End of IPL for me ...

Since Sachin Tendulkar is with Mumbai Indians I was following their matches alone. Unfortunately due to some bad fielding, bad running between wickets they lost some close matches which costed them the Semi-Finals berth :(

When IPL started I was dreaming that Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knightridders would make it to the Semi-finals stage. I didn't stop dreaming there :) I was thinking that Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils will clash in the finals. It would have been a feast to watch Shewag/Gambir Vs Sachin/Jayasurya.

Since Sachin is out of the tournament its not worth following IPL anymore (for me).

Driving ...

I read this on a board maintained by traffic police department near Valluvar Kottam, Chennai.

சாகசங்கள் செய்யுமிடம் சாலைகள் அல்ல

சாலையில் மெதுவாக போகிறவர்கள் கோழையும் அல்ல;

Hardwork = Success

I read this wonderful wordings in an auto yesterday.
உழைப்பு உன் ஆயுதமானால்
வெற்றி உன் அடிமையாகும்!

Smoking / Drinking in Indian Films ....

For sometime now I was thinking about this topic! Now that I have some free time let me share my view on this.

Our Honorable Health Ministry is repeatedly saying that actors smoking, drinking on films would encourage their fans, youngsters to take up the habit. So he was saying that film industry should stop showing smoking and drinking scenes in their films! It all started up during Rajinikanth's movie Baba which was released in 2002. The good or bad part in TamilNadu is even Rajinikanth's silence becomes a topic of discussion!!

After that incident Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss requested Superstar Rajinikanth to avoid smoking in his films. Our superstar has accepted that request and stopped smoking in his next films - Chandramukhi and Sivaji.

Now the health Minister is trying to force it in Bollywood also and he is facing opposition there. Lets step back and think whether what Health Minister says makes sense or not!

1. For argument sake lets abide by the logic of Hero's smoking on screen urges lots of youngsters to take up smoking. That being the case then:
1.1 After the release of the movie 'Raghavendra' has youngsters become saints or more spiritual?
1.2 After the release of 'Gandhi' shouldn't the whole of India taken up 'Ahimsa' or has our country become non violent? [Don't forget unfortunately Gujarat was hit by a massive riots few years back :( ]
1.3 After the release of Chak-De-India has everybody taken up Hockey as their favorite sport? [Still majority of the Indians are crazy about Cricket only. Is it good or bad is altogether a different argument.]
1.4 Do we need to stop further movies of Superman because youngsters might imitate him in real-life?
1.5 Do we need to ban all war time movies as it might provoke fresh war ideas into people's mind??
1.6 Do we need to ban 'History' as a subject in schools? As they talk about World War - I & II? ?

I feel its wrong to presume that films ONLY have bad influence on people. Aren't the people and youth of our country have no mind of their own? Btw why are film industry is always targetted during election times or whenever a party wants to be in news? Is it because they are the easy targets?

Will politicians do these in the first place?

1. Can they bring a rule to ban the supply of Ciggarattes and Alcohol in India?
I bet no body will do it. Reason being lots of people are surviving based on it and they will become jobless. Also they will be worried about their votes in the next election.

2. Can all political parties first force and implement that their party cadres should not smoke or drink?

3. Can they ask one of the famous personality whose main business is producing alcoholic beverages to bring down his business?
4. Can they try taking a census on how many of them actually don't smoke or drink in Health Ministry itself? etc.,

Let's, not do moral policing and, stop picking on easy targets like entertainment industry. When Censor board has certified a movie then what more do the politicans need?

Just because,
1. Sachin Tendulkar is acting in Hero Honda advertisement
OR
2. Vikram / Vijay acted in Coca-Cola
OR
3. Rajinikanth smokes in the movie I don't think everybody is going to go and smoke or drink coke or buy hero honda bike :)

It's true that once major personalities appear in an movie/ads they make people stop and look at it. But unless or until the individual perceive the importance of the product I don't think anybody is going to go after it! Atleast that's how I am. I don't smoke or drink but I watch all movies of Rajinikanth and am a fan of him. I have heard lots of good advices indirectly from him via his movies, media etc., but his onscreen smoking has never got into my mind and forced me to smoke!!! That said, i enjoy this stylish actor's each and every move in the film including the way he smokes. Whats wrong in it?

Atleast after Chandramukhi & Sivaji [where he hasn't smoked] became box-office hits politicians should understand that Superstar Rajinikanth is not depending only on his smoking skills!!!! People pay money to watch him on the screen and what ever he does is liked by the masses.

Yes, I have read about some serial killers in the past and they have claimed that some films where their examples!!! I feel sorry for their ignorance and all i have to say is there can be exceptions but exceptions can never become an example!

What do other players think about Sachin?

1. Destined to be a great" -Barry Richards.

2. "He is 99.5 percent perfect. I'd pay to see him" - Viv Richards.

3. "Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours" - Michael Kasprowicz.

4. "It's scary, where the hell do we bowl to him" -Allan Border.

5. "There is no shame being beaten by such a great player. We didn't lose to Team India. We Lost to Sachin Tendulkar" -Steve Waugh.

6. "If I've to bowl to Sachin, I'll bowl with my helmet on. He hits the ball so hard" - Dennis Lillee.

7. "I'd like to see him go out and bat one day with a stump. I tell you he'd do okay" -Greg Chappell.

8. "Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and I am privileged he played in my time" - Wasim Akram.

9. "The pressure on me is nothing as compared to Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin, like God, must never fail. The crowd always expects him to succeed and it is too much pressure on him" -Mark Waugh.

10. "Everybody gets 15 minutes of fame. But if there's one person I've admired over a 15-year of period, it's definitely Sachin." - Brain Lara

11. "I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player" -Shane Warne.

12. "I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two... his compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel" -Sir Donald Bradman.

13. "In an over I can bowl six different balls. But then Sachin looks at me with a sort of gentle arrogance down the pitch as if to say 'Can you bowl me another one?'" - Adam Hollioke

14. Sachin is cricket's God? - Barry Richards.

15. You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind midwicket. His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it's a toothpick? -Brett Lee

16. You have to decide for yourself whether you're bowling well or not. He's going to hit you for fours and sixes anyway? -Micheal Kasprowicz

17. Technically, you can't fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow ? nothing is a problem? -Geoffrey Boycott.

18. His life seems to be a stillness in a frantic world... [When he goes out to bat], it is beyond chaos - it is a frantic appeal by a nation to one man. The people see him as a God... ? Mathew Hayden, on Sachin Tendulkar.

19. I (Embarrassed laugh) am a normal person who plays cricket. I am nothing more than that? Sachin Tendulkar, on being told of above quote.

20. "The fact of the matter is that India still need Sachin in a big way. All this talk of the youngsters taking over is very foolish. The reason why Tendulkar is so important for the team is because of his ability to inspire others and make them perform under pressure" - Some day on "Times of India".

21. Cricket is the religion and sachin is the God. Team India without Sachin is like Temple without God.

22. And, this is the best!!! (A True fan of Sachin carried this Banner in a match..)

"Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the Lord will be gone to watch his batting!!!."