to West Virginia. He wants to attract the disenchanted working class Blue collar workers who are part of the Democratic base.

These Steel workers are fast losing jobs due to the dumping of cheaper imported steel. The President of the United Steel Workers Union praised President Trump for trying to do something which the blue eyed boys of the Blue collar workers, the so called Champions called Democrats hardly did anything but rhetorics for last 30 years.

Ronald Reagan was a Democrat before he joined the Republican party. When asked about his decision, the great communicator responded - " I did not leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic party left me". 

Democratic party's leaving its base, the blue collar working class American cost them the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin and the Presidency. Trump is just playing to this vulnerability of the Democrats, hoping to reap political harvest at their expense.