The Bare Necessities

Tour de France 2011

2011-07-01T20:36:00.000+05:30

Friends, it is that time of the year again when France is showcased all over the globe for all its natural and man-made beauty. As the world's premier cyclists traverse the myriad landscapes that the country and some of its neighbors have to offer over the course of 23 days, the Tour de France enters our living rooms on Saturday, 2nd of July. This time around the marquee event is the celebration of 100 years since the 1st ascension of the fabled Alpine peak, the Col du Galibier, and will be marked by a double ascension of the mountain and the setting of a new record! The record being that the finish atop the Col will be the highest summit finish till date at over 2600 metres! The Tour also has a special beginning as the 1st stage will begin on the Passage du Gois, a road connecting the island of Noirmoutier to the mainland, which makes a comeback after 11 years to the tour so there is a lot to look forward to right at the outset.

The 98th edition of the Tour will see the riders battle it out over 21 stages and 3430 kilometres, consisting of 2 time trials (1 team and 1 individual) and 6 high mountain stages besides the regular sprint stages and medium mountains. The riders will circumnavigate France in a direction that will see them hit the Spanish mountains of the Pyrenees first followed by the Alps nestled along the Italian, Swiss and French borders. All the major players are back to attempt to win the Classement Generale with two conspicuous absentees, Lance Armstrong announced his retirement from the sport (again!) at the start of the year and Carlos Sastre, the 2009 champion. No need to fret though as 2 time champion Alberto Contador makes a bid to win his 2nd straight tour albeit with a new team (Team Saxo Bank), despite doping charges hanging on his head. He will of course be greeted by his arch rivals, the likes of Ivan Basso, Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck, Levi Leipheimer, Andreas Kloden, Christian Vande Velde, Roman Kreuziger, Bradley Wiggins and some more.

The 22 teams to take part in the race are as follows

AG2R LA MONDIALE
BMC RACING TEAM
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT EN LIGNE
EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI
FDJ
HTC-HIGHROAD
KATUSHA TEAM
LAMPRE - ISD
LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE
MOVISTAR TEAM
OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO
PRO TEAM ASTANA
QUICKSTEP CYCLING TEAM
RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM
SAUR-SOJASUN
SAXO BANK SUNGARD
SKY PROCYCLING
TEAM EUROPCAR
TEAM GARMIN-CERVELO
TEAM LEOPARD - TREK
TEAM RADIOSHACK
VACANSOLEIL-DCM PRO CYCLING TEAM

The stages that constitute the 98th Tour de France are as follows:

1	Plain	Saturday 2 July	Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts ; Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers	191.5 km
2	Team TT	Sunday 3 July	Les Essarts ; Les Essarts	23 km
3	Plain	Monday 4 July	Olonne-sur-Mer ; Redon	198 km
4	Plain	Tuesday 5 July	Lorient ; Mûr-de-Bretagne	172.5 km
5	Plain	Wednesday 6 July	Carhaix ; Cap Fréhel	164.5 km
6	Plain	Thursday 7 July	Dinan ; Lisieux	226.5 km
7	Plain	Friday 8 July	Le Mans ; Châteauroux	218 km
8	Medium mountains	Saturday 9 July	Aigurandet; Super-Besse Sancy	189 km
9	Medium mountains	Sunday 10 July	Issoire ; Saint-Flour	208 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 11 July	Le Lioran Cantal
10	Plain	Tuesday 12 July	Aurillac ; Carmaux	158 km
11	Plain	Wednesday 13 July	Blaye-les-Minest; Lavaur	167.5 km
12	High Mountains	Thursday 14 July	Cugnaux ; Luz-Ardiden	211 km
13	High Mountains	Friday 15 July	Pau ; Lourdes	152.5 km
14	High Mountains	Saturday 16 July	Saint-Gaudens ; Plateau de Beille	168.5 km
15	Plain	Sunday 17 July	Limoux ; Montpellier	192.5 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 18 July	Département de la Drôme
16	Medium mountains	Tuesday 19 July	Trois-Châteaux ; Gap	162.5 km
17	High Mountains	Wednesday 20 July	Gap ; Pinerolo	179 km
18	High Mountains	Thursday 21 July	Pinerolo ; Galibier Serre-Chevalier	200.5 km
19	High Mountains	Friday 22 July	Modane Valfréjus ; Alpe-d’Huez	109.5 km
20	Individual time-trial	Saturday 23 July	Grenoble ; Grenoble	42.5 km
21	Plain	Sunday 24 July	Créteil ; Paris Champs-Élysées	95 km

It all begins on Saturday in the department of Vendee on the Passage du Gois as the 198 "supermen" set off on their pursuit of ultimate glory. They will move from the north-west of France in a southerly direction towards the Spanish border to take on the Pyrenees which once again feature some famous climbs. On the way there the Tour will cover a lot of new starting towns which should throw up challenges to the riders. Once over the Pyrenees the riders will have a one day ride across to begin their assault on the Alps, talk about being handed a death wish! Over the Alps and the aching riders will have to battle it out in the penultimate stage that is the Individual Time Trial surrounding the town of Grenoble. The Tour should be decided on that day before the customary finale on the streets of Paris where the sprinters will slog it out for the "Maillot Verde" aka Green Jersey. Stage 18 is the killer stage of this route as the road to the summit of the Galibier takes us over 3 Hors Categorie (Outside Category) climbs. In other words, "Thank God I am not a professional cyclist because this is murder!"

Stage 1, this time around, is not a prologue time trial which means Fabian Cancellara may not be in yellow! The uphill finish at Mont Des Alouettes should put a spanner in the works for the sprinters, so maybe one could expect a surprise leader on Day 1. Stage 2 is the Team Time Trial around the streets of Les Essarts. The course runs for 23 km which is a pretty short distance but we should see fast times here. This could set the pecking order early on in the Team classification competition. Stage 6 from Dinan to Lisieux represents the longest stage on this year's course at 226 km. The likes of Mark Cavendish, Thor Hushovd, Tom Boonen and the rest of the sprinters will be having field days for most of the 1st week of the Tour so expect battle royales for the Green Jersey.

The 2nd week of the Tour is where the action really begins. Come Bastille Day we hit the Pyrenees running and what a baptism of fire it will be as Luz Ardiden makes a comeback to the course after many a year. Stage 12 running from Cugnaux to the summit finish of Luz Ardiden that runs for 211 km will surely wake up the big boys from their deep slumber. There might not be fireworks on these slopes as there is a lot to come but there will be a few feelers going around. Look out for the Euskaltel riders and the likes of Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez make a bid for the Polka dot jersey. The first peak to hit the pack will be Category 1 climb, 9.9km at a gradient of 7.5%, of Hourquette d'Ancizan (at 131.6 km from the start). Following will be the 1st of the Outside Category climbs. Just imagine hitting the Tourmalet on day 1 of the high mountains but that is exactly what is in store for the riders. The 17.1 km climb at 7.1 % (at 158.4 km) will be a stinging experience for all the riders and will serve as the launchpad for some riders to breakaway and to go for glory because following this beast is another beast. The summit finish to Luz Ardiden will provide some great excitement and expect some serious attacks. In case a Frenchman is somewhere in the lead then Bastille Day glory beckons!

Stage 13 begins at the all too familiar town of Pau and runs for a 152.5 km to the town of Lourdes. The highlight of this stage is the climb of the beast, Col d'Aubisque. The climb which starts at 93.6 km from the start and takes the riders 16.4 km at 7.1% will be more of a King of the Mountain bonus as the downhill finish will ensure that the major leaders end the day together. Yet the stage will be incident filled so don't skip it.

The assault continues as Stage 14 takes the riders from Saint Gaudens to Plateau de Beille over 168.5 km. Plateau de Beille makes a comeback to the tour as well after a couple of years. This stage is littered with climbs, 6 in total, with the last one being the summit finish at the Plateau. King of the mountain points will be in abundance, with double points for the outside category summit finish. Since this is the last day in the Pyrenees, a few riders among the leading pack might want to stretch their legs before hitting the last 5 days of the Tour. The stage begins with the Category 2 climb of the Portet-d'Aspet at 22.2 km from the start (9.7% gradient and 4.3 km long). Soon after, at 48.4 km, comes the Category 1 climb of the Col de la Core (14.1 km at 5.7%). Following close on its heels is the Category 2 climb of the Col de Latrape at 88.4 km (5.6 km at 7.2%). Barely will the riders have descended that they will once again begin their journey upwards as the beast rears its head. For at 99 km they will hit the Col d'Agnes running (10km at 8.2%) and this is where the major movement will begin for the riders. The summit climb of Plateau de Beille (15.8 km at 7.9%) is the outside category climb of the stage and should really sting the riders after being put through such a gruelling undulating course.

A short shoot across the plains and a rest day later the riders will find themselves hitting the Alps and a brutal four days waiting as the centenary celebrations begin atop the Galibier.

Stage 17 takes the riders from the famous town of Gap, the gateway to the Alps, to the Italian town of Pinerolo over a distance of 179 km. 5 climbs dot the stage, all with steep gradients, 2 Cat 3, 2 Cat 2 and 1 Cat 1. Continuing the tune of comeback climbs we shall witness the return of Sestrieres and Col de Montgenevre, 2 Alpine favourites. At 88.6 km from the start the riders hit the Montgenevre (7.9 km to 6.1%) followed closely by the climb of Sestrieres (11.1 km at 6.3%). Some respite will be available after the descent as the riders make their way to Pinerolo. They have to negotiate the Cote de Pramartino (6.7 km at 6%) just before they reach the finish.

The next 2 stages are going to be completely devastating and will play a major role in the General Classification. Stage 18 takes the riders from Pinerolo to the "Chief Guest" of this years Tour, the summit of the Col du Galibier covering 200 km of Alpine country along the way. 3 Outside Category climbs dot the landscape for what would be a mouthwatering contest for the viewers, definitely not so for the riders! At 83.3 km from the start the first beast emerges as the Col Agnel (23.7 km at 6.5%). As the riders make their way over this mountain and descend the second beast appears on the horizon. Col d'Izoard (14.1 km at 7.3%) at 134.4 km poses a tough challenge to the riders as they prepare for the first assault on the Galibier. The riders hit the Col du Galibier from the other side to face up to a brutal 22.8 km climb at a not too steep 4.9% to finish the day and earn huge King of the Mountain points.

I don't know if the course planners saved the best for the last but the combination on show on Stage 19 is all too familiar one. A short stage at 109.5 km from Modane-Valfrejus to Alpe d'Huez will still feel like an interminably long one. When St. Michel de Maurienne is mouthed by a Frenchman during the Tour the only logical conclusion that can be drawn is Telegraphe, Galibier, Alpe-d'Huez! This is that very combination that will await the rider as they begin the last leg of their journey towards Paris. Some serious attacks will take place on these fabled slopes as the main men will look to shuffle the pack before the Individual Time Trial. At 14.6 km from the start the riders hit the early slopes of the Col du Telegraphe (11.9 km at 7.1%) only to descend into the valley before starting back up to the top of the Galibier for the 2nd time, but this time from the steeper side, (16.7 km climb at 6.8%). It will be psychotic by the time the leaders hit the slopes of the Le Alpe-d'Huez and it will quite literally be "Every man for himself". The 13.8 km climb at 7.9% will be the scene of a lot of carnage! This I can assure you.

After all the pain and hurt of the Alps, the final moment of truth faces the riders. They have to race against the clock over the 42.5 km around the city of Grenoble in a bid to fix their places in the Classification, of course barring any mishaps on the final day into Paris! The Yellow Jersey should be crowned on this day provided he hasn't been already! The course is slightly undulating and will definitely favour the likes of Cancellara so watch out for a stage victory for the Swiss rider!

With everything, hopefully barring the Green Jersey, done and dusted the riders will enjoy their ride into Paris on Sunday the 24th and then leave the stage open for the daredevils that are the sprinters to fight it out for glory on the cobblestone streets of the Champs-Elysees and to culminate another edition of the most prestigious cycling event!

Really excited as the action begins tomorrow! Live coverage on Ten Action Plus is India for those who have the opportunity to watch or else live streaming is always an option!

The Cup That Counts!!!

2011-04-03T19:56:00.000+05:30

What better way is there to resume my blogging activities, than to discuss about India's triumph in the recently concluded (hours ago, really) ICC Cricket World Cup 2011! Coming from me, this article may not have the same resonance with the people than it would have had Nishad written it but still I shall try to give an impassioned yet hard-hitting view of events gone by and also a peek into the future. The views expressed here are strictly my own and in case anyone should feel the urge to confront me for some or the other reason then he/she may please do so!

Lets drift back a few weeks to the start of the world cup. I had been getting this feeling that somehow, just somehow, things were preordained. India was going to win the World Cup. It had a sense of poetic justice to it. Sachin Tendulkar, the man that the entire nation adores, worships even, and an individual par excellence respected and revered the World over, was entering the final phase of his long and illustrious career. He had achieved everything a cricketer could ever dream of. Leading run-getter in the ODI's and Test's by far. Almost a century of centuries covering both forms of the game. Part of the best test team in the world. 200 in an ODI. Literally stuff dreams are made of. Ok, if you want to be harsh, you could say he hasn't scored a triple or a quadruple century in Tests, but that's just pushing it! Yet, one thing was missing from his plethora of achievements, a world championship. We had come close in 2003 only to be foiled by the Aussies and a Ponting blitzkrieg that just blew us apart at the "Bullring", but then again it was the Aussies at the prime of their powers. Ponting did briefly attempt to change destiny in the Quarter finals with that brilliant 100 but Fortune was blind towards them. No matter how much people claim that the cup must be played for India and not for Sachin that was and is the truth. This world cup was played for that man and that man alone. It was to tie up that one, tiny, tiny loose end in the beautiful necklace that is Sachin Tendulkar's cricketing career, for no one in India, not even the greatest sadist, would have palleted the statement, "Sachin, the best player never to win a world cup".

So it was played out on the fields of the Indian sub-continent (India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka), the ultimate championship, to find out the best One Day side in the world in the game of 50 overs which truly tests a cricketer's mettle and gives teams ample opportunities to fight back rather than the lottery that is 20 over cricket, entertaining though it may be.Considering the draws for the groups, it was almost a certainty that the top 8 test playing nations would proceed to the knock-out phase of the tournament. It did in the end transpire that way, but England's shenanigans against Ireland and Bangladesh did throw the group into disarray. What England did manage to do was to mess up the pecking order in the group which caused the quarter final match-ups to be like thus,

Sri Lanka vs England

Pakistan vs West Indies

South Africa vs New Zealand

India vs Australia

Sri Lanka, with their spin wizards, cast a spell on England so powerful that England were out before they knew it. Lost by 10 wickets! Wipe-out!

Pakistan, always a lottery with them, defeated the Windies thanks to Umar Gul's death bowling and Shahid Afridi's rockets.

South Africa's loss to New Zealand was shocking, then again it was a knock-out game, SA were known to lose in the knock-outs and they obliged by collapsing that never before and that too against the spin of Nathan McCullum and John Woodcock! Daniel Vettori is a different league so lets not bring him in here.

The mother of all QFs was of course the Indo-Aussie war. Fast reaching rivalry status equal to the Ashes, the top two teams in the world were drawn to face each other in the QF. The match was amazing and thoroughly enjoyable. The Aussies are a shadow of their former glorious selves but what they haven't forgotten is their survival and fighting instinct. Their mental fortitude is still a reason to admire them. Ricky Ponting showed the world why he is one of the great players of his generation on that day. His 100 was a masterclass in the face of personal adversity, critics on his back, people prematurely writing his obituary and et all. It takes tremendous strength to silence one's demons but did he silence them or what! A score of 260 was going to be challenging but it was gettable since the Aussie bowling isn't nearly as good as what it was at one time. Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait can be devastating but also can be self destructing. Tait on that day was the latter. Spin against India is never a great option, what with Shane Warne and Muralidaran being unable to really trouble us during their careers, and Krejza is just a kid. It was always going to be problematic. No matter how devastating Lee is, there is only so much that one man can do. The Aussies bowed out, relinquishing the title that they held for 12 years and probably signalling the end of a dynasty that lasted almost 2.5 decades. From Border to Taylor to Waugh and to Ponting, Aussies dominated cricket. 5 finals in 20 years ('87, '96, '99, '03, '07) and 4 trophies. That star seems to be waning now.

This now gave the opportunity to another nation to build their own dynasty. Great teams are always known for their dynasties. In Cricket, you have the West Indian dynasty of the 70's and early 80's and the Australian from late 80's to late 00's in the recent past, venturing elsewhere, Football, Real Madrid during the 50's and 90's, Liverpool during the 70's and 80's, Manchester United 90's to 00's, Basketball, LA Lakers during the years of Magic Johnson and Kareen Abdul Jabbar, Chicago Bulls 90's (Michael "Air" Jordan), Boston Celtics, Larry Bird's time. The tag of dynasty is now up for grabs again. India has threatened to take up that spot for some time now but have somehow come up short despite having one of the best personnel and talent pools around. Seriously, with all kids playing the same sport and India's count of kids, you have to be kidding me if you say India cannot churn out players year after year. Australia could do it with probably a 100th of the population and lets face it, they play lots of other sports as well!

India had put the reigning champs out of the competition. Next up, the old enemy Pakistan. Destiny showed its face once again. Sachin seemed to be wanting to get out but Pakistan kept on allowing him to play and in the end it so turned out that his contribution was the difference between the two sides in terms of margin. Yet, credit cannot be taken away from the fact that India had a brilliant strategy to back themselves as well. They stifled the living daylights out of the Pakistani's by disciplined bowling and great field placements. Not aggressive field placings but those which put the onus on the batsmen to take the initiative. It just screamed out, "If you think you're good, prove it!" Misbah-Ul-Haq managed to somehow stifle himself and although he did wake up in the end, it was way too late. India were into the final and deservedly so.

Sri Lanka in the other bracket had quietly but brutally reached the final with some strong displays. Their openers were in stellar touch, Dilshan and Tharanga, Lasith Malinga was at his "Slinging" best and their spin wizards, Mendis, Murali and Herath were way too much for foreign opposition.

The final was very much that, the two best teams in the tournament and the bridesmaids in the previous two editions. The opening salvo by India was awesome to watch. Perfect bowling and perfect field placements once again. Defensive yes, but damn shrewd! Zak's 3 maiden overs were to die for. Tharanga was killed and Dilshan survived thanks to Sreesanth and became comfortable later only to be dismissed in the most unceremonious manner by Bhajji. The way Sangakkara and Jayawardena batted was sublime, almost out of the world. Risk free cricket, yet maintaining near run-a ball pace. Jayawardena's 100 was just out of the ordinary and truly deserved the trophy but fate had something else in store for us. 274 was a great total but I always felt it was 15 runs short, which it turned out to be. This is because the Indian team had a strong belief and a goal which might have been missing in the past. Sachin was that goal. That was the unifying agent, a 12th man even! In addition, there has been an increase in the aggressiveness and development of a killer instinct in the team. They have almost become Aussie like in their demeanour. Yes, they have taken to sledging too! That is why it seemed that India were very much capable of overhauling that score considering Sril Lanka's bowling had weakened due to Mathews' absence, Murali's slight niggle and the inclusion of Kulasekara and Perera, who hadn't played for a long time. Dilhara should have been in if pace was required, I feel.

Malinga set the cat amongst the pigeon's as he skittled Sehwag and Sachin out very early and the crowd was silenced. Job 1, done! Gambhir and Kohli played well, perhaps more pressure could've been applied by Sanga but he didn't. Gambhir almost got dismissed twice and the game could've changed there but he survived and went on the play a great innings. Kohli was dismissed by a blinder of a catch by Dilshan. What happened next was classic, historic and truly symbolic of poetic justice. Instead of Yuvraj, Dhoni came out. Why, you ask? Simple, to do a Ponting. To simply silence his critics, to answer those who thought he had lost his Midas touch. Had Captain Cool, become so frigid he no longer cared? The answer was provided to us over the next 2 hours and it was a resounding NO. His innings of 91 was flawless and his display of calmness and determination was almost alien in nature. He played simple but effective strokes, not the brainless slogging that he was known by in his early days. He kept nudging the team in the right direction. No matter what Sanga threw at Gambhir and Dhoni they blunted it and then pumelled the Lankans into submission. Dhoni's finishing shot was a picture of focus. India had achieved what they had set out to do. They had become WORLD CHAMPIONS.

The question that begs to be asked now is can they retain the trophy in 2015 Down Under? Australia won their championships in all areas other than their backyard. Can the Indian team do the same and truly become a dynasty? The skill sets are there only things that needs to be seen is will the resolve be this strong henceforth or will it require a Sachin Story every world cup to drive India home!!!

Tryst with the Star and Stripes!!! (Part-5)

2010-08-18T19:51:00.013+05:30

After spending Sunday at home relaxing it was out and about on Monday. On the cards was a trip to Hollywood and then a visit to the STAPLES Center to watch a preseason game between Los Angeles (not Lakers) Clippers and Golden State Warriors! Ok, not a fixture teeming with glamour but that was the only NBA game that we could go to, so not much choice! The day promised to be a memorable one and so it proved to be.

Breakfast having been taken care of we left home to catch the bus to 7th Street and Figueroa from where we would take the subway to Hollywood Highland (Red Line). A journey across town from Torrance to Downtown LA takes about an hour by bus and then its a further 15 mins to Hollywood from there. The subway station that we got off is exactly the one which is shown in The Italian Job, wherein the 3 Mini Coopers go down the stairs. We came up those very stairs (minus the cars!) and found ourselves on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, talk about pleasant surprises! We just trudged along the walkway in search of some tour that we could take. On the way we passed the Kodak Theater, Grauman's Egyptian and Chinese Theaters and several of Hollywood's greatest landmarks. It was pretty exciting to actually see all these sights through one's own eyes. Anyway our search for the tour was complete and we settled on one that would take us on a walkabout of the Walk of Fame, a tour of the celeb's houses in Beverly Hills and Bel Air, a tour of the Kodak along with a few other attractions that we weren't keen on.

The tour of Kodak was an awesome experience because as it turns out we were one of the few people who had landed there when the Kodak was actually not hosting any events and so we could do the entire tour. I won't reveal all the details of the tour since that would spoil people's experience if and when they do decide to take it but all I'd say is that we got the chance to stand on the very stage and the very spot where the awards are accepted each year and get a taste of the celeb's experience on Oscar night. My advice is that plan your trip to Hollywood on such a day that the Kodak is not free and enjoy!

The open bus tour that took us to the celebrities place of residence was a surreal experience. The list of the houses and addresses on show includes the who's who of Hollywood. Right from the house from the movie "Father of the Bride" to homes of Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, The Jonas Brothers, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Antony, Eva Longoria and Tony Parker, The Playboy Mansion, Greystone Manor (Batman's gate), Michael Jackson, the house from National Treasure part 2 and David and Victoria Beckham's house. Just traveling through zip code 90210 was awesome. We were unfortunate not to spot any celebs though. The tour ended with a trip of Mulholland Drive and the view of the world famous Hollywood sign. The view of Los Angeles from the top of the Mulholland Drive is picturesque in the truest sense. The entire city is flat except for the downtown area which just rises from the ground as a spire.

The walkabout was just great because the guide was just fantastic. He was a Brit but was so well versed with everything and just loved his job so much that it was impressive. I am sorry for forgetting his name but he's one swell guy. The way he conducts the tour is just fabulous. He took us around all the famous sights around the Walk of Fame and gave lots of historical information and trivia tit-bits. It was conducted through radio links wherein he was wired and we all had receivers through which we could hear whatever he said. Again I can't reveal too many secrets here, its best that you take the tour for yourself.

Beckham's residence

Father of the Bride

Eva Longoria and Tony Parker (Brown house straight down the road)

After spending a swell day in Hollywood it was time to go to the STAPLES Center for the game. Taking the subway to 7th and Figueroa once again, we walked from there to the STAPLES. Just on view of the stadium and it was totally overwhelming to be looking at this sporting landmark. The figures of the basketball greats Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson were placed in the courtyard. We just spent some time outside waiting for my brother and his family to arrive so that we could go in. We took our seats and the game started with the customary introductions. Some of the players that were on display were Marcus Camby and Baron Davis plus a few rookies. The game itself was very exciting as there was end to end action. None of the defenses were quite strong so the game ended up being a high scoring one, I think it was 124-119 in the end, to the Warriors. I am sorry I can't feel you in on more details as I have forgotten them! It's been over a year so can't provide you the blow by blow report!

We had dinner after coming home and it was off to bed as San Diego beckoned.

Next up, Animal Adventure at San Diego. Keep commenting and following!

Tryst with the Star and Stripes!!! (Part-4)

2010-08-05T20:15:00.008+05:30

It was to be an early start on Saturday morning keeping in mind that we should get the best views before the weekend crowd began pouring in. This was a decision that stemmed from our experience with the Indian psyche, little did we know that we were in for a pleasant surprise! More on that later. As we began our run down from Meadview we encountered a fox running down the middle of the road. I quickly whipped out the camera and snapped a photo.

It was back down that now very familiar winding, dusty road that led up to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon.

For those in the dark as regards the creation of this Wonder of the World, the Canyon was made by the mighty force of erosion caused by the River Colorado and its tributaries with some help from the glacial melt of the Ice Age. For more information please refer Google, Wikipedia and the likes! We reached the tourist center and booked our tour consisting of the Hualapai legacy tour and the Pontoon and Helicopter Ride. We were asked to wait for sometime there as the chopper was being readied and so we had some coffee in the meantime while scouring the souvenir section for something nice. We were given the go ahead to board the chopper. I could barely reign in my excitement as we were strapped into our seat and the pilot did the systems check before lift-off. My heartbeat was rising as the speed of the blades rose and the lurch with which the helicopter lifted off sent me over the edge. I was quite literally smiling and talking to myself imagining my fortune at getting this chance.

A little fact, nowhere else on any of the Grand Canyon rims can you go down to the River in a chopper, you can at the maximum do a fly-by. We whirred along the top of the plateau just absorbing the amazing view and sat simply breathless.

Then we went around in a circle as we began our approach to drop into the canyon. As soon as we cleared the precipice (ok, figuratively) the pilot took us into a slight dive as the Canyon wall shot up on both sides and we could look at the Colorado from much closer. Looking at the sheer walls would have been a treat for any Geologist as you can visibly gauge the age of the formation seeing the vast layers of earth piled on top of another. For a layman the beauty is still present as there are various colours on display as a few layers are traversed. The colour of the rock actually changes throughout the day based on the position of the Sun. We would bear witness to this fact as time wore on. The chopper ride continued as we went past various formations in the canyon walls and continued to descend till we reach the helipad at the base of the canyon. Here we got off and were escorted to our Pontoon boat which would take us on a 30 minute ride in the mighty waters of the Colorado. Rob was the boatman assigned to us and I wish to give a shout out to him from this forum for giving us a good time. He's a great fun guy and enjoys his job a lot and maybe any of you visiting the place after reading this would come in touch with him.

The tranquil morning was a surreal experience. It was just peaceful. It was perhaps a true happiness that you experience only a handful of times during life. Rob was the one who told us that the crowds were scant on the weekend and that we had chosen the best time to view the Canyon! Isn't that a pleasant surprise? We chugged along the river taking in the majesty of the Canyon formation and also the chill that hung around in the air. Rob took pictures of us that showed as if we were driving the boat as well. He just knew the ins and outs of the Canyon so well that he informed us of the best photographic opportunities as well. Now, you might scoff at this, but when you have a digi-cam and are totally taken in by nature you can go on clicking indiscriminately which is where such advise comes to your aid! We reached the end of our circuit and made the turn against the current which in itself required some expert handling.

We reached the end of the boat ride and boarded the chopper once again, rose up, went around the area and then landed back at the tourist center. The crowd was now building up a bit and we waited for the bus to take us to the next checkpoint. If you have read this with baited breath you wont get much of a chance to release it now as the next stop was the real 'coup de gras', the Grand Canyon Sky Walk!

The bus dropped us at the entrance of the building. We had already seen the Sky Walk from underneath during our chopper ride but to get up close was a totally different deal. We could see the glass structure jut out over the canyon face as we stood outside the building perimeter. We went in submitted our belongings as nothing was allowed on to the Sky Walk, dont want any damage happening due to falling objects when you are standing in the air! We were given slippers the like which you get in the airlines so that our shoes won't scratch the glass or dirty it. We walked through the vestibule after gearing up and stepped out onto the Sky Walk. The first step is a real killer and even the bravest man would feel some dread. One look down and you see the canyon floor, not for the faint of heart at all. There were so many who never looked straight down during their time on the Walk. It takes a little acclimatizing but then its fun to be walking on air. I tried to walk backwards as well and it wasn't too bad. The photographers tell you to jump as well and people did do that as well. The minutes that we spent on the Walk were nothing short of exhilarating and, true to its name, it truly is a "Sky Walk". You quite literally are 15m or so out into the Canyon! The transparency of the glass is the real killer as one tends to forget that the glass is actually there. Naturally, its scary. It is an engineering marvel too as it is not too easy to build such a structure with enough stability and reliability. Just imagine, one mishap and its sure death to those unfortunate enough to be part of it! Some responsibility!

It was off the 'Walk' and on to the bus again for the next spot of the day, Eagle Point. Well the specialty of Eagle Point is that there is a formation in the Canyon Wall that looks like an Eagle with its wing spread wide. Besides that there isn't much to report. There was also the vestige of an old ropeway/cable car terminal on one of the hillocks.

The third leg of the tour consisted of a visit to the Native Village, which we chose to skip as none of us were interested, so we took the bus back to the Tourist Center. Oh! I forgot to mention, the buses keep going round and round all the sites so there is no issue about missing the bus and such sorts. You can take as much time as you want at any of the sites. The tourist center also has an airstrip, now under renovation and expansion to cater to bigger aircraft, where tours from Vegas land and depart. So that is another option for you readers out there, spend a couple of days in Vegas, drop in at West Rim for a day and then go on. Sounds good doesn't it!

After having an amazing time at the Canyon it was time to bid adieu to Arizona and make the long journey back home to Los Angeles. One last thing was to be taken care of and that was lunch. Having already sampled the fare of The Crow's Nest it was now time to taste Ken's Pizza. I assure you it was Heaven. The place is run by, what looked to me, a family (never can know in the US) comprising of three generations, grandma to grandchild. How cool is that! The ambiance is therefore very homely. Meadview is so small that everybody knows each other so everyone was greeting each other as if they family which was very heartening to see. Enough of that, what's a restaurant without good food and the Pizza was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! Mmmm, I can still savour the taste 10 months on! (Ok, a bit of an exaggeration there) We had a 'humungo' 17" pizza among the three of us that we devoured. After having experienced 'enlightenment' we got into the car and zipped off on our 6 hour drive back to LA. The route back was the same but we did catch a bit of traffic as we approached the city limits.

Next up, Hollywood beckons! Oscar, anyone?

Tour de France 2010

2010-06-17T22:27:00.008+05:30

Its that time of the year again. Yes, my regular readers (few and far between though they might be!) will definitely have guessed what I'm talking about. Cycling time is upon us. This year the Tour de France begins in the streets of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The race runs for the usual 23 days from the 3rd of July to the 25th of July with the mandatory 2 rest days. This year's edition is special in the sense that it marks the centenary year of the first ascent of the Pyrenees which is commemorated by the worst celebration possible, from a cyclists point of view, a double ascension of the Col du Tourmalet! There is this and a lot more to look forward to and I shall try to capture the highlights of the Tour in the preview to follow. The Team Time Trial has been skipped this time, while the Individual Time Trial runs for 50 km, from Bordeaux to Pauillac. The riders will cover 3600 km in this edition covering countries such as Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Spain and Italy. The circus moves in the other direction this time as the Alps rear their heads first followed by the Pyrenees, again marking the occasion.

The route of this edition is as follows:-

Stage	Type	Date	Start and Finish	Distance
P	Prologue	Saturday 3 July	Rotterdam > Rotterdam	8.9 km
1	Plain	Sunday 4 July	Rotterdam > Bruxelles	223.5 km
2	Hilly	Monday 5 July	Bruxelles > Spa	201 km
3	Plain	Tuesday 6 July	Wanze > Arenberg Porte du Hainaut	213 km
4	Plain	Wednesday 7 July	Cambrai > Reims	153.5 km
5	Plain	Thursday 8 July	Épernay > Montargis	187.5 km
6	Plain	Friday 9 July	Montargis > Gueugnon	227.5 km
7	Medium mountains	Saturday 10 July	Tournus > Station des Rousses	165.5 km
8	High Mountains	Sunday 11 July	Station des Rousses > Morzine-Avoriaz	189 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 12 July	Morzine-Avoriaz
9	High Mountains	Tuesday 13 July	Morzine-Avoriaz > Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne	204.5 km
10	Medium mountains	Wednesday 14 July	Chambéry > Gap	179 km
11	Plain	Thursday 15 July	Sisteron > Bourg-lès-Valence	184.5 km
12	Hilly	Friday 16 July	Bourg-de-Péage > Mende	210.5 km
13	Plain	Saturday 17 July	Rodez > Revel	196 km
14	High Mountains	Sunday 18 July	Revel > Ax 3 Domaines	184.5 km
15	High Mountains	Monday 19 July	Pamiers > Bagnères-de-Luchon	187 km
16	High Mountains	Tuesday 20 July	Bagnères-de-Luchon > Pau	199.5 km
R	Rest Day	Wednesday 21 July	Pau
17	High Mountains	Thursday 22 July	Pau > Col du Tourmalet	174 km
18	Plain	Friday 23 July	Salies-de-Béarn > Bordeaux	198 km
19	Individual time-trial	Saturday 24 July	Bordeaux > Pauillac	52 km
20	Plain	Sunday 25 July	Longjumeau > Paris Champs-Élysées	102.5 km

The 22 Teams participating this year are:-
AG2R - La Mondiale
Astana
Caisse D'Epargne
Euskaltel - Euskadi
Francaise Des Juex
Footon - Servetto
Garmin - Transitions
Katusha Team
Lampre
Liquigas - Doimo
Omega Pharma - Lotto
Quick Step
Rabobank
Team HTC - Columbia
Team Radioshack
Team Milram
Team Saxo Bank
Team Sky
BBox Bouygues Telecom
BMC Racing Team
Cervelo Test Team

The 198 riders (22x9) will start their journey in Rotterdam with the Prologue and then move to Spa via Brussels. (Yup, Spa from Spa - Francorschamps, home to the F1 Belgian Grand Prix) Then onwards to the Alps which begin from the stage into Station des Rousses and end at the all familiar town of Gap. Its along the Southern part of France next up towards the Franco-Spanish border and the Basque region of Spain for the Pyreenian leg of the journey which begins with the stage into Ax-3-Domaines (pronounced - axe lay twa domain) and ends, 3 days later, atop the Col du Tourmalet. The Individual Time Trial is the penultimate stage of the race and will once again most likely decide the winner of the General Classification who will step onto the victory podium the next day in Paris. The Pyrenees look formidable this time around with most of the monstrous climbs being featured. The Alpine passes do have a few big names missing though. The most treacherous mountain stage appears to be the stage from Bagnères-de-Luchon to Pau (stage 16).

Lance Armstrong could be bidding for his 8th title as he makes an appearance with a new team this year. The team from the US, Team Radioshack, is his posse and Johan Bruyneel is back at the helm as the team manager. Alberto Contador will also be back this season to defend his title along with the other contenders such as Carlos Sastre, Ivan Basso, Cadel Evans, Franck and Andy Schleck. Armstrong's team does look particularly strong with the likes of Leipheimer, Kloden, Popovych present there.

The Prologue runs for 8.6 km through the streets of Rotterdam and this will be the place where Fabian Cancellara goes for glory and bids for the first Maillot Jaunne of 2010 along with the other Time Trial specialists. Armstrong, Leipheimer, Kloden Zabriskie, Vandevelde will also be amongst the contenders for the Prologue.

The first of the Alpine stage comes in the form of Stage 7 which runs from Tournus to Station des Rousses (165.5km). There are 6 climbs scheduled for this day but none of them would seriously challenge the big-wigs. 3 of the climbs are Category 2 climbs which come up at the end of the stage. Côte du barrage de Vouglans - 6.6 km climb to 5.6 % (at 97.4 km from the start) is the first and Côte de Lamoura - 14.0 km climb to 5 % (summit at 4 km from the end) is the third. This stage shall prove to be a warm up for the riders as tougher days succeed and also serves as a launch pad for the King of the Mountains classification.

Stage 8 runs from Station des Rousses to Morzine-Avoriaz (189 km) is the first big test for the riders in 2010. The finish at Morzine is famous but this time it will be at the ski resort of Avoriaz which is further up. 5 climbs dot this stage with the debut of the 1st category climbs in this edition. Two 1st category lie along the route, Col de la Ramaz - 14.3 km climb to 6.8 % (at 140.2 km from the start) is the famous ascent that the riders will hit first and could be a site for the opening salvo by the leaders. The other climb is the summit finish, MORZINE-AVORIAZ - 13.6 km climb to 6.1 %, to the ski resort. Double points await the stage winner and a potential lead in the KM classification.

Stage 9 from Morzine-Avoriaz to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (204.5 km) comes up after the rest day in Morzine and more importantly a day before Bastille Day. Any Frenchman close to the top of the standings might spring a surprise so as to be able to wear the yellow jersey on Bastille Day. Otherwise it should be a day for the climbers as the outside category climbs begin with the ascent of the Col de la Madeleine (25.5 km climb to 6.2 %) towards the end of the stage. Before that two huge Category 1 climbs face the riders, Col de la Colombière - 16.5 km climb to 6.7 % (at 29.5 km from the start) and Col des Saisies - 14.4 km climb to 5.1 % (at 82.6 km from the start). The finish to the stage is downhill and that too over a large distance and hence time gaps could fluctuate a lot depending on the prevailing weather and rates of descent adopted by various riders.

14th July, Bastille Day, the Tour moves away from the Alps to the stage finish at Gap. Stage 10 takes the riders over 179 km from Chambery to Gap over some small hills. Côte de Laffrey - 7.0 km climb to 9 % (at 70 km from the start) is the challenging climb of the day but won't serve to shake up the pecking order. A downhill finish means that the risk takers could have a field day and glory might go to a Frenchman as no doubt the French would want.

Celebrating 100 years of the Pyrenees, the organizers have ensured that all the showcase climbs are taken up. It will be a baptism of fire as the riders hit the Pyrenees running with the stage 14 from Revel to Ax-3-Domaines covering 184.5 km. Two monster climbs are penciled in for the day. The first one being the dreaded Port de Pailhères. A 15.5 km climb to 7.9 % gradient (at 140 km from the start) makes it an outside (Hors) category climb. With 3 more days to go in the mountains the big names may not come to the fore in this stage leaving the door open for the battle for the KM classification to run its course. The other climb is that of Ax-3- Domaines, a Category 1 climb - 7.8 km climb to 8.2 % ( summit at 1.5 km from the end).

Stage 15 from Pamiers to Bagneres-de-Luchon over 187.5 km takes over some fabled ascents. Yet the battle for the General Classification will not be fought out till the next stage. The 3 famous climbs of this stage are the 2 Category 2 climbs of Col de Portet-d'Aspet - 5.8 km climb to 6.8 % (at 99.2 km from the start) and Col des Ares - 6.1 km climb to 4.7 % ( at 120.4 km from the start) and the Hors Category climb of the Port de Balès - 19.3 km climb to 6.1 % (at 146.7 km from the start). The gradient of these climbs is going to be just plain killing.

Stage 16 from Bagneres-de-Luchon to Pau over 199.5 km is the mountain stage of this year's Tour. The riders will be begging for a rest day after this and that's what they will fortunately get after this stage only to be assaulted later but more on that later. 4 of the deadliest climbs that the Pyrenees have to offer are on show on this day. 1st up is the Col de Peyresourde - 11.0 km climb to 7.4 % and that too right from the start. What a way to begin! Next up is the Col d'Aspin - 12.3 km climb to 6.3 %(at 30.2 km from the start). The two climbs being Category 1 climbs. If this was tough then what's to follow is tougher. Up steps the king of the Pyrenees, the Col du Tourmalet - 17.1 km climb to 7.3 % (at 54.9 km from the start) only for the riders to grimace at the site of the next beast the Col d'Aubisque - 29.2 km climb to 4.2 % ( at 108.8 km from the start). Once over these killers it will be a downhill finish to the town of Pau.

Rest day done and dusted the riders embark on Stage 17 from Pau to Col du Tourmalet which runs for 174 km ending atop the king of the ascents. Yet the path to the finish won't be easy as 2 Category 1 climbs have to be negotiated both having gradients in excess of 7.5%. The Col de Marie-Blanque - 9.3 km climb to 7.6 % (at 47.2 km from the start) and the Col du Soulor - 11.9 km climb to 7.8 % (at 105.6 km from the start) are tough climbs by their own accord but with the summit finish at the Tourmalet these climbs appear pale in comparison. The Tourmalet will be approached from the other side this time around though. The King of the Mountains classification should be chalked up by this point of time.

The General Classification could still be open, provided Contador has been reined in during the mountain stages, and in this case the Individual Time Trial from Bordeaux to Pauillac over 50 km will prove to be the decider. It is the stage 19 and the penultimate one at that. The pecking order will be finalized on this day barring any miracles in the mountains. The Time Trial is flat this time so the real specialists will come to the fore for some individual glory. The likes of Kloden , Leipheimer, Cancellara, Evans, Armstrong will be licking their lips at this course.

All these and many other happenings make this edition of the Tour completely mouth watering. Watch out for Mark Cavendish's bid for the Green Jersey as well. The action begins tomorrow, the 3rd of July.

Tryst with the Star and Stripes!!! (Part-3)

2010-05-23T18:18:00.003+05:30

I almost forgot to mention. My brother had bought a digi' SLR camera for the purpose of chronicling our trip! Naturally I had taken the opportunity to take control of the 'clicking' duties. 7 am it was as we loaded our bags and food into the car and zipped down the road to drive 450 miles across states to Arizona. An IPOD attachment was used to play the songs via the car stereo which was really cool. Thus, it was my brother, father and me in the Pontiac GT zipping the I-405 N as the sun rose on the city of Los Angeles. The route was planned by our trusted GPS lady so there wasn't much of navigating to do. The most amazing thing was that the route contained a stretch of 203 miles on a single road (the I-40 E). That meant 3 hours straight on one road, no detours no diversions, nothing. Just follow the road. Since it was Friday morning there was a mad rush of people getting in and getting out of the city. It was nice to see traffic jams in USA! Of course, god bless Carpool Lane which just simplifies things a lot. If you have more than one guy in the car (ya gal too!) just enter the car pool lane and zip past everyone else. The only glitch is that the lane markings are such that you find it really difficult to leave the lane when you really want to. (Solid line on the lane means you cannot change the lane, must be followed in the US!!!) Anyways we got out of the city via the I-605 N and joined the I-15 N towards Barstow, had breakfast at Subway and coffee at Starbucks!

We reached the stretch of 203 miles on I-40 E and then came the "coup-de-gras". Cruise Control! In other words, Auto Pilot. Just set the speed you want to keep the car at press the button and the car does it for you. The driver can literally put his feet up and drive. It's heaven I assure you especially if you are driving in the US where the distances are humungous. Every few miles there were rest areas with restaurants, cafes, gas stations etc. It was just that well planned. The vistas that were on display were also amazing. Extraordinarily varied landscapes. From lush green to barren and rocky, there was everything.

The Scenic Route 66 was always a detour away. (Have to go down that road some time.) The 203 miles were finally done and we got of the road and traveled towards Kingman, AZ down a state highway before turning toward the hills and the Grand Canyon West Rim! There was where we got onto the real US village roads and the going got tough because the GPS started acting funny. The map fed into the device seemed to be and old one and so it kept telling us to turn right when there was no right turn available so we silenced it and resorted to the Indian tactic of asking people. Now there is only problem with that. Lack of people! It takes some time before you meet a human being in these interiors but luckily they give you the right directions so no problems! Albeit with some difficult we did manage to find the motel (more like a caravan made of four rooms). The rooms were really nice and the town was just so small it was unbelievable. The whole town knew each other, literally. It had two restaurants, The Crow's Nest and Ken's Pizza (more on them later). The motel owners were really nice people, chatty, easy going.

We settled in, had lunch and then left for the West Rim. It was getting really late in the afternoon and there was a chance that we might not get anything done on that day. The approach road to the West Rim tourist center was under construction. It was completely 'kuchha' and all bumpy and dusty. The state was such that rental cars insurance became void if you traveled down the road! We had to be extra careful because of that. Nothing happened so we were safe although we did collect a nice layer of dust. The entire route was lined by the Joshua tree. The tree native to Arizona. It was sight to see. We reached the tourist center and found out that the last tour of the day was about to leave and that the chopper's were done for the day. Bummer, because that's one of the reasons why we were there. To go down into the Canyon in a helicopter. We nevertheless gathered all the information so that we could plan for the next day. A little information here. The West Rim is run by the local natives who go by the name, Hualapai Indians. The land was owned by them and so they undertake the running of the place and also expose their culture to the tourist thus, benefiting the tribe. Nice, isn't it. Of course the catch was that we had to take the Hualapai Tour as a compulsory package. Not good, if you don't want to. We returned to base as the sun was about to set and proceeded to Lake Mead. That's how the town gets its name, Meadview (view of Lake Mead). The sunset at Lake Mead was amazing (as can be seen in the pics). The sheer lack of humanity was surreal.

Lake Mead was followed by dinner at The Crow's Nest. It was baseball night so we watched part of the game as we ate burgers, onion rings and fries. (not many options when you're a vegetarian) The food was really good though. It was time to call it a day and get ready for the Grand Canyon adventure on Saturday.

Keep watching this space as the Grand Canyon Adventure continues!

Tryst with the Star and Stripes!!! (Part-2)

2010-02-13T15:40:00.005+05:30

A calm and pleasant 20 degrees welcomed me to the USA ( or should I say 70 degrees, since Fahrenheit is the unit used) and the first view of the area reminded me of the days I used to play GTA: San Andreas. It was the same airport building, the same roadway, but it was for real and not computer generated! My excitement was growing every moment because this was a day I had been dreaming of for a long time and it was now coming to fruition. After meeting my brother we got into the car and viola, what do we have, GPS baby! Yes, the small gadget that makes driving in the US more of child's play. Punch in the address of your destination and you are practically led along the way. No need to use your brains or bother asking anyone, just follow the instructions, well that might be a problem for most Indians since we have been taught to question instructions all our lives!

Anyways, our destination was the Torrance suburb of Los Angeles. After punching in the co-ordinates we were on our way. On to the I-405 South (Interstate, for those who are unfamiliar) it was and at speeds of 65 mph on pristine asphalt which totally disguises your true speed. The variety of cars on display would've caused most auto-fanatics to salivate. Ranging from 4X4's, trucks to Mitsubishi Eclipse's, Merc's, Mini Cooper's, all in all the whole gamut. All the famous brands lined the streets, McDonald's, Burger King, Target, Weinerschnitzel, Taco Bell, Costco, of course all arranged in perfect geometry as is the Block System. As I was taking in all this I never quite realized when we made it home. It was 3 in the afternoon but there were somethings to take care of before lunch since it had been almost 2 days since we had had a bath! We cleaned up and ate soon enough and now it was time to let the feeling sink in. Yes, I was in the USA and most of all I was in Los Angeles, Hollywood, was what I was convincing myself of! Someone pinch me for I must be dreaming!!! In the evening we went for a walk around the area, primarily to get acquainted with the area but, more significantly, to keep me awake because I was about to drop off to sleep. I had trouble keeping my eyes open and so I desperately needed some activity else the demon known as "Jet-Lag" would've destroyed my vacation. This was because we were to leave for Grand Canyon a day and a half later! On our walk-about the most startling observation that I made was the size of the sea gulls that were to be seen. Their perch was the street lamp post and each gull was huge. Each looked so healthy it was easy to think that they too gorged on the famed American Junk Food! The area around was really tranquil and it was refreshing to see people moving around leisurely, in no hurry whatsoever. The driving was really peaceful with people stopping at stop signs, no honking, ok I need to stop. Too much of a good thing is not good! Anyway the efforts paid off and I managed to keep myself from sleeping till about 10 after which I quite literally crashed!

After a good night's sleep it felt really great. The next day (8th) was a rest day in the programme so we made the most of it. We were to leave for Grand Canyon the next morning and so some planning had to be done. The car had to be arranged for and the exact course of action had to be chalked out. The West Rim had been shortlisted for our visit because of the Sky Walk attraction .(more on that in the next post) The route map was obtained and the address of the motel was taken down, to be punched into the GPS, of course! The motel was located in the town of Meadview, Arizona (AZ) some 40 miles from Flagstaff. In the evening after my brother came back from the office we went to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and got ourselves a Pontiac GT for the two day journey! It was a really amazing looking car.

Later we went to Costco and loaded up on food and drink. Got cartons of juices, water, Red Bull, chips, Oreo's, plus some homemade stuff. Mmmmm, I know some of you are craving them right now! Everything was set-up for the trip and it was going to be an early start the next day, about 07:00 hours.

Next Episode: The Grand Canyon Adventure as "Tryst with the Star and Stripes!" continues!

Tryst with the Star and Stripes!!! (Part-1)

2010-01-24T10:07:00.009+05:30

This post comes a bit late, 3 months to be precise, but what the heck! A little background is in order though. Recession hit me in the form of deferment of my offer at L&T. No exact time frame was given to me by them and I had not given any entrance exams for higher education so I had a potentially interminable vacation on my hands. Yet it was quite conceivable that I could get a call asking me to join the company within a fortnight's time. Thus, all vacation plans had the proverbial guillotine hanging over them. Whenever my father used to propose a plan I would put a spanner through it saying that any schedule would be in jeopardy. Things progressed like this for some time, I was cooped up at home for over 3 months, when finally my father said that we should apply for a US visa regardless of whether we get to go there or not.

My cousin stays in LA, California along with his family (read wife and son) and they had been asking us to visit. So come late August we filled out the application and had our visa interview scheduled at the Consulate for the 16th of September. Tentative plans for departure were fixed for the 1st week of October. To cut to the chase, we both got 10 year multiple entry visas, and we were ready to fly out. I decided that enough was enough and that the vacation had to go on. A program was fixed up from the 7th of October to the 28th of October, with 15 days in the US and 4 days in Hong Kong. As they say, things crop up when you least expect them, or in this case when you most expect them. On the 1st of October I got my offer letter from L&T stating that I was to join on the 27th of October in Vadodara. Strike 3, you're out! Hong Kong leg cancelled return date changed to the 23rd. Thus, the grand vacation was finalized (7th to the 23rd of October). Tickets were booked on Cathay Pacific, Mumbai to Hong Kong and then further on to Los Angeles, whereas the return would be via San Francisco.

Cometh the hour, 03:20 hours, on board CX 684 from Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). With the flight being at such an unearthly hour getting sleep was going to be mighty damn effort. The first thing to do in such a case is to rifle through In-Flight Entertainment, and my oh my, the fare that was on show was nothing short of spectacular! All the latest movies, sitcoms, you name it you virtually had it. It was enough not just to last me till Hong Kong but till LA and possibly back! Ok, I did manage to get a couple of hours of sleep but also watched The Hangover in the 5:30 hrs flight. Breakfast served was pretty good too, imagine getting an Indian veg meal on an international carrier that's not Indian. At 11:20 (HK time) we landed at Gate 61 of HKIA. After a quick transfer from the arrivals area to the departure area, yes through security check and passport control, it was time to explore the airport terminal. HKIA has a total of 70 gates and lots of shopping and eating options. Real Massage parlours, Spas, etc. The onward flight was to depart from Gate 4 which meant a cross-terminal trudge which would account for almost 15 mins. Lunch consisted of Pizza, which I would be eating a lot of over the next 15 days, which was quite good thin crust and all. Drowsiness was now catching up and so I sprawled across a bench at Gate 4 as the clock ticked by slowly to 16:15 hrs when we would move on.

15:45 hrs, the call for boarding is made and we make it onto CX 882 which would take us to Tom Bradley International Airport, aka LAX, Los Angeles, CA, USA in all of 13 hrs. Now that in itself was daunting because the longest that I had been on a flight was about 8 hrs. 13 hrs cooped up in an aircraft can be boring, yes there was the Cathay Pacific In-Flight Service to look forward to, but still boredom does affect you. There was another challenge that faced me, jetlag. Now, my father was a pro at travelling so it wasn't going to be trouble for him, but for me this was new. Adjusting to 12:30 hrs time difference, half a day, is big, it basically translates to day becoming night and vice-versa. At the time that we took off from HK it was 01:15 in LA! I had to sleep as soon as we got on. To add to the tension there was a moment when the captain came out of the cock-pit and checked on the right hand side wing, investigating something, the seat where I was seated! This after just having left Hong Kong! Anyway the flight was pretty uneventful, I did exhaust a fair few movies and episodes, and we reached LA at 14:15 (Pacific Time), got through passport and customs check and stepped onto American soil for the first time (for me).

More to come, so keep watching this space.

My Friend’s Engagement

2010-01-01T15:58:00.002+05:30

Well I don’t know whether this should be put up in the public domain but this was an event which made my grey cells go into overdrive. Therefore, at the outset I ask for permission from my beloved friend Sahas Rathi and his fiancé Sonali Jaju to use the occurrence of their sanctimonious ceremony to portray some of my feelings. I would also like to apologize to the pair in the case that they take some offence to it.

Getting engaged or entering into a marriage accord is a significant event in any human beings life. It generally happens only once! (At least it is supposed to be so, assuming you have made the right decision and choice) Hence, the mental turmoil that the couple in question must be going through can only be imagined by those who have been through it. The others cannot even fathom the concoction of emotions that plague the pair. This is the decision that could potentially make or break one’s life. All of us have had at least heard, if not faced, the implications of divorce or separation. How does one know whether one has made the right decision or not? There has to be some semblance of doubt as to how things would turn out after tying the proverbial knot. The sheer apprehension could cause massive problems, I guess that’s what commitment-phobic people must be going through. Life’s full of decision making but I guess this is one of those pivotal decisions which rear their respective heads during the journey, one that requires utmost caution and yet cannot be made rationally.

All these and a myriad of other question popped up into my mind when Sahas gave me an invite to his engagement scheduled for Christmas Day, i.e., 25^th December 2009. Ok, I knew Sonali and he had been going strong for almost a couple of years but still to be getting confirmed news was a bit of a hard pill to swallow. This was primarily because marriage is like the ultimate sign of adulthood and these two were to take that step (ok not marriage literally) at the age of 22 (Sahas just celebrated his 22^nd birthday a couple of weeks back). He flew down from Boston, where he now studies, for 4 weeks and primarily to get engaged, albeit the date of the engagement was all fixed up by his family. Anyway, before I digress a bit further, as I was chatting with him on the net (before he came down) I asked him that what his feelings were at the moment. He replied that he was totally relaxed and that he wasn’t fazed by the situation at all. Hmm, strike two, I was thinking, “What sort of a guy is he? He is about to get hitched and he doesn’t have a semblance of apprehension.” I was totally perplexed. Yes, I know, one can be extremely sure of the decision he/she has taken regarding their partners but still making it official is an event where even the surest of decisions have gone wrong. I praised him for his calmness and poise. This exercise set my mind racing as to how I would feel when I would be faced with that eventuality. I drew a blank because these are not those kinds of situations that you can pre-empt and have a clue of the reaction.

Cometh the hour, 11 AM on Christmas Day, Bridegroom is resplendently decked out ready to floor the Bride. (Would be on both counts, of course!) Fiancé’s late as is customary and Sir is getting frustrated. That was a sight in itself. She arrives resplendently decked out as well. One look at the both of them together just has a feel good factor to it. Lo, it’s a match made in heaven. He, the calm, reposed guy and she, the effervescent and energetic girl. (Ok, I don’t know much about her but this is what I perceived.) The festivities/ ceremonies begin and there is a general buzz around that is so characteristic of such functions. Groups of people huddled up in areas all over the hall, discussing, chatting, gossiping, criticizing, appreciating things ranging from attire, decorations and the two objects of attention. There is joy on everyone’s face especially the parents and it is almost infectious, it would lift the spirits of any individual. I take up a place from where I can get a good look of the process. This was mainly driven by my curiosity to know what the sequence of events is. Yes, I know that different communities have different practices, but still I wanted to see. Additionally a position of such vantage also gives a direct view of the couple and their reactions, if any, while going through the proceedings. Seeing what was being played in front of me gave me the goosebumps because my imagination was racing, picturing myself in Sahas’ place a few years down the line doing the same thing with my partner. I was trying to gauge what my mental state would be when I would exchange rings and solemnize the ceremony. It was too much, brain freeze moment even.

I guess that watching people, especially friends, of your own age getting hitched makes a greater impact than seeing someone in your family who’s not of your age. Anyway the ceremony was handled pretty well. Ably organized in part by Sahas’ brother Shubham, or so I was told. Let’s just say that I am looking forward to the wedding, be it at whatever time in the future, and that I will attempt not to imagine myself in any such situations in the future!

P.S:- Somehow this post doesn’t look or sound too convincing, maybe that’s because my minds still a bit jumbled.

Travel thoughts!!!

2009-12-02T19:43:00.002+05:30

Traveling from Mumbai to Vadodara on board the 2951 Mumbai New Delhi Rajdhani Express was an amazing experience, not because it was my first tryst with the hallowed train, but due to the sense of realization that it gave me. Work life is associated with traveling. Right from childhood we have witnessed our parents taking off on business tours to places far and wide. As children we have marveled at this fact and possibly wished that in our careers we get such opportunities as well. Then there is the other facet of travel where in the place of work is close to home, but not close enough for daily commute. In such cases there is a weekly commute on the weekend.

Such a situation has befallen me as I have joined Larsen and Toubro, Power in Vadodara. Vadodara is a city in the state of Gujarat which is about 400kms from Mumbai or in other words 5 hrs travel time. We get the 2nd and 4th Saturday’s off, government style, which provides me with an opportunity to go home for two days and socialize with all those who are dear to me. Thank god for leaving me with this option. Otherwise I might have been sent to some obscure location in India which would’ve been days away from home. (Might still happen when I’m sent on site work but for now it’s cool). To cater to this requirement I frequent the IRCTC website to check for availability of tickets. This has resulted in me learning by-heart most of the trains that frequent the metal rails of the Mumbai New Delhi route. I could possibly dole out advice to people who want to travel this path!

Anyways, the feeling of commuting every fortnight to Mumbai (Thane) is almost surreal. It heightens the sense of growing up. The feeling is like, “Oh my God! I am going to Work!” or “I am going home after a fortnight’s toil”. Gone are the days when you went to school or college and had no worries besides the academics or relationships (in college mostly). It’s the coming of age in the true sense of the term. Paying for stuff with your hard earned dough, actually taking stock of where the moolah has gone, being responsible for every action of yours, blah-blah, you get the drift. I don’t want to shake those who wish to live in denial! Some of us are already seasoned practitioners of the above philosophies, the very people that others called misers. For us the transition isn’t too difficult but for those who have spent their time on their parent’s cash, exercising little thrift, correction no thrift whatsoever this may be a near herculean task. Suddenly all the luxury that you had has gone whoosh in a moment.

The earning of life’s first wage is an emotion worth experiencing. For us it was empty because we got paid for doing nothing except resting our respective buttocks on chairs in the auditorium and listening to lectures delivered in the name of training. Not that I am complaining because I do realize that what we learn in our engineering courses is largely bogus and that we are incapable of starting work as soon as we join. Yet hard earned money is HARD EARNED MONEY at the end of the day.

[There are a few more things to be mentioned, will do so when I gather them.]

The One Minute Applause!

2009-08-31T09:52:00.003+05:30

The following article will shake the very foundation of traditional India and believe me when I say it that when it comes to tradition there's no other country like India in terms of following it.

Death or passing away of an individual is always an occasion of great sadness, sorrow and grief. A person that you have been close to for a sufficient period of time has left you and naturally you are going to feel the pain due to loss of companionship but therein lies the irony. The selfishness of mankind can be observed in such grave circumstances as well. We grieve not because someone has lost their life but because we have lost something be it a friend, family member, relative, etc. There are few people who'll think about the soul that has departed whereas the major focus rests on the bereaved. What will happen to them is the primary question on people's minds. We have all seen it in films as well. The dialogue that is screamed out by the mourning character, especially the wife, will be, "Aap kyun chale gaye, ab mera kya hoga?" See the selfishness!

The old practice of having a minute's silence to mourn the loss of an individual is tradition and we have all seen it in person or on TV, in case some leader or sportsperson passes away. All we ever talk about is what we have lost not what the deceased has gained. Maybe the deceased was suffering like hell and that maybe death was a blessing to him/her, it might have put them out of their misery but there are few who think like that. We want that person to suffer so that we can enjoy their company for a few more years.

A few years ago I witnessed something monumental on the football pitch while watching the English Premier League. Don't quite remember the match or the ground where I witnessed it but the story was something like this. A young child who was a fan of the home team tragically lost his life. The grieving parents were there at the match where a jersey was presented to them by the club. The mother, weeping profusely, and the father had requested the club to not call for a minute's silence but rather a minute's applause to celebrate the child's life. So at the referee's whistle the entire crowd started clapping and continued to do so for an entire minute in remembrance of the young boy. It was an amazing atmosphere and I was forever hooked on to that idea. Since then it has been a regular practice in the world of football, at least, to commemorate the passing of legends and spectators alike rather than to mourn.

It is but obvious that the human being, being gifted the blessing of emotions, experiences them at such times, natural to feel aggrieved and sad, but the gist is that the focus must be on the deceased and no one else. Just like when the child is born the focus remains the infant, despite the joys that it brings to the parents and close family, so must it be in death. Think about it people and maybe someday there shall be no more periods of silence to mourn but periods of rapturous applause to celebrate the contributions of the individual, who's soul has been liberated from its terrestrial existence, the world over.

The Hunger of Mankind!

2009-06-30T16:06:00.005+05:30

Having just watched the Kabir Khan (no not Shahrukh's alias from Chak de India) directed flick, New York, I am tempted to write on a topic that has forever plagued my mind.

Mankind or lets say Homo sapiens, the only 'thinking' species to have inhabited Planet Earth so far, has always had an insatiable appetite. Be it for knowledge or for power. Having evolved from animals at some point of time the 'animal instinct' has never escaped the human race and still prevails to date. In the times of Australopithecus, Neanderthal man and all our early ancestors the fight used to be for survival, to garner food, and continue the existence of man. So it was natural for hierarchies to form, for men to fight amongst each other and for some individual to become the head of the troop. The troop has always had a figure-head in the animal world as well as the human world. His/her (yes, there were matriarchal societies as well) role was to look after the well being of the members of the troop and protect them from any dangers that might be lurking. Basically a certain form of governance which we also have. Power corrupts, we say, well it does. The head used to be the most well fed being, had all the luxuries, enjoyed his domination and tried to snub any competition at the beginning itself. Much as it is done today. Troops or herds had territories so as to be able to attain food easily and without much competition. Yet there were the select rebellious few who used to venture out of their territories in order to challenge the respective authority and to dominate more and more land. This could be termed as the modern day war.

The word co-existence just does not ring a bell in today's world, the Kaliyug as we call it today, it's more of the Darwinian survival of the fittest theory as the strong become stronger and the weak... well I do not need to finish that do I. The Earth was divided into countries and further into states/territories for the purpose of governance but it has ended up completely wrong with Man's lust for power. Man has fought over these so called nations/empires, which he himself made, to show his strength since time immemorial. It has resulted in holocausts, blood-baths, destruction of countries, crippled trade, economies, destroyed tribes, ethnicity's, you name it, it's been achieved. Hell... we even fight over natural resources which are actually the property of all mankind as well as living being. All to satiate the insatiable lust for power, riches that has plagued mankind for millenia. In the infancy of humanity, strong individuals were supposed to be genetically better as well, so it was natural for them to show off their "talents" to attract the opposite gender and enable successful procreation plus there was the larger likelihood that the stronger man would provide for the family much better. The practice continues even today although the gene pool is very much mixed and there is no guarantee that what one appears to be is what one really is. Yet the apparently strong get the benefit of attention and the weak go unnoticed even though they may be better. Now, they say, species are supposed to evolve as time goes by yet most of our behaviour is dictated by our primal instincts.

The issue that I really am hinting at is that of a peaceful society, actually an Ideal society, where people really do treat each other as equals and not just throw the word equality around as jargon. Man with his supreme intelligence is very much capable of co-existing with other humans and nature itself. Yet we choose to rape Mother Nature of her beauty and kill, maim, cripple all living beings, ourselves included in an ego-maniacal fashion, almost canibalistically. We build machines of war, spend millions of dollars, rupees and other worldly currencies on updating weaponry, technology that will be used to harm our own brethren. The term that we use is 'Defence'. How ironic that we should defend ourselves from our own kind? These same dollars could be invested in things to make our lives better, to ensure that no one is left behind and that no or very little harm is done to the world so that the species after us could still have something worth living on. Those who have watched the Michael Bay directed movie Transformers will remember this dialogue by Optimus Prime, "Humans are a primitive species,..., they have much to learn." , I am afraid the script writer was right, we do have a lot to learn.

[There's a bit more that I have to say... I shall phrase it properly and shall add it later. Meanwhile let us debate whatever I have posted here. Awaiting your comments.]

Tour de France 2009

2009-06-27T16:37:00.004+05:30

It's that time of the year again, yes you guessed it, July is here and with the first week of the month comes the most awaited cycling event of the world the Tour de France (TDF). 20 teams of 9 riders each take to the roads of France and some neighboring countries to compete in this 23 day long slug-fest of 'pedal to the tarmac' action. The highlight this year is undoubtedly the return of the prodigal son Lance Armstrong to the world of cycling. The 7 times TDF champion makes his come back, after 3 years, to ride for his cancer foundation and also perhaps to make more history. The Astana team is back, with Alberto Contador as the leader, having put all the doping allegations behind them. Carlos Sastre will be defending his title this time around but with much stiffer competition. Big names return to the circuit in the form of former runner-up Ivan Basso, Contador (2007 winner), Armstrong, Leipheimer, amongst others.

The 20 teams that will take to the roads in this year's edition
AG2R - La Mondiale
Agritubel
Astana
BBox Bouygues Telecom
Caisse D'Epargne
Cervelo Test Team
Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
Euskaltel - Euskadi
Francaise Des Jeux
Garmin - Slipstream
Lampre - N.G.C
Liquigas
Quick Step
Rabobank Cycling Team
Silence - Lotto
Skil - Shimano
Team Columbia - High Road
Team Katusha
Team Milram
Team Saxo Bank

This edition marks the return of the Prologue Time Trial and the Team Time Trial to the format and will have the riders go along the traditional "Pyrenees first Alps second" route of the country. The race starts in Monaco this year with the Prologue to be held there on the 4th of July. The race then heads along the south coast of France and then crosses the border into Spain at Gerone. Barcelona is the next stop before the race moves northwards towards the Pyrenees for three gruelling days in those mountain passes. The race touches Andorra with a night spent in the capital, Andorra-La-Vieille. The Team Time Trial will be run on the 7th of July in Montpellier. The race leaves the Pyrenees on the 12th to finish at the town of Tarbes with a rest day to follow at Limoges. The most important stage (from the French Perspective) on the 14th, Bastille Day, takes us from Limoges to Issoudun as the tour moves towards the north of France and the Alps. The stage from Pontarlier to Verbier marks the start of the Alpine leg of the race with the tour crossing over into Italy and ending in Switzerland at Verbier. A rest day follows before two more days of gruelling Alpine action. The race proceeds towards the Individual Time Trial at Annecy on the 23rd and then to the Provence region for an epic finish at the summit of the famous Mont Ventoux on the penultimate day of the race. The tour makes its customary finish in Paris on the 26th for what will be a stage of mere formality for the riders fighting it out in the General Classification.

[For those who are unfamiliar with the race, here's my previous article that explains the basics. http://pranavspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/11/tour-de-france.html]

The complete stage details are as follows:

1	Individual time-trial	Saturday 4 July	Monaco > Monaco	15.5 km
2	Plain	Sunday 5 July	Monaco > Brignoles	187 km
3	Plain	Monday 6 July	Marseille > La Grande-Motte	196.5 km
4	Team TT	Tuesday 7 July	Montpellier > Montpellier	39 km
5	Plain	Wednesday 8 July	Le Cap d’Agde > Perpignan	196.5 km
6	Plain	Thursday 9 July	Gérone > Barcelone	181.5 km
7	High Mountains	Friday 10 July	Barcelone > Andorre Arcalis	224 km
8	High Mountains	Saturday 11 July	Andorre-la-Vieille > Saint-Girons	176.5 km
9	High Mountains	Sunday 12 July	Saint-Gaudens > Tarbes	160.5 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 13 July	Limoges
10	Plain	Tuesday 14 July	Limoges > Issoudun	194.5 km
11	Plain	Wednesday 15 July	Vatan > Saint-Fargeau	192 km
12	Plain	Thursday 16 July	Tonnerre > Vittel	211.5 km
13	Medium mountains	Friday 17 July	Vittel > Colmar	200 km
14	Plain	Saturday 18 July	Colmar > Besançon	199 km
15	High Mountains	Sunday 19 July	Pontarlier > Verbier	207.5 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 20 July	Verbier
16	High Mountains	Tuesday 21 July	Martigny > Bourg-Saint-Maurice	159 km
17	High Mountains	Wednesday 22 July	Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Le Grand-Bornand	169.5 km
18	Individual time-trial	Thursday 23 July	Annecy > Annecy	40.5 km
19	Plain	Friday 24 July	Bourgoin-Jallieu > Aubenas	178 km
20	High Mountains	Saturday 25 July	Montélimar > Mont Ventoux	167 km
21	Plain	Sunday 26 July	Montereau-Fault-Yonne > Paris Champs-Élysées	164 km

The Time Trials this time around are a bit shorter than previous editions, by about 10 kms, which should make things very interesting.

The Tour hits the Pyrenees in Stage 7 (at 224 km the longest stage of the Tour) on the way from Barcelona to Andorra. The riders vying for the King of the Mountain classification will start their race in earnest as the first of the higher category climbs make their appearance. This stage has 5 climbs, 2 category 3, 1 category 4, 1 category 1 and the first of the Hors category climbs on its schedule. The category 1 climb is that of the Col de Serra-Seca (7.7 km climb to 7.1 %, 127 km from the start) and may, just may, be a test for some of the top riders to see their level of preparation. The final climb of the day is the stage finish at the ski resort in Andorra, Andorre Arcalis (10.6 km climb to 7.1 %), with double points on offer and the fact that it is the Hors category climb, some riders will surely go for glory.

Stage 8 (176.5 km) begins from the capital of Andorra, Andorra-La-Vieille and ends in the town of Saint Girons. The second day in the Pyrenees may have some of the big guns getting their domestiques out for a trial by fire to check out their competition. This stage as three climbs, 2 category 1 and a category 2 climb. The first of the Cat-1 climbs, Port d'Envalira (23.2 km climb to 5.1 %, 23.5 km from the start) could be a possible breakaway opportunity for some very ambitious rider since it comes very early in the stage. The famous Col de Port (11.4 km climb to 5.5 %, 102 km from the start) is the category 2 climb as the riders make their way towards familiar land on their approach to the Tourmalet. The other Cat-1 climb of Col d'Agnes ( 12.4 km climb to 6 %, 132.5 km) will be an opportune time to demoralize the opposition with Stage 9 promising to be a killer. The stage has a flat finish into the town of Saint Girons.

Stage 9 (160.5 km) will be run from the town of Saint Gaudens to Tarbes and marks the end of the high mountains for a week and will prove to very important tactically as the rest day follows this stage before the Bastille day showdown. Nestled in the Pyrenees this stage comprises only two climbs but what climbs they are. The first is the Cat-1 climb of the Col d'Aspin (12.3 km climb to 6.4 %, 60.5 km from the start) is a beast by itself but coupled with the climb to follow the stage promises to be historic. Yes, next up is the Col du Tourmalet (17.1 km climb to 7.4 % ,90 km from the start) and with Armstrong in the pack this time around this climb is a must watch. The most famous summit of the Pyrenees alongside the Hautacam used to be Lance's favourite and it would be amazing to see him finish first on this climb. The route makes it's way out of the Pyrenees onto the flats for the finish in Tarbes. The party will fly out to Limoges for the first rest day to follow on the next day, 13th July.

Stage 15 marks the beginning of the Alpine tryst for this edition of the Tour. The stage begins in the town of Pontarlier and after traversing through two countries, France and Italy, and covering 207.5 km the stage finishes in the ski-resort town of Verbier in Switzerland. Verbier lies in the foot-hills of the famous Mont Blanc. This stage comprises of 6 climbs, 4 category 3, and one Cat-2 and Cat-1 climb each. The first of the summits comes at just 8 kms from the start. This stage will be more like a warm-up with two big days to follow after a rest day. The category 2 climb of Col des Mosses (13.8 km climb to 4 %, 135 km) and the category 1 climb to the finish at Verbier (8.8 km climb to 7.5 %) will be possible King of the Mountain battles with double points on offer for the stage finish.

Stage 16, following the rest day, from Martigny to Bourg-Saint-Maurice which runs for 159 km could be where the real hustle-bustle for the General Classification will begin. With two horrific climbs to negotiate on this stage the big guns sure will start eliminating those whom the fear most. At 16.1 km into the stage the riders will begin the arduous climb to the Summit of Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard, a Hors category climb ( 24.4 km climb to 6.2 %), and then they drop into the Alpine Valley before the ride towards the heavens once again. This happens at 105.4 km into the stage as they begin their vertical journey up to the summit of the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard, a category 1 climb (22.6 km climb to 5.1 %), and then again drop down slightly to the finish. The race will be far from finished though with two more mountain stages and the Individual Time Trial still to go. (This is what makes the Tour most exciting!)

Stage 17 marks the end of the Alps with the stage from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Le Grand- Bornand that runs for 169.5 km. Sadly the L'Alpe D'Huez and the Col d'Aubisque miss out from the tour this time but there are some decent climbs on show. A killer stage in prospect, the Cormet de Roselend is the first to rear its head at the riders and that too right from the start. The summit of the climb lies at 18 km and it is climb to an average gradient of 5.7%, a Cat-1. Three more Cat-1 climbs follow along with a Cat-2 climb which is what makes the stage a real 'toughie'. The Col des Saisies (15.1 km climb to 6 %, 56 km from the start) is the next Cat-1 climb followed by Côte d'Araches (6.3 km climb to 7 %, Category 2), Col de Romme (8.8 km climb to 8.9 %,) Category 1 and the famous Col de la Colombière (7.5 km climb to 8.5 %, Category 1, 154.5 km from the start) to finish the Alps with.

Stage 18 is the Individual Time Trial in the town of Annecy at the base of the Alps. Yet the pecking order may not be finalized with another mountain stage to come. A first for many years.

Stage 20 will most likely be the decider of this year's Tour as the riders travel through the Provence region and summit the Mont Ventoux to effectively end the race. The stage begins in Montelimar and covers 167 km. The highlight is of course the Hors category climb to the summit of the Ventoux, highest point in the region, (21.1 km climb to 7.6 %) where the winner of the race will be decided and so will be the King of the Mountain champion.

So that is it, the stage is set for United States Independence day when the cycling begins!

A Week To Remember!!! (Part -7)

2009-06-14T10:49:00.002+05:30

Day 7, 8th January, lack of punctuality wasn't exactly an option on this day for our getting home depended on following the schedule down to the T. Luckily people did achieve the impossible and got ready for departure on time, of course through yours truly's pestering. The surprise element was the fact that our transport wasn't ready, which was amazing since our driver was the consummate professional. We checked out of the hotel at around 7 in the morning but not without complications. Having already made full payment for the rooms and extra beds I was shocked to know that we had to pay money for anything other than the food and sundry items. On further probing I found out that the voucher in the receptionist's hand wasn't ours at all. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and discovered that the hotel rates had been revised since our booking and in fact the rates had fallen. Yippee! We received some money back but with the food bill added we had to pay some measly amount. We picked up our luggage, boarded the bus and began our return journey winding all the way down from Ooty to Bengaluru.

It was nice and cold in the morning with the mercury having touched zero overnight once again. The hills looked wonderful in the early sunshine and they seemed to be rushing by us. They actually were as the driver was descending pretty quickly (no, not recklessly) but that caused a few people some measure of discomfort (I hope you get the drift). We had to make a stop for everybody to feel well again and the band wagon continued. Most of the gang dozed off pretty much the norm by now. The journey was like a flash back shown in films wherein time is shown to reverse and everything just goes backwards. We were passing the same areas that we had encountered on our forward journey, thus, it was akin to us unwinding the past few days. We dropped down the hills, covering the hairpins, crossed Bandipur National Park, caught a few glimpses of the animals road-side, and proceeded towards Mysore. We had a breakfast stop at around 10:30 at a place where some monkeys were reigning chaos. Another tourist bus was parked and its windows were open. The monkeys were simply jumping in and out of the bus making all the people go crazy and a bit scared. Trust me messing with the monkeys is not a good idea! All of us had some dosas, bought some drinks (soft), gum, snacks, etc. The most hilarious sight was that all the tourists Indian and others just kept staring at our bus such was its grandeur thinking that, "How did these kids get hold of it?". Three members of the posse decided to take a hike and disappeared (don't quite remember who it was) so we had to wait for them for a few minutes.

As I have already said in earlier parts, playing cards was the single pastime in the bus. Bluff and another game (the name eludes me) were the games that we played and we literally played for hours. Listening to music was another side activity, be it Bollywood or Kannada, the gang even persuaded the driver to play a movie on the screen. Yes, our bus had a video player as well! Sadly the movie collection wasn't anything to write home about and people ended up watching Chalte Chalte , the SRK flick. We bypassed Mysore town and joined the highway to Bengaluru. The driver was taking no stops and was burning up the road as the Bengaluru traffic is pretty bad and so sufficient time reserves had to be left. We stopped for lunch at Maddur. Some of us went to the restaurant and had thali's for lunch, well... insatiable appetites require such meals, while some who had bit more money to spend went to Cafe Coffee Day. Imagine that! That too for lunch! After having our refueled ourselves and the bus the journey resumed as we hurtled towards Bengaluru. It was around 2 in the afternoon that we left Maddur and we still had 60 kms to travel. The train was scheduled to depart at 20:10. We reached the city by around 4:45 and we asked the driver if there was a possibility to go to M.G. Road for some last minute shopping. He started complaining about the traffic and the lack of parking space but he agreed to go there saying that the police could be coaxed into allowing the bus to be parked near the Chinnaswamy Stadium! He dropped us outside Holy Trinity Church and asked us to be back there by 5:45 so that he would pick us up. The rabble was offloaded and the group dispersed to do their things. I made a quick call to my friends and asked if I could drop by. So I walked all the way down from one end of M.G.Road to Ulsoor Lake in 18 minutes flat, spent 20 minutes there and sped back towards the Church. On the way back I encountered members of our gang who were also returning. Chinmay was going the other way though since he had to make a cash withdrawal. More delays. We made it to the bus in time and got in. Now the funda with the traffic in the city is simple, if you are lucky you reach in no time, if you aren't you reach after a lot of time! In our case we were the former and so reached with some serious time to spare. (The final para will come shortly)

A Brilliant Speech... By Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca... excerpt from Dan Brown's Angels and Demons.

2009-05-30T14:36:00.000+05:30

To the Illuminati and to those of science, let me say this, you have won the war. The wheels have been in motion for a long time, your victory has been inevitable. Never before has it been as obvious as it is at this moment. Science is the new God.

Medicine, electronic communications, space travel, genetic manipulation... these are the miracles about which we now tell our children. These are the miracles we herald as proof that science will bring us the answers. The ancient immaculate conceptions, burning ashes, and parting seas are no longer relevant. God has become obsolete. Science has won the battle. We concede.

But Science's victory has cost every one of us. And it has cost us deeply. Science may have alleviated the miseries of disease and drudgery and provided an array of gadgetry for our entertainment and convenience, but it has left us in a world without wonder. Our sunsets have been reduced to wavelengths and frequencies. The complexities of the universe have been shredded into mathematical equations. Even our self-worth as human beings has been destroyed. Science proclaims that Planet Earth and its inhabitants are a meaningless speck in the grand scheme. A cosmic accident. Even the technology that promises to unite us, divides us. Each of us is now electronically connected to the globe, and yet we feel utterly alone. We are bombarded with violence, division, fracture and betrayal. Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history? Does science hold anything sacred? Science looks for answers by probing our unborn foetuses. Science even presumes to rearrange our own DNA. It shatters God's world into smaller and smaller pieces in quest of meaning... and all it finds is more questions.

The ancient war between science and religion is over. You have won. But you have not won fairly. You have not won by providing answers. You have won by so radically reorienting our society that the truths we once saw as signposts now seem inapplicable. Religion cannot keep up. Scientific growth is exponential. It feeds on itself like a virus. Every new breakthrough opens doors for new breakthroughs. Mankind took thousands of years to progress from wheel to the car. Yet only decades from the car into space. Now we measure scientific progress in weeks. We are spinning out of control. The rift between us grows deeper and deeper, and as religion is left behind, people find themselves in a spiritual void. We cry out for meaning. And believe me, we do cry out. We see UFO's, engage in channeling, spirit contact, out-of- body experiences, mindquests- all these eccentric ideas have a scientific veneer, but they are unashamedly irrational. They are the desperate cry of the modern soul, lonely and tormented, crippled by its own enlightenment and its inability to accept meaning in anything removed from technology.

Science, you say, will save us. Science, I say, has destroyed us. Since the days of Galileo, the church has tried to slow the relentless march of science, sometimes with misguided means, but always with benevolent intention. Even so, the temptations are too great for man to resist. I warn you, look around yourselves. The promises of science have not been kept. Promises of efficiency and simplicity have bred nothing but pollution and chaos. We are a fractured and frantic species... moving down a path of destruction.

Who is this God science? Who is the God who offers his people power but no moral framework to tell you how to use that power? What kind of God gives a child fire but does not warn the child of its dangers? The language of science comes with no signposts about good or bad. Science textbooks tell us how to create a nuclear reaction, and yet they contain no chapter asking us if it is a good or a bad idea.

To science, I say this. The church is tired. We are exhausted from being your signposts. Our resources are drying up from our campaign to be the voice of balance as you plow blindly on in your quest for smaller chips and larger profits. We ask not why you will not govern yourselves, but how can you? Your world moves so fast that if you stop even for an instant to consider the implications of your actions, someone more efficient will whip past you in a blur. So you move on. You proliferate weapons of mass destruction, but it is the Pope who travels the world beseeching leaders to use restraint. You clone living creatures, but it is the church reminding us to consider the implications of our actions. You encourage people to interact on phones, video screens, and computers, but it the church who opens its doors and reminds us to commune in person as we were meant to do. You even murder unborn babies in the name of research that will save lives. Again, it is the church who points out the fallacy of this reasoning.

And all the while, you proclaim the church is ignorant. But who is more ignorant? The man who cannot define lightning, or the man who does not respect its awesome power? The church is reaching out to you. Reaching out to everyone. And yet the more we reach, the more you push us away. Show me proof that there is a God you say. I say use your telescopes to look to the heavens, and tell me how there could not be a God! You ask what God looks like. I say, where did that question come from? The answers are one and the same. Do you not see God in your science? How can you miss Him! You proclaim that even the slightest change in the force of gravity or the weight of an atom would have rendered our universe a lifeless mist rather than our magnificent sea of heavenly bodies, and yet you fail to see God's hand in this? Is it really so much easier to believe that we simply chose the right deck from a deck of billions? Have we become so spiritually bankrupt that we would rather believe in mathematical impossibility than in a power greater than us?

Whether or not you believe in God, you must believe this. When we as a species abandon our trust in the power greater than us, we abandon our sense of accountability. Faith... all faiths... are admonitions that there is something we cannot understand, something to which we are accountable... With faith we are accountable to each other, to ourselves, and to a higher truth. Religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed. If the outside world could see this church as I do... looking beyond the ritual of these walls... they would see a modern miracle... a brotherhood of imperfect, simple souls wanting only to be a voice of compassion in a world spinning out of control.

Are we obsolete? Are these men dinosaurs? Am I? Does the world really need a voice for the poor, the weak, the oppressed, the unborn child? Do we really need souls like these who , though imperfect, spend their lives imploring each of us to read the signposts of morality and not lose our way?

P.S :- Well... people's points of view may and will be different, I just chose to post this as food for thought. As they say the power is yours.

A Week to Remember!!! (Part-6)

2009-04-17T20:26:00.010+05:30

Day 6, 7th January, effectively the last day of our trip since the next two days would basically involve winding down back to Bengaluru and subsequently to Mumbai. Yet this thought barely crossed any of our minds as the euphoria of the vacation had us gripped. As I mentioned earlier my early morning wake-up calls were now a rage... actually they caused rage to everyone! Despite my frantic banging on the doors and shouting people's names the gang just refused to wake up and when they finally did the aforementioned water problem hindered everybody's plans so it was bye bye to the morning toy train plan. That left me slightly enraged since my roomies and I had gotten up sufficiently early and were ready for departure but the climate was great and so was the day so my fury calmed down pretty quickly. So the schedule of the day was revamped to going to the Botanical Gardens in the morning followed by an afternoon trip to Coonoor and try and catch the train from Coonoor to Ooty instead.

We left for the Botanical Gardens around 9:30, I think, after having some decent breakfast and reached the place. It was a really great place with an array of trees and shrubs native to our country and to other nations as well. The nursery/greenhouse where the ferns and flowering plants were kept was amazing with the bees buzzing around and feeding on pollen. Great photo-op but yet people chose to have their own photos taken in front of these beauties of nature rather than focus on those beauties! Yet there were a sane few who chose nature over man and shot the right stuff. I'll show you some samples.

After gazing at god's creations. We proceeded out of the nursery and just roamed around. When I say roamed around I actually mean that the group splintered. This happened by virtue of two facts. One, some were totally obsessed with photo session and two, some of us were just chatting and looking around too busy to notice that the rest were preoccupied. The result, Prabhat, Kundan, and myself (Group 1) were split from the group and subsequently Archana and Viraat (Group 2) also split. Now the layout of the place is such that splintering equates to people being spread over acres of greenery so basically very little chance of people locating each other. So 17 of us were split into 3 or 4 groups and were spread all over the place. Thanks for the invention that is the cell phone which helps in bridging the largest of communication gaps! Thus, locating each other was that bit easier. Anyways, the serenity of the place cannot be described in words it is just so peaceful. Standing amidst the huge trees makes you realize that you are but a mere cog in the machine that is the world, important yes, but yet not irreplaceable. A truly humbling experience. Group 1 was roaming the entire area gazing at the plethora of vegetation laid out before us which in a city like Mumbai is found few and far between. All the levels of the garden were explored thoroughly by us. On the way back we caught up with group 2 who were having their pictures taken! So the two groups combined and re-explored the flats of plants. Somewhere along the line we got a call that Pushpendra had fallen ill so we hurried out to the place where the rest of the gang had assembled. With significant difficulty in understanding the directions given by Eldrich, despite me standing in his plain sight, we managed to locate the rabble! The gang was sprawled on the lawn and the cameras were out again as Pushpendra rested.

It is here that I got a whiff of what the rest had indulged in. Here are the highlights! They had been up to the cannon antics, again, had been competing in games such as rolling down the sloped lawns and seeing who wins. The result being Jobin getting a foot in the head and the sight not being pretty at all. Yet it seemed real fun. They had barely progressed past half the gardens but then again I don't think that was their primary objective either. They had succeeded in the primary objective having unadulterated fun!

After the respite provided by this brief interval we proceeded out of the Gardens and back to the parking lot where our transport was parked. Some had to shop and so they went along their merry way with the rendezvous time fixed at 12 or 12:30 at the bus. Needless to say that the time came and went without the gang reporting and once again we were delayed. Next stop was lunch and the gang chose "Dhabba Express", yes, that is how the owners had named their eatery rather than "Dhaba Express" as it should have been. Yet the food was not a dhabba on Punjabi food. It was truly great and I'd recommend the place to anybody. The Gobi is fantastic. After having that fantastic meal we were on our way to the Tea Gardens at Coonoor.

A new activity was started on the bus en route Coonoor and that was named as "DJ Pranav" by me! Basically it was me playing music on my cellular phone for the benefit of my fellow "backbencher's" and the others doing a karaoke. Eldrich, Siddharth, Rahul, Parth, Archana, Simranjit and me were the primary beneficiaries of this activity. The rest were either busy chatting or sleeping. There are few things that give greater pleasure than driving down valley roads and listening to good music. Heaven for both the eyes and ears! It was onwards and downwards to Coonoor about one and a half hour from Udhagamandalam. The destination was the tea garden. Tea gardens are generally acres of greenery about waist high interspersed with orchards of larger trees used to prevent soil erosion due to slope used for growing tea. There was no one from the company (who run the plantation) to explain the processes involved in tea making so we ventured around the area and people started clicking photos. The photos were such that they are not worth explaining but some managed to capture some birds that were flying around. Just as we were about to leave we caught sight of a tea picking lady and some of us went up to her and asked her to explain the picking process. (Having people conversant in the local language helped obviously!) Before that Oto had taken a class n picking tea leaves himself.
So as some were busy listening to the lady the others went to the local tea shop to savour the various flavours. There were three varieties on sale the unique one being the chocolate tea! The rest of the gang joined up and finished their shopping spree, some purchased eucalyptus oil as well.

We boarded the bus as we had to catch the train from Coonoor station at 4:30 and we had about half an hour to reach there. On the way I had to stop at the ATM to withdraw cash which is why I was in panic mode. We reached the ATM and my worst fears came true, it was already occupied and to top it there was a novice operating the machine which cost me precious seconds. I got in made the withdrawal and came out literally ran up to the bus and got it in Mumbai BEST style. We made it to the station just in time but discovered that the train was full. That was it no toy train journey for us. So we called the bus and boarded it, disappointed, and resumed with DJ Pranav. Plans were made for the evening wherein the shopaholics would go do their thing and the rest of us would go and play pool and then we would meet for dinner.

The pool session went great but fortune still seemed to desert me and we played for almost two hours because we received no call from the shopping brigade. A new issue reared its ugly head. The gang met up at the pool place and it was decided that we would have dinner at a nearby place. Parth, Rahul and I went back to the hotel to take care of some packing and we were to join the rest at the eatery. The restaurants in Ooty closed down at 9 or 9:30 for some or the other reason. With no dinner plans made at our hotel there was a distinct likelihood that we would have to go hungry. My fury knew no bounds. The rest of the incident seems to be a blur to me but the bottom line is we made it to Thendral Restaurant just in time as they said they'd keep the place open for us. I owe a lot of gratitude to them for being so kind. The only issue was we had a fixed menu since their kitchen had been closed and we were left with 8 plates of Hakka noodles and 8 plates of fried rice just perfect for 16 people. Oh and there were some idlis which we used as starters. We bought some sweets and hogged on the food. This wasn't the birthday treat that I had in mind but that is what it was. With our hearts and our stomachs content for the time being we forayed back to the hotel. The night progressed as usual with us ganging up in a room and reviewing the days activities. Yet this night was different since it was the last in a hotel, the next would be on the train and the one after that in our homes. People packed up and hit the sack around midnight as we had to leave at 7 in the morning to be able to make it to Bengaluru in time for our train.

A Week to Remember!!! (Part-5)

2009-04-13T22:36:00.008+05:30

Day 5, 6th January 2009, we pack up from Mysore and depart for Udhagamandalam aka Ooty Tamil Nadu our third destination for the trip. On the way is the newly scheduled stop at Bandipur National Park. We reach there around 6 am just in time to grab the first safari trip available from the State tourism office. The weather was the major entertainer of the day. The temperature must've been around 8 - 10 degrees and some of us who had never ventured outside Mumbai felt the effects, out came the sweaters, jackets, monkey caps and other winter wear, for me it was one windcheater. As they say that not all things can go according to plan and this is the first and last time that our plan failed. The jeeps were not available, which I feared in any case, but it was on account of the permits not being renewed imagine that for a government subsidiary! Anyways we were stuck with the alternative I dreaded the most a 25 seater bus for the purpose of wildlife spotting. Somebody come and kill me! Anyways since this was the debut safari for almost everyone I decided to be a good sport and let them enjoy the experience rather than whine. Well I don't know how to describe the safari but we didn't see any predators or elephants. The regular fare was available in terms of peacocks, deer (Sambhar and Spotted), monkeys, kingfishers, etc. The Bandipur forest is divided by the State Highway and hence, these animals are generally seen close to the road as well. The others seemed to enjoy their first foray into the wilderness so I was pleased as well. We finished our trip and came back to our bus. On the way to Ooty we had some lame breakfast but then again I shall not crib here.

The route from Mysore to Ooty via Bandipur is one of the most picturesque routes that I have seen, even comparable with the mountain passes of the Shivaliks and Lower Himalayas and that's saying something. I wanted the gang to witness that which is why I had insisted on taking this route. The upward climb consists of some 32 hairpin bends that's turn near 180 degrees for those who don't understand racing terminology. Then again fate had some other plans since the night ordeal had a big impact on the crowd and all people did through the route was sleep. So much so for scenic beauty! Our first stop came at the so called 'Shooting Point', supposedly some film scene had been shot there. It was a brilliant vista with the Nilgiris in the background towering over the valley. The climb up to the peak was deadly since the slope was great and the bodies hadn't yet gotten adjusted to the altitude. We spent some 25 minutes over there just taking in the fresh air and savouring the true beauty of nature. After that we left for the hotel and checked in there a little later than noon. YWCA Anandagiri was our designated hotel. It's a nice place but there are some administrative issues which I feel are petty to discuss since they are not competing with other professional hotels. The kitchen is a bit sluggish and we felt the brunt of it since most of us were hungry and it was getting late for lunch as well. We had our lunch which was pretty tasty but the quantity ordered was a bit less.

Now came the major issue. Very few of us had had our baths that morning for obvious reasons. The water was trickling through the tap and there was no sign of warm water. We were faced with the prospect of bathing in near freezing water, on account of the temperature having been zero the previous night! I had to have a bath so I braved the elements and had a bath. It was exhilarating to say the least. The first mug of cold cold water hitting your body is a feeling of its own. You know that there are a lot of nerves in your body and they are sensitive! Many others also braved the elements and enjoyed their cold baths. Afternoon tea followed and a trip to the lake ensued.

The purpose of going to the lake was to enjoy some boating so we rented four paddle boats and the 16 of us packed ourselves into a boat each. Eldrich stayed back supposedly to catch up on lost sleep, Oh how stupid I was! for I should've guessed the true reason. But more on that later. The boating was amazing, Rahul, Siddharth, Prabhat and me occupied one boat, Pushpendra, Jobin, Pramit and Archana another and it was our boats that were competing against each other, the other boats either could not be navigated (Parth's) or were out on recce mission (Kundan aka Kasab's)! Pushpendra managed to guide his boat to victory in the end, kudos to them. The plan for the next day was hatched alongwith our driver and assistant. It was to visit the Botanical Gardens and to go to Coonoor. We also wished to board the toy train from Ooty to Coonoor which was another ambitious morning plan. We returned to the hotel after boating and headed out to play pool at a local joint that had been scouted by some members of our gang, I think it was Simranjit. The pool experience was surreal as well with a lot of first timers. It was amazing and some guys picked up the game really quickly, I on the other hand had lousy luck, well but anyways no excuses.

Dinner had already been arranged for and the arrangements for a bonfire had also been made with enough wood for a couple of hours. The bonfire was started around 10 o'clock and it provided great respite against the cold. Yet nothing could've prepared me for the events that were to enfold after a couple of hours. It was to be one of the better nights of my life. Eldrich had been conspicuous by his absence but then again I was not in the mood to sniff out conspiracies being hatched. Archana left the bonfire around 11:30 on the pretext of checking on Eldrich. Around 11:45 the two of them arrived with some packages in their hands. That's when realization dawned that a surprise had been planned without I getting a whiff of it. Yes, you might've guessed it, 7th January is my birthday and I was about to celebrate it after 10 years. There were two cakes which I would cut subsequently and it was a moment worth savouring. I shall never forget that night when I truly came to know what some people thought of me and I shall forever remain thankful for their presence in my life and for the affection that they have for me. It was extremely emotional for me then again my emotions ain't what they used to be. Another surprise was in store back at the room when they gifted me a photo, bearing the signatures of some 12 people from our class, of our group.

We had a few more festivities including the Jolly drink-a-thon before we turned in for the night.

A Week to Remember!!! (Part-4)

2009-02-01T18:06:00.007+05:30

Day 4 of our trip, 5th January 2009. An early morning wake up for everyone was provided by yours truly (a habit that would make me infamous!) as we had to depart at 7:30 for Mysore. So the ruckus continued with everyone doing last minute packing and getting ready having spent the past night causing more trouble. Everybody boarded the bus to embark on our journey. Then it happened. All those all-nighters that everyone had suffered (voluntarily) over the past couple of days took its toll and everyone started to fall asleep. We stopped for breakfast at a Kamat’s restaurant somewhere close to Maddur and then hurtled along to Srirangapatna, home of Tipu Sultan. We reached Srirangapatna around 11:00 and headed into the tomb of Tipu Sultan. The guided tour ensued through which many people slept having gotten accustomed to doing so during any lecture in college. After which the photo-shoot began. Oto was thirsty and he went to drink water. On coming back he exclaimed, “Maine woh paani piya jo Tipu pita tha”. Some interpreted it as “Maine Tipu ka paani piya”! From there we left for the Summer Palace, Dariya Daulat Bagh. Before that Oto went for a horse ride and some other silly stuff occurred which I am disinclined to mention.

Dariya Daulat Bagh, had been converted into a museum of sorts with the entire array of coins, weapons, maps, etc. used by Tipu laid out as exhibits. Here too the antics with the cannon began and those who had missed out on the aforementioned activity in Bangalore got the chance to try their hands at it. Due to serious time constraint we had to rush along to the actual fort city of Srirangapatna to catch the 1:30 deadline. We made it with some time to spare. The first step taken was to visit the Ranganathswami temple which I had already visited so I had no intention of doing again. So as everyone else did the morally good thing and prayed in god's abode Marcos and me took a walk to the nearby jail where prisoners used to be kept during Tipu's time although the jail was named after a Britisher. There was a sight that occured after that which elated me greatly. The Bangalore-Mysore-Tumkur-Asikere passenger arrived at the Srirangapatna station after the crossing the bridge and I experienced a level crossing after a long time. By this time everyone had arrived and they embarked on the trip of the jail. After having experienced life in captivity for all of 15 minutes we checked into our hotel, Hotel Maurya Palace. After frantic assigning of rooms we headed down to the restaurant where we had a rushed lunch.

Surprises seemed to be the theme of this trip for on arrival in Mysore we discovered that we had the services of a guide complimentary courtesy of our bus booking which proved to be a boon and a bane as well. Rahul, more popularly known as Ghajini because of the hair-do he sported, was that man. He was a typical guide who had been at work for several years with his rote learned speeches and various facts and figures. He gave us a brief overview of the Mysore area through which a lot of people slept, once again due to habit, and then outlined our agenda for the evening. Our first stop was Mysore Palace, yes the one famous for its lighting during Dussehra. We reached there bought our tickets, deposited our cameras and proceeded towards the entrance. Ghajini briefed us on what was inside and said that once we had finished seeing everything he would explain the entire set-up to us, an amazing thing I must add. So on we went. The things were pretty much the same as they were on my previous visit. The palace had artifacts, photos, sculptures, pictures, portraits of various people and events that were witnessed in the history of the Mysore kingdom and the Wodeyar family. The Wodeyar's still inhabit the palace so everything is naturally all spic and span. The highlight for me had always been the Durbar hall and so was it this time. We were allotted 45 minutes for viewing pleasure but we ended up using only 25 minutes, so we had to wait for Ghajini to arrive. Arrive he did, no he wasn't a crook although at first look he could've exuded that impression, and true to his word started taking us through whatever we had just seen in the palace. After this the gang unleashed their cameras on to this brilliant monument and started snapping with vengeance. Ghajini took a photo of the 'galls' who were along with us, that's girls for the uninitiated! Group snaps were clicked, foreigners were subjected to covert operations by members of our paparazzi gang, the lions guarding the gates had their mouths filled with some people's heads, you name it and those photos might have been taken! As we came out Viraat was at it again. There was a shop within the palace premises, Kaveri handicrafts, sarees, etc., and Viraat wanted to purchase something for his mother. Initially he had inquired the price of some saree (I think) and to confirm it had called home. Some discussion took place and it was a last minute decision by both his mother and him to make the purchase (figures) and so we had to wait. Earlier he had created a mega scene when he apparently lost his camera, which was actually kept in his neck pouch but was searching for it in his camera pouch! He was on the verge of tears I think because his voice creaked during his frantic appeals to all by-standers, beggars and salesmen and foreigners included. It was a rank sight which was to repeat itself later. Anyways we boarded the bus and left for Vrindavan Gardens via the Mysore Paak factory where people purchased the sweet that I probably detest the most. It has so much desi ghee might just clog someone's arteries some day! It seems that the place we went to made the most authentic form of the sweet.

So onwards it was to the picturesque Vrindavan Gardens or so I hoped it was because on my previous visit there was barely anything picturesque about the place. I had been vehemently against going to this place because of my experienced prejudice and how I am glad not to have fallen into that trap! The place was breathtakingly amazing. There was a massive crowd and thus, there was need to be extra careful with or belongings or so said Ghajini. We bought our tickets, yes both entry and camera, and plundered in through the gates. There was this 7 plus foot guy standing at the gate, in order to take pictures with, who had a tiff with some of our gang who mocked at him, well some of us are like that can't keep their mouth shuts at the right time. It was just twilight and the lights had just come on. I wouldn't be doing justice to the place if I try to describe the place in words. So let me show it to you.

I guess that tells all. The musical fountain was an experience that has to be experienced. Lots of gimmicks but great fun. So after that rejuvenating experience we returned to the city and Ghajini duly took us shopping as he had promised and on the way back filled people's minds with the idea of visiting Bandipur National Park which had been running in my mind since the inception of the trip. I was just dreading the fact since taking 17 people on a safari isn't an easy task because the thing has to be done early in the morning and we were about two hours from the place. In addition to that I didn't know if we would get four jeeps to fit us since a safari in a bus is the dumbest thing ever, again from personal experience. Anyways that shall be covered in part 5. So naturally the gang got all excited about that idea and even agreed to wake up at 4 in the morning to leave for Bandipur, a milestone I might add. So after the shopping spree we headed back to our hotel and scouted for a place to have our dinner. We found a place nearby which had the decor of a jungle and the 16 of us sought a den for us and had the best meal of our trip. Parth had family here as well and hence, he disappeared. We went back to our hotel and assembled in a room to view the days events on camera. A few of us caught a few winks before waking at the unearthly hour of 4 to leave for Bandipur. This time magically our driver was late or maybe he knew our punctuality too well! The hotel staff need to be thanked at this juncture for they did not crib regarding us checking out at such a time. So began Day 5.

A Week to Remember!!! (Part-3) (by Pramit Dutta)

2009-01-28T19:50:00.002+05:30

With "Pranav off to his uncle's place" and "Elda gone for choosing saree for his mother in law" we have our documentation duo not in a position to pen the day three events in Bangalore.
So I decided to get my bum to the chair and try to ink as much I remember.
Ok... now this is how it goes.....

Not many were happy with the idea of going for a guided tour across the city. Loads of suggestions kept flowing in as to how a properly managed tour can be put forward. Finally Mr. Right (Jobin) did a bit of canvassing to get a double digit entry. He also got in much with the same bus driver who was take us for the rest of our journey and booked him (and the bus) for next day. With 11 people already in the list we rounded off at Rs 300 per head.
Simba and Koki had their own outing plan, until the next day morning, when suddenly Koki went through the guide book planned a trip, and was keen on coming with us.

At around 9 in morning, after having a "sumptuous" breakfast we began the tour.

The ISCKON temple was our first destination. Unanimously we agreed not to go into the main temple, so we enjoyed the premises did a little of illicit photography with our mobile cams (cameras were not allowed) and headed back to the bus.

And now comes the most un-happening moment of the trip.... induction of the WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION. When about to leave the ISCKON suddenly and without any ones knowledge the catastrophic moment appeared before every one. No one said a word for a second except for the WMD. all faces went white as if they had seen a ghost appearing out of thin air.... ok enough it was pushy ... with a 30 cm long chrome-yellow flute that was making an awesome deafening noise that all of us had to bear with for the rest of the day.

Soon we were at our next destination, the BANGALORE PALACE, barring its history let me tell you it was truly magnificent, majestic, with a hint of British architecture. We had a finely guided tour across the palace, which was off course complimentary with the 100 rupees entry fee and since we paid for only one camera so kutty's cam was employed to document the entire journey within the palace. Needless to mention our pushy bhaisahab took the charge of photography. One and a half hour great enjoyment, with over a 100 pics and viewing portraits of semi-dressed (a glass half full is obviously half EMPTY) queens we ended with our palace visit.

And yes how could I forget talking about Simba's greatest moment of the trip the mangal pandey spoof when he stood courageously with his head in front of a cannon barrel and without his knowledge Chinmay gave a fantastic pose of firing it. And believe me as many as 9 cams captured that moment; dear Simba is going to cherish this for a life time.

Our next destination was VIDHAN SAUDHA ....... ohh my god its 1:00 pm and Arkadeep's lunch alarm has just come to life.... And there after he chanted only one line "WHEN N WHERE ARE WE GOING FOR LUNCH, WHEN N WHERE ARE WE GOING FOR LUNCH, WHEN N WHERE ARE WE GOING FOR LUNCH".

Poor Arka had to wait until we were done with the Vidhan Saudha visit. Though we never entered the building, the architecture is worth praising. We managed to get a couple of good shots before finally having a lunch at some fine udupi restaurant.

Nothing more was left to do after the lunch. We all decided the go ahead for a reposeful visit to Lalbaug. The place was loaded with scenic and beauty otherwise; however it seemed to
be an unending walk in there. We did realise that it was already 4 in the evening and so we won’t make it to any other destination before 6, normally the closing time. This thought made us even lousier while strolling around the place.

Now here was one of OTO's finest ever prank he played on all 12 of us at a time. Some of us challenged him to befriend with a group of Assamese Girls. Soon every one of us backed the idea to persuade him. This guy out smarted all of us.
He kept a condition to go ahead and take up the challenge only if we sit down quietly on the stairs nearby and make no foul play. Not completely realising his idea, we all agreed to his condition. The moment we all were seated, Otto coolly climbs down a few steps, pulls out his Camera and says 'CHEESE'...that is when all 12 of us realised that
Otto was smart enough to fool 12 of us at a time.... Long live Otto Regon!

At around 7 we were back at hotel. Pranav had not returned, neither did Archana and Eldrich (Only God knows where they had been to!!). Finally the long awaited plan of going to a club pulled in. Some of us went off to a Lounge Bar named HINT while the rest stayed back at hotel.

A Week to Remember!!! (Part-2)

2009-01-23T19:31:00.004+05:30

Circa 2nd January 2009. The erstwhile mentioned 17 members were all excited and bubbling to get on with the trip. Here's where I'll introduce you to the motley crew. Archana Srinivasan, Kokila Duraisamy, Jobin Jacob Babu, Pushpendra Singh, Parthasarathy Srinivasan, Eldrich Rebello, Rahul Kadavil, Viraat Jolly, Arkadeep Meta, Chinmay Chute, Kundan Chavan, Prabhat Mishra, Oto Regon, Simranjit Singh, Siddharth Ramachandran, Pramit Dutta and me were the rabble who were to undertake this journey of "life". All preparations were made along with print outs of the travel dossier given to all parents as well as maps of the towns and the time table of trains to perform dynamic checks. All thanks to planner extraordinaire and a little assistance from the Placement Cell (read papers)! All the pick up points were decided and the troop was to be firmly on board by Kalyan where Parth and I would get on.

On board the 6529 Mumbai Bengaluru Udyan Express. The excitement was tangible. Everyone was upbeat but first there was the little matter of getting the RAC tickets confirmed which had been a cause for consternation over the past few weeks. It had been troubling to the extent that we had almost contemplated changing modes of transport. The tickets were taken care of and the stage was now truly set. So the gang was spread over two compartments S-7 and S-8 and naturally there was a lot of movement from this coach to that. For the details of the train journey please read Eldrich's blog at www.eldrichr.blogspot.com Anything that he misses out I shall fill in subsequently.

So jump to 3rd January 2009 , 0900 hours. Location Bengaluru City junction railway station. After receiving the bus details we embarked in its search. The bus would drop us of at the hotel and then come back two days later to take us on the tour. We reached the "back gate" of the station and started scanning the parking lot for our bus. To be honest we were expecting some run of the mill 18 seater but when we saw the 18 seater standing before us with the matching number we were shocked. It was a true beauty luxury redefined. I remember asking myself whether this was the bus we had booked or had some error occured somewhere down the line. We were overjoyed at the arrangements and listened to some Kannada music as we reached our hotel. Hotel Ajantha Trinity Inn, M.G. Road was to be our abode for the next two days. The hotel pleased us greatly and the rooms and the facilities were much better than what we had hoped for. All of us settled in and had our baths, some had breakfast, some slept. Bengaluru was a place where everyone was free to move around on their own as people had families to visit. Jobin, Pushpendra and me had stayed up the whole night and naturally it had taken a toll on us. Yet we soldiered on. The other two went to bed after lunch. I on the other hand went on a reacquainting walk around the area with Pramit, Eldrich and Archana.

The area had changed a lot since my last visit so it took a lot more effort on my part which had an effect on my co travellers as they weren't used to walking as much as me. Finally we reached the destination, Brigade Road, where we entered Mc.D's to finish my lunch. (others hadn't allowed me to eat enough!) Pramit and me had our meals while savouring the flora and fauna of Bengaluru. After that we traipsed along Church Street after taking a detour (thanks to my slightly off track map) in search of the gelato centre that I had eaten in on my last visit. We found an outlet but it wasn't the same still we went in and Pramit ordered a Chocolate Crepe. Now that's a story in itself. It turned out that it wasn't an ice cream at all. In fact it was a hot dish kinda like pancake with chocolate on top which took almost 10 minutes to prepare, we were just wondering all the while as to what we had ordered! Yet the sights were enough to keep our minds and eyes occupied elsewhere as we waited. Kokila and Simba met us at the place as they were out to meet someone else at the Hard Rock Cafe. Pramit left with them as I had some other plans. I left for the hotel and reached to find out that the plans had been rescheduled for the next day. I caught a few winks in the meanwhile.

Everybody returned from their afternoon vigils to meet at the hotel. We decided to take a walk around Ulsoor Lake which was just a few hundred meters from our hotel. All of us embarked on the journey but somewhere along the way Kokila, Simba and Eldrich were left behind, supposedly for some work back at the hotel. So, rest of the 17 trudged along and we reached the viewing area where everyone popped their cameras out and began the photo session. There were a few kids there who were fascinated by Pushpendra’s tripod stand and they were eager by-standers as well as participants in the photo-shoot. Kokila, Simba and Eldrich then came along having taken the wrong (read longer) way around the Lake. The next step was to plan for dinner, so we decided to head towards Church Street. Any incidents that happened after that are unknown to me for Parth and I decided to walk the distance, as we mostly do, while the rest travelled by rickshaw.

Some things are just destined to happen. Viraat needed to buy something (batteries I think) and so he split from the group. “Cardinal Sin No.1” Supposedly Eldrich was on the lookout for him but when we joined the group on M. G. Road and departed to search for a restaurant Eldrich forgot his duty and came along with us. Then panic struck the gang as Viraat was not with us and frantic calling ensued. A few of us went ahead with our search and finally we settled on Tandoor Express. The whole group assembled there, yes Viraat included, and we had an amazing dinner. This was followed by a return trip to Dolce Gelato, though this time everyone ordered. On returning to the hotel we created havoc and trouble for other guests with our conundrum. The receptionist called our rooms and asked to keep quiet. People were at their frivolous best having the least regard for other occupants. Games of all sorts ensued and continued well into the night with some going to bed at 3:30 a.m.

The events of the next day shall be illustrated by Jobin as I was not privy to them. 13 of our troop had booked the bus for another day so as to visit the town. The description of my day is not for the public domain. Eldrich and Archana had a shopping spree planned. Parth was scheduled to meet other relatives.

A Week to Remember!!! (Part-1)

2009-01-18T13:50:00.004+05:30

There comes a time in everyone's life when things seem to progress pretty smoothly with very few hassles and life all of a sudden seems rosy and fair. Such a period was encountered by 16 of my friends and me for a week starting from the 2nd of January to the 9th of January. We had gone on a vacation to Bengaluru, Mysore and Udhagamandalam(Ooty for the 'firangs') after the culmination of our 7th semester examinations. The ordeal that was the 7th semester seemed to be stretching out further and further when this trip blossomed and almost instantaneously erased all memories of that torrid time. A little build up about the how the trip materialized before I get into the niceties of the trip itself.

It was a wish of mostly everyone in the class of 05-09(Electrical) that an outstation IV be organized, partly as an outing and as a symbol of superiority over the other branches. So dutifully the planner extraordinaire Mr. Jobin Jacob Babu took up the challenge of organizing it. Shortlisted places were the usual, Goa and Bengaluru, heaven knows why! Goa was eliminated somewhere along the line and Bengaluru was voted as the place. Thus, began the mission which would be tougher to accomplish than the toughest mission in GTA:San Andreas. Through sources inside and outside the class 4 companies were shortlisted for the visit and verbal confirmation was received. Next came the task of acquiring permission from the college authorities which too was accomplished with consummate ease. Things were progressing way too smoothly to be true. So the plan was to leave for Bangaluru on the 5th and return on the 13th (Jan) with a 4 day trip to Mysore and Ooty included. Then we needed to finalize the staff that would be accompanying us on the trip. This is where a spanner was truly thrown into the works. Not one staff member was ready to commit. Each passing the buck onto the other. It was a sight to be seen... or rather not.

Start of the Preparatory leave... Jobin, Pramit, Pushpendra ('Naam toh suna hi hoga') and me get together at Jobin's house to discuss the details. The dates are finalized along with the proposed budget and accomodation and travel details. We went to college thereafter and began the second round of negotiations with the authorities. The complications kept growing, now the requirements and rules were laid out which made our job impossible of ever getting any staff on board. Yet the valiant fought on, I the pessimist though gave up on the IV. Here the seeds of the picnic were planted and we began to water the seeds so as to some day bear fruit. But it seems the seeds just refused to germinate. (Forgive this analogy) We were faced with problems of different kinds. This time the students started acting out, saying the trip is too expensive, parents won't allow, etc. For the IV we had about 30 confirmations. The OC held a meeting to discuss the status of the trip. The picnic idea was also broached. The response received was so bad I can't bear to pen it down. Finally, in a landmark decision, the 'unity' of the class was to be damned and those really interested in going on a trip were to go. The dates were revised to 3rd to 10th and then subsequently to 2nd to 9th for lack of ticket availability. The money was thus collected and the arrangements done for the trip. The stage was set.

United Huff and Puff and finally blow the house down!

2008-12-30T23:44:00.001+05:30

Manchester United closed the gap to table topping Liverpool to seven points by defeating Middlesborough in a closely fought match on Monday night. Dimitar Berbatov’s strike on 69 minutes sealed the match which swung both ways as both sides created chances. Middlesborough were expected to come to Old Trafford, pack the midfield and stifle the attacking prowess of United but they did no such thing. Gareth Southgate started with his “terrible trio”, Afonso Alves, Tuncay Sanli and Jeremie Aliadiere up front albeit playing only one up top.

For United it was tinkering for Ferguson once again as the side was changed from the one that took to the field against Stoke City on Boxing Day. Out went Giggs, Scholes and Gary Neville and in came Rafael Da Silva, Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov. Tevez was unavailable due to personal reasons and Park Ji Sung replaced him in the starting line-up. John O’Shea continued at left back with Evra suspended and Johnny Evans deputized for Rio Ferdinand.

The match began in similar fashion with United bossing the possession although on the occasions that Boro had the ball they caused some consternation to the make shift United defence. Tuncay appeared bright and Alves’ power was a constant troubling factor for Vidic and Evans. Rafael’s forays into the opposing half were bright but his defensive skills were not up to the mark as Stewart Downing caused mayhem down the left flank. Ronaldo began the match in what is now normal fashion by taking theatrical falls and enraging the Boro team. There was a clutch of free kicks that were awarded to United all of which failed to make any sort of impression on Ross Turnbull in the Boro goal. All were taken by Ronaldo. All the chance seemed to fall to him and he managed to squander them all. The best of them was when Rooney fashioned an opening down the left and squared a ball into the penalty box which found Ronaldo unmarked but his left foot strike whizzed past the left hand post of Turnbull’s goal. Boro meanwhile were playing on the counter with Aliadiere’s pace and Downing and O’Neill with their passing creating half chances for their side. Alves was closely marshaled by Vidic but yet he had a few chances with which he could have done better and perhaps should have. Van Der Sar had very few saves of note to make but there was sufficient threat to be wary of for the Champions of the World. Berbatov was conspicuous with his absence in the attacking third with him playing as link man rather then target man. The first half ended controversially with an incident involving Emanuel Pogatetz and Ronaldo in the Boro penalty box. From a corner taken by Rooney, Pogatetz was seen on replay holding Ronaldo’s neck and hauling him down. Since the incident happened off the ball it went unnoticed. On the way to the tunnel at half time Ronaldo had an altercation with Pogatetz with both clashing their heads together but no action was taken.

The second half also continued in the same way with United having the possession but not creating clear cut opportunities. Rooney’s corner kicks left a lot to be desired as they barely cleared the first defender on most occasions. Ronaldo’s free kicks were pedestrian to say the least. Carrick and Fletcher bossed the midfield but their characteristic incisive passing was missing. Long balls and short passes were going astray. Berbatov, Rooney and Park worked hard to create chances with all dropping into midfield to assist the rest. There was no width to the game and all the attacks went through the middle which was very easy for Wheater and Riggott to handle. Riggott also posed a threat on set pieces on the attacking front for Boro with O’Neill and Downing whipping in nice crosses. The game was in need of some change and that was brought about by unlikely sources. Fergie withdrew Fletcher and Rafael and brought on the old heads of Scholes and Neville. The effect was almost immediate. Suddenly the passes were going right and Neville gave some width on the right hand side. As the game seemed to wander on to a tense finale the breakthrough came. The attack came from the left wing with a ball put into the box. A flick on from a United player ricocheted off David Wheater and fell kindly to Berbatov who was at his poacher’s best as he volleyed instinctively past Turnbull on 69 minutes. After the goal the game opened up nicely as Boro chased an equalizer. Park Ji Sung had the easiest chance of his life to finish the game off. A well timed run found him in acres of space inside the six yard box, but he thought he was offside and somehow managed to not only scoop the ball over the onrushing Turnbull but also over the bar from two yards out. The missed chance almost came to haunt United with a chance falling to Tuncay from a corner wherein his acrobatic volley hit the post with Van Der Sar beaten although he was in an offside position. United survived the scare and managed to hold on till the end of the game.

With two games in hand against Fulham and Wigan , United have the chance to close the gap to one point but with the performances as they are those games aren’t a certainty at all.

United put 5 past Stoke as Fergie celebrates 50!

2008-11-15T23:17:00.004+05:30

Manchester United demolished hapless Stoke City at Old Traford in what was a contrasting performance to the one on display against Arsenal a week ago. The scoreline was 5-0 aided by a free kick brace from Cristiano Ronaldo. The result pushed United into third place in the league standings after Arsenal were defeated 2-0 by Aston Villa at the Emirates.

The United team was changed from the one that took to the field on Tuesday against Queens Park Rangers in the Carling Cup. There was a first league start for the young central defender Johnny Evans who replaced Rio Ferdinand, John O'Shea came in for Gary Neville and Darren Fletcher replaced Anderson in midfield. The game began with United dominating the possession as they have all throughout the season. United got their first chance of the game via a free kick from the left edge of the penalty area. Ronaldo let fly in typical fashion and the ball went passed Thomas Sorensen's outstretched right hand before he even knew it. Stoke City also started the game well with Rory Delap and Danny Higginbotham getting some purchase from the right side of United defense. Delap's throw-in's have been creating major havoc for all defenses in the league and it became clear when from such a situation he launched his trademark long flat throw into the six yard box. John O'Shea rose up above everyone else to deal with the throw but the ball flicked off his head toward the goal where Van der Sar made a great save to prevent an own goal.

Carlos Tevez, Ji Sung Park and Dimitar Berbatov were trying desperately to get through the Stoke defense but Shawcross and company were dealing with almost everything by crowding out the space. Ronaldo was attempting some intricate interplay with Berbatov but it was too fanciful at times. United kept creating half chances. Berbatov displayed the sublime skills which justifies his 30 million price tag. His through ball to Park just failed to materialise into a goal with the diminutive Korean shooting just over the bar with a scoop shot. There was an instant when Berbatov collected a lobbed pass and made the ball stop dead! Just as the half was winding down, Berbatov played Ronaldo down the left who passed it into Michael Carrick's path. The midfielder took the pass and with one touch dragged it past two defenders on his left and fired a fierce left footed shot beyond the helpless Sorensen to put United 2-0 up at halftime. Stoke frontmen Ricardo Fuller and Sidibe had a good but hard first half with them getting very little purchase from Vidic, Evra and Evans although they had a chance when Van der Sar fluffed at a punch attempt for a cross but there was no one at the far post.

The second half began in the much the same way as the first. United added to their lead four minutes into the half when a pass from the right wing found Berbatov who tried to volley it in the first time. There was fortune involved insofar as the ball ricocheted off his body and fell conveniently for him to unleash a side volley into the net at the near post. This put United into cruise mode and Ronaldo, Evra and Berbatov engaged in some sort of exhibition of tricks and flicks. Fletcher and Carrick ran the entire show in the middle of the park. Evans showed just why he's so highly rated by everyone at United with some sensible defending. Tevez and Park were at their workman-like best chasing everything down and linking up with the midfield. Past the hour mark Ferguson, celebrating 50 years in football, withdrew Fletcher and Park and brought on the United colts in Darren Gibson and Danny Welbeck. Meanwhile Stoke had absolutely no chances in the half with United barely allowing them to get out their own half. The introduction of the youngsters had no effect on United's performance as they slotted into their roles beautifully. On 74 minutes United brought on Manucho, the Angolan striker, for Tevez. It was a breath of fresh air seeing the youngsters play alongside the seniors. Manucho had a chance to open up his scoring tally but the pass from Ronaldo left him too much to do. Then it happened. On 84 minutes, after a pass from Manucho, Welbeck struck a shot from almost 25 yards out which swerved into the top right corner of the goal in under the crossbar. It was a magnificent strike and Old Traford erupted into cheers.

The night was capped by another sublime free kick from Ronaldo which he passed into the net passed Sorensen who probably wished he hadn't woken up today. Manucho had a better chance to score but his snapshot veered wide of the target. Next up the Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Trials and Tribulations!!!

2008-10-02T16:25:00.000+05:30

Well I thought I had seen the worst phase of my life during my fourth semester of engineering. Those who know me will know what I'm talking about. But I guess I was wrong. It seems that the more you want to steer clear of controversy the more you are dragged into it. It may of course be entirely your doing or someone's else. The final year is supposed to be the lightest phase of one's engineering career with the potential engineer setting himself/herself for the tumultuous period ahead by gathering whatever was learnt over the last three years. Guess we all were wrong on that as well. We have had our lifeblood sucked out over the course of three months. It has been a drag and a ride at 350kmph down the Hangar Straight (Silverstone) at the same time. Time has passed us by with such rapidity that taking stock of the going-on's has been impossible. Yet the events have ensured that I will remember this semester for the rest of my life. Even though I may want to forget it as soon as possible.

Well if that beginning was scary then there's more to come. This post might just be my version of "Cleanin' out my closet" so readers beware. I may name a few people so in case they are reading or someone close to them is then I apologise for any emotional damage I may have caused but I can't help it. There must be a vent to the volcano simmering within me.

At the outset I must state that I have never felt so "used" in my life. I feel my existence is encheapened (if there's such a word in the dictionary) by those around me. People have no shame when they say that they'll wait for me to do some work so they can merely copy. No efforts, no courtesy, nothing at all. People don't pay attention in class don't bother to write what's given in class (yes i do listen to the lectures in college... if that makes me an outcast then so be it from now on I don't give a damn about anything) and then come to me and ask for my notebook. Somebody please tell me why should I entertain such requests. What gain is it to me? None at all. Whenever I confront people on this issue they give me the standard reply, "You'll get the blessings of God for helping others". Man spare me all that. I am a mere mortal who has no wishes of becoming an immortal. What do I do with so many accrued blessings? I have only lifetime to make use of it.

All this ranting has caused a brain block in my mind. I can't think straight anymore. Gosh I miss my school friends. We used to have so much fun together. In college I am treated as some sort of "celebrity". I have been made a butt of jokes. Guess Sanjay Dutt was right in Munnabhai MBBS, "Life mein bahut kuch pehli baar hota hain!" I am given recognition which I really do not know whether I deserve or not. It sometimes feels good that people praise me but when it's overdone I feel positively insulted. It's almost criminal. The Electrical department that I most revered, as we have a few of the finest professors that I have seen, also makes me cringe. I have even lost respect for one of them which has never ever happened before. All thanks to He Who Must Not Be Named. Or maybe this was just destined to happen and it did. Anyways we have all our pride-swallowing moments. Guess this one's mine.

I have had a really hard time these three months. Hopefully there's light at the end of the tunnel. A real long one though it seems. I have shouted at several people when I should not have or maybe I should have done this a long time ago. I apologise sincerely to all those who I have barked at. Maybe I need to improve my threshold levels. All in all this has been a learning experience. Thank you for this.

Next time I will resume my sports writing. I think I am much better at that.

My Pilgrimage!!!

2008-08-30T23:50:00.006+05:30

When one thinks of pilgrimage what comes to mind is generally religious places like the "Char Dham", "Ashtavinayak" or "12 Jyotirlinga's", for the Muslims it is going to Mecca. For me pilgrimage has an entirely different connotation. The ensuing article will illustrate those places that I hold close to my heart and soul and ones which I would like to visit at least once in my life so that I may consider my existence in this world as fruitful!

Topping the list is the city of my dreams, although the majority of the world hates it for it's "outstanding" weather. Without a doubt it's Manchester, England. This is one place I would like to live in. Imagine a chance of rain all 365 days a year, not everyone's cup of tea I know. Yet I am a person who loves the rains. The prime reason for this being number one on my list is because it is home to my favourite soccer team Manchester United. I would just love to take in the smell of the grass that grows on the Old Trafford pitch for I am sure there is no better fragrance in this world for me than that.

For the Cricket connoisseurs there is the adjoining Old Trafford cricket stadium as well.

Another location I would enjoy visiting would be Melbourne. To sit in the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on the first day of the Boxing day test match would be just a dream come true. Imagine a scene where you have over 50,000 fans watching a test match. This certainly does not happen everyday does it? The atmosphere on the 26th of December is something unique and something that needs to be savoured. The Ashes test series would be an ideal occasion or maybe even India vs Australia. There are few words that can describe the grandeur of this stadium and the history associated with it. The upgrades made to it for the purpose of the Commonwealth games have just enhanced its standing in the world.

Along with that I would also foray across Australia to witness the fastest pitch on the world at the WACA in Perth (or atleast one of the fastest)

Barcelona would definitely be the next stop. With its deep cultural history and the churches its certainly a great tourist destination but the icing on the cake would be a trip to the Camp Nou, home to FC Barcelona, and having a modest capacity of 100,000. Its greatest feature are the "nose-bleed seats". They are so named because they are so high above the ground. A packed stadium here is a spectacle in itself as was demonstrated in the epic Champions League final of 1999 when Manchester United defeated Bayern Munich. This towering structure would certainly appear intimidating to most individuals.

A trip to Spain cannot be complete without visiting, the arch rivals of Barcelona, the capital city of Madrid home to Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. The Santiago Bernabeu is a behemoth of a structure in itself and has brilliant architectural features that must be seen. Real are the most prestigious club in history of European football which is clearly seen by their nine European Cup/UCL victories. This stadium boasts a huge capacity of 85,000. It is one of the iconic structures of the world of football and hence a must see on my list although it is not one of my favourites.

Next in line in terms of European glory in football would be AC Milan and their home ground which they share with their arch rivals and a club equally steeped in tradition Internazionale FC or more popularly known as Inter Milan. The San Siro, the stadium, is also an exceptionally beautiful structure and no smaller than the rest described above, it too has a capacity of 80,000. When the stadium is bathed in the crimson light of the red flares that the fans burn at the beginning of a match it truly is an awe-inspring sight and intimidating as well. Thats a must see for those who want to know what home crowd support can truly bring out. The notoriety of the town of Milan is a detrimental factor but yet I would like to visit the city which is undoubtedly the fashion capital of the world.

There's more to come...

Rain does not dampen Lewis' Parade!!!

2008-07-07T14:54:00.002+05:30

A wet race was witnessed at Silverstone at this year's running of the Santander British Grand Prix, round 9 and half way point of the Formula 1 season. Lewis Hamilton triumphed in his home race as changeable weather conditions created havoc among the racers. Honda got a rare podium place with Mr. Rain Man Rubens Barrichello grabbing third place. The day belonged to Lewis as he lapped the entire field up to 3rd place winning by a margin in excess of one minute.

The race began with Kovaleinen and Webber occupying the front row followed by Kimi and Hamilton. The race start was furious as Kimi and Lewis both got off to terrific starts. A combination of Webber and Heiki ensured that Kimi's path was blocked and that enabled Lewis to storm through on the inside and grab second place. Kimi slotted into third and Webber dropped into fourth. The opening lap was to be a disaster for Webber as he spun around on Hangar Straight and almost dropped to the tail end of the field. Massa, who started in 9th, had a race he'd like to forget in a hurry as he spun at least 7 times during the race, unable to handle the rain and looking like a first timer. Lewis managed to pass Heiki and then started to pull away from the field. This prompted Kimi to attack Heiki and he duly grabbed second place. The field started on intermediate tires as there had been a shower just before the start. With black clouds hovering over the circuit there was always a chance of rain and the race was bound to be a lottery. With the first of the pit-stops came the killer blow for Ferrari. Kimi's crew elected to keep the same set of worn-out tires just as a fresh shower came along. He and Alonso were the only two to do so and they paid dearly. The fresh water made their cars virtually undriveable as they had no treads on the tires to give them grip. As a result they lapped almost 5 seconds a lap slower than the rest of the field. Kimi dropped out of the points scoring positions and also spun the car in a bid to step on the gas out of Woodcote corner.

Meanwhile all fortunes seem to be favouring Lewis as he had clear track ahead of him and he continued to plough through the rain at fearsome pace. Some midfield runners gambled on full wet tires and this paid off as they climbed the leader board. Barrichello being one of them. The rain caught out several drivers including Kubica, Sutil, Fisichella, Vettel, Button who all spun out of the race. Heiki himself had a spin. Massa continued his nightmare as he spun around a few more times. With more rain in the offing Kimi and Alonso both made their second pit-stops around the midway point of the race and fuelled up to the end with new sets of the intermediate's. Immediately their fortunes took a turn as they started to gain places. The weather was chaotic with alternate dry and wet spells causing condition to become atrocious. Abbey and Woodcote corners were probably the worst affected with rivulets running across the track.

Kimi was behind Alonso and the duo started overtaking cars as they moved from 9th and 8th to 5th and 4th respectively overtaking Heiki in the process after Heiki spun at Brooklands. Then the former and current champions entered their own battle which ended with Kimi overtaking Alonso for 4th place. With the conditions getting better towards the end with the sun coming out Heiki pressured Alonso into a mistake and took 5th place. Lewis was in a league of his own with his destiny firmly in his own hands. Nick Heidfield was having a quiet but good race in second place as he finally emerged form Kubica's shadows.

Tour De France 2008

2008-07-01T13:50:00.002+05:30

Come July, sports fans are treated to a different viewing experience with the Tour De France rolling across their television sets. This annual event is the Mecca of cycling. A win here gives the rider instant recognition and "hero" status. For a brief overview of what the race is refer to my post on the "Tour De France".

This year's edition promises to be an enthralling experience as there will be no defending champion. The Discovery Channel team has been disbanded and the champion of 2007 Alberto Contador joined the Astana team which has been denied participation in this year's tour due to their involvement in various doping scandals. So we are destined to have a new champion this year which is intriguing enough. For the first time there will be no prologue time-trial instead the tour will begin with a standard stage (197.5 km) from Brest (in Brittany region) to Plumelec. The tour begins on the 5th of July and ends on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on the 27th.

The total distance covered will be 3500 km and there will be 21 stages with two rest days. This year's route is a killer by my reckoning. It's going to separate the men from the boys as the mountain stages are truly horrific. The list of the stages is as follows:-

1	Plain	Saturday 5 July	Brest > Plumelec	197.5 km
2	Plain	Sunday 6 July	Auray > Saint-Brieuc	164.5 km
3	Plain	Monday 7 July	Saint-Malo > Nantes	208 km
4	Individual time-trial	Tuesday 8 July	Cholet > Cholet	29.5 km
5	Plain	Wednesday 9 July	Cholet > Châteauroux	232 km
6	Medium mountains	Thursday 10 July	Aigurande > Super-Besse	195.5 km
7	Medium mountains	Friday 11 July	Brioude > Aurillac	159 km
8	Plain	Saturday 12 July	Figeac > Toulouse	172.5 km
9	High Mountains	Sunday 13 July	Toulouse > Bagnères-de-Bigorre	224 km
10	High Mountains	Monday 14 July	Pau > Hautacam	156 km
R	Rest Day	Tuesday 15 July	Pau
11	Medium mountains	Wednesday 16 July	Lannemezan > Foix	167.5 km
12	Plain	Thursday 17 July	Lavelanet > Narbonne	168.5 km
13	Plain	Friday 18 July	Narbonne > Nîmes	182 km
14	Plain	Saturday 19 July	Nîmes > Digne-les-Bains	194.5 km
15	High Mountains	Sunday 20 July	Embrun > Prato Nevoso	183 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 21 July	Cuneo
16	High Mountains	Tuesday 22 July	Cuneo > Jausiers	157 km
17	High Mountains	Wednesday 23 July	Embrun > L’Alpe-d’Huez	210.5 km
18	Medium mountains	Thursday 24 July	Bourg-d’Oisans > Saint-Étienne	196.5 km
19	Plain	Friday 25 July	Roanne > Montluçon	165.5 km
20	Individual time-trial	Saturday 26 July	Cérilly > Saint-Amand-Montrond	53 km
21	Plain	Sunday 27 July	Étampes > Paris Champs-Élysées	143 km

We go around France the other way as compared to the last time and as is more traditional, the Pyrenees will be encountered first followed by the French Alps. The Tour goes into Italy for two stages and this is the first time that it will have a stopover in Italy.

This part of my preview will focus mainly on the 5 mountain stages that are a part of this year's route.

The first of these stages is from Toulouse to Bagnères-de-Bigorre (Sunday 13 July) which covers 224 km. This will surely be a baptism of fire for the peleton as they will be exiting fairly simple climbs to be faced with some of the Pyrennes' beasts. The stage starts with 4 category 4 climbs before proceeding to the Category 3 Cole des Ares (6 km at 4.9% gradient, summiting at 123.5 km from the start). After this come two of the beasts in the Col des Peyresourde, a category 1 climb (13.2 km at 7.1%, summiting at 166.5 km from the start), here is where the big boys would start to make their moves slowly trying to get to the front so as to attack on the final climb which is the Col d' Aspin another Category 1 climb (12.3 km at 6.5%, summiting at 198km from the start). The main contenders should show themselves at this stage and try to gain some measure of control over the tour, despite it being too early.

The next stage is from Pau to Hautacam (Monday 14 July) which covers 156km. This Bastille Day stage is a real killer with two of the most fearsome Pyrenees' peaks fitted into the same stage. The French riders would want to win the stage but it might not be possible. The stage begins with two Category 3 climbs, the Côte de Benejacq (2.6 km climb to 6.9 %, summiting at 32.5 km) and the LOUCRUP (2.0 km climb to 6.9 %, summiting at 72 km) before feeding into the first of the Hors Category (outside category) climbs. This is the infamous Col du Tourmalet (17.7 km climb to 7.5 %, summiting at 106 km) which was missing from last year's tour, a virtual gimme for Lance Armstrong, this climb will create immense pressure on the contenders as they ride into the Rest Day. The stage ends with a climb to the summit of the Hautacam (14.4 km climb to 7.2 %) This is where Armstrong had laid his siege to take control of the 2000 tour and this could be the place where one of the contenders might try to put some distance between his self and his competition. This marks the end of the Pyrenees.

The stage that marks the beginning of the Alpine tryst is the stage from Embrun to Prato Nevoso which covers 183 km (Sunday 20 July) . The stage will end in Italy. The stage really kicks in at the start with a Hors Category climb of the Col Agnel (20.5 km climb to 6.6 %, summiting at 58 km). With a rest day to follow this maybe a good opportunity for a breakaway to form or for some contenders to take a few risks. This is followed by a category 3 climb of the Colle del Morte (1.7 km climb to 7.2 %, summiting at 157 km). This maybe used as a springboard by the riders to take them on to the finish atop the Prato Nevoso. This climb is a Category 1 climb summiting at 183.0 km (11.4 km climb to 6.9 %). The second Rest Day is at Cuneo.

The tour resumes on Tuesday (22nd July) with the stage from Cuneo to Jausiers that covers 157 km. This stage only features two climbs but they are huge mountain passes which are most unforgiving. Any rider who can recover well after the rest day is sure to take advantage of this stage as tired bodies might perish atop these passes. The first of the climbs is the Col de la Lombarde (21.5 km climb to 6.9 %, summiting at 72.5 km), a Hors Category climb. That is followed by the Cime de la Bonette-Restefond (25.5 km climb to 6.5 %, summiting at 133.5 km) another Hors category climb that should be the spring board for the contenders to make thier final moves so as to be in pole position at the end of the next stage.

The last high mountain stage is on Wednesday 23rd July from Embrun to L'Alpe D'Huez that covers a mammoth 210.5 km. This is truly a killer stage with an unprecedented 3 Hors Category climbs. The stage begins with a sedate Category 3 climb of the Côte de Sainte-Marguerite (3.5 km climb to 6 %, summiting at 31 km) before kicking into the most famous stretches of alpine muontains. It begins with the climb of the Col du Galibier (20.9 km climb to 5.6 %, summiting at 79 km) followed by the grueling summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer (29.0 km climb to 5.2 %, summiting at 156 km) and then the stage ends with the climb to the top of the L'Alpe D'Huez (13.8 km climb to 7.9 %) all Hors Category climbs. At the end of this stage the hierarchy should be set for the final showdown in the time-trial from Cerilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond to decide the champion of this year's edition.

The next article will focus on the riders participating in this year's running of the tour.

Tour de France

2008-06-30T09:25:00.000+05:30

Well to begin with I shall be giving a brief overview of what the Tour de France is all about. At the outset I wish to convey the information that no amount of words can truly describe what the event truly stands for. Hell... when Lance Armstrong 7 times winner of the event himself couldn't describe it I am but a mere mortal.

Well calling it a bicycle race is like calling cricket bat-ball or something like that. In other words that's purely degrading, yet those in a argumentative mood will say it is exactly that at the end of the day... a bicycle race. Well, yes, it is a bicycle race and much more. It is the most prestigious race in the cycling calendar, the super bowl of NFL, the world series of Baseball. Held in the month of July each year. It takes the participants on a journey of about 3500 kms over the entire nation of France including a few of the neighboring countries such as Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain,etc. The race goes on for 22 days and culminates on the Champs-Elysees in Paris in view of the Arc de Triomphe, an apt symbol to describe the race. Finishing the race is a triumph in itself after spending 22 days in the saddle over flat roads and mountains alike and in all kinds of weather and fighting the pain that grips one's body. The race generally comprises of 20/21 teams having 9 riders each. The team is just not a collection of riders but it is a well structured unit of professionals, all with their own qualities, designed for one purpose alone... winning. Well the event has basically four sub events so to speak. They are termed as classifications but they are more famously known by the jersey that the leader's of the classification wear.
They are:
General Classification - Yellow Jersey (Maillot jaune)
Points Classification - Green Jersey (Maillot vert)
Young Rider (under 25 years of age) Classification - White Jersey (Maillot blanc)
King of the Mountains(KM) Classification - Polka Dot Jersey ( Maillot à pois rouges)

The General and Young Rider classifications are time based, as in, fastest to complete the entire race distance leads or wins the competition. The Points and KM classification are points based and is won by the rider scoring maximum points.

Coming back to the riders, well there are basically four types of riders that the team could comprise of, so classified because of their individual abilities.They are, namely, the team leader, the sprinters, the climbers and the domestiques.
The roles of these individuals are as follows:
Team Leader - As the very name suggests, he is the leader. He is the rider who has all round ability. One who can survive the flats, climb the mountains quickly and is adept in the art of time-trialing (which I'll elaborate upon later). He is the rider for whom the team works and he competes for the grand prize, the Maillot Jaune.
Sprinters - May or may not be present in the team. There is one main sprinter who competes for the green jersey and one or two more who are called the lead-out men. Their job is to clear the way for their man and give him a slingshot towards the finish.
Climbers - These are the rider's who assist the leader in getting over the mountains quickly and help in defeating competition. They ride in such a way that the leader sits behind them and is shielded by them against the wind and enables him to save valuable energy. That saved energy is used towards the end of the climb where the leader can put distance between his competitors and him.
Domestiques - Probably the most thankless job in cycling. Their roles vary from protecting the leader to getting food and drinks from the team car to all other riders. Remember this, without proper domestiques no one can win the race.

The structure of the race can be described as such. The race is composed of 20-21 stages, a stage being a day long course. The stages can be flat, hilly or mountainous or a time -trial.
Flat stage - Likely to be longer than most of the other stages, the speeds involved are very high. Average speeds can be close to 50 kmph. (Imagine that on a bicycle and sustained for 4-5 hours) These are the stages meant for the sprinters. The leaders do not compete for the top spots because the sprinters are the risk takers and there are chances of huge accidents taking place. Sprinters can't climb because of their incompatible physiologies and hence they are not in the reckoning for the overall classification. Each stage win has bonus points which contribute towards the green jersey competition.
Mountain stage - A sight to be viewed. The Tour de France traverses two mountain ranges. The Pyrenees on the Spanish border and the French Alps. These stages are where the race is decided. A bad day in the mountains can result in a loss of upto 30 minutes or more which is huge. The various peaks or passes are classified into categories according to the length of the climb and it's average gradient. The various categories are 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st and Hors categorie. (outside category) The most difficult being the outside category climbs. Depending upon the category, points for the KM classification are decided. In case of a mountain top finish the stage winner gets double the points. These stages are generally shorter but are a treat to watch.
Time Trial - After mountain stages the most decisive factor in the General Classification. Those who know Formula One will be accustomed to qualifying. Time-trial is basically the same. Fastest time over the course (about 50 km) gets the stage win. Individuals go out over the course at fixed intervals with the race leader going out last. The first 20 riders (last to go out) are spaced out by 3 minutes while the rest by 2 minutes.

The race is truly a spectacle. Those who are captured by it's aura are sure to enjoy it. It takes a special trait to watch the race since it is not for everyone. It takes patience, watching 180 riders cycling for 23 days can be a bit boring!!! Yet for the uninitiated I would personally recommend watching the time-trials and the mountain stages. I hope I have provided enough information on the Tour. If I haven't cleared anything please let me know. Look out for my preview on the 2008 Tour in the coming months.

Lahm puts Germany through!!!

2008-06-26T15:33:00.003+05:30

It was a spectacle befitting a major semi-final. Germany overcame surprise package Turkey in a thrilling encounter in front of a packed St. Jakob's Park in Basel. Lahm scored a last minute goal to give 'Die Manschaft' a 3-2 victory on the night and enabled the pre-tournament favourites to progress to the Final.

With Turkey missing 9 of their players through injury or suspension it was always a question of how the Germans would defeat them rather than if they would defeat them. The Germans had had a tremendous quarter-final defeating Portugal with divine inspiration from the previously disgraced Bastian Schweinsteiger. The Turks had progressed in spectacular circumstances defeating the Croats in a penalty shoot-out after having forced it late in the second-half of extra time. Yet as they say script-writing isn't that easy!

The game started with Turkey in the ascendancy with plundering runs by flankers Ugur Boral and Sabri Sarioglu. The Germans barely had any meaningful possession and the Turks threatened to score with Semih Senturk proving a handful for the defense. Hamit Altintop moved to the centre of the midfield was orchestrating several of the attacks and looked very commanding with Thomas Hitzlsperger and Simon Rolfes not being able to do much about it. The German threatened a bit down the left with marauding runs by Lahm and Podolski. Schweinsteiger was unable to get into the game early on. The Turks tested Jens Lehmann a lot in the opening minutes with almost a shoot at sight philosophy. True to form they did open the scoring on 22 minutes with Ugur Boral netting the opener. The attack came down the right hand side of the Turkish midfield. A pass into Semih was lobbed by him towards the net where it beat Lehmann completely and hit the crossbar came out and was put into the net by Boral having broken away from Arne Friedrich. Kazim Kazim had earlier thundered the crossbar with a fearsome strike with Lehmann squarely beaten.

True to the German spirit they equalized four minutes later with Bastian Schweinsteiger scoring the leveller. It was similar in many respects to their opener in the quarter-final. Lukas Podolski ran along the left touchline and put in a low cross. Bastian, with a late run, shaked of his marker and got in front of the defenders Gokhan Zan and Mehmet Topal and cheekily finished with a lob over Recber with the outside of his right boot. After this both teams created chances but none managed to score although it was Turkey who clearly won the half (if ever there is such a thing) with 9 shots on goal and 8 on target as compared to German's 2 and 1. Klose couldn't get to much change up front against Topal and Zan and Ballack wasn't able to take control of the game.

The second half began with Germany being able to exercise some measure of control over the game but the Turks continued to threaten with their hunger and their never-say-die attitude. Semih and Kazim were getting more change out of Metzelder (who looked slow) and Mertesacker. Altintop was influential and Boral was phenomenal. Joachim Low brought about the first change when he brought on Torsten Frings for the sub-par Rolfes. The game changed a bit after that as the Germans got more in control. Ballack had more freedom to express himself. The breakthrough came in the 79th minute. Another marauding Lahm run culminated in him putting a cross into the far-post region where the predator Klose rose and headed the ball in after Rustu Recber had flopped. What was thought to be a foregone conclusion form here on was anything but that. The Turks got another surge of energy despite playing with the same eleven as they started and this time it was Lehmann at fault for the equalizer. Sabri Sarioglu got the better of Lahm and crossed in from the 18 yard box where Semih was quicker than Metzelder and poked with his right foot which crept in at the near post past a despairing Lehmann who was waiting for the ball to come to him.

As the match crept towards extra time the Germans attacked and for the first time the fatigue of the Turks showed as the defense was caught flat. Lahm's interplay with Hitzlsperger was capped off by a slide rule pass into Lahm who got into the 6 yard box and finished with aplomb past Recber to send the German crowd into raptures and dash the Turkish hopes of another huge scalp.

Players to watch out for at the EURO's!

2008-06-07T14:27:00.002+05:30

Every major tournament throws up it's own set of stars. Career's are made with a stellar performance in such competitions, with the entire footballing fraternity's eyes focussed on the players. A big money move being a stone's throw away. Here are some players that I think will be worth looking out for. This list will not contain the already established players!

Croatia: Mladen Petric, Luka Modric.
Czech Republic: Libor Sionko
Germany: Mario Gomez
France: Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema, Franck Ribery
Greece: Yiannis Amanatidis
Netherlands: Klass Jan Huntelaar, Nigel De Jong
Italy: Fabio Quagliarella (if he gets a game)
Spain: Daniel Guiza, David Silva
Portugal: Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho
Poland: Eusebiusz Smolarek
Russia: Andrei Arshavin, Pavel Pogrebnyak
Romania: Nicolae Dica
Sweden: Markus Rosenberg
Switzerland: Tranquillo Barnetta, Johan Vonlanthen, Daniel Gygax

You think you are a football freak, try this!!! (Part 2)

2008-04-11T16:30:00.002+05:30

I am back with the next installment of questions to test your knowledge. All the best to you participants.

(I haven't referred any websites for these questions, honestly, these are from my memory)

Q.1 Who are slated to appear in the FA Cup final in this season?

Q.2 If you were sitting in the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion, which club's home match would you be witnessing?

Q.3 Which stadium is more popularly known as the "San Siro"?

Q.4 Name the city and the stadium that is the venue for the Champions League Final, 2008?

Q.5 The Sanchez Pizjuan stadium is home to which Spanish club?

Q.6 Which club does Ribas Diego play for?

Q.7 Which club has the nickname "Nerazzuri"?

Q.8 If Schalke 04 play at the Arena Auf Schalke, where do Bayern Munich play?

Q.9 If you were watching Mateja Kezman play which club's match would it be?

Q.10 A little "recent" history, Liverpool once won the UEFA cup with a thrilling scoreline of 5-4 in regulation time, name their opponents in that match(final)?

Well... you know the rules, don't you???

For first timers:-
I would urge you to preferably not refer to any websites to answer these. Well enjoy the quiz and give me your feedback.

You think you are a football freak, try this!!!

2008-02-01T10:37:00.000+05:30

Well this is a mortal's attempt at being God so please bear with it. I have tried to design a quiz to test the depths of your knowledge regarding the game we so love and by that I mean football. So those interested can read on and attempt it, you can mail me your response at pran_elec01@yahoo.co.in and I will reply to you giving you the answers and your score. Let's see how this works out and then maybe I can make a few changes and also incorporate other sports. All the best to you participants.

(I haven't referred any websites for these questions, honestly, these are from my memory)

Q.1 If you were watching a Teeside-Wearside derby, which match would it be?

Q.2 If Manchester United are the Red Devils, then who are Juventus?

Q.3 Imagine you are sitting in the Westfalenstadion, which club's home game would you be witnessing?

Q.4 A midland's derby would feature which current EPL clubs?

Q.5 The Olympic de Montjuic stadium is home to which Spanish club?

Q.6 Which club does Alessandro "the duck" Pato play for?

Q.7 Which club has the nickname "Giallorossi"?

Q.8 If Marseille play at the Velodrome, where do Lyon play?

Q.9 If you were watching Ricardo Oliviera play which club's match would it be?

Q.10 In which country would you find the Arnold Schwarzenegger stadium?

I would urge you to preferably not refer to any websites to answer these. Well enjoy the quiz and give me your feedback.

Winter Transfers in the Barclays Premier League!

2008-02-01T10:29:00.000+05:30

Premier League Transfers
Arsenal
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Lassana Diarra	Undisclosed	Portsmouth
	Matthew Connolly	Undisclosed	QPR
	Johan Djourou	Loan : Expired	Birmingham
	Matthew Connolly	Loan : Expired	Colchester

Aston Villa
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Wayne Routledge	£ 1,250,000	Tottenham
	Gary Cahill	Undisclosed	Bolton
	Tobias Mikaelsson	On Loan	Port Vale
	Chris Herd	On Loan	Port Vale
	Zoltan Stieber	On Loan	Yeovil

Birmingham City
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Matthew Sadler	£ 750,000	Watford
	James McFadden	£ 5,000,000	Everton
	David Murphy	£ 1,500,000	Hibernian
	Asa Hall	On Loan	Shrewsbury
	Wilson Palacios	Undisclosed	Wigan Ath
	Rowan Vine	Undisclosed	QPR
	Neil Kilkenny	Undisclosed	Leeds Utd
	Neil Kilkenny	Loan : Expired	Leeds Utd
	Johan Djourou	Loan : Expired	Arsenal
	Krystian Pearce	On Loan	Notts County
	Martin Taylor	On Loan	Norwich

Blackburn Rovers
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Paul Gallagher	On Loan	Stoke City
	Peter Enckelman	On Loan	Cardiff City
	Mark King	Free Transfer	Accrington
	Robbie Savage	£ 1,500,000	Derby
	Eddie Nolan	On Loan	Hartlepool

Bolton Wanderers
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Lubomir Michalik	Undisclosed	Leeds Utd
	Grzegorz Rasiak	On Loan	Southampton
	Gary Cahill	Undisclosed	Aston Villa
	Matthew Taylor	Undisclosed	Portsmouth
	Gretar Steinsson	£ 3,500,000	AZ
	Nicolas Anelka	£ 15,000,000	Chelsea
	Tamir Cohen	Undisclosed	Maccabi Tel Avi
	Gary Speed	On Loan	Sheff Utd

Chelsea
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Branislav Ivanovic	Undisclosed	Lokomotiv
	Nicolas Anelka	£ 15,000,000	Bolton
	Ryan Bertrand	On Loan	Norwich
	Ryan Bertrand	Loan : Expired	Oldham

Derby County
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Stephen Bywater	On Loan	Ipswich
	Roy Carroll	Free Transfer	Rangers
	Mile Sterjovski	On Loan	Basle
	Laurent Robert	Undisclosed
	Matthew Oakley	£ 500,000	Leicester
	Lee Holmes	On Loan	Walsall
	Robbie Savage	£ 1,500,000	Blackburn
	Mohammed Camara	On Loan	Norwich
	Danny Mills	On Loan	Man City
	Lewin Nyatanga	Loan : Expired	Barnsley
	Steve Howard	Undisclosed	Leicester
	Robert Malcolm	On Loan	QPR
	Jon Macken	On Loan	Barnsley

Everton
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Anthony Gardner	On Loan	Tottenham
	Patrick Boyle	On Loan	Crewe
	James McFadden	£ 5,000,000	Birmingham
	Manuel Fernandes	On Loan	Valencia
	Dan Gosling	£ 1,500,000	Plymouth
	Lucas Jutkiewicz	On Loan	Plymouth
	Anderson De Silva	Loan : Expired	Barnsley

Fulham
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Jari Litmanen	Free Transfer	Malmo FF
	Toni Kallio	Undisclosed	Young Boys Bern
	Lee Cook	On Loan	Charlton
	Steven Davis	On Loan	Rangers
	Paul Stalteri	On Loan	Tottenham
	Erik Nevland	Undisclosed	Groningen
	Eddie Johnson	Undisclosed
	Leon Andreasen	Undisclosed	Werder
	Brede Hangeland	Undisclosed	FC Copenhagen
	Collins John	On Loan	Leicester

Liverpool
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Besian Idrizaj	Loan : Cancelled	Oldham
	Mohamed Sissoko	£ 8,200,000	Juve
	Martin Skrtel	Undisclosed
	Ryan Flynn	On Loan	Hereford
	Robbie Threlfall	On Loan	Hereford

Manchester City
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Georgios Samaras	On Loan	Celtic
	Rolando Bianchi	On Loan	Lazio
	Marc Laird	Free Transfer	Millwall
	Danny Mills	On Loan	Derby
	Marc Laird	Loan : Expired	Port Vale
	Shaleum Logan	On Loan	Grimsby

Manchester United
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Lee Martin	On Loan	Sheff Utd
	Phil Bardsley	Loan : Expired	Sheff Utd
	Phil Bardsley	£ 2,000,000	Sunderland
	Ryan Shawcross	£ 1,000,000	Stoke City
	Febian Brandy	On Loan	Swansea City
	Jonny Evans	On Loan	Sunderland
	Fraizer Campbell	On Loan	Hull City
	Phil Bardsley	On Loan	Sheff Utd
	Darron Gibson	On Loan	Wolves
	Lee Martin	Loan : Expired	Plymouth

Middlesbrough
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Ben Hutchinson	£ 250,000	Celtic
	Afonso Alves	Undisclosed	Heerenveen
	Matthew Bates	On Loan	Norwich
	Jonathan Woodgate	Undisclosed	Tottenham
	Andrew Davies	Loan : Expired	Southampton
	Andrew Davies	Undisclosed	Southampton
	Andrew Davies	On Loan	Southampton

Newcastle United
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	David Rozehnal	On Loan	Lazio
	Ben Tozer	Undisclosed	Swindon
	Matthew Pattison	Undisclosed	Norwich
	Matthew Pattison	Loan : Expired	Norwich
	Matthew Pattison	On Loan	Norwich

Portsmouth
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Jermain Defoe	Undisclosed	Tottenham
	Milan Baros	On Loan	Lyon
	Djimi Traore	On Loan	Rennes
	Lassana Diarra	Undisclosed	Arsenal
	Matthew Taylor	Undisclosed	Bolton
	Martin Cranie	On Loan	QPR

Reading
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Simon Church	On Loan	Yeovil
	Jimmy Kebe	Undisclosed	RC Lens
	Marek Matejovsky	Undisclosed	Mlada Boleslav
	Scott Golbourne	On Loan	Bournemouth
	James Henry	On Loan	Bournemouth
	Alex Pearce	On Loan	Bournemouth
	John Halls	On Loan	Preston NE
	Simon Church	Loan : Expired	Crewe
	Ben Hamer	On Loan	Brentford
	Ben Hamer	Loan : Expired	Brentford

Sunderland
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Andy Reid	Undisclosed	Charlton
	Andy Cole	On Loan	Burnley
	Rade Prica	£ 2,000,000
	Phil Bardsley	£ 2,000,000	Man Utd
	Jean-Yves Mvoto	Undisclosed	PSG
	Jonny Evans	On Loan	Man Utd
	Stanislav Varga	On Loan	Burnley
	Stephen Wright	Loan : Expired	Stoke City
	Billy Dennehy	On Loan	Accrington

Tottenham Hotspur
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Paul Stalteri	On Loan	Fulham
	Anthony Gardner	On Loan	Everton
	Da Silva Gilberto	Undisclosed	Hertha
	Jermain Defoe	Undisclosed	Portsmouth
	Wayne Routledge	£ 1,250,000	Aston Villa
	Jonathan Woodgate	Undisclosed	Middlesbro'
	Philip Ifil	Undisclosed	Colchester
	Ben Alnwick	On Loan	Leicester
	Chris Gunter	Undisclosed	Cardiff City
	Philip Ifil	Loan : Expired	Southampton
	Jamie O'Hara	Loan : Expired	Millwall
	Andy Barcham	On Loan	Leyton Orient

West Ham United
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Christian Dailly	Free Transfer	Rangers
	Calum Davenport	On Loan	Watford
	Hogan Ephraim	Undisclosed	QPR
	Christian Dailly	Loan : Expired	Southampton
	Hogan Ephraim	Loan : Expired	QPR

Wigan Athletic
In/Out	Player Name	Amount/Type	To/From
	Denny Landzaat	£ 1,000,000	Feyenoord
	Marlon King	Undisclosed	Watford
	Erik Edman	Undisclosed	Rennes
	Wilson Palacios	Undisclosed	Birmingham
	Fitz Hall	Undisclosed	QPR

A Little Education!!!

2007-12-31T09:21:00.000+05:30

Well some people have had the "audacity" to say that my blog is very boring. It's more for people who understand sports and doesn't cater to general needs. Some people have requested me to include some sports education articles. Well you might've guessed that these requests came from girls, but I do respect them and hence will try here to educate the masses regarding the sports that I go harping on about week after week. I know several girls who take great interest in sports but then again there are some who don't except if it's a cricket match involving India. Please all you gals who might be reading this "uninteresting blog" I don't mean any offense, I am a person who respects personal opinion very deeply and would like to lend a helping hand in getting you accustomed to my lingo. I hope the ensuing articles are of use to you and ushers in an era of sport loving females. For those unfortunate boys who have been buried so deep in their books for so long that they do not know what a sunny day is like I hope this opens up your eyes as well.

At the outset I would like to add that I am glad our country is progressing in the sense that people have started watching sports other then cricket more regularly.

So here goes. I will obviously begin with the most popular sport in the world over, Football. The basics of the game go like this. Two teams play the game with 11 players on both the sides. There are basically four positions that players play in, namely, Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder, Striker. The object of the game is to score more goals than the opposition by putting the ball in the net of your opponent. The pitch measures 90-110 metres in length and about 50-60 metres in width. The match is presided over by 3 referees. Two of them, the assistant referees, patrol the lines while one runs around the field in the center along with the players. The goal measures 6 yards in width and is about 9 feet in height. The game is played for 90 minutes with a break up as follows 45-10-45. That is two halves of 45 minutes each and a 10 minute half time break. The game uses a running clock system. That is even if the play has been stopped due to any reason the clock does not stop (as it does in hockey or basketball). Hence, there is a bit of time added on at the end of each half to account for these losses. This period is called "stoppage time" and is not to be confused with extra time.

The game is bifurcated into two basic representations. The national game and the club game. The sport is governed by FIFA and the entire world is broken into 6 confederations, namely, Europe, Asia, Oceania(the pacific islands), Africa (CAF), South America and North and Central America. The national game involves two basic competitions, the local confederation cup like the European Championship, Asia Cup, Copa America, African Cup of Nations, etc. and the World Cup.

The sport can then be further be classified into two types, namely, league football and cup football. Each of the member countries have their own domestic leagues that comprise of clubs ranging from Amateur to Professional teams. The domestic structure is divided into several divisions. League football involves clubs playing against each other over the course of a "season" that is roughly 9 months (varying depending upon the geographical location of the country). Here a points system is adopted wherein victory earns 3 points, a draw 1 point and a loss no points. The team at the end of the season with the most points is declared the winner. The cup competition on the other hand adopts knockout format wherein if you win you progress or else you are out. In case of a draw two periods of 15 minutes each are played, called extra time" in case the deadlock is still not broken a penalty shootout is played out to decide the winner.

Coming back to the basics. The players, except the goalkeeper, cannot touch the ball with their hand. The goalie can do so only within the penalty box that is an 18 yard box surrounding his goal. The two teams may have either 5 or 7 substitutes in their squad but are allowed only 3 in a game. Once a player is taken off he cannot be brought back on. There are some basic terminologies that must be understood:

Goal Kick: In case the attacking team, either by shooting or passing, puts the ball over the bye-line, that is two end lines on the pitch, without it touching any of the opposing players then the goal keeper gets to restart the game. The ball has to be placed anywhere along the 6 yard line and kicked into play.
Corner Kick: In the above event if there is a touch made by any opposing player then the attacking team is awarded a corner kick which involves the ball being placed in small arcs marked at the corners of the pitch and the kick being taken from there.
Free Kick: If a player commits a foul or an infringement anywhere except the penalty box the opposition is awarded a free kick wherein one of their players places the abll at the spot where the infringement took place and restarting the game. Here the defender has to be minimum of 10 yards from the ball before the kick can be taken.
Throw-In: In case the ball goes out along the sides of the pitch. The teams have to throw the ball back into play. While taking the throw both feet of the player should be grounded and must be behind the line and the throw must be made with hands outstretched and above his head.
Penalty Kick: In case a foul is committed by a player in his defensive penalty box. The opposition is awarded this kick, wherein all players stand outside the penalty box except for the defending teams goalie and on player attacking player(penalty taker). The ball is placed at a spot 12 yards from the goal( marked) and the kick is taken from there.
Yellow Card: The referee if he deems a certain infringement as unsporting or dangerous can show the player this card. Although this does not have any immediate consequences a collection of two cards in the same match earns you a Red Card and expulsion from the game and also a one game suspension after that. A collection of such cards over the course of the competition could also earn the player a suspension depending upon the rules of the competition.
Red Card: Two yellows in a match equals one red. Also if the infringement is gruesome enough to be deemed by the referee he may give a straight red which will result in expulsion and 3 game suspension.

Now I will try and explain the structure of teams for which another glossary of terms is required:
Positions that players can take up:
Goalkeeper, Central Defender, Left Back, Right Back, Left wing back, Right wing back, Anchorman, Sweeper, Defensive Midfielder, Central Midfielder, Attacking Midfielder, Right Midfielder, Left Midfielder, Striker, Center-Forward, Right Wing and Left Wing. (I'll explain these later)
The teams can adopt various formations depending upon the tactics they wish to pay with, namely,
(4-4-2),(4-3-3),(4-4-1-1),(4-1-2-1-2),(4-3-1-2),(4-2-3-1),(3-4-3),(3-5-2), and various other variations. These numbers basically signify how many players will play in defense, midfield and attack.

I think this much "gyaan" is enough for now. In case of any queries please ask me through comments and I will try to improve on the above description. I trust you found this useful.

Boxing Day!!!

2007-12-30T12:50:00.000+05:30

Year after year this day keeps getting better and better. 26th December of each year is named as the Boxing Day. For a sports fan such as me there are few days that come close to this. Well maybe except days when you have the Wimbledon Men's finals coupled with a Formula One Race and a killer football match. Boxing Day is more consistent in that sense. Invariably the day begins very early in the morning. The reason is very simple. The Boxing Day test match at the MCG (that's Melbourne Cricket Ground for the uninitiated). Play begins at 5 or 5:30 am India time. Watching Australia in the tests is a real treat. You can clearly see why they are the best. More on that later. Then there is a little matter of 9 games being played in the English Premier League in the Evening. So that day ends late. That's a basic gist of the day's events. The day after Christmas is truly a treat.

This year was no different. I'll begin with the evening events. Boxing Day Bonanza could not have begun any better. Chelsea battled Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge in London. This game ended 4-4 with 3 red cards and it was end to end stuff from start to finish. That was followed up by Manchester United's thumping win over Sunderland 4-0.

Yet the greatest mention has to go the Boxing Day test match at the MCG. This time the stakes were higher since it was India battling the Aussies. Now, those who have read my article on Indian Cricket will know how much I "love" my country's Cricket team. Let me mention this at the outset. All you so called patriot Indians either buck up the courage to read on or else get lost, because if you cannot digest stark reality you got no place on this planet (except in the land of eternal optimism, our beloved India, how ironic). No matter what we may have achieved in the past few months taking the Aussies on in tests is a totally different cattle of fish, especially in Australia. I knew that despite our phenomenal exploits in India beating Pakistan and all and our famed batting line-up doing well we were in for a nice wake up call.

Cometh the hour, cometh the men. True to my prediction, I woke up on the 26th and switched on the tele at some unearthly hour (under normal circumstances) and viola! what do I see. Matthew Hayden and Phil Jaques are piling on the misery on the Indians. They go into lunch on the 1st day at 111-0. Perfect start. Post lunch they continue their domination but Jaques gets a rush of blood and not having faced Anil Kumble before proves fatal as he gets stumped. Hayden continues to plunder. Ricky Ponting and Michael (Mr. Cricket) Hussey fall cheaply and suddenly the Indians are on the up. Credit to them. They bowled tremendously on day 1 and the day surely belonged to both sides but the last two session were firmly in India's bag. Michael (Pup) Clarke and Andrew Symonds provide support but they too perish. Adam Gilchrist is the Aussie version of Sehwag (read much more consistent), he may get out cheaply or just bludgeon the bowling. Today it was the former. Kumble was imperious on day 1 and deservedly got a 5-for ably supported by Zaheer Khan who got 3. Yet the Aussies ended the day on 337-9 having scored 100 runs in all 3 sessions despite the fall of wickets. The main feature of their play was their running. They ran a total of 25 3's and several 2's and quick singles. This was mainly due to the outfield being slow and the ground being huge. Hayden scored his 5th Boxing Day century and got out for an impressive 124. Phil Jaques score of 66 ensured that he had gone past 50 in each of his 5 innings till date having made his debut against Sri Lanka.

Day 2 began with the Aussie's adding 6 runs to their tally before getting all out resulting in a 1st Innings score of 343. What ensued next was a masterclass. India came out to bat in the morning session. Now in Australia, morning sessions are what I call "Carnage Session's". True to this, our openers Rahul Dravid and Wasim Jaffer were given a true Aussie welcome. Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee bowled tremendously and kept the shutters down on India's scoring. They were definitely aided by India's overtly defensive batting but they showed the world how to be disciplined and what control of the cricket ball is. Jaffer struggled and got out to Brett Lee for a score of 4. At one point the going was such that the figure for Brett Lee read 7-3-10-1 and for Mitchell Johnson 6-5-1-0. Dravid was so bogged down that he took 41 balls to score 1 run. Laxman came at Jaffer's fall and looked to score which ensured that the Indian's actually scored some runs. Up stepped Stuart Clark, the next Glenn McGrath, and bowled beyond description. He was bang on target every single ball getting the ball to nip both ways. Rahul was literally put out of his misery by a superb Clark in-swinger that trapped him leg before just before lunch (in fact the last ball). This resulted in India going to lunch on Day 2 at 31/2 in 21.4 overs . What a struggle!!!

The post lunch session was much better scoring-wise since Sachin came in and along with Laxman stepped up the scoring rate. Both were looking very comfortable till a beautiful short delivery bowled by Brett Lee had Laxman ducking but the ball ricocheted off his gloves as he fended and Ricky Ponting took a sharp forward diving catch at second slip.

This brought on Sourav Ganguly to the wicket batting in his 100th match. He too looked good which was bound to be since he was in excellent form coming off an 300+ run match against Pakistan. Stuart Clark continued to bowl excellently and he was rewarded when Sachin dragged on from outside off stump. This happened just 15 minutes before tea. Up stepped Yuvraj but he too was sent packing for a duck after being out twice. So India went to tea at 122-5 having scored 91 runs but losing 3 wickets. After tea the story was much the same with Dhoni lasting all of 2 balls. Kumble and Ganguly lent some stability to the innings but Ganguly perished to a Brad Hogg flipper. It was all downhill from there as India lost wickets regularly. India folded up with 20 minutes left in the day for paltry 196. The highlight of the day being how Ponting marshaled his bowling resources and especially his tactics with Hogg. Despite being carted around the park by Tendulkar and Ganguly he persisted with Hogg so that he could gain confidence. Jaques and Hayden began the 2nd innings just as the 1st. Both survived overnight.

Day 3 saw the Aussies take control of the test with some clinical batting. Phil Jaques got to his 6th consecutive 50+ score. Hayden perished early though trying to up the scoring.

Ponting had another uncharacteristic failure. Hussey looked to be making amends for his 1st innings but he chased a wide one from RP Singh. 'Pup' and Symonds came together after Jaques fell and batted extremely well. They handled Kumble and Harbhajan very well. Symonds perished before tea for 44. Australia had already amassed a score of 243/5 with a total lead of 390. Gilchrist gave good support to Clarke. Clarke scored 73 before being stumped off Kumble in a bid to score quick runs. Ponting has his eyes on a declaration before the end of the days play. He finally declared with a lead of 498. The Aussies attacked Jaffer and Dravid for 8 overs but they survived and ended with 6/0.

The Indians were hopeful for a miracle as there were still 2 days to go and they had to score 493 runs to win. Day 4 began much the same way as Day 2. Johnson and Lee bowled patiently and with great vigour. Johnson touching the 147 kph mark on a hot day quite consistently. Jaffer was the 1st to go, much the same way as his 1st innings dismissal. Edging Lee to Gilchrist. Laxman came on and looked good again but Dravid was still stuck in a limbo. He continued to labour and finally perished leg before to Symonds just before lunch scoring 16 off 114 balls. Hopes of a miracle were still on if Tendulkar could play well but he could not replicate his 1st innings form and fell for 15. Ganguly came out and played well along with Laxman. Laxman's score was 42 when he fell again close to tea. Out came Yuvraj but he too didn't last long. So once again India went into tea at 125 for 5. Dhoni's woes continued after tea and suddenly Ganguly found himself running out of partners. Johnson was bowling well. After snagging Dhoni he quickly sent back Kumble. Ganguly perished to Hogg once again having scored 40 and he was the 9th wicket to fall. The match was over an hour before stumps on day 4. A clinical and professional victory for the Australians. A Thumping win by 337 runs as India capitulated for 161.

Christmas has a lot in store for the Barclays Premier League!

2007-12-24T09:45:00.000+05:30

With perhaps the busiest and most important phase of the league coming along, all teams are gearing up to get their seasons on the right track. The top of the table looks pretty much the same with Arsenal leading Manchester United by 1 point, after both secured 2-1 victories in very tough fixtures. Arsenal kicked off on Saturday in the North London derby against arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium. Goals from Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner enabled them to snatch a win which was undeserved in the sense that Spurs played well enough not to lose. Robbie Keane's missed penalty helping in the defeat for Spurs.

Manchester United took on an Everton side in good form in the noon time kick-off at Old Traford in a bid to cut the lead of Arsenal back to 1 point. A brace from Ronaldo got the desired result and proved Cahill's goal a mere consolation. With 3 games to be played in the next week, it was known that the teams would use their squad players in certain fixtures to avoid injuries. Ferguson rested Rio Ferdinand, Edwin Van Der Sar and Owen Hargreaves and brought Michael Carrick, Danny Simpson and Tomasz Kuszczak into the team. Everton, too, were without their creative genius Mikel Arteta. The game wasn't a spectacle till deep into the second half. The teams exchanged early blows with several early bookings and the game threatened to boil over. There was no rhythm to either side's play. United looked a shadow of their free flowing former selves. Their passes all went astray and for the second game in a row their front quartet of Giggs, Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo looked to be unimaginative with all of them playing very lethargically. Carrick clearly suffered from lack of games as his usual pin point passing was markedly absent. Everton matched up United very well. They were very well organized with Yobo and Jagielka holding fort in the center of the defense ably supported by Phil Neville and Lee Carseley. The opening goal came in the 22nd minute from Cristiano Ronaldo. It was largely his brilliance rather than a team move. On receiving the ball on the right wing he cut inside looking to force a pass in. His marker showed him the left side and with a quick adjustment he created space and let fly a curling shot with his left foot to which Tim Howard could not react.

The reply was almost instantaneous. It is common footballing wisdom that the team is most vulnerable when they have just scored. That was proven by Everton through their equalizer in the 27th minute. A nice counter-attack saw the ball on the right side of the United defense. A sublime cross to the far post was met brilliantly by the diminutive Tim Cahill's head as he rose above Patrice Evra and headed the ball past Kuszczak. The rest of the half continued in the same way as United had huge chunks of possession but no cutting edge and Everton were pretty comfortable and looked potent enough to score themselves especially through set-pieces via Steven Pienaar. There were several half chances created by United but none were taken.

The second half began as expected with United roaring out onto the pitch and taking control of proceedings from the outset. Danny Simpson was withdrawn at half-time and John O'Shea brought on. Although Everton had a corner in the first 20 seconds. Attack after attack was launched on the Everton goal and it looked just a matter of time before United would score. United displayed the flowing football that had been missing from the 1st half. With no goal coming yet Sir Alex called on his bench. Michael Carrick was taken off after a sub-par performance and was replaced by Louis Saha. Darren Fletcher was brought on for Anderson. United had now begun to run Everton ragged but could do nothing against Yobo, Jagielka and Tim Howard. As the game looked to be heading towards a draw, in traditional United fashion, there was late drama. A break down the right saw Giggs tackled by Pienaar in the penalty box and a penalty was justified. The trailing leg of Pienaar had caught Giggs. Ronaldo stepped up and sent Howard the wrong way to score the winner in the 88th minute.

With the busy festive season ahead it is very much likely that the table could change by New year's day and so the season is poised in a very intriguing state.

Wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Grand Slam Sunday keeps status quo!

2007-12-18T10:00:00.000+05:30

It was party time for the Barclay's Premier League fans as the big four met on Sunday for what were touted to be season defining matches. Liverpool took on Manchester United at Anfield and Arsenal hosted Chelsea at the Emirates. The matches were decided with the same scoreline 1-0 with Arsenal and Manchester United placing daylight between themselves and their title rivals. Arsenal now have 40 points and Manchester United 39 points form 17 games played.

Manchester United took on Liverpool for the lunch time kick-off on Sunday. A win would take them top of the table for at least 2:30 hours. The match was historical in the sense that Rafael Benitez fielded an unchanged line-up for just the 3rd time this season. On the pitch was the same team that hammered Marseille at the Velodrome on Tuesday to confirm their progression to the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League. Manchester United having the luxury of already qualified and winning their group on Matchday 5 had fielded a second string side against Roma. Hence, all the big guns were back for this north-west derby.

United with their small forward line-up looked a little light as Tevez and Rooney could not match the power and presence of Liverpool center backs Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia. Liverpool started the game the brighter of the two as is expected from the home side. They set a high tempo to the game and pressed United for possession. The first half chance of the game came inside of 6 minutes, when a Steven Gerrard corner was headed clear by Rio Ferdinand but it was sent back into the box spectacularly by Fernando Torres. The ball dropped at the feet of Hyypia who sent a half turn shot wide of Van Der Sar's post. Liverpool continued their pressure on the United goal which left United working on the counter-attack, a tactic of which they are masters, Rooney was doing his best to harass Carragher but it was of little effect. Cristiano Ronaldo was conspicuous by his absence as Riise and Kewell were largely successful in closing the winger down. The match was turning into a standard derby game with tackles flying all over the place. The most memorable being the tussles between Steven Gerrard and Anderson both of them were going hammer and tongs at each other and trading punches(figuratively). The game was very physical but very fair. The referee controlled the game very well. Edwin Van Der Sar had an average game in between the sticks as thrice he flopped at regulation catches and twice the ball was cleared of the line and Manchester United managed to hang on via desperate defending. Torres wasn't getting much change form Vidic and Ferdinand and for the first time in the season he looked average. United too had chances of their own with most of the creativity coming from the left through the Giggs-Evra partnership. They had several one-two's but the final ball into the box left a little to be desired. Last ditch tackling by Carrragher had prevented Rooney from opening the scoring early on when he almost latched on to an Evra cross.

The half continued in the same vane with Liverpool piling on the pressure. The goal came just before the half time whistle and totally against the run of the play. In the 43rd minute Tevez put the ball in the net from point blank range to put United in the lead. A free kick was awarded to United on the edge of the penalty box. Ronaldo shaped to shoot but squared the ball to Rooney who fired in a low shot into the box which was going wide but Tevez was on hand to fire the ball into the roof of the net from 2 yards out with Benayoun playing him on with Reina having been beaten.

The second half was played out in much the same way as the first. Liverpool continued their pressure on United but the astute defense refused to give way, ably supported by stellar performances by Oliviera Anderson and Owen Hargreaves in central midfield. Both had excellent box to box games although at times it would have been better to have Michael Carrick in there to take advantage of his exemplary passing range to lighten the stress on the defense. United performed almost like an European away team, absorbing pressure and hitting on the counter. Liverpool created numerous chances but none really troubled the goal. Kewell was taken off in the game's first substitution and Ryan Babel was brought on. His pace down the left flank was an added asset to Liverpool's attack as he and Riise pressured Wes Brown with Ronaldo giving no support to him. Babel had a few chances and he came closest to scoring when he shot just wide of the post from the left wing. Peter Crouch was brought on to try and mix it up but Vidic and Ferdinand were imperious. Wayne Rooney had a golden opportunity to seal the deal mid-way through the half when a blistering counter attack saw him almost one on one with Reina but he tried to be cute and finish on the near post and made a hash of it. Aurelio was brought on after Riise got injured and John O'Shea came on to bolster the United resistance in the closing moments. Steven Gerrard had a free-kick chance in the 90th minute and his shot scraped the roof of the net and United walked away with the points and temporary lead of the league.

Arsenal defeated Chelsea 1-0 thanks to an uncharacteristic gaffe by Petr Cech which lead to William Gallas netting the ball at the far post to score against his former team.