It is a typical December morning and it is cold as hell. Pandavs cursed the day they came to Michigan. They never thought they would live to experience temparature of -25 degree centigrade! Actually Pandavs were tired of the uncomfortable, bumpy and slow moving raths, so wanted a new vehicle. It was Lord Krishna who told them that Michigan has a Dodge Challenger model that is just great. So with the hopes of owning a Dodge Challenger, Pandavs had set base in Michigan from early July.
Their journey was quite uneventful. They got business seats in direct New Delhi to New York flight courtesy of Pavanputra Hanuman. After roaming around in NYC for a couple of days, they finally arrived in Detroit. The Pittsburg avtaar of Lord Krishna were present for their welcome. All was hunky and dory till they realized that Challenger was currently out of production! Lord Krishna apologized for the outdated information and advised Pandavs to go back. But whole India knew about the Pandavs journey to the west, so it would have had been embarassing if they returned without the dream car. Plus they were on banvaas, so they decided to make something happen! And thus the journey began!!
Yudhishtir wrote a letter to Dr Z (Daimler Chrysler chairman). He explained how they loved the car and wanted to own one. Dr Z was thrilled to get a letter from Indian heroes and ordered his marketing team to check if Challenger could be brought back to production!! Things were on a roll. After great success in the Detroit Autoshow and good marked response it was decided that Challenger could indeed be produced again!! But it still wont be till late 2007 before it would come out. UAW (union) negotiations and loss in general were compounding the problems.
to be continued...
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
Marriage in India @ CMM Level 1
Just yesterday Uppi gave us a treat on his promotion. Well I also got promoted, but looks like Uppi has a fat wallet and a bigger heart :-). Three cheers to him!
The main theme that ran across the party was "again" the overdiscussed marriage topic. Just an year back I was not spending anytime discussing this topic, but for the past year this is the only topic that is being discussed! I had no option than to get sucked in. I have now discussed this topic with my bachelor friends, recently married friends, parents, and with friends who got married long back. Each one has something different to say about it. Most of the time I have discussed and joked about it with my bachelor friends who are looking for a girl. We even discussed the merits of Walmart's 90 day return guarantee :-)
I still find it strange how risky marrying is in India! It is indeed a BIG leap of faith!! I find it even more strange that overwhelming number of marriages succeed. Does it mean that any guy is right for any girl, or that Indians in general are too good at adapting? Whatever the end result is, it's the initial process that scares me. Parents find a girl that they think might be right for you. All you know about her is - her name, age and educational background. You might have seen the photo but who knows what she might look like in the real life?! Same holds true for girl. If anything I guess it's more scary for the girl, because she would be leaving her support system (her parents) behind after marriage.
So my question is - is this an ideal setting to get married? Or are we compromising more than we should, before taking supposedly the biggest decision of our life? There are a few cases where people fall in love and then marry. Even this is frowned upon by parents in our dear nation. Love marriage usually happens after long courtship and both guy and girl know each other pretty well, so this is better than the first scenario. But still, as per me even love marriage is not an ideal scenario. I believe that you come to know a person ONLY when you live with him/her. Only when you stay with a person you realize how good or bad he is. There are so many small things that you might drive you crazy! Not to go too far, take the case of your snoring roommate!!
This is where I love US :-). The process here is pretty mature. You first meet the girl, if you see a spark you meet her again. If after an year or so it is still going strong then you move in together. If you pass this final phase then you marry! People would point out that still the divorce rate in US is higher than in India. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the process is at fault. It just as simply mean that the people are way too independent here. They believe that it's better to stay apart and be happy than stay together and crib. Afterall you have got just one life! We can argue to death the pros-cons of all this, but if you are meeting the girl for the first time to see if she is right for you all I have to say is "All the best dude and I will ask you after 2 years if you made the right choice!"
The main theme that ran across the party was "again" the overdiscussed marriage topic. Just an year back I was not spending anytime discussing this topic, but for the past year this is the only topic that is being discussed! I had no option than to get sucked in. I have now discussed this topic with my bachelor friends, recently married friends, parents, and with friends who got married long back. Each one has something different to say about it. Most of the time I have discussed and joked about it with my bachelor friends who are looking for a girl. We even discussed the merits of Walmart's 90 day return guarantee :-)
I still find it strange how risky marrying is in India! It is indeed a BIG leap of faith!! I find it even more strange that overwhelming number of marriages succeed. Does it mean that any guy is right for any girl, or that Indians in general are too good at adapting? Whatever the end result is, it's the initial process that scares me. Parents find a girl that they think might be right for you. All you know about her is - her name, age and educational background. You might have seen the photo but who knows what she might look like in the real life?! Same holds true for girl. If anything I guess it's more scary for the girl, because she would be leaving her support system (her parents) behind after marriage.
So my question is - is this an ideal setting to get married? Or are we compromising more than we should, before taking supposedly the biggest decision of our life? There are a few cases where people fall in love and then marry. Even this is frowned upon by parents in our dear nation. Love marriage usually happens after long courtship and both guy and girl know each other pretty well, so this is better than the first scenario. But still, as per me even love marriage is not an ideal scenario. I believe that you come to know a person ONLY when you live with him/her. Only when you stay with a person you realize how good or bad he is. There are so many small things that you might drive you crazy! Not to go too far, take the case of your snoring roommate!!
This is where I love US :-). The process here is pretty mature. You first meet the girl, if you see a spark you meet her again. If after an year or so it is still going strong then you move in together. If you pass this final phase then you marry! People would point out that still the divorce rate in US is higher than in India. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the process is at fault. It just as simply mean that the people are way too independent here. They believe that it's better to stay apart and be happy than stay together and crib. Afterall you have got just one life! We can argue to death the pros-cons of all this, but if you are meeting the girl for the first time to see if she is right for you all I have to say is "All the best dude and I will ask you after 2 years if you made the right choice!"
Sunday, October 08, 2006
The day I wore a blazer
It all began with a simple mail from Party organizers. The occasion was Infosys completing 25 years. So a grand party was to be organized! The organizers invited all Infoscions through a mail. Somewhere in the mail they mentioned that the dresscode was to be ethnic. Now I dont have any ethnic dress with me, but I did have my blazer. I had bought it 2 years back, but had never worn it even once! I decided that today was the day. And so it started :-)
On the day of the event I was getting ready. I did have second thoughts on whether I should wear the blazer. I was afraid of being the odd man out. It was at this time I got call from Shash. He too had bought a blazer a long time back, but never got to wear it. And he too like me wanted to wear it for the occasion :-). So we finalized that we were finally gonna wear it!! We got ready and even got a few pics for memory sake. You know we dont wear it every day!! In the party I got a lot of positive comments :-).. It felt real good ;-). That was then, and now the blazer is all packed again. Lets see when it gets in oper air again :-)
Friday, September 08, 2006
Tennis Tournament - 2006
09/07/2006 (Vikram)
And finally Agassi hangs up his boots. After his round 3 defeat at the US Open, this all time great player finally kissed good bye to professional tennis. A well deserved standing ovation at the Flushing Meadows, was for a player of par excellence, who above all records, stood as an emblem of fitness. It was a privilege to watch him play (at the age of 35) and subdue younger opponents, a great service and an amazing game.
I am sorry for this one, I guess it was due, for a long time now...So here are the final updates.
The Semifinals: Sriraj vs Shubha:
Shubha the little devil got bogged down by his fitness. An aching body and even more aching legs opened a window of opportunity to Sriraj. A tough fight ensued in the first set as both the players matched each other equally just when Sriraj picked up the pace and took the set 6 games to 4. With victory in sight, Sriraj took control of the game and soon took the second set 6-0. The dream run for Sriraj continued
Sriraj beat Shubha: 6-4, 6-0
The finals: Prashanth vs Sriraj:
This turned out to be a very high-profile match as it was braced by the presence of 2 of our LOB heads. Subhash was umpiring the game and Umesh had turned up to watch his boys fight out in an all CVM dominated match. Some how Prashanth felt the need to be urgent in winning the finals and after a cautious start he soon put the pedal to the floor and took the first set 6-3. A wake-up call for Sriraj, as he rallied his way into the second to find the set at 5-5. Bad light forced the game to the next day. A tame affair on the second day, the match ended in 2 games with Prashanth taking the championship. A well deserved runners up for Sriraj.
Prashanth beat Sriraj: 6-3, 7-5
So here are our Champions this season: Doubles: Saurav-Venkat (out of 15 participants)
Singles : Krishna Prashanth (out of 24 participants)
The prizes for the event would be distributed either at the 25 year celebrations or during our project party.
I would like to thank the organizing committee for Detroit Open 2006 for making this event a huge success. Venky, Aakash, Dilip thanx for making this summer an interesting one. Also a huge thanx to all the people who stood as umpires sometimes for 3 setters and on consecutive days..
And now as last year, it's my time, to leave you with some interesting comments of Detroit Open 2006.
- Prakash - Pakiya as he is better known to the junta - was available for comments."We bowled well...fielded well - but they won the match"
- Inspite of all the matches , last evenings highlight was Narasimha Pai's entry to the court. We missed the cheerleaders singing "the P " , " the A" and " the I". - Welcome PAI.. His first entry this summer.
- Now, it seems, my prophecy for "High Stakes" is coming good. Three new additions to the new racquet list, Praveen (PPD) and Krishna Prashanth (a whopping 130$ each)
- Praveen as usual played a high quality game. His motto is - throw anything at me, I will throw it back to you!
- We all know Viral/Shash/Rakesh are driven by an inspiration. Vikas has also joined the club, just that his inspiration was 'samosa'
- Saurabh shared his emotions something like this. "He won 12 games against me but I don't know whether I won even 12 points"
- The dark horse of this tourney Praveen took on the mighty Maratha John ......... John??? well that's Deepan
and now here's the best of them all
-
1. I saw two very tired guys running around to reach the ball.
2. I saw one umpire who happened to be our great Champion practicing there itself when players were rallying.
3. I think i saw a frustrated Tennis ball. It was frustrated because none of the players were allowing it to drop on the ground. The tennis ball must have been empathizing with its badminton counterpart.
4. When the match point was won i saw the umpires jumping in joy before the winner did.
08/25/2006 (Vikram)
A lot of key matches happened over the course of the week. It was the time for semifinals and finals too and for the first time in the history of the tourney we have a fitness victim. So here's the masala for you.
Krishna Prashanth vs Praveen Paul D'Souza: (The Semifinal)
A contest of 2 baseline players, a contest of 2 tough competitors but a contest of 2 best friends, this semifinal looked like more of an emotional melodrama, as the tough game it promised to be. The flamboyant PPD started his quest for victory on a good note in the semis and as per our earlier interpretation of Prashanth we thought PPD had this set. But Prashanth had some different ideas, soon enough the set went for a tiebreaker. Again PPD started off well with a 6-1 lead but Prashanth caught him offguard. He took the tie breaker 9-7 to seal the set 7-6. At this juncture PPD had lost the mental battle, he let Prashanth dominate him and lost the second set 6-0. As for Prashanth, this was a great victory and just a step away from the championship. As for PPD, the doctor's advice is to learn from the story of the tortoise and the hare.
Prashanth beat PPD: 7-6 (9-7), 6-0
Saurav-Venkat vs Deepan-Parag: (The Semifinal)
The best of the doubles game, comes to the fore, when these teams clash. The last year finalists picked from where they had left last year. The game was characterized by the class of master craftsman Saurav, some amazing shots from Deepan, some great serves from Parag and a very consistent play from Venky. The result was 2 of the hardest fought sets which decided the finals berth. Inspite of an amazing display Deepan-Parag somehow lacked the Killer instinct and could not capitalize on the very rare opportunities presented by their opponents. The result was victory for the defending champs Saurav - Venkat.
Saurav-Venkat beat Deepan-Parag: 6-4, 7-5
Saurav-Venkat vs Jeevan-PPD: (The Final)
The defending champs showed a great heart when they played the semis and final on consecutive days. Neither did their approach nor their performance change. Their opponents Jeevan-PPD had put in a lot of practice. Their enthusiasm was on the high but Saurav-Venkat proved their mettle when they took the first set 6 games to 1. What followed was an immense battle worthy of a final. PPD took care of the baseline and let Jeevan manage the net. Jeevan showed immense maturity at nets and refrained from hard hits instead was happy to drop the ball in front of the net. Shots which earned him praise even from his opponents. Jeevan PPD led the second set 5-4 but then our defending champs raised their level and got back the lead 6-5. At 3 championship points in the 12th game, Venkat hit the winning shot for the champs and brought a very emotional PPD to ground. Saurav-Venkat retained their title, but it was a very hard struggle this year. A lot of handshakes, smiles and even tears followed........
Saurav-Venkat beat Jeevan-PPD: 6-1, 7-5
The second semifinal of the Detroit Open 2006 brings together 2 rivals who haven't seen much of an action against each other.
On one hand we have Shubha Jyoti Pal. Talented but lazy, Mr Pal is a little devil who haunts his opponents on the court. His has been an equally arduous journey in this tourney when he took on the likes of Subhash and Shashwath en route to the semifinal spot. His key strengths, a very strong shoulder, very late played shots and very powerful shots with an immaculate placement. His weakness, level of fitness. Hear the Bengal Tiger roar as he enters his first semifinal in a tennis tourney.
His opponent, Mr Consistent Sriraj Unnikrishnan. Another offshoot of a tough round 1 group, Sriraj has shown that consistency and accuracy can be a good formula for victory. Thrashing rivals like Parag Rao, Venkat Sahai; Sriraj, was almost facing a quarter final exit as he faced Saurav Snehvrat. But it seems someone's been praying for him in India and the prayers were answered. Saurav pulled out due to some health problems (our fitness victim) and this lands Sriraj in the semis.
Weather permitting we would have this semifinal today, so be there to support your Star.
08/18/2006 (Vikram)
This morning I was stunned when I saw one of my mails with this punch line "Alcohol never solved anyone's problems but neither did milk". Well whatever it means to him, it shook me for a while.
Wednesday saw the completion of the first of the doubles semifinals and one more of singles Quarter Finals
Shubha vs Shashwath:
This match proved to me that people are taking my comments seriously (just kiddin). But it seemed on Wednesday, that the Tiger was awakened by a deadly wake up call. Shubha took 2 games to warm up and handed the second set to Shashwath 6 games to 1 but then the Tiger roared, silencing all his critics. Playing in his usual form Shubha made Shash run all around the court. It seemed he had done his homework right and soon he smashed his way into the third with a 6-3 victory. Well this one gave the bookies a run for their money, they did heave a sigh of relief at the end of the game.
Shubha beat Shash: 7-6, 1-6, 6-3
Jeevan-Praveen vs Rakesh-Dilip:
The Dream run for the Cool Dudes Rakesh-Dilip ended on Wednesday. Facing their round1 rivals both Rakesh and Dilip looked like they lacked practice. Praveen's game was supreme and the now improvised Jeevan gave him a very good company. Together they started exposing the chinks in their opponents armor. Yes there were long rallies, there were those cheeky shots and those amazing hard hits but as I had earlier mentioned PPD-Jeevan had the edge. They soon capitalized on their opponents weaknesses and strode into the finals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. For them the revenge was sweet and I could see "Close Up" smile on their faces till an hour later when they left the court. They are now the first team in Finals' line up.
Jeevan-Praveen beat Rakesh-Dilip: 6-2, 6-3
08/16/2006 (Vikram)
This season has seen great action both on the court and off the court. The invincible Saurav has found some stiff opposition and so also many new talents have made their grand entry. But for the best action, off the court, award goes to the I-75 stroll of the summer (No points for guessing this one). Well here is the update for today.
Shubha vs Shashwath:
In the lone game of Tuesday, the Bengal Tiger Shubha encountered Shash. The bookies had bet for a one sided anticlimax with Shubha as the crowned winner but the match had a different story to tell. Mr Tiger was playing in his own world of horrors and found himself in a tiebreaker in the very first game. Shubha somehow salvaged some pride when he took the set 7-6, but the second set saw Shash dominating. Some amazing shots from him sent Shubha on the backfoot and Shubha started committing unforced errors. Shubha somehow did not live up to his expectation, he could not make Shash run and his cross court shots found the net more often than not. Shash was leading the set 4 games to 1 when bad light was called.
Score till now: Shubha vs Shash: 7-6, 1-4
Today marks the beginning of the doubles semifinals and a countdown to the finals. Four of the best doubles teams in Auburn Hills are competing for the coveted Detroit Open 2006 Title. So here is a low down on our to be champions
Saurav-Venkat: The defending champions of Auburn Hills this team has been rated as the topmost team to win this tourney. Starting this season in Group A, the toughest double's group, these guys have never faltered and been professional although. They have carried their no loss record into this year as they smashed past any kind of opposition encountered till now with a relative ease. Their success has been marred only by the recent ill health of Saurav. But doctoron ka maanana hai ki, jawaan khoon hai, jald hi theek ho jaayega.
Parag-Deepan: The toughest team from Group C, the mighty Marathas have ruled this tourney. Again a no loss record for this tourney till now. They have had some nervous starts lately but have picked up the flow and in the heat of the battle have come out victorious. At times they have handed over crashing defeats to their enemies, But to win this one they have to get their acts together and that too from set one.
A repeat of last years final as these teams clash again but will it provoke interest
Rakesh-Dilip: From the first round exit of last year Rakesh has come a long way this season. He secured a round 2 spot in singles. But his biggest bet has been the doubles. Ably supported by the consistent Dilip Kalra, they formed a deadly combination in the doubles category. Rakesh has developed as a good baseline player but he excels at the net. That's where Dilip's baseline play helps him. They too have had an unbeaten record till now in this tourney.
Praveen-Jeevan: Perhaps the only team that does not have an unbeaten record here. This team had some starting problems, with Jeevan lagging behind in all Departments, that's when they had their first defeat, but Jeevan has picked up since and now this team seems to be all set. They proved their mettle when they defeated Prashanth-Shallex in the quarters.
Another coincidence as these teams clash for their semis after having a round one encounter, but this time around Praveen-Jeevan seem to have the edge.
08/15/2006 (Vikram)
Wish you a very Happy Independence Day ( It hasn't changed for me yet :-) ). For all you people who thought the struggle for independence ended on 15th Aug 1947, let me remind you, it is an everyday affair, esp in this age of terrorism. Let us not forget the countless soldiers and civilians (yes them too) who have laid down their life for our country.
OK; alright now back to my job, well this weekend we celebrated watching one of the best movies of our age KANK. Comparable only to Kisna, it gave a good hangover to everyone involved (as you can see I am still psyched). On courts too there was a lull as only 3 matches took place. Here are the updates:
Parag-Deepan vs Aakash-Shubha:
On second day of the Bengal Tigers vs Marathas encounter, steam was already out. The Tigers took no time to go down to the Marathas as they lost the match in only 2 games played that day. The Marathas took the third set 6-4. The tigers were hunted down for one last time this season.
Parag-Deepan beat Aakash-Shubha: 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
Krishna Prashanth vs Suchit:
Sometimes I feel that Prashanth has a habit of playing with his opponents. He shows them the carrot, by playing a loose first set, he has sometimes even given up his first set only to come back in the second and third. This game was no exception, after more than 45 mins of struggle Suchit found himself at the tiebreaker with both the players at 6 games each, with all due credits to Suchit (coz you gotto get that carrot once shown). Again the match seemed evenly poised in the tiebreaker, when Prashanth pushed the pedal to the floor. He took the tiebreaker 7-5. By the second set exhaustion had set in for Suchit but Prashanth looked fresh. He smashed his way into the second by 6-1 victory becoming the first player this season to reach the semis.
Prashanth beat Suchit: 7-6, 6-1
Praveen vs Deepan:
In yet another stellar performance Praveen Paul D'souza, became the second player this year to reach the semifinals of the Tennis Tourney. The dark horse of this tourney Praveen took on the mighty Maratha John ......... John??? well that's Deepan. In a hard fought first set, Praveen matched him for every shot. Since both are good baseline players, the result was long and tiring rallies. PPD returned everything thrown at him. But PPD had the edge and he took the first set 7-5. In the second he completely outclassed Deepan with 6 games to 2 victory.
Praveen beat Deepan: 7-5, 6-2
Coming up:
The coming days would see the remaining quarter final encounters for the singles Shubha vs Shash and Sreeraj vs Saurav and then the semifinals in both the categories would begin. So be there ......
08/11/2006 (Vikram)
This week saw the round 2 for Detroit Open 2006 wrapping up (singles that is). It featured some of the most exciting matches, aptly reported by Venky and Prashanth. This week also witnessed the quarter finals in the double's category. With only 7 single's and 3 double's encounters remaining, The competition has become fiercer than ever before. So what happened yesterday on the courts, here is your scoop.
Saurav-Venkat vs Suchit-Pai:
The writing on the wall looked clear for this one as the Defending Champs, Saurav-Venkat took on last year's semifinalists Suchit-Pai. All through this tourney Suchit-Pai had lacked the charisma that had driven them to the semifinals last year. Saurav-Venkat started on their winning ways right from the beginning, but Suchit-Pai put up a good show. Pai was fascinating at the nets and Suchit played well from the baseline. There were some very long rallies characterized by hard hits and dropshots. Fantastic Pai, danced and jumped all around the court to make some amazing returns, but finally professionalism reigned supreme. The Defending Champs went on to win the game in straight sets. Later describing his opponents, Saurav stated "It felt, as if we played with the veterans". And I thought Subhash-Viru were the veterans.
Saurav-Venkat beat Suchit-Pai:6-2, 6-2
Aakash-Shubha vs Parag-Deepan:
It was the turn of the Bengal Tigers to prove their mettle against the mighty Marathas, as the last quarter final match of the tourney began. It was characterized by a classic Deepan run around the court, and the tiger huddle of Aakash-Shubha. The match started on a positive note for the Marathas as they were leading the first set 3-0, but the tigers soon caught up and overtook the Marathas to win the set 6-4. In the second set the Maratha duo set aside their nervous start and showed what they are really capable of. They took the set effortlessly 6-0. The men were now playing in fading light for the 3rd and final set. It was an encounter like never before. Both the teams started matching each other; one to one. With the 3rd set tied 4 games each the Umpires had to call off the match for bad light. The game would resume today, so will the Marathas make history or will the Tigers have a happy hunting, I can't wait to see.
Aakash-Shubha vs Parag-Deepan: 6-4, 0-6, 4-4
08/10/2006 (Krishna Prashant)
I am just a temporary reporter working for my Boss Punjab Kesari who is on a short vacation and this is my first assignment. So bear with me for sometime as i give you some updates on some Round 2 and QF matches that happened over the last few days.
Sreeraj Vs Venkat
The Mr. Consistent Sreeraj faced the baby faced aggressor Venkat in a round 2 match. Both knew that they are playing this match for pride and nothing more as the winner would advance to the next round and will end his outing when he faces Saurav in the Quarter finals. (Hey Saurav! if you can lock yourself out of your house like you did last week and leave your racket inside, then that would be GREAT!). Venkat seemed confident and easily took the first set 6-2 . Then probably he started thinking about the end result and took his focus out of his game and that is a big mistake when one is playing against a consistent hitter like Sreeraj. Sreeraj places the ball very well and if he backs it up with some speed then he will be deadly and the opponent will be dead. Venkat hit the ball and it was going like a rocket (or whatever our Mr. Ravi Shastri says "like a Tracer/racer bullet". I have no idea ). But Sreeraj returned very well and waited for venky to make mistakes and Venky wholeheartedly obliged. The match went into the third set and stopped at 3-4 with Sree leading and both Players agreed to continue the match some other day. They continued their match on Wednesday and Sree took the third set 6-4 and entered the Quarter Finals. Congrats Sree!
Result: Sreeraj won 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Suchit Vs Vikram
Let me be Frank here. I did not see this match except for the last game of the match(I was playing somewhere else and my boss is going to fire me as i was not on duty!).So all my comments are from that last game only. Let me tell you all what i saw.
1. I saw two very tired guys running around to reach the ball.
2. I saw one umpire who happened to be our great Champion practicing there itself when players were rallying.
3. I think i saw a frustrated Tennis ball. It was frustrated because none of the players were allowing it to drop on the ground. The tennis ball must have been empathizing with its badminton counterpart.
4. When the match point was won i saw the umpires jumping in joy before the winner did.
So all in all congrats Suchit for entering the Quarter finals and since you will be playing me in the Quarters, let me assure you that we are going to have a three setter.-:)
Result: Suchit won 6-2, 7-5
Shallex,Prashant Vs Praveen,Jeevan
This game is sort of mixed feelings for me as two of my best friends won, but the biggest friend for me of all which is me and myself lost. We always knew that it will be difficult for us with these guys as they know our game. They knew that Pinto is good at the nets but they also knew that Pinto cannot and will not run around. So they did the best thing. Not to give anything to Pinto at the nets. The first set was pretty easy for them and they raced to take it 6-3. In the second set, I woke up from my sleep and started playing some shots and pinto continued his onslaught at the nets and we went 3-0 up. Then PPD started to get nervous and the look on his face was a Kodak moment. The thought of taking a snap of PPD's face from my mobile did cross my mind a few times. But the 3-0 lead did not last long as PPD and Jeevan came back to make it 3-3 and then took the set 6-4. That was the end of Detroit open 2006 doubles for us. Congrats PPD and Jeevan. You have reached the Semi finals. Good Luck!
Result: Praveen,Jeevan won 6-3, 6-4
Dilip,Rakesh vs Shashwath,Suraaj
Dilip and Rakesh played Shash and Suraaj in another Quater finals. Dilip and Rakesh have not lost any match till now and they were confident. Shash and Suraaj played well in the first set and took it 2-6. Then Shash probably started thinking about Stan's and Suraaj probably started thinking about India and they lost the second set 6-3. Rakesh was playing at his best so far, and this inspired our very own Dilip. Now that both were playing at their peak, there was no hope for Shash/Suraaj duo. Rakesh and Dilip did not waste time to take the third set 6-3 and raced into the Semi Finals where they will be meet PPD and Jeevan again. Congrats Guys!.
Result: Dilip,Rakesh won 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
08/01/2006 (Vikram)
This has been another Happy Weekend for me, no points for guessing this one, Michael Schumacher had his 3rd consecutive victory in F1, at the German GP. At the Tennis Courts of Auburn Hills, the deciding matches for round 1 in the doubles category happened over the weekend. It spelt out joy of success for some new and upcoming teams but disappointment for a few veteran players.
Subhash-Viru vs Prashanth-Shallex:
In a battle for survival, the talented but under prepared Subhash-Viru faced the budding talent of Krishna Prashanth and Shallex. The veterans of the game Subhash-Viru found themselves on the backfoot from the first set itself as they lost it 2 games to 6. As they were coming into their own, rain interrupted the play. A hard fought second set on the second day resulted in 6-4 victory for Prashanth-Shallex. This sealed off the fate for our veterans, atleast for the doubles category.
Prashanth-Shallex beat Subhash-Viru: 6-2, 6-4
Saurav-Venkat vs Aakash-Shubha:
Whenever these arch rivals clash, spectators win, as they are treated to a very wonderful display of tennis. The stylish Bengal Tigers put up a brave fight against the defending champions, but the class of Saurav, ably supported by Venkat, had no plans of looking back. The game started on an awful note for the Tigers as they lost the first set 6-0. The only way they could salvage their pride was by winning 2 games in the second set. The Tigers were finally hunted down by the defending champs. No regrets for either team as both of them are already in the quarter finals.
Saurav-Venkat beat Aakash-Shubha: 6-0, 6-2
Suchit-Pai vs Diwakar-Krishna:
Another underprepared team Suchit-Pai in a fight for their own survival clashed against Diwakar-Krishna but this time around the result was a bit different. Suchit had put in some practice and Pai found his lost form as they started marching towards their success. The first set was a hard fought battle with long rallies, hard shots and tricky placement on both the sides, Suchit-Pai could cling on to a narrow edge and took the set 6-4. With a quarter final berth now in sight, they became even more aggressive and smashed their way thru the second set with a 6-1 victory.
Suchit-Pai beat Diwakar-Krishna: 6-4, 6-1
Shashwath-Suraaj vs Vikram-Viral:
Vikram-Viral, another battered team, badly in need of a victory, went down fighting to the now in form Suraaj-Shash. Suraaj-Shash needed to confirm their quarter final berth and a victory here would give them the necessary insurance. Vikram-Viral tried to put up a brave fight but many a times overdid themselves. Vikram could not get his lethal first serves in, consistently and Viral continued on with double faults. At the other end Suraaj and Shash kept them pinned down with some high precision shots from the net. Although there was an occasional aggressive forehand from Viral, it could not save the day for them. In a very quick route to defeat, Vikram-Viral did not even wait for the rains.
Shashwath-Suraaj beat Vikram-Viral: 6-0, 6-2
Subhash vs Rohan:
Again facing an early exit, Subhash displayed his true class, when he took on Rohan. A champion of TT, Rohan was no match for the flamboyant Subhash. Rohan still showed the spirit of a fighter as he took 4 games in the match.
Subhash beat Rohan: 6-1, 6-3
Shash vs Girish:
In a soft match of their group, Shash clashed against Girish. Soft match since both the players were already in round 2. Shash maintained his winning form and handed a thrashing defeat to Girish, who somehow was concentrating more on movie timings than the match.
Shash beat Girish: 6-1, 6-1
Now only 3 matches of round 1 are remaining which can all be called as soft matches as they would have no consequence for the knockout round in both the categories. The tourney is now poised to go to the next stage. The boys have already been seperated from the men, now it is the time to choose the titans from these men. So all the best guys, hope to see an ever enthralling round 2.
07/26/2006 (Vikram)
I am back with the regular tennis masala. Incidentally I still report for Dainik Golmaal coz is duniya mein, 'Golmaal hai bhaai, sab Golmaal hai'.
This week has been characterized by the last set of or should I say do or die matches for round 1 in both the categories. The glamorous list of outstanding (standing out) people has been graced with some very popular names. In the singles the picture for round 2 is very clear with only 2 matches remaining. But the stakes for doubles are still open with teams coming up with surprise packages for their opponents with soaring and sliding form.
Venkat vs Jeevan:
Doubles Partners of 2 great names in AH Tennis clashed this Monday. An improvised and finer tuned Jeevan proved no match for the sheer class of Venkat. Venkat stamped his domination pretty early in the match with 6-0 first set victory. A resilient fightback from Jeevan could get him only 3 games in the second and thus he joined the ranks of round 1 exits.
Venkat beat Jeevan:6-0, 6-3
Saurav vs Saurabh:
In yet another anticlimax of a match, the mighty Mr.Achillies got better of Saurabh Gupta. A straight sets white wash, brought an end to Saurabh's dreams of a round 2 position, but a humble and cheerful Saurabh shared his emotions something like this. "He won 12 games against me but I don't know whether I won even 12 points". Way to go man, that's what I call Happy-go-Lucky.
Saurav beat Saurabh: 6-0 6-0
Prashant-Shallex vs Sreeraj-Ganesh:
An amazingly hard fought match found these teams playing on 2 separate days to complete an awe inspiring 3 setter. Prashant-Shallex have been a revelation for this year. A fantastic player of the baseline Prashant is complimented well by Shallex at the net. But Ganesh and Sreeraj have been practicing in secret it seems. They have given all their opponents, till now, a run for their money. With the balance of the game shifting either way, the first set saw a tie breaker. Ganesh and Sreeraj quickly encashed the opportunity to take the set 7-6. A hard fought second also went into a tie breaker but this time Prashant-Shallex came out with the honors. With the game tied at 2 sets each, it was a matter of continuing the momentum, this is where Prashant is the best. Prashant-Shallex took the final set 6-4 and sealed the fate of the match.
Prashant-Shallex beat Sreeraj-Ganesh: 6-7, 7-6, 6-4
Sreeraj vs Parag:
In a very average display of Tennis, Parag lost to his more consistent and determined opponent. Sreeraj played the game at his own pace and dictated the terms as Parag could not put up a good show. Although the first set was a hard fought tug-off war. Parag, nursing an aching shoulder, lost the initiative after dragging it to a tie breaker. But as in a tug-off war Parag lost his drive the second set. His game was predictable. Incorrect placement and the absence of his elegant slices gave an easy opening for Sreeraj. But nonetheless Parag is a player of class and Sreeraj did a very good job of keeping him in check. Accuracy and consistency opened the gates of round 2 for Sreeraj. A tough group claimed a worthy victim in the form of Parag.
Sreeraj beat Parag: 7-6, 6-1
Saurav vs Vikas:
In a very early match of round 2, Saurav the Destroyer, became the first player to reach quarter finals. Completely outclassed by his talented opponent, Vikas could not hold out his own. He received a 6-0 thrashing in his first set. But a Samosa challenge saw him take one game before his flame died out. A worthy fighter in his own right Vikas, tried hard. But Saurav blasted everything thrown at him.
Saurav vs Vikas: 6-0, 6-1
07/21/2006 (Venkat)
The earlier mail provoked a lot of controversy. Looks like you all didnt like the name 'Ajit Jalandhar'. Many even thought this was an actual person! Actually Ajit Jalandhar is a famous newspaper in Punjab. Anyway in an effort to steer clear of all this, I am changing the name of my review to 'Punjab Kesari'. A name you can better relate to ;-)
So here are the uncovered matches so far -
Suchit Vs Viral
Somethings get better with age. No, Suchit is not one of them ;-) But still he proved that he is not to be taken lightly! Suchit was able to thwart the challenge posed by Viral with a mix of precision and aggression. Viral again played a great game, and I am sure by next year it would be difficult to beat him. The best part of his game is his forehand. He can use it to great advantage, and Suchit didnt have any answer to many of his shots! On the downside Suchit committed a lot of errors and gave away too many easy points. And he does need to work on his stamina :-)
Result: Suchit won 6-2, 6-3
Vikas Vs Viral
This match would go into the folklore of Infosys Onsite! We all know Viral/Shash/Rakesh are driven by an inspiration. Vikas has also joined the club, just that his inspiration was 'samosa'. Yes, its not a typo!! Vikas was down one set 2-6, when Saurav bet him a samosa if he wins! All of a sudden we could see the image of samosa in Vikas's eye! He played with a vigor we never thought he had. He turned the match on its head, and won in a hard-fought 3 setter. Viral played nice in first set, but after that he was just not able to match the enthusiasm of Vikas. Vikas was all over the court giving 101% and he even blanked out Viral in the 3rd set!
Result: Vikas won 2-6, 6-2, 6-0
Aakash/Shubha Vs Sreeraj/Ganesh
This was a very crucial match for both the teams of Group-A. The Bengal tigers were able to make the most of it and they are now assured of a game in the next round. Not just that, with this tough win they are now a contender for the finals too! Defeating Sreeraj/Ganesh was difficult from the word go. Some even touted them to be the favorites, but Aakash/Shubha had other plans. The Bengal tigers have adopted a strategy that is working great for them. They concentrate on returning the ball with minimal errors, and in between they would play some shots. This keeps the opponents on the wrong foot, and forces them to play aggressively. Sreeraj/Ganesh also fell to this ploy and made mistakes at crucial junctures. It is hard to believe that they were leading in both sets 4-1!! They really have to take their game to the next level if they want to make it to the next round. Group-A is turning out to be a tough group, and it is still wide open. May the best teams advance!!
Result: Aakash/Shubha won 6-4, 7-5
07/19/2006 (Venkat)
Looks like the Dainik Golmaal press has been shutdown for the summers! But don't worry, Ajit Jalandhar is here to provide the news! Lets start from where Dainik Golmaal stopped. The uncovered matches so far -
Aakash Vs Suraaj
The match begin with a dare! With Aakash asking Suraaj to bring his skills to the court, and Suraaj asking him to bring his big round tummy. Both obliged. The match was as close as it could get. Aakash was matching Suraaj's shots with his precision. It was a battle of nerves as the loser would see the exit door from singles tourney. In the end a faltering Suraaj won, but not before Aakash saved more than 10 match points! We still need to see if Suraaj can carry the confidence from this victory to next round. Unfortunately Aakash's quest for singles title ends here. He has been a sort of revelation this season. No one expected that he could play tennis of this quality! Stretching Deepan to 3 sets, and giving Suraaj a scare - he is a winner afterall.
Result: Suraaj won 7-6, 7-5
Prashant Vs Sreeraj
There are some matches where the scoreline fails to do justice to the quality of game played. This was one such match. Prashant was in a class of his own, and proved why he is still the number 1 threat to Saurav. But Sreeraj was not about to go down without a fight. His serves and placement were a treat to watch. Alas, they couldn't shake our Mr Impeccable Prashant. Prashant was all over the court winning points at will. In favor of Sreeraj, it looked like he was bit short of practice. Since then he has been spotted on court a lot more! So his next match against Parag should be a treat to watch!
Result: Prashant won 6-1, 6-0
Saurabh Vs Vikram
These guys have been under a lot of criticism for their tennis skills. I invite all the critics to watch their game now! Both have improved tremendously over last few weeks. Their shots are now packed with power and precision. They just need to run a little more :-). It was a good match with Vikram dictating terms from the beginning. Saurabh did prove to be a worthy fighter, but that was not enough to stop Vikram. Looks like all the practice done by Vikram has now started paying off. Whoever thought Vikram would be a pushover think so at their own peril!
Result: Vikram won 6-3, 6-2
Rakesh Vs Shubha
This match started with a lot of expectations of a good fight. And it proved to be just that. Shubha started the match confidently and won the first set in no time. Little did he realize that Rakesh was just warming up! So what we saw in 2nd set was a thing of absolute beauty. Rakesh took control and sent Shubha running all sides of the court. Of special mention were his shots from the net. Shubha had no clue what struck him and lost the set. In the next set he was better prepared and the final battle began. It was very close till the end, and to Shubha's credit he converted the first match point he got. With this victory Shubha has proved to be a worthy group topper. The victory will also ensure that he doesn't meet Praveen in pre-quarters!
Result: Shubha won 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
Aakash/Shubha Vs Prashant/Shallex
Aakash/Shubha started the match as hot favorites. The Bengali duo have built a reputation by defeating Jay/Viru. So it was upto our Kannadigas to prove that they are in contention too! They had looked vulnerable after their defeat against Saurav/Venkat. But with this match they showed that they are not to be taken lightly. The kannadiga duo won first set in a blaze. Shallex played well at the nets, and Prashant played amazingly at the baseline. His shots were a treat to watch. Our Bengali duo pulled their act together in the 2nd set and gave a good fight. But Shallex/Prashant were already on a roll and finished the match with a straight set victory.
Result: Prashant/Shallex won 6-1, 6-4
Praveen/Jeevan Vs Saurabh/Vikas
This was an interesting match. Saurabh/Vikas were leading 3-1 in both sets, but were just not able to maintain the lead. Was it the pressure or Praveen playing in the opposite side?! Both Vikas and Saurabh were hitting good shots and were aggressive on the court. In addition they committed a lot of unforced errors which in end proved to be their downfall. Nevertheless, Praveen and Jeevan played a good game. Jeevan's game is improving with each outing, and I wonder what he has in store for his next match with me! Praveen as usual played a high quality game. His motto is - throw anything at me, I will throw it back to you! He can play equally well, whether it is baseline or net.
Result: Praveen/Jeevan won 6-4, 6-4
Deepan/Parag Vs Viral/Vikram
It was an easy outing for last years finalists as they defeated Viral/Vikram in straight sets. The Maratha warriors stamped their class, and hit an array of shots. Viral/Vikram tried their best and were able to hit some frighteningly good shots. But a match is not won by solitary points. It requires persistence and quality for the entire duration. And in this department Deepan/Parag are the best. The spin shots of Parag and baseline play of Deepan would please any puritan, and we were no exception. They are well on their way to be the group toppers, is there anyone to put up a roadblock?!
Result: Deepan/Parag won 6-2, 6-1
Shashwath/Suraaj Vs Diwakar/Krishna
In yesterdays match, Shashwath/Suraaj salvaged their reputation with a solid won. They had been drawing a lot of flak for playing subpar matches, and we were wondering if this team was overrated. The PD team put all this speculation to rest by defeating Diwakar/Krishna in straight sets. If Shash was playing classic badminton dunks from the net, Suraaj was hitting his trademark forehands. Looks like they have got their touch back, opponents beware! The game of Diwakar/Krishna was rusty at best. The number of unforced errors committed were just too much. Both these guys have enough talent to play a great game, just that they need to apply themselves better.
Result: Shashwath/Suraaj won 6-1, 6-2
07/11/2006 (Vikram)
It is on a very sad note that I am sending you this mail. Bombay has seen another series of blasts as over a 100 innocent commuters have been killed in local trains whilst they were going home from work on the fateful day today, July 11th, 2006 ........................................... but as a Mumbaikar myself I know that come what may the show must go on.
So here are the updates for today.
Detroit Open 2006 is back after a long (weekend) break. Many things have happened in the sports world since, Michael Schumacher and Ferrari dominated the Formula 1 US GP. It was a great pleasure to watch him stamp his domination on the circuit. In soccer, Italy surprised Germany with 2 last minute goals and someone became the first player to retire with a red card in extra time. Zidane has a drawn a lot of publicity for his retirement, but for all the wrong reasons. And now here are the happenings in our very own Detroit Open 06.
Suchit-Pai vs Vikram-Viral:
The last match before the break saw these 2 teams clash. Both of them displayed nerves as unforced errors rained on the court from both sides. It turned out as the team with least errors would win. Suchit and Pai did a good job at that. They slowed down the pace of the game and tried to play more accurately. They took the first set 6-1 and were dominating the second 4-2 when a late spirited fightback from Vikram and Viral took them by surprise. This late blitz helped Vikram-Viral to win a few battles but the war was already lost.
Final Score: Suchit-Pai beat Viral-Vikram: 6-1,6-3
Sunday saw 3 interesting battles as the singles round 1 raged on. The day was characterized by a very strong wind:
Praveen vs Subhash:
Praveen Paul D'Souza (PPD) or BT (as he was known in offshore), seems to be the dark horse of this season. His absence last season meant that he did not start as a favorite (atleast on paper). But people watching his game knew what to expect from him. In his doubles match earlier, he had single handedly taken the fight to Dilip Rakesh. So when he faced Subhash for his single's he was shining with confidence. Subhash, known as a better player from past 2 years seemed equally determined. PPD started his blitzkrieg from first point and crushed any opposition from Subhash. He dominated the proceedings as took the game in straight sets 6-1,6-0. Do we have a challenger for Saurav here???
Final Score: Praveen beat Subhash: 6-1, 6-0
Deepan vs Suraaj:
Mr Textbook, The Great Maratha, Deepan Choudhary, dominated yet another quicky as he nailed his opponent Suraaj 6-1, 6-2. Seemingly disturbed by the wind, Suraaj was totally out of sorts and lasted only an hour against Deepan who was somehow able to use the wind to his advantage, on both the sides of the court. Deepan is the first single's player to reach round 2.
Final Score: Deepan beat Suraaj: 6-1, 6-2
Suchit vs Vikas:
In one of the most painfully slow and pathetically boring encounters of the tourney, 2 old men Suchit and Vikas clashed (in a real slow motion act). The match progressed slowly each one allowed the other to dominate while he rested. They equalized each other in every game and at 6-6 they lay tired on the courts (needless to say without any hard hits or fast serves). Suchit dominated the tie breaker and took the first set 7-6. A resurgent Vikas found himself leading the second set 5-3, just when his strength gave up on him. Suchit took 4 games in a row to take the set and the match 7-5.
Final Score: Suchit beat Vikas: 7-6, 7-5
Monday sealed the fates for a few competitors as 3 more games took place. The 3 matches in their ascending order of climax went like this:
Shubha vs Diwakar:
Shubha's reputation to make people run for their money remained intact as we saw Diwakar fighting to cover the whole court. Shubha in a class of his own delivered lethal blows one after the other. Diwakar could not take such an onslaught and lost the match tamely in a near perfect weather. This loss means that the single's tourney is over for Diwakar.
Final Score: Shubha beat Diwakar: 6-2, 6-1
Shashwath vs Prakash:
In an unexpected 3 setter, Prakash Kumar went down fighting to the crowd favorite Shash. Both the players kept on losing their serves as the first set stood 3-3, Shash held on to 2 of his own to take the set 6-3. A resurgent Prakash dominated the 2nd set as he led 5-0. His shots were more aggressive and his body language more confident as he took the set 6-2. He was helped on his way by the numerous double faults from Shashwath. As expected the 3 rd set seemed to be a climax never seen before. Both the players matched each other in shots and serves, with no one ready to give up (too many deuces). But the battle for endurance was won by Shash as he took the third set 6-2. With this loss Prakash Kumar has joined Diwakar in exiting the tourney.
Final Score: Shashwath beat Prakash: 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
Prashanth vs Parag:
As the above 2 matches were reaching their climax another drama was unfolding on the third game of the day. In one of the toughest groups in singles, yesteryear finalist Krishna Prashanth faced off the talented Parag. It was a contest not only of talent, endurance, physical stamina but mental fortitude above all. In one of the longest game this tourney has seen so far, Parag started off on a dominating note as he took the first set 6-3. But Prashanth was just warming up. He came back in the second set and the match became a clash of the Titans. Long rallies, hard shots, great spinning slices enthralled the crowd (and yes there was a crowd, mostly non-Infy). The finesse and raw talent of the players was an absolute thrill to watch. Prashanth took the second set 6-2. The third was an even harder fought set as none of the players wanted to lose, they were already soaked up in sweat and it wasn't even a round 2 match. Kudos to Prashanth as he won the 3rd set from a worthy competitor. A 3 setter climax saw Prashanth win an absolute legend of a match.
Final Score: Prashanth beat Parag: 3-6, 6-2. 6-1
06/28/2006 (Vikram)
"Khudi ko karke buland chadha woh jaise taise,
Khudi ko karke buland chadha woh jaise taise,
Aur Khuda ne bande khud poochha ,
abe ab utarega kaise"
I would start this update with due regards to Raju Srivastav. After quite sometime now, there was a lull in the tourney, both off the court as well as on the court. The cloudy skies over Auburn Hills were indicating as if some secret strategies are sprawling up. Perhaps the pain of writing reports is that over a period of time people think of you as the paparazzi and maintain a cunning silence around you :-(((
Due to some unavoidable circumstances the match between Saurabh and Saurav had to be rescheduled, but luckily I had another one to report.
David tames Goliath:
In the lone game that took place yesterday, Venkat Sahai faced the mammoth Krishna Beri. Krishna seemed to be equally determined in his second, singles encounter, he had a the confidence of an earlier win. But Venkat was equally committed to the task. In a hard fought first set, Venky seemed to have the edge over Krishna as he took the set 6-4. But Krishna came back in the 2nd with a 6-4 set winner. The duel went long and hard as both the players, played long rallies. No hard serving not many hard shots, every move seemed to follow a rhythm. The longer the match went, the tiring it became. Finally in the third set, Venky pushed the pedal to the floor and won the match with a 6-2 final set win.
Final Score: Venkat beat Krishna: 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
Aaj ki Jung:
Today promises a lot of action as 3 doubles matches are scheduled.
In the first scheduled game for today, the defending champions Saurav-Venkat face the might of Bengal Tigers. Both the teams have had their share of success in the tourney till now and rearing to go. Just a recap of last year when these 2 teams met, Tigers had drawn the first blood with 3-0 in set one but soon succumbed to their opponents. Will the tigers be able to take revenge this year or will it be a good hunting time for the defending champs .......
In the second match for today, Viru-Subhash are up against Shallex-Prashanth. Both these teams have lost their season starters and need a victory here to stay in the hunt for the championship.
And last but not the least, I can hear the Cheer Leaders as Pai-Suchit clash against Vikram-Viral. Although Vikram-Viral are not highly rated as compared to their opponents but they have been practicing well and they have the new racquet magic. On the contrary our celebrity Mr.Pai, has only made one guest appearance on the court this season, so will there be a surprise in store, well, please be on the courts to witness it .................
Weather man sees another day of scattered T-storms for today, hope they don't play a spoil sport on the courts today.
06/27/2006 (Vikram)
Thank you all for your support, I did not receive any response for my note yesterday, so I guess as readers you all are equally enthusiastic.
I welcome you to another edition of Detroit Open Updates. Now, it seems, my prophecy for "High Stakes" is coming good. Three new additions to the new racquet list, Praveen (PPD) and Krishna Prashanth (a whopping 130$ each) and Gaurav Goyal (50$) and I thought we were just having a small Tourney here. All I can say is that people seem to be damn serious this year. There was some talk about 30+ tablets, I guess some people are taking realage.com to heart. But will we get a challenger for Saurav, I guess there are quite a few names, let the tourney decide.
On court yesterday there were some spectacular games, here are the details:
Tigers roar to a victory:
Putting up a very professional display Bengal Tigers, Aakash and Shubha performed the last rites so to say by taking 4 straight games and sealing their victory over Subhash - Viru. A lot of unforced errors from their opponents ensured an easy victory for the tigers.
Final Score: Aakash-Shubha beat Subhash-Viru: 6-7, 6-4, 6-2
Rakesh juggernaut keeps rolling:
It seemed as if Rakesh started from where he had left in the doubles league. In his first, singles encounter against Diwakar, Rakesh started off to a flyer with 6-2 victory in set 1. Mixing caution with aggression he sent Diwakar on the back foot. The only real challenge from Diwakar came in the 2nd set where he went on to win 4 games but soon was silenced as Rakesh took the set 6-4.
Final Score: Rakesh beat Dilip: 6-2, 6-4
Bengal Tiger goes down fighting:
In an awe inspiring display of Tennis, Aakash made the full use of his new racquet and a lot of inspiration, in challenging Deepan. The lone Tiger led from the very beginning in the first set. In a display of accuracy against aggression, accuracy prevailed. Deepan somehow managed a tie breaker but Aakash didn't take long to win the tie breaker and take the set 7-6. At this juncture Mr.Textbook shots, Deepan was out of his wits. In the next set Deepan became more lethal, it seemed as if the first set was just a warm up.for him. He came back with a vengeance, on a now tired Aakash to take the second set 6-2. A weary fightback from Aakash pushed the last set to 10 games, but the writing on the board was clear, a 6-4 win for Deepan. Nonetheless, Aakash's display was more than heroic, since Deepan is a dreaded player, one in the list of challengers for Saurav. Also a salute to both the players as they agreed to end the game yesterday itself and played under fading lights.
Final Score: Deepan beat Aakash: 6-7, 6-2, 6-4
Today's Upcoming Action:
Mr. Achilles, Saurav, has his day out on the courts again today as he takes on, Saurabh Gupta for his second, round 1, single's clash. Buoyant with his earlier victories and the class that he is, Saurav, should have good one. As for his opponent Saurabh, has been playing great shots these days, he has been practicing hard. An aggressive serve and good hard shots means, he is in the reckoning. So will it be a whitewash or will Saurabh spring a surprise on Saurav..........All I can say is Saurabh has nothing to lose.
Scattered T-Storms is what our Weather man has to forecast for today. Let us hope the Rain Gods have mercy on us today as well..........
06/26/2008 (Vikram)
The Tennis Tourney is back and so am I and our weather man (Thanx to Venky and Aakash). This Tennis season has been characterized by one word "NEW". New organizers, new format for the tourney (round robin matches), new players and new racquets. Speaking of new racquets here are some facts for you, we had only 3, 80$ racquets last year. This year with stakes being high, the list has grown something like this. It started with Vikas(100$), Vikram(90$) and Viral(90$) (a coincidental alliteration). They were soon followed by Aakash and Shubha (60$ each) and there is a list of prospective buyers as the grapevine suggests names like Girish and Gaurav (atleast these are the people I know of).
Now coming to the action on the court, here's what happened over the weekend:
Saurav-Venkat vs Prashant-Shallex:
The Defending Champs Saurav-Venkat have teamed up again this year, much to the disappointment of their rivals. The game proceeded with Mr.Achillies (Saurav if you have forgotten) and Venkat dominating the proceedings but not without hiccups. Both the teams seemed a bit rusty as Saurav took time to get his rhythm, Venky not performing to his fullest and Mr,Prashant (has he put on some weight this year) not as effective. My hero of the day was Mr.New; Shallex. He seemed quite aggressive at the net and hit some good shots......The Champions though, prevailed, to take the match 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets
Final Score: Saurav-Venkat beat Prashant-Shallex: 6-3, 6-3
Dilip-Rakesh vs Gaurav-Kaushal:
Even before this clash, our Cool Dudes, Rakesh and Dilip had already entered the quarter finals of Detroit Open 06, but they did not intend to take it easy. When facing the stylish Kaushal and amateur Gaurav, the cool dudes showed no mercy. They blasted their way in the first set with a 6-1 win, and went on take the 2nd one 6-3. Kaushal had some good services up his sleeve but an over excited display at the net, left Gaurav singing "Main hoon na.... " . Although Kaushal and Gaurav attempted a fightback in the second set, there was no stopping the Cool Dudes juggernaut. After winning all their league matches, Cool Dudes are placed comfortably in the Quarter finals. An aggressive Rakesh has been the characteristic of their wins, some kinda inspiration at work.
Final Score: Dilip-Rakesh beat Gaurav-Kaushal: 6-1, 6-3
Krishna Beri vs Jeevan:
Yet another guy under the spell of inspiration, Krishna Beri survived an initial onslaught from Jeevan. Jeevan who has come under some friendly criticism in his doubles loss with partner Praveen, took it a bit too seriously. he fought back from 5-3 down in the first set to level it to 6-6, The tie breaker saw Krishna dominating with a 7-0, fetched him the set 7-6. Since then Jeevan seemed down and out and lost the second set 3-6.
Final Score: Krishna Beri beat Jeevan: 7-6, 6-3
Parag-Deepan vs Suraaj-Shashwath:
The runners Maratha pair of Deepan-Parag took no time or pressure in crushing their opposition. The runner up pair of the last year, the Marathas dominated in every dept of the game and were helped by many unforced errors from their potentially competitive opposition. The cries of 'Jai Maharashtra' hailed from the skies as Parag-Deepan won 6-1, 6-1. Shash needs to get his Indian inspiration working :-)
Final Score: Parag-Deepan beat Suraaj-Shashwath: 6-1, 6-1
Aakash-Shubha vs Viru-Subhash:
An exciting 3-setter for round 1, saw the 2 teams with a passion for action, put up a great show. As a characteristic of this game, The Bengal Tigers roared initially, to take a set lead of 5-2 but soon after our Sholay duo (Jay-Viru) caught on to level the set 6-6, The tie breaker saw the nervous tigers go down 7-3 to lose the set 7-6. The second set seemed to follow the first with the Tigers leading 5-2 initially but they found themselves being hunted again at 5-4. The Tigers held their nerves this time, to take the set 6-4. Amidst a lot of disturbance and hot action, it was the Umpires who faced perhaps more pressure than the players themselves. Saurabh got emotional and cried out in respect and support for all tennis referees till date. The lights went dim in the third set with the 2 teams tied at 2 games each. This match would continue on Monday, June 27th
Current Score: Aakash-Shubha vs Viru-Subhash: 6-7, 6-4, 2-2
Today's upcoming action:
Apart from the continuation of Friday's double's match, the Courts will witness a classic duel today as Rakesh takes on Diwakar in their first singles encounter. This would be a game to watch, since Rakesh's abilities as a player have come to the fore front only this year. It would be interesting to see how he plays without Dilip by his side. As for Diwakar, he has a good temperament, but will that be enough.....
Weather man forecasts scattered thunderstorms in the evening today, I hope they don't hover over the Tennis Courts. So be there to support your teams or players for Detroit Open 2006
Important Note: Please let me know if I am cluttering your mail boxes by replying to this mail (Not a reply to all). I would ensure that further mails don't reach you.
06/23/2006 (Aakash)
Saurav vs Vikram : Saurav won 6-2, 6-0.
This is one of those games that the loser gets more publicity for losing. I had the opportunity to speak to Vikram at lunch - he said 'its not about the result, its about fighting for each point'.Parag and I quipped in ' atleast win a point' , Shubha added in the background "shortest tennis match". Shut up critics ! I did meet Prashant after I joined in - Vikram actually broke Saurav's service in the first game . Prashant commented " but it was as if saurav himself broke his serve by having 2 double faults". Prashant told me later that Vikram really played well - unlike many of us who thought that it would be a whitewash.
Saurav won the match eventually.
Rakesh/Dilip vs Saurabh/Vikas :Rakesh/Dilip won 6-3,6-1.
In another eventful match - (Saurabh comments - hardly eventful from behind me as I write this ) - Rakesh/Dilip continued there winning streak. Dilip was all smiles after the game. Continuing from last evening , Rakesh/Dilip went onto win the match 6-3,6-1.The thing to watch was Vikas' new racquet - the costliest in the tournament so far.
We are sure Vikas/Saurabh would come out big in their next games.
Prakash/Girish : Girish won 6-3,6-2.
Another interesting match which I could not experience, but heard people talking about. Prakash - Pakiya as he is better known to the junta - was available for comments."We bowled well...fielded well - but they won the match". I tried hearing it from pakiya and the truth came out " woh achha khela yaar" - and then he bent his neck twice to the right and twice towards the left. Hence Proved.
My gym-partner won the game - the 45 mnt workout at the treadmill at chrysler helped ! (not that he had to run much in the game )
From the editor's desk :
Inspite of all the matches , last evenings highlight was Narasimha Pai's entry to the court. We missed the cheerleaders singing "the P " , " the A" and " the I". - Welcome PAI.. His first entry this summer. In a practice match , Pai/Suchit beat Shubha/me 6-2.Suchit was injured while playing the tie-break in the last set - we are yet to see whether out IPATS-Tiger is able to play this evening.
Also on the far end of the court was Viru and Subhas - who are scheduled to play shubha and me on saturday evening.
Todays upcoming matches - Kaushal (yes bhailog..Kaushal as in Kaushal Khatri ) teams up with Gaurav to play Rakesh/Dilip.
In a 2nd match , Suchit and Pai play Shashwath - Suraaj.
Saturday evening : Viru/Subhas play shubha/Aakash. Not sure if a new racquet will improve my game - but I'll buy it anyhow.
06/19/2006 (Aakash)
What a Start to the Detroit Open !
A 3-setter in game 1 between rakesh/dilip and praveen/jeevan. rakesh/dilip won the game 4-6,6-4,6-3.
The game started with Praveen taking control of the court - swinging the set along with jeevan to a 6-4. Jeevan's game was worth mentioning here - he has improved considerably in the last 2 months - and played some good shots from the net.
Rakesh and dilip pulled it off from there. Though dilip was initially concerned about the sun and the tanning (we heard he is going to india - and does not want to turn dark before it! ) - his game improved. Alongwith Rakesh - who was awesome in front of the net - the 2nd set was decided.
Score : 4-6,6-4.
By this time our onsite junta covered the courts - and we could hear people shouting, booing , commenting ! That was the proof - the tournament has begun.The 3rd set went to a 3-3.Tensions high - umpires(venkat and shash) kept it cool . Rakesh and Dilip took the break from here - and went onto win the game 6-3.
Final Score : Rakesh/Dilip won 4-6, 6-4,6-3.
What was rakesh doing 10 mnts before the game ? Seems a job broke down in one of our Fleet systems at 6pm - instead of warming up for the game - he fixed the issue and then went to the court. !
But let me tell you this - whoever thought they will win a game easily this year , might need to re-evaluate their strategy. Its going to be tough this year.
Wednesday's games:
Rakesh/Dilip vs Saurabh/Vikas
Jeevan vs Venkat
Prakash vs Girish
You dont need an invite on wednesday , do you - needless to say its going to be fun? Games start at 6-30pm.
And Oh ! the Project party is scheduled at metro beach park this sunday . Rains ? We will take that risk ! Information to follow.
Cheers !
Organizing Committee - Detroit Open 2006.
06/18/2006 (Aakash)
Good Morning .
400 Tennis balls, 300 Gatorades , 24 players , 91 F - The tennis tournament has begun . A Whopping 72 matches in the next few weeks.
The groups have been formed , the matches would be scheduled - the games start this wednesday. An initial plethora of double faults , crazy hits , tired players - as the tournament progresses - you would see more of aces, crosscourts and accurate shots being played.
In the attached spreadsheet you would find the groups.
Singles: We have divided 24 players into 8 groups who play league matches with each other. Top two players from each group advance to Round 2. From Round 2 onwards , we start our knockout phase of 16 players.
Doubles :We have divided 13 teams into 3 teams of 5,4 and 5. 3 teams advance from groups having 5 teams , 2 teams advance from groups having 4 teams - thereby giving us 8 teams for the quarter finals. From the Quarters - we start our knockout phase.
Draws:The draws were held at Venkat's place at 5:30pm. Diwakar , Shashwath,Deepan, Rakesh, Shubha were present to witness the selection of groups which was done on a random basis.
Schedules: .We are aware of the domain exams, project party - so we would try to place the games working thru these dates. In doubles - Group B - We would begin our games this evening , as Dilip is leaving for India on 29th June. If any team/players have issues with any dates - please let us know by Monday EOD. On Monday , we would send you the schedule of the games from the 21st June till the begining of the long weekend - with 72 matches it would be hard for us to reschedule.
Clash of the Titans : Sampath has signed up to play one game in the tennis tournament. We would have a match where Sampath would play with one of us. Details coming up shortly.
Registration Fees : 10 for singles , and 10 per player in a doubles team. Please sign up with Dilip Kalra/ Venkat Sahai/ Parag Rao at the earliest.
06/12/2006 (Venkat)
For all of you who forgot, it's time to play tennis again! Yes, the tennis tournament is happening this time too. And on a
bigger scale :-). We know you have been practicing hard, so let the competition spirit soar!
So gear up all tennis enthusiasts. If you are interested in playing singles or doubles then mail me back by Thursday June 15th.
Let us know your double's partner (or absence of the same) too. The entry fees for singles/doubles would be around $10 for each. The exact
amount would depend on the number of entries.
The following are the main features to watch out for!
1. Instead of knock-out from the word go, we would have league matches in round-1.
2. The prize money would be intimated before the first match.
3. The matches would start from June 26
4. Women singles/doubles tournament would depend on number of entries received.
5. More details to follow once the number of entries are finalized.
So don't wait for the deadline date of Thursday. Rush your entries now!
(Contact me or Shashwath for more details)
And finally Agassi hangs up his boots. After his round 3 defeat at the US Open, this all time great player finally kissed good bye to professional tennis. A well deserved standing ovation at the Flushing Meadows, was for a player of par excellence, who above all records, stood as an emblem of fitness. It was a privilege to watch him play (at the age of 35) and subdue younger opponents, a great service and an amazing game.
I am sorry for this one, I guess it was due, for a long time now...So here are the final updates.
The Semifinals: Sriraj vs Shubha:
Shubha the little devil got bogged down by his fitness. An aching body and even more aching legs opened a window of opportunity to Sriraj. A tough fight ensued in the first set as both the players matched each other equally just when Sriraj picked up the pace and took the set 6 games to 4. With victory in sight, Sriraj took control of the game and soon took the second set 6-0. The dream run for Sriraj continued
Sriraj beat Shubha: 6-4, 6-0
The finals: Prashanth vs Sriraj:
This turned out to be a very high-profile match as it was braced by the presence of 2 of our LOB heads. Subhash was umpiring the game and Umesh had turned up to watch his boys fight out in an all CVM dominated match. Some how Prashanth felt the need to be urgent in winning the finals and after a cautious start he soon put the pedal to the floor and took the first set 6-3. A wake-up call for Sriraj, as he rallied his way into the second to find the set at 5-5. Bad light forced the game to the next day. A tame affair on the second day, the match ended in 2 games with Prashanth taking the championship. A well deserved runners up for Sriraj.
Prashanth beat Sriraj: 6-3, 7-5
So here are our Champions this season: Doubles: Saurav-Venkat (out of 15 participants)
Singles : Krishna Prashanth (out of 24 participants)
The prizes for the event would be distributed either at the 25 year celebrations or during our project party.
I would like to thank the organizing committee for Detroit Open 2006 for making this event a huge success. Venky, Aakash, Dilip thanx for making this summer an interesting one. Also a huge thanx to all the people who stood as umpires sometimes for 3 setters and on consecutive days..
And now as last year, it's my time, to leave you with some interesting comments of Detroit Open 2006.
- Prakash - Pakiya as he is better known to the junta - was available for comments."We bowled well...fielded well - but they won the match"
- Inspite of all the matches , last evenings highlight was Narasimha Pai's entry to the court. We missed the cheerleaders singing "the P " , " the A" and " the I". - Welcome PAI.. His first entry this summer.
- Now, it seems, my prophecy for "High Stakes" is coming good. Three new additions to the new racquet list, Praveen (PPD) and Krishna Prashanth (a whopping 130$ each)
- Praveen as usual played a high quality game. His motto is - throw anything at me, I will throw it back to you!
- We all know Viral/Shash/Rakesh are driven by an inspiration. Vikas has also joined the club, just that his inspiration was 'samosa'
- Saurabh shared his emotions something like this. "He won 12 games against me but I don't know whether I won even 12 points"
- The dark horse of this tourney Praveen took on the mighty Maratha John ......... John??? well that's Deepan
and now here's the best of them all
-
1. I saw two very tired guys running around to reach the ball.
2. I saw one umpire who happened to be our great Champion practicing there itself when players were rallying.
3. I think i saw a frustrated Tennis ball. It was frustrated because none of the players were allowing it to drop on the ground. The tennis ball must have been empathizing with its badminton counterpart.
4. When the match point was won i saw the umpires jumping in joy before the winner did.
08/25/2006 (Vikram)
A lot of key matches happened over the course of the week. It was the time for semifinals and finals too and for the first time in the history of the tourney we have a fitness victim. So here's the masala for you.
Krishna Prashanth vs Praveen Paul D'Souza: (The Semifinal)
A contest of 2 baseline players, a contest of 2 tough competitors but a contest of 2 best friends, this semifinal looked like more of an emotional melodrama, as the tough game it promised to be. The flamboyant PPD started his quest for victory on a good note in the semis and as per our earlier interpretation of Prashanth we thought PPD had this set. But Prashanth had some different ideas, soon enough the set went for a tiebreaker. Again PPD started off well with a 6-1 lead but Prashanth caught him offguard. He took the tie breaker 9-7 to seal the set 7-6. At this juncture PPD had lost the mental battle, he let Prashanth dominate him and lost the second set 6-0. As for Prashanth, this was a great victory and just a step away from the championship. As for PPD, the doctor's advice is to learn from the story of the tortoise and the hare.
Prashanth beat PPD: 7-6 (9-7), 6-0
Saurav-Venkat vs Deepan-Parag: (The Semifinal)
The best of the doubles game, comes to the fore, when these teams clash. The last year finalists picked from where they had left last year. The game was characterized by the class of master craftsman Saurav, some amazing shots from Deepan, some great serves from Parag and a very consistent play from Venky. The result was 2 of the hardest fought sets which decided the finals berth. Inspite of an amazing display Deepan-Parag somehow lacked the Killer instinct and could not capitalize on the very rare opportunities presented by their opponents. The result was victory for the defending champs Saurav - Venkat.
Saurav-Venkat beat Deepan-Parag: 6-4, 7-5
Saurav-Venkat vs Jeevan-PPD: (The Final)
The defending champs showed a great heart when they played the semis and final on consecutive days. Neither did their approach nor their performance change. Their opponents Jeevan-PPD had put in a lot of practice. Their enthusiasm was on the high but Saurav-Venkat proved their mettle when they took the first set 6 games to 1. What followed was an immense battle worthy of a final. PPD took care of the baseline and let Jeevan manage the net. Jeevan showed immense maturity at nets and refrained from hard hits instead was happy to drop the ball in front of the net. Shots which earned him praise even from his opponents. Jeevan PPD led the second set 5-4 but then our defending champs raised their level and got back the lead 6-5. At 3 championship points in the 12th game, Venkat hit the winning shot for the champs and brought a very emotional PPD to ground. Saurav-Venkat retained their title, but it was a very hard struggle this year. A lot of handshakes, smiles and even tears followed........
Saurav-Venkat beat Jeevan-PPD: 6-1, 7-5
The second semifinal of the Detroit Open 2006 brings together 2 rivals who haven't seen much of an action against each other.
On one hand we have Shubha Jyoti Pal. Talented but lazy, Mr Pal is a little devil who haunts his opponents on the court. His has been an equally arduous journey in this tourney when he took on the likes of Subhash and Shashwath en route to the semifinal spot. His key strengths, a very strong shoulder, very late played shots and very powerful shots with an immaculate placement. His weakness, level of fitness. Hear the Bengal Tiger roar as he enters his first semifinal in a tennis tourney.
His opponent, Mr Consistent Sriraj Unnikrishnan. Another offshoot of a tough round 1 group, Sriraj has shown that consistency and accuracy can be a good formula for victory. Thrashing rivals like Parag Rao, Venkat Sahai; Sriraj, was almost facing a quarter final exit as he faced Saurav Snehvrat. But it seems someone's been praying for him in India and the prayers were answered. Saurav pulled out due to some health problems (our fitness victim) and this lands Sriraj in the semis.
Weather permitting we would have this semifinal today, so be there to support your Star.
08/18/2006 (Vikram)
This morning I was stunned when I saw one of my mails with this punch line "Alcohol never solved anyone's problems but neither did milk". Well whatever it means to him, it shook me for a while.
Wednesday saw the completion of the first of the doubles semifinals and one more of singles Quarter Finals
Shubha vs Shashwath:
This match proved to me that people are taking my comments seriously (just kiddin). But it seemed on Wednesday, that the Tiger was awakened by a deadly wake up call. Shubha took 2 games to warm up and handed the second set to Shashwath 6 games to 1 but then the Tiger roared, silencing all his critics. Playing in his usual form Shubha made Shash run all around the court. It seemed he had done his homework right and soon he smashed his way into the third with a 6-3 victory. Well this one gave the bookies a run for their money, they did heave a sigh of relief at the end of the game.
Shubha beat Shash: 7-6, 1-6, 6-3
Jeevan-Praveen vs Rakesh-Dilip:
The Dream run for the Cool Dudes Rakesh-Dilip ended on Wednesday. Facing their round1 rivals both Rakesh and Dilip looked like they lacked practice. Praveen's game was supreme and the now improvised Jeevan gave him a very good company. Together they started exposing the chinks in their opponents armor. Yes there were long rallies, there were those cheeky shots and those amazing hard hits but as I had earlier mentioned PPD-Jeevan had the edge. They soon capitalized on their opponents weaknesses and strode into the finals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. For them the revenge was sweet and I could see "Close Up" smile on their faces till an hour later when they left the court. They are now the first team in Finals' line up.
Jeevan-Praveen beat Rakesh-Dilip: 6-2, 6-3
08/16/2006 (Vikram)
This season has seen great action both on the court and off the court. The invincible Saurav has found some stiff opposition and so also many new talents have made their grand entry. But for the best action, off the court, award goes to the I-75 stroll of the summer (No points for guessing this one). Well here is the update for today.
Shubha vs Shashwath:
In the lone game of Tuesday, the Bengal Tiger Shubha encountered Shash. The bookies had bet for a one sided anticlimax with Shubha as the crowned winner but the match had a different story to tell. Mr Tiger was playing in his own world of horrors and found himself in a tiebreaker in the very first game. Shubha somehow salvaged some pride when he took the set 7-6, but the second set saw Shash dominating. Some amazing shots from him sent Shubha on the backfoot and Shubha started committing unforced errors. Shubha somehow did not live up to his expectation, he could not make Shash run and his cross court shots found the net more often than not. Shash was leading the set 4 games to 1 when bad light was called.
Score till now: Shubha vs Shash: 7-6, 1-4
Today marks the beginning of the doubles semifinals and a countdown to the finals. Four of the best doubles teams in Auburn Hills are competing for the coveted Detroit Open 2006 Title. So here is a low down on our to be champions
Saurav-Venkat: The defending champions of Auburn Hills this team has been rated as the topmost team to win this tourney. Starting this season in Group A, the toughest double's group, these guys have never faltered and been professional although. They have carried their no loss record into this year as they smashed past any kind of opposition encountered till now with a relative ease. Their success has been marred only by the recent ill health of Saurav. But doctoron ka maanana hai ki, jawaan khoon hai, jald hi theek ho jaayega.
Parag-Deepan: The toughest team from Group C, the mighty Marathas have ruled this tourney. Again a no loss record for this tourney till now. They have had some nervous starts lately but have picked up the flow and in the heat of the battle have come out victorious. At times they have handed over crashing defeats to their enemies, But to win this one they have to get their acts together and that too from set one.
A repeat of last years final as these teams clash again but will it provoke interest
Rakesh-Dilip: From the first round exit of last year Rakesh has come a long way this season. He secured a round 2 spot in singles. But his biggest bet has been the doubles. Ably supported by the consistent Dilip Kalra, they formed a deadly combination in the doubles category. Rakesh has developed as a good baseline player but he excels at the net. That's where Dilip's baseline play helps him. They too have had an unbeaten record till now in this tourney.
Praveen-Jeevan: Perhaps the only team that does not have an unbeaten record here. This team had some starting problems, with Jeevan lagging behind in all Departments, that's when they had their first defeat, but Jeevan has picked up since and now this team seems to be all set. They proved their mettle when they defeated Prashanth-Shallex in the quarters.
Another coincidence as these teams clash for their semis after having a round one encounter, but this time around Praveen-Jeevan seem to have the edge.
08/15/2006 (Vikram)
Wish you a very Happy Independence Day ( It hasn't changed for me yet :-) ). For all you people who thought the struggle for independence ended on 15th Aug 1947, let me remind you, it is an everyday affair, esp in this age of terrorism. Let us not forget the countless soldiers and civilians (yes them too) who have laid down their life for our country.
OK; alright now back to my job, well this weekend we celebrated watching one of the best movies of our age KANK. Comparable only to Kisna, it gave a good hangover to everyone involved (as you can see I am still psyched). On courts too there was a lull as only 3 matches took place. Here are the updates:
Parag-Deepan vs Aakash-Shubha:
On second day of the Bengal Tigers vs Marathas encounter, steam was already out. The Tigers took no time to go down to the Marathas as they lost the match in only 2 games played that day. The Marathas took the third set 6-4. The tigers were hunted down for one last time this season.
Parag-Deepan beat Aakash-Shubha: 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
Krishna Prashanth vs Suchit:
Sometimes I feel that Prashanth has a habit of playing with his opponents. He shows them the carrot, by playing a loose first set, he has sometimes even given up his first set only to come back in the second and third. This game was no exception, after more than 45 mins of struggle Suchit found himself at the tiebreaker with both the players at 6 games each, with all due credits to Suchit (coz you gotto get that carrot once shown). Again the match seemed evenly poised in the tiebreaker, when Prashanth pushed the pedal to the floor. He took the tiebreaker 7-5. By the second set exhaustion had set in for Suchit but Prashanth looked fresh. He smashed his way into the second by 6-1 victory becoming the first player this season to reach the semis.
Prashanth beat Suchit: 7-6, 6-1
Praveen vs Deepan:
In yet another stellar performance Praveen Paul D'souza, became the second player this year to reach the semifinals of the Tennis Tourney. The dark horse of this tourney Praveen took on the mighty Maratha John ......... John??? well that's Deepan. In a hard fought first set, Praveen matched him for every shot. Since both are good baseline players, the result was long and tiring rallies. PPD returned everything thrown at him. But PPD had the edge and he took the first set 7-5. In the second he completely outclassed Deepan with 6 games to 2 victory.
Praveen beat Deepan: 7-5, 6-2
Coming up:
The coming days would see the remaining quarter final encounters for the singles Shubha vs Shash and Sreeraj vs Saurav and then the semifinals in both the categories would begin. So be there ......
08/11/2006 (Vikram)
This week saw the round 2 for Detroit Open 2006 wrapping up (singles that is). It featured some of the most exciting matches, aptly reported by Venky and Prashanth. This week also witnessed the quarter finals in the double's category. With only 7 single's and 3 double's encounters remaining, The competition has become fiercer than ever before. So what happened yesterday on the courts, here is your scoop.
Saurav-Venkat vs Suchit-Pai:
The writing on the wall looked clear for this one as the Defending Champs, Saurav-Venkat took on last year's semifinalists Suchit-Pai. All through this tourney Suchit-Pai had lacked the charisma that had driven them to the semifinals last year. Saurav-Venkat started on their winning ways right from the beginning, but Suchit-Pai put up a good show. Pai was fascinating at the nets and Suchit played well from the baseline. There were some very long rallies characterized by hard hits and dropshots. Fantastic Pai, danced and jumped all around the court to make some amazing returns, but finally professionalism reigned supreme. The Defending Champs went on to win the game in straight sets. Later describing his opponents, Saurav stated "It felt, as if we played with the veterans". And I thought Subhash-Viru were the veterans.
Saurav-Venkat beat Suchit-Pai:6-2, 6-2
Aakash-Shubha vs Parag-Deepan:
It was the turn of the Bengal Tigers to prove their mettle against the mighty Marathas, as the last quarter final match of the tourney began. It was characterized by a classic Deepan run around the court, and the tiger huddle of Aakash-Shubha. The match started on a positive note for the Marathas as they were leading the first set 3-0, but the tigers soon caught up and overtook the Marathas to win the set 6-4. In the second set the Maratha duo set aside their nervous start and showed what they are really capable of. They took the set effortlessly 6-0. The men were now playing in fading light for the 3rd and final set. It was an encounter like never before. Both the teams started matching each other; one to one. With the 3rd set tied 4 games each the Umpires had to call off the match for bad light. The game would resume today, so will the Marathas make history or will the Tigers have a happy hunting, I can't wait to see.
Aakash-Shubha vs Parag-Deepan: 6-4, 0-6, 4-4
08/10/2006 (Krishna Prashant)
I am just a temporary reporter working for my Boss Punjab Kesari who is on a short vacation and this is my first assignment. So bear with me for sometime as i give you some updates on some Round 2 and QF matches that happened over the last few days.
Sreeraj Vs Venkat
The Mr. Consistent Sreeraj faced the baby faced aggressor Venkat in a round 2 match. Both knew that they are playing this match for pride and nothing more as the winner would advance to the next round and will end his outing when he faces Saurav in the Quarter finals. (Hey Saurav! if you can lock yourself out of your house like you did last week and leave your racket inside, then that would be GREAT!). Venkat seemed confident and easily took the first set 6-2 . Then probably he started thinking about the end result and took his focus out of his game and that is a big mistake when one is playing against a consistent hitter like Sreeraj. Sreeraj places the ball very well and if he backs it up with some speed then he will be deadly and the opponent will be dead. Venkat hit the ball and it was going like a rocket (or whatever our Mr. Ravi Shastri says "like a Tracer/racer bullet". I have no idea ). But Sreeraj returned very well and waited for venky to make mistakes and Venky wholeheartedly obliged. The match went into the third set and stopped at 3-4 with Sree leading and both Players agreed to continue the match some other day. They continued their match on Wednesday and Sree took the third set 6-4 and entered the Quarter Finals. Congrats Sree!
Result: Sreeraj won 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Suchit Vs Vikram
Let me be Frank here. I did not see this match except for the last game of the match(I was playing somewhere else and my boss is going to fire me as i was not on duty!).So all my comments are from that last game only. Let me tell you all what i saw.
1. I saw two very tired guys running around to reach the ball.
2. I saw one umpire who happened to be our great Champion practicing there itself when players were rallying.
3. I think i saw a frustrated Tennis ball. It was frustrated because none of the players were allowing it to drop on the ground. The tennis ball must have been empathizing with its badminton counterpart.
4. When the match point was won i saw the umpires jumping in joy before the winner did.
So all in all congrats Suchit for entering the Quarter finals and since you will be playing me in the Quarters, let me assure you that we are going to have a three setter.-:)
Result: Suchit won 6-2, 7-5
Shallex,Prashant Vs Praveen,Jeevan
This game is sort of mixed feelings for me as two of my best friends won, but the biggest friend for me of all which is me and myself lost. We always knew that it will be difficult for us with these guys as they know our game. They knew that Pinto is good at the nets but they also knew that Pinto cannot and will not run around. So they did the best thing. Not to give anything to Pinto at the nets. The first set was pretty easy for them and they raced to take it 6-3. In the second set, I woke up from my sleep and started playing some shots and pinto continued his onslaught at the nets and we went 3-0 up. Then PPD started to get nervous and the look on his face was a Kodak moment. The thought of taking a snap of PPD's face from my mobile did cross my mind a few times. But the 3-0 lead did not last long as PPD and Jeevan came back to make it 3-3 and then took the set 6-4. That was the end of Detroit open 2006 doubles for us. Congrats PPD and Jeevan. You have reached the Semi finals. Good Luck!
Result: Praveen,Jeevan won 6-3, 6-4
Dilip,Rakesh vs Shashwath,Suraaj
Dilip and Rakesh played Shash and Suraaj in another Quater finals. Dilip and Rakesh have not lost any match till now and they were confident. Shash and Suraaj played well in the first set and took it 2-6. Then Shash probably started thinking about Stan's and Suraaj probably started thinking about India and they lost the second set 6-3. Rakesh was playing at his best so far, and this inspired our very own Dilip. Now that both were playing at their peak, there was no hope for Shash/Suraaj duo. Rakesh and Dilip did not waste time to take the third set 6-3 and raced into the Semi Finals where they will be meet PPD and Jeevan again. Congrats Guys!.
Result: Dilip,Rakesh won 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
08/01/2006 (Vikram)
This has been another Happy Weekend for me, no points for guessing this one, Michael Schumacher had his 3rd consecutive victory in F1, at the German GP. At the Tennis Courts of Auburn Hills, the deciding matches for round 1 in the doubles category happened over the weekend. It spelt out joy of success for some new and upcoming teams but disappointment for a few veteran players.
Subhash-Viru vs Prashanth-Shallex:
In a battle for survival, the talented but under prepared Subhash-Viru faced the budding talent of Krishna Prashanth and Shallex. The veterans of the game Subhash-Viru found themselves on the backfoot from the first set itself as they lost it 2 games to 6. As they were coming into their own, rain interrupted the play. A hard fought second set on the second day resulted in 6-4 victory for Prashanth-Shallex. This sealed off the fate for our veterans, atleast for the doubles category.
Prashanth-Shallex beat Subhash-Viru: 6-2, 6-4
Saurav-Venkat vs Aakash-Shubha:
Whenever these arch rivals clash, spectators win, as they are treated to a very wonderful display of tennis. The stylish Bengal Tigers put up a brave fight against the defending champions, but the class of Saurav, ably supported by Venkat, had no plans of looking back. The game started on an awful note for the Tigers as they lost the first set 6-0. The only way they could salvage their pride was by winning 2 games in the second set. The Tigers were finally hunted down by the defending champs. No regrets for either team as both of them are already in the quarter finals.
Saurav-Venkat beat Aakash-Shubha: 6-0, 6-2
Suchit-Pai vs Diwakar-Krishna:
Another underprepared team Suchit-Pai in a fight for their own survival clashed against Diwakar-Krishna but this time around the result was a bit different. Suchit had put in some practice and Pai found his lost form as they started marching towards their success. The first set was a hard fought battle with long rallies, hard shots and tricky placement on both the sides, Suchit-Pai could cling on to a narrow edge and took the set 6-4. With a quarter final berth now in sight, they became even more aggressive and smashed their way thru the second set with a 6-1 victory.
Suchit-Pai beat Diwakar-Krishna: 6-4, 6-1
Shashwath-Suraaj vs Vikram-Viral:
Vikram-Viral, another battered team, badly in need of a victory, went down fighting to the now in form Suraaj-Shash. Suraaj-Shash needed to confirm their quarter final berth and a victory here would give them the necessary insurance. Vikram-Viral tried to put up a brave fight but many a times overdid themselves. Vikram could not get his lethal first serves in, consistently and Viral continued on with double faults. At the other end Suraaj and Shash kept them pinned down with some high precision shots from the net. Although there was an occasional aggressive forehand from Viral, it could not save the day for them. In a very quick route to defeat, Vikram-Viral did not even wait for the rains.
Shashwath-Suraaj beat Vikram-Viral: 6-0, 6-2
Subhash vs Rohan:
Again facing an early exit, Subhash displayed his true class, when he took on Rohan. A champion of TT, Rohan was no match for the flamboyant Subhash. Rohan still showed the spirit of a fighter as he took 4 games in the match.
Subhash beat Rohan: 6-1, 6-3
Shash vs Girish:
In a soft match of their group, Shash clashed against Girish. Soft match since both the players were already in round 2. Shash maintained his winning form and handed a thrashing defeat to Girish, who somehow was concentrating more on movie timings than the match.
Shash beat Girish: 6-1, 6-1
Now only 3 matches of round 1 are remaining which can all be called as soft matches as they would have no consequence for the knockout round in both the categories. The tourney is now poised to go to the next stage. The boys have already been seperated from the men, now it is the time to choose the titans from these men. So all the best guys, hope to see an ever enthralling round 2.
07/26/2006 (Vikram)
I am back with the regular tennis masala. Incidentally I still report for Dainik Golmaal coz is duniya mein, 'Golmaal hai bhaai, sab Golmaal hai'.
This week has been characterized by the last set of or should I say do or die matches for round 1 in both the categories. The glamorous list of outstanding (standing out) people has been graced with some very popular names. In the singles the picture for round 2 is very clear with only 2 matches remaining. But the stakes for doubles are still open with teams coming up with surprise packages for their opponents with soaring and sliding form.
Venkat vs Jeevan:
Doubles Partners of 2 great names in AH Tennis clashed this Monday. An improvised and finer tuned Jeevan proved no match for the sheer class of Venkat. Venkat stamped his domination pretty early in the match with 6-0 first set victory. A resilient fightback from Jeevan could get him only 3 games in the second and thus he joined the ranks of round 1 exits.
Venkat beat Jeevan:6-0, 6-3
Saurav vs Saurabh:
In yet another anticlimax of a match, the mighty Mr.Achillies got better of Saurabh Gupta. A straight sets white wash, brought an end to Saurabh's dreams of a round 2 position, but a humble and cheerful Saurabh shared his emotions something like this. "He won 12 games against me but I don't know whether I won even 12 points". Way to go man, that's what I call Happy-go-Lucky.
Saurav beat Saurabh: 6-0 6-0
Prashant-Shallex vs Sreeraj-Ganesh:
An amazingly hard fought match found these teams playing on 2 separate days to complete an awe inspiring 3 setter. Prashant-Shallex have been a revelation for this year. A fantastic player of the baseline Prashant is complimented well by Shallex at the net. But Ganesh and Sreeraj have been practicing in secret it seems. They have given all their opponents, till now, a run for their money. With the balance of the game shifting either way, the first set saw a tie breaker. Ganesh and Sreeraj quickly encashed the opportunity to take the set 7-6. A hard fought second also went into a tie breaker but this time Prashant-Shallex came out with the honors. With the game tied at 2 sets each, it was a matter of continuing the momentum, this is where Prashant is the best. Prashant-Shallex took the final set 6-4 and sealed the fate of the match.
Prashant-Shallex beat Sreeraj-Ganesh: 6-7, 7-6, 6-4
Sreeraj vs Parag:
In a very average display of Tennis, Parag lost to his more consistent and determined opponent. Sreeraj played the game at his own pace and dictated the terms as Parag could not put up a good show. Although the first set was a hard fought tug-off war. Parag, nursing an aching shoulder, lost the initiative after dragging it to a tie breaker. But as in a tug-off war Parag lost his drive the second set. His game was predictable. Incorrect placement and the absence of his elegant slices gave an easy opening for Sreeraj. But nonetheless Parag is a player of class and Sreeraj did a very good job of keeping him in check. Accuracy and consistency opened the gates of round 2 for Sreeraj. A tough group claimed a worthy victim in the form of Parag.
Sreeraj beat Parag: 7-6, 6-1
Saurav vs Vikas:
In a very early match of round 2, Saurav the Destroyer, became the first player to reach quarter finals. Completely outclassed by his talented opponent, Vikas could not hold out his own. He received a 6-0 thrashing in his first set. But a Samosa challenge saw him take one game before his flame died out. A worthy fighter in his own right Vikas, tried hard. But Saurav blasted everything thrown at him.
Saurav vs Vikas: 6-0, 6-1
07/21/2006 (Venkat)
The earlier mail provoked a lot of controversy. Looks like you all didnt like the name 'Ajit Jalandhar'. Many even thought this was an actual person! Actually Ajit Jalandhar is a famous newspaper in Punjab. Anyway in an effort to steer clear of all this, I am changing the name of my review to 'Punjab Kesari'. A name you can better relate to ;-)
So here are the uncovered matches so far -
Suchit Vs Viral
Somethings get better with age. No, Suchit is not one of them ;-) But still he proved that he is not to be taken lightly! Suchit was able to thwart the challenge posed by Viral with a mix of precision and aggression. Viral again played a great game, and I am sure by next year it would be difficult to beat him. The best part of his game is his forehand. He can use it to great advantage, and Suchit didnt have any answer to many of his shots! On the downside Suchit committed a lot of errors and gave away too many easy points. And he does need to work on his stamina :-)
Result: Suchit won 6-2, 6-3
Vikas Vs Viral
This match would go into the folklore of Infosys Onsite! We all know Viral/Shash/Rakesh are driven by an inspiration. Vikas has also joined the club, just that his inspiration was 'samosa'. Yes, its not a typo!! Vikas was down one set 2-6, when Saurav bet him a samosa if he wins! All of a sudden we could see the image of samosa in Vikas's eye! He played with a vigor we never thought he had. He turned the match on its head, and won in a hard-fought 3 setter. Viral played nice in first set, but after that he was just not able to match the enthusiasm of Vikas. Vikas was all over the court giving 101% and he even blanked out Viral in the 3rd set!
Result: Vikas won 2-6, 6-2, 6-0
Aakash/Shubha Vs Sreeraj/Ganesh
This was a very crucial match for both the teams of Group-A. The Bengal tigers were able to make the most of it and they are now assured of a game in the next round. Not just that, with this tough win they are now a contender for the finals too! Defeating Sreeraj/Ganesh was difficult from the word go. Some even touted them to be the favorites, but Aakash/Shubha had other plans. The Bengal tigers have adopted a strategy that is working great for them. They concentrate on returning the ball with minimal errors, and in between they would play some shots. This keeps the opponents on the wrong foot, and forces them to play aggressively. Sreeraj/Ganesh also fell to this ploy and made mistakes at crucial junctures. It is hard to believe that they were leading in both sets 4-1!! They really have to take their game to the next level if they want to make it to the next round. Group-A is turning out to be a tough group, and it is still wide open. May the best teams advance!!
Result: Aakash/Shubha won 6-4, 7-5
07/19/2006 (Venkat)
Looks like the Dainik Golmaal press has been shutdown for the summers! But don't worry, Ajit Jalandhar is here to provide the news! Lets start from where Dainik Golmaal stopped. The uncovered matches so far -
Aakash Vs Suraaj
The match begin with a dare! With Aakash asking Suraaj to bring his skills to the court, and Suraaj asking him to bring his big round tummy. Both obliged. The match was as close as it could get. Aakash was matching Suraaj's shots with his precision. It was a battle of nerves as the loser would see the exit door from singles tourney. In the end a faltering Suraaj won, but not before Aakash saved more than 10 match points! We still need to see if Suraaj can carry the confidence from this victory to next round. Unfortunately Aakash's quest for singles title ends here. He has been a sort of revelation this season. No one expected that he could play tennis of this quality! Stretching Deepan to 3 sets, and giving Suraaj a scare - he is a winner afterall.
Result: Suraaj won 7-6, 7-5
Prashant Vs Sreeraj
There are some matches where the scoreline fails to do justice to the quality of game played. This was one such match. Prashant was in a class of his own, and proved why he is still the number 1 threat to Saurav. But Sreeraj was not about to go down without a fight. His serves and placement were a treat to watch. Alas, they couldn't shake our Mr Impeccable Prashant. Prashant was all over the court winning points at will. In favor of Sreeraj, it looked like he was bit short of practice. Since then he has been spotted on court a lot more! So his next match against Parag should be a treat to watch!
Result: Prashant won 6-1, 6-0
Saurabh Vs Vikram
These guys have been under a lot of criticism for their tennis skills. I invite all the critics to watch their game now! Both have improved tremendously over last few weeks. Their shots are now packed with power and precision. They just need to run a little more :-). It was a good match with Vikram dictating terms from the beginning. Saurabh did prove to be a worthy fighter, but that was not enough to stop Vikram. Looks like all the practice done by Vikram has now started paying off. Whoever thought Vikram would be a pushover think so at their own peril!
Result: Vikram won 6-3, 6-2
Rakesh Vs Shubha
This match started with a lot of expectations of a good fight. And it proved to be just that. Shubha started the match confidently and won the first set in no time. Little did he realize that Rakesh was just warming up! So what we saw in 2nd set was a thing of absolute beauty. Rakesh took control and sent Shubha running all sides of the court. Of special mention were his shots from the net. Shubha had no clue what struck him and lost the set. In the next set he was better prepared and the final battle began. It was very close till the end, and to Shubha's credit he converted the first match point he got. With this victory Shubha has proved to be a worthy group topper. The victory will also ensure that he doesn't meet Praveen in pre-quarters!
Result: Shubha won 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
Aakash/Shubha Vs Prashant/Shallex
Aakash/Shubha started the match as hot favorites. The Bengali duo have built a reputation by defeating Jay/Viru. So it was upto our Kannadigas to prove that they are in contention too! They had looked vulnerable after their defeat against Saurav/Venkat. But with this match they showed that they are not to be taken lightly. The kannadiga duo won first set in a blaze. Shallex played well at the nets, and Prashant played amazingly at the baseline. His shots were a treat to watch. Our Bengali duo pulled their act together in the 2nd set and gave a good fight. But Shallex/Prashant were already on a roll and finished the match with a straight set victory.
Result: Prashant/Shallex won 6-1, 6-4
Praveen/Jeevan Vs Saurabh/Vikas
This was an interesting match. Saurabh/Vikas were leading 3-1 in both sets, but were just not able to maintain the lead. Was it the pressure or Praveen playing in the opposite side?! Both Vikas and Saurabh were hitting good shots and were aggressive on the court. In addition they committed a lot of unforced errors which in end proved to be their downfall. Nevertheless, Praveen and Jeevan played a good game. Jeevan's game is improving with each outing, and I wonder what he has in store for his next match with me! Praveen as usual played a high quality game. His motto is - throw anything at me, I will throw it back to you! He can play equally well, whether it is baseline or net.
Result: Praveen/Jeevan won 6-4, 6-4
Deepan/Parag Vs Viral/Vikram
It was an easy outing for last years finalists as they defeated Viral/Vikram in straight sets. The Maratha warriors stamped their class, and hit an array of shots. Viral/Vikram tried their best and were able to hit some frighteningly good shots. But a match is not won by solitary points. It requires persistence and quality for the entire duration. And in this department Deepan/Parag are the best. The spin shots of Parag and baseline play of Deepan would please any puritan, and we were no exception. They are well on their way to be the group toppers, is there anyone to put up a roadblock?!
Result: Deepan/Parag won 6-2, 6-1
Shashwath/Suraaj Vs Diwakar/Krishna
In yesterdays match, Shashwath/Suraaj salvaged their reputation with a solid won. They had been drawing a lot of flak for playing subpar matches, and we were wondering if this team was overrated. The PD team put all this speculation to rest by defeating Diwakar/Krishna in straight sets. If Shash was playing classic badminton dunks from the net, Suraaj was hitting his trademark forehands. Looks like they have got their touch back, opponents beware! The game of Diwakar/Krishna was rusty at best. The number of unforced errors committed were just too much. Both these guys have enough talent to play a great game, just that they need to apply themselves better.
Result: Shashwath/Suraaj won 6-1, 6-2
07/11/2006 (Vikram)
It is on a very sad note that I am sending you this mail. Bombay has seen another series of blasts as over a 100 innocent commuters have been killed in local trains whilst they were going home from work on the fateful day today, July 11th, 2006 ........................................... but as a Mumbaikar myself I know that come what may the show must go on.
So here are the updates for today.
Detroit Open 2006 is back after a long (weekend) break. Many things have happened in the sports world since, Michael Schumacher and Ferrari dominated the Formula 1 US GP. It was a great pleasure to watch him stamp his domination on the circuit. In soccer, Italy surprised Germany with 2 last minute goals and someone became the first player to retire with a red card in extra time. Zidane has a drawn a lot of publicity for his retirement, but for all the wrong reasons. And now here are the happenings in our very own Detroit Open 06.
Suchit-Pai vs Vikram-Viral:
The last match before the break saw these 2 teams clash. Both of them displayed nerves as unforced errors rained on the court from both sides. It turned out as the team with least errors would win. Suchit and Pai did a good job at that. They slowed down the pace of the game and tried to play more accurately. They took the first set 6-1 and were dominating the second 4-2 when a late spirited fightback from Vikram and Viral took them by surprise. This late blitz helped Vikram-Viral to win a few battles but the war was already lost.
Final Score: Suchit-Pai beat Viral-Vikram: 6-1,6-3
Sunday saw 3 interesting battles as the singles round 1 raged on. The day was characterized by a very strong wind:
Praveen vs Subhash:
Praveen Paul D'Souza (PPD) or BT (as he was known in offshore), seems to be the dark horse of this season. His absence last season meant that he did not start as a favorite (atleast on paper). But people watching his game knew what to expect from him. In his doubles match earlier, he had single handedly taken the fight to Dilip Rakesh. So when he faced Subhash for his single's he was shining with confidence. Subhash, known as a better player from past 2 years seemed equally determined. PPD started his blitzkrieg from first point and crushed any opposition from Subhash. He dominated the proceedings as took the game in straight sets 6-1,6-0. Do we have a challenger for Saurav here???
Final Score: Praveen beat Subhash: 6-1, 6-0
Deepan vs Suraaj:
Mr Textbook, The Great Maratha, Deepan Choudhary, dominated yet another quicky as he nailed his opponent Suraaj 6-1, 6-2. Seemingly disturbed by the wind, Suraaj was totally out of sorts and lasted only an hour against Deepan who was somehow able to use the wind to his advantage, on both the sides of the court. Deepan is the first single's player to reach round 2.
Final Score: Deepan beat Suraaj: 6-1, 6-2
Suchit vs Vikas:
In one of the most painfully slow and pathetically boring encounters of the tourney, 2 old men Suchit and Vikas clashed (in a real slow motion act). The match progressed slowly each one allowed the other to dominate while he rested. They equalized each other in every game and at 6-6 they lay tired on the courts (needless to say without any hard hits or fast serves). Suchit dominated the tie breaker and took the first set 7-6. A resurgent Vikas found himself leading the second set 5-3, just when his strength gave up on him. Suchit took 4 games in a row to take the set and the match 7-5.
Final Score: Suchit beat Vikas: 7-6, 7-5
Monday sealed the fates for a few competitors as 3 more games took place. The 3 matches in their ascending order of climax went like this:
Shubha vs Diwakar:
Shubha's reputation to make people run for their money remained intact as we saw Diwakar fighting to cover the whole court. Shubha in a class of his own delivered lethal blows one after the other. Diwakar could not take such an onslaught and lost the match tamely in a near perfect weather. This loss means that the single's tourney is over for Diwakar.
Final Score: Shubha beat Diwakar: 6-2, 6-1
Shashwath vs Prakash:
In an unexpected 3 setter, Prakash Kumar went down fighting to the crowd favorite Shash. Both the players kept on losing their serves as the first set stood 3-3, Shash held on to 2 of his own to take the set 6-3. A resurgent Prakash dominated the 2nd set as he led 5-0. His shots were more aggressive and his body language more confident as he took the set 6-2. He was helped on his way by the numerous double faults from Shashwath. As expected the 3 rd set seemed to be a climax never seen before. Both the players matched each other in shots and serves, with no one ready to give up (too many deuces). But the battle for endurance was won by Shash as he took the third set 6-2. With this loss Prakash Kumar has joined Diwakar in exiting the tourney.
Final Score: Shashwath beat Prakash: 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
Prashanth vs Parag:
As the above 2 matches were reaching their climax another drama was unfolding on the third game of the day. In one of the toughest groups in singles, yesteryear finalist Krishna Prashanth faced off the talented Parag. It was a contest not only of talent, endurance, physical stamina but mental fortitude above all. In one of the longest game this tourney has seen so far, Parag started off on a dominating note as he took the first set 6-3. But Prashanth was just warming up. He came back in the second set and the match became a clash of the Titans. Long rallies, hard shots, great spinning slices enthralled the crowd (and yes there was a crowd, mostly non-Infy). The finesse and raw talent of the players was an absolute thrill to watch. Prashanth took the second set 6-2. The third was an even harder fought set as none of the players wanted to lose, they were already soaked up in sweat and it wasn't even a round 2 match. Kudos to Prashanth as he won the 3rd set from a worthy competitor. A 3 setter climax saw Prashanth win an absolute legend of a match.
Final Score: Prashanth beat Parag: 3-6, 6-2. 6-1
06/28/2006 (Vikram)
"Khudi ko karke buland chadha woh jaise taise,
Khudi ko karke buland chadha woh jaise taise,
Aur Khuda ne bande khud poochha ,
abe ab utarega kaise"
I would start this update with due regards to Raju Srivastav. After quite sometime now, there was a lull in the tourney, both off the court as well as on the court. The cloudy skies over Auburn Hills were indicating as if some secret strategies are sprawling up. Perhaps the pain of writing reports is that over a period of time people think of you as the paparazzi and maintain a cunning silence around you :-(((
Due to some unavoidable circumstances the match between Saurabh and Saurav had to be rescheduled, but luckily I had another one to report.
David tames Goliath:
In the lone game that took place yesterday, Venkat Sahai faced the mammoth Krishna Beri. Krishna seemed to be equally determined in his second, singles encounter, he had a the confidence of an earlier win. But Venkat was equally committed to the task. In a hard fought first set, Venky seemed to have the edge over Krishna as he took the set 6-4. But Krishna came back in the 2nd with a 6-4 set winner. The duel went long and hard as both the players, played long rallies. No hard serving not many hard shots, every move seemed to follow a rhythm. The longer the match went, the tiring it became. Finally in the third set, Venky pushed the pedal to the floor and won the match with a 6-2 final set win.
Final Score: Venkat beat Krishna: 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
Aaj ki Jung:
Today promises a lot of action as 3 doubles matches are scheduled.
In the first scheduled game for today, the defending champions Saurav-Venkat face the might of Bengal Tigers. Both the teams have had their share of success in the tourney till now and rearing to go. Just a recap of last year when these 2 teams met, Tigers had drawn the first blood with 3-0 in set one but soon succumbed to their opponents. Will the tigers be able to take revenge this year or will it be a good hunting time for the defending champs .......
In the second match for today, Viru-Subhash are up against Shallex-Prashanth. Both these teams have lost their season starters and need a victory here to stay in the hunt for the championship.
And last but not the least, I can hear the Cheer Leaders as Pai-Suchit clash against Vikram-Viral. Although Vikram-Viral are not highly rated as compared to their opponents but they have been practicing well and they have the new racquet magic. On the contrary our celebrity Mr.Pai, has only made one guest appearance on the court this season, so will there be a surprise in store, well, please be on the courts to witness it .................
Weather man sees another day of scattered T-storms for today, hope they don't play a spoil sport on the courts today.
06/27/2006 (Vikram)
Thank you all for your support, I did not receive any response for my note yesterday, so I guess as readers you all are equally enthusiastic.
I welcome you to another edition of Detroit Open Updates. Now, it seems, my prophecy for "High Stakes" is coming good. Three new additions to the new racquet list, Praveen (PPD) and Krishna Prashanth (a whopping 130$ each) and Gaurav Goyal (50$) and I thought we were just having a small Tourney here. All I can say is that people seem to be damn serious this year. There was some talk about 30+ tablets, I guess some people are taking realage.com to heart. But will we get a challenger for Saurav, I guess there are quite a few names, let the tourney decide.
On court yesterday there were some spectacular games, here are the details:
Tigers roar to a victory:
Putting up a very professional display Bengal Tigers, Aakash and Shubha performed the last rites so to say by taking 4 straight games and sealing their victory over Subhash - Viru. A lot of unforced errors from their opponents ensured an easy victory for the tigers.
Final Score: Aakash-Shubha beat Subhash-Viru: 6-7, 6-4, 6-2
Rakesh juggernaut keeps rolling:
It seemed as if Rakesh started from where he had left in the doubles league. In his first, singles encounter against Diwakar, Rakesh started off to a flyer with 6-2 victory in set 1. Mixing caution with aggression he sent Diwakar on the back foot. The only real challenge from Diwakar came in the 2nd set where he went on to win 4 games but soon was silenced as Rakesh took the set 6-4.
Final Score: Rakesh beat Dilip: 6-2, 6-4
Bengal Tiger goes down fighting:
In an awe inspiring display of Tennis, Aakash made the full use of his new racquet and a lot of inspiration, in challenging Deepan. The lone Tiger led from the very beginning in the first set. In a display of accuracy against aggression, accuracy prevailed. Deepan somehow managed a tie breaker but Aakash didn't take long to win the tie breaker and take the set 7-6. At this juncture Mr.Textbook shots, Deepan was out of his wits. In the next set Deepan became more lethal, it seemed as if the first set was just a warm up.for him. He came back with a vengeance, on a now tired Aakash to take the second set 6-2. A weary fightback from Aakash pushed the last set to 10 games, but the writing on the board was clear, a 6-4 win for Deepan. Nonetheless, Aakash's display was more than heroic, since Deepan is a dreaded player, one in the list of challengers for Saurav. Also a salute to both the players as they agreed to end the game yesterday itself and played under fading lights.
Final Score: Deepan beat Aakash: 6-7, 6-2, 6-4
Today's Upcoming Action:
Mr. Achilles, Saurav, has his day out on the courts again today as he takes on, Saurabh Gupta for his second, round 1, single's clash. Buoyant with his earlier victories and the class that he is, Saurav, should have good one. As for his opponent Saurabh, has been playing great shots these days, he has been practicing hard. An aggressive serve and good hard shots means, he is in the reckoning. So will it be a whitewash or will Saurabh spring a surprise on Saurav..........All I can say is Saurabh has nothing to lose.
Scattered T-Storms is what our Weather man has to forecast for today. Let us hope the Rain Gods have mercy on us today as well..........
06/26/2008 (Vikram)
The Tennis Tourney is back and so am I and our weather man (Thanx to Venky and Aakash). This Tennis season has been characterized by one word "NEW". New organizers, new format for the tourney (round robin matches), new players and new racquets. Speaking of new racquets here are some facts for you, we had only 3, 80$ racquets last year. This year with stakes being high, the list has grown something like this. It started with Vikas(100$), Vikram(90$) and Viral(90$) (a coincidental alliteration). They were soon followed by Aakash and Shubha (60$ each) and there is a list of prospective buyers as the grapevine suggests names like Girish and Gaurav (atleast these are the people I know of).
Now coming to the action on the court, here's what happened over the weekend:
Saurav-Venkat vs Prashant-Shallex:
The Defending Champs Saurav-Venkat have teamed up again this year, much to the disappointment of their rivals. The game proceeded with Mr.Achillies (Saurav if you have forgotten) and Venkat dominating the proceedings but not without hiccups. Both the teams seemed a bit rusty as Saurav took time to get his rhythm, Venky not performing to his fullest and Mr,Prashant (has he put on some weight this year) not as effective. My hero of the day was Mr.New; Shallex. He seemed quite aggressive at the net and hit some good shots......The Champions though, prevailed, to take the match 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets
Final Score: Saurav-Venkat beat Prashant-Shallex: 6-3, 6-3
Dilip-Rakesh vs Gaurav-Kaushal:
Even before this clash, our Cool Dudes, Rakesh and Dilip had already entered the quarter finals of Detroit Open 06, but they did not intend to take it easy. When facing the stylish Kaushal and amateur Gaurav, the cool dudes showed no mercy. They blasted their way in the first set with a 6-1 win, and went on take the 2nd one 6-3. Kaushal had some good services up his sleeve but an over excited display at the net, left Gaurav singing "Main hoon na.... " . Although Kaushal and Gaurav attempted a fightback in the second set, there was no stopping the Cool Dudes juggernaut. After winning all their league matches, Cool Dudes are placed comfortably in the Quarter finals. An aggressive Rakesh has been the characteristic of their wins, some kinda inspiration at work.
Final Score: Dilip-Rakesh beat Gaurav-Kaushal: 6-1, 6-3
Krishna Beri vs Jeevan:
Yet another guy under the spell of inspiration, Krishna Beri survived an initial onslaught from Jeevan. Jeevan who has come under some friendly criticism in his doubles loss with partner Praveen, took it a bit too seriously. he fought back from 5-3 down in the first set to level it to 6-6, The tie breaker saw Krishna dominating with a 7-0, fetched him the set 7-6. Since then Jeevan seemed down and out and lost the second set 3-6.
Final Score: Krishna Beri beat Jeevan: 7-6, 6-3
Parag-Deepan vs Suraaj-Shashwath:
The runners Maratha pair of Deepan-Parag took no time or pressure in crushing their opposition. The runner up pair of the last year, the Marathas dominated in every dept of the game and were helped by many unforced errors from their potentially competitive opposition. The cries of 'Jai Maharashtra' hailed from the skies as Parag-Deepan won 6-1, 6-1. Shash needs to get his Indian inspiration working :-)
Final Score: Parag-Deepan beat Suraaj-Shashwath: 6-1, 6-1
Aakash-Shubha vs Viru-Subhash:
An exciting 3-setter for round 1, saw the 2 teams with a passion for action, put up a great show. As a characteristic of this game, The Bengal Tigers roared initially, to take a set lead of 5-2 but soon after our Sholay duo (Jay-Viru) caught on to level the set 6-6, The tie breaker saw the nervous tigers go down 7-3 to lose the set 7-6. The second set seemed to follow the first with the Tigers leading 5-2 initially but they found themselves being hunted again at 5-4. The Tigers held their nerves this time, to take the set 6-4. Amidst a lot of disturbance and hot action, it was the Umpires who faced perhaps more pressure than the players themselves. Saurabh got emotional and cried out in respect and support for all tennis referees till date. The lights went dim in the third set with the 2 teams tied at 2 games each. This match would continue on Monday, June 27th
Current Score: Aakash-Shubha vs Viru-Subhash: 6-7, 6-4, 2-2
Today's upcoming action:
Apart from the continuation of Friday's double's match, the Courts will witness a classic duel today as Rakesh takes on Diwakar in their first singles encounter. This would be a game to watch, since Rakesh's abilities as a player have come to the fore front only this year. It would be interesting to see how he plays without Dilip by his side. As for Diwakar, he has a good temperament, but will that be enough.....
Weather man forecasts scattered thunderstorms in the evening today, I hope they don't hover over the Tennis Courts. So be there to support your teams or players for Detroit Open 2006
Important Note: Please let me know if I am cluttering your mail boxes by replying to this mail (Not a reply to all). I would ensure that further mails don't reach you.
06/23/2006 (Aakash)
Saurav vs Vikram : Saurav won 6-2, 6-0.
This is one of those games that the loser gets more publicity for losing. I had the opportunity to speak to Vikram at lunch - he said 'its not about the result, its about fighting for each point'.Parag and I quipped in ' atleast win a point' , Shubha added in the background "shortest tennis match". Shut up critics ! I did meet Prashant after I joined in - Vikram actually broke Saurav's service in the first game . Prashant commented " but it was as if saurav himself broke his serve by having 2 double faults". Prashant told me later that Vikram really played well - unlike many of us who thought that it would be a whitewash.
Saurav won the match eventually.
Rakesh/Dilip vs Saurabh/Vikas :Rakesh/Dilip won 6-3,6-1.
In another eventful match - (Saurabh comments - hardly eventful from behind me as I write this ) - Rakesh/Dilip continued there winning streak. Dilip was all smiles after the game. Continuing from last evening , Rakesh/Dilip went onto win the match 6-3,6-1.The thing to watch was Vikas' new racquet - the costliest in the tournament so far.
We are sure Vikas/Saurabh would come out big in their next games.
Prakash/Girish : Girish won 6-3,6-2.
Another interesting match which I could not experience, but heard people talking about. Prakash - Pakiya as he is better known to the junta - was available for comments."We bowled well...fielded well - but they won the match". I tried hearing it from pakiya and the truth came out " woh achha khela yaar" - and then he bent his neck twice to the right and twice towards the left. Hence Proved.
My gym-partner won the game - the 45 mnt workout at the treadmill at chrysler helped ! (not that he had to run much in the game )
From the editor's desk :
Inspite of all the matches , last evenings highlight was Narasimha Pai's entry to the court. We missed the cheerleaders singing "the P " , " the A" and " the I". - Welcome PAI.. His first entry this summer. In a practice match , Pai/Suchit beat Shubha/me 6-2.Suchit was injured while playing the tie-break in the last set - we are yet to see whether out IPATS-Tiger is able to play this evening.
Also on the far end of the court was Viru and Subhas - who are scheduled to play shubha and me on saturday evening.
Todays upcoming matches - Kaushal (yes bhailog..Kaushal as in Kaushal Khatri ) teams up with Gaurav to play Rakesh/Dilip.
In a 2nd match , Suchit and Pai play Shashwath - Suraaj.
Saturday evening : Viru/Subhas play shubha/Aakash. Not sure if a new racquet will improve my game - but I'll buy it anyhow.
06/19/2006 (Aakash)
What a Start to the Detroit Open !
A 3-setter in game 1 between rakesh/dilip and praveen/jeevan. rakesh/dilip won the game 4-6,6-4,6-3.
The game started with Praveen taking control of the court - swinging the set along with jeevan to a 6-4. Jeevan's game was worth mentioning here - he has improved considerably in the last 2 months - and played some good shots from the net.
Rakesh and dilip pulled it off from there. Though dilip was initially concerned about the sun and the tanning (we heard he is going to india - and does not want to turn dark before it! ) - his game improved. Alongwith Rakesh - who was awesome in front of the net - the 2nd set was decided.
Score : 4-6,6-4.
By this time our onsite junta covered the courts - and we could hear people shouting, booing , commenting ! That was the proof - the tournament has begun.The 3rd set went to a 3-3.Tensions high - umpires(venkat and shash) kept it cool . Rakesh and Dilip took the break from here - and went onto win the game 6-3.
Final Score : Rakesh/Dilip won 4-6, 6-4,6-3.
What was rakesh doing 10 mnts before the game ? Seems a job broke down in one of our Fleet systems at 6pm - instead of warming up for the game - he fixed the issue and then went to the court. !
But let me tell you this - whoever thought they will win a game easily this year , might need to re-evaluate their strategy. Its going to be tough this year.
Wednesday's games:
Rakesh/Dilip vs Saurabh/Vikas
Jeevan vs Venkat
Prakash vs Girish
You dont need an invite on wednesday , do you - needless to say its going to be fun? Games start at 6-30pm.
And Oh ! the Project party is scheduled at metro beach park this sunday . Rains ? We will take that risk ! Information to follow.
Cheers !
Organizing Committee - Detroit Open 2006.
06/18/2006 (Aakash)
Good Morning .
400 Tennis balls, 300 Gatorades , 24 players , 91 F - The tennis tournament has begun . A Whopping 72 matches in the next few weeks.
The groups have been formed , the matches would be scheduled - the games start this wednesday. An initial plethora of double faults , crazy hits , tired players - as the tournament progresses - you would see more of aces, crosscourts and accurate shots being played.
In the attached spreadsheet you would find the groups.
Singles: We have divided 24 players into 8 groups who play league matches with each other. Top two players from each group advance to Round 2. From Round 2 onwards , we start our knockout phase of 16 players.
Doubles :We have divided 13 teams into 3 teams of 5,4 and 5. 3 teams advance from groups having 5 teams , 2 teams advance from groups having 4 teams - thereby giving us 8 teams for the quarter finals. From the Quarters - we start our knockout phase.
Draws:The draws were held at Venkat's place at 5:30pm. Diwakar , Shashwath,Deepan, Rakesh, Shubha were present to witness the selection of groups which was done on a random basis.
Schedules: .We are aware of the domain exams, project party - so we would try to place the games working thru these dates. In doubles - Group B - We would begin our games this evening , as Dilip is leaving for India on 29th June. If any team/players have issues with any dates - please let us know by Monday EOD. On Monday , we would send you the schedule of the games from the 21st June till the begining of the long weekend - with 72 matches it would be hard for us to reschedule.
Clash of the Titans : Sampath has signed up to play one game in the tennis tournament. We would have a match where Sampath would play with one of us. Details coming up shortly.
Registration Fees : 10 for singles , and 10 per player in a doubles team. Please sign up with Dilip Kalra/ Venkat Sahai/ Parag Rao at the earliest.
06/12/2006 (Venkat)
For all of you who forgot, it's time to play tennis again! Yes, the tennis tournament is happening this time too. And on a
bigger scale :-). We know you have been practicing hard, so let the competition spirit soar!
So gear up all tennis enthusiasts. If you are interested in playing singles or doubles then mail me back by Thursday June 15th.
Let us know your double's partner (or absence of the same) too. The entry fees for singles/doubles would be around $10 for each. The exact
amount would depend on the number of entries.
The following are the main features to watch out for!
1. Instead of knock-out from the word go, we would have league matches in round-1.
2. The prize money would be intimated before the first match.
3. The matches would start from June 26
4. Women singles/doubles tournament would depend on number of entries received.
5. More details to follow once the number of entries are finalized.
So don't wait for the deadline date of Thursday. Rush your entries now!
(Contact me or Shashwath for more details)
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Get.. Set.. Go!!
It's that part of year again when my skin color gets more black. Yes, it's possible! Around 1.5 hours of tennis everyday is enough to bring the change. And it takes hard work of Michigan winter to make the color a bit light. Anyway this post is not about my skin color, so no comments appreciated for that ;-)
The tennis tournament organized last year was a huge hit, as were Vikram's match updates. The magic would be relived this year, and on a bigger scale. We learnt a few lessons last time around. So hopefully tournament would be organized on a more elaborate scale. Compared to knock-out matches of last time, we would have league matches in 1st round. That would ensure atleast 3 or 4 matches even for a weak player. Also, the people are getting better at playing. That too should make the matches more interesting. (Although I can't complain much as I won the doubles tourney with Saurav as my partner :-))
Apart from tennis many small small things are happening. I am going to UK on this 30th. Would be with Big B for full week. That sure would be nice! Might get to meet Vineesh too. That would be an added bonus :-). Kapahi would be coming to US in July. Would get to meet that bugger after more than 1.5 years! He has got admission for MS in Iowa University. Work for ASHA is again on a go. We recently organized a semi-classical concert. It was a good event and generated good funds. Now work is going on for 5K Walk/Run event in August. There is a positive recognition for the work we are doing. People are listening to us and are contributing in anyway possible. That's always a good thing :-). The journey with ASHA has been more rewarding than I expected. Might even get to listen to Sandeep Pandey this weekend! What more could I ask for.
The tennis tournament organized last year was a huge hit, as were Vikram's match updates. The magic would be relived this year, and on a bigger scale. We learnt a few lessons last time around. So hopefully tournament would be organized on a more elaborate scale. Compared to knock-out matches of last time, we would have league matches in 1st round. That would ensure atleast 3 or 4 matches even for a weak player. Also, the people are getting better at playing. That too should make the matches more interesting. (Although I can't complain much as I won the doubles tourney with Saurav as my partner :-))
Apart from tennis many small small things are happening. I am going to UK on this 30th. Would be with Big B for full week. That sure would be nice! Might get to meet Vineesh too. That would be an added bonus :-). Kapahi would be coming to US in July. Would get to meet that bugger after more than 1.5 years! He has got admission for MS in Iowa University. Work for ASHA is again on a go. We recently organized a semi-classical concert. It was a good event and generated good funds. Now work is going on for 5K Walk/Run event in August. There is a positive recognition for the work we are doing. People are listening to us and are contributing in anyway possible. That's always a good thing :-). The journey with ASHA has been more rewarding than I expected. Might even get to listen to Sandeep Pandey this weekend! What more could I ask for.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Whats the answer?
Sure, you would think you know the answer if you just glance through the question. But if you really think hard and dig below the surface, you would know what I mean. So dont just rush to an answer or next question. Before you move on, ponder over the answer and think if it really makes sense!
1. Does God really exist?
2. If yes, who created God?
3. Would you really be more happy if you get the job you always wanted?
4. If you had power, Would you have stopped Britain from ruling over India?
5. What's the volume of this universe?
6. What's your dad's name?
Please dont be mad at me!! I added the last question just to have some fun at your expense :-).. The other 5 questions still make perfect sense.
1. Does God really exist?
2. If yes, who created God?
3. Would you really be more happy if you get the job you always wanted?
4. If you had power, Would you have stopped Britain from ruling over India?
5. What's the volume of this universe?
6. What's your dad's name?
Please dont be mad at me!! I added the last question just to have some fun at your expense :-).. The other 5 questions still make perfect sense.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Abhi's Tag
Hi ppl!
I have been tagged by Abhi. It took LOT of time filling it up, and man it gets way too personal. Anyway here it goes.
5 people who top your shit list….. and why:
1. George Bush.. for manipulating the whole world so that he could win one more election. And for being the dumbest president US has ever seen. That shows what can happen if you give power to a stupid person.
2. V P Singh for the gift of reservation.
3. Nehru and Jinnah for dividing India, and being the cause of masscares in Punjab (on both sides of the border)
4. Indian police.. for being the paid mob.. for being one of the reason there is no law in India.
5. People who would screw you over for a petty gain. You see such people everywhere.. In your profession, in business, on streets.
Close brushes with death/danger:
1. I was pretty young at the time. We had gone to Rishikesh for bath in Ganga. I didnt know swimming then, but I wanted to learn. So I decided to give it a try!! Ganga was in full fury then because of the recent rains. My dad and his friends had gone quite a bit ahead to take bath. I was at the shallow end near the stairs. I started to try swimming, and the next thing I know I was under water, and drowning. And the worst part was I didnt realize that I was drowning! So I was not shouting for help. I was just floating just beneath the top surface of water and flowing along with the current of the river. Suddenly someone caught me and pulled my head from under the water. It was Tarsem Uncle, and he was now holding me. My dad came there too and then took me to the shore. I dont even remember if he was saying anything. Maybe everyone was silent, comprehending what had just happened. It was only then it struck me that I would have drowned and probably be dead, if uncle had not spotted me. This was the closest I ever came to death.
2. It was a weekday. We (me, Blesson, Santosh) got ready for office, and started in Blesson's car for office. All of us were talking and having a nice time. We were on Featherstone road, and were approaching Chrysler Drive intersection. The signal was red, and I thought that we would break anytime soon. But somehow we didnt stop, and hit a minivan going prependicular to as. The impact speed would have been around 60 mph. I remember the last few moments before hitting! It was dawning on me that car would not stop and that we would soon hit the minivan. Fortunately I didnt get much time to think what would happen if we hit. As and when we hit, the airbag came to life. (I was in passenger seat). It hit my nose with good speed. Thank God that was all there was to it. Ofcourse our car was declared total wreck. But all of us were safe.
5 Preferable modes of suicide, in descending order:
1. Cyanide mixed in orange juice
2. Bullet in head
3. An explosion where death would be totally instantaneous
4. Falling from a very very tall building
5. Drowning
5 Guilty pleasures:
1. Having that extra helping of dessert even when I am full.
2. Discussing people's personal life.
3. Sleeping for that extra half hour in the morning.
4. Watching the movie till 1am.
5. Postponing the preparation for anything to the last moment.
5 days you never want to forget:
1. The day I got CAT scorecard stating that I had got 97 percentile. I had not prepared for the exam, and I was praying that I should get 80+ atleast.
2. The day I was able to make my sister laugh for the first time. She was 2 years old I guess.
3. The day we secretly (from seniors) went to Kodaikanal in our first sem. It was my first trip with just friends. The excitement was at peak with the thought that some senior might be there in Kodaikanal too!
4. The day I landed in US, and was watching every thing in amazement.
5. The day I got my first ever prize. Till then it was my brother who used to gather prizes :-). That day I joined him! I can still remember how excited I was when I held the prize. Thankfully I have a picture capturing my excitement.
5 things you wish to forget:
1. The days I fought with my sis.
2. There is really not much I want to forget!
5 really exotic dishes you have tried:
I haven't tried any "really" exotic dishes.
5 crushes/loves in your life… in chronological order
1. Sreedevi (Mr. India)
2. Manisha Koirala (Agnisakshi)
3. Meera Vasudevan (Rules)
4. Michelle Pfeiffer (What lies beneath)
5. Charlize Theron (Sweet November)
Ofcourse there have been real life crushes too. But I cannot mention them without embarassing myself or the girl.
Strangest dream you ever had:
I somehow end up fighting! Earlier I used to dream that my friends were fighting for me. Now I dream that I am fighting for them! Strangely knife and guns are used pretty common. And whats more strange is that nothing happens to me even when I am hit with bullets!! In the funniest/strangest dream I ever had, I was hit with 4 bullets. After that I sit in a bus to go to a doctor so that I can get treatment!! On the way I come to know that the doctor is a Bangladeshi. I refuse treatment from him saying that I dont believe he would be able to do a good job. I am arguing with people over this. Finally I go to my bro for treatment. Again we are talking as if I had caught common cold.
5 most valued personal possessions:
1. My mind
2. My sister
3. My personal diary
4. My pics (from the time I was a kid)
5. The pen my grandfather gave me.
5 favorite superheroes….. and why:
1. Spiderman.. for the way he uses his web! Be it stopping a car, or travelling from one building to another. Its real cool!
2. Bhagat Singh.. for his thoughts and actions. If only we had half as much guts and conviction as him, the world would be a better place.
3. Sardar Patel.. for giving us India as we know it today.
4. Amitabh Bachchan.. for the countless emotional rides he has taken us on with his movies. Be it comedy, action or melodrama.. he is THE KING of all!
5. Ramanujan.. for being the brightest Indian ever. He makes us all proud that we are from the same country!
I am hereby tagging Vineesh, Kutty, Vithal, Sookie and Kingkong. I am supposed to tag just 5 ppl, but cant help the temptation to tag Anuj also :-)
I have been tagged by Abhi. It took LOT of time filling it up, and man it gets way too personal. Anyway here it goes.
5 people who top your shit list….. and why:
1. George Bush.. for manipulating the whole world so that he could win one more election. And for being the dumbest president US has ever seen. That shows what can happen if you give power to a stupid person.
2. V P Singh for the gift of reservation.
3. Nehru and Jinnah for dividing India, and being the cause of masscares in Punjab (on both sides of the border)
4. Indian police.. for being the paid mob.. for being one of the reason there is no law in India.
5. People who would screw you over for a petty gain. You see such people everywhere.. In your profession, in business, on streets.
Close brushes with death/danger:
1. I was pretty young at the time. We had gone to Rishikesh for bath in Ganga. I didnt know swimming then, but I wanted to learn. So I decided to give it a try!! Ganga was in full fury then because of the recent rains. My dad and his friends had gone quite a bit ahead to take bath. I was at the shallow end near the stairs. I started to try swimming, and the next thing I know I was under water, and drowning. And the worst part was I didnt realize that I was drowning! So I was not shouting for help. I was just floating just beneath the top surface of water and flowing along with the current of the river. Suddenly someone caught me and pulled my head from under the water. It was Tarsem Uncle, and he was now holding me. My dad came there too and then took me to the shore. I dont even remember if he was saying anything. Maybe everyone was silent, comprehending what had just happened. It was only then it struck me that I would have drowned and probably be dead, if uncle had not spotted me. This was the closest I ever came to death.
2. It was a weekday. We (me, Blesson, Santosh) got ready for office, and started in Blesson's car for office. All of us were talking and having a nice time. We were on Featherstone road, and were approaching Chrysler Drive intersection. The signal was red, and I thought that we would break anytime soon. But somehow we didnt stop, and hit a minivan going prependicular to as. The impact speed would have been around 60 mph. I remember the last few moments before hitting! It was dawning on me that car would not stop and that we would soon hit the minivan. Fortunately I didnt get much time to think what would happen if we hit. As and when we hit, the airbag came to life. (I was in passenger seat). It hit my nose with good speed. Thank God that was all there was to it. Ofcourse our car was declared total wreck. But all of us were safe.
5 Preferable modes of suicide, in descending order:
1. Cyanide mixed in orange juice
2. Bullet in head
3. An explosion where death would be totally instantaneous
4. Falling from a very very tall building
5. Drowning
5 Guilty pleasures:
1. Having that extra helping of dessert even when I am full.
2. Discussing people's personal life.
3. Sleeping for that extra half hour in the morning.
4. Watching the movie till 1am.
5. Postponing the preparation for anything to the last moment.
5 days you never want to forget:
1. The day I got CAT scorecard stating that I had got 97 percentile. I had not prepared for the exam, and I was praying that I should get 80+ atleast.
2. The day I was able to make my sister laugh for the first time. She was 2 years old I guess.
3. The day we secretly (from seniors) went to Kodaikanal in our first sem. It was my first trip with just friends. The excitement was at peak with the thought that some senior might be there in Kodaikanal too!
4. The day I landed in US, and was watching every thing in amazement.
5. The day I got my first ever prize. Till then it was my brother who used to gather prizes :-). That day I joined him! I can still remember how excited I was when I held the prize. Thankfully I have a picture capturing my excitement.
5 things you wish to forget:
1. The days I fought with my sis.
2. There is really not much I want to forget!
5 really exotic dishes you have tried:
I haven't tried any "really" exotic dishes.
5 crushes/loves in your life… in chronological order
1. Sreedevi (Mr. India)
2. Manisha Koirala (Agnisakshi)
3. Meera Vasudevan (Rules)
4. Michelle Pfeiffer (What lies beneath)
5. Charlize Theron (Sweet November)
Ofcourse there have been real life crushes too. But I cannot mention them without embarassing myself or the girl.
Strangest dream you ever had:
I somehow end up fighting! Earlier I used to dream that my friends were fighting for me. Now I dream that I am fighting for them! Strangely knife and guns are used pretty common. And whats more strange is that nothing happens to me even when I am hit with bullets!! In the funniest/strangest dream I ever had, I was hit with 4 bullets. After that I sit in a bus to go to a doctor so that I can get treatment!! On the way I come to know that the doctor is a Bangladeshi. I refuse treatment from him saying that I dont believe he would be able to do a good job. I am arguing with people over this. Finally I go to my bro for treatment. Again we are talking as if I had caught common cold.
5 most valued personal possessions:
1. My mind
2. My sister
3. My personal diary
4. My pics (from the time I was a kid)
5. The pen my grandfather gave me.
5 favorite superheroes….. and why:
1. Spiderman.. for the way he uses his web! Be it stopping a car, or travelling from one building to another. Its real cool!
2. Bhagat Singh.. for his thoughts and actions. If only we had half as much guts and conviction as him, the world would be a better place.
3. Sardar Patel.. for giving us India as we know it today.
4. Amitabh Bachchan.. for the countless emotional rides he has taken us on with his movies. Be it comedy, action or melodrama.. he is THE KING of all!
5. Ramanujan.. for being the brightest Indian ever. He makes us all proud that we are from the same country!
I am hereby tagging Vineesh, Kutty, Vithal, Sookie and Kingkong. I am supposed to tag just 5 ppl, but cant help the temptation to tag Anuj also :-)
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Change is all around!
It was not long ago when I was a die hard fan of cricket. And today I dont care much about it. Part of it happened because of match fixing scandal. And rest of it happened because watching cricket was not that easy anymore!
If you like sports, you cannot stay away from it for a long time. So naturally my interest shifted to Tennis. Oh I just love it! Even when I was a kid, I used to like it. I used to follow Sampras, Steffi Graff, Agassi, Monica Seles.. even Chang!! Agassi and Seles were my favorites for some reason. Maybe because they were underdogs. Even this has changed now. I like Federer. Actually that would be an understatement!! But does anyone has words to describe this guy??! I first watched him play when I was in Bangalore. And he has been my favorite ever since!! Its not my fault though..How can you help it when God himself is writing poetry in middle of the court!
I always wanted to play tennis! Got a chance here in US, and I am making full use of it!! Every evening is busy thanks to tennis :-). Ofcourse I feel the pain in legs when I come back from the court, but the thing that counts is that I feel no pain when I enter the court :)
If you like sports, you cannot stay away from it for a long time. So naturally my interest shifted to Tennis. Oh I just love it! Even when I was a kid, I used to like it. I used to follow Sampras, Steffi Graff, Agassi, Monica Seles.. even Chang!! Agassi and Seles were my favorites for some reason. Maybe because they were underdogs. Even this has changed now. I like Federer. Actually that would be an understatement!! But does anyone has words to describe this guy??! I first watched him play when I was in Bangalore. And he has been my favorite ever since!! Its not my fault though..How can you help it when God himself is writing poetry in middle of the court!
I always wanted to play tennis! Got a chance here in US, and I am making full use of it!! Every evening is busy thanks to tennis :-). Ofcourse I feel the pain in legs when I come back from the court, but the thing that counts is that I feel no pain when I enter the court :)
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Out of Place
I look around, and everything seems to be in place. The majestic trees are standing tall. The geese are taking tiny steps on the grass. The crescent shaped moon is lighting the night. I mean everything is just in place, serving its purpose. At times like this it strikes me like a bolt of lightning that I am so out of place. I feel small, insecure and alone. It might be insecure twenties (as Sookie said in her blog), but I feel there is more to it. I feel it’s a far more personal thing, and that these very moments decide who we really are. In normal times, I cannot tell myself from any other guy.
Well, today is turning out to be a pretty bad day. In the morning decided to talk to a friend. Tried a dozen times, but the phone was out of range. I didn’t think of it much at that time, but as I am writing this, I am realizing that the start of the day itself went bad. After that I got hit by three personal problems over a period of time. Each of them makes me feel insecure. I wonder if that’s how the life is meant to be lived. I believe in nature, and I believe in God. I believe each and every living/non-living thing has a purpose, and each moment is part of a journey. So the question is, why I am here, and where am I going? But all I have as of now are questions. Only questions, no answers. Clouds have covered the moon and it’s very dark out there.
Well, today is turning out to be a pretty bad day. In the morning decided to talk to a friend. Tried a dozen times, but the phone was out of range. I didn’t think of it much at that time, but as I am writing this, I am realizing that the start of the day itself went bad. After that I got hit by three personal problems over a period of time. Each of them makes me feel insecure. I wonder if that’s how the life is meant to be lived. I believe in nature, and I believe in God. I believe each and every living/non-living thing has a purpose, and each moment is part of a journey. So the question is, why I am here, and where am I going? But all I have as of now are questions. Only questions, no answers. Clouds have covered the moon and it’s very dark out there.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Euro Trip!
I got my UK VISA last Thursday. Its a visitor visa valid for 6 months. Thats pretty cool as I plan to visit my bro in July 1st week. Just need to book the tickets now. Will be doing that today night :).. And this week would apply for my schenegan visa. I have always wanted to see Eiffel Tower in night. So I guess this is my chance! I could have never thought about all this just a few years back when I was in college. Well good for me that things are different today! And I am gonna make the most of them!!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
India minus IT
I often wonder what would we all be doing if India was not having IT industry. A little hard to imagine right?! People have discussed to death the reasons for India becoming a force in IT, so I dont need to repeat them.
I just wonder what my other job would have been, and how difficult/easy would it have been. My best guess is Control Engineer in some textile/steel industry! The 2nd best guess is that I would have started out as JE (Junior Engineer) in PSEB (Punjab State Electricity Board). Ofcourse my dad would have had asked for few favors :-)
Almost daily one of my friend would say how they hate their job!! Thats because many times we often take things for granted. We crib even when inside of us knows that at the moment thats the best place we are in. Anyway thats what I think.
A little question to close the post - What job you would have been in, if not for your current job?!
I just wonder what my other job would have been, and how difficult/easy would it have been. My best guess is Control Engineer in some textile/steel industry! The 2nd best guess is that I would have started out as JE (Junior Engineer) in PSEB (Punjab State Electricity Board). Ofcourse my dad would have had asked for few favors :-)
Almost daily one of my friend would say how they hate their job!! Thats because many times we often take things for granted. We crib even when inside of us knows that at the moment thats the best place we are in. Anyway thats what I think.
A little question to close the post - What job you would have been in, if not for your current job?!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
India or US
This is the question everyone asks me. I ask this question myself too! And I dont have a clue. I am still in dilemma as whether to settle in India or US. The answer to this question would decide where I pursue my MBA.
The answer would have had been easy if MBA in US was not so expensive. I have second thoughts whenever the figure of 70,000 USD crosses my mind!! Well lets see what direction I turn too. Guys, help me decide bcoz time is a factor here!!
The answer would have had been easy if MBA in US was not so expensive. I have second thoughts whenever the figure of 70,000 USD crosses my mind!! Well lets see what direction I turn too. Guys, help me decide bcoz time is a factor here!!
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Nice days are back again!
The weather today was nice after ages (or so it seems)!.. It wont be long before we would be carrying our racquets and enter the tennis court. Man, I am waiting for that day :). The wait was fuelled today, by TT tourney organized by ASHA Detroit.
It was tough competition from round-1 itself. I am in best position to comment this, as I was the referee till semi-finals. God, those guys knew how to play!! Allen (just a 14 year old kid from Chinky land) was a treat to watch! So were doubles team Jerry/Jamal.
Anyway, coming back online, we had a nice little party at home today.. It was given by few of our colleagues (they got a promotion). Our house got cleaned on this yearly event :-). Well that brings to end good part of the weekend. Its already 2.30am, and Sunday will be over before I know it! But hey, its time to have some nice dreams now. Signing off.
It was tough competition from round-1 itself. I am in best position to comment this, as I was the referee till semi-finals. God, those guys knew how to play!! Allen (just a 14 year old kid from Chinky land) was a treat to watch! So were doubles team Jerry/Jamal.
Anyway, coming back online, we had a nice little party at home today.. It was given by few of our colleagues (they got a promotion). Our house got cleaned on this yearly event :-). Well that brings to end good part of the weekend. Its already 2.30am, and Sunday will be over before I know it! But hey, its time to have some nice dreams now. Signing off.
Monday, February 27, 2006
My first step!
Finally I attended my first ASHA meeting! I attended it this Sunday. We discussed on how to raise funds for projects back in India. We are much better positioned to do this, being in US. ASHA Detroit has around 12 active volunteers (will be 13 once I get active ;-)) raises around USD 25,000 each year, to support 4 projects in India.
This year, we are organizing TARANGINI (a musical and dance event), 5K walk/run, Table Tennis and Volleybal competitions. As my first step, I would concentrate on making TARANGINI a success. Would be trying to promote the event, sell tickets, and get sponsorships. Hoping for the best. Sreeraj is giving me company in all this. He also believes in making a change!!
I have been wanting to do this for a long time now. Finally got energinzed enough to quell all the laziness! Hey kaddu, hope you are happy! Get well soon now, and start giving me tips!!
This year, we are organizing TARANGINI (a musical and dance event), 5K walk/run, Table Tennis and Volleybal competitions. As my first step, I would concentrate on making TARANGINI a success. Would be trying to promote the event, sell tickets, and get sponsorships. Hoping for the best. Sreeraj is giving me company in all this. He also believes in making a change!!
I have been wanting to do this for a long time now. Finally got energinzed enough to quell all the laziness! Hey kaddu, hope you are happy! Get well soon now, and start giving me tips!!
Saturday, February 18, 2006
5 Step Para to have a better pay
If you want to have a better pay, then read on this concise 5 step para.
1. If you are reading this, that means you are not satisfied with your pay. And if of all the places you decide to read this blog, then quit it, you will not get a pay hike!!
2. If you are still reading, that means you think this is some fun stuff. Quit it, I am about to give some serious advice to land a pay hike.
3. Well you are still here, arent you? Please refer to step 1, you are not going to get a pay hike. So QUIT it.
4. Ah, I am here, so are you. And whom am I kidding?! I am no expert in these matters, so I will save you the agony of step 5. Bye...
1. If you are reading this, that means you are not satisfied with your pay. And if of all the places you decide to read this blog, then quit it, you will not get a pay hike!!
2. If you are still reading, that means you think this is some fun stuff. Quit it, I am about to give some serious advice to land a pay hike.
3. Well you are still here, arent you? Please refer to step 1, you are not going to get a pay hike. So QUIT it.
4. Ah, I am here, so are you. And whom am I kidding?! I am no expert in these matters, so I will save you the agony of step 5. Bye...
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