Cricket Fiasco at Kotla

Yesterday I was happy relaxing in front of the TV watching the match played between India and Sri Lanka…han han the cricket match…and happy with the start. It seemed India was doing very good from the first ball itself.

Only a couple of days back there was such a mess about getting tickets for this match that was being played in Delhi’s Kotla ground. Those people who did not get their tickets must be such a happy lot now.

Why is it cricket has to have such a horrible closing at the end of this year. The crowd must have waited in the queue for long hours, frisked by security personals before entering the stadium, sit for sometime watch few overs being bowled and later see the two teams walk out with the last announcement coming the match has been suspended.

Those watching the match in the comfort of their homes at least could get the signal from the pictures and the commentators the pitch was not suitable for play. With a grassy top the ball was rising high enough to hurt the batsman which of course was happening just before our eyes…the camera is very clever to catch every movement with the handiwork of the person behind the lens.

The match could not be played, blame games shooting up but after all who takes the blame…BCCI, the curator of the pitch, the Delhi Cricket Board, go on naming and ultimately no one wants to shoulder the blame. Why should one want to get the blame? There is so much of money in this game…cricket has made BCCI rich…and being a part of it is an honour. So people would love to be involved in cricket from close quarter, to be facilitated and privileged in getting complimentary passes to watch the matches in the different venues.

The other day when the match was being played in Eden Gardens, the flood lights went off. Can we say with too much cricket this game is losing its sheen and, the needs and wants of this classy game is not looked into properly - be it the laying of a pitch or giving a thorough check to see the floodlights are working properly.

Why has so much of callousness come in? Is it too much of anything ends up with little interest for it? Unanswered question…

Time to see our faces don’t drop in shame if we cannot hold the 2010 Commonwealth Games as expected by all the participating countries who will come here to be a part of it.

‘Learn from mistakes’…the calling…

Be Merry and Cheery and Bake

With Christmas, the chime of jingling bells can be heard. And why not it is the effect of the sweet song ‘Jingle bells jingle bells, jingle all the way’ and then we form a picture of Santa Claus in our minds draped in his red coat and red cap, come riding on a sledge drawn by reindeers with his bag full of gifts to distribute them, that’s a happy picture we can think about.

Christmas day brings in the taste and smell of cakes…baking in our homes or getting one from the bakery. If you are to bake a cake, it’s very simple. All you need is eggs, sugar, maida (same weight as eggs), baking powder, cocoa powder (optional), butter (quantity your feel right for you), cashew, other nuts and raisins (again optional) and of course your labour to prepare the batter. Once the batter is ready, pour it into the baking dish and place it in the baking oven and…wait for it to eat. Cut it out into pieces, sizes of course bigger or smaller you want them in and then just enjoy the taste of your home-made or should I say home-baked cake.

Nowadays we get little chance to enjoy so why leave the opportunity when it comes.

“Make hay while the sun shines”. Grab such opportunities when they come giving no space to grumbling instead be Merry. That’s what this day says.

...and I say Merry Christmas...