Its Time For A Biopic On Inzamam- Bhag Aloo Bhag!

After biopics on Muhammad Ali, Milkha Singh, Paan Singh Tomar et al, its time for a biopic for our very own Inzamam Ul Haq Aka ‘Aloo Haq’. Renown director Ramgopal Varma has confirmed in a press conference that he’s about to start the shooting of  his latest film ‘Bhaag Aloo Bhaag’ , a biopic on Inzamam. I am sure most of us will be flabbergasted, why such a name for his biopic? Lets dig into history to find out how and when Inzy got the distinction of being an aloo (potato). From his early days Inzamam’s has been on a heavier side with physique closely resembling a giant aloo. Inzamam has also been famous for his lightning fast running between the wickets too, hence the name ‘Aloo’ got tagged along with him.

It was all fun and game until the 1997 Sahara Cup match against India in Toronto, in which Inzamam assaulted a member of the crowd, Shiv Kumar Thind, a Canadian-based Indian, who had been comparing Inzamam to several kinds of potato. Inzy almost pulped shiv into potato chips. This incident gave Inzy a Hulk and an angry young man’s  image in cricket fraternity.

From running himself out to running his teammates out, Inzy has done it all. Hence he’s also called  as ‘the flying aloo’ by his fans. Its pretty baffling to say if he’s gotten himself out more times or his teammates. Inzy has always been a strong believer in the prophecy ‘when in doubt, get run out’. There was a time when cricket pundits believed that someday Inzy might get the batsmen at both the ends run out thanks to his uber running skills. And he did oblige them with this runout against India. Here’s a glimpse at his unique ‘flying between the wickets skills’-

Apart from his infamous running between the wickets he has also been known for his contribution of introducing unique ways to get out. A feat that even Sir Jadeja hasn’t been able to achieve.  Few of his unique ways have been-

1. In his endeavors to kiss the wickets, he toppled over and got out hit wicket.  
2. Getting out obstructing the field while jogging on the pitch and knocking the ball away. P.S- Do check out the whole video for his explanation and justification. 
3. He’s the only batsman to play a delivery blindfolded (literally). Unfortunately he got  bowled though. 

Thanks to his close resemblance to an aloo, coupled with his constant endeavors to get out in innovative ways, the title is apt. And it was just the right time that they came up with a biopic on Inzamam. His fans have been vociferously demanding for Inzy to be inducted into the ICC ‘wall of fame’ for his immense contribution to the game. We hope the movie would also make  it large, as large as Inzy himself.

Sebastian Vettel- A prodigy behind the wheel or just a lucky bloke?

Sebastian Vettel- a racing prodigy, 25 and current world champion. He’s won the F1 championship thrice on the trot viz. 2010, 2011 and 2012 and looks promising for the 4th consecutive title. So has he been just lucky (as his critics claim) or he’s a prodigy indeed?

Vettel already holds gazillion “youngest” Formula One records: the youngest driver to have taken part in an official practice session of a Grand Prix, to score championship points, to lead a race, to secure pole position, and to win a race. He is also currently 3rd in the overall tally of pole positions behind fellow German, his idol and most successful Formula 1 driver ever Michael Schumacher, and 3-time world champion Ayrton Senna.

Lets look at his head to head with other giants in the circuit. What’s astonishing from this comparison is his % race wins, where he beats Senna hands down and just marginally below Schumacher and Prost. Also, his % of pole positions; where he’s even miles ahead of Schumacher and Prost and thrice as good as Alonso. 😛 He’s joint 4th in the all time leading championship winner’s list already. He has a substantial lead in this season and stands a good chance to be at joint #3 with the legend Alain Prost at the end of this season.

Driver	Races	Podium	Wins	Pole position	Fastest Laps	Championships
Schumacher	307	155	91	68	77	7
Fangio	51	35	24	29	23	5
Prost	199	106	51	33	41	4
Vettel	108	51	29	39	18	3
Senna	161	80	41	65	19	3
Alonso	204	90	32	22	19	2

He’s often compared to his fellow veteran driver Fernando Alonso. And the latter seems to have more fans across the globe compared to Vettel. However stats clearly shows that Vettel is already miles ahead of Alonso when it comes to % of race wins and % of pole positions. Vettel’s race wins % is staggering 27% compared to Alonso’s abysmal 16%. Vettel has won 1 championship more than his counterpart. Also, he’s just 3 race wins behind and 1 fastest lap behind Alonso. Considering his good form, he should be comfortably ahead of him by the end of this season.

Vettel is often called “baby schumi” and “junior Schumacher”. They are perceived to be “master and the protégé at work.” He’s shown us a glimpse of his wizardry behind the wheels in his short stint at the circuit. Though it is difficult to say where he’d stand at the end of his tenure but rest assured, should he continue his current form its imminent that he’d pretty close to Schumacher’s all time record if not better it. He surely has prospects to be the “Sachin Tendulkar” of formula one racing 🙂

Uttarakhand catastrophe-whom to blame, nature or our reckless endeavors towards development?

Its a shame that we again get into this autopsy mode amidst the chaos in Uttarakhand. Official verdict says close to 500 people dead thus far in what our politicians proclaim to be ‘nature’s fury”; but the unofficial death toll could be well above 5000 with 70,000 odd people missing. Kedarnath was the worst hit area. Apparently, the major cause of the unprecedented devastation was the crumbling of the Kedar Dome (a glacier) This breaking of this enormous ‘glacier’ following the cloudburst and the eventual landslides caused a major rupture in the Charbari Lake that is situated just over 5 km from the holy temple of Kedarnath, situated at an altitude of 3600 meters. But that’s not the ONLY reason for a disaster of this magnitude. Humans have had their hand too in this tragedy.

So you must be wondering how humans inflicted this predicament upon ourselves. Natural calamities are common in Uttarakhand, which lies in the fragile mountain belt of the Himalayas and has experienced tectonic turmoil several times in the past. Widespread and unregulated expansion of giant hyder-electric projects in the this region, the incessant construction of roads to serve the ever increasing tourist population, and the adverse effect on the fragile ecosystem in the region due to growing human presence and pollution are the major causes for such catastrophes.Sudden increase in anthropogenic activities like unplanned cutting of slopes, blasting of highly jointed rock mass for road construction and unplanned disposal of the slope cut debris added to the fragility of the Himalayan mountains and made this region vulnerable to massive natural disasters.

Are there any lesson learnt from such disasters yet? No doubt development is imperative, more so in these neck of woods since 3 districts — Chamoli,Pithoragarh,  and Uttarkashi fall on the McMahon line, which demarcates India and China. But there needs to be a balance between development and causing irreparable damage to our ecosystem. emphasis on disaster management, afforestation and efficient disaster management bodies.

Few good to know things before entering Hyderabad!

1. When a Hyderabadi says something happened “parsu”, there is a possibility it might have happened between yesterday and last time Haley’s comet was visible.
2. When a Hyderabadi gives you an appointment that he’ll be there at a specific time, please don’t call him and remind every half an hour. Consider yourself lucky should he arrive within an hour of the appointment.
3. When you ask for directions from a Hyderabadi, don’t be astonished if you always get to hear “seedha chale jao miya”
4. Necklace road is the “Eiffel tower’ of Hyderabad. We’re  proud to visit it couple of times every month. 
5. Every place is “baajuich hai” even if its several light years away.
6. “What” becomes glamorous and appealing by simply suffixing “re”. #WhatRe
7. “Max” is the subject most Hyderabadis excel in. We get mathsimum marks in max. #Maths
8. Hyderabadis usher their love on their teachers and Uncles by calling them “Saaaaar” and “Unkeeeeel” respectively.
9. Hyderabadi have special affinity to letter “H”; commonly pronounced as “hatch”. We also suffix “h’ to most names;  Amit becomes Amith, Sumit becomes Sumith and Anita becomes Anitha et al.
10. We have special affinity to curd rice and Dosas. We eat them almost everyday. Yet we order them when we go out. 
11. Most of the Hyderabadis are either Sriram, Srinath, Srinivas, Vamsi or Prasad.
12. Hyderabadis worship Bappi Lahiri. Hyderabadis have more gold than USA’s gold reserves. A Hyderabadi wedding is incomplete without tonnes of gold being worn.
13. When a Hyderabadi says “abhi aathu mein”, you can assume he’d not be back for few months.
14. “Light le baap” comes out inadvertently even on most grave situations.
15. Don’t be bemused on being called baap, chiccha or mama. It’s your privilege.
16. Scrumptious authentic Hyderabadi Biryani can be served anytime, from breakfast to late dinner. You’re not considered to be a true Hyderabadi should you not relish it couple of times a week.
17. A Hyderabadi only feels safe and comfortable when he/she’s driving rash. 
18.  Overtaking form left is a norm and we shout at people who overtake from right.
19. Pedestrians are expected to close their eyes while crossing the road. It’s the driver’s responsibility to ensure their safety. 

At the end of the day we’re Hyderabadi and take full pride in our rich heritage, culture, attire, unique lingo and cuisine.

 

********UNDISPUTED KING OF CLAY********

“Cassius Clay”, yep he could be rechristened that considering his prowess and sheer dominance on clay court. Vamos Rafa as his fans enchant while he’s on the court.

Nadal has won 12 Grand Slam singles titles (3rd in all time list, behind Federer-17 and Sampras-14), the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, and a record 24 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and 14 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments. He was also a member of the winning Spain Davis Cup team in 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2011. In 2010, he became the seventh player in history and youngest of four in the Open Era to achieve the Career Grand Slam. He is only the second male player, after Andre Agassi, to complete the Career Golden Slam.

By winning the 2013 French Open, Nadal has become the only male player to win a single Grand Slam tournament eight times. He’s also the first bloke to win at least one Grand Slam tournament for nine consecutive years. He’s broken the record of eight previously shared by Björn Borg, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer. Rafa holds the record for most consecutive titles at a particular tournament after winning his eighth straight Monte-Carlo Masters in 2012.

He’s often compared to the other contemporary legend viz. Roger Federer. However when it comes to head to head with him- they have played 30 times, and Nadal leads their head-to-head series 20–10 overall and 8–2 in Grand Slam tournaments. This is certainly bound to astonish people who consider Federer as most successful Tennis player of all times.With Federer close to the end of his career and yet to achieve a career grand slam gold, next Olympics being 3 years away; its a certainty that Federer would not have this record against his name 😛

Nadal currently 27 has good 4-5 years of Tennis ahead of him. He’s bound to to break most of Federer’s record viz. most wins, most grandslam titles, highest prize money won, most career titles et al. Nadal looks in sublime form since his return from a short hiatus due to knee injury. I strongly feel we’re yet to see the best of Nadal, Nadal at #1 and sustain it for a long period. With 8 French open titles already in the bag, by the time he’d end his prolific career we can safely assume he’d have another 3-4 more trophies in his cabinet.