Ab Tak 56!!

Our Indian Rupee getting clobbered in the market isn’t a kind of news that catches our attention, as we are all very accustomed to such kind of news. Since last six months or so, the Rupee has been witnessing its worst days. But today it touched a new low in the afternoon breaching the 56 per $ mark. In a way the Rupee has celebrated the Government’s three years in the power!! :P

People who have some concerns about the economy have repeatedly stated their apprehensions about the declining Rupee; but there has been complete inaction by the Government and I am talking about some strong measures that must have been taken. It is really very difficult to understand why some of the major problems are being overlooked by the Government. Common Indian man/woman is the common victim of all this. One reader’s comment caught my eye: “Soniaji, you shall continue to articulate the concern of common people, so long as they are suffering. They have been the biggest victims of the rank misrule of the UPA government. (SOURCE: TruthDive)”. What answer does honorable Soniyaji have to this? 

The news we continuously heard in last few days was that the Finance Ministry is considering hiking the fuel prices after the Parliament session is over and they believe that it will help the Government in the matters of Fiscal Deficit as well as Current Account Deficit. Also FDI in multi brand retail is going to be considered ‘seriously’. But the main aspect in all this is that the Ministry doesn’t expect the situation to improve before the next two weeks. Is this the way the Finance Ministry of a country handles a situation, proposing something in the future and estimating that the situation is not to improve over next two weeks? But again, this fact shows that we are living in India, where the common man comes into the picture only once in a 5 year period.

As we have already seen, the measures already taken by the RBI have managed to just slow down the pace of the declining Rupee temporarily. The RBI’s move to curtail currency arbitrage on Monday went in vain because the policy inaction made Morgan Stanley lower its forecast for our economic growth. Furthermore, as the USD demand from the oil importers increased, the depreciation of the Indian currency continued, eventually breaching the 56 mark today. The Government blamed market forces. In this never ending game of blaming and not taking the responsibility, our Indian economy emerges as the loser every time we face such situations in the market.

The worst case scenario is the BOP, as it has a direct impact on the ECB obligations of many companies and they are going to find it difficult to meet the necessary requirements. Depreciating Rupee also shuts the doors for any new foreign currency flow into the Indian markets. This adds more pressure on the already over-stretched Indian economy. One of the interviews I read on the net revealed that many experts see this problem as a structural one rather than a cyclical one, recommending that we need some measures, considering the problem as a structural one.

At this moment I recall a very fundamental and basic concept that can be applied to all the issues, let them be on a personal level, micro-economic level, or macro-economic level: “If we have our base strong and if we cover all the basic problems, then we can always get out of any predicament.” Keeping in mind all the basic concepts and applying them to every situation coming one’s way can even help in avoiding any unpleasant situation. We should look for the main problem which is the cause of all the other problems and sort that out first instead of trying to solve each and every problem which is just the result and not the cause. And so, I suppose, for this structural problem, we need remedial measures sorting out the fundamental policy issues which, I think are at the root of all.

Cheers!! :)

The Reignited flame of Patriotism

Anna Hazare rocked the country and how! It is really fascinating to see how something that started as a small campaign has turned into a revolution and covered the entire nation in a matter of time. Through this revolution, the “aam admi” has found a collective voice. For the past two weeks the revolution taking place in front of our eyes culminated with a day long debate in the Parliament that resulted in a victory for the people of India, the very people who are embodied in the opening sentence of our Constitution. If I am not much mistaken, it was the first time in our independent history when the will of the people was truly heard. Though the methodology used was soaked in the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence, it had a new, ‘hatke’ flavour of the modern India.

Some very true and amazing lines that I read about Annaji: “These voices were galvanised and aroused by one diminutive man whose main claim to fame was his honesty that he wears as proudly as his cap and who has come to represent the David that could slay the Goliath called corruption.” It was just like what is described in the above lines and we all saw that. To challenge the government on an issue like ‘corruption’ was never going to be an easy task for Annaji, but his vision was (and still remains) clear about what he was fighting against and who he was fighting for.

India last witnessed such a mass movement in the original “August Kranti”. Anna Hazare has been into a war of sorts for the past many days. Patriotism spilled onto the roads. Indian flags could be seen everywhere. It was as if the atmosphere was coloured in the colours of the tricolor of India. The spirit of revolution was infused in various forms. Everyone was glued to the TV for the past 2-3 weeks. Everyone was wishing, praying, blogging, facebooking, googleing all their support for the old neo Gandhi.

I was especially sad reading the poor comments made by Arundhati Roy. Some funny comments I read about this matter: “Arundhati better drink coke/beer/whiskey and relax. She is not at all Indian like. She can find a chord only with Naxals and Kashmiri Separatists.”

Through his success, Annaji reiterated the old saying, “If there is a will, there is a way.” Our country is ill. And we must look after our ill mother. We all came together for the cause of this ‘JanLokpal Bill'. However, we must understand that this is not the end, but just the beginning of the end of some ancient concepts which rooted to our country since ages, e.g., we Indians are unbelievably tolerant class of people. Fine. Being tolerant is good, but for which matters we are being tolerant is of utmost importance. We must not be lenient about the issues like corruption etc which affect one and all. If we want India to become a ‘Super Power’, we must behave like one. If we say that India is democratic then we must understand the true meaning of the word and act like a true democrat.

This movement headed by Annaji is a very good start. I solemnly salute the courage, the honesty, the integrity and the “never say die” spirit of the 74-year old Indian who has reignited the flame of Patriotism in me as well as my 1.2 billion countrymen.

Jai Hind!

One of Those Rare Warm-up Matches!!

Top 2 ODI teams- Australia and India, playing their first world cup warm up match. It was an inconsequential game, but one definitely didn’t expect this type of batting performance from the no 2 ODI side in the world. My God! What a Collapse! 54/1 to 138/8. It was such a disappointment for a huge home crowd of Chinnaswamy Stadium. Some later heroics from Pathan, Ashwin and Nehra saw India crawl past 200 but the first 6-7 batsmen failed big time.

Dhoni mentioned at the toss that Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer won't take part in this warm up game, so it was upto Sehwag and Gambhir to get off to a nice start. Sehwag started cautiously capitalising on his statement to build the innings, but couldn’t last long. Gambhir fell to a beauty from Bollinger. Kohli and Sehwag tried unsuccessfully to build a partnership. One could see a terrible communication between the two resulting in so many mix-ups; luckily they got away with it. Kohli holed out in the gully to Mike Hussey and then ‘the great Indian collapse’ started. Yuvraj came in and got out. Sehwag and Dhoni got a good partnership going but that too for a very short period of time. Then Dhoni dragged a Hastings delivery onto the stumps. 8 balls later Sehwag fell after a well-made fifty. Then Raina, Bhajji and Chawla got out within 2.2 overs. Pathan and R Ashwin put up 49 runs together. Pathan looked his usual self stroking the ball all around the park before launching two huge sixes in a David Hussey over but fell in the same over trying to go for the third one. The last wicket added 27 valuable runs and the Indian Innings came to an end on 214, a total which never looked to be a challenging one for this Aussie batting lineup. But the game was just half finished.

Watson started the Aussie reply in style hitting shots all over the park. Due to his cameo, Australia were off to a flying start going 6-7 rpo. But it was India’s best fast bowler tonight- S Srisanth who got the break-through for India. Watson, trying to heave the ball over mid-off, couldn’t clear Piyush Chawla who moved quickly to his left to take a sharp catch. Australia were 51/1 after 7.5 overs at this stage. In came Ponting who looked set to take his team to victory. His partnership with Paine was very crucial as one more wicket at this stage could have made Indian comeback in the game a lot easier. They were going along pretty nicely before the spinners were introduced. The trio of Chawla, Ashwin and Bhajji along with a part timer in Yuvi began to slow down the pace of the Aussie innings. Batsmen felt the need to accelerate the run rate for there was no boundary hit for 50-odd consecutive deliveries. This brought the fall of Tim Paine who fell trying to clear long-on. His wicket opened the gates for the Indians in the game. In the next over, Chawla got rid of Clarke (0) who dragged the ball onto his stumps. This wasn’t going to satisfy Piyush Chawla who was in the mood for securing his place in the final 11 for the world cup matches. He came back in the 29^th over to get the wickets of White and Hussey off successive deliveries, but sadly couldn’t get a hat-trick. This didn’t end here for Chawla as in his next over he got Hastings who edged to Kohli at slips. Aus 148/6 in 30.4 overs. In the meantime Ponting completed a well-made fifty but sadly kept losing partners at the other end. Johnson showed some resistance at the end but Bhajji and Ashwin came and ended the Australian innings on 176 with some quick wickets.

India were out of the game till the half way stage in the second innings. But a dramatic collapse of the Aussie middle and lower order, caused by the Indian spinners, cost Aussies this warm-up match. Piyush Chawla bowled like a dream and was very well supported by Harbhajan and Ashwin. Ashwin was getting turn and bounce from the pitch big time. It was really great to see India defend a small total quite ably. No doubt, pitch assisted their spinners but it was the skill of the spinners and some questionable shot-selection from the Australian batsmen that brought about the Indian win. India must keep this winning momentum going and keep complacency at bay.

Cheers!! J

Once Again It is Now or Next Time

The big game of cricket is back again with a bang, ICC Cricket World Cup- this time on Indian soil. Australia- the team having won the world cup title 4 times, 3 in a row. The rest of the teams will also look forward to cherishing their dream to win the biggest event of Cricket.

The time has come to wash out the heart-breaking memories of 2007 West Indies World Cup and create some new ones which the whole nation will cherish for a really really long time. Let this cricket crazy nation be given the world cup trophy that has eluded it for the last 28 years. Five world cups!!!! India is without the 50 over world cup for 28 years now. let the wait be over this time!!

This world cup is special for Team India in many ways.

We have a strong side in all departments of the game. We have a 'calm and cool' captain in Dhoni whose captaincy is widely admired. Although his batting has not shown the sparks of his original game lately, his reputation as a 'hit hard in the big games' batsman still makes us have faith in him. Then there are our openers- Tendulkar and Sehwag. What can one say about Tendulkar's form in last one and a half year? Challenging situations bring out the best in him. So if he continues this form in the world cup then we are in for a real treat of some breath-taking strokeplay and a masterclass from the master himself. Sehwag has already stated that he wants to bat for 50 overs and if this happens then no total is challenging for the Team India. 400 run mark will look so much easier to achieve if he is there till the last ball of the innings.

Then comes Mr Gambhir. He displayed the versatility in his batting in the NZ one day series which India won 5-0 under his captaincy. An opener or a one-down, Gambhir is a threat to any team in any situation. Virat Kohli is a real find for India. His all-round skill in the field (batting, bowling and fielding) makes him a true legend in the making. Yuvraj Singh is best suited for the spot of no 4. He can pace the innings according to the need of the hour. He can rotate the strike as well as hit huge sixes to accelerate the pace of the innings. He hits form in this world cup and this might just be his tournament. Raina gives solidity to the middle order. His improvement as a game changer or a finisher is tremendous. Then follows Dhoni. One might be concerned about his batting form seeing his last few innigns did not reflect the kind of a batsman he is but let's not forget that we are talking about a batsman who has been consistently among the Top-3 ODI batsmen in the world for last 3 years. Yusuf Pathan's tons in those NZ and SA matches were such a treat to watch. Let's not say that he is an all-rounder India was so desperately looking for. Let's just say that he is a lower order hard hitting batsman who can, on his day, destroy any lineup with his slow bowling as well.

Harbhajan's bowling economy rate in ODIs is impeccable. He also can finish the innings in style with a bat in his hands. Who can forget the great six that won us a nail biting match against the arch rivals Pakistan in Asia Cup last year!! Zaheer Khan's mere presence in the team boosts the confidence of the other bowlers. This was clearly the case in the 1st and 2nd test against SA in December 2010. His intelligent bowling really makes him the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack. Ashish Nehra is, I think, like a lottery ticket. On his day he can be as dangerous as any swing bowler in the world but if it is not his day then the opposing batsmen simply dispatch him all over the park. S Srisanth just needs to stay focused on the game and he is a very good bowler who can swing the ball both ways. Munaf Patel brings solidity to the Indian pace attack. Piyush Chawla is a very handy bowler to have in the lineup especially in Indian conditions. R Ashwin is a very clever bowler who adjusts to the conditions quickly.

So this team consists of a number of match winners who can win matches on their own. But Cricket is a team game and all the players should click as a unit to win the World Cup. This team has shown in last two years that they are capable of doing the same. Only one thing is required and that is to keep their nerves in home conditions, in front of huge Indian crowd. If the team overcomes their 'big stage fright', there is every chance of this Indian team winning the world cup.

For years Indian Cricket fans have been consoling themselves saying, "Chalo yaar, koi nahi.. Next time we will definitely win the Cup." Let it be this time only. Also it would really be a fitting farewell to a man who has almost everything to his name in the record books, who has been trying his best for years to be a part of a World Cup winning team and who has devoted last 21 years of his life to Cricket!!

Cheers! :)

Hello

Hello Everyone... This is my first post... It has been a very long time since I had opened my Blogger account... Actually today I was editing my Google Accounts Settings and found the Blogger logo listed in my "Google Services". Firstly I searched for the "Remove Profile" option but couldn't find it. So I was about to leave it as it was and close the tab when I thought ki chalo yaar, writing my first post on my 'two and a half year-old' Blog wasn't a bad idea after all.

So I welcome you all to my Blog and hope I will be able to update the same as soon as possible.

cheers. :)