Scribble #2: Playing it Safe

The Indian Captain recently drew a lot of criticism for his decision not to enforce a follow on in last test match against England, but

1. History shows that whenever India has gone 1 up in a test series in recent times, it has lost the immediate test after that. This includes a test series against Zimbabwe.
2. People said that the Indian Captain lacked the killer instinct and did not take the necessary risk to humiliate the hosts. But then according to me, it was wise to play safe to ensure a historic test win than an unnecessary show of aggression.
3. Indian bowlers and fielders equally had toiled for a little over 110 overs to get England all out in the first innings. It made no sense in enforcing follow on and getting tired for another 80 overs or so.
4. Batting in fourth innings, on last day, was always going to be tough. Why take chances?!!
5. The same critics would have bayed for his blood if Rahul Dravid had enforced follow on, with England setting a target of 80-90 odd runs and then India failing to reach the target in fourth innings of the test match.
6. Keeping the bigger picture in mind, if Rahul Dravid became selfish, I don’t mind that. A 1-0 win is always sweeter than a 1-1 draw and a lost opportunity to create history.

Well done, Rahul!!!

Scribble #1: Love Is...

Now I am a very big fan of F*R*I*E*N*D*S, and so I am sure are many of us.
But did anyone notice a simple thing in the very first episode of the series?!!
Now we all know that Ross had a very big crush on Rachael earlier in his teens. So obviously he feels something for her when he meets her in the first episode. The scene is question happens late in the night when they are sitting in Monica's living room, and everybody has left. There is one cookie left on the plate, and both of them reach for it at the same time. Naturally both withdraw, and “no no.. you take it”s follow. Finally Ross suggests they should split it and share. Rachel agrees. So Ross splits the cookie and hands her one half. Now it is fine till here, but there is something very intentional – Ross gives her the half with the cream, while he takes the one without. It is a very simple gesture which goes to show how much he cares for her; how much he means to let her have “All the Cream in Life” while he is content with the creamless part. No doubts they had to end up together even after all the foolish things that followed in the next 10 years!!!
I can imagine a Kim Casali comic strip on this gesture “Love Is…”:
“… to let her have the Creamy half”.

The Peace is Illusive

Ok. So another long, unwieldy, would be non-productive peace process between India and Pakistan has started, courtesy – Mr. President of Pakistan. Future only will tell if the new Joint Counter Terror Mechanism is going to work or not. But I have a few questions and doubts –

• Why Mr. President of Pakistan is still referred to as General? Is he still the commanding officer of the forces?
• If yes, then isn’t Pakistan still a military dictatorship?
• If no, then shouldn’t Prime Minister of Pakistan be representing his country at the NAM Summit?
• The timing of some revelations made by Mr. Musharraf is mind boggling. He is practically accepting that Pakistan’s Army was actively involved in the Kargil misadventure, and that the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Nawaz Sharif knew about it long back, even before the historic Lahore trip by the then Prime Minister of India Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• Isn’t Mr. Musharraf the mastermind behind the whole Kargil saga? What point does Mr. Musharraf want to prove here?
• How is it possible that Pakistan did not have nuclear strike capability in 1999, as per Mr. Musharraf, when we have solid proofs of Father of Pakistani Atomic Bomb proliferating the technology to other countries like Iran and North Korea during the same period? Was Mr. A.Q.Khan helping these countries make Nuclear Bombs that would carry water baloons?
• How often have we seen a military dictatorship engage in war rather than peace process?
• I have never seen such a bizarre peace process where the side making the offensive is asking the side on the defensive to cut down its troops in the disputed area.
• Why, I say, should India agree to such outrageous demands. Haven’t we seen enough of it in Kargil?
• And for Gods sakes, stop calling Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as Azad Kashmir. It is anything but Azad… just like Free Iraq.
• Why is Pakistan not agreeing to deport the top 20 terrorists most wanted in India?
• Why Pakistan Foreign Affairs Ministry denies the claims that there are terror camps running active in POK? Does it need photographic proofs from amateur observer like me using Google Earth to drive home India’s point?
• If Dawood Imbrahim’s son’s marriage takes place in Pakistan, if RAW has details of his residence in Pakistan, what makes one think that Dawood maybe in UAE and not in Pakistan? If you want to get the peace process on track, for once, talk on a positive note. Even if you are not willing to hand him over, atleast say that you would give it a try.
• What makes Jamaat-Ud-Dawa a sociable charity organization, when US itself has black-listed it?
• And last but not the least – Why is Pakistan a Victim of Terror? Explain atleast in 10 words, if you can.
• And the greatest irony - The fight over Kashmir has got so old, that, I'm afraid, the two warring sides don’t even know the exact reason of the conflict.

Sulking on the Edge

I have had it and I have had enough. After all good dreams don’t come true – or maybe it was just another of my nightmares that I failed to recognize. I’m losing everything – Sanity, Will to survive, Energy to fight back. After lobbying aggressively to end my short term transfer (misadventure), I was glad to hear that I’m getting released by September end. What I heard next almost made me faint. The light at the end of the tunnel was infact a freight train (Courtesy – Metallica) running at Mach3 towards me. I never knew when it hit me. After 2 months of this misadventure in Chennai, with the only hope of somehow making it to Pune, I’m being zorged to B’lore, on another “Short-term” transfer of 3 months. After which, apparently, yet again, I may or may not be posted to Pune. The reason – Business Requirements. Oh yeah!! Everybody is helpless when it comes to business requirements. My superiors cannot help it because client has put in certain restrictions based on the project requirements, in a specific way, and client cannot help it because he is not so sure what the exact requirement is. So while they decide what the heck they actually want to achieve, I may very well rot in B’lore.

I’ve decided that while I’m at it, I must pledge my dream company another… mmm….. say 45 years of selfless short term transfer services. Why not send me to Bhuvaneshwar, Mangalore and Trivandrum on such short term transfers? I’m very much interested you see. I would love to live the life of a nomad. And when they run out of places, my humble request to send me back to Chennai, but this time – Mahindra City. You know, I want to get the feel of working at all the DCs. Working at all theses places for a maximum of 9-10 months (beyond that it will become a long term transfer) will be good for my psychological and physical well being. And when they run out of all the places where DCs already exist, I’m ready to volunteer for opening new DCs in the far reaches and confines of the world – Jungles of Timbaktu – for want of space and Client Requirements. I am ready to go alone in fact, so that with no satellite TV, books or any thing remotely resembling Social Life, I’ll be able to dedicate 16 hours of productive work per day of my existence. If that is not enough I’m also ready to put my thumb out, get a hitch hike from one of those interstellar transports captained by bug-eyed, slimy green aliens, land on Zamogran and code, while dangling onto a last string of hope that my beloved company will one day, one fine day, give me a “One Day” short term transfer to Pune.

Now you may ask - Why am I dieing to be in Pune? Why, may I ask, you need reasons to be in Pune? It is not like I am asking my company to open up a new development center in Pune. Infact not one, but two exist. I am of the view that if I am not able to enjoy the money that I’m making, there’s no point in having a job like this. You may say that I’m rigid, inflexible – So be it. I don’t care. Now I don’t want to get emotional or the sort, but I ask myself - My parents never left me, when they were busy working so that they could provide me the best of education and nurturing. So why should I be living far away from them, when the need of the time is that I should be as closer to them? And especially when it is all possible. I’m mad, and I’m mad as hell. And someone has to pay for it. Today I resolve to get a permanent posting in Pune through this company or another job, whatever it might be. And until that happens, I’m not setting my foot in Pune. I don’t know what fate has in store for me. But I’ll never forget these words – With a Software Job, comes great frustration. It is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I’m just another Software Engineer. (Courtesy – Spiderman)