For past one week its been raining in Chennai and since yesterday night it's raining continuously. Normally during deepavali time-frame it used to rain in this part of the world. FYI, this year deepavali falls on Nov 8th.
Today, I went out in the evening to Ashok Nagar (approx 6 kms from Ramapuram) to purchase some provision, fruits and vegetables. By the time I purchased everything and started driving back the rain increased its intensity. The roads where flooded and the wind started blowing heavily.
The adjacent road to Udhayam theatre, the old bridge near Kasi theatre, the road near Military hospital in defence colony, the area just before Chennai Trade Centre etc., where all filled with water. I guess all low-lying area's within Chennai would have atleast 1 to 2 feets of water by now :(
Water is really essential no doubt about it. But on seeing the damages done by heavy rains I hate rainfall to an extent! For example, poors residing on platforms are the souls who are affected the most. Rain to an extent is good to us. But if its going to pour heavily / for a longer duration its of no use to anybody! Because anyway ground can't absorb all of it!! and more over rain water harvesting hasn't been done 100% in all places within the city. So major portion of the rain water is going to get mixed into sea.
That said, I am praying to Shirdi Sai Baba to bring down the intensity of the cyclone which has formed in Bay of Bengal.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Beggars near temple ...
Yesterday, I went to 'Shiridi Sai Baba' temple in Mylapore, Chennai. Dharsan was good and I saw an aged man inside the temple who was asking for some help. I was touched on seeing him and so donated a small amount to him and moved on.
After my usual prayers I was walking out to the entrance of the temple when an aged lady (should be atleast 55+ yrs) approached me for help. She told me that she is not having money to travel to her hometown. Though initially hesitated I then thought would give her some money. But in my purse there were only few 100's available. So I went to a shop inside the temple premises and enquired whether they can provide me change for Rs. 100/- but they didn't have it. So I made up my mind not to help this lady now. But within a minute there were 5 to 6 beggars around me asking for help. I was really taken back. Just assume yourself being at an entrance of the temple and being surrounded by 5 to 6 beggars. It would be really strange isn't it? So I politely said I am sorry I don't have change now. But they were in no mood to listen to me. They were consistently pressuring me to donate money to everybody which really pissed me off :(
I really understand that those people are not having money for survival so is the reason they are asking others. But still people coming to the temple should not be pressurised like this isn't it! Can't temple management or government do something about this?
After my usual prayers I was walking out to the entrance of the temple when an aged lady (should be atleast 55+ yrs) approached me for help. She told me that she is not having money to travel to her hometown. Though initially hesitated I then thought would give her some money. But in my purse there were only few 100's available. So I went to a shop inside the temple premises and enquired whether they can provide me change for Rs. 100/- but they didn't have it. So I made up my mind not to help this lady now. But within a minute there were 5 to 6 beggars around me asking for help. I was really taken back. Just assume yourself being at an entrance of the temple and being surrounded by 5 to 6 beggars. It would be really strange isn't it? So I politely said I am sorry I don't have change now. But they were in no mood to listen to me. They were consistently pressuring me to donate money to everybody which really pissed me off :(
I really understand that those people are not having money for survival so is the reason they are asking others. But still people coming to the temple should not be pressurised like this isn't it! Can't temple management or government do something about this?
Friday, October 26, 2007
Power supply would be suspended in my area tomorrow
Monthly one saturday between ~9 AM to ~6 PM we live without power in 'Ramapuram'. Tomorrow is going to be one another day without electricity (check out http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/26/stories/2007102661550400.htm for further information)
The reason they say for these power cuts is 'maintenance work'. I really wonder what sort of maintenance do they carry out! If they are maintaining properly then why does power goes off now and then?
I understand that few power plants which is the source of electricity has stopped part of their production due to some techinical troubles (one such is Neyveli power plant). Apart from that many times power goes off and when we call the E.B staffs they would say some 'Transformer problem', 'Line problem' etc.,
I was in US for 3 months and during that period power went of for hardly once or twice that too for very few minutes. [Once due to some thunder storm warning or something it went off for 1+ hours].
Normally how does 'electricity' board in other countries work?
The reason they say for these power cuts is 'maintenance work'. I really wonder what sort of maintenance do they carry out! If they are maintaining properly then why does power goes off now and then?
I understand that few power plants which is the source of electricity has stopped part of their production due to some techinical troubles (one such is Neyveli power plant). Apart from that many times power goes off and when we call the E.B staffs they would say some 'Transformer problem', 'Line problem' etc.,
I was in US for 3 months and during that period power went of for hardly once or twice that too for very few minutes. [Once due to some thunder storm warning or something it went off for 1+ hours].
Normally how does 'electricity' board in other countries work?
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Is Sachin really performing poorly as people claim!?!
I feel really bad for Sachin when he give his 100% to cricket (my personal opinion) but still people say that he isn't performing well or he should retire etc., So I had a re-look into the scores which Sachin made in the recent past and found that he has done a pretty decent job for the country!
India's Tour of England (2007):
1. First ODI in which England won by 104 runs. -- Sachin scored just 17 of 33 balls
2. Second ODI in which India beat England by 9 runs -- Sachin scored 99 of 112 balls
3. Thrid ODI in which England won by 42 runs -- Sachin scored just 8 of 19 balls
4. Fourth ODI in which England beat India by 3 wickets -- Sachin scored 55 of 86 balls
5. Fifth ODI in which India beat England by 38 runs -- Sachin scored 71 of just 56 balls
6. Sixth ODI in which India beat England by 2 wickets -- Sachin scored 94 of 81 balls
7. Seventh ODI in which England beat India by 7 wickets -- Sachin scored 30 of 46 balls.
So in 7 matches he has scored 374 runs at an average of 53.43. Out of which 4 half centuries and in couple of occasions he has scored 90+. Moreover India has won 3 matches and in all those 3 matches Sachin has stood up to the challenge. Wasn't that a good performance!!!!
India vs South Africa (2007):
1. SA beat India in first ODI -- Sachin scored 99.
2. India beat SA in second ODI -- Sachin scored 93 of 106 balls. [During this match Sachin become the first player in the world to reach 15,000 one day internation runs]
3. India beat SA in third ODI -- Sachin scored just 8.
So in 3 matches he has scored 200 runs at an average of 66.67. Out of which he has hit 90+ twice. Wasn't that a good performance!!!
Full story of India South Africa 2007 series can be read here
Australia's tour of India (2007):
1. First ODI was abandoned due to rain -- Sachin got out without scoring [I want to give the benefit of doubt to Sachin as it was pretty heavily drissilling and it's really difficult to concentrate on your game]
2. Second ODI in which Aus won by 84 runs -- Sachin scored 16 of 25 balls.
3. Third ODI in which Aus won by 47 runs -- Sachin scored 43 of 71 balls
4. Fourth ODI in which India won by 8 runs -- Sachin scored 79 of 119 balls
5. Fifth ODI in which Aus won by 9 wickets -- Sachin scored 47 of 73 balls
6. Sixth ODI in which Aus won by 18 runs -- Sachin scored 72 of 72 balls
7. Seventh ODI in which India won by 2 wickets -- Sachin scored 21 of 36 balls
So in 6 matches (one match is abandoned and so it won't be considered for records) he has scored 278 runs at an average of 46.33. Wasn't this a decent performance!!!
Just for the sake of completion: If at all the abandoned match is also considered then his average becomes 39.71.
In all the last 3 series which I have mentioned above he has exceeded his career ODI average which is 44.23 (Source: cricinfo.com) . So let's stop cribbing about Sachin and appreciate the good things he do on the field.
Related: You can check the stats of Sachin (or any player) easily with the help of 'StatsGuru' feature of Cricinfo.com
Update on 18-Nov-07:
Check out Sachin's Performance in the home series against Pakistan here. FYI, he averaged 51.8 in the ODI series. (Also got out twice in 90's).
India's Tour of England (2007):
1. First ODI in which England won by 104 runs. -- Sachin scored just 17 of 33 balls
2. Second ODI in which India beat England by 9 runs -- Sachin scored 99 of 112 balls
3. Thrid ODI in which England won by 42 runs -- Sachin scored just 8 of 19 balls
4. Fourth ODI in which England beat India by 3 wickets -- Sachin scored 55 of 86 balls
5. Fifth ODI in which India beat England by 38 runs -- Sachin scored 71 of just 56 balls
6. Sixth ODI in which India beat England by 2 wickets -- Sachin scored 94 of 81 balls
7. Seventh ODI in which England beat India by 7 wickets -- Sachin scored 30 of 46 balls.
So in 7 matches he has scored 374 runs at an average of 53.43. Out of which 4 half centuries and in couple of occasions he has scored 90+. Moreover India has won 3 matches and in all those 3 matches Sachin has stood up to the challenge. Wasn't that a good performance!!!!
India vs South Africa (2007):
1. SA beat India in first ODI -- Sachin scored 99.
2. India beat SA in second ODI -- Sachin scored 93 of 106 balls. [During this match Sachin become the first player in the world to reach 15,000 one day internation runs]
3. India beat SA in third ODI -- Sachin scored just 8.
So in 3 matches he has scored 200 runs at an average of 66.67. Out of which he has hit 90+ twice. Wasn't that a good performance!!!
Full story of India South Africa 2007 series can be read here
Australia's tour of India (2007):
1. First ODI was abandoned due to rain -- Sachin got out without scoring [I want to give the benefit of doubt to Sachin as it was pretty heavily drissilling and it's really difficult to concentrate on your game]
2. Second ODI in which Aus won by 84 runs -- Sachin scored 16 of 25 balls.
3. Third ODI in which Aus won by 47 runs -- Sachin scored 43 of 71 balls
4. Fourth ODI in which India won by 8 runs -- Sachin scored 79 of 119 balls
5. Fifth ODI in which Aus won by 9 wickets -- Sachin scored 47 of 73 balls
6. Sixth ODI in which Aus won by 18 runs -- Sachin scored 72 of 72 balls
7. Seventh ODI in which India won by 2 wickets -- Sachin scored 21 of 36 balls
So in 6 matches (one match is abandoned and so it won't be considered for records) he has scored 278 runs at an average of 46.33. Wasn't this a decent performance!!!
Just for the sake of completion: If at all the abandoned match is also considered then his average becomes 39.71.
In all the last 3 series which I have mentioned above he has exceeded his career ODI average which is 44.23 (Source: cricinfo.com) . So let's stop cribbing about Sachin and appreciate the good things he do on the field.
Related: You can check the stats of Sachin (or any player) easily with the help of 'StatsGuru' feature of Cricinfo.com
Update on 18-Nov-07:
Check out Sachin's Performance in the home series against Pakistan here. FYI, he averaged 51.8 in the ODI series. (Also got out twice in 90's).
Are Indian Cricketers over paid?
I often get this doubt (atleast when Indian's lose crunch matches :) ) on whether Govt of India is giving too much to Indian Cricketers?
Pouring cash rewards, flats / house / plot etc., for winning a series is acceptable if it is done by BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). But if the same thing is being followed by Govt of India then I guess there is some problem.
Cricket has a huge following within India than anyother sports (it's my personal opinion). So media coverage is more on that, so are the advertisers. It's business for them so they invest their time and money on something where they get more ROI. To me its perfectly fine and I don't see any issues with that.
But the only problem is Govt shouldn't do the same thing by announcing awards / prizes to cricketers alone! For a government it should be like anyother sports in India. There are lots of people who have shined well in 'atheletics', 'Table Tennis', 'Chess', ' Hockey' etc., in India. Are everybody treated the same way?
One good thing which I saw in the recent past is Tamil nadu Cheif Minister (Dr. Karunanidhi) treated all Tamil Nadu sports as equal and announced prize money to almost every achiever according to the contribution they have made to their respective sport. Way to go!
Prize money won by Indian Cricketers for winning Twenty20 Championship
Extract from cricket buzz
1) The Indian team received a prize money worth $490,000 for winning the Twenty20 World Cup.
2) The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) announced a prize money of $3 million (Rs 12 crore) for the team. Each member got a check of Rs 80 lakhs.
3) A special cash reward of Rs 1 crore given to Yuvraj Singh for his 6 sixes in an over.
4) The support staff including the Manager, Bowling Coach, Fielding Coach and Physio got Rs 15 lakhs each.
5) Lalit Modi, Vice President of BCCI gifted a Porsche car to Yuvraj Singh on his personal capacity.
6) Neosport presented a Mercedes car to R P Singh for excellent bowling performance in the tournament.
7) Sahara India has announced to give flats (worth Rs 25 lakhs = $62,500) to each cricketer.
8) The Delhi government has decided to offer free Air services to all members of Team India for 5 years.
9) Air India and Indian Airlines announced out-of-turn promotion for some cricketers including Dhoni, Uthappa, Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. They will also get a steep hike in their salary.
10) The Haryana government has given Rs 21 lakhs to Joginder Singh.
11) The Karnataka government has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakhs each for player Robin Uthappa and bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad.
12) Maharashtra government has announced a reward of Rs. 10 lakhs each for Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma.
13) Virender Sewhag and Gautam Gambhir will receive Rs 5 lakhs each from the Delhi government.
14) The Kerala government has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakhs for S Sreesanth.
15) The Baroda Cricket Association has handed over checks worth Rs 11 lakhs each to Pathan brothers - Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan. In addition, they also received Rs 5 lakhs each from the Gujarat government.
16) RP Singh became the first recepient of the Manyavar Kanshiramji International Sports Award that carries a reward of Rs 10 lakhs.
17) The Jharkhand Government has bestowed the first "Jharkhand Ratna" award on Mahendra Singh Dhoni. According to the Chief Minister of the state, Dhoni will get a "surprise gift" on arrival.
18) The Union government has decided to give Z+ Security cover to M S Dhoni. Although it's not an award, only few eminent and VVIP persons in the country receive such security cover.
Related Article : HindustanTimes
Pouring cash rewards, flats / house / plot etc., for winning a series is acceptable if it is done by BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). But if the same thing is being followed by Govt of India then I guess there is some problem.
Cricket has a huge following within India than anyother sports (it's my personal opinion). So media coverage is more on that, so are the advertisers. It's business for them so they invest their time and money on something where they get more ROI. To me its perfectly fine and I don't see any issues with that.
But the only problem is Govt shouldn't do the same thing by announcing awards / prizes to cricketers alone! For a government it should be like anyother sports in India. There are lots of people who have shined well in 'atheletics', 'Table Tennis', 'Chess', ' Hockey' etc., in India. Are everybody treated the same way?
One good thing which I saw in the recent past is Tamil nadu Cheif Minister (Dr. Karunanidhi) treated all Tamil Nadu sports as equal and announced prize money to almost every achiever according to the contribution they have made to their respective sport. Way to go!
Prize money won by Indian Cricketers for winning Twenty20 Championship
Extract from cricket buzz
1) The Indian team received a prize money worth $490,000 for winning the Twenty20 World Cup.
2) The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) announced a prize money of $3 million (Rs 12 crore) for the team. Each member got a check of Rs 80 lakhs.
3) A special cash reward of Rs 1 crore given to Yuvraj Singh for his 6 sixes in an over.
4) The support staff including the Manager, Bowling Coach, Fielding Coach and Physio got Rs 15 lakhs each.
5) Lalit Modi, Vice President of BCCI gifted a Porsche car to Yuvraj Singh on his personal capacity.
6) Neosport presented a Mercedes car to R P Singh for excellent bowling performance in the tournament.
7) Sahara India has announced to give flats (worth Rs 25 lakhs = $62,500) to each cricketer.
8) The Delhi government has decided to offer free Air services to all members of Team India for 5 years.
9) Air India and Indian Airlines announced out-of-turn promotion for some cricketers including Dhoni, Uthappa, Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. They will also get a steep hike in their salary.
10) The Haryana government has given Rs 21 lakhs to Joginder Singh.
11) The Karnataka government has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakhs each for player Robin Uthappa and bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad.
12) Maharashtra government has announced a reward of Rs. 10 lakhs each for Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma.
13) Virender Sewhag and Gautam Gambhir will receive Rs 5 lakhs each from the Delhi government.
14) The Kerala government has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakhs for S Sreesanth.
15) The Baroda Cricket Association has handed over checks worth Rs 11 lakhs each to Pathan brothers - Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan. In addition, they also received Rs 5 lakhs each from the Gujarat government.
16) RP Singh became the first recepient of the Manyavar Kanshiramji International Sports Award that carries a reward of Rs 10 lakhs.
17) The Jharkhand Government has bestowed the first "Jharkhand Ratna" award on Mahendra Singh Dhoni. According to the Chief Minister of the state, Dhoni will get a "surprise gift" on arrival.
18) The Union government has decided to give Z+ Security cover to M S Dhoni. Although it's not an award, only few eminent and VVIP persons in the country receive such security cover.
Related Article : HindustanTimes
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Television journalist asking stupid question to Master Blaster :)
Extract from Cricinfo.com
Sachin Tendulkar endured a prickly moment on the eve of his 400th one-day international when a television journalist asked him if his career had more lows than highs. "Go and check up the records," he shot back. "I think you are watching a different game." And Tendulkar, of course, is right.
The complete article can be read here: http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/indvaus/content/current/story/314833.html
Well said Sachin we know what you have contributed to Indian Cricket and I am sure you are one of the very few players who can't be replaced in Indian side.
Sachin Tendulkar endured a prickly moment on the eve of his 400th one-day international when a television journalist asked him if his career had more lows than highs. "Go and check up the records," he shot back. "I think you are watching a different game." And Tendulkar, of course, is right.
The complete article can be read here: http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/indvaus/content/current/story/314833.html
Well said Sachin we know what you have contributed to Indian Cricket and I am sure you are one of the very few players who can't be replaced in Indian side.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
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