Waka Waka - This time for Afrika

Football Mania 2010 has gripped the whole world. In this times, when we all are busy sorting our own problems out, we have a gaming event which has untied us all in its passion, its action and its enchanting liveliness. Yes, world cup 2010 has perspectives as it never had before. Few of the reasons I feel this world cup is closer to me than any I have ever witnessed :
1. This is a trying time for all of us. We face terrorism, nuclear warheads, poverty, energy crisis, crime rates and what not. It seems that the end of the world is near and in such a time, we are witnessing an event which has brought us all closer to each other. We are here crying together over a missed goal, shrieking with joy over a head butt and groaning together each time there is a near miss. How beautiful it is to hug a stranger from a different continent sitting beside me without any prejudice or ill feeling.
2. This time for Afrika - Africa as a continent has been neglected for too long. Whoever went there, it was only for the continent's abundance. Aids, famine, poverty, lack of education, health issues...... these are few of the grim realities of this beautiful continent. World Cup 2010 has brought a pride to this land. They are hosting a world event and now getting the attention of everyone to their problems. One goal - eradiaction of poverty through education is a cause which is synonymous with this year game.
3. Players and History - It has been a long time since we have seen the likes of Maradona or Pele on football ground. The whole world is waiting for another legend and wishing that this world cup gives birth to one. I have my prayers too.. Amen. :)
4. Reach - This is the world cup with maximum reach ever. Internet and 3G networks along with satellite TVs have made it possible for everyone to follow this fever.. whatever be the time zone. And being in India where the match timings are usually past midnight, it has become very easy to watch the best moments without missing out on work.
5. The biggest reason of it all - I am missing any kinda action and nothing is better than Football to make my adrenaline rush :).

Mamta Banerjee - A new hope for West Bengal

This post has been inspired by the recent debacle of left in Kolkata Muncipal elections. TMC has come out as a force to reckon and more importantly is the "People's choice". Personally, I interviewed atleast a dozen of people belonging to very low income group and found that they were unanimous in their decision. Why? And pat came the answer - "Mamta di amar kashto boojhbe"; "Didi amar sonkat door korte hobe".. all eyes are now on "Didi" to fix things up. Being a non-bengali I had to take some time out to analyze what goes beneath this trust. Is it for real and deserved or just a reaction to apathy of the left.. ?? I am here on an exploration trip and would try to do justice to my journey.

Mamta Banerjee - Iron lady of bengal, was born on 5th January, 1955 in a not so affluent family in erstwhile Calcutta. She joined politics as a youth leader for Congress in 1970s. She quickly rose to higher ranks and in 1984 became one of the youngest parliamentarians after beating Somnath Chatterjee. She has remained highly visible in the national political landscape since those times.

Now, a bit of analysis - She has time and again, vociferously protested against whatever she thinks is not ideologically correct. She is seen as a "Clean" and "Honest" politician, a feat achieved by very few present day leaders. She chooses to live simply and has gone against her own party (most of the cases it was Congress(I) or NDA ) to ask for what is right.

Will she be able to live upto the promises Mamta has made to the people of bengal and to India? Only time will tell, but people of kolkata have given out their verdict They want to give an eccentric, vocal but honest leader a chance to change their state. More than three decades is a long enough time for left to prove it could not help bengal much.. now its upto Didi to show what her true mettle is.

PS: The analysis is far from over. For more on politics in West Bengal, look out for posts soon.

Naxalbari - A home of cries which silenced many lives

"75 people killed in the train accident: Sabotage from Naxalite suspected"; "75 Army personals killed in an ambush with Naxalites" ;

Are these the headlines which people of Naxalbari want to wake up daily to read? Or are there so many illiterates in the birthplace of the terror called Naxal movement that no one bothers reading these headlines?

As many as as 455 people have been killed in Naxal violence since 2009, more than half of which are innocent civilians. Isn't it right to compare it with terrorism in Kashmir which has resulted in loss of 377 lives in last one year?

Now the question comes - Who are these Naxalites? What is the thing that they want to achieve? How fair are they in their means? Shouldn't they be treated with same sense of disgust with which we treat any other terrorist group?

We as the people of India, and specially as those who are supporting this violent movement should introspect and find out the answers to these questions. No doubt the questions will only be answered when every concerned person can have a clear conscience.

Naxalite movement originated due to the absence of any other means of peaceful protest. But today it has become a means to show that guns are mightier than any respect for a human life. Naxalbari, the home of cries against oppression has become a synonym for deathly tragedies in many lives. Has the movement fulfilled what it had begun to achieve? Is violence the only solution to gain freedom from oppression of any kind - be it by the government or the wealthy, high class people?

How many more lives are to be thrown away before anyone could talk sense - be it an inept, insensitive government trying to handle the violence without success or naxal groups justifying killing of innocent people for the sake of ideologies? How long will the people have to live with the blood bath??

Shouldn't world be a better place for everyone to live in??

Wines and Tea - How similar yet different

Lately I started having interest in all kinds of beverages.. alcoholic and non-alcoholic. My love is still pure and cool WATER but drinks fascinate me. Infact the entire gamut of food and drink is such an exploratory field.

I have started reading more about Tea- a drink I liked since a long time. The delicate taste, invigorating aroma and the difference minute details can make in the taste of tea is so subtle yet complex... it challenges me in a way... to explore. There is just another drink like that.. Wine.

Tea and Wine are two different drinks but with many similarities. Both are delicate drinks.. have more than a thousand variations and are complex to make. Both are sensually stimulating experience and when paired with the right food, provide an awesome sensory pleasure. And may be its just a coincidence that both have been proved to have a positive effect on health.

Tea as well as Wine are ceremonial drink. They make every occasion worth a celebration and attach a significance to it. In many parts of the world, there are elaborate customs woven around both the drinks.

Wine as everyone knows is an alcoholic drink, though the percentage of alcohol is quite less than a bottle of cough syrup. Tea on the other hand has caffeine and nicotine not to mention tannin. Tea can be soothing as well as stimulating. Wine on the other hand makes a person more relaxed and slightly inebriated.

In my previous post I had written few basic things about tea. I will be writing my next post about Wines most probably with a light cup of Earl Grey or Jasmine Tea in my hand.

Just Tea

Just Tea - A small attempt to bring the delight of a great drink called Tea. It is my first entrepreneurial venture and hence holds a very special place. This was the first dream I saw when I landed up in IIM Lucknow.

For those who do not know the origins, here is the full story of "Just Tea" .

Like any other idea, it was formed during informal discussions with a friend of mine. We shared an interest in tea and soon we found that we can educate others about this widely consumed but hardly known drink. Thus came into being "CHaiBar", a small hangout for friends at my room - right ambiance, right music, right drink.. summed up to right experience. But this couldn't last long in the rigour of study and other commitments. I tried reviving this dream with the help of other friends but never could gain enough momentum.

Then came an idea to start with a small counter in another student run eatery inside the campus. This along with a search for an info regarding the NVP project, resulted in an encounter with the owner of a tea distribution company in Lucknow. He was willing to help us try out the idea on our own. He wanted to open a Tea Lounge in Lucknow and hence needed an initial working model to gauge the inclination of customers. In the mean time, we had formed a group which was enthusiastic about implementing the idea. And lo.. the engine started running.

Within a short span of a month, we were able to get all clearances and start a small tea kiosk. It sure is a humble beginning but definitely has the potential to grow big. I do not want to go into detail about what were the challenges we faced but yes, it was a great learning experience. Every minor detail had to be worked out. One has to be proactive throughout. It is a team work all in all. Just Tea can claim to have a set of loyal customers, even though the number is small right now. Through unique and fast service, we are expecting to grow this small base into a strong network of loyal customers.

It is just a start. Many hurdles are yet to be crossed, many milestones yet to be achieved. Wish us Luck. :)