Archie Schiller :A young superboy 🙇‍♀️

Boxing Day and the tussle for one-upmanship for one last time in 2018 is up for grabs for 2 warring teams with one hoping to create a history and the other depleted one trying to prove a point for themselves and spoil the Indian dream.

Kohli and Paine, one an Indian poster boy and the other managing a place in team with a skipper tag have been in the News for all the wrong reasons during this tour. Sledging is the way of game when it comes to Australia and all touring teams have for years tried to match them, though always failing way short against the sledging champions.

There always is a thin line difference between aggressive emotions and emotionally aggressive. Being emotionally aggressive have many times impacted the visiting teams but not Australia as they have used it as a skill to systematically demolish their opponents with deliberate aggressive emotions.

Aussies have carried that sledging tag all the while but as they say, there’s always a human within and Kangaroos have time and again proved it.

Pigeon McGrath with his McGrath foundation has been relentlessly working for breast cancer patients and cancer awareness over last few years. Steve Waugh very quietly has been associated with ‘Udayan’ in Kolkata since his playing days which works for children affected by families with leprosies.

As Boxing Day approaches, the kangaroos have come out with their larger than off the field attitude once again and the team has picked up a 7 year boy who is youngest cricketer ever to represent a country. 

Archie Schiller has been a fighter since his birth. He has undergone multiple heart surgeries in his life and every time he faced it, he has come out much stronger and smiling. The boy at such a tender age has become an inspiration for many.

‘Make-A-Wish Australia’ which works for seriously-ill children and provides them an opportunity to fulfil their long cherished wishes and wants them to evade the pains and be happy learnt about Archie and helped him live his dream to stand tall amongst men at Melbourne.

Let’s welcome this new hero Archie and wish that when he grows, we see a new Shane Warne on the ground.

As an Indian fan, hope for India win but at the same time let’s go beyond hostility between the two teams and appreciate this wonderful gesture from Cricket Australia 🙇‍♀️ 🙇‍♀️ 

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P.S. The blog is written as an ardent cricket fan and appreciation of young fighter who is living his dream at Melbourne on a special Boxing Day. It does not comment on any events or behaviour of the two teams on the ground.

- Jayawant 

Elections 2019 : A journey into electoral evolution

Circa 1984, India was led by a Prime Minister who had operation ‘Blue Star’ behind her, opposition decimated after post emergency era of dark days and the country had found its own Iron Lady in invincible Indira Gandhi. However on a tragic 31st October 1984, all of a sudden India had its youngest Prime Minister in Rajiv Gandhi at the helm as his mother lost her life to her security guards in an unfortunate event shocking the country and rest of the world.

Young India of 37 years with a Prime Minister almost same as its age and mandate of 400+ Lok Sabha seats, no tall opposition leader in Parliament and close friends like Arun Nehru, Arun Singh and Amitabh around, Rajiv Gandhi had conquered to rule for a long time to come.

Nothing is permanent in politics and sometimes your right hand men can become your bête noire and Rajiv Gandhi realised it soon with Bofors getting unearthed and VP Singh posed enough challenge to wrest power from Congress in 1989 with BJP’s support. The elections of 1989 (rather by-poll of Allahabad in 1988 where VP Singh won as JanMorcha/Independent candidate) was the beginning of downfall of Congress as a National Party (which is still continued). However, the country neither fully decimated Congress nor chose BJP as its alternative.

VP Singh had his biggest moment and opportunity to make a difference to Indian Politics, only to fizzle it out in Mandal Commission implementation and big challenge posed by BJP with Ram Mandir movement.  

1991 and BJP had sensed its glory but Sriperumbudur had something else in store and India lost Rajiv Gandhi. Sympathy wave post Rajiv Gandhi saw P.V.Narasimha Rao getting coronated and India got its one of most policy driven Prime Ministers of all times. Not all administrators are mass leaders and country gave a jumbled and fractured mandate ousting Rao to give mantle to Atalji for 13 days and after experiments of Devegowda and Gujral had him at the helm though for short tenure of 13 months. These 13 months gave opposition parties a roadmap for future arm twisting coalition politics of the country (which probably holds true, even today) and Atalji bounced back for full term till 2004.

India Shining through a well-handled coalition could not stop Atalji from losing the battle of 2004 to a Prime Minister who for 10 years was more known for his silence and inability to control corruption. The able economist got entangled in coalition politics till 2014 which saw state level parties dictating at National Level, dynasties built in many states, nepotism as a big Normal and image of Manmohan Singh completely tarnished.

NaMo wave of 2014 helped India come out of coalition compulsions for the first time in 30 years and we had a decisive leader who was not afraid to take decisions as an administrator and not much worried about coalition equations. Having a clear mandate helps in putting the agenda for a ruling party though there always would be arguments and counter reactions for the decisions taken and as they say each coin has two sides.

2014 was the first election after almost 25 years of 1989 elections, where country accepted and thought of BJP as a Pan-India alternative to Congress.

With inability to take head on with NaMo, on one side is RaGa, representing dynasty and confirming inability of Congress to come out of the family cocoon, the other side is filled with potential prime ministers whom probably many Indians aren’t even aware of and then a possible coup of big coalition making battle of 2019 quite intriguing.

The narrative getting built in last few months makes no good for the country. Temple Run, Janaeu and Hinduism are getting confused with unwarranted aggression and unclear agenda. Calling the other guy bad names doesn’t get a good name for you. RaGa has to understand this. The battle is for the role of Prime Minister and unless he builds a positive framework, provides vision and roadmap howsoever he shouts unless he provides an alternative, it’s of no use. Rafale is no Bofors and 24*7 calling foul sounds repetitive. It seems the advisors of the scion are misguiding and Congress is getting into a trap of focusing on only person NaMo. The history suggests, whenever Modi is cornered, he has become more powerful.

The so called Third or United Front presents a gloomier picture than what any other alternative provides. The coalition is getting formed without any agenda and is more of a mathematical calculation than ideological rejuvenation. Coalition governments have repeatedly failed when Charansinghs, Devegowdas, Gujrals and Chandrashekhars ruled as the agenda was lost in satisfying the partners rather than the welfare of electorate and goodwill of the people.

With Hindi heartland under question, Modi will face tough home turf test and will need a big boost from untested territories of Bengal and Deep South. Unless NaMo overcomes the mathematics and coalition compulsions, the battle of 2019 is no cakewalk for NDA. However, understanding NaMo-Shah duo, they will not easily and meekly let go the national advantage with few foes coming together.

Indian Politics has come a long way since 1984 and is still evolving. The democracies world over are run on the principles of equal opportunities and ‘Country First’ ideology. Two Party democracies or ideological coalitions have immensely benefitted such nations as either of the side is correct for the electorate. With no such option available and multi-party mathematical coalitions being the only order of the day in India, one hopes, we as citizen of this beautiful nation choose leaders and parties who have long term goals for the betterment of the motherland and are not run for satisfying the personal greed and agenda.

Whosoever becomes the Prime Minister in 2019 has to provide a central, acceptable and global leadership irrespective of the party and state level compulsions because the world is watching us and the opportunities to rule the world aren’t offered time and again.

P.S. The blog is primarily written as an individual observation of Indian elections and politics and does not intend to judge or influence individual opinion of the readers.

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-       Jayawant

Saina and Kashyap ! Pride of Nation come together in marital bliss !

Year 2018, many hearts crashed, many fans celebrated the season of marriages that saw celebrities and bigwigs loosing bachelor titles.

We saw Deepika getting hitched to Ranveer in Italy,  NickYanka proving Indian weddings are no less and then Ambanis had all stars and celebrities serving food to their guests.

With all gaga,headlines and marriage footage being sold in King of Currencies USD, there were two people who very quietly and without any hoopla getting married almost at the same time of these fat weddings.

Protégés of Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap entered marital bliss at a simple ceremony in Hyderabad.

Saina and Kashyap are no ordinary people. One was world numero uno with titles encompassing Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth and national honours whereas  the other gave glory to Men’s badminton at Commonwealth Games and proved Indian men are no less than women when it comes to Badminton.

Both come from a humble background and represent true India. The rise to top for both of them took years of rigorous training, hard work and family sacrifices. Most of the Indians would come from this strata of society and their success needs to be celebrated and marital journey blessed!

It has been more than a decade of going around for Saina and Kashyap and vigilant media could only fathom the depth of their badminton matches all these years. It shows to prove, one can keep personal and professional lives separate if one intends to do so.

Lets pray and wish that Saina and Kashyap keep national flag high and continue to bring glory in personal and professional lives and careers.

P.S. The blog is personal opinion and does not intend or wish to comment on how marriages need to be solemnized.

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- Jayawant

State Elections over, time to relax and introspect

With results of state elections declared, and emotions high, It’s time for relaxation and introspection for political parties, leaders and voters too !

And never to forget, we should always have lighter side in us. Few famous lines I remembered and found appropriate and am quoting them in a lighter vein:

1) NaMo to RaGa :
“Mere pas UP,Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat Tripura hai, tumhare pas kya hai ? “

RaGa : “Mere pas Maa Hai ! “

2) Old movie hero running around only to see No Vacancy board but finally gets a job and tells his sister. Emotional sister runs like a crazy to her mom and says

“ Bhaiya ko naukri lag gayee Maa ! Bhaiya ko naukri lag gayee !! “

3) Almost 4 years of facing ‘AANDHI’ something to cheer up for the ‘GANDHI’ :

“Vaise to amavas 15 din ki hi hoti hai. lekin is baar bahut lambi thi”

4) RaGa tells Namo :

“Kabhi kabhi jeetne ke liye kuch haarna bhi padta hai ... aur haar kar jeetne waale ko baazigar kehte hai “

5) Namo hits back at RaGa :

“Aaj, khush to bahut hoge tum” (2018)

“Sahi baat ko sahi waqt pe kiya jaye to uska maza hi kuch aur hai, aur main sahi waqt ka intezaar karta hoon." (2019)

And finally something to cheer up for corporate as it’s a big day for Cadbury India when sales go up unexpectedly

“Pappu pass ho gaya !!”

P.S. No hard feelings, no political parties.. just sharing with friends after intense political drama entire day yesterday.

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-Jayawant

Gautam Gambhir : Take a bow master

As India is looking forward to a rare win and wrap test match against Australia in Australia, one of the most competitive fighters of the game, ‘Gautam Gambhir’ is playing his final first class game at his home ground Kotla against minnows of domestic cricket Andhra Pradesh.

The irony of the game is, the man himself is going into oblivion without any media hype, television interviews and celebrations, what otherwise can be called as end of one of the most glorious and selfless careers of Indian cricket.

Gauti(lets feel ourselves close to him by calling him with his pet name) deserved a better end. Not all players come good in two coveted World Cup finals to live and realise dreams of entire nation and win those trophies. What many consider as Indian Paisa League(IPL), the captain with all Gambhirness created history for Kolkata Knight Riders and made Bengalis frenzy twice as their captain.

One of the best left handers ever to represent country, integrity, class and selflessness as qualities and at the same time, a very shrewd captain would 

make anyone counted as one of all time greats and favourite of the nation but not Gambhir and that’s what culminates the unparalleled career of Gautam Gambhir.

As in any profession, everyone has a choice to accept the system as it is or one can be vocal and make his mind speak irrespective of outcome and impact on one’s career. Gambhir always chose the second option and did what was right for him and the team he represented.

We might never see Gautam walking to the crease, his soft but focused face on the ground and his no-nonsense leadership style but what would always remain in our hearts is the greatness of the man and who made his country proud whenever he was given the opportunity and responsibility.

May the future innings, whatever it is , whether cricket or politics, I am sure it would be full of integrity, honesty, selflessness  and for giving back to the nation.

Take a bow 🙇‍♂️ Master ! You were the true genius for us .

P.S. The blog is an individual opinion of the author about the cricketer and does not comment on Indian cricket or the system which runs Indian Cricket.

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- Jayawant