Project Mumbai to Shanghai - Phase 1

It has mainly being the lure of documentary filmmakers and globe-trotting journalists aiming to showcase the hollow claims of economic development in India.But Asia's largest slum should soon be buzzing with real estate magnets and construction engineers as the much hyped,much maligned "Dharavi Redevelopment Project" has finally got off the ground. The Maharashtra government, on Wednesday, decided to float global tenders in 16 different countries for the same by next month.

The finance for this 10,000 crore mega project will come in a novel way.At the center of it all,lies the decision of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to double floor space index (FSI) in Mumbai’s swanky business district of Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) thereby raking in Rs 25,000 crore for the city.FSI decides how much development can take place on an empty plot. This means if the FSI is one, then 100 sq ft can be built on a plot of the same size. For BKC, the MMRDA hiked the FSI to four on March 13, which will fuel vertical growth in the BKC. The money thus generated could also provide the much-needed financial support for Mumbai’s other key infrastructure projects such as the Metro Rail,Mithi river cleansing project, Marine Drive refurbishment project, the Western Freeway sea link project etc.

Redevelopment of Dharavi would clear a blot on the city's face and create some truly wold class infrastructure in our own backyard.Along with the residential and industrial parks,Rs 1,800 crore worth of world-class amenities will be developed free for the city-hospitals, schools, parks and fire stations.More than 12 acres are reserved for open spaces and playgrounds,providing the chocking city with some much needed breathing space.Creating an entire township will also solve the problems that existed with previous schemes of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) , which merely replaced horizontal slums with vertical slums.

The doing away of the norm of minimum consent was the first commendable step in direction of clearing this project.Earlier consent of 60% of the residents was necessary for any slum re-development project to take place.Whether such consent actually came for the residents themselves was dubious and various nefarious organizations/politicians made hay.An approval of such a kind was especially not feasible when the project-scope was as wide as Dharavi.

The major bone of contention is obviously the rehabilitation of the nearly 56,000 families in 225 sq.foot flats built in 7-storey buildings.I doubt if they can afford the high-rise maintenance charges.They will then simply rent/sell these flats and go and build similar shanties somewhere else,thereby negating the very reason for this project itself.The current landlords and Dons of Dharavi will profit, and the real people will suffer.If the Government can give multiple tax concessions to the developers of SEZs, surely it can afford to waive of maintenance charges for these residents,say for an initial period of 5-10 years.

Identifying who is eligible for rehabilitation is a never-ending headache. Expect 1000 s of litigations to litter the court on this matter.

Also only 225 sq.foot is available free of cost,the residents will have to shell out at the current market rates for the extra space.That would be almost impossible for many without some sort of loan schemes or EMI options at affordable rates of interests provided by the Government.

Dharavi is the home of many small and large scale industrial enterprises like pottery and leather goods employing a mainly unskilled workforce. Already, the proposed township earmarks a plot for a branch of the National Institute of Design, to offer advice and direction to Dharavi’s leather and pottery industries. Wonderful. But, how is the government planning to shift these to 225 sq.foot flats into 7-storey buildings ? Especially, as the current owners occupy a land exceeding 225 sq.foot and are likely to be unable to pay the extra money for the additional space. Unless these affected industries are identified and aided, this redevelopment will prove to be the death nail for the families of these small-scale industries owners and especially those of the labor which depends on them for their livelihood.

Dont get me wrong, I'm 100% for the re-developemnt project .Its just that the obstacles to any such major re-shuffle are always human , never economic.What seems trivial at first,developes into an insurmountable obstacle later on.If the Government rushes head-first into this project,underestimating these major stumbling blocks ,it is sure to be hounded by litigations and protest rallies.The tender will remain nothing more than a file on a table and never see the light of day.

For facts and figures about the project,visit the SRA website.

Death and Quotas

Please read this heartbreaking story first.

This is why economic factors must be considered for reservation and not caste,religion or region.
A very brief synopsis of what I fervently believe should be done:

1)Keep the reservation doors open only for the students of those families who do not pay any income tax, ie. ,fall below the lowest income tax slab.This data should be readily available and verified by the income tax department. If this number is too huge , define a separate lower income limit for families,specifically for education. These limits can either be uniform or can be in form of a pyramid, a lower limit (and hence more number of student beneficiaries ) for school education and limit goes on increasing for higher education(as the cost needed for funding go on increasing).
Identifying these groups will help to channelize the funds meant for education in a more effective manner.

2)If this initial criteria is matched,then we can have subdivisions within this on basis of caste,region,sex etc.Within this as well, the selection should be based on merit first.The selection criteria within this can be a bit skewed in favor of the deprived castes if the politicians so desire.It wont raise such a hue and cry as we are seeing now.And nor would we see the demand for inclusion of more castes into the "Backward Caste category" and , hopefully such incidents could be avoided.

A more detailed analysis on the above subject will follow soon.

Pajama Cricket ,part Deux

So,Sachin, the living deity of Indian cricket, notched up two successive hundreds on a trot as India decimated a meek Bangladesh side , thereby claiming a comprehensive "overseas" test series win.Thus,they exacted revenge for their ignominious first-round exit at the hands of the Tigers in last month's world cup.Of course,all we have to wait for is a tour of an Australia or a South Africa , for our halo of invisibility to dissolve into the abyss of despair that is synonymous with Indian cricket. I had quite prophetically predicted that India would underestimate Bangladesh and crash out of the world cup(Na, nothing Nostradamus-type though:I had also said that Pakistan would win the WC ...... look what happened to that....). Everyone had been quite enthusiastic on betting against me then.Till this day,I am yet to 'vasool' all the bets I had placed. (Chintu, if you are reading this,you still owe me, you sneaky little chindhi chor !!!)

After the debacle and the customary brief period of mourning , the discussion shifted to an in-depth analysis of the problems plaguing Indian cricket.My cricket fanatic friends came up with several innovative ideas on how to revive the 'dead' Indian cricket. (If cricket had died after just 2 defeats,what were the other sports in India, fossils?? ... let it be. Digressing from the topic as usual.)And a few days ago, I was happy to read that at least one of the obvious solutions to emerge from our brainstorming was about to take roots.Though from a completely unexpected source.I'm talking of the proposed Indian Cricket league (ICL) , promoted by Zee's head honcho Subhash Chandra. Pajama Cricket,part Deux.

Obvious parallels could be drawn to the original 'Pajama circus' started by Australian media mogul Kerry Packer in the late 70's.Like Chandra, Packer too was jilted by the ICC. The issue involved was of course TV telecast rights.But,what began as a grudge, proved to be the ultimate remedy and one day cricket emerged,phoenix-like from the ashes of the dying test cricket.Whether Chandra's planned venture will prove to be the 'sanjeevani' for the comatose Indian domestic cricket wont be clear until the next few years.The fiefdoms of several lords within the BCCI are threatened and as expected,they have lashed out against this new concept. But,as Jayaditya Gupta wrote on the Cricinfo website: “What Chandra is proposing is effectively what the BCCI should have been doing anyway — in terms of building both infrastructure and manpower. If the BCCI feels threatened, it may be stirred into action — which may not be a bad thing. If on the other hand Chandra has held out his hand in genuine partnership and the BCCI accepts, Indian cricket can only get better.’’

The ICL in a nutshell :
6 teams or clubs to play in the opening year
Executive Board of the league under installation (Kapil Dev,Tony Grieg,Dean Jones & Kiran More)
Pool of referees and umpires to be created
League to begin with Twenty20 format and move to ODI format
Prize money for the winner: $1 million
League teams to compete with teams internationally
Number of teams to be increased from 6 to 16 in three years

Quite admirable if it succeeds.A few views on the issue.

1)Some sort of compromise is essential with the BCCI for the league to succeed.Although BCCI per-se does not own the cricket grounds,it can exert a tremendous influence on the local Cricketing associations who do so.The CCI has agreed to the use of the Brabourne Stadium for the ICL,but few others will follow suit if the BCCI say, threatens to bar them from hosting international matches,which is a key source of revenue.Also the crumbling Brabourne stadium, with its 20,000 capacity is hardly the place to showcase such a fine event.Over time though, a fledgling domestic league will lead to infrastructure development of the sport within the country.

2)Also, if the BCCI shuns the league,few promising Indian youngsters will risk a move to the league,irrespective of the pay package involved.They will feel that it would compromise their chance for selection to the national side.The league will then become a haven for over-the-hill cricketers and would not serve the purpose of creating a "national talent pool" of emerging youngsters that the ICL envisions to achieve.But, if Chandra some how manages to get such exciting prospects on board his venture,the BCCI will be caught in a dilemma.Because,if a truly exceptional talent emerged from the playing fields of the ICL,the media and public pressure will make it virtually impossible for the BCCI to ignore the starlet.If this gambit succeeds, we will then truly achieve a “a reserve pipeline of players” good enough to challenge the Indian squad.Competition for places will improve quality and Indian cricket will flourish.

3)Corporate sponsorship and involvement is critical.The teams should be allowed to be actually owned by corporates/individuals if the future of the ICL is to be secured in the long run.It will ensure that money keeps flowing into the game,even if Zee,say decides to pull the plug tomorrow.Initially,the teams are likely to be either city or region-based clubs.Sure,that will help to build up a fan-following.But ultimately these clubs should be run by those city based businesses/businessmen.(based on the model of the English Premiere League).Imagine a TATA owned Jamshedpur team buying Sachin Tendulkar from say, an Mahindra owned Mumbai team,right under the noses of the Ambani owned Ahmedabad team.Similar to football transfers.

4)Many argue that the domestic League will not be as popular with viewers/sponsors as the big stars will be involved in International matches and only the 'small fish' will play.But,if the matches are interesting, then they will engage the viewers and consequently,the sponsors will follow.And hence,starting with 20-20,the most exciting format of cricket makes sense.

5)The schedule of the ICL should not conflict drastically with that of the international matches of the BCCI.Nobody will watch the ICL if an India-Pakistan match is being telecast at the same time.So,BCCI co-operation is an uncomfortable,unavoidable truth.

6)Thinking big is essential. Which means big names,big marketing and a truly national scale.The talk of Brian Lara,Shane Warne and Glenn Mcgrath will work wonders for the confidence of everybody involved.And make it difficult for the BCCI to ignore/shun the ICL.Not to speak of the benefits to the emerging talent if these players were to conduct coaching camps as well.

9)The domestic players are now paid a pittance as compared to their counterparts in the National team.A successful domestic league will mean more opportunities for these cricketers to earn and so,will encourage more and more yongsters to take up cricket as a proffession.

8)The idea could be taken further and maybe someday, we could have a "Champions League" of cricket involving the top domestic teams from all over the world. Or am i dreaming?Somebody pinch me,quick.

9)Please have clarity on the player's contracts right from the beginning itself.The club must own the player and transfers between the clubs should be permitted.Just imagine the amount of newsreel/blog pages a Rahul Dravid transfer speculation would generate.Also what about the foreign players who are contracted to their respective boards?Conflicts and debates of this nature can turn rather unsavory.

10) For heaven's sakes don't embarrass us by showering us with cheap promotions such as cheerleaders, stuffed mascots and staged performances of over-enthusiasm from coaches,staff etc. like the PHL. Maintain the sanctity of the game.Let the cricket be the entertainment , don't try to make it so.

PS: I am not all together fond of cricket,but being an Indian cant seem to escape it either.And lets face it,its the only game at which we manage to win something.Now and then.

De-politicising the President's office

So, the 340-room palace on Raisina Hill will be looking for a new occupant in a few months time.Because its present occupant, a long- haired maverick with an unusual fondness for children and botanical plants will soon vacate the Rashtrapati Bhavan.And will leave behind a legacy which his successor will find hard to ignore and definitely difficult to follow.Dr.Kalam captured the hearts and imagination of the nation with his incredible vision,humility and forthright views.His audacity in returning the Office of Profit Bill or his hesitation in approving the appointment of two judges won over public opinion. His book 'India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium' or his PURA theory - 'Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas' appealed to the young and the restless generation.He brought down the halo surrounding the President's office and brought it within the reach of the common man.Farewell Dr A.P.J.Abdul Kalam; you have done our country proud.

Before Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam,India was blessed with another soft-spoken affable President in Dr.K.R.Narayanan.Why both Kalam and Narayanan worked was mainly because they were apolitical figures in a society that has nothing but distrust and disgust for politicians.People , sick of strutting mantrijis and pompous VVIP's, gladly lapped up this refreshing change .Both had a vision for India , uncompromising credibility and a rare gift of humility.While Narayanan laid the cornerstone, Kalam undoubtedly revolutionized the "rubber-stamp" role of a President.The Rashtrapati Bhavan is no longer the retirement home of expendable senior politicians whose role is confined to shaking hands with world leaders,being the guest of honor at the Independence day parade or placidly signing on the dotted line when his true employers-the ruling party of the day beckon him to do so.With the advent of the electronic media, the office of the President has come under the intense glare of public scrutiny and public perception and expectations of it have changed dramatically.The changing face of India's politics and civil society has given the president's post a new gravitas. The government of the day can no longer afford a 'difficult' president as a President's contrary opinion can dent the moral legitimacy of a controversial political decision. And that is why there is such an intense debate raging amongst the public and the politicians on who should be the new president.

The politicians of course want a "politically experienced person" to occupy the role. Which roughly translates as "a sycophant puppet who will bow to political diktats and give as little headache to the ruling party as possible". The people on the other hand want to actually choose their man.Today, we have come to regard the president's office in much the same way that we depend on the judiciary for justice and fair play.Hence the clamor to get a non-political figure elected to the highest office in the land.So what's the solution?

I feel that the post of the president should not be converted to another electoral battle.That is the president should not be directly elected.It will soon become just another fiasco , with each party declaring their own candidates and canvassing for votes. This will surely degrade the sanctity of the President's office.Our present system of the elected representatives choosing the President can work, with a few minor tweaks. Firstly the candidate must be apolitical. Now how do we ensure that? Even if one party comes up with the suggestion that only non-political persons be allowed to contest,it will put tremendous media and public pressure on others to follow suit. We could even go so far as demanding a change in the constitution to ensure that no person with a political baggage is selected.

Secondly the common man does not place much importance on the religion, caste or the region from which the president hails. They have accepted Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits, Brahmans, Tamils, Keralites, Telugus without any reservation. They are very liberal in outlook without any sectarian bias and would be happy to see any good and capable person drawn from any class or group as their President. A blemish-free public record , a courage to uphold the constitution irrespective of political pressure , a vision for the country's future and an ability to feel the pulse of the nation-its trials and tribulations , are the only qualities that a common man is interested in.He may be any distinguished person from the academia, the arts or the science domain.The time has also perhaps come for a creed of people who the politicians are particularly averse to , being elevated to the highest post.I am talking of course of 'industry leaders'. Narayan Murthi anyone?

Just also realized that the country has not witnessed a woman president so far although it has seen woman Prime Minster. If the politicians are serious on the role of women in public life , they should resolve that India's next President should be a woman.

And for those still wishing Mr.Kalam to stay on for a second term, go here .

A dose of Nostalgia

On Saturday eve,I met with some of my old college friends after a long hiatus of around 6 months.The location was of course Bandstand, our 'adda' , a few minutes from Fr.Agnel , our engineering college. Its always extraordinary, that even though we had met after a long gap, the conversation flowed on as if we had met just yesterday. The good natured leg pulling, the back slapping and the normal teasing about boys/girls came naturally without any inhibitions. Funny incidents from college days were tossed up and that balmy bandstand air rang with the sounds of our hysteric laughter.Just like it did in the good old days, a few years back.

When you have known someone for a long time and you see them after a long gap of time, sometimes you fear that people change but change in manner that you know is not them. But'Prabhuji' was the same old endearing mischief-maker of old , 'Amu' , 'Pri' and 'Suchi' were just as sweet . 'Big show' Suhas still insisted on his Bisleri bottles and Vaishakhi's smile was just as refreshing as before. Viky still is the butt of many jokes ,but to be fair to him, has learned to crack a few good ones as well. Our "CR'' Devbu ...hehehe...well he's still the same as always. Nachi and Gopi were as 'cool' and 'smart' as they always were in college. Nothing had changed, as if time had stood still.

Going Potty over Potter

Ok. I admit it. I am 22 and a great fan of the Harry Potter books. There. I just admitted unabashedly it to the whole world.

I got caught up in the storm of hype that engulfed the world before the release of the fourth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" in 2000. Initially I was skeptical, even afraid of being teased by my friends or being considered as "uncool". But the magic of the books soon overpowered me. To put it literally , I became a "muggle" instead of a man.

The fanaticism has waned since those magical times as I went through college and the entire process of 'growing up'.But the essence still remains.It was "HP & GOF" which yanked me off television and movies and introduced me to the enchanting world of books. So,as the world braces itself for July 21,2007 , when the final book of the series "HP and the Deathly Hallows" is released, I would like to thank dear Jo (as J.K.Rowling is affectionately known to her millions of fans) for inviting us along on this spell-binding journey. It needed something monumental to take kids and teenagers back to the printed word. And this was it.

This is indeed a phenomenon, a quite extraordinary rags to riches story , which turned a one time single mother and struggling part-time writer into a billionaire. How Jo completed her first novel, unemployed and living on state benefits, is a part of Potter folklore. She wrote her book in numerous different cafés ,within a year of her divorce,whenever she could get 1 year old Jessica to fall asleep. The manuscript of her 1st book was rejected by 12 publishing houses before Bloomsbury , a small-time publisher agreed to an initial print of around 1000 copies (500 of which were to be distributed to libraries). She got a 1500 pound advance then and was advised by the editor at Bloomsbury to get a permanent job as he did not see any future for her as a writer. The rest as they say is history.

The most recently published Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” sold more than 2 million copies on the first day of its release, making it the fastest-selling book of all time. The entire series has sold about 325 million copies around the world in 64 different languages. The books has spawned a franchise with movies released by Warner Bros ( the 5th will come out on July 13, 2007) , video games by Electronic Arts and toys by Mattel . ( Putting On record : I hate the movies , games and have never even seen the toys !!! An absolutely unavoidable counter-product of the economy we live in . Much like milking the cow till she's dry...). The entire franchise is estimated at a mind-numbing 3 billion $ a year. Definitely greater than the GDP's of many small African countries put together.

But however you may hate the hype, the shameless marketing , the glitz and the promotion , you cannot argue that at the core of it all lies a fantastic book-series driven by an engaging and complex plot. For the entire 2 months now,the fans will fret and argue over "Will Harry die?" , "Is Snape evil?" , "Will Dumbeldore pull a Gandalf" etc.Millions of over-excited children will line up in front of bookstores on the midnight of July 21 dressed as witches and wizards. While I assure you I will not be doing anything of that sort, I cant wait to get my copy of the 7th book and read Harry kick some Dark Lord ass.

PS: Till the book releases , if you want to build up some Potter-mania , I would recommend reading the excellent editorials on the following 2 sites:
http://www.redhen-publications.com/Potterverse.html
http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/

The Battle for the IIMs

For the second time in as many months , our HRD Minister (whose name shall not defile the pages of this pious blog) is up in arms against the IIMs as part of his Rambo-style single-handed crusade to uproot perhaps the last remaining vestiges of quality higher education in India. Following the admissions fiasco in the month of April, you would have thought that sense would have prevailed. Alas, commonsense is one commodity in scarce supply in the corridors of Shastri Bhavan.Hence,now comes the news of a bill being considered to limit the financial autonomy of the IIMs.

According to the act being proposed, every year a Government auditor will examine the accounts and details of funds of all B-Schools and a report will be submitted before the Centre. Fine with that. But what has really raised the hackles of the academia is the news that the government is trying to "steal" their corpuses. Much of the freedom that the IIMs currently enjoy is on account of the Cabinet's decision which allows the B-schools to build a corpus from their earnings which stem from tuition fees from regular enrollment, executive training courses, consulting gigs and placement fees. The three IIMs at Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta have a large corpus ranging between Rs.70 crore and Rs.90 crore. The funds remain with the institutions and are not diverted towards the consolidated funds.The remaining three—in Indore, Kozhikode and Lucknow—still receive government funding.The proposed Act would bind the IIMs to divert all their earnings towards the Consolidated Funds,therby limiting their financial autonomy and making them dependent on government funding. This comes at a time when IIMs are looking for partnerships with global B-schools to provide quality education for the students.

The stand-off between the HRD ministry and the IIMs is one about governance and control. Imagine the HRD minister (May the fleas of a thousand dead camels infest one of his erogenous zones. ...Amen) as a king who has just ascended his thrown and finds out that his subjects are getting enlightened and soon , he may have no kingdom to rule over ! His predecessor too tried tinkering with the fee structure but beat a hasty retreat in the face of public opposition. The equation "government control = incompetence" has been proved to be true in all most all cases in India. By all means, the government can act as a watch-dog , telling the IIMs to publicly declare their balance sheets for scrutiny. This will expose irregularities , if any.But don't try to impart management lessons to the institutes which are going to create the managers of tomorrow.

The age of kings and kingdoms is over. The sooner our ministers and babus understand this, the better it is for us. Till then, let us not sit silently as wrecking balls demolish our temples of learning. If you cant do anything, least you can do is spread the word.

Chaos From Aicte (CFA)

As the winds of globalisation and reform spread, India seems to be slowly moving from the License Raj days pre-1991 towards a true integration with the global economy.But alas, the same cannot be said of the dismal scene of higher education in India.

The All India Council of Technical Education’s (AICTE) decision stopping all operations of the US-based CFA smacks of heavy-handedness and is quite clearly an abuse of authority.
I myself had plans of giving at least the CFA level 1 in december 2007 before pursuing my MBA to add some value to my profile and simultaneously grasp some basic concepts of finance. As always my best-laid plans tend to end up in smoke !! At present, like the other aspirants, I am armed with books, CDs, question papers but with no exam to aim for !!!!
"Bin taale ki chaavi lekar phirte maare maare "........

So here are my quite passionate "2 cents" on the issue:
1)This is a simple Trademark violation issue as both the partners to the debate offer the CFA certification to candidates. Now ,while the CFA is a 60-year-old body with a presence in 134 countries, the ICFAI was the first to launch a programme in the country, in 1985, to train and certify financial analysts in a time when this course was unaffordable for many Indians.
So, accordingly, in August last year, the Delhi High Court directed that the ICFAI would have to drop the letters CFA from its name by the end of the academic year, that is by May 2007 . A fair judgement, in my opinion.

2)The ICFAI then filed a case with the Guwahati High Court, alleging that the CFA institute was running its course without the approval of AICTE, which then asked AICTE to look into the matter.The AICTE decided to wield the axe , and hence the ban. This has jeopardised the prospects of 7,000 students in the country who are registered with the CFA.
The ISB,Hyderabad too operates without the approval of the AICTE.Based on the same flawed logic , it should be asked to suspend its program as well.

3)The CFA is not a technical program and hence does not fall under the jurisdiction of the AICTE.Case closed in my opinion.

4)If the ban on CFA is sustained, then those rich enough to travel to neighboring countries to take the exam can alone have a shot at the much-coveted certification.Hardly the concept of social justice that the UPA government so chest thumpingly propounds......

5)Such actions will discourage foreign universities form setting up base in India. What is the guarantee that a similar fate wont befall on a Harvard or a Stanford if they come here? Already the proposed Foreign Education Providers Bill before the parliament envisions that the UGC should determine fees and supervise admission procedures, including setting aside caste quotas, for foreign educators setting up in India. Not the sort of conditions that the big guns will want to adhere to . So mediocrity will prevail.

The solution of course lies in giving a free reign to the foreign institutions for setting up courses/certifications in India, especially in the field of higher education. The AICTE and the UGC can act as watch dogs by all means. They can rank such universities/courses, say,based on their record in India, post-5 years of initiation. Such ranking will then acquire prestige, which will fuel competition and in turn improve the quality of higher education. They can also make it mandatory for the universities to publish certain information regarding finances,placements etc. which will discourage 'fly-by-night operators' and ensure that only genuine contenders emerge.
Politicians per-se are not bothered about higher education. Why should they be? A dumbed-down populace makes an excellent vote bank. Its ultimately corporate India which is going to benefit from such initiatives. So they must pressurize the government to act in this regard.The question is whether the corporate sector has a long enough vision to fill the breach created by the government and its agents.by all means,leave the government to deal with school education , but the private sector must come forward to take over the reigns of higher education in India. Rather than just cribbing about the waning quality of graduates emerging from our universities.

Enough said.Lets see what the courts have to say now in this matter.... The world is watching with bated breath........

Forza Milano !!!!

So, A.C.Milan exacted revenge on Liverpool for their defeat at the hands of the English giants 2 years ago by winning the Champions League. Liverpool played well, but couldn't quite complete the comeback like the one on that memorable night in Istanbul. Perhaps,it was a fitting end to the season for Milan, when the great Paolo Maldini lifted the "Big Ears" for the 5th time in his illustrious career. Of course the skeptics will argue that Milan weren't even supposed to be there (after the match fixing scandal of last year) but no one can complain that the better footballing side won.

Also on the other side of the globe , a few weeks ago , Dempo SC were crowned the 2006/2007 NFL Premiere champions. "What?" , you ask , incredulously. For the uninitiated, Dempo is one of India's most prominent football clubs based in Panjim,Goa. And for the absolute novice, NFL stands for National football league , the football league in India run by the All India Football Federation. Such is the state of the beautiful game in the country , that few even know the number of teams playing in the NFL , let alone the names of the players involved.Youngsters in the metros swoon over the skills of a Henry, Ronaldinho or Kaka and swear their allegiance to Liverpool, Barcelona and Manchester United. Few have even heard of the Renedy Singhs, the Jose Barettos or the Surkumar Singhs who toil on the fields of their own country.

So whose fault is it? Its definitely not the fault of the viewers ,as they will obviously follow something which gives them the maximum return for their time and money. And dont even think of giving me the hackneyed excuse that cricket is responsible for the derelict state of football and other games. Its like convincing someone that the ocean can support only one type of fish. So something or someone is definitely responsible for this sorry state of affairs. And of course for every problem , there is always a logical solution.

So what ails Indian Football? And what can be done to awaken it from its present comatose state? Expect more rants and raves sprinkled with some logical analysis on this subject soon.

First Post

err....duh.... this is i guess the "Hello world" of blogging.....

I have always wanted a blog of my own. Had many previous abortive attempts , lack of time and "just losing steam" being the main culprits for the procrastination. Hope this attempt outlives my previous ones.Better late than never, they say......

So without further ado, lets set sail on this new adventure.First of all, the question will arise : why the particular blog-name? No, I assure you, I am not a fan of the Gujju Star-One serial and neither do my culinary interests stretch beyond the occasional Maggi Noodles.... The name is merely a reflection of how late i have been to jump on the blog-bandwagon....All the good ones are always taken as they say...

Like the description for the blog goes, this blog will be about everything in the world that interests me and my opinions on that. This may range from the usual rants against whatever is going on with me,my city or the entire world to some gyan-sharing on topics of my interests.Lets not set any restrictions on the topics though....let the river chart its own course, as they say....who knows what hidden treasures we might discover together...