To Put it this way...

Most of my friends are not Tamil speakers. So it isn't entirely their fault that they find this song very catchy and love dancing to it.

Not exactly dancing but more of exaggerated pelvic thrusts and non-coordinated hand movements. The feet seem frozen and if they do move, by all means they will remain within a square meter of where they originally were(Credits: Sohag Sen).

But they love dancing to this song.

It is a strange song. Its lyrics are weird and hilariously suggestive. But even I have got to admit that there is an element of likeability in it.

For the benefit of the non-Tamil speaking populace, here is a opening section of the song roughly translated for you.

Appidi Podu Podu Podu, Asathi Podu Kannale

Put like that, put, put, Put with you eyes

Ippdi Podu Podu Podu, Izhiti Podu Kaiyale

Put like this, Put, Put, Stretch and put with your hands

So guys and girls, next time you dance with all those pelvic thrusts, please pause to remember this article.

The Prince and the General

Two men, one a little more than the other perhaps, deserve a mention for the historic events that unfolded yesterday. And there are observations to be made about them.

Firstly, this team we see today is the finished product of what was started by Sourav Ganguly. Dada lover or Dada hater, you've got to accept that several key members of this squad were Dada's findings.

Harbhajan Singh(who scalped Dilshan, and Akmal in the Semis) was just a mediocre off-spinner till the Australia series under Dada.
Gautam Gambhir began his career in the Indian squad under Dada, who like him was a south-paw off side
player.

Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra too were Dada's findings. Zak and Ashish were two of the reasons in the run to the Finals in 2003.

If there is one man who owes a lot more to Dada than those above, it is Yuvraj Singh. Fresh from winning the under-19 World Cup, Yuvi most certainly grew into the player he is today, due to the start he got under Dada. Surely, one of Dada's greatest finds.

The other man worth a mention is also a Dada find. Apparently he had been on the cards for a while and in his very first ODI, ran himself out of his very first ball. Quite a long way has come Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

There is something about cool heads and sports. The best around always seem to be the ones who are calm and composed. Never betray to the opposition, their emotions. These are the toughest nuts around. Such is the nature of Dhoni. Add to this the real Midas touch and you have a great leader in the making.
Everything this man has touched has turned into pure success. It began with the T20 world cup in South Africa. The Jharkhandi carried his success into Chennai and for three back to back seasons, the CSK finished amongst the top, winning the last season. He topped it with a win in the Champions League as well. He led the ODI squad to the tri-series win in Australia and as Test captain, he is on an unbeaten series run for a while now. And under him, two talents of modern Indian cricket have blossomed. Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin, CSK teammates and surely future India regulars. His success probably lies in keeping his team in their comfort zone. And in having a very accurate set of intestines which provide him with such a good feel.

Dhoni has always risen to the occasion in each of those tournaments. His knock against Punjab in Dharamshala was one of anger, anger at leaving qualification till the last match. His knock yesterday was to answer himself.

Six of the current squad were under Ganguly in the 2003 world cup. I hope all fifteen of them are under Dhoni in the next world cup, down under.

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PS- I know it is too optimistic for Sachin to play!
And Sreesanth, don't really care.

Dedicated to...

The American dollar bills carry a statement. It says, quite simply, IN GOD WE TRUST.

Sometimes, when a lot of people trust and expect so much from you, it is very easy to wilt and wither and become lost. No salute is large enough for a man who has carried the weight of expectations of a billion people for over two decades and yet managed to not just survive, but etch his name into the books as the greatest individual to have embraced the sport.

There are kilometers of newspaper columns dedicated to the Little Master, tonnes of books about him and several hundred hours of footage on his brilliance...Yet he remains the same aggressive and ridiculously prodigious master batsman who even after two decades in the Indian team, remains the most prized wicket for the opposition. In fact, he was the most treasured wicket for the Indians too.

For almost twenty years now, the entire Indian team has been built around Tendulkar. Generations of cricketers have played and barely even suggested the survival instincts of Sachin. The game changed and Sachin adapted to change with it. His best efforts were always there to be seen. But he never had the team to aide his efforts. For twenty years in Indian cricket, it was always Sachin and the rest of the team.

Twenty years...

2nd April, 2011, Sachin was there, and the team he had always wanted was there too.

This cup is for you Sachin.

All that matters...

This one will be short.
For i am too drained to write
for any ode, however long
will not suffice
for there exist words none,
which can describe
the feeling in your heart,
the feeling in your limbs,
the feeling in the atmosphere,
the feeling that permeates
every single human being,
it is joy,
joy for your country...
the cup that counts,
is finally in the country that matters...

Nau Ghante...

Nau Ghante, Yeh Nau Ghante tumhare zindagi ke sabse ahem nau ghante hain
Aaj main nahi bataoonga ki mujhe tumse kya chahiye..
aaj tum, apne aap se poochoge ki tumhe kya chahiye.
Aaj main nahi boloonga, kabhi nahi, ki tumhe cricket kaise khelna chahiye..
aaj cricket khelna, tum poore desh ko sikhaoge...
Kyunki yeh nau ghante, tumhare zindagi ki sabse ahem nau ghante hain...
chahe tum haaro ya jeeto, lekin yeh nau ghante tumse koi nahi cheen sakta...
tumhare marte dum tak, yeh nau ghante tumhare saat rahenge..
jao aur khelo, aur aisa khelo ki khuda bhi tumse yeh pal cheen nahi sakta...