Two

Two. It is one of the first numerals that you learn as a child. To be precise, its the second , right behind the number "one". And that's where its slotted forever- second. 

Any of its desires to come in first cannot be realized. They are just dreams- pipe dreams. They are just wishes. 

Well, this picture is a bit special. It was the icon on my messenger when my return back to home after a long assignment was just two days away. The excitement was just palpable - considering that I was returning after a long period of three months.

But when the D-day arrived, the exhilaration of Day One beat the fervor of Day Two. If Day One seemed like a running race, the previous day seemed like a pedestrian walk. 

Day Two lost to Day One!! Why? What does number two feel when he comes behind number one?

Another incident that I remember was when I was back in school. As part of the school's annual day - a play was being staged. It had a scene of a wrestling match between a well built fellow and a guy of modest build. Incidentally, I was the referee in that staged match.

The almost fatso was supposed to lose - signifying a victory of an underdog. Surprisingly, after a few trial runs, the guys just developed cold feet and refused to play the role. 

Everyone including the teachers were surprised. What had made the guy refuse to play a role, a character, which would be seen by more than a thousand people on that day? Every parent loves to see his child being appreciated by a wider group of audience. Yet, this silly guy was not taking up this opportunity.

After a bit of coaxing and prodding, he revealed the real reason. He didn't want to lose a staged match in the play in front of the entire school. He didn't want to be number two. He wanted to finish first. This incident made me realise the importance people placed on coming first.

You must have heard about Alpha Romeo. But then have you heard about Beta Romeo ? No. He does not exist. To win in love, you need to come in first - at least once. 

You have several quotes said by famous men and women on winning. The one that comes to my mind is this one. 

~~ Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.

 

Here you can realise the importance being placed on finishing first. And the disgrace of finish second. Is it really this serious? Is winning so much important?

Shiv Khera, a motivational speaker, once said - 

~~ Winners don't do different things, they do things differently.

Made me wonder what do people who come in second do? Nothing? Or something which is already done? Or do they do something differently, but the difference does not stand out or is not recognized? 

You must have heard about the quote - Two is a company, Three is a crowd. 

I make my memory jog in the reverse direction, and run a Google Search. Yet I am not able to recollect an incident in near times when I felt so. Was it because I was too generous not to have such a feeling? No. I think I was the one who was the crowd. 

If one is good, two is bad, then three is worse. 

You would have seen those athletic competitions where they award prizes for the people who stand in the top three. Being number two does not look bad after all in such cases.

But what if the game had just two players? Well, if you lose, your heart will just sink.

Catch the thoughts of the British cyclist Victoria Pendleton who won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Women’s Individual Sprint event.

Need I say more???

You must have heard - It takes two to tango. 

Well, although it takes two people - a man and a woman to have a wonderful tango dance, the intent of the quote is slightly different. 

What it actually means is that to be sucessfull in some endeavour, if one is not sufficient, two might do the trick. An active co operation or a close handshake between two might make the enterprise a winner.

And if you are following the Cricket World Cup 2011, then you must have seen this advertisement featuring Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan Singh, with Pepsi, is seen promoting his flagship ball - The Doosra. This ball has taken many a wickets for India in some crucial moments of the match. The Doosra in english would mean The Second. 

And from the last two illustrations, we can see that you can be a winner with a "Two" too. 

Don't lose heart if you are second. 

If "One" is straight as a stick, "Two" has those generous curves. After all, the winning post might be just beyond those bends.

Operation Odyssey Dawn And Contradictions

The world wakes up this Sunday to a new war. 

The so called Coalition forces - prime among them being the USA, the UK, and France - have launched operation Odyssey Dawn against Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

This is within two days of the U.N. imposed no-fly zone in Libya which was voted 10-0 in the UN Security council.

This picture of the leaders posing for a photograph after the summit makes me wonder about one thing. 

How do these guys manage to pose for a photo after planning to start  a thing as bad as a war? A war which will result in death of thousands of people, which will result in a monetary loss of millions of dollars, which will result in extensive damage to life and property. A war which will set back a nation by years.

Importantly, the emerging nations - Brazil, Russia, China and India, along with European powerhouse Germany had abstained from this voting. But this hasn't stopped the Coalition from going ahead with the armed operations. 

While French reconnaissance aircraft surveyed the Libyan landscape late yesterday evening, the residents of Libya were subjected to a barrage of Cruise missiles since yesterday night.

The power of technology and money have made the American, British and French forces to just sit pretty on their battleships in the Mediterranean,  or fly high above the skies, and rain the missiles and bombs on the innocent Libyan people.

Just have a look at the statement given by British Prime Minister - David Cameron - late yesterday night.

"Tonight, British forces are in action over Libya. They are part of an international coalition that has come together to enforce the will of the United Nations and to support the Libyan people.
 

We have all seen the appalling brutality that Colonel Gaddafi has meted out against his own people. And far from introducing the ceasefire he spoke about, he has actually stepped up the attacks and the brutality that we can all see.
 

So what we are doing is necessary, it is legal, and it is right."

Well, what he is telling Britain and the world that the actions are fully legal and will benefit only the Libyan people. Wish these leaders show such generosity and concern for the citizens of such nations in times of peace.

If the wars fought across the world in the last decade are anything to go by, then this would also look to be a protracted engagement. You have the war in Afghanistan and Iraq as standout examples.

The name of this operation - Odyssey Dawn - itself is a misnomer. Odyssey, as defined by the dictionary, is a long, wandering and an eventful journey. Certainly these leaders don't want the war to stretch for long. I wonder who gave this name to the operation.

This war is seen to be a culmination of the civil war in Libya which started in Feb 2011. The crisis in the Arab World and the victories of the Tunisian and Egyptian people had motivated the Libyan citizens to overthrow Colonel  Gaddafi.

With Gaddafi using armed forces against his own people, the world leaders have been prompted into this action. 

Just a few hundred miles away from Libya is the nation of Bahrain. The people of Bahrain too have been protesting against their monarchs, with an attempt being made to overthrow the current regime. The leaders in Bahrain too have responded with use of force against the peaceful demonstrators. 

This is where you have the contradiction. The Coalition nations on one hand are seen against Gaddafi. On the other hand, they are seen supporting the King of Bahrain.

Why is it so? What makes them support an authoritarian regime while oppose another? What makes them back the steps taken for suppressing an internal civilian conflict in Bahrain while oppose the same in Libya.

So much for uniformity.  So much for having the same yardstick to be applied everywhere.

This is simple contradiction. This is simple behavioral inconsistency.

The U.S. is apprehensive of supporting Bahrain openly. This has made it ask its trusted friend in the Arab world, Saudi Arabia, to help Bahrain. And they have responded kindly by rushing its 2000 odd forces across the King Fahd causeway joining the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, to help the rulers of Bahrain suppress the uprising.

One thing is certain. If a similar uprising or protest is seen in Saudi Arabia, and if they respond with similar military actions, the very same Coalition nations would be seen backing them. 

This is when someone should read out to David Cameron what he had said on the night of the launching of Operation Odyssey Dawn. 

It would be apt to close with a line which Oscar Wilde said a long time back. 

“The well-bred contradict other people. The wise contradict themselves.”

Bloggable

I have been an avid blogger for the last 4 years. And blogs have been active on the internet for the last decade or so.

The humble blog topics - which millions like me and you write about - have finally found an official recognition, courtesy the Oxford Dictionary.

The word Bloggable has made its way to the Oxford Dictionary.

It means - and I quote "suitable or sufficiently interesting as a topic for a blog".

A sample sentence right the from dictionary is - "I started subscribing to the journal in the hope of finding bloggable material in there". 

And I pray to God and hope that I get a lot of bloggable topics to voice my opinions and thoughts.

Anger, Jealousy and Serenity

Red, Green and Blue are the fundamental colors in the world which drive away the dark black and plain white - to bring in the vividness in our life.

What does the color Red say today?

Are you facing the wrath of someone's anger?

And what does the color green say today?

Are you jealous? Or is someone jealous of you??

Well, someone can be angry. And someone or you yourself can be jealous. But what can you do in such a situation?

Just stay calm, composed and serene - just like the color Blue.

P.S. Apologies to the pretty ladies - Asin, Parineeti Chopra and Padma Lakshmi. The colors of your attires were so bold and brash that I couldn't help choosing your pictures.

Aspirations

Aspirations - It is something which we all possess.

In dictionary parlance, it is a will to succeed. Or a cherished desire - which we wish to achieve.

Achieving your aspirations always gives you a high. It will give you a sense of satisfaction. It will also give you a sense of joy and pride. 

And if that aspiration is something which you have been trying to achieve for a long time, a feeling of exhilaration is most common.

But have you faced a situation where people look upto you to meet their aspirations?

Have you been in a position where people think that you are the someone who can help them meet their aspirations, achieve their ambitions, take them towards their goals?

Some people find themselves in this situations regularly.

Barack Obama, way back in 2008, was one such person. Just after winning the South Carolina primary, he said "Yes. We Can". 

And with this, he caught on the hopes of the entire nation - going onto become the President of The United States of America. And in an unprecedented success, he became the TIME magazine Man Of The Year 2008.

Teachers also find themselves in such situations commonly. They are the role models for the students. 

  

Leaders in organizations also have this responsibility. They are commonly looked upto and cherished. And their achievements make their understudies aim for similar goals, if not better.

And most importantly, it's parents who find themselves in this situations - since they are the anchors and guiding stars for every individual in their formative years.

And sometimes, or many a times, they curb or suppress their aspirations to help you achieve yours.

Being in such a situation is not an easy thing. It gives you an extremely huge responsibility. A responsibility to ensure the success of someone else.

But if you succeed in guiding that individual to his or her aspirations, then you would become their hero. 

You would be their shining star - forever. A star whom they can look upto to be their guiding light. 

Pole star anyone??

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

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Click here for India wins Cricket World Cup 2011
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Click here for a view on the finals

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In India, they say - Cricket is a religion. And Sachin is the God.

For the unknowns, Cricket is a game. And Sachin Tendulkar is the most cherished player in Indian cricket.

And for the knowns, this introduction is not needed. 

What also is not needed is a reminder that the biggest festival in the game of cricket - The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - is set to start in the less than 10 days from now in the Indian Sub-continent.

The World Cup will be hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh jointly. Pakistan was initially decided as one of the co-host. But a spate of terror attacks in the country in 2009 resulted in Pakistan losing its chance to be one of the co-hosts.

Stumpy will be the Mascot for this World Cup.

Cricket is a game which is played most commonly in the Commonwealth nations. Considering this, you will see most of the nations participating in the game to be Commonwealth nations. The Netherlands in the exception.

Fourteen nations will be participating in this year's World Cup. Four of them are the associate members of the ICC while the remaining ten are the permanent members.

The World Cup will be played over 42 days - starting 19th Feb 2011. The finals are scheduled in Mumbai on 2nd April 2011.

The matches will be played across 13 stadiums across the 3 nations - 8 in India, 3 in Sri Lanka and 2 in Bangladesh.

What makes this Cup special is the fact that it is 10th edition of the Cricket World Cup.

What makes it special for me and you is the fact that it will be played in our country. India as a co host are one of the favorites to win the World Cup.

Back in 1983, India won the third edition of the Cup in England - beating the mighty West Indies.

Four years later, the Cup travelled to India. Australia won the Reliance World Cup in 1987.

Circa 1992, the Cup was played in Australia and New Zealand. Pakistan, under the able leadership of Imran Khan, emerged as the victors.

The Cup was back on the Indian Sub-continent in 1996. India managed to reach the semi-finals but were blown away by the eventual winners - Sri Lanka.

Later in 1999 and 2003, Australia were the champions. They played like lions - under the leadership of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.

The 2007 World Cup is the one of which I have the faintest of the memories. Played in distant West Indies, I don't think I even managed to see a single match. Australia were the winners once again.

But off late, the Australians are no longer the ruthless warriors.

India, under the wings of their charismatic captain, M.S. Dhoni are the new superstars. At this moment, they are right at the top of the ICC rankings.

The draw is out and each group comprises of 7 nations - with round robin games to be played between each country.

In Group A - Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan - look like the favorites to go into the knock out stages.

In Group B, you have India, England, South Africa and West Indies looking like the most likely candidates for the next stage.

But in a stage big as the Word Cup, you have a few rookie nations who can upset the applecart of these biggies. Bangladesh, Ireland, Kenya and Zimbabwe have the capability to beat these star nations.

As always, all of India hopes and prays that India will win the World Cup.

Sachin Tendulkar - at the age of 37 - will be playing in his sixth and last World Cup. And he would definitely like to crown his superb career record by winning the World Cup for India. 

And with the final to be played in Bombay a.k.a. Mumbai, Sachin will just have one thing on his mind for the next month and a half - lifting the Cup with his proud hands.

My Google Page Rank

My blog spot has been online on the web since the last 39 months.

Increasing the popularity of the blog page would require a dedicated set of repeated visitors, and a fairly large set of one time visitors.

The first set refers to your friends, and your colleagues, who visit your blog page - to keep in touch with your thoughts, ideas and opinions. 

The second set is bought in by the search engines. 

Needless to say, Google is the primary search engine which drives the traffic into my blog. And all these years, I was looking at ways and means of getting a Google Page Rank. 

Search engine analysts said that Google ranks pages with its Page Rank higher in the results than other pages who don't have a Page Rank.

January 2011 was a very mediocre month for me in terms of blogging. 

I managed to clock just two posts in the month - one at home and one at the Dubai airport. 

Apart from that, the visits to the blog page were extremely rare - given the 16-18 hours a day, 7 days a week work schedule. This translated into a reduced IndiRank.

But I was in for a very major surprise today when I saw that I had got my first  Google Page Rank of 1 in the month of Jan 2011. 

A broad smile broke across my face. :-) :-) 

Thanks to the visitors of my humble blog page for being a contributor in this achievement.

Special thanks to my fellow bloggers - Mansi Bhatia and her First Impressions and Mattias Kroon and his The Gateway To Longterm Income for boosting my page rank. 

Thanks too the blog aggregator - Blogchai for adding to the PR boost.

The task ahead is set. To retain this Page Rank and increase it further. 

Hope to take some strong decisive steps towards that goal. Keeping fingers crossed!!

Winston Churchill on Russia

Winston Churchill, the ex British Prime Minister, was the most formidable leader in World War 2.

Popularly known as the British bulldog, his quotes are widely remembered even today - due to their aptness.

Moving on to the USSR.

The USSR - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - when it existed between 1922 and 1991 - was the largest country in the World.

More than 10000 kilometers wide, 5000 kilometers tall, spread across 11 time zones, with just a population of 293 million - it was a country very limitedly known by the world. And that is the case even today.

The USSR now exists as Russia, albeit in a smaller form (it is an understatement to call it small), and is as strong as it was earlier.

And why are we discussing about Churchill and Russia?

Here's the reason.

Faced with a critical challenge during World War 2, Churchill said these famous line explaining Russia.

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma;but perhaps there is a key.

It is a picture perfect description of a nation which has intrigued many a generations, including today's generation.

Quite interesting isn't it??

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar, popularly known as Burma, a nation in South Asia, will be the focus of the world's attention today evening. The entire world is looking forward to the release of its Democracy Champion - Aung San Suu Kyi - from captivity.

  

Burma had been a colonial territory for the British for a long period of 62 years - right from 1886 to 1948.

And like India, when it gained independence in 1948, a democratic government took over the reins of the nation - hoping for a peaceful future. 

In a twist of fate, democracy came to an end in 1962, when the military junta took over the nation with a coup. And since then, till date, Burma continues to be under the rule of the military junta.

The junta pursued a particular technique of Socialism during its rule. Needless to say, the rule by the junta was hugely unpopular. Protests against the military rules were the order of the day. But in most cases, they were quelled.

After widespread protests in 1988 - under the 8888 Uprising - elections were planned in Burma. And for the first time in 30 years, elections were held in Burma.

In 1988, a political party by the name National League for Democracy was formed. It's secretary was none other than Aung San Suu Kyi. She took up the cause of the democracy in the nation.

Sensing her widespread popularity, she was put under house arrest on 20 July 1989. She was offered a release from the virtual prison if she promised to leave the nation. She refused - showcasing the abilities of a great leader.

In the 1990 elections, her party won more than 80% of the parliament seats. And as the leader, Suu Kyi was all set to become the Prime Minister.

As it normally happens, the military junta refused to accept the verdict of the people. They refused to hand over the leadership of the country to Suu Kyi. The lust of power took them over and they nullified the results of the election. 

They also placed Suu Kyi under house arrest. And since then, Aung San Suu Kyi has been an icon of the Burmese democratic struggle.

The military junta has been extremely oppressive - having put Suu Kyi under house arrest for almost 14 years in the last two decades. And in this period, she has not been allowed to meet the leaders from her party as well as international visitors.

Suu Kyi's fight for freedom is widely acknowledged across the world. She receives tremendous support from the big daddies of world politics. The UN too has been supporting her cause.

She won the Noble Peace Prize in the year 1991 itself - for her for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights. 

In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honor this woman for her unflagging efforts and to show its support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means.

-- Oslo, 14 October 1991

She is also popularly remembered for her flamboyant "Freedom From Fear" speech - which she started with the lines below. 

"It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it."

Here's a quick look at some of the most important points in Suu Kyi's life in the last 20 years - courtesy the BBC

The tremendous international pressure on Burma for release of Suu Kyi with continuous follow up by the international media has finally paid off.

On 1st October 2010, the military junta announced that Aung San Suu Kyi would be release on 13th November 2010. And that day is today.

And we all hope that in the final hours, the junta keeps upto it's promise and releases the icon of the Burmese democratic struggle.

Suu Kyi is just 45 years of age. And with her wealth of experience from the last 22 years, and a bright future that the world hopes for Burma, Suu Kyi could just be the leader who could transform the nation and takes her to greater heights.

A bright future beckons Burma.

Double Century

Three years and two hundred blog posts. 

This has been the journey of my blog since I started writing on this very page. 

Just a fortnight back, I posted the 200th post - without realizing that I had crossed a vital landmark.

Landmarks should be stepping stones to further successes. And with this in mind, I look back at a few blog posts from my collection - the one's who bought in the best traffic, and the one's who didn't bring in much of traffic but made me happy.

My first traffic spinner was Ana Ivanovic, the Serbian Tennis Star, with her photo shoot for Sports Illustrated with Pink Tennis Balls.

This photo shoot of hers has been an hit with online community crazy about Female Tennis Players. And when Google listed my blog page right at the top of the result, the traffic flowed in.

Check out the photo shoot on my blog post and see who catches your attention - Ana Ivanovic or the Pink Tennis Balls?

Next one were the all famous "Football WAGs".

Between June-July 2010, when the World Cup football was in progress, the players took all the attention.

And immediately after the World Cup, their wives and girlfriends were in focus. The ladies who garnered the largest attraction were Sara Carbonero, Alex Curran and Sarah Brander.

These ladies too bought in a lot of traffic. Read about their claim to fame on my blog post.

And most recently, it was a blog post on Mao Zedong, who bought in a lot of viewers.

Courtesy Google, an image on my blog post was listed as the first image in Google Search, with "Mao Zedong" as the search query.

Check out my opinion and links between Mao Zedong, Maoism and Maoists here.

But blogging is not all about bringing in more traffic.

It has more to do with writing things which are close to your heart. Things which reflect your very self. Things which highlight your learnings. Things which make you feel happy, and sad.

Here's a list of my top blog posts in this category.

I didn't know that I could write so much on Eyes.

And on Smiles, which can set a few things straight.

This blog post on Attractive Hairstyles was completely offbeat.

And this blog post - on Parenthesis - reflected the complex relationships in our modern time.

And I can't resist listing the next two blog posts.

The first one is on Enchanting Perfumes.

And the next one is on the eternal theme - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.

There are many more which may be worth reading.

Surf around my blog if you would like too. And let me know your opinion.

Roberto Carlos Free Kick

If you are a follower of the game of football - or soccer like it is called back in America - then you must have heard about Roberto Carlos.

Roberto Carlos is a Brazilian Footballer. 

He had been a part of the Brazilian National Football team for a long 14 years. He has been playing club football for the last 20 years. His stint with Real Madrid - spread over more than a decade - is well known.

He was a part of the team that won the Football World Cup in 2002.

In his hey days, he was a free kick speacialist. And this was much before the days of another free kick guru - David Beckham.

He is most well known for a free kick which he took against France way back in 1997.

Shot from a distance of approx 35 meters (115 feet) - with four defenders from the French team forming the wall - the ball made a swirl which defied logic. It beat six French players and made it's way to the goal. 

The only thing that the the French goal keeper - Fabien Barthez - could do was just watch the ball fly past him. It left him completely stunned.

Catch the goal right below.

This goal is widely regarded as the best free kick ever.

It is so famous that a few French scientist's have published a technical paper on this very goal.

Read more here.

A Whirlwind of Thoughts

My day today - was a Topsy turvy ride through different emotions and feelings!!

Day - 3rd September 2010.

Time - Midnight

The thoughts of the exam today are troubling me. It has been more than some 8 months since I appeared for the exam and the thought of it is giving me goosebumps.

The fact that the study period did not exceed 5 hours (including intermediating dozing off) did not add to the confidence.

Time - 6.20 AM

The alarm goes off. 

Exam or no exam - the snooze button needs to be pressed at-least once. And this made me realize one thing today - I am thinking a lot about unnecessary things.

Reason - The first thing that came to my mind when I pressed the snooze button on my cell phone was the the Snooze button was much larger than the Stop Button :-). This was done because it is more likely to be used.

Time - 7.15 AM

Mood - Anxious. One quick round of revision before leaving from home is on the cards.

Time - 9.00 AM

A small prayer to God to help me recall the answers to some really twisted questions.

Time - 9.20 AM

A small Thank You to God Almighty.

The exam is done and I have obtained marks enough to pass. :-) :-).

Time - Just after noon

Had talked to someone an hour back. And just got to know that I may not be talking to that person - maybe forever. 

This left me in a sombre mood.

Time - 2.00 PM

Answering a tricky complex question with a balanced answer in a few lines results in severe strain on the mind.

Time - 4.00 PM

Feel like I have let someone down. Wish God had given us the powers to read someone's mind - just to understand whether they felt let down.

Time - 7.30 PM

Mood - Extremely Nervous. Reasons - Completely Unknown. Strong rumbling sounds from my stomach are giving me company.

Time - 9.15 PM

Cursing myself for my bad habit of procrastination.

Time - 10.15 PM

Back Home. Blanked Out. Can't think anymore!!

Time - 11.25 PM

Recollecting what happened all through the day.

All in all, It was a day with a strange mix of emotions and thoughts. 

It made me more humble. It made me feel that I should be more accommodating. It made me realize that some things shouldn't left unsaid - you may never get a chance to say them again. And made me hope that tomorrow won't be as difficult as I think it will be today.