Like the rest of the world I too am hopelessly romantic in my quite moments (now don’t laugh and don’t say it’s not true in your case, it is and I know it is, even the iron hearted have this one weakness and if they don’t, I don’t consider them human)! But out in the hard world I could be as practical as practical goes. It’s only when I accidentally hear songs that have gone and hid somewhere inside me that I recall those illusive and strange moments of romantic fancy that I may have indulged in my youth. It brings a kind of sublimation into my soul- I start to think, no I can’t be as bad as that, there is still something left inside me and all is not ruined-there is still hope. They sharpen my being and talk to me in tongues that I have kept unheard insides. It’s not merely the songs that do it, it’s something else, a deeper longing to be a part of something grand, something indefinable, something that’s out there, near, very near, yet inexplicably, irretrievably, removed from me.
It brings a kind of sweet ache into the heart, kindling remembrances of things lost, touching upon glimpses of grace committed into oblivion.
Well this song does all that to me. I don’t really know what attracts me to it. Is it the lyrics of Vairamuthu, I don’t know! He is somewhat controversial and I have also seen a comment saying that someone is sick of him. But I like the guy, may be in this song , other than in the first four lines, he hasn’t done anything spectacular, most of the observations are superficial than poetic. Like:
“koondhalil nuzhaindha kaigal oru koalam poadudhoa ”
“The hands entwined in her hair-
Are they describing some design?
(The translation is lame I know, I don’t know enough Tamil to do it that well. Yet this is how I understand it, my apologies to Tamil people if I am wrong! Let me have the correct translation please!)
Well anyway the point is, such lines are just descriptive and not very emotive. But the opening lines are wonderful.
“What’s that’s heard now?
Is it the note of being?
(What I am trying is to capture the sense of the word and not their exact meaning. Satham is nothing other than Sabdh(am) of Sanskrit. It means sound noise etc. But using those words would be inappropriate here I think)
These lines of Vairamuthu are great. It evokes myriad of aesthetic sensations within you, coupled with the evocative visualization of the song.
Anyway it could not be the lines alone that captivated me, or the music of Ilayaraja, which is always sublime. SPB has rendered it with all the evocative fervor he is capable of. It was a soft caressing voice in the back-ground that croons the haunting melody. Balachander had made it unbelievably good on celluloid.
I saw the movie while I was very young. The plight of the lovers bent on suicide in a location like that might have moved me to the core. The whole poignancy of the situation might have got into me. I think it was Balu Mahendra who did the camera work, which was excellent. To my mind it was one of the greatest opening sequences in an Indian movie. There are slightly jarring shots in it as well, like the shot in which Kamalhasan wolf’s the meal down in front of the thatched shed. It somehow strikes an off note to the general aesthetic environment of the visuals.
Okay I will let you see the song now. Here it is: Enjoy its enchanting visual beauty:
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Comodo, Zone Alarm and Mr XP-KB943232-x86-ENU
Guys as mischievous as yours truly would enter where the normal cyber angels fear to tread. That is, I would jump into a site that displays the digital Ouija Board or the Magic Ball for example and fool around with them as a diversion. Pretty dangerous thing to do since every one of them would immediately try to install all kinds of cookies and ‘global hook’s’ and whatnot’s besides into your system to check out who this guy is and what’s he is doing on the net. There are some pretty evil sites that could destroy your system as well.
The fall out is, the computer gets infected with all sorts of viruses, worms, trojans and the like. One likes the excitement alright, but not the fall out. Early in my cyber adventures and with the terrible Internet Explorer I used to have a nice time of closing down windows by the hundreds that would suddenly start popping up all over the place after a few such incursions. The system would finally stall or crash and I would have to clean the hard drive and re-install the OS from scratch.
The one good thing about the business was that I learned how to format the hard drive and do a few things besides on the hardware-side other than installing and uninstalling programs. I gained the experience through heart breaks and brain smoking hard work!
I still have the XP and haven’t upgraded to Vista or Seven. So programs like the windows defender is not integrated in it and its vulnerability is high. As for upgrading to Vista earlier, I hated the Vista somehow and thought it cumbersome and (at least to me) looked rather like a white elephant. So I had stuck with the XP though out the phase of Vista. The Seven seems better to me. But I haven’t still decided whether to go for it or not.
Sadly the window’s firewall was and is not something to rave about and then one has to ‘allow’ sites to access your system to download or even enter them because of the phishing filter and all sorts of security features in IE that do not really work unless you limit your activities to a very few sites.
What’s the use of security features unless you can fool around a bit. I mean, why start learning martial arts in the first place if you want to remain at home and daren’t venture out? Anyway that was my outlook as far as surfing is concerned and I had to seek free firewalls and antivirus software’s that would protect me even if I did some fooling around. Free because, the paid versions often stalls when updating and if you forget to buy a new copy the moment the old one has run out, you are in trouble.
So I got hold of a firewall that served my purpose then – none other than the erstwhile No 1 free firewall, the Zone Alarm. And I must say that initially it was comforting to have the thing in my computer and it was pretty good in screening threats and keeping the computer safe. I have written about it previously and that post had generated some interest back then and still seems to be the only post that is still visited by a few from all over the world. If had a genuine feeling for software related issues I would have taken to reviewing products, but my touch with the world of programming is rather non-existent. And I write on them only when I am totally pissed about something.
As I told you I had the Zone Alarm Firewall but it ran into certain problems when I wanted to reinstall it after a new XP installation. It started asking about a friend of it’s,named KB something and it had to be installed for the Firewall to function. I had the luck to find the invisible Mr. XP KB943232-x86-ENU and proceed with the installation of the Zone Alarm. But I don’t know why, things started to go wrong with the system sometime after wards and it began to show freak activity rather irrationally.
I am not saying that it’s entirely due to the interference of Zone Alarm. I used to tamper with the system on a regular basis and that could be a reason as well. Any way I tried everything to correct the erratic behavior of the system including uninstalling all the programs I earlier preferred. Instead of Zone Alarm I tried the new No. 1 and much sought after free Comodo internet security suit. Ever since I did that the system started behaving okay and is now comparatively dependable.
The Comodo has an antivirus feature integrated with it and that’s what gives me a few problems now. I can’t update it no how! I had wanted to try it on to check how it performs but, being stuck with a dial up connection I don’t have the speeds to download its mammoth data base and antivirus signatures. And I hear that it’s the case with those with broad-band connection too. Some are advising to try different servers to download the data base!
Well if anybody want to try Comodo as a firewall, I would not say no to it. If you can’t use the antivirus feature then you have other good free antivirus programs like, Avast and also Clamwin ( its open source and you might want to support it) if you want.
The fall out is, the computer gets infected with all sorts of viruses, worms, trojans and the like. One likes the excitement alright, but not the fall out. Early in my cyber adventures and with the terrible Internet Explorer I used to have a nice time of closing down windows by the hundreds that would suddenly start popping up all over the place after a few such incursions. The system would finally stall or crash and I would have to clean the hard drive and re-install the OS from scratch.
The one good thing about the business was that I learned how to format the hard drive and do a few things besides on the hardware-side other than installing and uninstalling programs. I gained the experience through heart breaks and brain smoking hard work!
I still have the XP and haven’t upgraded to Vista or Seven. So programs like the windows defender is not integrated in it and its vulnerability is high. As for upgrading to Vista earlier, I hated the Vista somehow and thought it cumbersome and (at least to me) looked rather like a white elephant. So I had stuck with the XP though out the phase of Vista. The Seven seems better to me. But I haven’t still decided whether to go for it or not.
Sadly the window’s firewall was and is not something to rave about and then one has to ‘allow’ sites to access your system to download or even enter them because of the phishing filter and all sorts of security features in IE that do not really work unless you limit your activities to a very few sites.
What’s the use of security features unless you can fool around a bit. I mean, why start learning martial arts in the first place if you want to remain at home and daren’t venture out? Anyway that was my outlook as far as surfing is concerned and I had to seek free firewalls and antivirus software’s that would protect me even if I did some fooling around. Free because, the paid versions often stalls when updating and if you forget to buy a new copy the moment the old one has run out, you are in trouble.
So I got hold of a firewall that served my purpose then – none other than the erstwhile No 1 free firewall, the Zone Alarm. And I must say that initially it was comforting to have the thing in my computer and it was pretty good in screening threats and keeping the computer safe. I have written about it previously and that post had generated some interest back then and still seems to be the only post that is still visited by a few from all over the world. If had a genuine feeling for software related issues I would have taken to reviewing products, but my touch with the world of programming is rather non-existent. And I write on them only when I am totally pissed about something.
As I told you I had the Zone Alarm Firewall but it ran into certain problems when I wanted to reinstall it after a new XP installation. It started asking about a friend of it’s,named KB something and it had to be installed for the Firewall to function. I had the luck to find the invisible Mr. XP KB943232-x86-ENU and proceed with the installation of the Zone Alarm. But I don’t know why, things started to go wrong with the system sometime after wards and it began to show freak activity rather irrationally.
I am not saying that it’s entirely due to the interference of Zone Alarm. I used to tamper with the system on a regular basis and that could be a reason as well. Any way I tried everything to correct the erratic behavior of the system including uninstalling all the programs I earlier preferred. Instead of Zone Alarm I tried the new No. 1 and much sought after free Comodo internet security suit. Ever since I did that the system started behaving okay and is now comparatively dependable.
The Comodo has an antivirus feature integrated with it and that’s what gives me a few problems now. I can’t update it no how! I had wanted to try it on to check how it performs but, being stuck with a dial up connection I don’t have the speeds to download its mammoth data base and antivirus signatures. And I hear that it’s the case with those with broad-band connection too. Some are advising to try different servers to download the data base!
Well if anybody want to try Comodo as a firewall, I would not say no to it. If you can’t use the antivirus feature then you have other good free antivirus programs like, Avast and also Clamwin ( its open source and you might want to support it) if you want.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
ANTI RELAXATION
After moving away from the practice of putting thoughts down on paper (well, digital paper if you will) for a while, I find it not easy to resume it from where I left off! I still do have an occasional flurry of thoughts and ideas if you want to know (well then, if you don’t want to know, that is well as well!)! The problem is with translating them into meaningful words and sentences. My penmanship (or keying in-ship) has suffered due to the lay off, and it’s natural.
A strange question rises up in my mind now.
Do we have to be relaxed to think as well as write? I do not know. I can only say that I am not both at this point in time! I am pressed hard from all sides now and find it tough to steal enough time to do a bit of thought processing! Well I believe that being tense and being troubled is okay in life. If you have all the things your way all the time, you would soon tire of it and start seeking adventures elsewhere. Where this elsewhere could be? Hmm, it’s a thought.
This brings forth the question about relaxation. Just what do people mean by relaxation? To me relaxation comes via writing, it need not be about anything in particular, writing itself is enough for me to relax! But this could be a personal thing. We all have this desire to put things in order in our life, even those who are careless about everything in life is not careless about being careless! That is a method of achieving homeostatis as well!
Yet all is after relaxation now! They are all stressed out and tensed up and worried and troubled and frightened and everything else besides. Just key in the word relaxation on the internet- Google search alone gives you a mind boggling 33,200,000 results in 0.12 seconds! Type in the words “methods of relaxation“in and you get About 14,500,000 results (0.11 seconds).
So there is something the matter with the world that we live in now. Our world has a population of 6862438690 and rising at this very moment. Considering the number of entries on relaxation alone over the internet (which caters to perhaps 29 % of the above population and the results excludes sites in languages other than in English) there is a serious problem with our world.
If the statistics are anything to go by most of the literate population are out obtaining relaxation from whatever troubles they are having! This looks like the main occupation amongst them.
May be its time to think anti-relaxation now for if we can’t find any relaxation with this much help around, then there is no way to obtain it or there is no cause to search for it!
Why go after the unobtainable while we have all the tension to choose from! It’s much more interesting that way and let me tell you the world would not be there if everybody gets into the true state of relaxation. We worked hard to make the world as it is now. Let’s keep it that way and feel the tension of life coursing through us!
A strange question rises up in my mind now.
Do we have to be relaxed to think as well as write? I do not know. I can only say that I am not both at this point in time! I am pressed hard from all sides now and find it tough to steal enough time to do a bit of thought processing! Well I believe that being tense and being troubled is okay in life. If you have all the things your way all the time, you would soon tire of it and start seeking adventures elsewhere. Where this elsewhere could be? Hmm, it’s a thought.
This brings forth the question about relaxation. Just what do people mean by relaxation? To me relaxation comes via writing, it need not be about anything in particular, writing itself is enough for me to relax! But this could be a personal thing. We all have this desire to put things in order in our life, even those who are careless about everything in life is not careless about being careless! That is a method of achieving homeostatis as well!
Yet all is after relaxation now! They are all stressed out and tensed up and worried and troubled and frightened and everything else besides. Just key in the word relaxation on the internet- Google search alone gives you a mind boggling 33,200,000 results in 0.12 seconds! Type in the words “methods of relaxation“in and you get About 14,500,000 results (0.11 seconds).
So there is something the matter with the world that we live in now. Our world has a population of 6862438690 and rising at this very moment. Considering the number of entries on relaxation alone over the internet (which caters to perhaps 29 % of the above population and the results excludes sites in languages other than in English) there is a serious problem with our world.
If the statistics are anything to go by most of the literate population are out obtaining relaxation from whatever troubles they are having! This looks like the main occupation amongst them.
May be its time to think anti-relaxation now for if we can’t find any relaxation with this much help around, then there is no way to obtain it or there is no cause to search for it!
Why go after the unobtainable while we have all the tension to choose from! It’s much more interesting that way and let me tell you the world would not be there if everybody gets into the true state of relaxation. We worked hard to make the world as it is now. Let’s keep it that way and feel the tension of life coursing through us!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Hype about E Governance in India
A lot of hype is being generated about E Governance in India, and a lot of officers are being trained for it. Other than at the very top levels, the benefits of E Governance is not very evident lower down in the scheme of things. I feel we are going about it the wrong way. Let us just try to face a few facts first of all about it.
Firstly, what’s the use of talking about E Governance if there is no E government to talk of? In most offices this is the case. You know, first the machinery has to be in place and functioning to think about Governing with it, only then comes the training part. As it is, it’s going to be an uphill task training those in service now in E government even. There is lack of awareness and lack of interest in the subject.
This is not to be wondered at. They are the products of a foregone era. They might still like to punch a few keys; just to get a hang of the computers, but there ends their enthusiasm for it. And what is happening now with office automation is the replacement of files with more such files in computers. This is not the way to go at all. Why go to all this trouble of digitizing everything if it doesn’t bring in any changes in the style of processing data and does not serve speedy delivery of service?
You see, instead of paperless office (paperless only in the ideational sense of course, paper can’t be completely replaced like that, but its use can be drastically reduced by the digital revolution), the use of paper is steeply going up now. It is easier to print out documents and produce any number of them with the new machinery! This defeats the whole purpose of the revolution. What is required is a change in mind set.
But unfortunately there are no special switches in our brain to transform us into something we are not, in life. Here you are dealing with individuals with a formed outlook on life and those views are set very firm by repeated affirmation. Even the more progressive amongst them would find it hard to cope with the changing environment and this has little to do with their lack of desire to do it. It’s more primary than that.
This could be the reason why they show a strange desire to denigrate the changes and are mostly not worried by their lack of knowledge on the subject. To them, the new technology is just a marginally better way to produce paperwork. Instead of trying to learn what it actually is they often try to adapt it to their way of thinking, and this becomes possible only because of the fellow feeling shown by their superiors who are mostly in the same boat. Even the comparatively young who are selected to run the administration in India find themselves against a concerted opposition and mostly let it be for the sake of their peace of mind.
What all this amounts to is that nothing will ever move forward and we would be still conducting cattle races while the rest of the world is going elsewhere. In the case of the fouling up of the digital revolution in this land the fault entirely lays with the mentality and not with the availability of funds, or proper authentication or anything else.
As a back ground let us remember that the UN has been promoting all aspects of E Governance for some time now. They have even instituted a grading system to monitor the progress in the area. Sadly we haven’t even made it to the first 50 in it, that is, if we are anywhere in the list at all!
There is no lack of support from outside agencies as well. If we lack funds the World Bank is ready to supply it and the central government has been trying to seriously promote E Governance from 2003 onwards with their assistance. The states have also put aside funds for the purpose. So in fact, there is an abundance of funds and not the lack of it. Ever since the era of globalization, modernization and computerization is vigorously pursued by governments. Yet the case is that, other than perhaps Karnataka none of the other states have made much progress in the sector.
To my mind, if governments are really serious about it they need to re- think the strategy of implementation. It is useless to try to bring in changes in the attitudes of the well entrenched officials over-night. Resistance to change within the organization is an accepted fact among policy makers. This factor has brought down many well meaning reform movements in the past.
New technology brings with it a new world view. There would be fierce opposition to it from those who don’t share the view. All views are formed mostly early in life. That’s where the saying “catch them young” turns out to be true. We follow what we are taught when young all through our life. That’s why the younger generation is comfortable with the fast and feverish pace of change that’s happening all over the world, while we are not. They are brought up on it and unlike the older breed, take to it like a fish takes to water.
So bring such people in. Unlike the old and world-weary blokes these youngsters would be serious about it and would not look down upon it. It’s not of replacing the existing system with technocracy that is suggested, but a sensible introduction of such youngsters at different levels in government would go a long way in educating the rest on the benefits of the process and speeding up E Governance.
Firstly, what’s the use of talking about E Governance if there is no E government to talk of? In most offices this is the case. You know, first the machinery has to be in place and functioning to think about Governing with it, only then comes the training part. As it is, it’s going to be an uphill task training those in service now in E government even. There is lack of awareness and lack of interest in the subject.
This is not to be wondered at. They are the products of a foregone era. They might still like to punch a few keys; just to get a hang of the computers, but there ends their enthusiasm for it. And what is happening now with office automation is the replacement of files with more such files in computers. This is not the way to go at all. Why go to all this trouble of digitizing everything if it doesn’t bring in any changes in the style of processing data and does not serve speedy delivery of service?
You see, instead of paperless office (paperless only in the ideational sense of course, paper can’t be completely replaced like that, but its use can be drastically reduced by the digital revolution), the use of paper is steeply going up now. It is easier to print out documents and produce any number of them with the new machinery! This defeats the whole purpose of the revolution. What is required is a change in mind set.
But unfortunately there are no special switches in our brain to transform us into something we are not, in life. Here you are dealing with individuals with a formed outlook on life and those views are set very firm by repeated affirmation. Even the more progressive amongst them would find it hard to cope with the changing environment and this has little to do with their lack of desire to do it. It’s more primary than that.
This could be the reason why they show a strange desire to denigrate the changes and are mostly not worried by their lack of knowledge on the subject. To them, the new technology is just a marginally better way to produce paperwork. Instead of trying to learn what it actually is they often try to adapt it to their way of thinking, and this becomes possible only because of the fellow feeling shown by their superiors who are mostly in the same boat. Even the comparatively young who are selected to run the administration in India find themselves against a concerted opposition and mostly let it be for the sake of their peace of mind.
What all this amounts to is that nothing will ever move forward and we would be still conducting cattle races while the rest of the world is going elsewhere. In the case of the fouling up of the digital revolution in this land the fault entirely lays with the mentality and not with the availability of funds, or proper authentication or anything else.
As a back ground let us remember that the UN has been promoting all aspects of E Governance for some time now. They have even instituted a grading system to monitor the progress in the area. Sadly we haven’t even made it to the first 50 in it, that is, if we are anywhere in the list at all!
There is no lack of support from outside agencies as well. If we lack funds the World Bank is ready to supply it and the central government has been trying to seriously promote E Governance from 2003 onwards with their assistance. The states have also put aside funds for the purpose. So in fact, there is an abundance of funds and not the lack of it. Ever since the era of globalization, modernization and computerization is vigorously pursued by governments. Yet the case is that, other than perhaps Karnataka none of the other states have made much progress in the sector.
To my mind, if governments are really serious about it they need to re- think the strategy of implementation. It is useless to try to bring in changes in the attitudes of the well entrenched officials over-night. Resistance to change within the organization is an accepted fact among policy makers. This factor has brought down many well meaning reform movements in the past.
New technology brings with it a new world view. There would be fierce opposition to it from those who don’t share the view. All views are formed mostly early in life. That’s where the saying “catch them young” turns out to be true. We follow what we are taught when young all through our life. That’s why the younger generation is comfortable with the fast and feverish pace of change that’s happening all over the world, while we are not. They are brought up on it and unlike the older breed, take to it like a fish takes to water.
So bring such people in. Unlike the old and world-weary blokes these youngsters would be serious about it and would not look down upon it. It’s not of replacing the existing system with technocracy that is suggested, but a sensible introduction of such youngsters at different levels in government would go a long way in educating the rest on the benefits of the process and speeding up E Governance.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The capers they cut
Fall guy's come in many shapes, but when they come in the shape of your saviors, you remain aghast.
Probably you have guessed of whom I am talking of. It’s the narrow minded busy bodies called the government officials that I am raving about. Naturally there is a lot to rave about them too. They defeat our imagination with the tricks that they play!
I know one guy, he is the best in the business, he has little to go for him other than he is incompetent. But is he proud about it? Not he! You wouldn’t believe the things that he pulls sometimes.
His main act is the disappearing act, next comes the swooning act; the frightened act is the best exhibition of his histrionic ability and would come a distant third.
And never fear, he has all the backing he ever would get among his staff, not to say his superiors. He thrills everybody with the stunts that he pulls on and off.
You believe that there has to be a reason for such behavior? And there is! He does all these to get out of tricky circumstances. The guy was forced into submission by one of his subordinates to pass an order. The spirit of the order went against the guys he was trying to protect. (Unless you have learned it by now, the government machinery is a concern to safeguard the interests of the staff and not the people)
The guys, thwarted in their favorite pastimes of making themselves scarce and getting paid for the (absent) services rendered, got the wind up. They resorted to outside help to get things restored to the state that were before. But there was opposition from different quarters on the issue and the man had to back down.
There were visits and ‘comings’ from the opposing side to ‘see’ and ‘talk’ to him. The guy could not take it anymore and started playing the disappearing game. He just doesn’t like the seat any more. It has gotten too hot for his liking. What he does is to visit the office only rarely and even then wriggle out of it before those harassing him finds him there.
Then there are important meetings he has to attend. There could be all types of questions directed against him. Would he attend them? You can dream on. He sends everybody instead and they get mauled in his stead.
But he still likes his power and that is nothing short of a wonder. Yet he has to visit his superiors on certain occasions and is answerable on several things. That’s when he falls down in the railway station and has a real fit. Naturally others wire the superiors and they let the ‘poor’ man go.
I must say that it’s highly riveting to watch the antics of the guy and it’s been entertaining all over!
Well these are guys looking after the interests of the people!
Probably you have guessed of whom I am talking of. It’s the narrow minded busy bodies called the government officials that I am raving about. Naturally there is a lot to rave about them too. They defeat our imagination with the tricks that they play!
I know one guy, he is the best in the business, he has little to go for him other than he is incompetent. But is he proud about it? Not he! You wouldn’t believe the things that he pulls sometimes.
His main act is the disappearing act, next comes the swooning act; the frightened act is the best exhibition of his histrionic ability and would come a distant third.
And never fear, he has all the backing he ever would get among his staff, not to say his superiors. He thrills everybody with the stunts that he pulls on and off.
You believe that there has to be a reason for such behavior? And there is! He does all these to get out of tricky circumstances. The guy was forced into submission by one of his subordinates to pass an order. The spirit of the order went against the guys he was trying to protect. (Unless you have learned it by now, the government machinery is a concern to safeguard the interests of the staff and not the people)
The guys, thwarted in their favorite pastimes of making themselves scarce and getting paid for the (absent) services rendered, got the wind up. They resorted to outside help to get things restored to the state that were before. But there was opposition from different quarters on the issue and the man had to back down.
There were visits and ‘comings’ from the opposing side to ‘see’ and ‘talk’ to him. The guy could not take it anymore and started playing the disappearing game. He just doesn’t like the seat any more. It has gotten too hot for his liking. What he does is to visit the office only rarely and even then wriggle out of it before those harassing him finds him there.
Then there are important meetings he has to attend. There could be all types of questions directed against him. Would he attend them? You can dream on. He sends everybody instead and they get mauled in his stead.
But he still likes his power and that is nothing short of a wonder. Yet he has to visit his superiors on certain occasions and is answerable on several things. That’s when he falls down in the railway station and has a real fit. Naturally others wire the superiors and they let the ‘poor’ man go.
I must say that it’s highly riveting to watch the antics of the guy and it’s been entertaining all over!
Well these are guys looking after the interests of the people!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Whats Ailing Indian Football?
( Nothing much it seems, for there is no football in India!)
Forlan, the Uruguayan footballer is in India and our dailies are full of it. He is a good player and was a big star even before he struck those goals in the recent world cup and took his team to the semi finals. I don’t know what he is doing in our land. One thing is for sure; he is not going to talk football in India, or if he does he is not going to talk seriously about it, because there is no real football in this land.
I am not saying this out of spite because my favorite team has fared poorly in the national tourney, or as an effort to denigrate all those guys who play the game in India. We play our sort of football and some of us like to watch it in action, because we love the game and would like to see it flourish in the country.
And at present the scenario is not all that bad for the player too. They have started to earn well. This was not the case before. There are clubs all over the land, there is sponsorship and there is great hype about the game in the media. This is all very welcome and I am glad for the players, for football is a crippling game at any level and those playing it should be guaranteed some sort of security in their life.
But honestly, the kind of football we play wouldn’t bear scrutiny. It’s terrible. That’s why one of our greats in football, I.M Vijayan recently stated that we wouldn’t be in the world cup even in the times of his child Aromal (the boy is learning the art at the feet of his father.) He may not be the most analytical of guys, but what he says comes from within him and it is sensed by the talent in him. It has to be true. If he had the physical strength of a European or African or Latin American footballer, he would have been a great international player.
He had such talent and brains for the game.
You know once, a long time back and when he was only a player, the present coach of Brazil came to our land on a visit and our reporters were at him seeking advice for our football. Dunga fortunately was not totally dismissive of it; he was kind enough to admit that there is such a thing in the land. He visited a few coaching camps and the players immediately crowded around him asking for tips on the strategies to be employed on the field.
His kindness did not prevent him from being blunt in his reply. He said:
“First learn how to control the ball and learn the skills of the game, then learn what the game is all about before trying to take it further”.
He further elucidated the point he was making.
“You know, we all do it for years and years before we even start to think about things like strategies back at home”
The guys were abashed; they might have thought that they are in the same league as these greats of football. And there could be still guys out there who think so. For them I have something. It’s a totally crazy video about tiny tots playing football. These guys are caught early and trained meticulously. Look at the stupendous skills these kids have, do you think that any international in India could even repeat the feats?
This is only the start of their game and they all do it, do you think that they would stop there or would be allowed to stop there? Do you think that those free kicks struck by Forlan came merely out of day- dreaming? He did it repeatedly while others as good as him was finding trouble with the ball employed. You can only execute your dreams if you sweat blood and are fired up by desire to excel in the game. It takes the dedication of a lifetime.
Just watch the video
Forlan, the Uruguayan footballer is in India and our dailies are full of it. He is a good player and was a big star even before he struck those goals in the recent world cup and took his team to the semi finals. I don’t know what he is doing in our land. One thing is for sure; he is not going to talk football in India, or if he does he is not going to talk seriously about it, because there is no real football in this land.
I am not saying this out of spite because my favorite team has fared poorly in the national tourney, or as an effort to denigrate all those guys who play the game in India. We play our sort of football and some of us like to watch it in action, because we love the game and would like to see it flourish in the country.
And at present the scenario is not all that bad for the player too. They have started to earn well. This was not the case before. There are clubs all over the land, there is sponsorship and there is great hype about the game in the media. This is all very welcome and I am glad for the players, for football is a crippling game at any level and those playing it should be guaranteed some sort of security in their life.
But honestly, the kind of football we play wouldn’t bear scrutiny. It’s terrible. That’s why one of our greats in football, I.M Vijayan recently stated that we wouldn’t be in the world cup even in the times of his child Aromal (the boy is learning the art at the feet of his father.) He may not be the most analytical of guys, but what he says comes from within him and it is sensed by the talent in him. It has to be true. If he had the physical strength of a European or African or Latin American footballer, he would have been a great international player.
He had such talent and brains for the game.
You know once, a long time back and when he was only a player, the present coach of Brazil came to our land on a visit and our reporters were at him seeking advice for our football. Dunga fortunately was not totally dismissive of it; he was kind enough to admit that there is such a thing in the land. He visited a few coaching camps and the players immediately crowded around him asking for tips on the strategies to be employed on the field.
His kindness did not prevent him from being blunt in his reply. He said:
“First learn how to control the ball and learn the skills of the game, then learn what the game is all about before trying to take it further”.
He further elucidated the point he was making.
“You know, we all do it for years and years before we even start to think about things like strategies back at home”
The guys were abashed; they might have thought that they are in the same league as these greats of football. And there could be still guys out there who think so. For them I have something. It’s a totally crazy video about tiny tots playing football. These guys are caught early and trained meticulously. Look at the stupendous skills these kids have, do you think that any international in India could even repeat the feats?
This is only the start of their game and they all do it, do you think that they would stop there or would be allowed to stop there? Do you think that those free kicks struck by Forlan came merely out of day- dreaming? He did it repeatedly while others as good as him was finding trouble with the ball employed. You can only execute your dreams if you sweat blood and are fired up by desire to excel in the game. It takes the dedication of a lifetime.
Just watch the video
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