Baari barsi khatan gaya si!
khatke le aandi aari!
pehle angrez!
fir afriki!
fir kangaroo!
te ab pak de vi faari!!!!
burrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
chak de fatte!!!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Cricket- the biggest file!
Oh yeah! We have it! A cricket world cup after 24 years! India has etched its name into cricketing history, having won the maiden Twenty20 world cup! And the frontrunners of this victory are nothing short of demi-gods for the populace of this country now for cricket is not a sport. In this subcontinent it is a phenomenon. And it metamorphoses into a fever, when two countries, co existent with a nearly six decade long relationship of hostility and cautious contrivance, compete against each other in this sport.
What is the sport indicative of to be recipient to such a status, distinct from the other sports? Cricket enjoys popularity pervading all sections of the society. To consider cricket as an unproductive activity may deem you to be a non-patriot. It binds the country together in a way the national holidays have ceased to. After all, independence has been achieved. But a new cricket match between the parent nation and the child nation means a fresh challenge, a challenge to insist that the parent will always be superior to the child, and the challenge for the child to exhort the development of his identity. And this insistence on a nationalistic identity finds acquaintance in all ages because cricket is youthful. The young thus connect with it, the younger see their future in it, the old see their youth in it. Because cricket is one game that every boy in the country plays, it is the national sport above the indigenous products like hockey, polo, chess or badminton.
It may have been a while since some violent upheavals occurred at the grounds and the crowds may appear well behaved, but no Indian still supports the Pakistani team. If he does, he is deemed to be an outcast, and this is when contingent betting is considered as a thing of the past, or so it seems. The 20000 plus people seated at the rims of the grassy grounds and above that, and some millions who sat glued to the television from the stroke of the clock at 5:30 to the fading of the lights at 9 are more than just spectators. They are participants of the game, to whom the victory of their team matters more than it may to the players themselves. The atmosphere in the stands is exuberant, actual festivals may not seem worthy of the festive spirit of the occasion, classroom and office gossip may cease to relate to anything other than Dhoni’s locks and yuvraj’s swearing and the like for the next week and a half, the soaps ratings’ may be recording a low, the essence of the phenomenon is that the victory is addressed in the first person plural rather than being credited to just the Indian cricket team. The victory in the game is seen more than a victory of its national heroes, it is seen as the victory of the nation.
Victory in cricket is seen as the victory of the nation and a defeat as the nation’s defeat, even when the sole sport may not even be a coherent indicator of the failure of efficacy of the nation’s sports administration, leave aside it being representative of the entire country’s machinery. But then such symbolism is only momentary. What drives this passion amongst the populace of the two countries is that unlike the existent history of the two countries charachterised by hostility and coldness, the cricket ground is one where there are results. A victorious result is reason for celebration and a defeat is enough quid pro quo for frustration manifesting itself into violence and other condemnable forms of heat, light, sound and muscular energy.
The cricket ground is a miniature representation of the aspirations of the two countries’ populace. Each wants victory. None can tolerate defeat. The leaders have just to realize such, and deliver a result where both are victorious.
Till then who is to deny that an Indo-pak match with drinks, snacks and friends is fun to watch? And it’s a double treat, when its with a win! Way to go India!
What is the sport indicative of to be recipient to such a status, distinct from the other sports? Cricket enjoys popularity pervading all sections of the society. To consider cricket as an unproductive activity may deem you to be a non-patriot. It binds the country together in a way the national holidays have ceased to. After all, independence has been achieved. But a new cricket match between the parent nation and the child nation means a fresh challenge, a challenge to insist that the parent will always be superior to the child, and the challenge for the child to exhort the development of his identity. And this insistence on a nationalistic identity finds acquaintance in all ages because cricket is youthful. The young thus connect with it, the younger see their future in it, the old see their youth in it. Because cricket is one game that every boy in the country plays, it is the national sport above the indigenous products like hockey, polo, chess or badminton.
It may have been a while since some violent upheavals occurred at the grounds and the crowds may appear well behaved, but no Indian still supports the Pakistani team. If he does, he is deemed to be an outcast, and this is when contingent betting is considered as a thing of the past, or so it seems. The 20000 plus people seated at the rims of the grassy grounds and above that, and some millions who sat glued to the television from the stroke of the clock at 5:30 to the fading of the lights at 9 are more than just spectators. They are participants of the game, to whom the victory of their team matters more than it may to the players themselves. The atmosphere in the stands is exuberant, actual festivals may not seem worthy of the festive spirit of the occasion, classroom and office gossip may cease to relate to anything other than Dhoni’s locks and yuvraj’s swearing and the like for the next week and a half, the soaps ratings’ may be recording a low, the essence of the phenomenon is that the victory is addressed in the first person plural rather than being credited to just the Indian cricket team. The victory in the game is seen more than a victory of its national heroes, it is seen as the victory of the nation.
Victory in cricket is seen as the victory of the nation and a defeat as the nation’s defeat, even when the sole sport may not even be a coherent indicator of the failure of efficacy of the nation’s sports administration, leave aside it being representative of the entire country’s machinery. But then such symbolism is only momentary. What drives this passion amongst the populace of the two countries is that unlike the existent history of the two countries charachterised by hostility and coldness, the cricket ground is one where there are results. A victorious result is reason for celebration and a defeat is enough quid pro quo for frustration manifesting itself into violence and other condemnable forms of heat, light, sound and muscular energy.
The cricket ground is a miniature representation of the aspirations of the two countries’ populace. Each wants victory. None can tolerate defeat. The leaders have just to realize such, and deliver a result where both are victorious.
Till then who is to deny that an Indo-pak match with drinks, snacks and friends is fun to watch? And it’s a double treat, when its with a win! Way to go India!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
16k it is!
Its sweet sixteen baby! The sensex today crossed the 16000 mark and went stronger into the day to close at an all time high of over 16200 after an intra- day trading of almost 600 points. The question now remains, however, just how long is the saccharine gonna retain its sweetness.
The market has seen volatile trading for a long time now and the rally over the last 7 and a half weeks which led to the 1000 pt increase was charachterised by as much. A 20 % change in the index from the opening mark, which leads to a close to the day’s trading means as much as 3000+ pts change at the 15000+ level. Below the 20% level, there is no mechanism to check volatility and given the latest predominant bullish trend in the market and its increasing tendency to react sharply to even minor developments in the national and global markets, this development was long overdue. In fact, the 53 days that the last 1000 points leading to the 16 K mark took seem like an inordinately prolonged period for such a run.
However, it shall not come as a surprise to many if the sensex touches the 17000 mark within the week. Given the recent speculation about the central bank announcing a cut in the bank rate, for market experts across the country and around the globe are of the opinion that there is an increasing credit crunch in the country and that the rates have been high for a very long time, and especially in the light of the fed bank rate cut of 50 basis pts announced yesterday, even decent trading of about 200 to 300 pts up at the end of the day should do the trick. Also, expected to contribute to this bullish run are the dark horse stocks, those that did not participate in the run up to the 16k mark and are trading lower than their usual trading levels, but are fundamentally good stocks, even expected to grow better.
Despite the volatility, the asian economies are growing fundamentally stronger by the day, even as the fed bank in its statement expressed concerns about the direction in which the American economy is heading. Experts throughout the world vouch for the fact that its in asia today where all the big money is. However, what degree of correlation can be attributed to the incredible rise in the sensex and nifty vis a vis the growth factor will become clear in the following weeks.
Meanwhile the age old investment advice holds even more promise today- invest in fundamentally sound companies and do not get carried away by volatile and sharp market sentiments. For in the long run, one may expect the front runner stocks of this rally to get cheaper because a correction in the market is long overdue and such high volatility in the markets at such high rates will be hard to sustain. Quick money, however, is on the cards for the smart and agile players.
Till then, its sexy sixteen!
The market has seen volatile trading for a long time now and the rally over the last 7 and a half weeks which led to the 1000 pt increase was charachterised by as much. A 20 % change in the index from the opening mark, which leads to a close to the day’s trading means as much as 3000+ pts change at the 15000+ level. Below the 20% level, there is no mechanism to check volatility and given the latest predominant bullish trend in the market and its increasing tendency to react sharply to even minor developments in the national and global markets, this development was long overdue. In fact, the 53 days that the last 1000 points leading to the 16 K mark took seem like an inordinately prolonged period for such a run.
However, it shall not come as a surprise to many if the sensex touches the 17000 mark within the week. Given the recent speculation about the central bank announcing a cut in the bank rate, for market experts across the country and around the globe are of the opinion that there is an increasing credit crunch in the country and that the rates have been high for a very long time, and especially in the light of the fed bank rate cut of 50 basis pts announced yesterday, even decent trading of about 200 to 300 pts up at the end of the day should do the trick. Also, expected to contribute to this bullish run are the dark horse stocks, those that did not participate in the run up to the 16k mark and are trading lower than their usual trading levels, but are fundamentally good stocks, even expected to grow better.
Despite the volatility, the asian economies are growing fundamentally stronger by the day, even as the fed bank in its statement expressed concerns about the direction in which the American economy is heading. Experts throughout the world vouch for the fact that its in asia today where all the big money is. However, what degree of correlation can be attributed to the incredible rise in the sensex and nifty vis a vis the growth factor will become clear in the following weeks.
Meanwhile the age old investment advice holds even more promise today- invest in fundamentally sound companies and do not get carried away by volatile and sharp market sentiments. For in the long run, one may expect the front runner stocks of this rally to get cheaper because a correction in the market is long overdue and such high volatility in the markets at such high rates will be hard to sustain. Quick money, however, is on the cards for the smart and agile players.
Till then, its sexy sixteen!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)