My musings!

Amazing Federer!

2010-01-25T11:42:00.000-08:00

This is one of the questions Federer answered in an interview (after his match with Hewitt in Australian Open 2010). The answer would amount to be arrogant if anybody else had said it. It is only Federer who can give such an answer and sound modest!! Check it out:

Question: You mentioned tonight you played some amazing shots. How often are you genuinely surprised by some of the shots you come up with?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, quite often. Even though I know I can play really good shots and come up with great backhands, forehands, serves and volleys, and stuff, when you can really produce them in the most important stages of a match it's so rewarding and such a good feeling that all the hard work you put in in the off‑season is so like ‑‑ it's just a beautiful feeling, you know.

Then if you can start to hit a dropshot or dig in the corner and get the ball back that you think you would never get, but it's a match situation and the adrenaline is there and you just got that extra speed and you get the ball back and end up winning the point, it does still obviously surprise me even today.

Desi Observation

2010-01-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Just today we were watching a show on HGTV where an Indian girl was looking for a house. She was using the word "like" in almost each sentence! It seems inocous when you don't pay attention, but it is funny once you expect the word to be used. For example, some of the sentences she used were:
- This is like, pretty nice
- I can like, use it as a guest bedroom
- Can you like, show me something closer to downtown

It drew my attention that we do use to tend this word a lot! This along with "you know". Obviously we use them because for a second we are at a loss of words. But what I am not sure is why ALL of us end up using these two words specifically! I mean why can't we use something like, you know different? ;-)

Top 20 Movies of all time

2010-01-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends,

As you all know I am a big time movie fan. Just yesterday I saw Avatar. I loved the movie. There are lot of good movies, but very few "different and good" movies. This was one of them. I loved the way James Cameroon has used his imagination and created a whole new world for us to fall in love with. The movie is a beauty to watch, and has a good story.

I also saw District 9 a week back. Loved this movie as well. It is again a different take on alien movies. In this movie instead of aliens tormenting humans - humans are torturing aliens. Must see movie. So does this two movies fall in my top 20 (out of 670 I have seen)? Check out my Top 20 so far:

1. Matrix
2. Forrest Gump
3. The Shawshank Redemption
4. Dumb and Dumber
5. Schindler's List
6. Les Miserables
7. Philadelphia
8. Dr Strangelove
9. The Kite Runner
10. The Hangover
11. The Lord of the Rings - 1
12.Seven Samurai
13. The Godfather - 2
14. Pulp Fiction
15. Rocky
16. The Gladiator
17. Chariots of Fire
18. Malcolm X
19. The Godfather
20. Gods Must be Crazy

Loving the HGTV programs

2010-01-08T10:40:00.000-08:00

Reena and I are watching a lot of HGTV programs now. We just love them. It is so exciting to see how so many people are buying houses and making them homes. We also love the shows where they renovate part of the home into something spectacular. Sometimes it is hard to believe that it was the same place! The interior designers of HGTV are just awesome.

Some of the shows we watch regularly are:

1. Holmes on Homes
Here Mike Holmes takes on projects that have been screwed up by some other contractor. It is amazing to see how some of the contractors cut corners, deliver low quality product, and worse work without permit and swindle innocent homeowners. Holmes on the other hand is a professional, and the pride he takes in his work shows!

2. House Hunters
This is our favorite show. It shows families looking for a house in a particular location. They see several houses in their budget and finalize on the one. The suspense at end of the show (which house they select, and will they get the house they bid on) is nice.

3. Carter Can
Carter Osterhouse renovates part of a house as per the owners taste.

4. Property Income
Scott McGillivray changes basements to habitable apartments. This is a really nice show and the transformation he brings is just awesome.

5. The Outside Room
This is a new show on HGTV. Jamie Duree is a genius!! He transforms the outside space of homes into something spectacular. In one of the episode he transformed the space to a Bali inspired garden. The final result was just so beautiful that you dream of having such a space for yourself someday!

6. Property Virgins
This is another show where first time house buyers try to find a house and bid on the one they like. It is pretty informative and shows what are the things to watch out for when buying a house. But I don't like the host Sandra Rinamoto. She is at many times too aggressive, and pushes the buyers into making a bid. I think she should give more space to the buyers and be less intrusive.

Is anyone else out there HGTV freak like us? :)

Update on Colorado Trip

2010-01-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

It has been few months since we went to Colorado, but the trip definitely deserves a post. Colorado is unbelievably beautiful. If Kashmir is heaven on earth, then Colorado is definitely heaven on US. As you already know our trip was short (just 3 days), so very hectic. We covered the following places:

Day 1: Colorado Springs (Garden of Gods, Pike Peak)
We reached Denver airport early morning on Friday. We headed straight to Colorado Springs and made our way to Crystal Lake. Its serene beauty was really what set the mood for the whole trip. The lake with its crystal clear water is safely enconsed at the foot of mountains. The excitement we felt could not be described. We were literally jumping around and clicking pics.

We didn't feel like leaving, but we went on to Pike Peak. I don't know if it was the height or the zigzagging road, but I got terrible headache. The view from the top as well seemed just OK. Or maybe it was just too cold (32 degrees below zero). Anyways, we soon retreated and came to Garden of Gods. The weather here was pleasant 50 degrees. We all just loved the rock formations. Plus the color radiated from the rocks/hills was very pleasant. The pictures seemed to come alive in their hue. I was acting like a monkey and trying to climb various rocks :-). I hadn't seen great reviews about this place, but I thought it was a must see.

It was evening, and we were famished by now. After eating stomach full of Indian food, we started for Longmont for our night stay.

Day 2: Rocky Mountains (Trail Ridge Road, Bear Lake, Alpine Visitor Center, and Mountain Shadow lake)
We started for Estes Park early in the morning. We had heard lot of good things about Rocky Mountains. Today was the day to see them. First off we went to Bear Lake. It was beautiful!! The lake is big and surrounded by mountains. We did a trail around the lake and saw different shadows in the lake. The trail itself was nice and easy. We then trekked to see the Alberta Falls. This place is also a hidden beauty. I will be posting pics for all the places I mentioned in separate post. We also saw Sprague lake but didn't like as it is not well maintained.

After Alberta Falls, we went towards Alpine Visitor center (via Trail Ridge Road). The route is very scenic and we stopped several times to click pics of the amazing views. The best though was the view from the highest point. It looked like gateway to heaven. I am at a loss of words to describe the beauty of all the scenery. After a short stop at the visitor center we headed for Shadow mountain lake. The lake was nice but not as beautiful as we had expected it to be (maybe because it was not sunny). It was nice regardless.

The main surprise for us was the route to Dillon for our night stay. We didnt take the main highway I70. Instead somehow we got routed through a local highway. We couldn't believe how beautiful the route was! Small lakes, railway tracks, hills and mountains were scattered all along the route. This made it one of the high points of the day. It is rightly said, some of the best moments are the ones that are not planned.

Day 3: Independence Pass and Maroon Bells (Aspen)
For the last day, we again left early in the morning to Independence Pass (via Vail and Leadville). We were releived to know that IP was open. The route was very nice and we had some nice clicks on the way. The highest point of IP was again the highlight. It was very gorgeous. We even had a snow fight! I still can't believe why Colorado is not a must visit place for my friends. Anyways after this we went straight to Maroon Bells lake in Aspen. This lake again was very beautiful. It is famous for the shadows the mountains cast, but we couldnt see that as it was not very sunny. Still the lake was worth the drive and we loved playing near it. I guess another good part was that it was not at all crowded.

We were sad that the trip was over and we had to leave for Denver. But the biggest surprise came in the form of the route from Aspen to Denver. The initial 2 hours of the journey was drop dead gorgeous. It was better than all the sight seeing I had done. And amazingly no one talks about it! The curving roads with tunnels, and a river running alongside the road was awesome! If you come to Colorado, you must absolutely come to Aspen and take this route. I hope this post helps people plan their trip better.

Lifeline for GOP - the attempted bombing of NW Flight

2010-01-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

I am so relieved that the attempted bombing of NW Flight (Amsterdam - Detroit) didnot materialize. I feel glad for the safety of travellers who had a ride of their life. There is no question that many pointers were missed which should have alerted the authorities. Still I feel the attacks on Obama are unfounded.

Just because Obama is focussing on issues like economy and healthcare, that doesnt mean that he is lax on security. The attacks are especially ridiculous in the light that the flight boarded from Amsterdam. I am surprised that democrats are not pointing out that it was a failure on Amsterdam's part. Yes, American bound flights are responsibility of US Govt too. But you cannot simply overtake control of airports all over the world.

One fact that absolutely needs to be addressed is that the suspect was on US terror watchlist! Still he was not subjected to special screening. This is a big loophole that can easily be fixed. You just need to run all the reservations against the terror watchlist. It is already happening in domestic flights. It needs to be implemented for US bound flights as well.

All this being said, I still think that Fox network and GOP establishment will do their best to milk this issue. Obama had a close call on this one. One only hopes that no other attack is successful in the future -- else I dont see how Obama can win a second term. And we do need Obama for full 8 years!!

Obama and bipartisanship - An idea

2009-12-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

It was sad to see a key procedural vote on Health Bill being passed without a single republican vote. I was watching the live coverage on CNN. Both Democrats and Republicans had some very good points on the bill. In the meantime stats say one American dies every 10 minutes for lack of insurance. Why can't the senate form a consensus on such an urgent issue?

I remember Obama promising bipartisanship in his administration. He cited how he worked with republicans in Chicago to pass many bills. But those promises have taken a backseat since he became President. I am surprised on how naively he invited republicans to some dinners at White House, and expected them to become his fans! That's not how it works!! I totally agree that it is not an easy task to make your political opponents agree with you. But the lack of effort to win them over is what concerns me.

For example, we have not seen any overtures to Republican side to get their support. As per their interview even they admit health care system is broken. I would have loved to see Obama asking both Democrats and Republicans to table a bill on Health Care. Each with their take on how to fix the issue. This would have produced a common theme around which the bill could have been built. It would definitely had been more constructive way to go!

Barack Obama and Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Well well well. Why am I not surprised?! This is something the Nobel Peace Prize awardees have excelled in doing. Awarding it to someone who clearly doesn't deserve it, atleast as of now. I am just glad that other prizes like for Chemistry and Literature etc are not given on the same basis.

Can you believe that Gandhi did not receive Nobel prize, but Yasser Arafat did?? This particular award is something thats totally political and lacks any rationale whatsoever. I am not discounting the efforts Obama is making for peace, but what has he achieved? How would you feel if award for literature was given based on speeches instead of actual books? What if prize for science were given based on just theories but no actual evidence and inventions?! Obama has NOT achieved anything related to PEACE as of now. Trying to change US perception by giving speeches and pulling out of Iraq that was already planned by Bush doesn't qualify him. The only achievement I can think of is pressurizing Israel to pull out of Palestine. But that too was not followed by concrete actions against Israel. US even refused to support UN in investigating Israel war crimes. How can then Obama be even nominated, far less winning the award?

It is high-time the Peace prize committee gets its act together. The award should be given not to soothe someone's ego or in hopes that person will achieve something. It should be given to someone who has something to show for the award. This actually puts Obama in an unwelcome position. I am sure he would be thinking - "Why did they give the award to me?! Now, I will have to face crticism for something that is not even my fault!". I sympathize with him :-)

But anyways, I do hope that he does achieve something concrete. He does have the right attitude. Given a second term, he might be able to bring some kind of peace in Israel and Afghanistan. I will welcome a second peace prize for him when that happens.

Observe and Report - AWFUL movie

2009-10-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we saw Seth Rogan's movie - Observe and Report. I like Seth's movies and thought that it would be a good timepass. Was I wrong or what?! It was one of the most crappiest movies I have seen. There is no story, no acting, no concept.. I don't know if the person who wrote the script was high or something when he wrote it! Not to mention the producer who put his money into it!! I would give it negative rating if any rating site lets me!

Anyways, please avoid this movie at all costs. You will have saved yourself 2 hours of your time. I am writing this post at the request of my wife and brother, who suffered along with me.

Upcoming trip to Colorado

2009-09-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,
The planning is done, hotel/car and flights are booked. Colorado, here we come! We are going to this gorgeous place for a three day trip.

We searched the net a lot to comeup with a good itinerary. Finally, this is what we decided:
See Colorado Springs (Garden of Gods, Pike Peak) on day 1.
See Independence Pass, Maroon Bells (Aspen), and Lake Dillon on day 2.
See Rocky Mountains (Trail Ridge Road, Bear Lake, Alpine Visitor Center, and Mountain Shadow lake) on day 3.

I will let you guys know how the trip went. Do pass me if you have any suggestions! I wanted to see Denver and Aspen for a long long time now, finally it will come true. I am so excited! The only worry is weather as Colorado is already getting chilly. We will be there from Oct 2nd-Oct 4th.

Adsense Update 2

2009-09-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

I have crossed the $20 limit finally!! In total there were around 42 clicks on ads on this blog, which translates to 50 cents per click. I have also updated my account information etc with Google. So I should be receiving money into my account soon.

I have also created Google Analytics account. The information that I can generate from here is just awesome!! I can see from which city page access came - to what kind of internet connection the person is using! Isn't that just awesome? It is mind boggling and puts the whole privacy issues to perspective.

Anyways, I am thinking hard to create another blog or site that can generate actual money for me. Any ideas are most welcome! This is real deal!! If you have not tried it, please do! Micro blogging is the way to go, and adsense can help you generate good revenue. It has really impressed me, so give it a try :-)

Barack Obama and George Lopez?!

2009-09-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else annoyed by the fact that Obama is appearing in a commercial to promote Lopez's latenight show? I have been reading left's criticism of Obama - sometimes genuine and many times outright ridiculous. But no one seems to be talking about how inappropriate it seems when President of US is attempting to promote Lopez's show.

It's not that I don't like Lopez or Obama. I love 'George Lopez' show, and support Obama as well. Still, enough is enough. I have seen Obama appear on ads for Stephen Colbert, Conan O Brian, and now George Lopez. On top of that his dialogue is as lame as it can get - "George, you need to change to LateNight. That's the change I can believe in". I think a president needs to maintain a certain sanctity of the office, and needs to project an image of authority. With ads like these, no wonder many critics are treating him just like any celebrity. That is trashing his image whenever they get a chance.

It is time Obama puts his time into more pressing tasks at hand - stopping the divide that seems to be developing after his election, healthcare and ofcourse economic uncertainity.

Apple picking!

2009-09-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Sep 13th, me and Reena went for apple picking trip. It was not just us, there were atleast 25 of us!! The place we went to was Joe Huber's farm near Louisville. It was a nice way to meet, have pot-luck and basically have a good time. As you can see in the picture, the food was awesome!

I thought that apples will not be good, but I was mistaken. The apples were just so delicius that we ended up buying some. Our friends were not as fruit shy as us. Many of them bought FULL packets. Well good for them, but I love paranthas in the morning :).. Anyways, one pic to end the post (courtesy of Shyam).. pls dont ooh and aww... :)

Adsense Update

2009-09-01T06:40:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am updating the findings of adsense experiment. I received a total of 110 page impressions so far - which basically means my blog was viewed 110 times. There were 10 clicks on ads which generated revenue of $3.73. If you look at the revenue per click, it is pretty impressive. This definitely means that incase you are able to built a site which keeps people interested and has fair amount of clicks - you can get some green dollar bills in your pocket!

I will keep you all posted.

My Achkan

2009-08-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, I wanted to share pics of my Achkan (also called Sherwani) with all of you. So here it is - the traditional Indian groom attire!!

Here is another pose with full Achkan:

The Adsense experiment

2009-07-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

As you can see, my blog now has some ads. I just wanted to know how the ad model works in internet. What better way than to enrol in the same? Plus it would give me an incentive to write more, something that I have been thinking of doing anyways.

Obviously, I don't expect to earn much (or anything) from the ads in this blog. But it has the potential to give me some ideas on how to use the model in some way. Maybe I can come up with some good idea for a website and use it. Who knows, right? So start clicking on the ads my friends, and I will keep you posted on how these things work :-)

Spelling Bee 2009

2009-05-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

Kavya Shivashankar won the 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. It was her fourth appearance in the Bee. I couldn't help but feel good that someone of Indian origin won the competition. Last year it was Samir Mishra, this year Kavya. The fact that 7 out of 11 finalists were of Indian origin gives you something to think about! The competition itself was extremely tough. I couldn't believe that these kids (12 or 13 years old) were able to spell the words that I couldn't even pronounce!! To make matters worse more often than not the words pronunciation is very different from its spelling. Hats off to all the participants, and special congrats to Kavya for her sheer hardwork and perseverance!

Another interesting point - Kavya is the seventh Indian American to win the contest in the past 11 years!! Go Indians!!

Guantanamo Bay

2009-05-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

I don't understand all this hoopla surrounding the closure of Guantanamo Bay. I say enough with the political posturing! GOP and even many democrats are against closing it down on the grounds that detainees pose security threat to US. While security is a legitimate concern, some of the concerns raised are pure ridiculous. I almost laugh anytime I read that senators don't want detainees to be held in US prisons. Since when is US afraid that it's current law enforcement and judicial system is sub standard?

Going by the same yardstick, suppose Osama Bin Laden is captured. Unarguably he is THE MOST dangerous terrorist, right? Would the same senators say that he should NOT be brought to US for justice?? Just think about it. They send soldiers to fight in foreign countries surrounded by terrorists. But they wont allow suspects to be held in high-security prisons in their state. How preposterous!

The issue is black and white. The detainees should be tried in US. If it is believed that a prisoner is dangerous, evidence should be provided! Else they should be released back to their home country. If the home country doesn't accept them, it is US responsibility to accept them. The allied countries should not even come into picture. On the other hand, prisoners found guilty should be held in US prisons.

In this Obama era, too many politicians are invoking our fear of danger to US. It is really pitiful that people who authorized wars against two COUNTRIES are now afraid of INDIVIDUALS.

My Marriage!!

2009-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

It all seems so unreal sometimes! Here I was few years back talking about what I felt about marriage. And today, it is my turn. Time sure flies fast.

Most of you already know that I would get married to Reena on Aug 9th. For those of you who don't, here are some details. I got Reena's number through my family. Yes, it is arranged marriage. I talked to her for the first time on October 17th. It seems so long ago!! We really connected well. We met a few times and we knew that we were right for each other. Our partners in crime were my brother and bhabhi. Monika, Kishore and Rishu were the ones helping Reena.

Roka ceremony was held in Cleveland on Dec 14th. I got to meet Reena's mom and brother also at that time. It was fun.

So 7 months and thousands of pics later, it is time to go back to India and lose my bachelor's degree!! I am getting really excited as the D-Day is approaching.

Over the past few months we have shared so many beautiful memories and trips. Hope that our journey together is as much fun as it has been so far.

Movies Review/Rating

2009-02-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Click here to view the ratings of movies I have seen

I have seen hundreds of movies over time. And I am also maintaining an excel where I list my personal rating. Sometimes, I even write some review for the movies. I am just sharing this list with you all incase you want to see some movie and want to get my opinion on the same!!

I might have missed many of the movies in the excel. But believe me, if you know some movies name, most likely I would have seen it!! SO you can post a scrap or drop me an email if you want my review. I will try to reply asap.

Enjoy!!

(Update -- Excel is also embedded below for easy reference)

Now in Columbus, Indiana

2008-10-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

My project with Chrysler finally got over. That means I am no longer in TMS application. I sure miss my time in Auburn Hills. That was my first onsite assignment. It is hard to believe that I spent almost 4 years there! I take with me all sorts of memories and a good deal of experience. The assignment ended on Aug 22nd to be precise.

My new assignment is in Columbus, Indiana. I reached here on Aug 25th. It is a nice little place. You can say that people are here because Cummins is here! Yes, Cummins is my new client. Columbus (not to be confused with Columbus, Ohio) has all the facilities and amenities. The thing is that there is no small/big city nearby. Columbus is sort of standing on its own. Because of this, the small city feel is accentuated. Anyways, I am getting used to it. I have started going to gym regularly now. I dont need to lose weight but trying to tone the body. The body is responding nicely :-)

Also playing racquet ball. It is nice game. Not as much fun as tennis, but good enough. Learning tricks of the game slowly. Good thing is that unlike tennis, we can play this game even in winters. Well, thats it for now. Rest later.

In the wake of blasts

2008-07-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

It angers me to see bomb blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Make no mistake, 8 bomb blasts in Bangalore and 17 in Ahmedabad represent colossal intelligence failure. There are so many shortcomings that are way too obvious. We don't have coordination between centre and state. This was made clear even in IISC shooting in Bangalore few years back. There is no central database that can track individuals with known criminal background. Even the police stations are horribly low tech. Just for example say a child gets lost in a city like Delhi, the poor parents can file a missing report. Now imagine, a few months later someone reports the same kid to some other police station, say in Gurgaon. Do you think, the child can ever make back to his parents? Now just imagine had this been computerized. A database that can record reports for missing children, and children who get reported. The possibilitis are amazing, right?

Still in a country where the funds never make to the ground level, such ideas remain a distant dream. Sometimes I feel like quitting whatever I am working on and heading back to India to implement such ideas. Then I am reminded of the politics and my horrid experience in police stations. Maybe someday I can rid myself of all the -ve fears and do something good for my country.

But I AM proud of how no communal violence broke out in Bangalore and Ahmedabad. It is easy for people like me who are sitting thousands of miles away to lecture that there should be no communal violence as that is exactly what the terrorists want. It is quite another thing for someone who has just lost some loved one. I applaud their courage. And I applaud the police and the army who kept extremist hindu/muslim outfits in control. I was surprised by the very sensible statement by Shivraj Patil. He was right on when he offered full help to Gujarat govt and refused to blame them for the failure to prevent attacks. Same cannot be said of the statements by Advani and Rajnath, who are bent on using the attacks to their political advantage. Shame on them. If they can remember, Karil war happened during their regime.

I pray for all those whose loved ones got killed/injured in these horrific attacks. I also hope Indian govt takes steps to improve its intelligence gathering. Centralization and computerization is the key. It is high time we went high tech on the war against terror.

Need for Speed?

2008-06-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I blogged. And it's not just the time. You know, I always used to think that I was not mature for my age. But I caught up with my age in the past 1.5 years. Yeah, experience is the best teacher. And I had a lot to experience in that timeframe. Well, for those of you looking for a sob story, sorry to disappoint you!

This post is to celebrate life! It is happening! Who thought that Infosys would ever be on the verge of losing Chrysler account. But it has happened. A lot of my buddies have already left Auburn Hills. With them has gone the charm of Auburn Hills. No more tennis tournament, and no more potlucks! No more tea breaks and no more movie parties! Well, I was looking for change, so I cant complain. God works in mysterious ways.

As for life. I am looking forward to the new challenges. It was about time that I got challenged. Change of location would bring with it new opportunities as well. I think I am in a better position to capitalize on them. My thinking has undergone a major surgery over the past sometime. And the anaesthesia is just wearing off. After that, its showtime!

And thus it ends

2007-10-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Dilip Kalra is finally bidding adieu to US. Atleast for now that is! After completing 3 years in Auburn Hills, he has decided that India is the place to be for the time being. His reasons are both professional and personal, but the post is not about that.

I have a few very close friends, but in the workplace Dilip is definitely the closest. It has taken us few years to reach a level where I can understand what he means when he messages 'iwbti2m'. And it would take years to reach that level with someone else, if at all that happens. Anyway, so why so much fuss about Dilip? Well, here's something about him - he is a kind of guy you want to be around. The qoute 'Ek anaar aur so bimaar' was made for him I guess. He is funny, enthusiastic, smart and caring. All of us have one or more of these qualities, but it is rare to see all of them in one person.

Ofcourse we had our share of fights. But as per my philosophy, you fight with people who are close to you. And the closer you are, the worse the fights. Anyway this is not about the fights either. It is about how over time you can get close to someone, and give them a special place in your lives. In these relations, distance doesn't matter. You can meet them years later in a third country and feel the same closeness as you once had.

So Dilip, just wishing you all the best. Hope you get all that you wanted .It can be a tough call as the things you wanted changed every day - from being a local neta, to open a business, to develop a village, to quit working and start teaching and what not. Wishing that you achieve anything you desire and more.

Something something...

2007-09-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

I had been thinking about writing a post for sometime now.. but nothing came to mind.. So i will just jot down whats happening in life..

We had our quarterly project party on Saturday.. It was fun.. DJ Amri hosted the party... Participated in some games, antakshari, ate food etc. Also got a medal for best sportsman in tennis (surprise!).. anyway all in all, nicely done. The food didnt impress me though..

The work on MBA is still STUCK.. If anyone of you reads this, please kick my a** and get me moving!! The time is running out like crazy.. But did do one good thing. Went to visit Ross school on Thursday. Was there for the whole day, even attended a class. That was nice experience. Also gave a tip to the professor for his next class :-)

I have been shopping a lot more frequently the past 1 year.. I guess I am making up for the lost time! My taste is getting better and better.

Almost forgot.. I am getting kicked out of my present apartment. Somehow bedbugs ended up here, and the management has decided that they dont want us here. So looking at a new place now. It is much better than the present one. Don't know why we stuck with shi**y Bloomfield Villas for so long. It really sucks!! Good riddance in a way :-)

Something funny...

2007-08-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

One of my friend recently recounted the following story to me... I had to share this one :-)

Just for the records, this actually took place!! One desi guy was in the restroom when he saw his client there. He asked the client 'How you doing?'. To which the client replied - 'The same way you are'.

Sweet victory

2007-08-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday me and Ganesh completed our q-final match against Suchit/Pai the veterans.. It was very windy, not very ideal conditions to play tennis. But still there was no other go as Ganesh is all set to leave for India this Saturday. Anyhow, we won our doubles encounter!!

To be fair, it was expected of us as we were already leading 6-3, 5-7, 3-1. Still finishing the match actually was a relief. We had couple of match points at 5-1 itself with Suchit serving at 15-40.. But we failed to capitalize on that, with both me and Ganesh making some mistakes. Anyhow, we finally broke Pai at 5-3 and we are now into semi-finals!! And now the fun begins :-).. Ganesh won't be here so organizers have to decide what to do next. Either a by to the semi-finalist team, or one more chance to Suchit/Pai, or get some other team to play, or allow me to have another partner. In any case I am happy. Reaching semi-final is pretty good in itself.

You can follow the tennis news @ http://infytennis.googlepages.com

Then and Now

2007-08-20T13:57:00.001-07:00

I was washing clothes yesterday. By washing I mean I put the clothes in washing machine, then put in the detergent and switched on the machine. Later put the clothes in drier, and I was done.

This lead me to think of how I used to get clothes washed in Trichy. Those were some fun times!! Had to wash a bunch of clothes myself as we couldn't afford BHEL rates for them. So we used to pick up the clothes, detergent, bucket and a mug and start the manual process of washing the clothes. It used to be quite an effort. Then put them on a wire to dry them. Clip them so that they don't fly away!! Even when giving the clothes to BHEL, we had to sort out the clothes to be given. Walk all the way to the bus-stand outside the college (used to be quite a trek!). Then wait for bus in ths sun. While coming back too get in some bus crowded with people of all kinds. Then experience the strange mix of smells of liqour/sweat/vegetables etc that was bound to open any closed nose :-).. Anyway fight with the conductor to stop the bus at REC. Sometimes jump from the running bus. Then go back to BHEL once again to get the clothes back. Wow!! I had never imagined at that time that life could get as easy as it is now. But then, whats the fun in easy?

Life happens

2007-08-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

So many things are going on in life, but still sometimes I wonder that nothing has happened. Maybe because there is no progression. I am the same person I was say an year ago, with nothing significant to show for the time spent. Except ofcourse all the fun times.

Tennis season is not going that well. I am out of the singles. Upendra defeated me in quarterfinals in a 3 setter. Hmm, I think I should have won, but he won, so he must have played better than me. I am happy with the way I am playing though. Tennis court is one place where time just flies for me. Playing tennis is maybe the thing I enjoy doing the most.

It is raining almost daily now. Sometimes it causes elation, but generally the weather looks gloomy. This is surprising as I love rains! Maybe the gloom has to do with something other than weather. I have been setting goals for myself relating to my MBA. And I have been failing miserably. At this rate I don't know what is in store for me. This is the rootcause for all the worry I guess.

Bhaai has given his MLE part 2. Finally :-).. I am happy for him. Hope the result comes soon and he scores well. We both are pretty stationary careerwise. But atleast he is working hard to move. I need to start too.

Lost in thought...

2007-07-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

He was wandering aimless in a strange desert. It was beautiful but something was missing. He was looking for an oasis. Just when he least expected it, he saw it. He ran hard. He ran like a madman. And before he realized he had left everyone behind and was all alone. Even the oasis was left behind. But for some reason he decided to keep running, now away from it. But his eyes were still fixed on it. So he fell down pretty hard.

He immediately got transported to some other world. This world was scary. It was like a big black cage with no walls. Once inside all you see is yourself. It was as if he was in midst of a dark storm. The only way to get out was a tiny hole in a dark cloud way up in the sky. A single ray of light was barely making through it. He had to transform himself into a thought to get out. So he focussed hard. It took him a month but finally he was able to come out.

He was back in the desert at the same place where he fell. The oasis was not visible anymore though he could swear at the place where he last saw it. But he was not alone anymore. Everyone was walking just a couple of steps ahead of him. He decided to keep the distance. He was just glad to be back.

The Movie of my Life

2007-07-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

The Movie Of Your Life Is An Indie Flick

You do things your own way - and it's made for colorful times.
Your life hasn't turned out how anyone expected, thank goodness!

Your best movie matches: Clerks, Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

The cricket of marriage

2007-04-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

Venkat: Did you hear? Parag's marriage got fixed?
Jeevan: Oh, is it? Including Suchit, Deepan and Shash, this is the 4th wicket that we have lost.

Venkat: Yeah, Bachelor team is losing wickets left and right.
Jeevan: So when are you planning to get out?
Venkat: Oh, I will play a long innings man. Don't worry!

Jeevan: Take care, dont get out in the nervous nighties!
Venkat: What do you mean?
Jeevan: Dont get excited after watching your brother's marriage.
Venkat: Oh! No man, I am safe from that. I am playing good defense :-)
Jeevan: Good.

Venkat: What about you? When is your wicket falling?
Jeevan: Match fixing is going on man. Lets see what happens.
Venkat: Oh so bookies are playing their part. Good :-) But in the end, it's all a matter of a good ball. A single good ball is all it takes to end a nice innings.

Jeevan: Very true!! As of now I have not played any good balls.
Venkat: Yeah, but sometimes you can get out even when the ball is not good.

Jeevan: Yeah? How can that happen?
Venkat: Benefit of doubt factor!
Jeevan: Care to explain more?
Venkat: With pleasure! You know in these kind of matches, parents appeal after each and every ball! If the batsman gets benefit of doubt, your wicket is safe. But if that doesn't happen, you might fall even for a mediocre ball that doesnt deserve your wicket!!

Jeevan: Satya vachan :-)
Venkat: So guard your wicket closely for those balls. And when good ball comes, step away and leave the stumps wide open :-)

IMDB Rank 3 - Godfather II

2007-04-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

This movie is a classic and won 6 oscars ! The acting of Al Pacino is great, and he looks in full control. Thats why you would expect of a Godfather! Even the flashbacks to Don Vito's life are nicely done, and Robert DeNiro has given a great performance. The movie also touches a emotional vein. It tries to depict how broken Don Michael really is from the inside. The very family he is protecting, is slipping from his hands. And he is not able to do anything about it. He must do what he sees is correct and honorable. The acting of other actors such as Robert Duvall (Tom Hagen), Diane Keaton (Kay) is also a very balanced one. Good movie all in all, but it wont be anywhere near No. 3 in my list :-)

Best dialogue? Michael says 'There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.'
Also his dialogue to Senator Geary - 'My offer to you is this. Nothing.'

IMDB Rank 2 - Godfather

2007-03-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

I love this movie!! I had read the novel prior to watching the movie. So it was not a great experience the first time I saw the movie. But then I saw it a couple of times more, and I could see why it is all time Number 1. Coppola has really put in a lot of effort and one can appreciate that he has tried his level best to do justice to the novel. You gotta give it to the man :-)

One scene I liked best? Al Pacino is standing outside the hospital after his father was attacked. His hands are not trembling at all when he lights the cigarette for Enzo, the baker's son in law.

IMDB Rank 1 - The Shawshank Redemption

2007-03-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

Before I review this movie, just wanted to clear that the rankings are not mine. If I have to rank the movies then it would be a somewhat different list. The rankings are arrived at by averaging the general rating given by viewers (over 2 lakh votes!)

Now back to Shawshank Redemption. I have seen this movie many times now, and I still dont get tired of it. Wow, what a movie!! This movie ranks in "my" top 5!! Director Frank Darabont has directed a classic!! And Tim Robbins ad Morgan Freeman have given performance of a lifetime!! The USP of this movie are its dialogues. They are just awesome. Who can ever forget Red's dialogue -
"I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope."

Scene I liked best? - Oh God, there are so many! Still this one stands out. Lawyer accuses Andy on how "conveniently" the gun couldnot be found. To this Andy replies "Since I am innocent of this crime, sir, I find it decidedly *inconvenient* that the gun was never found."

Mission: IMDB Top 100

2007-03-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

I am embarking on a new mission :-).. I have seen tons of movies, so decided why not go for some Top 100 list. As IMDB is my favorite site for checking the movie rarings, I decided to see Top 100 movies as given by IMDB. To this end, I have even taken a netflix account. Only thing left is to see how far I can go! Will keep you updated :-)

Pandavs visit Michigan!! (Part-1)

2006-10-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

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...

Marriage in India @ CMM Level 1

2006-10-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

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 day I wore a blazer

2006-10-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

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 :-)

Tennis Tournament - 2006

2006-09-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

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)

Get.. Set.. Go!!

2006-06-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Whats the answer?

2006-05-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

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.

Abhi's Tag

2006-04-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

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 :-)

Change is all around!

2006-04-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

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 :)

Out of Place

2006-04-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

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.

Euro Trip!

2006-03-19T17:12:00.000-08:00

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!!

India minus IT

2006-03-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

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?!

India or US

2006-03-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

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!!

Nice days are back again!

2006-03-11T23:28:00.000-08:00

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.

My first step!

2006-02-27T17:32:00.000-08:00

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!!

5 Step Para to have a better pay

2006-02-18T16:03:00.000-08:00

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...

The most overused lines in blog?

2005-11-19T14:54:00.000-08:00

My all time favorite is:
"I am blogging after a long time. But I plan to write more often from now on".

Comeon!, as if we are falling head over heals to read your stuff! Just kidding :-) You are most welcome to suggest your favorites!

Memories :-)

2005-11-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

Bro's bday not so long ago!

Best sis in the world!

View of Lake Michigan in Traverse City

2005-11-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

Magnificent view!

Politics!

2005-11-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

Richard L Kempe said "Favoritism is the only use of politics." He couldnt be more wrong!! I have objection to the word ONLY!!
Its strange how our perceptions change as we growup. I remember writing in my diary that my role models were Gandhi, and Nehru. This was way back in my 4th standard. Things have changed since!

Back in 9th standard, I remember asking my dad his favored party. His response was 'Politics is a scoundrel's game'. I was least expecting this response!! And I was not able to understand it completely at that time. I was starting to dislike Congress, and BJP was my new favorite (like I had a choice). This was because dad used to say if Congress 360 degrees corrupt, then BJP is 280 degrees corrupt. I guess even he didnt know completely about BJP as it was never in power before (atleast for a significant period of time). Now that I have had a chance to observe our nations so called poilitics, even I feel disgusted by it. You can bet that I too will tell my kids (long time!) that politics is a scoundrels game!! There were many key events which helped shaped this perception. I am just going to recount few of them.

First experience one was in my +1. I was studying in DAV jalandhar. My parents had come to take me to home in one of the weekends. As we were coming back, we came across a road which was blocked. Apparently there had to be some speech by some BJP member. So the partymen (around 50 of them) were busy making the preparations. The road was not completely blocked as yet, and we could have got through. So we proceeded. Just then few partymen came and said that the road is blocked, and we should trace our way back. My dad said that we have an urgency and need to get through to a hospital (yes a bluff). But the response of the guy was what shocked me. He said 'Listen man, do you want your car to be broken up, or you want to go back?'. Yes, we did take a longer route to reach home, and this was my first brush with people who govern our country!!

The 2nd experience was when I was doing my engineering. We (me, Pawan and Kapahi) used to spend nights in discussions on various topics. Politics and cricket were the hot favorites. Anyway there was once this ruling by supreme court that all candidates should declare their educational background, and property to the voters. It was seen as a welcome decision by people like me. But then came the unexpected turn of events. I was to see the unity in politics for once. All the parties (I mean ALL!!), came together and vetoed down the ruling!! All the MP's concluded that they cannot be forced to declare their assets and ed background. I still wonder if even one party could stand apart from the crowd and said that 'yes, we welcome the ruling. Our candidates have nothing to hide. Our candidates are not Bhaai's!!'. Alas, it never happened.

The 3rd ongoing experience has been the truth that is hidden from young minds. I used to read how Nehru was chahcha nehru, and how Gandhi is father of the nation. Ofcourse these terms have been given by their fellow congressmen. Now that I get to read what actually happened at that time, I shake my head in disbelief! I read how freedom was granted and not taken (white man's burden). I read how Nehru used to show Chinese that we used to make needles in our defense factories. How Gandhi forced all congressmen to choose Nehru over Sardar Patel. Also how he alienated Boss from congress! And I read how Nehru was photographed early morning in Lady Mountbatten's home in UK. I see the pic of Nehru smoking under a 'No smoking' sign! The last two do not concern me, but still they play a part in building a perception thats not pretty. I can go on and on here, but thats not the point.

The 4th ongoing experience has been to see the judicial system in action when it concerns politicians!! The first landmark case that jolted me was Shah Bano's case. The case demostrated how the temples of justice were insulted by politicians. Since then politicians have been smart and never gave justice any chance. They know supreme court can do anything, so whenever a politician is in trouble the case is referred to a committee. I still dont believe how George Fernandes/Jaya Jaitley got away scott free, even when they were video-taped!! Hats off to politics. The cases on Advani, Soren, Uma Bharati have been dragged on for more than decades. And I am positive that they will be given a clean chit posthumously. Yes I am referring to Rajiv Gandhi in Bofor's case.

Actually this is not all. When I was young, I used to think that I could make a difference to my nation. 'Saare Jahan se achcha, Hindostan hamara'. How can I lie like this now?? I know even if I am made PM amongst the present set of politicians, I will just end up quitting the office. Yes, politics is not for me, its a scoundrels game.

Victory!!

2005-10-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

I was bored by the tennis tournament posts.. So this is the last one. And this one is by me (earlier were by Vikram). The good news is that I won the doubles :). The final was against Deepan and Parag. They gave us good fight, but I guess our (me and Saurav) was just better. Plus we had the psychological edge, as Saurav was my partner. He has come to be known as 'Achilles'!! No wonder he won the Singles too!! But hey hey, dont you dare think that I didnt play any part in the victory!! ;-). And just for the record we won, 6-3, 6-4.

I have tormented my friends enough by filling up my blog just by tennis updates for so long. So here comes something different. I am going to India in Dec for 3 weeks. I am real excited for the visit!! It would happen after 13 months away from home. Anyway stay in US has been ok. The winter has started, so its stay at home season now. Well I guess I have roamed around enough. But I have started planning for my next visit :). I am planning to visit UK. My brother is working there, so it will be nice to spend some time with him. His US visit was too short, and I didnt get much time to spend with him. In addition we kept on watching FRIENDS. Yes, he is as hooked to it as me. But his visit left me emotionally weak. Good thing is that visit to home is just a month away. Then again in 6 months I will be off to UK. So things should get better now :)

Tennis Tournament Day-18

2005-08-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

The Day 16 of the tourney saw the first contender in the final line up, for the singles encounter as the 'Mortal Combat' claimed a brutal victim. Here is the update.

Saurav vs Vijay:
There were very high expectations from this game as both Vijay and Saurav looked strong. But the 'NO MERCY' logo was still evident on Saurav's jersey as he took no time and effort to crush his opponent. I think Saurav has taken the our compliment pretty seriously, he does not want to be second, he wants to be 'The Achilles', the greatest and ruthless warrior to walk on this earth. For the match, Saurav outclassed Vijay in all departments of the game, be it service, be it returns, be it long rallies. Moreover Saurav was able to induce a lot of spin in his shots. It seemed as if, he was finger spinning the ball. Moreover his placements were very accurate, he made it very difficult for Vijay to even reach the ball, and if Vijay did so, the spin would play havoc with Vijay's return. In the entire match Vijay had only one game point and that too was taken by Saurav in deuce. But no discredit to Vijay, he had fought his way hard into the semis. Congratulations to Saurav for making it to the second final (doubles as well as singles) and we can hear the Greeks cheering, Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, Achilles,..................................

Final scoresheet: Saurav beat Vijay: 6-0,6-0

Today's Upcoming Action:
In 'Mortal Combat' for today, it is the clash of room mates, a platform to settle all the bathroom and kitchen squabbles, as Suchit-Pai clash against the Maratha duo of Parag-Deepan. The closest rivals of all time, these guys practise against each other almost every day and we haven't seen 2 teams so closely matched. Our prediction for the day is expect a gruelling 3-setter. Again for some news from the grape vine, we hear that both the teams have had their own one on one sessions to discuss strategies and more than that, there was an evilous silence in the house yesterday night, as some kind of strategies were being cooked .......... lagta hai poori daal hi kaali hai ......... :-) So be there guys to watch this entertaining 'Muqabla'.

Mr.Weather Man is a bit sad, as he has only a few days of job left, but still he predicts a nice weather for today with temp around the 80 deg and partly cloudy skies. It is going to sweltering as the relative humidity is to stay above 60% for most of the time and the sun sets at 8.17pm. And oh, the Weather Man has been courteous enough to give a traffic update as well. The entry to the tennis courts from Bloomfield Villas was closed in the morning, you might have to use Squirrel Road to reach the courts or else you might as well like to walk down, what say health freaks..................

Tennis Tournament Day-17

2005-08-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the updates for Day 17 of the Tennis Tourney as the Mortal Combat took it's first victim.

Venkat-Saurav vs Subhash-Viru:
As per expectations this match started on a tough note when the first game went for a deuce. Viru kept his service and the Sholay duo took the game. As the match progressed from here on, there were some good hard hits, as both the teams are known to be aggressive. Both Subhash and Saurav are aggressive and agile players at the net. There were a few rallies in between which the ball did not bounce, it was a racquet to racquet rally. Moreover a ball hit to Saurav or Subhash would end the point then and there itself. As both of them got their placements right and hit back hard. But it seemed the Sholay boys had the edge as they went on to lead the first set 2-1 but soon enough our Achilles came to form and Venkat-Saurav were leading 3-2. At 4-4 in the first set, Venkat-Saurav were able to break through Viru-Subhash and took the set 6-4. From then on there was no looking back for them as Venkat-Saurav took 5 games in a row to take a convincing lead in the 2nd set 5-0. Subhash-Viru gave a last ditch attempt and took one game but that was just not enough. A Heartiest Congratulations to the winning team for they make it to the finals of the tourney ........... sahi hai bhidu..

Final Result: Venkat-Saurav beat Subhash-Viru: 6-4,6-1

Today's Upcoming Action:
The Indian inspiration needs to work big time today as Vijay faces the Mighty Achilles, Saurav. Again, 2 contrasting styles of play, Saurav, aggressive, fast and agile and Vijay Mr.Slow but consistent. In all his singles games till now, Saurav has the distinction of not losing more than 2 games per match. Will Vijay be able to break this jinx, will he be able to hit the Achilles heel. Or atleast can he put up a respectable fight like 'Hector', be there at 6pm to witness this amazing encounter.

SORRY!!!

2005-08-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

I know these Tennis tournament updates have been killing everyone. But this tournament is talk of the month here! So please bear with me. Plus I am winning!, so its but obvious that I am excited about it :)
Yes, me and Surav won todays semi-final encounter against top seeds Subhash and Viru. So we are all set to play the finals on coming Wednesday. Wish us luck :)
Lots of exciting things are actually happening. As the summer is coming to an end, we are trying to make the most of it. That explains our roaming out almost each weekend, playing tennis almost daily. And to add to all this, I am very busy work-wise too. There is no free time!! I feel sleepy in office daily now, but alas I cant :(. Anyway this was a quick update from my side, hope it alleviates somebit of your anger :)
Almost forgot: I will be joining the DCX softball team for my Director. This too promises to be a lot of fun. Also joined ASHA Detroit, but no contribution timewise as of now. Hoping to get a little free before I plunge into some work for others for a change ;-). Obviously the inspiration for this is Kaddu. And for tennis its Kutty. Hoping to learn enough to give him a good fight once I am back in Swades!!

Tennis Tournament - Day 16

2005-08-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

Today we start with the 'Mortal Combat' (semifinals) of our tourney. A win here, takes you, just a step away from glory. But a loss here and well I don't think we have a 3rd prize, so you bite the dust. But before we move on here is a small update on the last day of Mahasangraam. The Day 14 of the tourney saw quite a few upsets.

Prashanth vs Subhash:
Prashanth and Subhash continued their game with 1 set each and the 0-0 in the third set. The first six games saw both the players losing their serve and now it was just a matter of who can keep one of his service and get set and the match. Subhash did so, atleast the first step. He kept his serve in the 7th game and took a 4-3 lead but Prashanth was equally determined. he kept his own serve and took the 8th game to make the set 4-4. The points and the games were won by very small margins and after hard fought rallies. It seemed as if this set would take an eternity. Just after 8 games, the set had taken almost an hour. Soon our guys went into a service breaking mode and took the scores to 5-5, It was here that the cool headed Prashanth started scoring. He broke Subhash, took a 6-5 lead and was serving for the match. Subhash gave him some nasty returns and got a few points, but in a game where consistency, stamina and mental fortitude matter, Prashanth had the edge. He got only one match point and did not err in taking it.

Final scoresheet: Prashanth beat Subhash: 3-6,6-3,7-5

Krishna vs Suchit:
In yet another exciting encounter of the day, it was Krishna Beri who got the better of Suchit in a 3 - setter. The highlight of this match was that all the 3 sets took place on the same day. It was an excruciating test of stamina as the 2 battled all the way. It was Krishna took the first set 6-4 only to lose the 2nd one 2-6. Suchit suddenly improved his game. He got his backhand going and was dominating the game. But the test of stamina got better of him, he could not hold on and Krishna took the 3rd set 6-4 to win the match.

Final scoresheet: Krishna beat Suchit: 6-4,2-6,6-4

Vijay vs Shashwath:
The stylish but struggling Vijay finally beat Shashwath. With the scores tied at a one set each, the match started with Vijay leading 3-1 in the third set. Shashwath fought hard but ended up making too many mistakes at crucial points. Nonetheless he still took 4 games in this set, but boss you gotto win 6 games atleast to win a set. It seems the Indian inspiration working ...... enna Vijay????

Final scoresheet: Vijay beat Shashwath: 6-4,4--6,6-4

Today's Upcoming Action:
The Sholay duo of Jay(Subhash)-Viru face the Achilles and his Myrmidon (Saurav-Venkat) in the first one of our Mortal Combat. Both of these are aggressive teams and have won convincingly against their opponents in the previous rounds. They should be equally matched and the encounter should be worth watching. The match starts at 6pm today taking into consideration the early sunsets these days. Be there to cheer our guys, as they sweat it out in the heat today, so what does our weather man have to say.

Tennis Tournament - Day 15

2005-08-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Day 15 of the Tourney. Mahasangraam saw two more exciting matches yesterday. Here is the update.

Vijay vs Shashwath:
This one was yet another 3 setter as Shashwath put back his first set defeat to take on the second set. Stylish Vijay started off from where he had left in his first round match. There were slow and long rallies where accuracy mattered more than the pace. Shashwath tried putting the ball on all the places in Vijay's court but Vijay ran hard and returned almost everything thrown at him by Shash. Moreover Shashwath committed a lot of unforced errors. Vijay took the first set 6-4 but Shashwath took the second 6-4. Only 4 games could be completed for the third set after which bad light was called by the Umpires.

Scores till now: Vijay vs Shash: 6-4,4-6,3-1.

Saurav vs Deepan:
Deepan a tired player after his arduous match with Shubha, seemed to be no match to the class of the Achilles. Moreover there were unpredictable winds which seemed to change direction almost every second. Saurav returned everything thrown at him by the Maratha and treated him some immaculate placement for which Deepan had no answer. Deepan was able to take 2 games against him though but well that did not seem to be enough. Saurav won the game in straight sets.

Final Result: Saurav beat Deepan: 6-1,6-1

Today's Upcoming Action:
Today we'll be treated with 3 exciting encounters. Subhash and Prashant face off to continue their match from the 3rd set, the scores are tied at 6-3,3-6.
Vijay and Shashwath will continue their encounter today, hope the Indian inspiration works today.

There were rains earlier today so the courts could be wet but the sun is out now and the courts could dry soon. Strong storms are forecasted for 6 pm today followed by partly cloudy skies later. Temperature to remain around 85 deg and high winds. The sun sets at 8.26 pm today.

Tennis Tournament - Day 14

2005-08-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

Day 14 of the tourney, proved our prophecies about tough encounters in Mahasangraam right. We could hear this name raging around the court, like an 'Aakashwaani'. Here are the updates.

Deepan vs Shubha:
There are times in sports history, where both opposing players/teams, raise their game to such a level where winning or losing becomes secondary to the quality of the game they display. We as spectators then speculate, why should some one lose, why can't both be the winners. This encounter was a demonstration of this and it was a privilege to watch this game. Deepan and Shubha started from where they had left with scores of 2-6, 4-2. The second set was taken by Deepan 6-3 but that was just the beginning. Shubha fought hard in the first 2 games of set 3, against an opposing wind to win both of them. As the courts changed the Tiger got the advantageous side and won 2 more games. All this while, he had to face some hard hits and accurate placements from the Maratha. Thus the Tiger was leading 4-0 in the third set. At precisely this point Deepan unleashed his deadly game. Amidst long and tiring rallies, Deepan took 3 games on a trot. Even playing against the wind, he was able to hit powerful shots. At 4-3 the set looked evenly balanced. Then the longest game of the match began with Shubha to serve. We had 9 deuces and the advantages shared equally by both the players at 4 each. Shubha took the game finally but he had lost a lot of energy serving almost 24 times in that game. At 3-5 it was Deepan to serve to save the match, he took the game and the scores were at 5-4. Spirited Shubha, served for the match and got one match point but his weariness was evident. He lost the game and the set was even at 5-5. Deepan then got his reserve energies to play and took the set and the match 7-5. Finally, yes, there has to be a winner and there has to be a loser. For Shubha he fought like a tiger, not only against a tough opponent but also against an aching back and shoulder. For Deepan it was a hard fought victory, it was evident in his victory leap after the match. DVD coaching put to test ............. hmmmm.............. :-) .Hats off to both of you. A special thanx to Shubha for playing on the scheduled date against physical difficulties, respecting the schedules.

Final Result:: Deepan beat Shubha: 2-6,6-3,7-5.

Suchit-Pai vs Suraaj-Shashwath:
In yet another excitng encounter yesterday, Suchit-Pai were pitted against Shashwath-Suraaj. Suchit-Pai lived to their reputation initially and took a 3-0 lead in the first set, but Suraaj-Shashwath fought back to level the set 3-3. Then each team took one game at a time. There were long rallies, hard hits and volleys, as both the teams were fighting hard. At 5-5 in the first set, Suchit-Pai, broke through Suraaj-Shashwath to win a cliff-hanger of a set 7-5. There were some costly mistakes at crucial times from Suraaj-Shashwath which costed them the set. But so also was the net game of both Suchit and Pai. Both the players were agile at the net and snatched points from there opponents. The second set saw a bit more domination from Suchit-Pai but the fight was still on with the second set changing from a 4-0 lead for Suchit-Pai to 5-4. Amidst some great action to cap off the match Suraaj-Shashwath fought back a few match points but Suchit-Pai clinged on to win the match.

Final Result: Suchit-Pai beat Suraaj-Shashwath: 7-5, 6-4

Today's Upcoming Action:
In the first game for today, it will be the Stylish Vijay Ratthinam to face Shashwath Shetty in their singles match Shashwath beat Girish and Vijay beat American Pai in their round 1 matches. On the Center Court we heard someone saying 'Shash no big deal, look who I defeated in round 1, American Pai...'

The clash of the Titans continues as The Great Maratha Deepan meets The Achilles, Saurav. Deepan again a buoyant soul after his win yesterday, but has the fight at the back of his mind. Saurav is Mr.Confident after his 2 consecutive victories but this time the opponent is tougher.

Tennis Tournament - Day 13

2005-08-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

Some of the best clashes of the Mahasangraam were witnessed yesterday, on the Day 13, of the Tourney. 3 doubles teams have already made their way to the semifinals, one match today will decide the complete semifinal line up for the tourney. Here are the updates for the yesterday's games.

Saurav-Venkat vs Aakash-Shubha:
The Bengal Tigers are finally hunted down, as their dream run in the tourney, has ended with a defeat at the hands of 'The Achilles' and his 'Myrmidon'. But this was not without a fierce battle. The Tigers had a game plan, they stuck to it and were able to draw the first blood. They were leading 3-0 in the first set, when the tables turned upside down. Saurav-Venkat overwhelmed the Tigers by a continuous 9 game winning streak. They took the first set 6-3 and were leading the second 3-0. All of a sudden both Saurav and Venkat had found their touch while their opponents lost it. The Tigers did not recover from there and it was a straight sets victory for the Saurav-Venkat. Take from this game, there are chinks in Achilles' Armor, but can someone find them.

Final Results: Saurav-Venkat beat Aakash Shubha: 6-3,6-2.

Subhash vs Prashant:
This one was yet another match to watch, as players with contrasting styles and an amazing will to win, faced each other. Both the players kept losing their services initially and the scores were tied at 2-2. At this moment Subhash won 2 games at a stretch and drew the first blood by winning the set 6-3. Apart from the aggressive services by Subhash, there were long rallies which used to go on for more than a minute. Prashant was able to reply some of the most aggressive shots from Subhash, which frustrated the latter. The rallies used to end with one person making a fatal error. This is Prashant's style of play, he was able make Subhash run on the court. As opposed to this Subhash loves to hit a few decisive shots to seal the point. Prashant soon made Subhash play on his terms and took the second set 6-3. At this point the Umpires took a call to continue the match later due to bad light. This is the 2nd, 3 setter of the tourney and above all it is a singles game.

Scores till now: Subhash vs Prashant: 6-3,3-6

Today's upcoming action:
In the first game for the day, it will be Suchit and American Pai taking on Shashwath and Suraaj. Both the teams have had comfortable round 1 matches with straight sets victory on their opponents. Suchit-Pai is yet another strong team but their untested opponents are equally matched as well. Suraaj plays well at the nets and Shashwath can serve fast (need to get it more accurate though). This will be an interesting one.

In the second game of the day, the match between our Bengal Tiger Shubha and Deepan continues the scores currently stand at 6-2, 2-4. This is going to be an interesting one as we might have a prospect of third set..

Tennis Tournament - Day 12

2005-08-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the updates for Day 12 of the tennis tourney. The Mahasangraam, took toll on one more team yesterday and the winners made their way to the semifinals. Here is the update.

Subhash-Viru vs Sanjay-Prakash:
Sanjay-Prakash, before the start of the tournament, were rated as the Underdogs or Average Joes, but they showed their mettle when they handed over a humiliating defeat to VIkram-Viral. Yesterday they were pitted against one of the best in the Center court, but they showed a lot of character and courage. Each point was a fight and each game a struggle. There were rallies where all the players were running throughout the court. But, for Sanjay-Prakash their opponents were far too good. Viru-Subhash won most of these close fought points and kept their heads up. They broke almost all the services from their opponents and kept their own services. This resulted in a straight sets victory for the Sholay duo and secured their semifinal berth.

Final Result: Subhash-Viru beat Sanjay-Prakash: 6-1.6-1

Today's upcoming action:
Today we have 2 games lined up in Mahasangraam. In the first one it is the Bengal Tigers Aakash-Shubha pitted against the formidable duo of Venkat-Saurav in their round 2 doubles match. Aakash and Shubha had a tough round 1 match, it was the first and only 3 setter of the tourney till now. But since then Shubha is going great guns, he has improved his game a lot and given his opponents a run for their money. Aakash seems to be low on practice but he should be able come into his own soon enough. As for Saurav-Venkat, it is the Achilles and his Myrmidon, they have subdued their round 1 opponents without losing a single game, so will the Tigers be the Hunters or the hunted, let time decide.

In the 2nd action for the day the classy and technical Prashant faces the agile and energetic Subhash in their round 2 singles encounter. Both of them are good players and each one has his own strengths/weakness. They have contrasting styles of play as Subhash is more aggressive and attacking whereas Prashant is Mr. Cool , Mr. Slow but Mr. Consistent.

Weather Man forecasts partly cloudy skies with temperatures around 78 deg. Humidity is around 58% and importantly the sun sets at 8.31 pm.

Tennis Tournament - Day 11

2005-08-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

It is a privilige to provide you the details for round 2. Yesterday marked the start of the Mahasangraam and it showed it's flavours. The Day 11 of the Tennis Tourney saw some of the toughest matches yet. Here is the update.

Saurav vs Parag:
Yesterday saw the fall of one more warrior to the Mighty Achilles but this time not without a tough fight. Parag fought valiantly against his mighty competitor and was able to break Saurav's dominating streak. Parag won 2 games against him. This is the first time in the tourney that Saurav has lost any game. The scoresheet shows a dominant win for Saurav but we have seen him sweating and gasping on the court. There were many games which went into deuces and many hard fought rallies. Many points which took our breath away. Both the players were slicing the ball so well that we felt as if they were 'finger spinning' the ball. Saurav stayed cool all through, he did not rush into his shots and did seem to be in a hurry. But he was hitting hard as and when required. Some good volleys, dropshots and some exquisite placement from Saurav won him the match.

Final Result: Saurav beat Parag: 6-0,6-2

Shubha vs Deepan:
Some predators make their prey run and tire before pouncing for the kill. We saw our Bengal Tiger, Shubha doing it all through the match. His placments made Deepan run the entire court end to end and forced him into mistakes. Shubha himself was going great guns and did his part of the running too, but Shubha has a powerful backhand and his placements with the backhand were immaculate as well. The first was dominated by Shubha and he took it 6-2. The second set saw the Maratha coming into his own. Deepan started hitting shots he is known to hit and reduced is unforced errors. He was leading the second set 4-1 and all of a sudden the tables seemed to have turned on Shubha. This game though had to be discontinued due to bad light.

Score as now:Shubha vs Deepan: 6-2,2-4 match to be continued later

Today's Upcoming Action:
In the lone game for today, it will be Sanjay-Prakash against the Sholay duo Viru-Subhash(Jay). Over a period of 2 weeks Sanjay and Prakash have improved their game. Prakash has found a new agility and has started playing well at the net. Sanjay on the other hand has discovered a new and consistent first serve. Both of them can hit the ball hard. For Subhash-Viru are one of the best rated teams for this tourney but I think they have a fight on their hand.

Weather man predicts scattered showers for today with temperatures around 80 degrees. The sunsets at 8.33pm today so guys please be on time for the match.

Tennis Tournament Day-9

2005-08-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

Parag-Deepan vs Girish-Prashant:
Day 9 turned out to be a day of white washes with one team devastating the other. This one was no exception as the Maratha Power reigned supreme. Parag and Deepan had their combination and strategy going right from the word go. They took the first set 6-0 without any pains or fight back. We don't recall any games going into deuces. Soon enough defeat was evident in the body language of Girish and Prashant. But Parag and Deepan also started playing casually, they handed over one game to Girish-Prashant but took the set 6-1 to clinch the match.

Final result: Parag-Deepan beat Girish-Prashant: 6-0,6-1

Saurav-Venkat vs Vijay-Krishna:
In the other white wash of the day, Saurav-Venkat destroyed the challenge from Vijay-Krishna. In just 2 matches of the tourney, Bihari Babu Saurav has earned the reputation of 'The Achilles'. He has the pace, he has the strength, the agility, the stamina and above all the consistency. Moreover he has the Killer Instinct and he is ruthless on his opponents. I felt as if his jersey read NO MERCY. This was his second dominating performance, this time in a doubles game though. As for Venkat all that can be said is that this lad has been practising with 'The Achilles' himself and has developed into a great player. The duo won this match in straight sets without losing a single game.

Final result: Saurav-Venkat beat Vijay-Krishna: 6-0,6-0

Today's upcoming action:
The day of Indian Independence marks the start of round 2 for the tourney which we would like to call the 'Mahasangraam'. With round 1 eliminating the weak links it is now a tussle between the 'Maharathis' to fight for a berth in the semifinals.
In the first of our action for the day, the Peshwa Raosaaheb Parag fights the mighty Achilles, Saurav. We don't think more words are needed for Saurav. As for Parag he is a player of character with great temperament. He can stay cool in demanding situations and give a good fight. But the question is will he be able to hit the 'Achilles' Heel'.
In the second but more intriguing battle, it's again the turn of our Bengal Tiger Shubha who is up against the Great Maratha Deepan. Shubha dominated his singles round one encounter against Sanjay. He is player of courage and accurate placement. He has some strategies up his sleeve too. Deepan is Mr Consistent, Mr.TextBook ........... ab err ......... Mr DVD .......... :-) . His shots are powerful and he can slice and spin the tennis ball. This is going to be an interesting one.

Partly Cloudy skies will look down on the Mahasangraam today with the temperatures around 75 deg. It is going to be a pleasant and not so humid weather with the relative humidity around 50%. Weather man says all is well if it doesn't rain.

Article by Vikram Tungare

Tennis Tournament Day-8

2005-08-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Suraaj-Shashwath vs Algy-Dhiraj:
This turned out to be a good contest. Shashwath served for the first game and the fight began. Shashwath was serving the fastest amongst the 4, but the Old Foxes were successful in returning the ball out of his reach. Moreover he forced himself into a number of double faults. The first set went along with the scores tied at 3-3. At this point Shash came into his own and started covering the whole court, on the baseline. He was ably supported by Suraaj at the net. Suraaj started getting his drop shots right. He made both Dheeraj and Algy run for their shots. The young duo took the set 6-3. In the second set both Algy and Dhiraj tried to put up a fight but the splendor of the youth prevailed. Shashawath double faulted in the 8th game to make the scores 5-3 but by then it was too late, and Suraaj-Shashwath broke in the very next game to win the match.

Final scoresheet: Suraaj-Shashwath beat Algy-Dhiraj: 6-3,6-3.

Shubha vs Sanjay:
This game saw a total domination by the Bengal Tiger. After the first set was tied at 1 game each, Shubha took six games in a row to take the first set 6-1 and lead the second 1-0. Whatever fightback Sanjay had to give came in the 2nd set, he took 3 games in this one. But one interesting statistic says that Sanjay could not hold on to his serve. He lost all the games he had served for and the hence the result was obvious. Shubha took the second set 6-3 to seal the fate for Sanjay.

Final scoresheet: Shubha beat Sanjay: 6-1,6-3

Deepan vs Viru:
If you think we were stingy with our words for the earlier matches here is the reason. This match was an absolute cracker. The players were equally matched. They both played some classic tennis and as if from a rule book, they refrained from playing shots above six feet. This game had all the elements, great service, long rallies, amazing placements and equally amazing returns. Young people learning tennis could have a taken a lot out of this game. As described earlier it was the clash of Titans and a merciless draw forced one of them out of the tourney in round one itself. It was Viru who had to bow out after some consistent and amazing display by the Great Maratha. I think someone was helped by watching the DVD .... kyon Deepan....

Final Scoresheet: Deepan beat Viru: 6-3, 6-3

Today's upcoming action:
Today we have 2 doubles encounters. It will be a an immense powerplay as the Marathas, Parag-Deepan take on the young Carnatic duo of Girish - Prashant. Parag and Deepan is another formidable combination of thie tourney and when they get their acts together, one can only expect the best. On the other hand, Prashant has a singles victory on his mind while Girish is all set to survive this tournament through doubles.
On the other side of the field, Vijay-Krishna take over Venkat-Saurav. Vijay-Krishna seem to be a perfect pair with a steady baseline player VIjay and aggressive Krishna. But beware, those who witnessed Saurav conquering the singles first round match, would surely have to think twice before competing him. To add to this, its Venkat with his powerful and quick reflexes. It is surely going to be a match to watch.

Weather could play a spoil sport today, as our Weather Man cautions, scattered thunderstorms for the evening. Temperature's around 88 deg F and it is going to be humid with 67 % relative humidity and the sun sets today at 8.38 pm today.

Articly By Vikram Tungare

Tennis Tournament Day-7

2005-08-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Saurav vs Aakash :
The lone game on day 7, was marred by an anticlimax as it turned out to be. Mukhi da was no match for the class of our Bihari Babu and took no time to tumble. But Saurav himself was not playing to his full potential. He was a bit hesitant with his shots although his placement was bulls - eye. He ran hard and returned back almost everything thrown at him by dada. There were quite a few hard fought points. So what made this match a one sided affair, well dada again played in his own world of horrors. He was consistently hitting the net or outside. Moreover he failed to take advantage in returning Saurav to his backhand. We think this would have been good ploy against a class player like Saurav. It was a straight sets victory for Saurav.

Final scoresheet: Saurav beat Aakash: 6-0,6-0.

Today's Upcoming Action:
Today we will be treated with not 1, not 2, but 3 games. One doubles encounter and two singles games. In our first attraction for the day. it is youth against experience as Suraaj-Shashwath face off Algy-Dhiraj. Dhiraj and Algy are the Old Foxes of this game and are almost in their 3rd Tennis season. They have taken serious efforts and have been practising hard. This is their first game for the tourney. As for Suraaj - Shashwath both are young and callow, moreover Suraaj has one singles defeat in his memories but Shashwath has one victory to his credit. Again as always it is more of a mental conflict as much as a physical one, so teams get your mindset right and put up a good show.
In the 2nd game of the day, our lone Bengal Tiger Shubha faces Sher-e-Punjab Sanjay Sharma in their round 1 singles match. Sanjay is high on confidence due to his doubles victory but so is Shubha. The news around the court is that both of them have formulated a strategy against each other .... umm hmm .... daal mein kuchh kaala hai...
And in the third game today which I would call the clash of the Titans, it is a showdown between The Great Maratha Deepan Choudhary and our very own Viru paaji. Viru paaji is a tough competitor, his combination with Subhash (Jay Paaji) has been working good. On the other hand Deepan is again a technical by the book guy. Another news hovering around the center court says someone has been watching 'How to Play Tennis' DVD twice, thrice and over .........

All the Best to all of you guys.

Weather man cautions a cloudy sky today with the sunset at 8.40 pm. There are low winds, humidity around 53% and temperatures about 78deg. He advises a timely start to the games.

Article by Vikram Tungare

Tennis Tournament Day-6

2005-08-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Suchit - Pai and Abhishek - Rakesh:
Buoyant Suchit was able to pull Pai along with him to win this game in straight sets. But it was not an easy one for them. Abhishek and Rakesh were chipping in with good shots and as we could we see, Pai was still feeling the pressure till the time the first set was won. Once this happened American Pai came out of his self-dug grave and started moving his feet freely on the court. In the second set we saw what we expected of Pai, athletic, focussed and emotional. Suchit, Mr.Ice Man was going good on the other end. As far as Abhishek and Rakesh go, we think they missed out on practice. 3-4 days more and they could have put up a better show. Nonetheless they showed their will to fight, when they fought back from 7 match points to stay in the game just that little longer. One more good point was that all the players were relaxed especially in the second set and were not playing in their shell.

Final scoresheet: Suchit - Pai beat Abhishek - Rakesh: 6-2, 6-1

Today's upcoming action:
Again today we have only one match for the day but guess what this is going to be a crazy one. Be ready to watch the show down between 'Babu Moushaai' Aakash Mukherjee and 'Bihari Babu' Saurav Snehvrat. Mukhi da is known for his styles and strategies and of course he has one hard fought double's victory at the back of his mind. As for Saurav he is a player to reckon with, he is a class apart and plays some amazing tennis but man please get your mindset right.

It's again a sunny forecast from our weather man, with humidity hovering around 55%, so it's going to be pretty humid too.

Article by Vikram Tungare

Tennis Tournament Day-5

2005-08-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Vijay vs Pai:
'Slow and steady wins the race' was perhaps the apt description for this encounter. Both the players were taking it easy, they were refraining from hard hits and volleys. This ensued a battle of long and slow rallies and it felt like a badminton game. There was tension in the air all the while and we could smell it. The generally flourishing and hard hitting American Pai was on the backfoot, trying to play conservative and correct, instead of being aggressive, which is his strength. This perhaps forced him into a number of unforced errors. He lost the first set 6-3 and was down in the second 5-0 just when VJ had a moment of horror. While playing a shot he injured right leg and our own Dr. Ali Irani (Bhaskar Krishna) had to be called in. This was a moment which Pai should have seized. But as they say 'Mental injury is worst than physical one'. Limping Vijay was still able to hold on to his nerves and eventhough he lost 3 games in a row, he came back in the 9th game to clinch the match, thanx to his inspiration .....

Final scoresheet: Vijay beat Pai: 6-3,6-3

Shashwat vs Girish:
This I felt was tougher game. Again the same mistake made by both the players, playing in their shell and not playing their natural game. Shashwath, Mr Fast Serve was serving pathetically slow. It felt as if a Ferrari was being pulled by bulls. Nonetheless Girish was happy to return the ball equally slow. Shashwath did chip in with some rapid serves later in the game. But again I should say it was Girish's unforced errors which helped Shashwath. The players seemed to be equally matched but Shashwath attacked Girish's weak backhand and won the game.

Final scoresheet: Shashwath beat Girish; 6-4, 6-2

Today's upcoming excitement:
Today it is a clash of the old friends as Suchit - Pai faceoff with Abhishek - Rakesh. Suchit and Pai are rated again as one of the Top teams second only to Subhash and Viru. They have been playing good in practice matches. Suchit is buoyant with his singles victory over Viral but Pai has to get yesterday's game off his mind. As for Abhishek and Rakesh, well Rakesh used to be seen on the tennis courts but we never had a chance to see Abhishek's game. So is there a surprise package in store??? We'll let time decide that.

Weather Man says sunny skies for today with mild winds.

Article by Vikram Tungare

Tennis Tournament Day-4

2005-08-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

Subhash - Viru (Jay/Viru) vs Ganesh/Sriraj:
As we had earlier pointed out this was a contest to watch. The scoresheet though does not do any justice. It looks like a straight set victory for the Sholay duo but we as spectators know, how hard the fight went for each point, each game. We had far too many deuces and rallies which seemed to go on for ages. For the first time in this tourney, both the teams were not playing within their shell, they were aggressive and ruthless on their opponents. Subhash played some exquisite volleys which returned with equal vigour by both the opponents. In the end it seemed as if Subhash had learnt his lessons from the singles game. His game inspired Viru as well and the victory was theirs.

Final scoresheet: Subhash - Viru beat Ganesh ? Sriraj: 6-1, 6-3

Sanjay-Prakash vs Vikram-Viral:
If I had to write a headline for this it would say ? Mumbai and Jamnagar lashed out by Torrential rains from the North ??????? ?. Yes it was a total disaster and a lackluster performance from the Westerners as Prakash and Sanjay crushed them to a straight set victory. It was perhaps the shortest match of the tourney. There was no real fight back from Viral-Vikram. It was hard to believe that this was the same duo who had beaten Prakash ? Sanjay from 2-4 down to 6-4 up in one of the practice encounters. All in all, a disappointing scoresheet and a poor show.

Final scoresheet: Sanjay-Prakash vs Vikram-Viral: 6-0,6-0.

Today's upcoming action:
Well we have 2 singles games today as the stylish Vijay Ratthinam faces American Pai. Pai is an ever exciting player to watch putting all the emotions into his game nonetheless both are good competitors and VJ has some inspiration back home which might help him win ?.now what?s that don?t ask me.

In the second encounter Rakshas Raaj Girishaasur (Girish Swamy) faces the Mr Fast Serve Shashwat Shetty. Shashwat is known to hit a very fast first serve although he needs an improvement in his overall game. As far as Girish goes, he is again one of our Mr. Classical and Clinical.

Once again a sunny day for our games today.

Article By - Vikram

Tennis Tournament Day-3

2005-08-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Tigers Roar to a victory:
The cliff hanger was finally resolved when the Bengal Tigers finally silenced the Carnatic music. But I think the echos of the music are still ringing in their ears. Aakash - Shubha were able to get better of Sesha - Pavan in 2 straight games. Although it looks like an anticlimax but the Tigers know what they had to go thru. Nonetheless this should give the Tigers a good confidence boost for their next encounter. I believe they will learn from their past mistakes. Once again Thanx a lot guys for putting up a good show and also to the Umpires to have taken good calls at right times.

Final result: Aakash - Shubha beat Sesha Pavan: 1-6,6-3, 9-7

Viral vs Suchit:
This match was supposed to be another tough encounter considering the fact that both players are not supposed to be agile on the field. But it turned out that Suchit had his energies reserved for the match. He was running hard and it reminded me of Arjuna Ranatunga. Moreover there were some unforced errors on Viral's part which helped Suchit on his way to victory. Suddenly the odds stacked against Suchit have reduced and his doubles combo with Pai seems to be a formidable one.

Final result: Suchit beat Viral: 6-1, 6-0

Vikram vs Krishna Beri:
This one was a keenly contested encounter. As it turned out both players played a pretty conservative game. They were not serving hard and were interested in slow rallies rather than putting in some quick decisive shots. No volley, no dropshots, all in all a lacklustre straightforward game. Well what decided the outcome. It were Krishna's few superb services, coupled with some exquisite returns for which Vikram had no answer. Moreover there were some crucial unforced errors from Vikram. This coupled with a poor back hand gave Krishna the edge that he needed to win the match. Vikram gave a good fight back all through. He was able to stretch the second set to the 12th game but Mr.Vikram it takes a little more to make a champion.

final result: Krishna beat Vikram: 6-4, 7-5

Today's upcoming action:
Today we have 2 doubles encounters and the one to really watch out for is the one between Subhash-Viru and Ganesh-Sriraj looks like a south zone final. Subhash and Viru are rated as perhaps the best team in doubles but mind you Ganesh and Sriraj have been practising hard and the ones who have played against them, have seen a huge improvement in their game. They have the ability to hit hard and their combo seems to be working good on the courts.
The second one will be another exciting contest as the West zone (Viral & Vikram) face the north zone (Sanjay & Prakash). These teams are again well matched but Sanjay and Prakash have got their acts together in practice and will face weary opponents in the form of Viral and Vikram. It will be an acid test for the Westerners to get their mood up and play this one. Remember Westerners this your only chance to stay in the tourney.

Again the quote from weather man is that the rain is still in Spain and it should be sunny on the courts.

Article By - Vikram Tungare

Tennis Tournament Day-2

2005-08-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

Aakash - Shubha vs Sesha - Pavan:
It is said that competition brings the best out of us and our guys proved it. It was a tough encounter which hasn't finished yet !!! Sesha - Pavan dominated the first set with a mix of some classic dropshots and hard hitting. Both players played well at the nets which was found wanting from their opponents. Sesha - Pavan took the set 6-3. The nerves had got to the Bengal Tigers and they seemed to be tamed, but not for long. In the very next set they roared back. The tigers raised their game to a new level and clinched the set 6-1. So in the 2nd day and round 1 of this tourney we had a 3 setter. The tigers continued their form of the 2nd set to lead the third set 4-1 when things started to change. The Carnatic duo started giving an amazing fight back and soon enough they levelled the set at 5-5, the score sheet read something like this 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 3-5, 4-5, 5-5 ????? It was a treat to watch for us spectators and now it was no more a physical game but a mental contest. Who can hold on, who can fightback, who can win? There were moments of anxiety, ecstasy and emotional frenzy. These engulfed all of us watching as well. A commendable job for the referees who kept their cool all through. The battle raged for 4 more games. Sesha - Pavan fought off 3 match points with the third set tied at 7-7 after which the game had to be called off due to bad light. This match will continue today at 7 pm so be there and don't miss the excitement. And oh.. lest I forget thank you Mr. Rain God for going to Spain (that's too far off .... OK Rochester ... well I donno ... :-) )

Today's upcoming action:
Today, 2 room mates have their first encounter with destiny as Vikram faces Krishna Beri and Viral faces Suchit resply. in their singles encounters. It is going to be more of a surprise package match as we have seen all these guys practise on the courts and each one, on his day has shown 'Hum kisise kam nahi'. Also dont miss out the continuation of Aakash - Shubha against Sesha - Pavan.

Weather man says Make Hay coz the Sun will Shine.

Article by - Vikram Tungare

Tennis Tournament Day-1

2005-08-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

Subhash vs Diwakar:
This game was a total anticlimax. Subhash dominated the game and the only real challenge he received were few of the great shots hit by Diwakar which fetched him 2 games in the second set. But Subhash is a great competitor and Diwakar played with great heart against him. Take from the game; Well, as for Subhash, the Doctor advises 'Boss please get your first serve right and play your natural game', I think that should help him win matches more easily, moreover as we progress the competition will get intense. All in all a one sided game in the end. As aptly stated by Subhash 'it was a cake walk'.

Match Summary Subhash defeated Diwakar: 6-0, 6-2.

Prashant vs Suraaj:
I thought this was the toughest match in round 1. Both these players were equally matched. They have their own strengths and weaknesses but both of them are agile on the court and have a good stamina. Prashant plays the clinical, by the book kind of tennis and is away from flourishes whereas Suraaj has a good serve and volley and can hit the ball hard and accurate. The match was contested well, with both players playing their skin out. Infact Suraaj rallied well to go from 4-0 down in 2nd set to tie the set at 5-5. At one point Suraaj won 3 consecutive games to go from 5-2 to 5-5. But finally, it was Suraaj who is still callow, fell to Prashant's resilience. It was a pleasure to watch this young blood come good.

Match summary Prashant beat Suraaj: 6-4, 7-5.

Today's upcoming game:
The double's games start from today and the first match is where the Bengal Tigers Aakash - Shubha face some Classical Carnatic music in the form of Sesha - Pavan. Aakash and Shubha have the flurry of youth on their side. Their game is full of flourishes and should be really exciting to watch them. But watch out boys, Sesha - Pavan have pretty cool heads on their shoulders, they are clinical in their play but can hit shots which might take you on the back foot.

I hope the Rain Gods don't play a spoil sport today, as our weather man cautions; scattered thundershowers.

Article By - Vikram Tungare

Roaming around

2005-07-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

This summer has been happening!! There were days, when I used to see the Niagara Falls poster in my college days. That was one image that kept recurring, when I was watching Niagara Falls last weekend. It was indeed great to be there. The place is just so beautiful. Words are failing me as I am writing this. Yes, this natural beauty ranks up there with my Leh-Ladhaak-Srinagar trip back in India. The thing that strikes you most about Niagara Falls is its size. The water flows with such fury and from such a height that it overwhelms you. You will get an idea of what I am talking about if you see the pictures under my Canada album.
Another major attraction was 'Maid of the Mist' ride. The boat takes you to the footsteps of the water falls. This is when the beauty strikes you the most. And yes, you better wear raincoats if you want any chance of coming out dry!!

Tagged

2005-06-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

If you've been tagged, you answer the three questions like below and tag five others ...

1. Movies I own ?
None!!

2. Last film I bought ?
I dont buy movies. If you ask me the last movie I rented then it would be 'Jo Bole So Nihaal'. And please, you dont make the same mistake!!

3. My Fav Five ?

- Aanand
- The Matrix
- Jodi No. 1
- Les Miserables
- Forrest Gump

4. The 'it's

- Chashma
- Kutty
- Adarsh
- Sharaf
- Prakash

Do you want to be happy?

2005-05-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

You will find this statement as theme of so many books! And it sells! They promise you moon through this statement. But if you examine it closely you will see that you are reading two opposites in a single sentence!!

Want and happiness are the keywords. If you think you want to be happy then that means :
1. You are not happy already.
2. This means you are thinking what you have already is not enough.
3. This means that you are not making any attempts to change it, else statement 1 will not hold true for you. This is because if you are making attempts you would be pleased with you, and you will be gaining something with each attempt (either success or experience).
4. To some extent you are a pessimist.
5. Then this means that whatever happens you will not be happy!
So its a catch 22 situation!!
There might be tips you can follow to be happy, but these will be temporary measures only. For selected few it may bring long lasting happiness too. So by all means buy the book, but dont get carried away with the inherently flawed statement!!

Jo bole so nihaal!!

2005-05-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

Oh man.. wut an experience to watch the movie. It was not a ordinary ordeal!! Dont know how directors expect such a movie to work. I wont recommend the movie to my enemies even!!
The movie is about a jaat (Sunny paaji) who is fooled by a terrorist (Kamaal Khan), and gets labelled as a traitor somehow. Then he decided to prove his integrity and thus lands in US to catch the terrorist. The PJ's cracked in movie are just too much. The movie is a direct insult to all jaats in specific and punjabi's in general!! Guys, beware! Dont watch the movie!! Else you will repent later... And this is a punjabi's word ;-)

2005-05-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Lets pose!

2005-05-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

picture time!

2005-05-26T19:06:00.001-07:00

Downtown

2005-05-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Jain Temple,Pittsburg

2005-05-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

Some special effects!

2005-05-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

My workplace in the background!!

2005-05-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Any last wishes?

2005-05-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Daburlal dantmanjan!!

2005-05-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

can u see me??

2005-05-26T18:58:00.001-07:00

Wish me luck!

2005-05-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Group!

Higher Power

2005-04-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

Dont you always wonder if there is any higher power that controls everything? I often think that its not just evolution and other scientific jargon that can explain things that happen in our life. I do believe that there is this Higher Power that is guiding us and makes/breaks the rules!!

Many times when I am in a really tough spot, I have found that praying helps. It works just great. I have been reading 'Sai Baba', and its helping me as well. Similarly just when I think that there is no way out from an impossible problem, simple prayer to Him just does the wonder!! I do grow sceptic sometimes, but events like I mentioned just reinforce my belief that He is there.

I can jot down hundreds of events that science cannot explain. So why should the inability of science to prove His existence mean that He is not there? Anyway as I said its just a matter of belief, and I can say that its hard to give them up. Thats why there can be endless arguments and counter arguments on this topic. (What I have written here is purely my way of thinking)

What IF?

2005-04-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

What if you were no more,
What if?
The sun would still shine,
the stars would still twinkle.
One life would end, and would it make a difference?
This whole crap race, where you are sucked in,
this endless trudging on the path you keep cribbing.
The destination which you dont even like,
the reward you dont even want.
Still the pursuit???
What if you just stop for a while,
what if?

But miles to go before I sleep,
you think, and there is no time.
Dream is not what you are taught to do,
and work is all you do in your prime.
What if you just dream for a while,
What if?

Things that matter to you, are in your reach,
Still you wont reach out.
People you love are near you,
Still you chicken out.
What if you express just once in a while,
What if?

Time is money, they say
And time and money is all you care,
What if I say love is money,
would you still care to stop and share?

My first Car!!

2005-03-12T10:58:00.000-08:00

Yes it has finally happened!! I bought a Honda Civic 2000. Its in pretty decent shape, and best of all it has only clocked 43k miles.
Drove it all by myself a couple of times now. Its a nice experience :)

Talked with Kutty today. I was relieved to know that he is fine now. Man, is he having a bad time :(. Praying that a new phase will now begin for him.

Listened to 'O dilbar jaaniye' song just yesterday. Its a Mohammad Rafi song. I first listened to in school competetion. I guess it was 5th or 6th standard!! Anyway this boy just sang it so well, that it became one of my fav songs. But then after that I didnt get to listen to the song anywhere. Worse I didnt know the movie or the singer name!! Even when I was in college, I used to search net for the song. But it was all fruitless. Until yesterday! Yes, thats some 12 years!! Finally, found it on Raaga. And it was so great to listen to it again :-)

And now just relaxing. Just finished watching 'Life is beautiful'. Its a decent movie. Ok chao for now, will go have my lunch now (btw in lunch we have chane, that I made yesterday night!!)

Hun Hor Ki Kahan?

2005-03-12T10:49:00.000-08:00

Lai chal mainu sajna othhe
Jithe koi na mainu vekhe
Kalla baith ke socha main, ki likhaya kismat mere lekhe

Koi na mainu dekhan aave, koi na mainu chedde,
Dooor hove eh duniya, naale isde bakhede
Waqt othhe khada hove, te main waqt de naal
Dukhan to aapne ronda rahan, dooor karan da na kara paryaas

Kismat te main dosh lagawaan, mehnat di na maithon rakho aas,
Jad ro ro ke hanjhoo muk jaan, tan nawan jeevan sanjon de main kara upraale
Waqt phir uthh ke chal pawe, te main waqt de naal
Saare mainu vekhan, te mainu hove nawin uchhaian di bhaal

Eh sab ne par khyaali pulaao, mehnat te mera saath na paao,
Uchhaian aa ke meri jholi pain jaan, mainu hai bas is di aas

(Yes this is one of my poems, that I wrote in college on 18th Feb,98!!)

Flashback (16-March-2003)

2005-03-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

We (mostly ICE including Anuj, Balajee, Inti, Mallu, Madhan, Kannan, Prakash, Mukund, Sridhar) went to OOTY. Came back yesterday morning. It was a nice place to visit. We enjoyed a lot, but food problem was there. Overall this outing was required as it refreshed me. We took lot of pics. The weather there was very nice too.

Also we travelled in Chaiyan-Chaiyan train from Ooty to Matyapallayam! There was a comical incident in which Anuj, Mallu and Sridhar had to pay Rs100 to a constable. Actually they were taking a pic of the Railway engine. At this point a constable came to them and said its illegal to photograph the engine (crap obviously!). He wanted to detain them at the station itself (the train was about to leave). Mallu didnt want to pay, but Anuj paid him Rs100 to get on the train. All three were furious afterwards, but it was fun for us!!

Smth serious

2005-03-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, now I plan to write some poems in my space. Nah, I am not planning to pick them up from some site. I plan to jot down the poems that I or my friends have written.
To start with, the following poem was written by Mandeep Singh. He was with me in MC hostel in +2 in DAV college Jalandhar. No contact with him since then :(. If you are wondering how I have his poem, then the credit goes to my dear diary :)
Cutting, all the crap, here you go!

Assigning Questions to Answers I know

Thinking who you are,
what we share, and why are we so.
Often I am unable to arrive at some conclusion

Thinking if you are a fairy
I know and I have seen your words come true
It is like a dream to think of you
But I wonder if any fairy can be so much near to my heart
...as much as you are

Thinking if you are sunshine
The warmth of your presence near is there
Secure we feel when night is not there or is there
The source may be God,
who I dont know is paying me for what good things I have done
But sunshine is not pleasant always,
...and you are always

Thinking if you are a flower,
I know my life without you,
if not all thorns is no more than leaves
But no flower can be as much colorful
...as much as you are

Thinking if you are a surprise,
the happiness when I see you is there
The excitement is there
But surprises are shortlived,
and I know,
you'll be always with me.

The thing is 'who you are??'
A question that I assign to answers,
answers that I know...

Memories

2005-02-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about my friends from college yesterday. I was thinking of the nice time we used to have in hostel. It used to be so carefree and relaxed. I wont say its bad now, but just different! Called up penny, anuj and vinod after that. Tried calling up kapahi too, but seems that reliance numbers have changed. Anyway slept after that and dreamt of my schoolfriends!! Felt very happy and at home when I woke up :-)

I have been watching movies as usual! Saw 'As good as it gets'(Jack Nicholsan and Helen Hunt) and 'harry met sally'(Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan). Oh! these both are just wonderful movies. The first one is tearing apart comedy, the second is romantic comedy. And both are must watch.

Got a chance to eat Methi Parontha at Dilip's house. They make real delicacies. Just lucky to be invited at such times :-)

Bits and pieces

2005-02-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

It can get pretty dull here sometimes. So its necessary to keep breaking the routine. Like I started going to gym, so that there would be something to come back home for. They gym here is not as hifi as it was in Infosys, but still its good. We have basic treadmills, cycling, and exercising machine. So its a good timepass, and that too a healthy one :-)
Apart from this started watching serials instead of movies on TV. For movies, I rely more on library now. I mean, where else can you get 'Schindler's List' and 'Les Miserables'. If anyone of you has seen these movies, I know what you would think of. Thats right, Liam Neeson. My God!! He is such a terrific actor, and its the first time I am hearing his name, leave alone watch his movie. Both the movies are MUST watch. There cannot be any better usage of time!! Its like they say, time well spent!
Now Sam is asking me to his other movie 'Love Actually'.Comments please!
Yeah, got my Canadian visa too. Have been there 2 times already. My friend Neeraj lives there. He is also an Infoscion. He left for India today for vacation. That forces me to consider my own vacation for home. Thinking pretty hard for December, but nothings sure. Yes December is still an year away!!

Priority shift!!

2005-02-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought I would remain hooked to all the wonderful movies HBO was showing. But no, they forced me to shift my priorities. I mean how many times can you see the same movie? Each they on 12 channels they repeat the movies shown on the previous day. It was getting so frustrating!
The relief came in the form of serials. Yes, good old 'Everybody loves Raymond' and 'Friends'. It would be an understatement if I say they are hilarious.. We literally laugh our guts out while watching them. Friends is still ok, but Raymond is THE limit!! Never saw anything so hilarious. Its even more gripping than 'Dekh bhaai Dekh' :-)
Well I am enjoying it at the moment, and hope it continues this way :)

La shish

2004-12-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday me, Neeraj,Santhosh, Diwakar and Sam decided that we would eat outside. So we went for Rangoli, an Indian cuisine restaurant. But as it turned out, it was closed. Anyway no one was in mood to go back and cook. So we decided that we would search for some other place to eat. We drove for some 20 mins to reach Ashoka (Indian), it was closed too. The reason was that it was 10 in the night. Anyway we tried our luck in Dawat (Indian again), but it was closed too!! Bad day you would say!
Anyway Sam knew of this place 'La shish'.. Its an arabian cuisine! We decided that why not try it! So we made up our mind, and went to this place. The choice for veggies (me and Neeraj) was limited, but we made the most of it. We ordered 'Potato Kibbie' and 'Falafal Plate'. Potato kibbie is a dish in which potato and some other vegetables are sandwiched in bread. It was not bad. Then falafal plate had pakoda sort of dish. Anyway overall it was not bad. We also got bread and salsa as free accompaniment. After eating all this I concluded this - Indian food is the best :-). And in Indian food, Punjabi food rules !! Anyway we need to try some new things, to reinforce the belief ;-)

Showtime

2004-12-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

I have been watching a lot of movies. What else are vacations for?! Mr Hollands Opus, I-Robot, Dumb and Dumber,Hellboy, French Kiss (original for Pyaar to hona hi thaa), Bull Durrham etc etc were some if them.. Also saw Swades in theatre. Swades is a nice movie. It touches some chord somewhere. And i am sure many others would feel the same. The theme talks about giving something back to the community.
This is one topic we often discuss about. Anyway good that we are getting some theme movies too. Liked Shahrukh after a long time. Infact first time after 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa'.