It's time Indians respect champions

I had been to the opening match of the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders against Bangalore Royal Challengers. The former batted first. The first wicket, that of Ganguly, had just fallen. In walked Ponting amidst loud 'boos'. Shouts of 'Ponting, cheater' filled the stands. I never understood the rationale behind such crowd behavior.

Is Ponting really a cheat? I don't think so. He hasn't done anything wrong that would prompt one to call him so. In fact, I find it really surprising when people talk ill of the Australian attitude. It takes great discipline and determination to attain the level of competitiveness that Australians display. They play hard and fair and I don't see anything wrong in that. Somehow, sledging or "gamesmanship" is often linked to Australians. Is there a team that refrains itself from this?

I am sure the crowd reacted the same way again during the 1st Test match played last week. This time Ponting has answered with his bat. It requires a strong character to play an innings like he did, especially after all the hype that surrounded his lack of decent record in India. Of course, the early wicket helped his cause as he didn't have to face the spinners straight away. But he didn't show any signs of weakness in the second innings as well, where he had to play Bhajji first up.

Anyway, it was sad to see the captain of a champion side like Australia getting such a reception. Champions in the Indian side like Sachin, Dravid, Laxman and Kumble are treated with great respect whenever Indians go down under. It's time Indian public reciprocate this attitude of respecting champions. They don't come by too often :-)

Some for the Masses, Some for the Gods

It is difficult to imagine world without sports and sportspersons. Nothing can be more entertaining than watching a closely competed game between Federer and Nadal in tennis, or Manchester United and Chelsea in soccer, or Australia and South Africa in cricket. These are few teams/individuals that play their respective sport at a level higher than their peers. It is clearly evident that the standards set by the Australian team in cricket are so high that it takes a really good, dedicated and relentless effort by other teams to come anywhere close to them in the immediate future. Their hunger for success is such that, they don't just stop at winning alone. How they win is equally important. Ruthless, aggressive with a never-say-die attitude. Not just push the opposition onto the mat but nail them there.

For some grace and elegance come naturally. For others, they are always mysteries. You can notice that elegance in a Federer backhand. The same elegance is seen in those mouth-watering flicks by Azharuddin or Mark Waugh. These individuals carry the same elegance off the sporting fields. These individuals play for Gods. You can watch them play day in and day out and never get bored.
Then there are others who are crowd-entertainers. They toil hard for success. In cricket you have people like Dhoni or Afridi, who like to butcher opposition bowlers. For them, elegance is not an option as long as they belt the bowlers hard and long. In tennis, you have Nadal. Of course, he's got a stylish forehand. But apart from that, his overall game looks a bit crude. No doubt he is effective in his own way. These individuals play for the masses. They attract crowds in huge numbers.
The world of sport needs both these kinds of players. Gods love players like Federer, Azhar and Waugh. After all they are their creations. People love players like Nadal, Dhoni and Afridi. After all their shots make their day. Some for the masses, some for the gods - nice mix :-)

Quotes

Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun.
Colleen C. Barrett

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau

If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.
Moshe Dayan

Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Baptism

So, finally I get time to blog. I have been wanting to do this for quite some time now. Somehow, whenever the idea of blogging cropped up, it was always followed by some task which needed immediate attention prompting me to push the "blogging" idea under the carpet :)

So here I am, finally deciding to spend whatever little time I have, writing whatever little I can. This is more of an introduction to the kind of blogs you would find here rather than a personal introduction which I wish to keep a secret. Being a resident of a country as diverse in culture, art, cuisine, religion, language and landscape as India, I intend to keep my blogs diverse in content, too. I would like to cover topics ranging from sports and history to books and mythology. Not that I am a walking encyclopedia but atleast this way, I could learn new things which I wouldn't otherwise.

Finally, I would like to dedicate a separate section to some inspiring quotes or blogs which would be updated regularly.