Cricket: India Beat Australia! Headline Most Wanted!

India almost fielded the best possible team today and pulled off a dramatic nail-biting victory against Australia in the fourth Commonwealth Bank Cricket Tri-series in Adelaide. Gambhir came in as Tendulkar was rested as a continuation of the weird rotation policy. Now, Tendulkar had not been a regular in India's one-day team except for the World Cup-2011 and so this time the weird policy did not affect the team much. As the take-it-rough policy continues we have to keep our fingers crossed for next time! If Tendulkar comes back it should never be at the cost of either Sehwag or Gambhir.
Australia made a challenging 269/8 thanks to India's tight bowling in the last ten overs of the innings that yielded only 57 runs. But the target of 270 was the biggest target for India to chase successfully against any team in Australia. The big game was set up perfectly.
The opening pair of Sehwag-Gambhir started well both looking to be in good nick. But as usual in this tour Segwag fell again cheaply for 20 runs. Getting on Gambhir laid the foundation of the win with an excellent 92 off 111 balls finally perishing to a doubtful LBW decision.
The suspense started building up at India 178/4 in 35 overs and skipper Dhoni laid anchors with Raina playing a cameo. The asking rate hovered around 7 and started climbing when Raina got out.
At 239/5 40 runs needed off last five overs. 19 needed off last two. Doherty gives only 4 in penultimate over and thus 13 required for win in 6 balls!
Dhoni-the slow but sound anchor-hits a huge six and India finally romped home by four wickets and two balls to spare.
For Australia David Hussey top scored with 72 and debutante Forrest made 66.
Australia looked invincible after their five run victory over Sri Lanka. Now India stops them and the Tri-series opens up tantalisingly.

Aggressive Marketing: Are You Game For A Ride?

Even if you put your cell phone number in the National Do-Not-Call Registry you can hardly escape from this aggressive tribe of telemarketers. Somebody somewhere somehow will find your number and call you up asking you for a minute to describe the offers that have to be taken immediately. You can cut the line rudely, but because most of the callers are ladies you cannot be too rude either. Banks are becoming masters of this art and they have the ability to shower you with pre-sanctioned personal loans, credit cards and the like anytime. Not that only your mobiles are vulnerable, they stalk you in every corner of your everyday existence. Sometimes you win and sometimes they make a perfect fool of you.

That day my mobile rang and on answering the same sweet-talking lady voice resonated through it.

‘Sir, I am calling from ----finance company. Can I talk to you for a minute?’

‘Well, regarding what?’

‘We have pre-sanctioned a personal loan of -----rupees for you on the basis of your home loan repayment performance. This comes with a very attractive rate of interest…’

‘What home loan?’ Honestly I never took a home loan so far.

‘Sir! It’s based on the home loan you are repaying now’.

‘I never took a home loan! How come?’

‘Sir, what is your name?’ At that very moment I cut the line!

                                                                   ***

Another day we were shopping in a supermarket. Our bill became a big one due to long-pending purchases of a variety of items. The moment I paid the bill with my card one lady appeared out of nowhere and took us aside promising a 200 bucks voucher for our big payment. She took Xerox copies of my credit card, my bill and my income tax ID card. ‘Where is my voucher?’ I asked getting suspicious. ‘Just a minute Sir, you will get it. First sign on here..here…and here.’ She had been doing it in a break-neck speed and by the time I knew that was an application form for a credit card the process was over. I asked indignantly now,’ Where is my voucher?’ ‘You will get your new credit card in two weeks sir!’ ‘But where the hell is my voucher?’ ‘It will come with the card sir! Thanks a lot!’ ‘You see, you have given me a card I don’t want. I’ll never use it, I promise!’ And, we stormed out.

The new card came indeed in two weeks, but no voucher as I had already presumed. I put the card unsigned in my unused files vowing never to use it. ‘You have made a fool of me and got your commission! But I will not allow the marketer behind you to profit from it!’

The lesson? Never give in to the temptations of low interest rates, discounts, one plus one, vouchers and all that! But we are only human beings! Next time around this could be the deal of your life! Or we may think so!

Karnataka's Shame: Debauch Ministers in Dirty Business!

Article first published as Debauch Ministers in Dirty Business! on Technorati.

The ten day session of the Karnataka Assembly was going on debating heatedly on an intriguing local issue. And television cameras covering the session found something unspeakably dirty going on in the same floor.

Karnataka is a southern state of India and the lone domain of the main national opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in entire south India. Recently the then Chief Minister of the state, BS Yeddyurappa, was charged and convicted with a land scam, arrested and put in jail. After much brainstorming the BJP decided to dislodge him, but the next government could be installed only with the tacit support of the tainted ex-chief minister himself who ruled from his jail. The BJP never wanted to lose the only southern state it ruled and the tight number game compelled the party to fall in line with Yeddyurappa.

Two ministers of that government were found to be glued to a porn clip in the cell phone of the third minister on Tuesday in the on-going Karnataka assembly session. While occupying the designated assembly seats of the ruling party the three ministers were gleefully engaged in the dirty business of their own.

A nation wide hue and cry followed with the blurred shots of the mobile clip running in all the news channels. Outraged citizens, scholars and intellectuals, activists including Anna Hazare, leaders of other political parties and the media demanded the immediate sacking and expulsion of the three debauch ministers. Embarrassed and red faced, the BJP could not still manage to come out with clear action to condemn the horrendous act.

The three ministers were only allowed to resign and the state government promptly accepted their resignations. They were barred from the Assembly too, but the session being adjourned sine die immediately it was hardly effective action. And, it seemed to be all that the BJP was capable of doing considering its strategically compelling politics. So, the defiant three ministers announced that they did nothing seriously wrong and resigned only to help the party pass over the problem. One of them allegedly cut off the power supply and disabled the cable feed in his constituency so that his voters could not tune in to the news. Adding insult to injury both the present and the former Chief Ministers commended their party men for their brave action.  

Hardly surprising. The BJP nurtures within its folds several right-wing lumpen elements who exhort the oppressed Indian women to behave.  They hold the women themselves responsible for all the tortures, atrocities and molestations heaped on them throughout the nooks and corners of India. They ask them to cover as much skin as possible so that the male marauders do not invade or attack or rape them. Just fitting that one of the debauch ministers held the portfolio of Women and Child Development.

India’s continuing feudalistic spell and male chauvinistic exploitation go on exposing the political hypocrisy further. No political party has the courage to break out of this. They vouch for social values only to politically counter and charge their rival parties.

If the elected representatives so brazenly violate the same people who elect them then it’s time the Indian democracy gets redefined or recast. The voters and the society must decide.