Ideology through Society, Culture, Family and Sports

     Footballing chants are a pleasure to the ears if you are a fan of the Sport and a club. I listen to the 'Glory Glory Man United' anthem very frequently, almost always getting goosebumps generated. Therefore, when I visited the Philips Stadion - Eindhoven recently, I was able to comprehend why the atmosphere was so electrifying and vociferous. Anyone who calls home support making a difference in Football as a myth, should think again or pay a visit to the stadium once. Geert Wielens , a good friend, a colleague of mine and a passionate season ticket holder, very kindly took me along to watch a game of Football, which has been my dream for so long. It was a local derby at a miniature level, against a club named Willem II. The PSV Eindhoven football club has rich history and tradition but one that has lived in the shadows of the more illustrious AFC Ajax in recent years. The stadium which was constructed over a 100 years ago, offers a picturesque view from the o...

My Dad made us watch the beautiful game of Cricket from a very early age. He taught us the rules with all patience, explained all the history he had learnt by reading thousands of articles and books, even during those internet-less days. From then till yesterday, I have witnessed India getting knocked out twice in semi-finals and once in a Finals in World Cup competitions. Each defeat was chastening and at the end of it, I was finding ways to place the blame on someone, due to whom the Cup was lost. From Sunil Gavaskar to Mohammed Azharuddin to Zaheer Khan, nobody was spared. Though we witnessed another of those painful losses today, I somehow never could find reasons to be angry with the team. I will be lying if I say I wasn't disappointed. I was, as many of you were. But unlike the previous defeats, this one didn't make me feel devastated. I honestly thought we were always punching above our weights and exceeding our own expectations. Of course, it would have been nice if...

Death is never nice and is always painful for the near and dear. It's more chastening to see it happening on a sporting field. Last week, we saw Phil Hughes breathe his last, losing a battle with a head injury sustained through a powerful blow on his head while batting. The more I see and hear about the tragedy, the heavier my heart gets. Phil Hughes was always touted as an exciting talent and someone who never quelled under a challenge. He made his mark around five years ago in Australia's first class season. The Australian selectors rarely have the habit of choosing raw talent for the big stage, in fear of early exhaustion. Hughes was an exception due to the enormous amount of runs he scored so regularly. He was fast tracked into the first team for one of the most daunting tours you can imagine - to South Africa against the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. The talented southpaw did prove his mettle by notching up twin centuries in only his second test match (th...

A couple of days back a friend of mine asked, what's so special about Sachin and why people are going crazy over his retirement? She wasn’t looking to underwhelm the Master but was just filled with curiosity. For someone who hasn’t followed Tendulkar during his formative years, it isn’t too bad a question. Sachin isn't special for the number of runs & centuries he scored, for the dozens of years he played at the highest level, for the millions of fans he has been able to attract, for the bundles of games he had won for the country, for the insurmountable amount of respect he has acquired worldwide and so on! All these achievements can (miniscule chances do exist) be matched or bettered by someone in next 100 years or more. The most vital aspects that made Sachin so special, are all intangible - Discipline, drive, hunger for self-improvement, fearlessness, hard work, mental toughness, sacrifice, preparation, humility and most importantly his deep understanding on the m...

Dear fellow United fans:      As furious and frustrated I am with United’s stuttering start to the season, it’s imperative that we supporters stay calm and patient, while we look forward to a turnaround. No doubt, United are trying as hard as possible to place themselves in a precarious position. The margin of error left is getting reduced alarmingly after each match and we are in an urgent need for a few wins. What is truly infuriating is the paucity of chances we create in each game. It wouldn’t bother me much if we squander chance after chance due to poor finishing - But we don’t really get there and that’s worrying. But is it the first time we are in a spot of bother? Didn’t we go three seasons in a row between 2004 and 2006 without winning the title, when a Roman Abramovich- led Chelsea was threatening to run away with everything?  Didn't we compensate for that drought by becoming English Champions for the three years that followed? I have...

With the IPL going through a state of turmoil, fans and followers around the world have been left enraged. For no fault of theirs, they have a feeling of being let down and made to look foolish. They have every reason to feel aggrieved. There are calls for the IPL to be cancelled altogether, which according to me is not a rational decision. Listen to what Rahul Dravid had to say , shortly after his team was eliminated from this year’s edition. We have all known Rahul Dravid to be the ultimate diplomat. Even in his commentary, he finds it hard to criticise any player with ease. In the post-match interview mentioned above, Rahul talks about how good the IPL has been and the positive attributes it has. On the flip side of it, he refused to use the word “Negatives” and chose to say, “The IPL does have its CHALLENGES as well”, which is truly remarkable. Did he feel that his side’s chances were affected by the ill-timed participation of three of his players in the spot-fixing ...

     As another fantastic gentleman signs off from the game, I write this short note as a testimony to the services Mike Hussey has offered Australian Cricket, rather Cricket in general. Michael Hussey had already accumulated over 15,000 first class runs without getting a look-in to the Test team, for obvious reasons related to the formidable nature of the Aussie line-up those days. The faint-hearted would have resigned to the fact that the opportunity will never come and could have hung up. Not Mr Cricket, as he is fondly known as. He continued to churn out runs at a staggering rate and made it almost impossible for the Aussie selectors to continue to ignore him, though he was aged 30 and a half by then. On his Test Debut against the Windies in November 2005 , Hussey had mustered just a single when he was dismissed playing his favorite hook shot. Having worked relentlessly hard to earn a test cap, Hussey would have been devastated on the outcome du...