The ESPN pundits Shabby Singh (heh!) and Massa wielded mic for this match which was shown live on ESPN yesterday. While Shabby is outright abominable when it comes to his opinions and of course his allegiance – Sp*rs supporter, i have never bothered to listen to Paul Masefield (massa!!), he is just another football pundit.

Yet again, i missed the first half of the match and India had already scored 1 goal. Or, it was an own goal sorts, which had been attributed to an Indian player. Jeevan Singh, i feel.

The second half was all about the half hearted attempts of the Nepali team to level the score, which  never happened.  They tried to string a lot of passes on the ground, which hardly caused any trouble for the Indian team. They hardly could muster their way up the  field. Occasionally they managed to create some chances but the Indian goal was well guarded by the young Indian goal keeper, Arindam.

Nepal was below average, with some players putting in decent performances. Anil Gurung, the Lajon FC striker could create some problems but was not clinical enough to score.  I concede that Anil is the only player i am aware of ,by name in the Nepal squad. There were few others also who had a decent second half.

While the Indian team’s approach to the game was quite good. They were comfortable in playing a high line, pushing the Nepali team in to their own half.  We were happy to hang on to the single goal lead, as the Nepali team never could create pressure situations in the Indian goal front.

While i am not still convinced by the Indian forward line consisting of Balwant and Sushil, i am quite impressed by the defensive performance yesterday.  The defense lived up to their size, they were dominating and the Nepali players found it difficult to deal with the situation.  There were occasional glitches, but all attempts were thwarted by some superb goal keeping by Arindam.  On the whole, i feel this Indian team is a good defensive unit.

Notable players who put in decent performances are Robert Lalthalma, who is a composed presence in the defensive line.  Rowilson Rodrigues, as his partners in the defense had a good match.  While in the second half the midfield did not put up a spirited offensive performance, they were influential in guarding the lead against Nepal.

While Balwant harried quite a lot before getting substituted, Sushil  put in a yet another scrappy, unconvincing display. I just dont like Sushil’s game and he has not proven me wrong in both these matches. Je je after coming in for Balwant had couple of chances which could have been buried, but his lack of experience showed. In coming days, he will be a terrific asset for our national team.  The other two substitutes Subodh Kumar and Sheikh Jewel Raja were average, i felt.

This was definitely a better performance than the earlier outing in SAFF cup against Afghanistan. We played better as a team and were committed to the cause.  It can only get better. Scoring is still a concern, with the established forwards not firing, we will have to wait and see what Sukhwinder is planning to end the drought of goals. So, to the semis of SAFF cup with an u-23 team. Not bad.

India 1 – 0 Afghsnistan (Goal – Je Je)

I have a feeling that the number of premier league matches aired in India has been cut down by ESPN-STAR. Anyway i am not going to complain too much as i was treated with SAFF CUP on Star Sports today evening. A power outage means, i missed the first half of the India – Afghanistan match.

The indian senior coach Bob-Houghton had convinced the authorities that India should sent in a young team for SAFF cup this time around. So, a Sukhwinder managed, essentially u-23 players are representing India at Dhaka.

From what i listened to the commentators, i felt the first half was way poor from India. Good, i missed it. The second half was also not that promising in terms of standard and play making. The second half started with some good offensive play by the Indians but were occasionally treated to Afghani counter attacks.

Afghanistan managed to create a few chances, some were not taken well, while one was saved by the Indian goal keeper Arindam quite gracefully.

Coming to India’s display, it was quite patchy. The players are young, probably they are at such an awe that,  a responsibility of bringing back the SAFF cup is entitled on them.  Maldives are the defending champions.

I liked Robert Lalthalma’s over all game, i felt the  Churchill youngster had a good half.  The centre halves also had a decent game. While among the midfielders Manish stood out with some good tackles especially in the dying minutes of the match. Abranches on the right hand side had a good game.

I have never liked Sushil Kumar, the captian-striker, and he did nothing special in that 45 minutes, for me to change my perception about him. Where as the Pune FC striker Je Je who came on as substitute was a revelation for me. The stocky 18 year old did make the maximum out of the chance that was given to him by scoring the solitary goal of the match which earned us valuable 3 points. Some to keep an eye on, in the future for sure! Je Je! Yay!

There are few positives to take away from this match. Some players are looking good, a little bit of tweaking would provide results, i feel. The team will have to play more as a cohesive unit against teams like Nepal and Maldives. This is the first outing for our youngsters in the SAFF cup, they can  only improve upon their performances. So let us hope for the best.

Tim Collings, of Goal.com UK has written an article about Carlos Vela, about whether he will be able to live up to the expectations of Arsene, that he is of Robbie Fowler mode.

Subsequently he talks about the jittery Sunderland match, the team had and elicit some of the issues that is niggling arsenal’ form now. I am not even sure, you could term the sunderland bungle a serious dent in form, as it was a defeat that came after a long streak of 14 games unbeaten.

One of the reasons that he mentions is the absence of Abou Diaby in the team. Diaby had a long run in the team this season and occasionally most Arsenal supporters have questioned his uselessness in the middle of the pitch. When we missed him for the last match, it was quite evident what was lacking in the middle of the pitch. For me, it was obvious – Abou Diaby. I am happy that, at least his absence made me realize, what contribution he makes to arsenal’s solidity while playing a 4-3-3.

And here, Tim Collings puts it in the right words…..

clipped from www.goal.com And, dare it be said, it is the continued absence of Abou Diaby, through injury, that has coincided with this slip in form. He may not be the eye-catching, perfectionist in a team of ball-jugglers, but his rangy style, long-legged tackling and covering and awkwardness in possession gives Arsenal a physical presence in midfield that was missed sorely last weekend. Like Alex Song, he does a lot of the team’s dirty work.

After the Sunderland Defeat…. this is what i feel, i am in for a long haul.

clipped from aculturedleftfoot.wordpress.com   What a sad showing from some of our ’supporters’ after the first defeat in, oh, so long. What a pathetic life they must lead. Just imagine, losing a football match! Supporting a team like Arsenal, with it’s history and a Roll of Honour, the equal of any and superior to all but a very few, requires a bit of humility and intelligence. It is a privilege available only to a minority, Most fans must spend their lives dedicated to the Watfords and Exeters of this world with only the odd cup run or promotion campaign to relieve the humdrum dedication of their support. They shame you. No team wins every match. For that we should all be thankful. How boring the striving for success would otherwise be. Thick and thin, people, thick and thin. Compared to the vast majority we have had a lot more of the former than the latter. Those who do not appreciate that, and the team that we have, are just thick. We are The Arsenal.

Kerala Volleyball League (KVL) is here.

The advert is a decent one with pathetic  music. Inspite of all these, kudos goes to Volleyball association of kerala. At least they are striving to make something happen and that clearly is a different path, compared to their other counterparts.

Mamooty obviously adds to the glamor quotient.  Now, if he is what the game really lacked, then let him be there. I don’t really care.

I read about the format in which it is going to appear. 9 days, 16 matches and live telecast, that doesn’t sound bad at all.  It is happening in Kozhikode means, crowd is a sure bet for a match held under flood lights.  So the organizers don’t really have to bother about that.  Probably some more intense campaign through the FM Radios  that litter the air space with all kind of tosh at the moment in Kerala will help.

Anyway i am eagerly waiting for KVL to happen. There is a lot of potential to be tapped in sports other than cricket. If it is packaged well, i am sure it will happen. Fingers crossed!!

To cater to market demands, Indian international volleyballers like Kishore Kumar has changed their looks, which they think will attract more youngsters to this game.

He says ;  “We have to package ourselves better. Everybody is excited about the new league, suddenly all the players are charged up. And since actor Mammootty is the league’s brand ambassador, we will have big crowds since he has thousands of fans in Kozhikode and Malappuram.”

The game also has it fans!

Tom petty’s Mary Jane’s Last Dance playing.

its moving fast, a techni-color fast forward.

tiring and mundane is work.. as usual,it cant get any more worse.

reading a Tariq Ali book, Pirates of the Caribbean…had taken a break from reading this, when i caught up with a recent malayalam novel – Francis Itty Cora.  A novel with a refreshing format, it is a classic in its right, i feel.

oh… then today.. as usual through g-reader i stumbled upon..

“Prem Kumar’s demand for higher pay and better food at the cafeteria at the auto-parts factory where he works near New Delhi forced General Motors Co.Ford Motor Co. to shut three plants on the other side of the world. and Ford Motor Co. to shut three plants on the other side of the world.”

that more or less speaks for IndiaInc.

the article says, while there was a 9% increase in food prices , the overall wages rose only by 0.8 percent.

and that answers why human resource officials in 2 companies were mauled and killed by the workers.

and that also explains why 1.5 million workers were involved in 250 strikes in 2008 , all across the nation in the manufacturing front.

there are some comparisons with china, as the norm always is….. they had a 9.9 percent wage growth.. in 2008.

A willing workforce the Chinese are, aint they?  now it seems in orissa and Jharkand Chinese are the ones who are constructing steel factories… 10,000 and more are flocking to eat up all our jobs…

anyways enjoy the read…..

India Food Strike, Fatal Riots Hobble Push to Export Auto Parts

another interesting thing i came across is that, now French football is vying for that lucrative Indian market pie. After Bayern set up a farewell match for Oliver Khan in front of more than 1 lakh crowd at Kolkota and then Maradona’s visit to the city, it  looks like every country which has a decent league is interested in marketing their football in kolkota/India. It seems a Bangalore based firm is in talks with french football authorities about the possibility of  a collaboration and eventually a long term partnership.

Interesting names are being bandied around – Zidane and Aimé Jacquet. While Zidane could help the glamor side of football, it would be nice if Aimé Jacquet  could give some tips to our authorities about football development. He coached French football team to a world cup victory in 1998 and his influence on French football and his ideas which helped french football is best explained here by amy lawrence in guardian. anyway let me not jump the gun.

Upon stumbling on a footnote in Tariq Ali’s Pirates of the Caribbean – Axis of Hope , i came to know about Antonio Arguedas.  As you know Latin American political history, especially of the 60’s and 70’s,  is a confusing fresco of revolutionaries, counter -revolutionaries, dictators, army-generals and so on but this man’s case interested me quite a lot.

Antonio Arguedas was the minister of interior during the 1964–69 military dictatorship of Gen. René Barrientos. (Ok, it is a redundant info when it comes to Latin America.  Britannica says he was drafted in by CIA) . In 1965 Antonio Arguedas was influential in defeating the guerrilla uprisings happening in Bolivia led by Che Guvera, which eventually led to Che’s capture and the execution that followed. 

But by 1968 Antonio Arguedas had taken a different twist altogether. Disenchanted by the dictatorship of Gen. René Barrientos and the Cuban exiles, he arranged the personal diary of Che to be returned to Cuba and there by allowing the Cuban govt to publish the diary.

After sending the Diary to Cuba, he quit his ministry and had to hop around the world in fear of assassination and finally retreated to Cuba.  In 2000 the man was associated with a gang that kidnapped and ransomed wealthy Bolivians and eventually got killed by a bomb which exploded while he was carrying it.

Strange isnt it?

Here is an interesting article by  Richard Gott on Antonio Arguedas

I seriously cant weigh up my sense of frustration every other time i watch Sekhar Gupta, Swapandas Gupta, Chandan Mitra and of course maudlin Barkha Dutt and their counterparts appear on screen, giving their opinions on various issues. Off-late, i have felt that these hacks and their visual media counter parts hijack any issue of national interest in their favor and of course a lot people who watch these shows, take them and their opinions for granted.

Mind you, all these buggers have an agenda and they are very committed to their cause.  When i saw Abhinav Bindra, the sole gold medal winner for our country in Olympics and Sekhar Gupta, Chandan Mitra and Abhishek  Singhvi sitting together and debating in NDTV about our supposed Olympics bid for 2016, i was quite interested to see, what these hacks were blathering.  And in no sense they failed to arrest the ever increasing disgust in me towards them. The so called audience for the debate was also pathetic, mostly for all the debates, that is the case of  “audience”.

While Abhinav Bindra , as any other sensible sports person in India made very good sense when he argued that we need to invest those millions which would go in to the construction of  world class stadiums, arenas, fly-overs and airports in to our sports system to better it and create a system which is well-working and raise the standard for our sports from grassroots level.

The sole politician who appeared on the show, went up in arms against him saying that bidding for Olympics and creating a good atmosphere for the promotion of sports is not mutually exclusive.  yeah, not mutually exclusive! But for the past 60 years or so, the sports policy in the nation has not been inclusive at all. Everyone knows that  and how badly we had to play up our sole gold medal winning performance in Olympics to cater to our inflated egos.

The hacks went a bit further in their arguments, they said we should bid for Olympics, you know why?  Yeah, we will have good roads, fly-overs, airports and stadiums that will come up.  I wonder if Olympics is all about sports or about wonderful stadiums, arenas, over head metro railway lines or an airport.

Sekhar Gupta and Chandan Mitra were very lucid about their opinions. It doesn’t matter, if we will be able to get more than a gold medal or not, but the bid should go ahead because it will make way for good “infrastructure”. Yeah, these hacks will be vying couple of adverts from these construction magnets .

Isn’t “infrastructure” a very fond of word for these kinds who appear on TV? Yes, it is important, but are we looking at making over-head railway lines that are made on war-footing negligence that buckle and kill several or are we looking at infrastructure that is part of some sensible development pattern? It is very clear these hacks and their hidden agendas prefer the former way.   They prefer it because, contracts are made with their buddies in the industry who will provide these hacks with adverts which will pump up their profits and of course death due to the negligence/corruption is another opportunity to increase their media share, isn’t it?  To an extent these days,  some of these hacks are terribly subservient to contractors and the filthy rich who after all help their survival.

Anyway, it was very interesting and eye opening to see Sekhar Gupta and Chandan Mitra making their priorities very clear by vying for the contractors. They hardly seem to be bothered about the condition of sports in India. They attributed its pathetic state to the inefficient sporting bodies. Yeah, very easy. It is an easy excuse they make in our country and with that argument they can completely forget about sports and  channel their  interest towards bids for Olympics  and sorts, because they know, if at all Olympics come to India, they can make a meal out of it, even if we win medals or not.

Abhinav Bindra is not a very assertive person, he along with another journalist made their point, that we need to pep up our system so that we can have a decent show if at all we are to hold such an event.  ( Or he couldn’t be assertive with the likes of  Sekhar Gupta and Chandan Mitra, who are conditioned “debate masters” around) He looked like, he wantedto scoot from there as soon as possible.

These hacks who continually appear on our prime time television is the biggest hazard to our integrity and sane opinions that we carry around . They are able to form opinions that is being rallied around by idiotic masses who follow them. They are able to neatly spin our sensibilities so that it conform their hidden agenda, as in this case, Sekhar Gupta and Chandan Mitra tried to bat for the contractors and infrastructure industry.

The audience seemed to have completely immersed in the idea of Olympics happening in their city, their dreams of 8-lane roads in which their cars might zoom without incurring dents and scratches, snazzy airports and some even went up to the extent of asking, if we will be making a lion’s den as China made bird’s nest. Ha, i don’t think i need to say anything more.

We sadly forget the plight of innumerable youngsters who take to sports out of their willingness and some out of necessity (It can earn them a govt job!) We as a nation needs more respect towards these youngsters who are trying to cut a career in streams that are not at all lucrative in our nation. If we have that respect, what we should do is to cater to their interest, help them to achieve more, an Olympic bid is not the right way.

]]> http://tushizap.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/stupid-hacks-and-indias-bid-for-2016-olympics/feed/ 2 clash http://tushizap.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/kalavimarsham-25-years-on/ http://tushizap.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/kalavimarsham-25-years-on/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:27:46 +0000 clash http://tushizap.wordpress.com/?p=800 ]]>

through my google reader feeds i stumbled upon this article, which talks about an article written by famous writer in Malayalam – N.S. Madhavan , who remembers an iconic book that appeared in Malayalam and the people who were influential in bringing out the book, especially late Dr.T.K. Ramachandran.

It is interesting to see the kind of interest that is being generated by this book – Kalavimarsham – oru Marxist manadhandam, which is still lying in one corner of my father’s book racks.

It is indeed with much pride that i can claim that my father is also mentioned in this article and he was very  much involved in bringing out this book.  and a few minutes back, i shared this news with my father and he noted that they were planning to republish the same with some more additions.

anyway i am not the right person to make any observations about the book because i have not read it but i have all the right to get enthused about my father who was also part of this venture.

N.S . Madhavan says,

what Kalavimarsham – oru Marxist manadhandam did was to get inspired by the thoughts of Marx, Lenin, Luckas, Althusser , Frankfurt school of thought and analyze the cultural life of a malayali. And that was one of an analysis as it covered almost everything that came across its path. Spirituality to strip cartoons to movies to poems to novels.

Okay, that was a terrible gist i could write about the article. If you are good at Malayalam, you can read the N.S . Madhavan article here.

oh. ho, before winding up the Ravindran that has been mentioned in the article is my maternal uncle.  more reason to get enthused!!

Due courtesy to M Mercutio and Bashaposhini weekly.