Where is the beautiful game??

I started watching football seriously around 8 years ago.First game I saw was EPL(now known as BPL) between Manchester United and Arsenal.Anybody who knows football wiil agree that I chose the right game to commene a serious relationship with soccer.Now 8 years is not a long time but it enough to understand a few nitty-gritties of the BEAUTIFUL GAME.

As the world cup2010 unfolds right now, many are disappointed with the quality of football, including me.There have been painfully few high scoring matches as if the teams and coaches have forgotten that goals is what people want to watch.No one wants to see drab 0-0 draws or 1-0 victories.

The Germans showed a lot of flare in the first game and were duly appreciated.Its a shame that they lost today to a conservative Serbia(1-0!!!).So were Spain stunned by the Swiss despite playing good football with the Swiss scoring with first and only clear chance of the game (again 1-0!!!).And that too after a goal front melee.

As per my understanding, there have always been two varities of football--the South American style and the European method.

1) The South American style---I use the term style coz thats wat this breed of football is all about-flare, skills, panache, astounding dribbling and some ridiculously impossible looking goals.No guesses Brazil have been the pioneers of this style followed by Argentina.Both have a rivalry as to who is the pioneer but we have to hand it to the 5 times champions.

Typical features of this style are individuals going past a legion of defenders and scoring.Very few headed goals.Bicycle kicks and overhead kicks is more used than heads.The few headed goals are also scored after a move which may have involved passes from all 11 players(sometimes more than once!!)

2) The European method--The term method is used because here strategy and a methodical approach pushes style to the back seat.It concentrates more on the effectiveness than the beauty of the game.All in all a conservative approach where sometimes the games are won but the GAME loses.pioneers are Italy.

Typical features are crosses shot into the 18 yard(or 6 yard) box.Lots of headers attempted.Set pieces and dead ball situations used more than open play.Its a defensive style of football successfully which relies a lot on counter-attacks and is employed by weaker teams against their tougher opponents.The teams typically score a goal and sit back defending or grind out the opposition, frustrate them and hit on the break.

Now the European way is to be seen at its best in this world cup.David's are winning against the Goliath's by scoring cheekily or just scrambling the ball into the net and then defending with their lives at stake. Its not THE BEAUTIFUL GAME but THE EFFECTIVE GAME.

But isn't this equivalent to murder.A general strategy is committing a lot of fouls in the center of the pitch rather than close to the goals.At the same time teams are suffocating any swift moves emanating from the midfield.This results in very few MEMORABLE GOALS and also, a famine of goals as we are seeing till now.

As we get into the more serious stages of the cup, we will see more goals becoz initially, teams are a bit skeptical and do not want to start on a losing note.Also the teams with the flare and skill will make it to the next rounds barring a few debacles beocz all understand that without scoring, you cant win.(Every WC needs a few upsets. It just adds to the flavour!)

We all want our favourite teams to win and we wont really care about how they won, how they played as long as they bring home the most coveted trophy in the world.But that will matter only after a team wins the cup.Till then it will be agonizing to see dull matches played under the pseudonym of strategy to effectively weed out a glorious style of playing THE BEAUTIFUL GAME.

NOTE--There is a third way also--Its called Nothing Football.Pioneers are England and France.If this style wins the Cup, it will become THE AWEFUL GAME!

Nahush-My favourite poem by Rashtrakavi Shri Maithili Sharan Gupt

This is my favourite poem 'NAHUSH' by Shri Maithili Sharan Gupt.

It has the most inspirational words you will ever come across.

Nahush was a Chandrawanshi king who earned the right to be the King of the 'Devas' when Lord Indra was smeared with the allegation of 'Brahmahatya' and had to let go his 'Sinhasana'.

Nahush got fascinated with Lord Indra's wife Sachi.Sachi realized that the new king was blinded by lust.So she put forward a condition.She asked Nahush to come to her only in a Palki cariied by the 'Saptarishis'.She herself stood at one end of the universe and Nahush followed in the Palki carried by the reverend Rishis.

Whenever Nahush came close, Sachi would move backwards in space.Nahush did not realize Sachi's trick as the vastness of universe and his lust played tricks on his judgement.

The poem begins from this stage:

मत्त-सा नहुष चला बैठ ऋषियान में
व्याकुल से देव चले साथ में, विमान में
पिछड़े तो वाहक विशेषता से भार की
अरोही अधीर हुआ प्रेरणा से मार की

दिखता है मुझे तो कठिन मार्ग कटना
अगर ये बढ़ना है तो कहूँ मैं किसे हटना?
बस क्या यही है बस बैठ विधियाँ गढ़ो?
अश्व से अडो ना अरे, कुछ तो बढ़ो, कुछ तो बढ़ो

बार बार कन्धे फेरने को ऋषि अटके
आतुर हो राजा ने सरौष पैर पटके
क्षिप्त पद हाय! एक ऋषि को जा लगा
सातों ऋषियों में महा क्षोभानल आ जगा

भार बहे, बातें सुने, लातें भी सहे क्या हम
तु ही कह क्रूर, मौन अब भी रहें क्या हम
पैर था या सांप यह, डस गया संग ही
पमर पतित हो तु होकर भुंजग ही

राजा हतेज हुआ शाप सुनते ही काँप
मानो डस गया हो उसे जैसे पिना साँप
श्वास टुटने-सी मुख-मुद्रा हुई विकला
"हा ! ये हुआ क्या?" यही व्यग्र वाक्य निकला

जड़-सा सचिन्त वह नीचा सर करके
पालकी का नाल डूबते का तृण धरके
शून्य-पट-चित्र धुलता हुआ सा दृष्टि से
देखा फिर उसने समक्ष शून्य दृष्टि से

दीख पड़ा उसको न जाने क्या समीप सा
चौंका एक साथ वह बुझता प्रदीप-सा -
“संकट तो संकट, परन्तु यह भय क्या ?
दूसरा सृजन नहीं मेरा एक लय क्या ?”

सँभला अद्मय मानी वह खींचकर ढीले अंग -
“कुछ नहीं स्वप्न था सो हो गया भला ही भंग.
कठिन कठोर सत्य तो भी शिरोधार्य है
शांत हो महर्षि मुझे, सांप अंगीकार्य है"

दुख में भी राजा मुसकराया पूर्व दर्प से
मानते हो तुम अपने को डसा सर्प से
होते ही परन्तु पद स्पर्श भुल चुक से
मैं भी क्या डसा नहीं गया हुँ दन्डशूक से

मानता हुँ भुल हुई, खेद मुझे इसका
सौंपे वही कार्य, उसे धार्य हो जो जिसका
स्वर्ग से पतन, किन्तु गोत्रीणी की गोद में
और जिस जोन में जो, सो उसी में मोद में

काल गतिशील मुझे लेके नहीं बेठैगा
किन्तु उस जीवन में विष घुस पैठेगा
फिर भी खोजने का कुछ रास्ता तो उठायेगें
विष में भी अमर्त छुपा वे कृति पायेगें

मानता हुँ भुल गया नारद का कहना
दैत्यों से बचाये भोग धाम रहना
आप घुसा असुर हाय मेरे ही ह्रदय में
मानता हुँ आप लज्जा पाप अविनय में

मानता हुँ आड ही ली मेने स्वाधिकार की
मुल में तो प्रेरणा थी काम के विकार की
माँगता हुँ आज में शची से भी खुली क्षमा
विधि से बहिर्गता में भी साधवी वह ज्यों रमा

मानता हुँ और सब हार नहीं मानता
अपनी अगाति आज भी मैं जानता
आज मेरा भुकत्योजित हो गया है स्वर्ग भी
लेके दिखा दूँगा कल मैं ही अपवर्ग भी

तन जिसका हो मन और आत्मा मेरा है
चिन्ता नहीं बाहर उजेला या अँधेरा है
चलना मुझे है बस अंत तक चलना
गिरना ही मुख्य नहीं, मुख्य है सँभलना

गिरना क्या उसका उठा ही नहीं जो कभी
मैं ही तो उठा था आप गिरता हुँ जो अभी
फिर भी ऊठूँगा और बढ़के रहुँगा मैं
नर हूँ, पुरुष हूँ, चढ़ के रहुँगा मैं

चाहे जहाँ मेरे उठने के लिये ठौर है
किन्तु लिया भार आज मेने कुछ और है
उठना मुझे ही नहीं बस एक मात्र रीते हाथ
मेरा देवता भी और ऊंचा उठे मेरे साथ

This blog is only for my female friends

This blog is only for my female friends

My sister just got married last month.Being the bride's brother brings great responsibilities.And I realized it when I could not attend half of the ceremonies during the marriage!!!!!!!!!!!!

I kept getting calls from friends for a few days after the marriage congratulating me and my family.THIS BLOG WAS CONCEIVED DURING ONE OF THESE PHONE CALLS.

There were two questions frequently asked from me:

Q1) This was asked by all my Male friends--it is simple and straight.

a) Did you meet someone---yes i did.Around 300 people!!

b) Were there any beautiful girls in the marriage--of course there were!!!

There were other questions too.They only differ in the way they were asked. They meant the same thing.

Q2)This was the most asked question from my Female friends:

Did you cry when your sister was leaving??

While my answer was an emphatic "NO", I realized that this question is very important to all the girls who asked it.And my answer disappointed most of them.

This made me think of the importance of the moment when a girl leaves her home to be a part of an unknown or somewhat known world.

Its a strange moment for most men.Because there in front of them is a sister leaving home, torn by emotions, and here they are standing ,consoling but rarely showing any emotion.I guess men are deprived of the luxury of emotions or are made to incarcerate their feelings for some reason beyond my comprehension.But its just the way we are.

Women , on the other hand, are 90% emotions(Rest 10% is ,again, beyond my comprehension!!)Few percentage points of love, care,anger, jealousy, passion and traces of innumerable other possibilities.The moment of severing their ties with their family is excruciating.But all girls go through it.

All my respect to them.It needs immense amount of courage to wipe your slate clean(nearly) of all the old bonds of your life to make space for new ones.

Yes, the world is a smaller place today.Yes, we are well connected today.Yes, we have mobiles and internet and technology.But we still have a heart too!!No amount of online chat will replace your mom's love, dad's care, sibling fights.

I would have called the moment of parting as cruel, but it would be wrong to say so.Marriage is a sacred institution and is an integral part of our culture.

But still it does not take away the pain of that moment of separation.Hats off to all girls.Only you can do it.

This one blog can go on for several more pages but if i write more, it will just dilute the thought that I want to write about.So I will stop here.

If men read it, think about it!!