The Night Of The Underdog

Johannesburg was the place to be at, for every Hyderabadi last night. Deccan Chargers, that remained an underdog in IPL Season 1, rocked IPL Season 2 with grace, poise and spirit of Hyderabad. That spirit of survival is euphemistically called the spirit of Hyderabad.

This match kept me awake till 12: 30 am and I slept, before the chargers were crowned because I needed to catch up for my driving class next morning. I was happy with the fact that DC meted out a crushing defeat to the Royal Challengers. Challengers began the match on a good note by lifting a good number of wickets: Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds among others. Eventually, DC turned the tables on RC by their sheer prowess, astuteness and spirit. The match, however, kept the audience (esp. DC Supporters) on tenterhooks till the last 1 ball. A sense of triumph and pride was captured on every player’s face, against the background score of “Go Chargers Go”; every time a wicket was lifted. And gracing it, were the DC Cheer Leaders lending the oomph factor! Both the teams were quite aggressive on the field, as if it were the last match of their lives! Why not? In every Endeavour, one must give their 100 %. Ohja from DC lifted 3 prominent wickets. One could see his lips saying ‘fuck’ when he took the wickets and in another moment, he was caught giving a series of lengthy kisses in the air. The camera, in those last tense moments was switched on an off at Venkatram Reddy, Owner of DC and Vijay Mallya, Owner of RC.

There was some verbal sparring on Facebook too between Bangloreans and Hyderabadi’s. At my place, we could hear and see crackers going off in haze filled horizons. The gust of wind, rain and bloody power cut played spoilsport but that didn’t deter us from staying awake. Now that’s what we call the madness of Indian Premier League (IPL). While Akon staged a spectacular performance, Katrina Kaifs swivel to the tunes of ‘Jai Ho’, made the feeling of victory stonger and sweeter. IPL T20 was a nightmarish experience for every bowler, but IPL Season 2 revolutionized that perception.

A Jubilant Jai Ho!

As India waited with bated breath for the poll results yesterday, Congress made a clean sweep and headway! The people of India once again invested the reigns and empowered Congress to rule India.

I’m delighted and elated too, like everybody who voted for congress. A double vote catapulted into a double win. I’m glad the party emerged a clear winner at the centre and the state. From scathing attacks, to scandals, to controversies and attempts to tarnish the image of the party; congress has survived it all! A contended Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh peep out of the FrontPage photograph of every newspaper across the length and breadth of India. A picture of poise and composure, they did not indulge in any negative comments about any party. Even Rahul Gandhi had kind words for L.K Advani. ‘Respect’ for Advani pervaded his views on how he (Advani) has fared in the elections. This boils down to us and our friends too. We also feel a polarization of views, opinions and perceptions with acquaintances. However, it’s all about respect. Each of us has freedom to our own opinion. Therefore, I strongly believe that though we agree to disagree with other person, we must hold respect to their opinion.

Congress has come up with some brilliant manifesto. I enclosed the manifesto below. Please read through and let’s hope and pray that the government delivers on its promises:

1. Enactment of a National Food Security Act; 25 kilos of wheat or rice for Rs 3 a month to those below poverty line.

2. Maximum possible security to each and every citizen.

3. Highest level of defence preparedness and further steps for the welfare of the defence forces and their families.

4. Accelerated process of police reforms.

5. Increase in the daily wage paid under the NREGA from Rs 80 to Rs 100.

6. Health security for all.

7. Comprehensive social security to those at special risk.

8. Quality education affordable to everyone.

9. Nationwide skill development programme.

10. Expansion of schemes for improving the well-being of farmers.

11. Democratic and professional functioning of cooperatives.

12. Greater impetus to empowerment of weaker sections of society.

13. Control of communalism and caste atrocities.

14. Sharp focus on the special needs of children, especially the girl child.

15. Making elected panchayat institutions financially strong.

16. Connecting all villages to a broadband network in three years.

17. Special focus to small entrepreneurs and to small and medium enterprises.

18. Maintenance of high growth with fiscal prudence and low inflation.

19. Introduction of goods and services tax from April 1, 2010.

20. A completely new look to urban governance.

21. A new deal to our youth to participate in governance.

22. Protection of India's natural environment and steps to rejuvenate it.

23. Massive renewal of science and technology infrastructure.

24. Judicial reforms to cut delays in courts.

25. To continue to be sensitive to regional aspirations.

26. Energy security for the country.

27. Steps to preserve and promote our heritage.

28. To continue independent, pro-India foreign policy.

29. To intensify the involvement of overseas Indians in development.

PS: It’s been 13 days since I joined the driving school and now I’m driving it on my own. It’s not as hard as I envisaged it to be! Yet, I need to practice and turn confident and get habituated to the nuances of the roads :-) Its fun though!