Practising what one preaches

When an ex-captain of the English cricket team says like this, we have to applaud the man's intelligence. After all, it was the English who introduced us to the game of cricket. So whatever they say must be considered as coming directly from God's mouth.

"Tendulkar’s method suggests that he would be little inconvenienced by not wearing a helmet. He does not hook, nor does he plunge on to the front foot. And he watches the ball like a hawk. Nevertheless, would he have lasted as long, would he have scored as many runs, would that blow to his face by Anderson not have affected his confidence in any way? We cannot know for sure."

However, after reading this gem of an article, I was reminded of the same prophet with a Godly facial expression in this page. As they say, a picture says a thousand words.

The greatness of Cricket

With due respect to all other sports and games, the reason why cricket is the greatest is the fact that it is possibly the most complete and testing sport that is ever played.

It's a Mental Game.
You can lose a cricket game days before the toss. The mental game is as challenging as the physical one. A knock to the ribs at training and your batting can be off for weeks. So much of the game is about taking the conscious into the subconscious, and not letting it back.

The night before a game you have to be as confident as possible. At the moment, I'm getting ready for a must win match tomorrow for my team. I know that I didn't train well a few days ago, but I've got to rid those thoughts out of my mind and focus on the confidence boosting things, like the fact that I've been getting lots of edges when bowling to left handers recently.

Meanwhile, you should feel for the captain. He has to place his fielders in exactly the right places so as to stop runs and get a wicket. And to do that, he has got to take into account the way that the bowler bowls and how the batsman is doing. No wonder most captains struggle to keep their personal game intact while they lead the team.

It's a Physical Game.
Cricket is no longer about rocking up to games on Saturdays and drinking too many cans of beer on a flight to England. It's an elite sport where elite athletes of all body shapes and sizes are pushed to the limit. There are many great athletes who play cricket, yet even they can't stand up to the rigors of a 5 day test match.

Fast bowlers also have it tough. They put 9 times their own body weight through their own foot every ball they bowl. Some of them will bowl tens of thousands of balls in their career, not counting their junior cricket and training. 18 year olds frequently have back injuries because they struggle to keep their bodies at the level of fitness required.

Batsman are no longer potbellied egotistical blokes. They can run 20 meters, in full padding, at speeds even Usain Bolt would be proud of. Actually, even Usain Bolt isn't that fast, as he has shown many times by being rather ironically run out in charity matches. They've also got such strong arms that many batsman can swing a 2 kg plank of wood with one arm and still hit a ball of leather 80 odd meters away.

It's a Skilful Game.
One of the hardest things about cricket is that you can't be a hack. You've got to have skill and finesse. No one can simply act like a baseball player and hit the ball as far as they can in cricket. You've got to be able to control a fast moving ball, something that Sunil Gavaskar was always being proud of. Many cricketers are also very good golfers, tennis players and squash players, simply because they know how to control a ball with an artificially appendage.

You've also got to be skilfully fast when playing cricket. A batsman in international cricket has 600 milliseconds to hit a ball. They have around 200 milliseconds of that to actually make up their mind. You can't swing and hope for the best. Well, you can. Just do it with an incredible amount of skill and hand-eye coordination.

It's a Testing Game.
You can play cricket in so many different conditions that it's not funny. 10 °C in Hobart one week, 35 °C in Chennai the next. It's crazy. Then add in the fact that test matches go for days. And can end with no result. It's demoralizing at the best of times. Many players never get to the highest level simply because their brains can't last 4 or 5 days, let alone 1.

Then there's the intense attention and pressure any cricketer feels. Even if you're batting with someone else, there is so much pressure on you. You have 11 people trying to effectively get rid of you. They have a leather-bound grenade, and you have a plank. I wish you luck.

It's an Individual Game.
Although you play as a team, so are very much alone when you're actually in the action. Batsmen act alone, so do bowlers. Your team mates can't help you, it's all up to you.

As the bowler runs into bowl, as a batsman, you know that you're all alone. Your partner down the other end can't help you. You've got eleven guys trying to get your throat and you've got 600 milliseconds to dodge their bullet, all by yourself.

The bowler must be able to rely upon himself to deliver the perfect ball every time. His captain can set a field, but it's all up to him to actually bowl the ball and get it in the right spots.

It's a Partnership Game.
As important as the individual game is, the partnership game is surely even tougher mentally. At various stages of the game, you find your fate decided by your team mate's ability at the other end.

When batting, you have to be ready to hand your life over to the guy at the other end. You have to trust each other so that you follow each other's instructions. You need to make each of you equal - you each have equal roles in the partnership. If you can't work with the other guy, your game is over.

Bowling also happens in partnerships. A good bowler uses their partner's bowling to complement theirs, and they slowly chip away at the batsman. You aren't facing two bowlers, you've facing one partnership.

It's a Team Game.
No matter how much of a partnership sort of game or an individual game cricket is, it all comes down to being a team game. Your team provides the emotional energy to keep you going. The team must work together, with everyone pulling their own weight. Individual performances blend into the fate of the team.

One individual mistake or the failure of a partnership, and the whole team suffers.

It's an Adaptable Game.
Most importantly, cricket is adaptable. It has thrived in Afghanistan despite a war. Many diplomats assume that cricket is safe as it is so popular amongst the people, and is therefore not a terrorist risk (they have been wrong once). Almost any country that decides to take up cricket can play. The game is incredibly adaptable.

Also, the game has been able to twist and turn it's self into a variety of forms, targeted for all sorts of players and fans. From the 3 hour Twenty20 games to the 5 day test matches, cricket can satisfy any fan and can test any athlete.

Being a Bong

This piece is for all the proud Bongs and those who can have a hearty laugh at themselves.

Overview

There are two kinds of Bengalis that I know. Probashi or Expatriate Bangalees, a fairly large and diverse group about which I can’t write as I am one of them. And Bengalees who are from Kolkata. This group is incorrectly known as Bongs, as they are merely a subset. However, this is the only group which matters. Gokhale told of them, long years back, “What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow.” To which Rene Descartes responded, “I think (today), therefore I am (Bengali).” Like all other Nobel Prize Winners, Oscar Awardees and most successful Indian cricket captains, Rene Descartes was also a Bong (this fact is not known outside of Kolkata).

Physical Description

The Bong has a large head, glasses, glistening hair and dark skin. Older Bongs develop an ample stomach to balance their large heads. This happens by the age of 25. They smell of Keo Karpin or shorsher tel (mustard oil). The average life expectancy is 65 years. What is even more impressive is what they do in those years. Outside Kolkata, regardless of weather, sex or age, Bongs can be seen in Monkey Caps. This is a must-have accessory as well as a sign to recognize other Bongs. The Bongling can often be recognized in either over-sized or under-sized school uniforms. The Bong mother’s second biggest fear (See diet for the biggest one) is that the “porer bochor o lomba hoye gele abar notun skirt kinte hobe!!” or “Next year, if you grow taller, we’ll again have to buy a new skirt!!” Thus, the school uniform is selected to last at least three years. Thus the uniform sits as conspicuously on the Bongling as the plumage of a macaw.

Early Years

While most Bongs are born with innate talents in singing, dancing, painting, film-making, cooking or embroidery, their creative talents are honed even before they can start speaking. Frequent meets are organized between infants and their successful ancestors and other relatives. MA degrees (preferably from Cambridge, at least from Presidency or Jadobpoor - Jadavpur University) are displayed over the cots. The infant is exposed to the best of Bengali thought - Marx, Bentham, Kalidas, Tolstoy, Chekhov. This increases the sizes of their heads and the height of their ambitions. Similar examples, though rare, can be found in European tradition as well, like in the case of Mozart. In India, however, Bongs have the sole preserve on such activity during infancy. Soon, when they grow up a little, their characters are honed in the best of schools. Here, I am not referring to the South Points, La Marts, Don Boscos and all. They are important in the nurture a Bong child goes through. What is even more important are the schools the Bong child passes through before school and after school. Many a Bong child wakes up at five o’clock in the morning to attend swimming classes. After one hour of swimming, he attends tennis coaching before rushing off to one of the South Points, La Marts, etc. mentioned above. School finishes by two or so, from where he scoots along to Singing / Instrumental Music / Dance Classes, then tuition (for at least three of all five subjects). He rounds off the day with coaching on either Debating or Quiz. Many a Bong mother will carry the child along through this day, feeling equally energized. This behavior is again not restricted to Bongs. It is also seen within kangaroos in Australia who rush along from one clump to another bush.

Growing up

Soon the Bong attains adolescence, doesn’t find friends of his age (since everyone is competing for the Nobel Prize or the Indian captaincy) and finds intimacy in conversation in his/her parents and poems of T. S. Eliot and Pablo Neruda. When school ends, they move on to the good colleges - Presidency, Xavier’s or IIT Kharagpur. The best of them, though, move straight to Joo (Jadobpoor). However, in recent years, Dilli (Stephen’s obviously) is becoming the preferred destination for some escapists. In colleges, they decorate their rooms with books or portraits of Kobi Guru (Tagore). On the opposite wall, men would have posters of Che/Maradona and women would have Enrique Iglesias, thus expressing solidarity with Latin American culture. All of them share equal interest in the Bong-Rock (Bhumi, Chondrobindu, Cactus, Usha Uththup, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple).

Later Years

Bongs mature early. Critics have said that they grow old early, but that is nothing but old hat. Years of toil and Eliot would obviously bestow wisdom. The reason they look older is because the sole purpose of a Bong’s life is to win the Nobel Prize or the Oscars (and in recent years, captain the Indian team). With great responsibility comes great age. Add to it the chlorine in the swimming pools and you know why Bongs grey prematurely. As far as their mission in life is concerned, they have been very successful at it. Every Indian Nobel Prize winner has been Bong. So have the Oscar Awardees. And most successful Cricket Captains. And Bipasha Basu. Once Bongs have kids though, their mission on life changes. The only raison d’etre for them is making sure that their progeny achieves the heights that they could (or couldn’t). Hence, they are mostly found outside of schools, colleges and tuition classes, with mats (madoors), mugs (of chaaa) and mouthfuls of goppo (gossip).

Diet

Diet is as important as Robindro Shongeet. There’s nothing that a Bong can’t eat. However, they prefer protein over other food groups. The largest source of protein for them is fish, then meat, and then mishti (sweets) made from milk. More than fish itself, it is the knowledge of fish which is coveted and enjoyed. Carbohydrates are tolerated if they are fried in oil or if it is accompaniment to fish. Luchis (somewhat like a Puri), Telebhajas (pakoras) and Phuchkas (Paani Puri) are the favored source of carbohydrates. The young Bengali though invariably always has Farex, Lactogen and Waterbury ’s Compound. As far as they most important meal of the day is concerned, please do note that what dieticians have been saying in the last few years, Bongs have known for centuries. Breakphast/tiphin is an occasion where the entire family comes together, to watch the office-going Bong male and school-bound Bonglings eat. The Bong woman’s biggest fear is that “Shokale bhaat dal mach bhaaja na kheye beriye galo” or “In the morning, He went out without eating rice, dal and fish fry.” To round off the calories, Dal is often accompanied by aaloo bhaate, aaloo bhaja, potol bhaaja and various other heartily fried stuff. Not for the faint-hearted.

Mating and procreation

A few Bong end up being in relationships, which lead to love marriage.This is sometimes shown in movies and song. However, most do not have any such social malignancy and end up marrying the woman of their mother’s dreams or men of their father’s choosing. This results in mixing the right genes for the next cycle of Bongs. Love marriage, by its very nature, is random. It sometimes results is tragedy, like marrying into another country (like India). Hence, it is avoided, wherever possible.

Social Life

Adda, robindro shongeet and cha. Repeat. Do note that the young Bong doesn’t have a social life (at least not till he wins the Nobel or gets a Government job). And phootball. the Bongs have had an illustrious history of achievement in football. Every para (neighbourhood) has stories of when they won the World Cup at the expense of the next one. The last time it happened in my parent’s para was in 1986, when Argentina won in Mexico. Diego Maradona, who looks Bhodrolok enough, give or take a few lines of coke, or a few springs of grass, scored famously using his hand, a skill which he learnt in Kolkata. Over the last few years, Brazil has been gladdening the hearts of the many Zicos being born in Kolkata after 1982. The only team which is not Bong is Germany as they play with more efficiency and no creativity, which thus not support adda. Do not ask of a Bong ever doing anything of substance on the phootball field, as then the Bong will keep you occupied about Jakarta, 1962. “Chuni Goswami je Ball tule dilo PK ke. Match-er aagei bolechilo, “Ekta Ball debo. Daam kore maarish. Gol hobe”.” Chuni Goswami put a football up for PK (Banerjee). He told him before the match itself, “I will give you one ball. Hit it with a bang. Goal will happen.” Obviously, it is also the crowning moment of Indian phootball.

Habitat

While you may find a Bong in other places (like occasionally in offices), the best time to observe a Bong is in his natural habitat - the best of colleges, the best of schools, the best of coffee houses. It is here that he will tell you about Balzac while she will recite poetry with gay abandon. To mix in with the Bong, apply Keo Karpin to your hair and carry a jhola……and dont forget the thick glasses. Hopefully, they won’t notice your small head. Do not worry about not knowing the language, as the Bong likes being heard more than hearing.

Famous Bongs

Many famous Bongs have been referred to in this extract. Hence, this section is used to debunk that big myth about Big Bongs. People believe that Bong men can’t be hunky, or carelessly famous. If so, then what about Abhishek Bachchan (via mother), Saif Ali Khan (via mother), John Abraham (via girlfriend), Hrithik Roshan (via grandmother), or Sonia Gandhi (via cat…. seriously, she’s from Kolkata).

Bongs in Literature, Film, Art

Everywhere you care to look.

Closing Word

Being Bong, at the end of the day, is a state of mind. Or, a case of being discovered by them.

Boston Marathon: Bitter-sweet experiences

When I first read this post by greatbong, I thought those incidents experienced by him were isolated ones. After visiting almost all the major cities in Europe, my general perception was these things could happen in Europe. But never in USA. After living in Texas for two years, I firmly believed that racism doesn't exist in this country. If so, then in a very mild form. But my views have changed after the Patriot's Day this year. I leave it to the readers to judge whether this was also an isolated incident.

I had the priviledge of watching 113th Boston Marathon - the oldest annual marathon in the modern world - on April 20, 2009. This event was inspired from the Olympic Marathon in 1896, and started in 1897. The persons who finished first and second this year in the men's competition are African-Americans. Let's call them A and B, respectively. The guy who became third (let's call him C) is a white American. C was trailing by about 50 meters behind B near the finishing line.

I was watching the event on Boylston Street and was standing very near to the finishing line. There was this middle aged lady standing beside me with her two kids. When A and B passed us, she was silent. When C was about to pass us, she commented, "Here comes a true American." Then she started cheering C loudly with choice words like "beat the black guy". Needless to say, I was shocked. I couldn't imagine this happening in Boston, the great city where the independence movement and the abolitionist movement were started. Thereafter, she used to cheer for every white American who crossed the finishing line, but not for others. I was completely disgusted by then, and was about to leave the place. Then I saw this.

The Blade Runner

I was already impressed by the wheelchair bound competitors in the beginning. But that was a different category. What's special about this guy is that he participated in the men's category. Consider the fact that he ran the whole 26 miles and 385 yards with both prosthetic legs. This defining moment of human spirit made my day.

Better Will Not Hunting

I first saw Good Will Hunting in 1998 at Nandan, when I was a postgrad student in Calcutta. My first impression was; why this film could not get best film award at the Oscars instead of Titanic. In my opinion, Titanic was the biggest overhyped piece of melodrama (even bigger than Slumdog Millionaire) that have swept major Oscar awards. This opinion did't change till date, and will not change in the future. But my opinion about GWH changed radically after second and third viewings. Needless to say, I didn't have much idea about American higher education system back in 1998.

I had a more matured mindset during the second viewing of GWH in 2005. My primary objection to the film was the absurd idea of Will Hunting being a janitor in MIT. If he was a "Einstein" as the film depicted, there's no way he couldn't get formal higher education in this country. How could Damon and Affleck get Oscar for such an absurd screenplay?

After moving to Boston, I had a third viewing of the film. I pointed out two major discrepancies. First, the animosity of Irish-American Will towards the English aristocrat MIT academia. Being in MIT for several years now, I must say that there's hardly any class difference here. For several decades, MIT attracts researchers from several backgrounds irrespective of race, color, creed, sex, religion, nationality. The population in MIT, faculy student alike, is so heterogeneous that it's highly impossible for a class difference to exist. This gross generalization by Hollywood reflects their ignorance about the higher learning system in their own country.

My second objection was the depiction of an Indian with reference to Ramanujan. Any Indian will be shocked by the mildly racist comment, "Dots, not feathers", made by Prof. Lambeau (played by Skarsgard) to differentiate between native Indians and Asian-Indians. With so many Indian professors around (the Dean of Engineering being an Indian), how could a professor in MIT make such a comment to describe an Indian? The learned men in MIT at least know where India is and what Indians are. This is stereotyped Hollywood at its best, which frequently fails to recognize other cultures than American and doesn't want to understand what "rest of the world" means.

It could only happen in Munich

It was cash raining in Autobahn folks.

On May 19, 2007, a couple travelling on Autobahn A99 on a motorbike lost €6000 out of their rucksack. Apparently the money flew out from the top flap of the rucksack. They didn't notice that it had gone till later. But lots of motorists stopped and picked up the money and handed it over to the police within a few hours. €3000 was handed in immediately, and since then the police had received another €2500 from other travellers. The last I heard, the police were appealling for any others who picked up the money to hand it in. After that I lost track of the story and couldn't know what happened to the rest €500. But I didn't bother. Knowing that €5500 out of €6000 was recovered was enough for me.

Now many of you must be thinking that this could not happen in a real world. But not me. I had heard similar incidents first hand, though not on the proportion of €5500. A good friend of mine, who was a masters student in TU Munich, lost his wallet containing €80 and debit cards at Englischer Garten (the largest public park in Munich). One can understand how much frustrated he was being a student afterall. However, he got it back in the mail about 2 weeks later, with all €80 intact.

The point I'm trying to make is that act of honesty by one individual is quite common, but appreciable anyways. But that by a group of people from different backgrounds (Munich is a cosmopolitan city) is unique. The secret of this may be the climate of southern Bavaria, or the natural affluence of common people, I don't know for sure.

P.S. - Many of you wondering why this couple carrying €6000 on their rucksack. This is not uncommon because lots of people don't like to have credit cards (I didn't have one). They don't let consumerism consume themselves. Therefore, to buy a second hand car or similar costly items, one can carry such a large amount of money without bothering about footpads.

Munich - The singles capital of Germany

According to a recent survey, there are 243,000 singles living in Munich. That's 28.8% of 18-59 year olds living in the city, followed by Berlin (28.6%), Cologne (25.9%), Hamburg (25.4%) and Frankfurt (24.8%). In Germany as a whole, almost one-fifth of 18-59 year olds live without a partner. The survey randomly asked 2500 people whether they had a steady partner, not whether they lived on their own.

To be honest I'm not surprised with the result. Munich is among the most affluent cities in Europe, let alone Germany. My experiences in Munich led to the belief that the unfriendliness and general coldness had a lot to do with the social pecking order that has evolved since Munich became affluent. Being affluent in Munich appears to be terribly important to many people. Several of them spend an awful lot of time and energy attempting to establish associations with those who are "above" them in the social food chain. I presume this is why you find so many people who lease stylish cars and pay outrageous rent for trendy apartments (even when they can't afford it), so that they can show their "social seniors" that they belong in their "clique". Once part of that clique, you then become the envy of those you left behind in your previous social class. Those who have successfully entered the higher "clique", of course tend to look down upon those who are no longer in their equal "social class", and ironically spend an inordinate amount of their lives trying to enter social "cliques" that are again another step above them.

So, it doesn't surprise me that so many Müncheners are single, because a large percentage of them seem to be more interested in achieving social class than establishing lasting, wholesome relationships. If one of the partners in a relationship is at some point, perceived not to meet the social standards of the other, then it's not unusual to "leave them behind" in favor of a "clique" that represents a higher social position. Of course, those in that higher "clique" would never accept your partner if he/she does not wear the proper shoes, drive the right car, or hold the right business title. Unfriendliness? Of course. In this environment, who can you trust? If someone is friendly to you, then the prevailing attitude is that they must want something from you. Safest is to just turn away. Otherwise you could find yourself associating with someone of a lower social order, and that could be embarassing.

Why do non-Müncheners also become this way? After a few years there, you realize that being friendly scares people away. Better to be stand-offish than friendly. Having been away for some time, it's seems obvious to me that Munich is somewhat unique in this regard. I don't see this arrogance quite as pronounced in many other more cosmopolitan places such as Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Boston, where the attitude seems much less arrogant.