Reading newspaper is no more a gratifying experience. Good news has become a rarity. Whether it’s a national or a regional newspaper nothing constructive could be found and issues such as terrorism, corruption, political dramas, inflation, crime, erotic photographs, etc., are ruling the roost causing unnecessary unrest among the readers.

The worry here is not about newspapers covering some of those issues but about the way they are presented. The newspapers seem to have taken a cue from the television news channels, which are creating havoc in the name of being voice of the commoner, on how to sensationalize content.

A majority of the newspapers have serious political affiliations and work as the unofficial spokesperson of those parties. Any newspaper supporting a political party unearths some scandal involving the opposite party and tries to portray it as the biggest and the most heinous crime on the globe through its headlines, cartoons, special features, etc. The rival party retaliates through its unofficial spokesperson (newspaper), ultimately making it a war between two newspapers. This trend is rampant among regional newspapers (Sakshi versus Eenadu in Andhra Pradesh). Sadly, the sacred editorial column too is not spared.

Another disturbing feature is the liberal use of erotic photographs and the coverage of trivial news about hitherto unknown people. Actress and models clad in bikinis and skimpy clothes are a regular feature in The Times of India and The Deccan Chronicle. Do they know that we are least bothered about an ex-Scandinavian model going to a psychiatrist after breaking up with her boyfriend or a football player’s former girlfriend undergoing a cosmetic surgery?

While some newspapers try to strike a balance between sensationalism and responsible journalism, a majority of them, especially in the regional front, have blatantly discarded the basic principles of journalism.

As a kid I remember my family (and the neighborhood) eagerly waiting for the cries of the newspaper boy. But the interest is no more seen in any of them. My grandfather hardly spends 10 minutes reading the newspaper and my father always complains of lackluster coverage and biased analysis.

I, at the most read headlines, the cartoon commentary and the movie updates section. For information (read correct information) on any topic I depend on the Internet. I bet there are more people like me who are fed up and the number will only grow. Already television and the Internet have relegated newspapers to confectionaries selling stale items. In such a precarious situation, it becomes imperative for the newspapers to build a positive image among the public and play a constructive role in the development of the country.

This doesn’t mean it’s all over for the early morning visitor. We still love it. Newspaper that thrives on giving the right information to the public is always welcomed. It’s the perfect companion while sipping a cup of coffee in the morning. It’s the only source which can present so much of diverse information in such a convenient form, and allows us to read at leisure. We still don’t want to miss experts’ opinion on inflation, economic crisis, and a brilliant cricket match (though we have watched it live), and of course the valuable editorial piece.

First of all congratulations to all the 130 Padma awardees - 6 Padma Vibhushan, 43 Padma Bhushan and 81 Padma Shri.

What contribution has Saif Ali Khan and yesteryear actor Rekha made to the art discipline? The former is still is a struggling actor in terms of carrying the movie at the box-office alone, while the latter is renowned more for her voluptuous beauty and her role in the movie Kaamsutra. Their contribution to the field of arts (better to refer as movies) is no greater than many of their contemporaries who haven't received the prestigious awards.

Who's next? I strongly recommend serial smoocher Emraan Hashmi and seductress Mallika Sherawat for their contribution and service to the Indian film industry.

I should say it's a delayed recognition for music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, who is conferred with Padma Bhushan after 35 years of his musical journey in the Indian film industry. A R Rahman upgrades to Padma Bhushan after his Padma Shri in 2000.

A Padma Shri to Resul Pokutty post winning the Oscar. Hmmmmmm!

But the surprise inclusion in the Padma Bhushan list has been non-resident Indian hotelier Shri Sant Singh Chatwal. A close associate of former US president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, Chatwal had faced trials in India over an alleged bank fraud. He now shares the space with other greats.

Looking at the progression, it will not be long before we see names of Kasab, Laloo Prasad Yadav, Mayawati and Bal Thackrey in the Padma awardees.

God save India.

Huh! It's Congress again. Both at the Centre and State. We already had enough of it during the last five years, and the election results remind me of an old Telugu adage which upon translation says, "The Goat Always Believes The Butcher."

We were literally robbed by the Congress at both the levels and we have voted them back to power. Ppch! expect a few more bomb blasts and scams in the coming years.

I expected a serious outfit like Lok Satta to gain a few seats, but alas it didn't win many. Chiranjeevi was a big flop, but the biggest loser was Chandrababu Naidu, who partnered with awful left parties and TRS.

I am back to watching IPL and I am now more worried about the Deccan Chargers. Then we have the ICC T20 World CUP.

A few things that have become quite common in India.

a. Retrenching of employees by companies
b. Dipping of Sensex
c. Attacking women in public
d. Demanding CBI probe
e. Blaming the Congress govt.

It was really painful and boring to watch Rahul Dravid's struggle to find form in the first innings of the Mohali Test Match. Though he scored 136, he consumed whopping 328 deliveries making it the most boring test match innings I have seen in recent times. If not for the quick runs that came in the form of edges when he was nearing hundred, it would have taken him another full day to get to the century. These edges and a few attempted shots towards the end of his innings ensured that he had a respectable strike rate of 41.26 by the time he finished his innings. The commentators were yelling that Rahul needs to spend lot of time at the crease. Yeah! he listened to their advice and followed it strictly and in the process forgot to score runs. I was lucky that our cable operator suddenly became generous to give us Star Cricket channel and I happily watched the Australia and South Africa battle. 

Rahul Dravid, no doubt, is a great cricketer. Perhaps better than Sachin Tendulkar in terms of scoring runs when it matters most. Technically correct and has perfect temperament to play at the highest level. But it is also important for him to assess his present form, his contribution to the team and the bench strength that India has. Anil Kumble knew that his fitness wouldn't allow him to play further and Saurav Ganguly was aware that he would always be under the scanner, especially after he relinquished captaincy. For them retiring when in decent form was the best possible option to avoid putting pressure on themselves and the young players.

One cannot compare Rahul Dravid with Sachin Tendular, who has the liberty to play matches that he wishes. While Tendulkar never has been in such a bad form even in the worst of his dreams, Rahul has been going through the roughest patch over the last one year, which may impact his career average.

Already, Rahul is sidelined from the one-day cricket team and hasn't been very effective in the glamorous T20 format. As said, there are a few events or incidents that signal the coming of  an end of something. And I think Rahul's form which has eluded him during the past one year is one such sign.

I might have been a bit harsh in my first para, but I don't want to see Rahul being forced to sit out of the team. Isn't it time to reconsider your decision to continue playing Rahul?

I remember reading the word juggernaut for the first time in The Hindu daily in its sports column a decade ago. The word was used to describe the then Australian team which was securing victories at will.

The same word can now be safely used to refer the current Indian cricket team, which has made winning a habit. Just fours sessions of perfect play in Chennai took the game away from a team that displayed ten sessions of dominance.

Set up nicely by the omni-positive Virender Sehwag and guided by the team's daddy Sachin Tendukar, the victory was achieved with little trouble. While Yuvraj can breathe easy now, Rahul Dravid might think of batting down the order, for a while.

As for England, KP and his team can only wait for the day of departure.

"Why hasn't our Government taken any serious action against Pakistan even after knowing that the country has been sponsoring terrorism against us?"

"Why is there a huge security cover for our politicians while the common man has only a police station located far off from his home?"

"How can 10 terrorists create such large scale destruction in Mumbai?"

"Is it true that Hyderabad's old city has large number of terrorists from Pakistan?"

"What is Pakistan's problem?"

These are some of the questions posed by my 12-year old curious cousin after knowing that a few ISI agents managed to free themselves from the Hyderabad police. There were more such inquisitive questions from the kid who seemed keen on finding an immediate solution to this problem.

At first, I didn't want him to know that we have a highly ineffective and inefficient government at the helm and refrained myself from criticizing the government's abysmal performance over the years. I tried to be as diplomatic as our leaders. But, suddenly, I observed that my diplomatic answers were making him restless and understood that he was expecting strong dissent from a commoner like me.

His agitation was justified. His reaction was reminiscent of the reactions of people after hearing our Netas' platitudes post Mumbai terror attacks. I thought there was no point in screening him from the truth as, in his own world, he was seeing an inefficient Neta in me. Sensing trouble, I slowly divulged details of the state of affairs in India and his restlessness only increased. Finally, he got out of the chair and yelled "waste fellows" referring to our Netas.

Throughout the discussion, his only concern was 'Why don't we act?'

The answer is simple, India is a peace-loving nation.

A few observations from the Mumbai attacks:

1. The attack, which is primarily on the affluent section and foreigners, seems to have given the much needed impetus for our lackluster anti-terror arrangements. If this is true, then it is sad that it required more than 200 people to lay down their lives unnecessarily to wake up the sleeping central government. However, I still doubt the integrity of our leaders given the impending elections.

2. Narendra Modi's outburst hours after the attack was far more determined and purposeful than the addressing of the Prime Minister or the Home Minister. In fact, people of India needed someone to stand up and speak as strongly as Mr.Modi did. Mr.Modi is no gentleman, but he exactly knew the need of the hour.

3. Mr.Shivraj Patil was not involved in the high-level meeting organized by Manmohan Singh today. Manmohan Singh seems to have realized that Mr.Patil can only do two things: condemn, and if necessary strongly condemning the incident.

4. The attacks also helped the old Pranab Mukharjee to awake his manhood. He minced no words while talking to his Pakistani counterpart.

5. More than our leaders' impromptus, it is the courage displayed by the NSG commandos and the Marine troops that has brought a bit of solace to the people of India.

6. All TV channels vied with each other to weave storylines and package them as attractively as possible. They should not have been allowed to broadcast each and every movement of the commandos as the pictures would be watched even by the terrorists.

7. For the first time, India has come out strongly against Pakistan for an attack. Hope this doesn't stop here.

8. The delay in Operation Swan, though mooted in 2005, has enabled terrorists such a smooth passage.

8. It's not entirely right to blame government for the ghastly incident. The hotel owners were asked to beef up their security by the Maharastra police and the government a couple of weeks ago. Further, in the wake of recent terrorists attacks on public places it was important for hotels and cinema halls to engage private security.

The list is endless. At least now our politicians need to keep aside their vote bank politics and frame some stern policies to weed out terrorism. However...

It's the end of a phenomena called Saurav Ganguly, arguably the best Indian captain. He might not have brought India the coveted World Cup, but he has taken the team very very close to winning it, importantly to newer levels where it was never before. He was the first captain who was a leader in true sense.

Neither Tendulkar's tons nor Kumble's wickets could do the magic that Ganguly's leadership did. As the leader in charge, Ganguly believed in the abilities of people than their resumes. The Dhonis, Yuvrajs, Sehwags and Harbhajans are all the result of this attitude. He replaced fear with aggression and always tried to give it back to the opposition. The increased number of wins against Pakistan post Ganguly's takeover as captain stands as a testament to this. The current Indian team's never-say-die atttitude and the unsatiable desire to win are all his legacy. He never shied away from calling a spade a spade and took a few decisions which seemed harsh but were just. He made a cricketer like Anil Kumble sit out during the 2003 World Cup.

You might hesitate to add the adjective 'great' while talking about his batting abilities or his conduct but would love to add a better adjective to describe his leadership qualities.

Now that the team is in the safe hands of someone like Dhoni, who was groomed by him, Ganguly can sit back and watch his team mates conquer the world leisurely.

Adios mate!

It's not very often that you find Punter Ponting at the receiving end. But Dhoni and his team produced a result at Chandighar that Ponting would love to forget when he wakes up tomorrow. More than the loss, the manner in which the visitors were dominated should tease the effervescent Aussie media back home. I doubt if Ponting would dare to pick up a newspaper or check his e-mail or visit any sports website within the next few days.

Ponting and his team, in fact the Kangaroos, are known for playing mind games, nicknamed 'tough cricket' by the Australians themselves. But everyone knows what happens on field. Ably supported by its media, the Australians choose a few key players from the touring team and concentrate on diverting their attention through constant sledging, nagging and howling expletives. Better to say the select few are punted down under. This is more rampant whenever the touring team happens to be from the sub-continent. In my memory, Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh top the list of the most suffered players from the sub-continent. Now it's time for Mr. Punter to be on the receiving end, not because the Indians have become masters of sledging but they are playing some outstanding cricket.

The heavy defeat took its toll on Ponting, who complained during the post-match conference that Indian players indulged in heavy sledging and warned them to mend their ways. He suddenly seems to have become a disciple of Pope Benedict. I am keen to see how the Australian press will react to this and project it as the reason for the Australian defeat.

All in all, it's been an intriguing test match and kudos to Indian team.

Crossing Lara's landmark was sure to happen. But the debate, as always, is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar the best batsman ever to have played cricket?

One needs to take into account a hell lot of factors when comparing Sachin with yesteryear players or his contemporaries. Be it crowd's expectations or the game's popularity in this part of the world or his own standards, all weigh more on Sachin than his cricketing gear. I think it would be a sin to compare him with someone as Sachin has transcended a number of heroes of Indian cricket to achieve a demi-god status.

Personally, I believe, Sachin is the best one-day player far ahead of any of his coevals. But in test matches, I'm not sure whether he would make it to the top five.

This has become a joke. Like a new film release, we are witnessing a fresh bomb blast every week in some metro in India. More than experiencing terror, I was laughing at myself, the people of this country and the eunuchs heading the country's home department. In fact, I changed the news channel telecasting the ghastly scenes of the Delhi blasts and started watching a Telugu comedy film.

I know it's easy to blame the Government for such incidents and any layman would do that first. But it's become a regular affair and the central government doesn't seem to have got any answer for this menace. Clearly a case of vote bank politics. And I would love to see this ineffective, inefficient government bite the dust in the next polls.

Coming back to my reaction, we have surrendered ourselves to the insane creatures, who are planting bombs as though they are in a competition. Given the situation, as commoners, we are like a herd of cattle waiting to get slaughtered.

Just wait for your turn! All the best.

Note: The write is not against Islam or Pakistan.

A Telugu daily (Saakshi) reported that Shahid Afridi cried after getting out for a low score against Sri Lanka in the ongoing Asia cup. Of late, Boom Boom Afridi has been going through a lean patch and is getting out cheaply. He let down all even in the IPL series where he played for Deccan Chargers.

Instead of approaching the coach, Shahid approached his religious leader and asked for some tips to come out of the bad patch. In a typical guru style, the preacher asked Afridi to offer some prayers and not to get disturbed by other things.

There is no wrong in believing in God, but leaving everything to God and the so called gurus and offering prayers five to six times a day do not guarantee you results. Former greats like Wasim Akram, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad are also very religious, but maintained a fine balance between sports and religion.

Current Pakistani team has been under this Islamic effect ever since Saeed Anwar lost one of his family members. Then it was Saqlain, Inzamam, Mustaq Ahmed, Shabbir Ahmed and Mohammed Yousuf who became very religious.

As someone commented after Pakistan team's debacle in the 2007 world cup, the Pakistan team is more like a religious group than a cricket team.

Hats off to the people of Karnataka for teaching the sleeping father and his fat son a fitting lesson. It's also an important victory for BJP as this will send positive vibes across its branch offices in other southern states.

The beleaguered Kumaraswamy tried to put a brave face but alas! the huge defeat was vivid on his face. "In politics there is no ending. Every time it will start from the beginning. In politics, any person can win the hearts of people in the elections. We will fight it (loss of seats) and we salute the people (for their verdict), whenever people are in problem we will help them and try to cooperate with Karnataka," he groaned.

It would be better if the father and son sleep till the next elections.

Moving on to other things, I am happy that IPL is coming to an end in a couple of days. It's been an overdose of cricket and I really need a break from it. Of course, this dejection may also be due to the losing streak of Deccan Chargers.

Couldn't watch Bujjigaadu - Made in Chennai. Will finish off this week. Rejected one match and currently in turmoil regarding the right girl.

Thackeray apologizes for death in violence, reads the online edition of Hindustan Times.

Who needs apologies? Will his apologies bring back the dead Ambadas Dharrav, a mechanic with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.? Sadly, the lone dead was a Maharastrian, in fact, a qualified engineer serving his country.

Through his mindless and barbaric act against non-Maharashtrians, Raj has brought disrepute to the whole of Maharastrian community. He has no reason to be unhappy about people from various parts of India (esp North India) settling in Mumbai. Think about Bangalore (apart from stray incidents), Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai where people from other parts of India live without any hassles.

On the other hand, why there hasn't been a single arrest made and not even a single bullet shot when violent Maharashtra Navnirman Sena was on rampage?

"We are now surviving on a six-million dollar bank overdraft," said Arjuna Ranatunga, chairman of the Sri Lankan cricket board.

He has approached the BCCI to bail them out of trouble. Seems like the former Sri Lanka captain has forgotten the ICC or his government and feels that the BCCI is more important than the cricket's highest governing body. That might (might not be) also be one of the reasons behind supporting India during the Harbhajan-Symond's row.

A strange thought has just come to my mind "What if the BCCI asks all the Indian players to contribute their one test match earning toward revamping the Sri Lankan board?"

Anyway, the big brother has vowed to offer support. With India set to tour Sri Lanka during mid 2008, the Lankan cricket board's bank account might smile again.

Are requests from the cricket boards of Zimbabwe, Kenya and Pakistan in the pipeline?

I was short of adjectives to describe India's emphatic victory over the arrogant Aussies at Perth. The result was really a googly for Australia, their fans and the Australian media. While the Indians have a number of positives to carry from the
game, the Australians have a number of things to ponder.

From the Kangaroo's point of view, the absence of big man Matthew Hayden made a huge difference. Ponting got the bowling combination wrong and was perilously close to being suspended for a few matches for slow over rate. The much hyped Shaun Tait was expensive and went wicketless. He will be replaced by Brad Hogg in the all important
fourth test. Above all, the twenty two yards in the middle was misread by a lot of experts.

However, these factors should not take any credit away from the Indians. They have been far superior to the hosts right from day one of the second test at Sydney.

Though it is too early to say this, I reckon that end is near for the Australian dominance, which has bored all cricket lovers. With key players like Mc Grath, Warne, Langer and Martyn bidding adieu, Ricky Ponting will have tough time marshaling his troops, at least for the next couple of seasons.I wish Ponting & Co visits countries like Sri Lanka, India and South Africa which can give tough time and pose many questions to the Aussies, in the next few months.

Are we going to witness another great fall - a la West Indies?

This said, we are talking about the number one team which plays tough cricket and has the capacity to upset any predictions.

Finally, a section of Australia media is crying that India managed to keep Australian players tight lipped on the field by lobbying the ICC which resulted in the players discarding their aggressive nature and ultimately losing the match.

Huh!

This is my first visit to Delhi, the capital city of India. Or should I say New Delhi, the capital of India.

I am not a regular traveller and in fact, I hate travelling. But this is trip is certainly different as our company has put up a stall at the prestigious Auto Expo 2008. So, on the 8th of January, yours truly, along with his sales head, flew to New Delhi. My personal opinion of the capital and the impression Delhi has created upon me has been mixed.

The good: The airport is huge and they are constructing another bigger one in the outskirts. The roads in New Delhi are wide as the politicians camp here. The best part is of course the Metro rail. The best transport system in India. A foolproof system that provides safety and doesn't allow commuters to travel without buying a ticket. With the commonwealth games in store, roads and flyovers are being developed at a rapid pace. The people in old Delhi are very friendly and warm. A majority of the girls here are pretty and anyone planning to set up a beauty parlor or a jeans/T-shirt store should have at least one here. That must be one reason for high crime rate. While the mammas are already fat, the daughters already carry signs of becoming future diabetic patients.

The bad: The roads in old Delhi are pathetic. Humans, animals and vehicles move beside each other in small gullis. Food is very costly and is often below your expectations ( I am talking about the veg part and my colleague has complained about the non-veg part as well). Traffic sense is similar to what we have in Hyderabad and the autowallahs are the same everywhere.

The ugly: Blueline buses are the atrocious of all buses I have seen. They are in a dilapidated state and kill at least one person every two days. The people in New Delhi can be safely called arrogant buggers. They will not help you, especially if they come to know that you are not from Delhi and answer you in a sarcastic way. Though we gave most of them back their own medicine, it is a culture which South Indians are alien to.


The funny part is that people here think that South Indians have good computer knowledge and are fast in embracing IT.

There might be some reservations to some, but frankly these are my observations of Delhi/New Delhi from whatever little I have seen.

I am eagerly waiting for the Ind-Aus Test series to start. Buried with office work for the last two weeks, I am dying for the first test to start. With series against Pakistan turning out to be a damp squib, it has been a long time since I saw quality cricket. Apart from cricket, it is the stadia, the crowds and the quality of transmission (courtesy Nine and ESPN STAR) and the commentary that entice me to watch the fixtures.

Though Australia has always been a tough nut to crack, I believe, India can give a run for their money this time. Remember, last time the Indians have come tantalizingly close to winning a test series.

The bowling department looks a bit weak and it is important that part time bowlers and batsmen make up for the lacuna.

This tour will also be the last one for about five members of the touring team and they would definitely love to leave a mark.

Wishing India all the best, I resign in hope to see some quality and intriguing game of cricket over the next few weeks.
Image Taken From www.cricketzone.com

Karnataka has once again come under President's rule. JD(S) has once again played spoil sport. The reason is trifle - the BJP had not accepted to certain conditions of JD(S). One can easily guess who the conditions favored. There has not been a single person in Karnataka to complete the term in the recent past barring SM Krishna. Interestingly, there seems to be no plausible solution to this musical chairs. It clearly shows that the parties have no concern for the welfare of the people and the development in the state.

I still strongly feel that Karnataka should be under President's rule during the remaining term just to teach a fitting lesson to the power-greedy political clubs like JD(S). I would be glad if someone explains me the reason behind Kumaraswamy not stepping down after completing his term.

Power conscious politicians are just playing havoc on the country's future.