ManU once again came back from the dead against Blackpool to win with a last gasp goal from the formerly tagged " Incredible Sulk", Berbatov. Arsenal have been in red hot form off late.And finally, Chelsea, after their worst run of games in history for apparently no reason, have reignited their championship challenge.
Not too long ago, Chelsea were mauling opponents with ridiculous ease and the championship looked to be in their pocket. ManU were struggling, Man city were spending and not winning and Arsenal were playing their role of also rans to perfection.
But then, Chelsea snapped without any pressure. The reason suggested was the absence of key players but still, the bench strength of Chelsea is supposedly far superior to the playing 11 of most sides in the BPL. So the inexplicable drubbing by Sunderland at Stamford Bridge was inexplicable and unacceptable. So were many other results. If your best players are out due to injuries, you are expected to lose, especially against the other members of the Big 4 but the Blues lost points against hopeless sides and that is baffling.
ManU on the other hand, have always been good at grinding out results. Fergie is always able to inspire his side to stick to the task and get points. If needed they can play ugly too. And at times, they are mesmerising. Not long ago,Man U were struggling too and had Chelsea not lost form, people would have questioned Sir Alex's strategy this season (I already did that in a blog). But Chelsea left the door of opportunity open and Man U have made the most of it to take a commanding lead. Unless Arsenal come up with an astonishing chase coupled with the possibility of a Man U stumble, the result is not hard to guess.
Liverpool will be keeping their fingers crossed as Man U are tied with them at the summit for the highest number of titles. If ManU win, then they will leave behind Liverpool, who continue to have a dreadful season and often have been close to the relegation zone. Lets see if Dalglish can bring back the past glory which he was the last one to feel as a coach.
The only way some spice can get added to the title race will be through United's 2 matches against Chelsea. Arsenal never play well against ManU. So ManU will be the favorite to win the match between the two sides . But against Chelsea, ManU are not comfortable and that is the point where Chelsea have an edge. They did a double on United last season. Hope they do it again to add flavour to the title race this year too.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
What is it about Haryana?????
"Haryana is the land of anecdotes...Anybody who says otherwise has never been to Haryana!!!"
-Shardul Bahuguna, A tribute to Haryana
Since the day I landed in Haryana, the state and the fabled JAATS have not disappointed me. They, truly, have lived up to their reputation of carefree, harsh on ears, guzzlers, uncouth but delightfully straight forward though rough and irritating at times.
1) My first truely Haryanvi experience happened in an auto. Small cities like Rohtak still have the shared auto which charges you 10 rupees and plies you from one end of the city to another. What a relief after the organized looters called "autowallahs" of Delhi!! Generally, if people are standing on the sidewalks then the shared autowallas stop and ask them if they would like to take the auto. Interested people get on board while rest refuse and the auto moves on. But not in Haryana!!!!!
I got into an auto on this fateful day. Everything goes according to plan. Autowallah sees 3 prospective passengers, stops, asks if they would like to get in. Unfortunately for them, they refuse. And the Autowallah replies " Jab jana ni hai to road ke side me kyun khada hai?". Add some really rough tone, and proper Haryanvi and it is a crazy sentence.I was flabbergasted!! But the 3 were not. In fact everyone inside the auto including me had a hearty laugh at it.Its Haryana's way of communication, straight, rough and aggressive.
2) Second instance of Haryanvi humour left me dumbfounded. Haryanvi's do have a sense of humour. The only problem is that their tone sounds so rude to people from outside that they often end up offending others. But if you have a funny bone, you would enjoy the peculiar jokes.
Delhi to Rohtak ticket cost Rs. 43 when I joined college. It got raised to Rs. 50 after around a month which I did not know. When I boarded a bus from Rohtak to Delhi, as a good gesture, I offered a Rs. 100 note plus Rs. 3 change to make it easier for the Bus conductor. The instant reply was" Teen rupaye ki toffee khaaon kay??" Neither did he say that the ticket prices had risen nor did he talk about the non-necessity of the 3 rupees. He thought he had simply let fly a sugar-shot at me, Haryana style, but I actually felt that a bolt had pierced my head, end to end.
I had a good laugh at it later when I shared it with my friends.
3)The latest episode talks about the doctors of Haryana. There are very few hospitals and clinic in Rohtak possibly owing to the enviable fitness of the Jaats. So when I finally decided to see a doctor after a week of sickness, it was hard to find a doctor. After asking a few medical stores, we finally got to Dr. X(the name has to be kept under wraps. I dont want to mess up in Haryana. I still have more than an year in Haryana.).
ME:Hello Sir
Doctor- Kya hua
ME: Bukhaar hai
Doctor: Tu Crocin kha le
ME: teen din se kha raha hoon
Doctor: tu 2 din aur kha le
ME: Khansi bhi hai.
Doctor: Tu Benadryl bhi pi le
ME: bas
Doctor: haan haan Crocin kha aur Benadryl pi
No fees.No checkup.He didnt even check my heart beat through wrist! And he is very popular in the city!
When these things actually take place, you may feel shocked. But in hindsight, you die laughing at what had happened.
Haryana rocks!
-Shardul Bahuguna, A tribute to Haryana
Since the day I landed in Haryana, the state and the fabled JAATS have not disappointed me. They, truly, have lived up to their reputation of carefree, harsh on ears, guzzlers, uncouth but delightfully straight forward though rough and irritating at times.
1) My first truely Haryanvi experience happened in an auto. Small cities like Rohtak still have the shared auto which charges you 10 rupees and plies you from one end of the city to another. What a relief after the organized looters called "autowallahs" of Delhi!! Generally, if people are standing on the sidewalks then the shared autowallas stop and ask them if they would like to take the auto. Interested people get on board while rest refuse and the auto moves on. But not in Haryana!!!!!
I got into an auto on this fateful day. Everything goes according to plan. Autowallah sees 3 prospective passengers, stops, asks if they would like to get in. Unfortunately for them, they refuse. And the Autowallah replies " Jab jana ni hai to road ke side me kyun khada hai?". Add some really rough tone, and proper Haryanvi and it is a crazy sentence.I was flabbergasted!! But the 3 were not. In fact everyone inside the auto including me had a hearty laugh at it.Its Haryana's way of communication, straight, rough and aggressive.
2) Second instance of Haryanvi humour left me dumbfounded. Haryanvi's do have a sense of humour. The only problem is that their tone sounds so rude to people from outside that they often end up offending others. But if you have a funny bone, you would enjoy the peculiar jokes.
Delhi to Rohtak ticket cost Rs. 43 when I joined college. It got raised to Rs. 50 after around a month which I did not know. When I boarded a bus from Rohtak to Delhi, as a good gesture, I offered a Rs. 100 note plus Rs. 3 change to make it easier for the Bus conductor. The instant reply was" Teen rupaye ki toffee khaaon kay??" Neither did he say that the ticket prices had risen nor did he talk about the non-necessity of the 3 rupees. He thought he had simply let fly a sugar-shot at me, Haryana style, but I actually felt that a bolt had pierced my head, end to end.
I had a good laugh at it later when I shared it with my friends.
3)The latest episode talks about the doctors of Haryana. There are very few hospitals and clinic in Rohtak possibly owing to the enviable fitness of the Jaats. So when I finally decided to see a doctor after a week of sickness, it was hard to find a doctor. After asking a few medical stores, we finally got to Dr. X(the name has to be kept under wraps. I dont want to mess up in Haryana. I still have more than an year in Haryana.).
ME:Hello Sir
Doctor- Kya hua
ME: Bukhaar hai
Doctor: Tu Crocin kha le
ME: teen din se kha raha hoon
Doctor: tu 2 din aur kha le
ME: Khansi bhi hai.
Doctor: Tu Benadryl bhi pi le
ME: bas
Doctor: haan haan Crocin kha aur Benadryl pi
No fees.No checkup.He didnt even check my heart beat through wrist! And he is very popular in the city!
When these things actually take place, you may feel shocked. But in hindsight, you die laughing at what had happened.
Haryana rocks!
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