Pre-lunch performance on Day 3 will determine India’s fate

In the first test match between India and South Africa (2010 season) being played at Nagpur, the Proteas are in a very strong position. They owe their comfortable position to Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis, who, between them, scored 426 of the runs. The duo deserve even more credit because South Africa was staring down the barrel at 6/2 (with both Ashwell Prince & Graeme Smith departing very early on Day One).

After nearly two full days of fielding, the Indian openers must have been very tired when they were put into bat as a result of Graeme Smith’s declaration with just about 15 minutes left to stumps on Day Two. The shadows were lengthening on the field, so the batsmen must have found it hard to spot the ball with both Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel generating pace of over 135 Kmph. But both Sehwag and Gambhir played cautiously (and still scored a few boundaries) to see out the 4 overs bowled in India’s first innings.

Given the propensity of many sub-continental pitches to deteriorate rapidly on the fourth and fifth days of a test match, a lot depends on how our openers continue to cope with the hostile South African bowling attack tomorrow- Day Three. If we do not lose all 10 wickets tomorrow, the match may still prove interesting to the billion or so Indian cricket fans.

A new twist to the global financial crisis

There are reports that countries like Greece, Portugal and Spain may default on their sovereign debt. And this is obviously bad news for a global economic system that has already been roiled for over two years by a series of bad news. If this default is allowed to play out, more chaos will surely result. And that is why, like in the case of the unraveling of Dubai’s debt, governments and multilateral agencies will join hands to prevent sovereign default. The EU will have to take the lead, as the countries involved are its own members. But what impact this bailing out will have on the fragile recovery of other EU countries’ economies is still unknown. At best, it may set the recovery process back by a quarter or so, by slowing down growth. At worst, it can be a lot more serious for economies around the world. The EU is India’s largest trading partner, so that could well be another whammy to India’s exports. Friday’s sharp drop in stock prices on Indian stock exchanges were another manifestation. India’s growth does depend on domestic consumption, but certain sectors like IT and ITES, are dependent on the US and EU for their profitability and growth.

Events of the past 2.5 years have certainly driven home one point: the “global economy” is far closer to being reality than just an economic construct used by savants (and sometimes, politicians) to buttress their arguments for- or against- liberalization, free trade, financial system reform etc.

My wife Vidya’s poetry finds an outlet in Aurko’s album “Nadiya” (Times Music, 2006)

In 2005 (or was it 2006?), the Bangalore-based music group Aurko organized an audition in Bangalore to unearth talent to write lyrics for their planned album. My wife Vidya participated. Based on the quality of her poetry samples (and the fact that she is musically inclined, therefore understands concepts such as meter, beats, rhythm etc), she was selected to write lyrics for Aurko’s album. She wrote three  songs. Eventually, Aurko selected one called “Raat ke kohre mein”, which appears as track 5 on their album “Nadiya” (Times Music, 2006). The song is about haunting nostalgia. The links below offer an easy way to listen to it:

http://www.dhingana.com/play/nadiyaa-aurko-bollywood-hindi-pop-album/MzM3NjQ=/pop/1

http://www.bollyexclusive.com/album/656/Aurko—Nadiyaa.html

Here are the original lines my wife wrote:

Raat ke kohre mein dhundhle se saaye re

Din jage saaye jaane kahaan chale jaye re

Saayon ko chaha maine gale se lagana

Par koi haath aaye na, yaad magar jaaye na.

Guzri si baatein aur sadiyon si raatein

Dil ki har dhadkan mein lipti saugat

Ae kaash koi aaye mujhe sunaye

Maazi mein dooba taraana re.

Saathi woh kal ke sab chhod chale re

Jeevan bhar sang koi na.

Roz saje mela lage zindagi ka khela

Kyon in mein behle na paagal dil mera

Lamhein jo jaayein kabhi na aayein

Kab laute guzra zamana re?

Daali se waqt ke pal girte chale re

Dhoonde se phir woh mile na.

At the risk of sounding biased, I must say that it’s a very nice song both in terms of the haunting melody to which Aurko has set it and of course, the lyrics and the imagery it creates. I would love to hear your views on the lyrics. Do leave your comments.

And if anyone is looking for lyrics around a theme, you may want to tap into Vidya’s creative potential…

A sample of my wife’s incisive and powerful poetry

My wife Vidya is immensely talented.  She gave up her career as a pharma marketing professional due to a combination of factors (my globe-trotting and family considerations being the most important ones). However, multi-faceted person that she is, she teaches marketing and advertising at a local MBA institute to keep herself occupied and in touch with marketing. She also gives expression to her creative energies by continuing to write poetry.

She writes what I believe is great poetry. Not just for the fact that she writes in a mix of Urdu and Hindi (the former self-taught, gleaned mainly from old Hindi songs and ghazals that liberally use Urdu words), but also because she writes about very topical and relevant themes. She was particularly productive in terms of poetry writing last week, and wrote 5 poems. Here is one she wrote on January 26th. It is tongue-in-cheek, but accurately depicts recent goings-on in our country (and outside as well, but impacting Indians). Read it and see if you can identify what event/thought underlies each stanza. Oh, and in case you are wondering, most of her other poetry explores a wide range of themes such as women’s rights, status of women in Indian society, memories of childhood and so on.

I am looking to get her collection of poems published so if anyone has any suggestions, please do contact me.

Yes we can!

Dalal path par arabon rupaye

Na DP id na hai PAN.

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Sazaa umr ki, par ghar jaoonga

Party hai na, just chill man.

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Kati hai ungli, khoon baha hai,

Tera karoon main body scan.

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Mamooli, says up-kaptan,

Nahin hai aisa says kaptan.

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Film to uski nikal padi hai,

Meri book bhi phir se ran.

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Suni Kasab ne “Pak” boli,

Par ab bole woh Pakistan.

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Tujhe main doonga phate kavach bas,

Par tu rakh le apni shaan.

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Bomb chale the ya patake?

Kya phata tha in Pokhran?

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Aatank machata Pakistan,

Aur ab kahe woh Balochistan.

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Barf bahegi jab pighalegi,

Baaki sacha mera bayaan.

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Tujhe milegi UID par,

Le loon tera khan paan

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Mare kai from Hindustan,

To kya banein hum nasl pradhan?

Na milte sur na milte taan,

Kahoon ki phir bhi desh mahaan.

Yes we can, Yes we can!

Mile sur mera tumhara…

Surfing through TV channels this morning, I was impressed by Zoom’s efforts to recreate and adapt the “mile sur mera tumhara” concept, making it relevant to today’s context. Using a string of celebrities from the world of movies, music, sports and other fields, the film stirs the same emotions that its predecessor did to a different generation more than 20 years ago.

India is today more developed than it was in the late 1980s, when the original film was shown on Doordarshan (then the only TV channel in India- if you discount DD2). But as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they remain the same. We are still grappling with terror threats- perhaps on a larger scale, as the enemy is now better resourced. We are still not absolutely safe in terms of food security (but in today’s global economy, who is?). And we’re still fighting the threat of rising inflation that threatens to undo a lot of the economic good that has accrued in the new millennium. And we’re still a fractious society. In fact, several new states have been formed between the original release of “mile sur mera tumhara” and its remake.

But there is also a new hope. And a new confidence that stems from all that we have achieved. And I know tomorrow will be better than yesterday was.

The IPL is a non-state actor too!

Pakistan’s cricketers are understandably unhappy at not having been selected for IPL’s 3rd edition. Just as understandable is the average Pakistani cricket-loving citizen’s outrage.

The decision clearly is based on non-cricketing considerations. After the attack on Mumbai in Nov 2008, relations between India and Pakistan are even more strained than normal, to say the least. Pakistan’s seeming unwillingness to take concrete steps to curb terrorists using its soil is not helping matters.

But Pakistan has maintained that the government or military establishment is not supporting these terror-mongers, who, it claims, are “non-state actors”. Well, guess what? The government of India is saying the same thing in l’affaire IPL. They are saying that they have nothing to do with who the franchises pick or not. In other words, the government of India looks at the IPL s “non-state actors”. And because the IPL is a domestic tournament, it is unlikely that even the ICC can do much. And as far as Pakistan not allowing its hockey team to travel to India, well, that tournament is very much a part of the IHF calendar and a it may take a dim view. Besides, such a decision will rob Pakistan’s athletes of even these few chances they get to showcase their unquestioned talent.

The real danger to India (and hence, the IPL) is that there may be terror attacks that cause damage to life and property, investor confidence and of course, denting the general sense of well-being.

Bangladesh on top

India’s formidable batting line-up showed again how frail it can be, as the top-order collapsed on Day One of the first test against Bangladesh. “Ordinary test team” or not- Shakib Al Hassan and Shahadat Hossain snared 4 wickets apiece, leaving the Indian team in disarray. Only Sehwag, with 52, and Sachin, unbeaten on 76, have scores that can be called respectable.

India got off to a good start, and at lunch, were 63 for no loss. And at drinks after lunch, we had lost 3 wickets, having added a meagre 40 odd runs. We ended the day on 213/8. If Sachin does not run out of partners, he may be able to reach another test 100. Earlier today, he completed 13,000 runs in test cricket.

But remember that cricket is the game of glorious uncertainties. So it may well happen that the Indian bowlers come good and end up with a first-innings lead! Unlikely, I admit. But not impossible.

A marxist, a gentleman and a statesman

Mr. Jyoti Basu, former Chief Minister of West Bengal (and, I believe, the longest-serving CM of any state in India- at the helm for 23 years), died earlier today after a couple of weeks in hospital.

Had the wise men of his party voted differently, Mr. Basu may well have gone down in history as one of India’s Prime Ministers. An avowed communist elected PM in a democracy. That would have been something. But it was not to be, as the CPM’s politburo voted, in 1996, by a margin of just a solitary vote, against Mr. Basu becoming India’s PM. As it turned out, Lady Luck smiled upon Mr. Deve Gowda and the rest, as they say, is history.

Although he stepped down as CM at the start of the millennium, he  unquestionably remained the father-figure within the Left parties. And though he did not speak out much, I am sure he anguished over Singur and Nandigram. He was pragmatic and took corrective steps as soon as he realized his follies.

Rest in peace, Mr. Basu.

Buck de India, say our hockey players

It is indeed sad that our hockey players had to stop practice to drive home their message.

I think to attract more talent on a consistent basis, the IHF or Hockey India or whatever the highest authority is now called, must create a contract system so that players have a basic sense of financial security. If cricketers can be paid lakhs of Rupees per match (even the 12th man, who may not even lay in most matches), why can’t our hockey players get maybe half or a third of that amount?

If raising funds is the problem, well, perhaps it is time to create an IPL for hockey, comprising players from India and the other main hockey playing nations like Germany, Australia, Spain, Pakistan, Holland, Malaysia, South Korea, New Zealand etc. Schedule it for a different period of time so that even TV channels are happy to cough up moolah for obtaining rights to live entertainment. And given that a hockey match takes less time than even a T20 match, one can have two matches every day.

Is anyone listening?

Attacks on Indians in Australia

There has been yet another attack on a man of Indian origin in Australia (in the Melbourne area). By one account, the total count of such attacks has perhaps crossed 1000 over the last two years- an average of over one attack every day.

The Australian police claim they are working hard to find the people behind such attacks. The Australian PM, Mr Kevin Rudd, tut tutted when he was in India some months ago and as much as admitted that there might be racial motives behind at least some of the attacks. Other Australian ministers, however, have vigorously denied any racial motives and indeed, accused India of over-reacting. I wonder how tolerant Australia would be if (God forbid), a dozen or so of its citizens were beaten up in India over a two week period.

The question is not whether these attacks (many of them quite vicious) were racially motivated or not.  Some attacks may be the result of bar brawls, while others may be driven by anger at having lost jobs- which Australian companies may have decided to move to India-based outsourcing companies. What is important is that such attacks seem to be occurring almost at will and with alarming frequency- the motive be damned.

Attacks on people do occur everywhere- including in India. But that does not make them right. Indeed, India is a developing country and has far fewer resources to protect its people than do developed nations like Australia. It is commendable that terror has not impacted Australia as much as it has other countries- including several developed ones. That must mean that Australia’s police system is highly efficient. So can that efficiency not be directed at bringing to book the perpetrators of these attacks on Indians? Or is it just a question of willingness to do so?

I am sure this piece will stir the pot. I look forward to lots of views.

An experiment in using a blog for marketing

In the past few years, a lot has been written and said about social media marketing and how that’s the channel to now use to  engage with your target market and promote your products/services. OK- time for the rubber to hit the road. I am going to use this blog to conduct my own small-scale experiment in marketing.  Let’s see how well it works.

So here’s the story. My sister is an artist, and paints using different techniques (nib painting, knife painting etc.) and using different materials acrylic, epoxy, coffee – yes, she paints with coffee, fabric paint etc.).

Embedded below are images of some of her recent paintings.  Click on the images to enlarge the picture. If you have a specific design- or size- in mind and are looking for just that oh-so-right painting for your home (or as a gift for a friend), I’m sure a custom painting is possible. For more information,  do leave me a comment with your e-mail id so I can contact you.

And pls feel free to share this link with others who may be interested- after all, it is this “viral” nature of social marketing that makes it so potent.

Many more than 3 idiots!

For the last several days, and more so in the last 2 days, national news channels in India have gone overboard with their coverage of the row between Chetan Bhagat on the one hand and Aamir Khan, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, on the other. Channel after channel is vying with each other to interview both sides (often live).

While I do not doubt that there may well be a substantive legal and/or moral issue at hand, I am quite bemused at the inordinate coverage that this matter seems to be receiving. Perhaps the media has (unsuspectingly?) fallen prey to a brilliant marketing campaign unleashed by the producer of the film “3 idiots” (and maybe the author). The book is already a best-seller and the movie firmly on its way to become one of India’s top-grossers. People who have read the book will watch the movie to see for themselves the degree to which the movie is inspired by the book. Those that have seen the movie may be tempted to buy the book, read it and then figure out which side of the debate they are on. Either way,  guess who is laughing all the way to the bank?

And as to the number of idiots? Well, I’ll let you figure that one out. (hint: there are many more than just 3).

Happy New Year!

Here’s wishing you, your family, friends and loved ones a very happy, healthy, peaceful, safe and prosperous new year!

Anand Krishna

Tweet Tweet

The (in)famous tweet by Shashi Tharoor on flying “cattle class” in response to the austerity drive called for by Pranab Mukerjee created a storm in a teacup some months ago. But a storm nonetheless, for the PM himself had to step in and help his MoS extricate himself from the tangled web he had woven.

It appears that old habits die hard, for Twitter-savvy Tharoor has used his favorite micro-blogging channel to air his views on the Home Ministry’s attempts to tighten India’s visa regime. Naturally, his officers will be in the firing line as countries like the US and UK protest or worse, tighten their own visa regimes for Indians. So it is understandable that Tharoor is exercised about the matter. But to express his opinion on what is obviously a sensitive subject so publicly communicates a schism in the government’s thinking. And that is never a good thing to announce to the rest of the world.

Mr. Tharoor, if you are reading this, please consider my suggestion to tweet only on topics that are not politically volatile (or inconvenient)- or you will surely self-destruct.

The bright side of the N D Tiwari saga

Accenture need not feel bad at having had to bid goodbye to Tiger Woods as its brand ambassador. If media reports alleging  N D Tiwari’s romps at Raj Bhavan are true, Accenture may well have found its next brand ambassador. Mr. Tiwari has surely delivered higher performance than Tiger; after all, at 84, he is a good 50 years older then Tiger. They don’t make them like they used to anymore…..