So back to doing what I like best. Travelling! Road travel has never been my favourite and will never be; unless it is a bike. And I don't mind travelling long distances by bike. But I would always prefer a train to a car. that maybe because I am used to rail journeys. KKR may miss an opportunity to lose a match and squeeze some victories but I never miss an opportunity to travel!
So there I go again. Goa!! Third time in two years and I don't think I would get bored even if I go there as many times as Messi scores in a season. Same with train travel. I like beaches better than the mountains. That may be because beach is my home and mountains away. And there is no place like home!
It's always a pleasure to get away and be part of a sparse crowd rather than in the thick of it like in Bombay or Madras. It is a sea of strangeness outside of home. But not forever. No. It is all exciting to get your bag packed up for a trip. It is all fabulous enjoying a train ride. It is all fantastic to appreciate a beautiful landscape from a lonely road. It is all thrilling to be in the lap of Mother Nature. It is all fun to be together and have a whale of a time. But this is not a road that goes ever on. It winds back to that small island amidst the sea of strangeness. Sad though one maybe on the last lap of a journey home, ultimately it is to realise that there is no place like home.
Showing posts with label 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1. Show all posts
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Total Football v2.0
When Johann Cruyff last conjured the philosophy of Total Football, Ajax won three consecutive European titles from 1971 to 1973 and the Dutch team reached the 1974 World Cup finals. Yesterday Cruyff, a former Barcelona man himself would have felt proud. Barca's game though similar, does not exactly match with the philosophy. But what they do is elevate the game to an art form through exemplary passing and in a way breaking football to its simplest form. As Cruyff himself said, "Simple football is the most beautiful. But playing simple football is the hardest thing".
Total Football is all about creating ample space. Cruyff's team did it by moving around with no player occupying a fixed position. What Barca do is not far away. They create that space through passing, passing and passing. Its a lot of first touches and by trying to win the ball they send the opponents in circles. And the orchestrators of this spectacle, pulling the strings in the midfield are two of Spain's best. Xavi and his padawan learner Iniesta are the deadliest combination in world football today, for both club and country.
Talking of space and Total Football, this Barca team has a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD). This needs neither space nor assists. It seems to work on its own and when it explodes its wrath appears terrible. It's diminutive, but still can muscle past five bulky defenders, and runs faster with the ball than players running without the ball. The WMD's exhibition of football is more than an art form, it is divine to say the least. And it plays in the no. 10 jersey.
With such assets it is not surprising that Barca embarrasses even the best of opponents. But the team's main weakness is endurance as it displayed in the first leg against Arsenal recently. A 2-2 scoreline technically qualifies for even honours. But those who saw what transpired know that Arsenal were outplayed beyond anyone's imagination. Real Madrid await them for El Clasico. A second consecutive Champions League title beckons. If anyone can stop them it is gonna be The Special One. Inter have their task cut out.
Total Football is all about creating ample space. Cruyff's team did it by moving around with no player occupying a fixed position. What Barca do is not far away. They create that space through passing, passing and passing. Its a lot of first touches and by trying to win the ball they send the opponents in circles. And the orchestrators of this spectacle, pulling the strings in the midfield are two of Spain's best. Xavi and his padawan learner Iniesta are the deadliest combination in world football today, for both club and country.
Talking of space and Total Football, this Barca team has a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD). This needs neither space nor assists. It seems to work on its own and when it explodes its wrath appears terrible. It's diminutive, but still can muscle past five bulky defenders, and runs faster with the ball than players running without the ball. The WMD's exhibition of football is more than an art form, it is divine to say the least. And it plays in the no. 10 jersey.
With such assets it is not surprising that Barca embarrasses even the best of opponents. But the team's main weakness is endurance as it displayed in the first leg against Arsenal recently. A 2-2 scoreline technically qualifies for even honours. But those who saw what transpired know that Arsenal were outplayed beyond anyone's imagination. Real Madrid await them for El Clasico. A second consecutive Champions League title beckons. If anyone can stop them it is gonna be The Special One. Inter have their task cut out.
Friday, March 19, 2010
O Jogo Bonito
The game was so called by a certain Pele and how fitting!
The phrase means "The beautiful game". What made Pele to make such a remark and for the millions of fans to stand by it? Is it the relative unpredictablity, the sheer adrenaline, the fierce competitiveness, or the mass appeal. Maybe one, maybe all but there are instances which clear the haze surrounding the game being called so.
Lionel Messi is one of the answers. It is for the sublime skill, touch mastery, breathtaking plays, and swift counters of players such as Messi that made Pele call the game beautiful. A thing of beauty is a joy to watch. And when sublime plays light up the pitch, the aura is palpable. Scorching shots and diving headers can do so far as to increase adrenaline. But dribbling and step-overs can give you goosebumps.
The game never ceases to amaze. Of all sport in the world, most people are most exposed to Football. Yet with every passing day, the beautiful game only becomes more beautiful. Of course it has its fair share of foul plays and controversies. But you sit down to watch one more time.
The game may not today boast of many proponents of the beautiful game. We hardly see a defender do a Franz Beckenbauer, dribbling the ball out of defense! But occasional bursts of magical play sure does do justice to the tag of it being called "O Jogo Bonito".
The phrase means "The beautiful game". What made Pele to make such a remark and for the millions of fans to stand by it? Is it the relative unpredictablity, the sheer adrenaline, the fierce competitiveness, or the mass appeal. Maybe one, maybe all but there are instances which clear the haze surrounding the game being called so.
Lionel Messi is one of the answers. It is for the sublime skill, touch mastery, breathtaking plays, and swift counters of players such as Messi that made Pele call the game beautiful. A thing of beauty is a joy to watch. And when sublime plays light up the pitch, the aura is palpable. Scorching shots and diving headers can do so far as to increase adrenaline. But dribbling and step-overs can give you goosebumps.
The game never ceases to amaze. Of all sport in the world, most people are most exposed to Football. Yet with every passing day, the beautiful game only becomes more beautiful. Of course it has its fair share of foul plays and controversies. But you sit down to watch one more time.
The game may not today boast of many proponents of the beautiful game. We hardly see a defender do a Franz Beckenbauer, dribbling the ball out of defense! But occasional bursts of magical play sure does do justice to the tag of it being called "O Jogo Bonito".
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The significance of the dotted line.
It is ironic that Paradise on Earth is littered with trouble. By all accounts it is a joy to behold but it rots in despair. The sights still have the magnificence, like the music out of a santoor, but echoes of sadness. Of all the places to suffer from Partition, the Subcontinent lost its Paradise. It is where the bold line (the international border) is irrelevant, and only for official records. The dotted line (Line of Control (LOC)) is more significant amplified by the presence of the Border fence.
So whose folly is it that we lost the Paradise. Indians call the other side of LOC as Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. For us it is an intrusion into our land, non-negotiable, period. How many of us know that our Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is referred to as India-occupied-Kashmir? Kashmir and Jammu was one of the several princely states before partition given an option to accede to either India or Pakistan. At that time the region was Muslim majority. But the then Maharajah Hari Singh decided to remain independent. Then what followed was -> Pakistan attacked Kashmir, Hari Singh asked India for help, India obliged but set conditions, acceded Kashmir to the Union of India.
Whom to blame? Public opinion in Kashmir at that point is still unclear. India cleverly used the opportunity to bag Kashmir but Pakistan was wrong in the first place to attack. Perhaps they felt cheated that a Muslim majority region was not rightfully theirs. The conflict continues. No side wants to give up their stand. It is a matter of pride rather than the lives of the people of Kashmir.
Then came the fcuk1ing terrorists. In their quest for power they hold conflicts such as Kashmir and Palestine central to their ideology. Fcuk them! Opportunistic scum just using the stage to lure innocent people to fight for their ends. As if they care for the people of Kashmir and Palestine. It is all power and pride. John Milton would have been sad to see in reality 'Paradise Lost'. We should only hope to compose 'Paradise Regained' as an epitaph to the martyrs of the Kashmir cause.
So whose folly is it that we lost the Paradise. Indians call the other side of LOC as Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. For us it is an intrusion into our land, non-negotiable, period. How many of us know that our Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is referred to as India-occupied-Kashmir? Kashmir and Jammu was one of the several princely states before partition given an option to accede to either India or Pakistan. At that time the region was Muslim majority. But the then Maharajah Hari Singh decided to remain independent. Then what followed was -> Pakistan attacked Kashmir, Hari Singh asked India for help, India obliged but set conditions, acceded Kashmir to the Union of India.
Whom to blame? Public opinion in Kashmir at that point is still unclear. India cleverly used the opportunity to bag Kashmir but Pakistan was wrong in the first place to attack. Perhaps they felt cheated that a Muslim majority region was not rightfully theirs. The conflict continues. No side wants to give up their stand. It is a matter of pride rather than the lives of the people of Kashmir.
Then came the fcuk1ing terrorists. In their quest for power they hold conflicts such as Kashmir and Palestine central to their ideology. Fcuk them! Opportunistic scum just using the stage to lure innocent people to fight for their ends. As if they care for the people of Kashmir and Palestine. It is all power and pride. John Milton would have been sad to see in reality 'Paradise Lost'. We should only hope to compose 'Paradise Regained' as an epitaph to the martyrs of the Kashmir cause.
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