Cricket: India Beat West Indies, Tendulkar Misses Century of Centuries Again!

Coming good after the drubbing in England Team India managed to win the first Test at Firoz Shah Kotla ground, Delhi beating West Indies by five wickets just after lunch on the fourth day today. Incidentally this was the second highest run chase in the last innings in Indian soil. The highest successful chase of 387 runs was by India only in Chennai against England in 2008-09. No wonder, Indian slow spinning tracks always make the last innings a most difficult one for any team, particularly if Indian spinners are in action.

But the win was not without a lot of drama and suspense. The Indian batting collapse in the first innings (209 runs) created a lot of uncertainties and the match was delicate balance depending heavily on a powerful batting performance by West Indies in the second innings with a useful lead of 95 runs. But thanks to the total nine wicket haul of the man of the match R Ashwin (six wickets in the second innings) the match finally turned in favor of India. The West Indies second innings folded up for just 180 runs yielding a fighting score of 276 runs for India.

The batting stars of Team India came good to take the score to 152 for 2 at stumps on the third day yesterday, Sehwag coming back to form and scoring a good half century. With Sachin Tendulkar not out on the third day with 33 runs and another 124 runs needed for win the scenario looked tantalizing for his dream century of international centuries awaited so eagerly by the Indian fans.

Tendulkar scored a masterful 76 and missed the golden opportunity yet again. With Team India winning you should not complain too much about it, because the cricket legend has lot of time left to get to the landmark. Meanwhile he did get another world record of 15000 runs in Test Cricket. Laxman with a half century and Yuvraj nearly saw India through but for the latter bowled out through the gate with just one run for victory.

Indian skipper Dhoni, true to his nature, is not fully satisfied with the way victory was achieved; the batting collapse of the first innings is definitely not to his liking. India lead the three-test series against West Indies 1-0. The next Test is coming up on 14^th at Kolkata.

‘…We are Third Class Passengers in the Train of Life!’—Bhupen Hazarika

‘Not first, not second…we are third class passengers in a bogey of the Train of life!

  The train cries out our deprivation…the sadness oozes out in sparks of fire…!

 The big packages in the train contain our tears…we pave our way with the steam of our tears!

  We have all our companions traveling with us…hoping to be delivered finally at the Destination!’

The humble singer cried out in anguish! The peoples’ singer who represented the poor, the downtrodden, the exploited, the tribals of the hills, the plains…inspiring everyone from the illiterate villager to the erudite urbanites.  He sang their sadness, distress, frustrations, joys and ecstasies all his life.

And truly, tearfully and gratefully…the millions are surging and surging…in an unending stream…to pay homage to their dearest artiste Bhupen Hazarika. Queues of people stretching more than five kilometers to get to the Judges Field in Guwahati, Assam and pay their last respects. Crowds pouring from everywhere—all parts of the North East and the East. The unprecedented crowd stream made the authorities to postpone the last rites to tomorrow morning scheduled to be held today afternoon. The peoples’ artiste will continue to meet his ardent admirers full day today and till morning tomorrow. Then the millions will follow him for his final journey. 

This could be one of the biggest attended funerals in world history. The first in Guinness Book of Records is that of Aannadurai—the Tamil scholar and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu who died in 1969. The second biggest in India was the funeral procession of Mahatma Gandhi. The peoples’ artiste could figure in the second or third spot in India and definitely in the first ten world over.

Long Live The Legend! 

Tearful Farewell to the Legend!

What a spontaneous and overwhelming demonstration of love! What a tremendous expression of adulation! To an artiste rooted to his soil, an artiste committed to his society and people and an artist truly of the masses. There had 

 been no landmark or movement or progress achieved or stressful times of Assam that had not been sincerely reflected in his songs. His songs, in fact, have been a genuine document of Assam’s journey through the decades. A tearful farewell to Dr. Bhupen Hazarika on his last journey on his dearest motherland.

Since the day of his passing away one and every member of the Assamese community in Mumbai has landed on the hospital premises to offer last prayers. Yesterday, almost all of them were there to bid a sorrowful goodbye to their icon.

Early morning today Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s mortal remains had been flown from Mumbai to Guwahati, his hometown in Assam. Thousands of people from all walks of life were everywhere; in the airport premises, in the streets, in the junctions and at every point on the route the last journey  passed through. A sea of humanity, descending from all parts of Assam and eastern India. 

The Legend is now installed in Guwahati’s prime grounds—the Judge Field—for people to have a last look and offer prayers. The last rites will be performed tomorrow—the 8^th of October, 2011—at 1pm  at Guwahati University campus with full state honors.

Long live the Legend!