AAP ka PAAP

Aam Aadmi Party: The new kid in the block. The party which has taken the political arena by storm. The party which was expected to be a vote cutter in Delhi election however ended up having the largest pie of the cake without being the single largest party. The euphoria, the hysteria surrounding the party is unmatchable at least in recent memory.  But why?

Is it worth going ga-ga over a party that joined hands with Congress to latch onto Power?  Is it worth drooling over a man who was never transferred out of Delhi unlike some upright Officers like Ashok Khemka?  Are the young minds being swayed away by the AAP phenomena just because it has promised something radical which in reality is impractical?

I have come across various AAP fanatics. When asked “What is it that draws you to AAP” ? None of them , I repeat none of them have ever given me a satisfactory answer. The most common answer being, “we are supporting them for their Ideology”.  However if you ask them to spell the word, they spell it as “IDOLOGY” …WTF!!!!!!!

Ask me, I’ll give you enough reasons not to be an AAPTARD.

1.      Free water:  AAP’s most populist promise. Mass subsidy” on a relatively inexpensive commodity. Free water up to 20000 liters has been provided to every household with functional meters. But why are the middle class and the rich being given free water? Does the free water reach the poor? Delhi has a serious water problem. Its a pity that the AAP opted for the administratively easy (but fiscally tough or should one say irresponsible?) option of offering to reduce water tariffs rather than the administratively harder offer of ensuring 24x7 water supply to all the capital's residents.7 lakh of Delhi population who have voted do not have connection to water grid as they live in unauthorized colonies/slums, a perennial problem of Delhi. 50% of those who have water connection do not have functional meters. So basically the free water which was intended to reach the poor has never reached them. Instead it has made way to the house of rich, affluent and the upper middle class who would not have had any problems in paying their water bills.

          In this world there is nothing that is free. So who foots the water bill? After all there are cost involved at least for storage and supply. If not consumers, then who?

Yes it’s the taxpayers and it is foolhardy to argue that only the rich pay taxes.The poor pay it too.

2.      Act against Corruption : The unique selling proposition of the AAP. But have they delivered? AAP that promised to fight corruption out of the system while providing cheap electricity and drinking water to every Delhi household seems to be detracting from some its promises after coming into power with Congress ‘s support.  Witness this video, where during his election campaign he said, “Sheila Dikshit is epitome of corruption”.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uODy_-ms1HI

However all these seems to have been brushed under the carpet. On being asked at a press conference, that BJP leader Harsh Vardhan has charged AAP for protecting Sheila Dikshit, he said, “please get the requisite evidence and we’ll take immediate action”.Watch the video @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89-g9N1baFg

They shouted “Both Congress and BJP are corrupt and do not care about democracy” Yet they formed the govt with Congress

3.      Kashmir Issue: Senior AAP member and key advisor of Arvind Kejriwal has stirred a hornet’s nest by stating that “issue of army presence in the Kashmir valley may be decided by a referendum of the people in the valley”. AAP should now realize that they are no longer an NGO or in opposition. Every word spoken by them is bound to be scrutinized. As we all know that the Pak-sponsored terror emanating from across the border is one of the greatest threats our country has been facing. The valley of Kashmir is a fertile ground for the terrorists from across the borders who want to create mayhem by shedding blood of the innocents. To keep such insurgent and terror elements in check, the Indian State has deployed its army in the valley.

             How can anybody suggest the solution to such a complex and chronic problem by holding referendum? The chaos and confusion followed by such controversy can provide hostile elements an opportunity to strike. It is Pakistan which has been suggesting the de-militarization of the valley. Some separatist groups have been echoing that demand. The issues of national security cannot be decided by populism or referendum. The defence of India is a subject exclusively in the Central Government’s domain. It is neither a State Subject nor a subject to be handled at the municipal level.

4.      Batla Encounter Case : Arvind Kejriwal had termed the Batla house encounter as fake and despite the court giving judgment on genuineness of the encounter, we see no apology from the Delhi CM. This kind of irresponsible behavior to secure Muslim votes is sure to have a damning and demoralizing effect on the police force.

5.      Decriminalization of Politics :-  A party who claims to have only clean politicians has some of the dreadful Maoists and gangsters in its ranks. Its executive Member of AAP Police Reform Committee includes Binayak Sen, who as per Chattisgarh court, is  a Maoist and a traitor. The charges against him are Treason, Criminal Conspiracy, Sedition, anti-national activities and making war against the nation, Knowingly using the proceeds of terrorism, Links with the Maoists.

             In Bihar the party’s baton is in the hands of a history-sheeter Kundan Singh.He has been booked in 24 serious criminal cases like murder, kidnapping and extortion        

Keep reading this space for more updates.

To be Contd………….

Friends Categorized

FRIEND:-A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself

I have now experienced life for more than twenty four years and in all these years, I have come across many people, who became friends, but, all of different kinds. I have travelled, shifted home, passed college, changed places, and so, there are a variety of friends that I made at every turn.

On Friendship Day, I categorise the kind of people I have met in my friend list categories.

Childhood Friends

At an age, when innocence dominated my mannerisms, I made friends, when I did not even know the meaning of the word. I just knew that these were people I can play with, I can fight with, I can eat with and I can tell their names to people who kept asking me, "Do you have friends in school baby?"

Today, many of those friends are nowhere in the picture, but then, thanks to social media, I have managed to get in touch with the ones that I remember, and the ones who remember me. But, they remain childhood friends, and somehow, it's not the same equation with them now.

School Friends

School is probably one place where a person makes the maximum number of friends. There is nothing better than belonging to a great group of friends and nothing worse than feeling like an outcast.Fortunately I belonged to the first group.Till primary these were the friends,with whom I walked through the school corridors,with whom I shared my tiffin box,with whom I shared some secrets,with whom I played cricket ,with whom I studied and of course,with whom I had fights.

But school friends were always fun friends. They would never ask for anything more than an extra pencil or an extra pen. To add to this category is also 'Tuition friends', who are similar.

Then we went to secy school.Our friendship blossomed.The bonding became even more stronger.Our friendship was no more only tiffin friends or study table friends,it became lot more than that.We knew each other inside out.Some of them, still remain a special part.

College Friends

By the time, one enters college, a child becomes a youngster and a 'mature adult'. College was place, where everyone was a friend, but with a 'conditions apply' tag. College taught me a different kind of friendship altogether.

Here, I saw friends for 'notes', friends for fun, friends for hanging out with, friends for drinks, friends for work, and yes, friends...just plain friends.

Crush Friends

This is a dangerous category of friends. These are friends I have to be very careful with, while talking to. The list of people under this category is very short one with hardly a couple of names. These are friends, I have had a crush on, but, they still are my friends.

While I have liked them in a different way, but with the passage of time, they have gone back to what they were - Friends. Guess, it's safe to keep it that way than losing them.

Cricket Friends

Cricket holds a special place in my life as it keeps me away from all the hullabaloos of life's stress. Therefore, cricket friends are the ones, I always end up having a good time with, alongside with some friendly banters.


Work Friends

Work friends are people I spend the most of my time with now-a-days. While we are in office, along with sharing a formal official relationship, some of us are friends, in a sense that we chat about things other than work, we give and take suggestions about our life, we gossip, and again, we eat together.

However, the fact remains that we're 'Office Friends' or 'Work Friends' and so, the relationship remains restricted and within limits.

Neighbourhood Friends

With shifting houses from Puri to Bhubaneswar and then to Kolkata , neighbourhood friends have been another 'come and go' affair with me. When at home, these are friends who make life lighter, in the sense that after a busy day out, friends in the neighbourhood give you a reason for a nice chat or a walk around the streets at the end of the day.

Family Friends

While I like some family friends, there are others who I feel are forced upon me. I have to be friends with them as they have a connection with my family.

Random Facebook Friends

Well, I must admit that half of these friends are people whose names are there in my social networking friend lists only because we have a lot of mutual friends, or because they are friends of friends.

These are people I hardly know, to be honest.

Friends

Yes, just plain friends as I can't define people in this category under a better word. The list is small, with very few people and these people are genuine friends. They have been there through the thick and thin. They are not my friends for any motive. They enjoy my company and I enjoy theirs.

From school friends, to family friends, they cover all categories and make a perfect 'buddy'. These are friends I don't need to explain things to. They just understand, and they are the people I can never end up having a bad time with, even if we fight or argue.


Dedicated to all my friends

AS DADA DEPARTS

The doors of IPL has firmly shut on Saurav Chandidas Ganguly. The 38-year old former Indian captain is without buyers in a tournament where about a hundred odd Indian players found bidders. It was inevitable that he stopped playing at some stage, but to go out this way was not fitting for someone of his stature.



You can never again see him on the field caressing the cricket ball through a packed off-side field. Never again will you see him loft spinners out of the park with disdain. An era has come to an end. Yet very few acknowledge it.



Let us look back on the career of the man to whom, Indian cricket owes a little more than a lot. I don’t think any other cricketer was talked about or discussed as much as 'Dada'. He is the kind of person whom you have to hate or like; you just cannot ignore him.



He would have been the Indian cricketer of this era but for a short man from Mumbai. He did not complain, for he was not as great a batsman as Dravid or a genius like Sachin, but he inspired. He was a star, but a star who was a human, a flawed one at that. He had his flaws and he had his virtues, but he made his virtues count. And, he wore his heart on his sleeves.



The year was 2000, Indian cricket was like a ship caught in the tornado of match fixing. A few heads rolled and the side was left without a captain. Sachin tried his luck and found none.

Enter Ganguly.



In the few years that followed, he ushered in a new era in Indian cricket. He brought in a change and it showed. His boys did not fit the image of the stereotypical meek Indian cricketer. He instilled in his team, a killer instinct and ‘in your face’ attitude. His side was not the best in the world, but it was the best India had in a very long time. And, on its day Ganguly’s boys could make even the mighty Aussies cry. Ganguly found Indian cricket in shambles and left it in a state that was far better than the one in which he found it.



He backed his team to the hilt. He irked the selectors and picked his own men. And, they paid back the captain by winning. The Indian side tasted success and developed a taste for it under Ganguly.



There are leaders who push from the back and there are leaders who march in the front; Ganguly was the latter. Cricket is a game of the mind, and Dada knew it more than most captains. He had no qualms about irking Steve Waugh by making him wait at the toss or shocking the entire cricket fraternity by running bare-chested at the Lord’s. The sight of Dada flinging his t-shirt from the Lord’s Balcony will remain the image of the new era of Indian cricket that is not afraid to attack and thrives on aggression. To him every game was a war, which he had to win.



In a time when Australia was considered unbeatable, Ganguly inspired his team to beat them in their own backyard. Even his critics acknowledge the fact that he was India’s best captain (Oh, he had the results too!)



Ganguly, the captain had his favourites. But, that was because he knew talent when he saw it. He stood by his players, often giving them support like no other captain could and inspiring them to perform. Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh – they had all been Dada’s favourites and they all owe it to his unflinching support and belief in their abilities. It was Ganguly who spotted the immensely talented Dhoni and pretty soon, he was thrashing the ball around wearing the blues. That’s almost half the current Indian side and then you realise the real contribution Dada made to Indian cricket.



There are very few sights more beautiful in cricket than Sourav Ganguly on song facing a spinner. The seemingly effortless manner in which he lofts them out of the park was surely a sight to behold. His 183 against Sri Lanka in the 1999 world cup could still be giving Muttiah Muralitharan nightmares. Wherever Murali bowled, there was only one place the ball would go; and that was out of the park.

The Aussies tested him with a packed offside ring with seven fielders, but in his prime, he still managed to pierce it and find the fence. He was attacked with short balls, but never did he shy away from playing the pull shot which more often than not, got him out.



Yes, he was lazy between the wickets. Running for runs was not for him. He preferred scoring runs by making the opposition run to the fence.



Ganguly, the batsman was hugely underrated and an under-performer too. For, someone who scored a century in his very first test match, he did not live up to the expectations. But, the careers of some players are more than just the statistics (not that his were bad, he sure could have done better!)



Even if he was terribly out-of-form, his elegant cover drives promised he was just a hit away from being back on top; often to deceive.



Few captains could have inspired their teams the way Dada did. The Indian team’s inspired run into the finals of the 2003 world cup, if only to lose to the Aussies, was a major milestone in the history of Indian cricket.



But, somewhere he went wrong. His batting was in shambles and it reflected on his captaincy. And soon he became the modern day Indian Cricket’s hero who hung around a little too long to see himself become the villain. But that was totally Sourav Ganguly - unpredictable as a roulette wheel.



Ganguly was exciting and fun to watch. You could not predict what would happen the next moment if he was on the field. And, when he was on the field, the battle was always on.



He could have cut a deal with the board and retired in peace, without all the ‘dropping’ controversies. But that would have been so much unlike Dada. He liked to play it as it came. He tested his fate continuously and often emerged on top. And he took failures gracefully, only to come back with a vengeance. He risked the shame and ridicule that would befall him were he to return and fail.



That is a matter of heart. And I guess that is what makes him dear to millions.



No matter how many times he was thrown out, like an unwanted kitten; he always found his way back home – into the team.



Lesser mortals would have given up, then and there. But not Ganguly. He went back to playing Ranji cricket, got himself selected into the national team again. And in his last season as an international cricketer, he was India’s top run getter in tests and second in the world.



He had made his point. Hit his critics back where it hurt the most. And then he called it a day.



His tryst with the IPL was a normal one, if you ask me. But, he was the best, KKR had, and in the last edition of IPL, he pulled off some age-defying diving catches and big hits. He still had some cricket left in him.



As far as I am concerned, Indian cricket lost a viewer the day Sourav retired and IPL lost one this week.



One might think that this is the last time he is making the headlines. But, with Ganguly, you never know!



Dada will surely be missed.

An Enigma called SOURAV GANGULY

June 1996,Mecca of cricket,Lords,London:
Against the likes of Cork,Mullalay,Martin a bespectacled,exuberant youngster from Calcutta who had been written off by cricket pundits after an inauspicious debut in 1992 cracked a phenomenal century on a chill,windy,biting morning at the United Kingdom.
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly had announced his arrival at the world stage.

Twelve years later,in a routine press conference at Bangalore:
"Just one last thing lads, before I leave. I just want to say that this is going to be my last series. I have decided to quit."These were the words used by a mature Sourav Ganguly which shook the roots of Indian Cricket.The choice of words was tantalising,he said 'Quit' instead of 'Retire'.That in itself reflects the lone battle he was waging with the never ending BCCI politics.

Lets play the numbers game;
400 matches,18000 runs,37 centuries ,150 wickets,a healthy average of over 40 and 1 bad series was all it took for the axe to fall on his head.When the whole of Fabulous Four fail against the mystic spin of Mendis and Muralitharan why was sourav zeroed in and dropped from the Rest of India squad?Is this the way to treat a cricketer who played his heart out everytime he donned the Indian colours?
Was it a golden handshake or was it Sourav's own decision,we will never know.There will always be debates raging about the timing of the call; whether Sourav could have played for another ten months or so.Lets respect his decision;C'mon we have been scrutinising every move of his,over the last decade.He is the best person to judge his career.
What the tainted images of Mohd.Azhruddin,Ajay Jadeja or even a Kapil Dev,Dilip Vengsarkar couldnt figure out(time to retire),Dada has.As long as you play for India it is absolutely fine but when one begins to dance to the internal politics,Sourav is not the one to face the music,he plays his own.

All it matters is at the end of the day,Sourav has signalled his exit with dignity.


Sourav,the cricketerA career which has seen it all.Unimaginable peaks,depth of controversies,team loyalty,internal conspiracies, drawbacks, comebacks,disappointing defeats and intangible victories.
Rahul Dravid says,"On the off side ,next to God,there is Sourav."
Strong words,but Sourav lived up to it.His ability to pierce through any field on the off side won him his opponent's agony.Ganguly cleared the ropes with ease,the victims being the slower bowlers predominantly.Who could possibly forget his 183 against the Sri Lankans in the 1999 World Cup???Muralitharan was taken to the cleaners.At a point of time in the late 90's Sourav Ganguly became the most feared batsman in world cricket with 7 centuries under his belt in a single season.
The Prince of Kolkata could turn a match on its head in a space of a few overs,not only with the bat but also with the ball.His 5-16 against arch rivals Pakistan will never be forgotten by the people on both sides of the border.His intimidating stance,adventurous strokes,sweet timing,deft placements dented the confidence of bowlers across the globe.Earning himself the name The Royal Bengal Tiger,he was always on the prowl...

The leader
When Sourav Ganguly took the reigns from Azharuddin,Indian cricket was in dire straits.It had been rocked by the match fixing scandal.Top players had been caught.There was hardly any experience in the Indian side.Tendulkar had been burdened by the expectations of captaincy.A normal cricketer who had accepted the captaincy would have been a victim of the circumstances but the name was Sourav Ganguly.He gleefully accepted the responsibility and shouldered it with zeal.He moulded an inexperienced outfit into world beaters.He made the youngsters believe in themselves.Sehwag,Yuvraj,Kaif,Harbhajan,Zaheer,Parthiv enjoyed their captain's backing.He changed the face of Indian Cricket,bringing about a huge transition.
The team no longer lacked the killer instinct.Aggression was one adjective which went with Sourav Ganguly.He led the team with gusto making Rahul Dravid keep wickets and cement his place in the one day side.Some called him adamant,some adventurous.Sourav was not the one to bother about critics."Dont worry about things which are beyond your control."he said.The results reflected his words.He had delivered the goods to the people of India.Indian Team was tranformed into Team India

The Attitude
Can any Indian dream of making an icy cool Stephen Roger Waugh lose his calm.
Sourav Ganguly did.He made Waugh wait unconditionally for the toss.He looked into the eyes of his counterparts.He tormented the Aussies at their own backyard.The streak of aggression he brought in inculcated fears in the minds of the opponents. Dada almost spoilt Steve Waugh's Farewell series.He was one cricketer who shed all inhibitions about reputations.
People said he wore his heart on his sleeve,the English team will always remember Sourav's shirt swinging act at the Lord's balcony in reply to Andrew Flintoff's bare chest scene in India.An excited Sourav took off the Indian jersey and swung it sending Indians back home into a dizzy.England had to bow down to the Maharaj of Cricket.Moral of the stroy:We give back what we get.

The Conquests
Pakistan was sent searching for cover when Sourav Ganguly's boys thrashed them convincingly in both forms of the game in Pakistan itself.No other Indian skipper had manged to do this.The epic 3 match test series against Australia in 2001 where India came from rock bottom to register a series triumphwill stand testimony to his positive attitude.Champions Trophy triumphs,World Cup finals added to the numbers in his list of victories.The skipper trusted his instincts.He proved everyone wrong when he elected to bat on a windy day,when the ball was swinging both sides.He went on to the extent of pursuading Javagal Srinath to comeback after retirement.Obviously he had to succeed. Sourav's ability in man management and nurturing youngsters went a long way in him becoming India's most succesful test skipper ever.

Comeback King Sourav Ganguly Part 2:The Tiger's Final Roar :

"It is easier to give up.All you need to say is I Quit.The tough part is to carry on"-Sourav Ganguly.
A Greg Chappell or a Kiran More would be able to author this section in a better fashion than me!!!
In a public spat in the year 2006 with the then coach Greg Chappell ,Ganguly was stripped of his captaincy.Accused of lack of motivational and fitness levels Ganguly was dropped."All doors are shut on Ganguly.He cant make it to the team forever" said chairman of selectors Kiran More.(Think twice before you speak,but who cares?!!?!)
Sourav lost his place in the side.Sourav lost his touch but what Sourav did'nt lose was his belief. He went back to the basics,played for Bengal,scored heavily in the Duleep Trophy and after a string of losses for the Indian side,Sourav was recalled.What followed was the most dramatic and remarkable comebacks in world cricket.The man was on a mission to prove his distractors wrong,he did and how!Sourav Ganguly Part 2 was unleashed on the field,his will power and determination came to the forefront.Sourav won the test of his life.Scoring runs like never before,Ganguly was the top run getter for the Indian team in Tests and piled over a 1000 runs in both forms of the game in the calendar year.Subsequently,Ganguly was awarded the Castrol Asian Cricket of the Year.
Greg Chappel,Kiran More,need anything more?!?!?!Shock of your lives eh?!?!,C'mon yaar...it is Sourav Ganguly....you should have been prepared for it!

Candidly Speaking: When a GOD was mortalized !

Today with the culmination of IPL4 auctions I came to the end of a wonderful chapter of my life. The chapter named Cricket. Although the last paragraph in Cricket still remains unread I know that the chapter is pretty much done for me. The last line that I read marked the beginning of the climax of a glorious story in which "God on the Off side" was Crowned as "Prince of a City of Joy". In this story the Prince created a legend of his own quite different from the other Kings who also find glorious truisms through out. The other Kings are Gods in their own Right too and each worth more than the word itself. But I am not going to mention them here for they deserve a separate dedication. I ended reading the chapter as the story got filthier with the God on the offside finding an unceremonious exit.
The God on the off side, the Crown Prince, is famously known as Sourav Ganguly a.k.a Dada. He created his legion of fans who could trump all logical reasoning for a dose of insanity, for he was their ambrosia. They would go to lengths where they could immolate themselves to protect the Prince from being harmed. But then fans are meant to be unreasonable.
I am here to dedicate an ode, for the Prince himself, which reads something like this -
You are the God on the offside, With that glorious cover drive -- { memories of the cricket field}
You are an attitude, Which made the team stand up with pride -- { the Australian tour of India & vice versa }
You saved the game, From a bunch of fixers -- { took over captaincy from Azhar in 2000 }
You made the game look beautiful, With those "dancing down the track" sixers -- { memories of Toronto galore}
You waged a lone war, Standing behind enemy lines -- { the era of Greg "Chappal" }
You made a glorious comeback each time, Defying their sinister designs -- { the SA tour & MoS in Vizag }
You are Sourav Ganguly, A name which no money can buy -- { proved literally true in IPL4 }
You are my (our, Kolkata's, India's) Dada, To see you bat again I am ready to die. -- { Ask me }

With the story's penultimate paragraph I have learnt a valuable lesson. Business & sports can't go hand in hand. Both are wars but of different kinds.
The war of Business is fraught with Greed, Cold emotions & Inglorious Bastards.
The war of Sports is fought with Grit, Killer instincts & Glorious uncertainties.

A TRIBUTE TO SOURAV GANGULY

SOURAV CHANDIDAS GANGULY : Without an iota of doubt the best captain India has ever produced,the finest left hander of modern day cricket ,the GOD of the offside , THE PRINCE OF KOLKATA and so on.....

LETS HAVE A LOOK @ DADA'S ACHIEVEMENTS

July 1996: Became one of the few cricketers who have scored a century on debut. He made his Test debut against England at Lords in 1996, and went on to score a century in the very next match as well. He joined another select brand of 3 batsman who made tons in their 1st two Test innings.Sourav was only the 3rd batsman in the world to score a century on debut at Lords. His 131 still remains the highest by any batsman on his debut at Lord’s.

1997: Became the first player to receive 5 consecutive Man of the Match awards in one-dayers in the Sahara 1997 Cup. He also won the Man of the Series IN sahara CUP

May 1999: Sourav’s highest one day score, a mammoth 183 against Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup was, at the time, the highest by an Indian in an ODI

May 1999: His 183 against Sri Lanka remains the highest by an Indian in a World Cup.

1999: Sourav bagged as many as 8 Man of the Match awards in the year!

Mar 2001: In the 2nd Test vs. Australia at Kolkata in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Sourav became only the 3rd captain in Cricket history to lead a team to victory after following on. India went on to win the series 2-1!

-> Fastest player in the world to score 4000,5000,6000,7000,8000,9000 runs (in least number of matches)

March 2003: Became the 1st Indian Captain in 2 decades to take his team to the World Cup Final!

Jan 2004: Led his team to a 1-1 series draw against Australia and retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy (2003-2004).

2004: Became the fastest player to score 9,000 runs in ODIs (in just 236 matches and 228 innings), breaking fellow teammate Sachin Tendulkar's record of 242 ODIs.

Mar - Apr 2004: Became the first Indian captain to win an ODI and Test series in Pakistan.

April 2004: Became India’s most successful Test captain,most number of test wins in foreign soil.

Feb 2005: Climbed to the #3 spot in the list of most sixes hit by a batsman in ODI with 168 sixes in 247 matches.

Feb 2007:he is hailed as the "KING OF COMEBACKS" for making one of the strongest comebacks ever in the history of cricket.

June 2008: Sourav swept top honors at the 1st Castrol Asian Cricket Awards in Karachi. He was adjuged "Castrol Asian Cricketer of the Year" and "Castrol Best Asian Batsman of the Year" for being the highest run-getter in Asia in 2007.

rated as the SIXTH best one-day batsman of all time by the one & only bible of cricket -the WISDEN

! DADA RULES FOR EVER !
With Love ,
suvendu pattanaik
an avid dada fan

ODYSSEY:A JOURNEY OF 4 YRS

This is something which I wanted to write sometime back. I am Happy I have got some time to remind you all that you can take everything away from me but not my pleasant memories, my pleasant memories with all my friends. My main motive behind this post is to take everyone to the days when we enjoyed a lot with all our friends but today we all miss them. I don't know where they will be after some days but I hope and pray that they will be happy, may be happier than me bcoz they gave me such a wonderful time. Without wasting much of your precious time, let me to take you all to this trip of heavenly time. A time that each of you must have experienced in your life and most of you might recollect those pleasant memories while reading this post.


I want to remind a few memories which I remember very often in my free time and laugh at them. I will remember them throughout my life. I refer to all my friends and I hope they are listening.

College is a wonderful experience that should also be remembered. Today I finally remembered; I went to college! I have slugged it out in the trenches of academia and have discovered what Independence is. Memories from college swarm my mind like bees. Now what I’m trying to say is, I’m feeling nostalgic for my college days, and the only cure is a trip down the memory lane.

It was an exciting time for me, no doubt about it, mostly bcoz it was the first tym I was going to a college as I had studied from class 1 to class 12 in school. I cud probably devote several paragraphs to my first week experiences but in order to do so I wud need some hypnotic regression therapy, bcoz I truthfully don’t remember much of it


All too soon, classes began. Mine was ELECTRICAL branch. At first I thought I had university all figured out. What freshman doesn’t? The introductory classes were a breeze, not all that different from high school, provided there were a hundreds of people in your class, which was held in the conference hall, and nobody cared or even noticed if you attended or not.

Now the real classes did began. I had made it a point not to miss any of the lectures .None of my schoolmate was in my college. So for the first few days I was feeling desolate .But then as it was I befriended a grp of students and slowly we came 2 know each other. We had 2 sections for lab, a grp 1 and grp 2. I was clubbed in grp 2.So naturally my bonding with grp 2 students was a bit more compared 2 grp 1 students.

As the college is in CTC n I was staying at BBSR so I was using college bus to go to the colleges. Our bus would start from BBSR sharp at 7 am n dere was a humorous chap named Gyana who was managing all this crap about the bus timings and all.So I had 2 get up early n after having a quick bath n gulping down my breakfast I would just literally run to the bus stop to catch the bus.

As it was my first sem so I didn’t loiter around the college rather I preferred to get into the class as ragging was at its peak then. As gradually time passed by my classmates who were just frnds had by then converted into my close friends. We had by then formed a core group. It included Smruti, Manoj, me, Rajiv, Pati, Satya, Sambeet, Soumya, Amit, Bunty and Padhi.

By the end of the sem we were actually bcom best buddies. Some of my other very close frnds were Manoj, Trilochan, Prasad and Harekrushna. So the first sem went by and in the process I made these few new frnds ..err actually few close frnds…As for the 1st tym I was feeling independent as being not monitored in college(in school teachers kept a hawk eye on us) so my studies went for a toss n I fared poorly in my sems….actually I had got backlogs…but still den I was njoyin 2 the fullest.

Then we were into the 2nd sem. By then our freshers party was over and we were free from our terrorizing seniors. Now we cud roam freely. By the 2nd sem we had given some funny nicknames to each other.. Manoj was called portable…Rajiv bcam famous as FAPULU , Pati was named DEAD MAN and so on. Our academics had taken a hit n the graph was spiraling downwards from zero towards negative.

Now there was a pretty gal in our bus…..…Her name was Nistha Patra..let me describe about her…she was just abt avg height. Going by normal standards she can be called a slim gal…but the most important part she had a very very pretty face with a 100 watt smile all through out.As we used 2 travel in d same bus so we had bcum very gud frnds…..in a few days there was another addition to my frndlist n she was Nistha’s classmate JINI.now let me describe her….a very chirpy gal with quite a few whims and fancies…but I felt she was a bit too childsh. By the end of 2nd sem we had bcum almost best frnds n cud share almost everything amongst us.
Now coming back to studies…..as there was no hard and fast rule on attendance in our college so we xploited it to maximum and bunking and proxy became the norm. Such was our frequency of attending classes those days dat when a teacher saw anyone of our group in d class he wuld feel very obliged to us….so obviously results took a dip n we were further submerged in backlogs. Somehow the supplementary xams came as a saving grace n I cleared all d 1ST yr papers n entered into the 2nd yr

After stepping into 2nd yr we our core group of 11 members was joined by another member named Chiranjeev. So our group expanded to 12. As almost all of our group members were localities so we bcame notorious n our pranks increased day by day. Everybody in college was in awe of our group. By then I had developed a close rapport with Sambeet (d lover boy)..In fact we bcam more too close bcoz her girlfrnd AYESHA was my neighbour.. He regularly used to come 2 BBSR to meet her n den he used to come to my house. So we had bcum very close..Whenever there was nobody at our house Sambeet n Soumya came to our house n all three of us had a lot of fun. Infact Soumya’s love story started frm our house only….It was in our house dat she proposed 2 vummy n she said yes.

And there on the other hand my relationship with Nistha and Jini bcame more too strong.We had bonded quite well. Nistha used 2 board the bus frm my stop n Jini from Rasulgarh. We shared a great chemistry among ourselves. What I feel is dat almost everyone thought dat I had feelings for either of them but still confusion prevailed over who she was? Was it Nistha or was it Jini? But what I feel now is dat I loved neither of them…..just we had bcum so close dat everyone thought in dat manner and also forced me to think in dat way too!!!!!!.. We enjoyed a lot while traveling in bus.. We all did play pranks on each other n commented a lot upon eachother.We were just eagerly waiting for an opportunity to pull each others leg. Basically dat was d best tym I had in my college.

In between this a lot of developments had happened in other fronts… Me , sambeet, soumya , padhi, satya n pati visited PURI my hometown.….We all enjoyed a lot in each others company….but SAMBEET …… He had just broken up wid ayesha n was behaving like a devdas…..and was indulged in only drinking and smoking. On an whole one can say dat I had rocking 3rd sem. The results as expected were not too encouraging.

Then came the 4th sem which in my opinion was the worst among my 8 sems..My relationship with both Nistha n Jini hit rock bottom.My relationship with them had reached an all tym low.Jini had a boyfriend Balraj n Nistha’s boyfriend was Deepak.I think like others both had the perception dat I had feelings for their respective gf’s.Deepak was too possessive and in my opinion an absolute idiot.Till now I cant figure it out abt how Nistha fell in love with her….They both had a tendency to speak against me n as time passed both Nistha n Jini had bcum biased against me….and some misunderstandings made the matter worse and we were not seeing eye to eye for some some days or may be months as they accused me of backstabbing them….some of their cse branchmates were also against our friendship and thanks to their enormous efforts that our friendship that was so strong just a month ago was shattered into pieces. There was also a squabble between me , Deepak n Balraj. All my group friends put their weight behind me and it was resolved… As tym passed I mended fences with both of them but as the saying goes a broken friendship is lyk broken china cup dat can b joined but the crack is always there….so a love-love relationship was converted into love-hate relationship and and we never ever again shared the same kind of friendship and rapport that we shared earlier….. ….

On the other hand we the electrical students were on an all tym high ..It was during dis period dat we went for an industrial tour to rourkela.We didn’t hav such a great relationship wth our grp 1 students but it was during dis period dat we came 2 knw each other closely n dere were some great chaps in dat grp lyk Puru, Sumit and all who r now my very close friends.I had also developed gud relationship with prateek,papi, swayambikash frm the mechanical branch.dis was d period when sambeet , soumya n ipsit came 2 our house a lot n we wud spend d whole night chit chattin, gossinping about all absurd things (obviously our gossip started frm gals and moved on to bollywood,cricket and so on)….in one such instance I remember dat dere was a beer bottle blast in our house which sambeet had brought for himself and I had 2 clean the house all night(plz dnt misunderstand…d beer was meant only for sambeet..I DNT DRINK BEER) …..Amit also during dis period bcame very close 2 me….Dats was how I passed my 4th sem n came to 3rd yr…..my results in the 4th sem were marginally better than that frm previous two sems

3rd yr …….it was the tym when companies were expected 2 conduct on campuses n offcampuses. So
I decided to concentrate more n those campus related subjects rather than my semester subjects….and though I was selected in the first round in Infosys, I-Flex and L&T I cud not really make the final cut. So I was quite upset n down.This was the tym when I didn’t go to college…and neither did I take part in our group khattis and misadventures.I preffered to stay at home and missed a lot of college in my 3rd yr…but students were njoyin all around.padhi had got a new gf Appu after breaking up with Pallavi..there were lot of cricket matces played in those days….our khatti tym was reduced and we used to play cricket more. And in this year we had some brain storming subjects like machine-2, power electronics, emft, acs and the list continued……so we did what was expected of us…and got a huge amt of backs…in this yr I mostly abandoned the college bus and preferred 2 go to college in my byk..

NOW we moved on to the final year and all of us had the feeling as if we had achieved sumthng great…we were on the top of the world as we were the super seniors.In the final yr that trend continued and I didn’t attend even 15 % of the classes as I became busy preparing for CAT XAT n other management xams.So the no of days when I went to college got drastically reduced and with that my relationship with my classmates also suffered. Although we were in touch thru sms and calls still then the zing was missing. Not only me but all others also got busy in their lives and I think something was missing as the frequency of calls and sms diminished. The semester result were though far far better than previous ones….We did all those projects and all that was reqd for us to be an successful engineer and I can bet If u ask d students abt the projects now then they cant even recollect their project names let alone the ckt diagrams and their descriptions.And days just passed by and soon we were in the last day of our college lyf…As it is I got a sinking feeling when the thought of leaving the college came 2 my mind….ohhh it was a terrible feeling…heart wrenching u can say…a sinking feeling…I just cudnt believe dat the college which was lyk 2nd home 2 me for four yrs wud nt be mine after some days… I cud feel what others were feeling…. And I think Bunty was the most affected .. The expression was missin….He had bcum very poignant….just cudnt believe it dat d boy who brought so much energy with himself had infact bcum so sedate…We had a lot of foto sessions dat day…we clickd photo with almost everyone….I sincerely feel dat I wud be missing all those special moments I hav spent in the college…..i wud miss those gossips at the bus stops while waitin for the bus…I wud miss those bunking of classes….i wud miss those cantten khattis…..i wud miss the tym we shared together at our home ,in hostel n soumya’s mess which had bcom the major ADDA of our group…and not to mention those pranks where sometyms even I was at the receiving end….. in fact I am already missing all these… But the fact is all my special feelings for the college is due to my frnds not bcoz of the teachers or so…..they were just a bunch of jokers(xcept for a few lyk satya sir n akankshya mam) and leading the pack was our hod Mr K.S.Nanda….anyways dat was a great feeling and I luv u guys for making these 4 yrs so special……luv u all and miss u. Now here are a few lines about some of my friends who made these 4 yrs worth remembering………

Sambeet:-My best friend in college….very helpful….it was not just bcoz her gf was my neighbour dat we bcam gud frnds but even after dat we maintatined very close relationship….very cool minded….. I hav never seen him in an angry mood or even tensed mood ……but one bad habbit is dere and it is ki sala fenkta bahut hai especially ladkiyon ke bare main and teachers ko bahut gali deta hai which accordin 2 me is not dat bad bcoz our college teachers were worth dat much only..and fairly deserved his gaalis

Soumya:- One of my very close friends…1st yr main padhi was his best frnd…..after shiftin 2 cda ….Amit took dat coveted position.. Now he smruti n amit hav forged a great combination of bapa-pua….where smruti is bapa and soumya and amit are puas….red I think is his favourite colur as he wears pant shirt and belt all of red colour ……an ardent fan of sachin tendulkar, sony erricson and hrithik roshan….my antiparty bcoz my favs are nokia ,sourav ganguly and shahrukh khan…only one thing I can say abt him is dat….. “HE ROCKS”

Amit:- during first yr I didn’t know him quite dat well ….2nd yr we bcam gud frnds and by 3rd yr we had bcum very very close…we did share a lot of problems with each other….but by the end of 4th yr he has bcum a little more circumspect…..has got a new gf may b dats why…but xactly I dnt knw why……maintains a safe distance frm all of us and at present is living in his own world..anyways a great guy to be with

Padhi:-The reigning don of our college…when 1st cam 2 college didn’t know what smoking or drinking was but now I havnt seen a single day when he doesn’t smoke….also drinks regularly…..wat I lyk abt him is dat hez very much commited to his frnds…..whenever u cal him will b ready to help….he can do anything for them……but what I dnt lyk abt him is dat makes a little too much friendship with seniors and juniors which I think has been the cause of his downfall…gets into unnecessary brawls aur ek bar jail v gaya

Portable:- An idiot frm the beginning…..is sambeet’s gay partner as people perceive bcoz kabhi uska picha chodta hi nahin……his regd no just precedes mine so we bcum quite close during xams but otherwise we hav a chattis ka ankda….

Bunty:-Hez the most lovable boy of our class…..actually his name too is suvendu but hez been famous in d name of bunty….he calls me bhai…..everyone startin frm our batch ,seniors, juniors and teachers lyk him..comes 2 college with a trademark pulsar whish he runs at a speed of atleast 80 kmph

Chiranjeev:-was a late addition 2 our group but gelled up quite well…u can see frm his way of talking dat hez quite matured…..doesnt get into unnecessary brawls

Smruti:-hez homesick….every tym u ask him where he is den u wud listen he has gone either for marketing or to drop someone ….dats his usual routine….cant live without his home….and fnds allege dat hez more of a frnd to his school frnds dan to us…

Rajiv:-I feel the most handsome guy of our group though he measures a few extra pounds…..hez tomorrow’s superstar…..has signed a film with sabyasachi….and quite cool minded…..if the xam starts at 9 am den he wud get up frm bed at 8.59 am get ready and den reach the xamination hall by 9.45 and dat too without any hurry

Satya:-Mostly keeps to himself and his best frnd is Pati…has a knack of wearing blue shirts which I feel looks disastrously out of place still then he likes dat colour

Pati:In 1st and 2 nd yr was posing to b the don….had no interests towards gals…but came the 3rd yr and he changed…..u wud spot him more with entc gals rather than any of the boy….and has once landed in jail due to his toki prema…..still he not learning and I think the turning point was what he did with deepa in the industrial tour….

Nistha:-We shared such a relationship dat is very hard 2 describe..for yr 1 and 2 we were quite gud frnds infact one can say even best frnds….then relationship soured….and after dat the usual love hate relationship…we wud chit chat for 10 days den another misunderstandin wud creep in and we stop talking or one month and the loop continues….one of the biggest thing dat I dnt lyk abt her is d tendency to tell lies….except for dat I luv everything else about her including her trademark 100 watt smile even at the tym of distress….she has got a coterie of ill advisors whom she calls her best frnds…first she makes a mistake and when she realizes what a blunder she has done by that tym everything is over. so my suggestion to her is jhut bolna kam karo and be careful of those whom u consider as ur bestfrnds(I might b wrong…but as of now I feel am right).. I m sure she will disagree with me upfront but well within her heart she knows dat what am sayin is absolutely spot on…..by the tym she realizes her mistake its always a bit too late….anyways a great gal 2 spend tym with…sit with her for an hour,and it seems like a minute….

JINI:-Was a close frnd of mine till the 2nd yr…..bhaves childishly ….worst part is switches her allegiance too often….otherwise we still cud hav been dat close as we were previously………

Prasad Nanda:- I fondly cal him bramhuna…..He just jumps on listinin a gals name and abuses dem a lot…this was not his initial instinct but after she broke up with juthika and a snake bit him….all this started….he just loves his paita(sacred thread) and his bramhuna tag….leaves no stone unturned while commenting gal along with harekrushna who in my opinion has the best physique in the college…Trilochan barik is his driver and wenever bramhuna has to go somewhere he wud just call mota and mota will b dere…..infact they both are best frnds …..once mota has even saved his lyf after he was bit by a snake…

Manoj:-was quite within himself for some yrs a jovial fellow …took some tym to open up and once he has opend up is chatterin non stop…..had a gf in village ..who ditched him but he has comeback strongly and is now moving with two new gf’s frm east…..bahut lamba hatha mara hai….naya naya byk chalana sikha hai aur usme ladki ko bitha ke ghum raha hai…

Dats it dese were all my frnds whom I wud never ever forget in my lyftym…they were very very special for me….they are the people who helped create these wonderful memories and its my wish dat dey all wud be successful in lyf and cave a niche for themselves…

LOVE U ALL
SUVENDU PATTANAIK