No games, just sports...

Yet another case of political blame games totally cashed upon by the media... Well stoke it as long as the TRPs are coming in...
So what are commonwealth games... where did the last 3 games take place (without the help of a search engine if you can)... how many medals did India win last time round... which country topped the last games... sadly there might be a few who'll know these answers but that's the truth very few (I certainly know none of these answers).Here's a brief history cortesy - wikipedia - 'The event was first held in 1930 under the title of the British Empire Games. The event was renamed as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954, the British Commonwealth Games in 1970, and gained its current title in 1978.' Now make no mistake... it is the third largest games in the world after Olympics and Asian Games... but can't really shake the stink of colonialism, can it.

Okay the last games were in Melbourne... I am sure the world formed a 'great' opinion about the city during the games. Surely the people all around the world discard whatever they know about us based on the 'success' of these games (whatever that is). And most importantly so what? So what's the big deal about India's image anyways... Cows on the road, land of the kamasutra, a powerful ecomony, snake charmers, bollywood song and dance, errr do you have computers in India? and of course Yoga.

I think we really need to stop getting so personal about things we don't care about. What makes you think the games will fail... what makes you think they'll be super successful... Don't we all know the reality... games will come, we'll be on our best behaviour for a fortnight and the games will go... Hotels will make money, government will lose some and we'll all go back to our respective lives. And Mr Kalmadi and Mr Aiyer will have to find new ways of staying in news...

Respected Mr Aiyar tells us that this money could be put to better use... surely sir, but I would like to say the same thing about your work as the Panchayati Raj Minister of this country... haven't heard you say much about the khap panchayats and their latest 'justice'... have we? I remember seeing your house (one of the two allocated to you for some reason) when I was part of a the technical crew for an interview a couple of years ago. What I remember is 2 gardens the size of football fields... and your 'love' for antiques... better use of the money eh?

And in the same breath the less said about Mr Kalmadi the better! Here is some (courtesy wiki again) - During the felicitation ceremony that had been arranged to honour the three Indian medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Kalmadi reportedly walked out because he had not been offered a chair next to the Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari. In January 2010, former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh accused Kalmadi of being a 'sports mafia.

35,000 crore includes a lot of development work for Delhi (I know, let's not discuss the quality, but when can we ever?) And they at least hope to make some back with TV rights. So the actual hit because of the games is much less... Now about spending this money better... well we do have a lot of money spent in India that could have been spent better. Defence budget!!! Do most of us even know how much that is? Much more my friends, much more and a recurring one at that! How many of us ever tracked (or even care about) the 60,000 crore farmer subsidy... how has that been used... much bigger figures no? We are buying aircrafts worth $10 billion... thats more than 45,000 crore! Hmmm that is of course easily explainable... remember Kashmir! Yeah that is certainly more important than food and employment etc. quoted by the 'game-bashers'

I remember a line from the movie 'What women want'... no games just sports... Not a chance when you are in Indian politics...

The platform ticket that exploded and the bomb that didn't!

Well this is how it begins… I know most of you don’t care that it’s my first blog. But I do and since I control things here you can’t do anything except… well, read on.

So first things first… Went to pick my mother up from the Nizamuddin railway station as she was coming back to Delhi from Pune. (I know, I know… but she’s scared of flying and I can’t change her ways at the age of 57 and I will always the lose the argument about costs right? Also office was paying for the trip and the pricks (read LIC) don’t pay airfare only ’second AC’… so Ma wins on all counts here) So back to the story… like a good boy (yes yes, boy… sorry my blog and at 28 I can be a boy here if I want)… so anyways like a good boy I went to get a platform ticket… Like a good boy I stood in the line with about 20 guys in front and of course, the ‘ladies’ line predating the same window.

Now while standing there waiting and trying not to breathe (I am sorry but a spade’s a spade, all of them did stink… well most of them) Now if you have ever been to a railway station recently ( I highly doubt) but if you have then you have to have searched around for terrorists and those nifty little bomb placers who are trying to blend in before their ghastly act but you obviously feel that you have an eye to locate such people especially because you’ve seen some sketches on TV and all terrorists look exactly the same… You also look for unattended luggage and you always spot it, your heart skips a beat, you look around for a cop, you contemplate forgetting about the platform ticket but you’ve spent 10 minutes and there are just 8 people + the ‘ladies’ line left, in fact at moments you may even think about reporting the matter to cops, if you can locate one. But that would also mean making your personal insecurity public. Between homeland security and public embarrassment you obviouly choose the latter, so you dismiss that idea right away. Chances are that the owner would come and pick it up and you would laugh at yourself and your sudden bout of paranoia, but what if no one comes to collect it while you are there… well in that case you would spend the next 10 minutes (which will seem like at least 3 hours) standing there, deciding not to look at the ‘bomb’ lest the terrorist who’s obviously somewhere in the vicinity watching the ‘bomb’ spots you looking at the ‘bomb’, but you can’t help stealing a few glances at the ‘bomb’.

Your turn comes (finally). Well remember you just asked a lady to get in her line and this was of course spotted by the woman at the ticket counter… she refuses you the ticket as the window is ‘old, disabled and women’ only. Screw the fact that at least 20 non-old, non-disabled and non-women guys have scored at the window just before you! Learn to keep your trap shut. But you don’t, you argue, and poetic justice, the woman you asked to get in line now asks you to get out of the line as obviously you don’t have any business there. 20 minutes wasted, Ma’s train’s already reached, the old/disabled line with only young and healthy men are now sniggering at you and so is the ‘ladies’ line, the lady behind the counter is scorning at you and the lady I asked to get in line… well I can’t see her face as she’s buying her ticket now… I am sure with a huge smile on her face. Well screw the ticket, I’ll take a chance… so much for being a good boy… honesty my ass.

Go to the platform, hug mom take her luggage, look around for the guys who check your platform ticket, come back to the car, breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in the last one hour, spend another 20 minutes getting out of the parking abusing people coming from the ‘wrong’ side… and you remember the ‘bomb’… what bomb… oh that!!! Perhaps it wasn’t, some poor guy who forgot his bag… well until next time at the railway station.