India wins the WC.......................Woe Cup!

Well Well! My fears were confirmed. India is out of the world cup. Actually this is good news. I don't have to see the men in blue being bashed black and blue by the Aussies, proteas, kiwis etc...!Thank god, Bermuda didn't beat Bangladesh! imagine the humiliation then - India pipping Bangladesh to enter the super 8s thanks to Bermuda! As is the norm per our 'Culture/Kalaachaaram/parampara', the effigy burning has started again. Dusshera should really be our national festival. This has become all too common. Falling on the feet before the event and pulling the feet after the disappointing results. The Indian bowlers never looked menacing & the batsmen were too timid! It's all in the head! There is just no 'Killer Instinct'! 'India has the strongest batting line up on paper' - well , seems like some donkey had that paper for lunch! It was just baffling to see Tendulkar, the leading ODI run getter, nervous and unsure at the crease like a debutant. Ganguly did his best, Sehwag peaked too late, Yuvraj was great till it mattered, Dhoni was dismal, Uthappa was too carried away, Dravid had nothing special, Harbhajan was not incisive, Zaheer was a meek spearhead, Agarkar kept undoing his own work, Munaf could'nt hurt a fly and Pathan/Karthik never got a chance. After the first game, i expected a GIH (Great Indian Huddle). I got that but unfortunately it was for consoling each other! For millions of Indians, it was WAKE UP, FORGET THE DREAM and GO BACK TO WORK!

Budget ramblings, Cricket Fever.....

Budget 2007 drew a slew of criticisms especially from business houses and the salaried middle class. Tax exemptions or the lack of , seemed to be the biggest dissapointment! Well, agreed it was not a dream budget ( a la 1997), but had many bright points. I was just wondering if India would get consumed in it's enormous corporate growth and sideline several other life lines of the nation. But , benefits for farmers, duty cuts for agricultural equipment, increased funds for educational schemes & AIDS research etc... allayed my fears a little. We have all been so fascinated with mega malls, international brands, IT firms, cell phones, credit cards etc., that we seldom spared a thought for the masses in the villages and towns. I thought this budget atleast took a step in this direction. Was impressed with Lalu's railway budget too. Good to know he is planning to channel some of the profits towards sanitation. Train toilets have been the biggest deterrent for customers. With the domestic airline industry booming, Railways has to match international standards to draw not just the people who cannot afford air travel but also those who do (ofcourse if time is not a major issue!). The World Cup is almost here. The men in blue are raring to go...and so are their faithful followers!lets hope they atleast match the 2003 performance if not better it. I would probably miss most of the games since they are all day games though! :(! But the games i do catch, would be great on 50". WOW! can't wait! The large screens on the Chennai beaches are clinchers though!