The Very Very Special Batsman Calls it a Day

The man who played the greatest test innings by an Indian will no longer demonstrate the magic of his flamboyant wrists in manoeuvring a cricket ball through the gaps to send it to the fence. VVS Laxman, one of the most stylish and prolific batsmen test cricket has ever seen, has called it a day leaving behind a legacy that few cricketers can hope to emulate.

If there is one test innings that has ever changed the course of the cricket history of a nation, then it is the 281 of VVS Laxman against the Aussies at Eden Gardens in 2001. After following on to a world beating Aussie side under the leadership of the charismatic Steve Waugh, India won the test match after a dream innings by VVS in partnership with the great Rahul Dravid, which saw the famed Aussie bowling attack of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz falling apart. That innings and the resultant win revolutionised Indian cricket and made it a force to reckon with. This writer has fond memories of watching that epic innings from the comforts of his home. It was a sort of an innings that was never seen before, where the great Aussie bowlers appeared to be mere university level bowlers in front of VVS. He played them to all parts of the ground at will and it appeared that he was not going to get out at any time. One whole day he pulverised the bowling and got out only in the morning session of the fifth day of the test match, by then the match was under Indian control.

VVS Laxman was the most feared batsman by the Aussies, who gave him the name Very Very Special, an interesting extension of his initial VVS. Once Brett Lee quoted Steve Waugh as saying, “if you get Dravid, it’s great, if you get Tendulkar, it’s brilliant and if you get VVS, it’s a miracle.” As a part of the renowned big three of Indian batting line up along with Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, VVS made 17 centuries in his test career at an average of 45.97, in which 6 centuries were against his favourite opponents, Australia. Many a time he had to bat with the bowlers of the team and in every such occasion he handled them with prudence and got the best out of them for the team. VVS has been a saviour to the team in many occasions in test match cricket and his services would really be missed by the Indian team in the future. A gentleman to the core, VVS Laxman is a role model for the youngsters in the country who showed how to be aggressive on the field, yet calm and composed off it. 

Thank you very much VVS for your many very very special moments for Indian cricket and world cricket and you will always be remembered as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game. Thanks for the memories.

Blame Not the Communists, for Violence is in the DNA of Communism

At a time when allegations that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is behind the murder of TP Chandrasekharan in Kerala is going the rounds, one would have imagined that the party members would tone down their violent rhetoric for some time. But the party surprised one and all as its members kept on going with their calls for violence. If MM Mani was boasting how the party had killed many of its enemies in the past, many other leaders of the party from seniors like Ilamaram Karim, MV Jayarajan, P Jayarajan to juniors like M Swaraj and Shamseer have continued with their tirade against the police and the media whom they consider their rivals. On the hartal day, which was called for as a protest on the arrest of P Jayarajan, the party workers went on the rampage and destroyed public property in the state and attacked commuters at will. However if one carefully examines the different Communist movements in the world one should not be surprised on the violent rhetoric of the party members as one can find that violence is in the DNA of Communism.

Marxian ideology, based on which present day communism (political system) works, is basically an economic and socio-political ideology, which is humane in its spirit. Karl Marx believed in the ultimate creation of a proletarian state where the proletariat or the working class has control of all political power. Political practitioners of this ideology, like Lenin, Stalin, Mao and others, believed that this political power can be acquired only by violent struggle, which they call revolution. As Vladimir Lenin once said, "the supersession of the bourgeois state by the proletarian state is impossible without violent revolution." In this violent struggle, or revolution, the communists eliminated their political opponents resulting in mass killings which can only be called genocide in all the countries where communism emerged. These mass killings were at its worst in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, in People’s Republic of China under Mao Tse-tung and in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. 

Stalin’s reign in the Soviet Union can be termed as a period of Red Terror, where as many as three million people were ruthlessly executed and murdered, according to official records made available to the outside world after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This include people who were executed for political offenses, deaths in Gulag, the government administered forced labour camp and deaths during the forced resettlement. The Great Purge, Stalin’s execution of various people in his effort to solidify his position as the supreme leader of the Soviet Union, involved execution by a gunshot to the back of the head, torture by beatings while in ‘investigative custody’ and overwork and starvation in the Gulag camp. Joseph Stalin, who many communists, including those in India, consider to be a great leader, is no one but a mass murderer, who can compete with Adolf Hitler in his brutality and terror.

After the communist revolution when Mao Tse-tung seized power in People’s Republic of China, his policies and political purges resulted in the death of millions of people. After studying the experiences of the Soviet Revolution, Mao came to believe that violence is necessary to achieve what he believed would be an ‘ideal society’. So he planned and executed violence on a grand scale and killed counterrevolutionaries, political opponents and those whom he considered disloyal to him and his ideas. He believed that for agrarian reforms to become a reality one-tenth of the peasants would have to be destroyed. Deng Xiaoping, considered as the architect of China’s transformation into a market economy and its present day prosperity, was purged twice by Mao during the Cultural Revolution as their political ideologies were at odds. Mao gave his Red Guards all rights and power to abuse and execute the revolution’s ‘enemies’.

A detailed account of mass killings under communist regimes in different countries of the world can be found out in Wikipedia, which forms the basis of the above mentioned facts. These killings by the communists have been so widespread, extensive and rampant that it could well form a subject of study in itself.

History of communist regimes and communist parties all over the world is riddled with such instances of violence, mass killings, torture and executions. Marxism is an absolutist ideology and the communism that it wants to achieve ultimately is all about attaining absolute power and this absolute power can only be attained by silencing critics and maiming all who stand against the ideology. Therefore communism without violence is non-existent and if communism has to prosper it needs to be violent. Communism is also about secrecy and hardly can an outsider be able to see through and understand what is happening inside the party and if this secrecy is lost, again the communist party will perish. A practical example of the same factor was seen in Soviet Union, where as a result of Gorbachev’s crusade to introduce Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (openness) the party collapsed and as a result the Soviet Union disintegrated into small countries.  The openness and transparency that Gorbachev wanted to bring inside the party was antithetic to the secretive style of the party and hence it was not able to withstand it and thus collapsed. One can also notice that communist parties have always failed to come to power in countries where there is a healthy functioning of democracy. They have always excelled in places where there is a predominantly one party rule; see examples in China, North Korea and Cuba, where the party has been in power for very many years. In these countries, democratic dissent is often crushed, protests trampled and those who oppose the party are always put behind the bars or executed. In communist regimes there is hardly any personal freedom and citizens’ liberty is always under threat, if at all it is present. These countries are nothing but totalitarian states, where every aspects of public and private life are regulated and controlled by the regimes and citizens are forced to live as the regimes would tell them to live.

One of the gravest crises that the communist parties in India face is the inability to conceal their violent natural disposition and to present a facade of peaceful nature in front of the public. In a country like India, which has a proud history of non-violent struggle to attain freedom under the guidance and leadership of none other than Mahatma Gandhi, it is impossible to influence people and to sustain their confidence for a long period unless you are a party of the non-violent, peaceful patriots. Communism will survive in India only if it abandons violence and embrace peace and non violence; but as its genetic makeup is one of violent struggle and violent revolution, it would be very difficult for the communist parties to transform themselves into a non-violent entity, where in lies their real challenge.

As Boucher and Lee Retire, Cricket loses Two of its Finest Fighters

This week, which is on its way to its end, has been one in which cricket has lost, through retirement, two of its finest fighters – Mark Boucher and Brett Lee. When the Proteas star wicketkeeper-batsman retired because of an unfortunate on-field accident, the Aussie speedster announced his retirement on account of his inability to come out of his recurring injury issues. Two fierce competitors, Boucher and Lee, made the game of cricket richer with their talent, dedication, determination, and above all, with a never-say-die attitude, which could be a real source of inspiration for the future generations of cricketers all around the world.

When a freak accident at Taunton ended one of the greatest careers in cricket, South Africa lost one of its strongman, not only behind the wickets, but in their total game, for Mark Boucher was not just a wicketkeeper, but was the heart beat of the team whenever they were faced with a daunting challenge, a stiff opposition, an impossible target. Boucher’s eyes got hit with the bails while he was keeping in one of the practice matches against Somerset. Cricket enthusiasts will remember with great delight many occasions where the individual brilliance and marked doggedness of this diminutive keeper-batsman pulled out his team from certain defeats. May it be about playing an innings to snatch victory from the clutches of the opponents or batting out a day to hold out for a draw, Mark Boucher was always there with a resolve matched by few of his peers. Mark Boucher holds the record for maximum number of dismissals in international cricket with 999 scalps, with 555 coming in test matches, followed by his nearest rival Adam Gilchrist with 416 dismissals. He holds the record for the fastest century by a South African in ODIs and his unbeaten 50 against the Aussies at Wanderers in that famous ODI chase of 438, remains as one of the greatest episodes of international cricket. 

Brutal pace and soothing smile have rarely combined in a fast bowler as have in the New South Welshman Brett Lee, undoubtedly the most loved Aussie in India, next only to the great Steve Waugh. Express bowling would never be the same in international cricket as one of its greatest proponents Lee has called it a day. Four ankle surgeries and a persistent shoulder trouble have made it impossible for the unassuming and affable fast bowler to continue in international cricket. A bowler known for his genuine air speed in bowling, Brett Lee had been instrumental in making Australia one of the best cricket teams in the world. He partnered with the legendary Glenn McGrath and made the lives of batsmen difficult for more than a decade. Fast bowlers hunt in pairs and Lee and McGrath dismissed batsmen of all nations with their guile and skill. Known for his fierce competitive spirit Brett Lee was one bowler who always gave his all, may it be bowling, fielding or batting. This writer enthusiastically remembers how Brett Lee clean bowled Andrew Flintoff with a brilliant in-swinger in a crunch situation at Trent Bridge in the Ashes series of 2005. When most of the other Aussie players were thinking about an inevitable loss as Flintoff was taking the attack on to them, Brett Lee was not ready to go down without a fight and bowled a dramatic spell of supreme fast bowling. Though in the end the Aussie lost the match, Brett Lee won the hearts of all those who watched the game. 

Now that the great careers of two of the finest fighters in cricket have ended, cricket columnist and writers are busy writing eulogies for Mark Boucher and Brett Lee and let this piece be one in the same league from this humble writer, for he spent many of his leisurely time marvelling at these great players scripting their own chapters in cricket history. 

Get well soon Mark Boucher, all the best Brett Lee.

Gentlemen, thank you very much for the memories.  

Image Courtesy: Cricket World

In Awe of the “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius

This writer is in absolute awe of the “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee who made it to the London Olympics to participate in both the individual 400 and the 4x400 relay. The sprinter from South Africa, who is also known as “the fastest man on no legs” will thus become the first amputee track athlete to compete at any Olympic games.

Oscar Pistorius was born with a congenital absence of the fibula in both legs and hence had to amputate his legs halfway between his knees and ankles when he was only 11 months old. However even in his childhood days Pistorius challenged his disability and played rugby, water polo and tennis in his school. He also played water polo and tennis at the provincial level in his country and took part in club Olympic wrestling as well. In the year 2003 he had a serious rugby knee injury and then he was introduced to running in 2004 while he was undergoing rehabilitation. 

Oscar Pistorius is a role model for all and it is almost impossible not to look at him with respect and awe. It is common sense that one of the most difficult things for a person with artificial legs would be to run. But Pistorius has overcome this difficulty and has become a professional runner and is going to run in the greatest sporting event in the world as a sprinter. He is a living example of what human mind is capable of doing if you have courage, grit and determination. As Oscar Pistorius’ sporting motto says, “You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have.” This writer would like to wish Oscar Pistorius all the very best for his sporting endeavours at the London Olympics. Viva Blade Runner!!!

Problem with the use of ‘send’ and ‘sent’? Now fix it

Many of us have problem with the usage of ‘send’ and ‘sent’, where we are often unsure about which one to use when we make a sentence. There is a quick fix to this problem and it is the use of ‘dispatch’ and ‘dispatched’ in the place of ‘send’ and ‘sent’.

Whenever in doubt of whether to use ‘send’ or ‘sent’, try making the sentence using ‘dispatch’ and ‘dispatched’. If you would use ‘dispatch’ then the right usage is ‘send’ and if you would use ‘dispatched’ the correct word to use is ‘sent’.

For example, if you are in doubt about whether to use ‘send’ or ‘sent’ in the sentence “I will send/sent the report now”, try making the sentence using ‘dispatch’. So will you write “I will dispatch the report now” OR “I will dispatched the report now”? You would use “I will dispatch the report now”, isn’t it? So here the right usage is ‘send’.

Similarly, if you are in doubt about whether to use ‘send’ or ‘sent’ in the sentence “I have already send/sent the report”, use ‘dispatch’ and see. Will you write “I have already dispatch the report” OR “I have already dispatched the report”? You would use “I have already dispatched the report”, right? So the correct usage here is ‘sent’.

Hope this helps.

CPI (M) in a Fix Over Political Murders in Kerala

The killing of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader TP Chandrasekharan in the night of 4th May at Kozhikode has shocked and outraged the conscience of the state. A defenceless man was mercilessly hacked to death in the dead of the night by some brutes, who planned and murdered the ex-CPI (M) leader in cold blood. The unidentified assailants who were travelling in a car, hurled country made bombs at TP Chandrasekharan, who was riding a bike, and hacked him to death using sharp weapons. This murder with a lot of political overtones has since become a matter of great political controversy in the state and it has put the CPI (M) in a fix as many of its activists and local leaders are getting arrested on murder charges.

No other political occurrence since TP murder has shocked and appalled the state as much as the hate speech by MM Mani, the Idukki District Secretary of the CPI (M). His revelation that the CPI (M) had in the past planned and killed their political enemies shocked the whole state. It was not a general statement, but the speech was made with all the specifics of the killing mentioned in it, about the places of those killings, about who was killed and about how each of them was killed. He boasted that the party activists shot dead one political foe, another one was beaten to death and a third one stabbed to death. MM Mani also said that CPI (M) had often eliminated political foes and many Congress activists at his place stayed in the Congress party at the mercy of the CPI (M). He had also said that whenever his party had eliminated their political foes they had always proudly accepted it publicly. The hostile body language with which MM Mani was speaking was quite uncharacteristic of a politician. His ludicrous assertions landed him in trouble as his own party disowned his comments, made statements that MM Mani deviated from party line and whatever he said was not party policy. He landed in further trouble as the Police booked him on conspiracy and murder charges. MM Mani’s statements not only embarrassed the CPI (M), but put the party in the defensive in West Bengal, as they are fighting the Trinamool Congress’ violence in that state.  

Now that the CPI (M) is in trouble after many of its activists and local committee and area committee members are being arrested in the TP murder case, they are trying to defend the party by taking party supporters to the street. Leaders like Ilamaram Kareem are not mincing any words in his accusation of the Police and Congress government on arresting party activists on TP murder. The party accuse that this is political vendetta by the Congress and the party and its activists have no connection with the murder of TP Chandrashekaran. If that is the case then it would have been wise for the party to challenge the arrests in a court of law and not in the streets as they are doing right now. Only the court would be able to find out and judge who is really behind the killing of TP and since that time it would be stupid to predict who the perpetrator is. However the panic with which the CPI (M) is reacting to this murder case makes it appear that they have something to hide. Therefore it would be wise for the party to take this easy and challenge the case lawfully whenever the case appears in a court of justice, to remove all the doubts from the minds of people of Kerala.

Making a list of political foes and eliminating them one by one is a style of medieval politics and it has no place in modern day political scene. If the statements made by MM Mani that the CPI (M) has always committed that as a party policy is true, then it is a serious crime and people of our country would never pardon the party for that. If the boasting made by MM Mani is found out to be true by the court of law in our country then the party must be banned in the country. However the people of India hope that what MM Mani said in his speech was just a boasting and there is no truth in it as it is very important to have a strong left force in the country to guard against the very serious and dangerous rightward movement of the country in the economic and political spheres of life.

Fifth Minister Row – UDF Appears a Pack of Jokers

Muslim League has got their fifth minister in the UDF government and as of now the most critical issue that threatened the existence of the ministry appears to have died down. However it must be noted that the shameful way in which the Congress party, the leader of the UDF coalition, gave in to the demands of their junior partner is a sign to the future and it will give other coalition partners more courage to flex their muscles and demand many more things from the Congress. In the name of ‘coalition dharma’ Congress has created a scenario in the state where the regional parties of the coalition have more power in the government than the national party, which is not a favourable situation.

Congress’ headache has only started now. With the Neyyattinkara election quite imminent, the way in which the fifth minister allowed to the Muslim League has angered the religious majority groups like the NSS and SNDP will have its effect. Though the NSS and SNDP don’t have the sort of influence on their respective communities as that of the Christian organisations, their influence can’t be completely ignored. The reshuffle in the cabinet done by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to appease the NSS and SNDP doesn’t appear to have impressed them. By relinquishing the Home Ministry and giving it to Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, a member of the majority community, the Chief Minister was trying to pacify the NSS and SNDP.

Though India is a secular country, caste and religious sentiments are still quite high among the people. Therefore political parties also do consider these factors in determining their candidates during election and in determining ministers during the creation of a cabinet. Even the left parties, who profess not only secularism, but even atheism, are known to give a lot of consideration to the caste and religious sentiments while selecting their candidates and ministers, because they know that only then they can have any realistic chance to gain power. However all responsible political parties should know the limit to which they can consider this caste factor, for once it goes over that limit it would be a threat to the secular fabric of our country.

The fifth minister row has made the UDF appear to be a pack of jokers who are ready to do whatever to hung on to power. If the Muslim League had threatened that they will pull out of the UDF, the Congress party should have told them that they are free to move out. Then the state would have got the chance to see how the LDF and Muslim League would have handle the situation. Would the LDF accept Muslim League in their front? Would League and LDF in that way create a new government? Would the CPI (M), who is quite averse of Manjalankuzhi Ali, make him a minister as League wished? These all would have been questions that we Keralites would have got an answer to. Though CPI (M) had once said that they will never create a front with Muslim League as it is a religious party, it is almost sure that they would have accepted league had they come out of UDF. For usurping power they would have no prick of conscience to team up with any religious party as was seen during last parliament election when they partnered with and shared dias with PDP.

As this writer had earlier observed, politicians epitomise all the vices that human ingenuity could invent. They can do anything to cling on to power, can partner with anyone, can embrace the ones they had showered expletives earlier, can disown anyone who have been with them for years, can change their promises anytime and can fool people with ridiculous audacity. And if about the present UDF government, it must be seen how long they can go on with such demanding coalition partners. If the Congress party continues to buckle down under the pressure of the coalition partners it would surely cut a sorry figure in front of the people and the nation.

Congrats Sachin Tendulkar on Your 100th Hundred

I congratulate my hero Sachin Tendulkar on achieving the unachievable landmark of 100 hundreds in international cricket. One could be reasonably sure that this landmark would never again be achieved in the history of this great game, at least not in the lifetime of this generation. Your dedication, discipline and hard work have made it possible for you, not to mention the God-gifted natural genius you have.

You have been an inspiration to a whole generation, to rise above mediocrity, to confront the greatest of challenges with iron heart, to thrash down idiotic criticisms of ordinary men, to march ahead of the naysayers’ negative opinions and to win over the world with confidence, courage and grit. You epitomised India’s rise as a major force to reckon with in the world stage by your single handed dominance of the world’s most ferocious bowling attacks of our generation. You made those detractors of our country to stand up and notice, to respect you and thereby our country, you are one of the greatest sons of our nations and without any doubt the greatest exponent of Indian cricket, the greatest of them all.

May you continue many more years, bringing more joy to the millions of Indians, making more tons and bringing more triumphs. For the moment let us, your die-hard fans, bask in your glory, for you have brought us more joy, confidence and pride than any other single man in this universe. Thank you very much Sir.

Cricket Now a Much Poorer Game as Rahul Dravid Retires

And then what we all dreaded was confirmed to be true - Rahul Dravid has called it a day and he has declared his retirement from international cricket. A man who stood like a wall when his team mates, many a time, fell like nine pins will no longer wield a bat and saunter on to a cricket field to calm nerves and to fill hopes in the minds of thousands of Indian cricket lovers. I bow my head in profound respect in front of a man who has been more than a mere batsman, for he was a gentleman to the core, a real master of the game and a great role model for a whole generation.

The great man had always been in the shadows of one performance or one man. When he made 95 on test debut against England at Lords, his performance was overshadowed by the century on debut by Sourav Ganguly. When he revived Indian cricket’s fortunes at the Eden Gardens in 2001 with a hard fought 180, it was overshadowed by the epic 281 by VVS Laxman, one of the greatest innings in the history of test match cricket (this writer considers that innings of VVS as the greatest test match innings he has ever witnessed). And all through his career he was perpetually under the shadow of the greatest cricketer of his generation Sachin Tendulkar. However it must be said that he carved a niche for himself in world cricket, for there are few better than him at No: 3, often considered as the most difficult of all batting positions.

Just take a look at some of the records that the great man possesses. Second highest run getter in test match cricket; only Indian to score four centuries in a trot; with a tally of 210, he has the most number of catches by a fielder in test matches; he has been involved in most century partnerships in test cricket (88) and the most awesome record among all, he has faced 31258 deliveries in Test cricket, more than any other batsman in the history of the game.

When he walks on to the shades of international cricket he will be remembered as one of the greatest champions of the art of batting, a true legend, and an embodiment of patience, discipline, consistency, dependability and what not. The great game of cricket will be a much poorer game, now that Rahul Dravid has retired from it. But it could be said without any doubt that his name would shine in the annals of the game always. Thank you very much Rahul Dravid for being a role model for all of us, who have looked up to you for inspiration to weather down calamities in life as you often did when you went out to bat for the Indian cricket team as a real wall, as the great wall of India. We salute you.

International Women's Day

Its International Women's Day and let me use this occasion to thank all those wonderful women who have influenced me and my life. First of all a big thanks to my Amma, for all that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother; my sweet elder sister, who always trusted in my abilities and talents and stood by me when even I had doubts in my abilities; my best friend, my most favourite sister, who has been a source of great support and consolation whenever I had been emotionally down. And a big thanks to all my other soul sisters for their unswerving affection, who have made my life worth living, my friends and colleagues who reserved their unwavering support exclusively for me. Thank you all.

Image: Google doodle on International Women's Day