Oh, yes! No doubt about that. This run machine - and a gentlemanly one at that - is simply superb. But, not fair to compare with the Don or Viv Richards. Each of them were and are a class in their own right.

No one can question Sachin’s talent, but he sure would have been tested against the likes of Roy Gilchrist and Wes Hall (West Indies), Alan Davidson (Aus), and the fiery West Indies bowlers of the Clive Lloyd era - Malcom Marshal, Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Andy Roberts or for that matter Denis Lille and Jeff Thompson (Aus), most of whom I have seen bowl with my own eyes. He sure would have had a tough time; but ‘m also sure he would have handled them well.

Having said that, I’m sure Shiv Sena supremo, Bal Thackeray must be jumping around like someone with ants in his pants. Sachin dedicated his record-breakng knock yesterday to ‘All Indians” and not to Mumbai or Marathi Manoos.

More than applauding Sachin for the 200, I bow to him for having indirectly snubbed the wily old Tiger in his own den. Sachin’s bat does the talking.

So, Shiv Sainiks? What’s the bus-burning, window-smashing target that’s been set for you by your respected leader, for Sachin’s comments?

Yesterday, the Carlton Towers building on Old Airport Road caught fire leaving 9 dead, 19 in ICU with 4 on life support.

Like clockwork, the government announced compensations to the families of the dead and injured, and promised to bear all medical expenses followed by ‘Bhashan‘ and ‘Bakwaas‘.

Feeling elated for having done their good deed for the day, the government goes back to work, namely, picketing or protesting somewhere for any issue under the sun.

I was reading an article on fire safety norms required for high rise buildings and I’m quite sure that none were in place. In fact, a popular TV channel reported that there was no water inside the building, buckets with no sand, no fire exits or signage and no fire alarm. This is a clear violation of the Fire Safety standards; but then, who cares?

The fire engines landed 45 minutes late - heavy traffic, they said - and they came with ladders they’d picked up from a ‘Snake and Ladders’ game.

At the end of it all, 9 innocents have left behind grieving families and pray to God that the others survive.

Lesson to be learnt from this tragedy? We’ll make the right sorts of noises; some sham of an enquiry will take place; a few scapegoats will be found (nothing will happen to them, believe me); one cannot rule out the fact that some officials will try making a quick buck out of this; and finally, the whole thing will be forgotten and yet another accident will happen some other day. History will repeat itself; but we wont learn.

A global nation we are, indeed. China, beware; we are on our way!

Following Mr. Ashok Soota being conferred the Golden Peacock Award for Technology Leadership - 2010 for his outstanding achievements and leadership qualities, another feather flies into the Koramangala cap. Mr. Jayakar Jerome a 1974 batch IAS officer and former Commissioner of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has been appointed as Ambassador to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean.

It is indeed a proud moment for all those who know him including us and Koramangala.com’s congratulations go to Mr. Jerome, who, like Mr. Ashok Soota has been our well-wisher for years.

I first met Mr. Jerome at the Koramangala Club, where he is a member like me. I had just launched Koramangala.com and one of the features of our site was to interview personalities in Koramangala. He was the BDA Commissioner and to get across to him those days was extremely difficult because of the huge responsibility he had of cleaning up Bangalore under Mr. S.M. Krishna’s Chief Ministership.

They called him the ‘Demolition Man’ because he was always in the news for demolishing unauthorized constructions on government land. Besides the massive clean-up drive, he enforced rules on visiting hours at the BDA office, which had always swarmed with people. He threw out The Bangalore Contractor’s Association, which had an office on the premises. “This is government property” and hence they had no business being there, he told me during that interview I finally managed to get at his lovely house in 4^th Block, Koramangala. (http://www.koramangala.com/korabuz/pers2000/04.htm)

Mr. Jayakar Jerome did a lot for Bangalore and during his tenure that the Dairy Circle and the Silk Board flyovers came up. He could have done much more, but the finally, the ugly hand of politics surfaced. S.M. Krishna lost, Deve Gowda bayed for Jerome’s blood and when S. M. Krishna was appointed Governor of Maharashtra, he promptly got him a posting at Raj Bhawan in Mumbai.

Mr. Jerome was the Chief Guest at our fourth anniversary celebrations. We were honoured to have him launch GO! KORA, a landmark-based map of Koramangala, a first of its kind in Bangalore. (http://www.koramangala.com/korabuz/y2k3/jan.htm)

Mr. Jayakar Jerome and his charming wife, Veena, have been regular guests on most of our anniversary parties; invariably, he’d walk in with a bottle of wine as a gift. Lakeview Residency Layout residents will recall their presence at our ninth anniversary. He couldn’t attend the tenth anniversary celebrations last year as he was out of the country.

Ever since we’ve known them, we have been regular invitees at Christmas get-togethers in his home. His guest list included people like Nandan and Rohini Nilekani, Ramesh and Swati Ramanathan of Janagraaha, the ex-Police Commissioners, and on one occasion I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Ravindra and Mr. Jairaj, former BMP Commissioner.

The job of an Ambassador fits Mr. Jerome to the ‘T’. He’s a soft-spoken person, gets along well with people and is a great host. Perfect attributes to be an Ambassador.

I spoke to him when I got the news – a friend called me to tell me this even before the media carried the story. I congratulated him and he told me, “Balbir, come over some day. We haven’t met for a long time.”

That’s where I’m headed this Sunday; to rub shoulders with the Ambassador-designate.

It’s beginning to be our favourite pastime – to discriminate on racial grounds.

The Shiv Sena, the RMS and so many other political outfits are indulging in it and creating a ruckus. First they wanted South Indians to get out from Mumbai way back in the 1970s. To the best of my knowledge, a large South Indian community still exists, and happily at that.

Then it was the turn of the North Indians. All Biharis, UP-ites, etc must leave. Taxi drivers will get permits only if they have lived in Maharashtra for 15 years plus, and should speak Marathi. Or else, vamoose!

Somewhere in between, they were hammer and tongs at the Muslims to move out and even now, there still exists the animosity against this section of the minority. Pakistan can’t play cricket anywhere in Maharashtra, Pakistani players won’t be allowed to compete in IPL and what have you.

It’s sad that, not just in politics but in real life too this sort of anti-something tirade happens.

Many youngsters nowadays have values that are more money inclined than for human co-existence. They believe that they can shape society to their whims and fancies and that they can earn their spurs with money. In general, they care two hoots.

Muslims have been the victims of racial discrimination all over the world. True, some elements created havoc (9/11 for example) and that resulted in a mindset amongst people and civil society didn’t remain civil from then on. 

The Indian Constitution allows co-existence of all castes, communities, religions and any discrimination can be severely punished. And punished they should be.

To quote from the Constitution, (Part III —Fundamental Rights—Articles 15-16.):

(1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.

(2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition.

My advice to some of the youngsters is that before they indulge in such practices, is to read and understand what this means.

The first step of course, is that they should learn to read their visiting cards properly and then maybe, maybe, they’ll get around to reading comics and perhaps bigger books. 

So, Rahul Gandhi gave Shiv Sena the slip. He sneaked in, took the train to his destination like any other commuter and let the fizz out off the black flag demo the Sainiks had prepared for. Now, like Mutalik – this one is from the Ram Sena – who faced a country-wide ‘pink chaddi’ campaign, the Shiva Sena can use their black flags as underwear.

The Shiv Sena’s obsession with this business of sons-of-the-soil is irritating. I was watching Times Now yesterday and the SS chap said that they have extended their reach to Kerala where they contested for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and won 11 out of the 159 seats that the NDA managed to win. He said something on the lines of there being a huge demand for the presence of Shiv Sena in other states.

Sounds like Shiv Sena is some sort of a commodity like Toor Dal, Sugar or Kerosene that’s in shortage and reason for the huge demand. I can’t imagine people standing in long queues at a provision shop under the blistering sun, asking for ‘1 kg of Shiv Sena, please’. Well, Shiv Sena is a unique come-together of misplaced minds, that’s for sure, but certainly not something people would want to die for.

I’d be pleasantly surprised if Shiv Sena and the other Senas birds who flock together will ever mend their ways. In fact, their very actions, threats and ‘Bakwaas’ is in total violation of our Constitution. It is an attack on the unity and integrity of the country and for trying to create a divide on the grounds of regional culture and language, they ought to be booked for treason.

I admire what Rahul Gandhi did. He showed spunk; something which seems to be in short supply from amongst his comrades in the government. So what if he had security around him? He did have the courage to do what he wanted to do and by mingling with the locals in the train, he earned many Brownie Points.

I wonder if any one from the Thackeray family ever travelled in a Mumbai local train? I mean, they have so much ‘moolah’ they probably take Dad’s helicopter to attend a friend’s birthday bash.

But I must say Sonia Gandhi’s heart must have been in her mouth when she got news that her son took the train to work. Not because of any security threat; but because she wouldn’t want him hauled up for ticket-less travel.

But then, ‘Mummy knows Mamatha Banerjee well’.   

The gimmicks that people come up with to improve their business. I read in today’s newspaper that a pub in Singapore is offering free beer to women depending on their bra size. Cup size ‘A’ gets one glass free, ‘B’ size gets two, ‘C’ gets three, and a full bottle of any alcoholic drink for those with ‘D’ sizes.

Now, I don’t know what the alphabets co-relate to in terms of size by inches, but I suppose what it means is ‘Bigger the Better’. Real big ones can empty the pub.

What’s not clear is, what if the sizes are hovering around minus? They don’t qualify? Not even an empty bottle to swallow down the leftover drops or at least to have a sniff? Well, I suppose it’s not good for business to attract ‘flat-patties’.

But then, extending such an offer to the Dolly Parton types can be quite a handful. I mean, if size is the criteria, then the ‘Enormous’ category could well rake in big time. And I know quite a few with an overall body size that would put them in ‘Z’ category.

That’s a helluva lot of pints, man!

Schemes like these can only be thought off in countries like Singapore and the Western world. I’m not sure if this would go down well if our pubs came up with such ideas.

Or may be no one has actually thought of something similar? What if a pizza or burger joint offered freebies to women who can gossip the most? A contest such as that would attract women by the lorry-loads. But then, which fast-food or pub would want to convert their establishment in to a poultry farm?

All said and done, “What an idea, Sirjee?”

My namesake – Balbir Singh – who captained India to a gold medal win in the Melbourne Olympics (1956) was perhaps my inspiration to take up playing hockey in the public school where I studied in Mussoorie (1960-62). I was 13 years old then. There wasn’t any TV those days and the only source of live action was the Indian News Review which every movie theatre showed for 15 minutes and one got to see cricket and hockey game highlights. I gave up hockey after 2 years and took up cricket. But, I’ve been an avid follower of the game for many years. After all, Hockey was India’s pride. In 1928, the team won its first Olympic gold medal and until 1956, the Indian men’s team remained unbeaten in the Olympics, winning six gold medals in a row. In total, the Indian hockey team has won eight Olympics gold medals — the highest among all national teams. 

It’s sad to read about what’s happening in Indian hockey. Having relinquished the supremacy India once held to the more aggressive style of play adopted by European and other nations, Indian hockey has not been able to regain its stronghold despite the best efforts. And if the recent imbroglio between the players training for the forthcoming World Cup and the officials supposedly steering the ship is an indicator, I don’t think we are getting anywhere. So, what ails Indian sport, not just hockey? 

It’s all about money, honey! There’s too much of it floating around and everyone is jumping up to grab as much as they can. As a result, there’s no longer any national pride though all players swear that they are playing for the country. Our cricketers, in my opinion, are the biggest bunch of spoilt brats sport has ever seen. If your bank balance is running into crores of rupees and your not even 20 years old, it’s bound to have effect. 

Then you learn to say on TV things like “I play for my country; money doesn’t matter.” Who’re you trying to kid, kid? 

Officialdom in sport is a kingdom by itself. They run the show like Hitler and Himmler ran the Gestapo. Come an international event on foreign soil and the well-oiled Indian official machinery works at full steam. They use their contacts, their influence, they concoct and manipulate just to get onboard the ship and to hell with whether we come back victorious or not. Our contingents spend more time in pubs and bars and at shopping malls abroad than worry about motivating players and athletes to peak their performance. It’s not just officials; there have been instances where some below-average players “qualify” with a little help from their friends. Their aim? Pubs, bars and shopping malls. 

Indian sport lacks dignity and it’s not the players or the officials who are to blame. It’s the system. We are a highly corrupt nation and let’s not ignore this fact. If you wish to, then you are an idiot. We have mastered the art of “dribbling” to achieve goals; we don’t play with a “straight bat”; we know not how to “smash” to score a point; we can’t hit a winning “forehand” or “a backhand slice”, which is why we are forever “sailing on choppy waters”.  We are the undisputed Masters in Manipulation. 

He never misses an opportunity to emphasize that he’s a former Prime Minister of India, even though he occupied the top seat by default and hung around for just a few months. The wily old fox of Indian politics, the schemer and manipulator, Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda has overstepped this time. 

His recent foul-mouthed outburst against Karnataka Chief Minister, Yeddyurappa, was the last nail in the coffin. In public view he called the CM a ‘bastard’ and ‘son of a bitch’, in Kannada of course. Had he been the Prime Minister a bit longer he’d probably have called all MPs as ‘mother f*****s’.

But, what’s with this man, who should ideally be writing a book or perhaps lazing around in the Bahamas? I suppose not being in power for so long is bugging him. He feels left out and lonely. Or perhaps he needs companionship of a different kind.

Imagine Deve Gowda stretched out on the powdery white sands of Paradise Island under the shade of a beach umbrella, having a good snooze at which he has no parallels. If a man can snooze in the thick of arguments in Parliament, he can snooze anywhere. Thank Heavens he has someone to drive him around.

At 80-plus he seems fit enough to give it a shot at deep-sea diving or snorkeling, explore underwater life and perhaps even feed reef sharks. That’ll be quite a change from dealing with the sharks of the underworld on land.

Deve Gowda doesn’t actually need a sun-tan; he’s dark enough to have Dracula think its night and time to get to work. But then, if one of those buxom, bikini-clad babes could give him a good rub and scrub from head to toe including his slithering tongue, I’m sure the man would feel extremely rejuvenated. Sex in the City would be a great opportunity to ‘up the antenna’.

And what better place than the Bahamas to write his memoirs? The ‘humble farmer’, as he so often says he is, would have innumerable experiences to share with people, from cultivating crops to cultivating gutter language, pig farming to riding piggy-back, and the health benefits of his favourite food, Ragi Balls. No, not where his brains are; those are different.

With a book title such as “SOS to SOB – the Story of My Life” it’s bound to be a best-seller. May not get him the Booker Award, but something like the Hooker Award would be close enough. Oh, by the way, SOS stands for Son of the Soil. SOB stands for you-know-what.

Alas! Deve Gowdaji isn’t in Bahamas. He’s still here making as ass of himself in public and adding to Bangalore’s traffic jams. Like someone mentioned in today’s Times of India, he’s mad and should be in a mental asylum. No mention of the straightjacket.

Not quite sure if that’s the right place. The Bahamas would be perfect. 

Another year has gone by and a new one just kick-started. Wonder what’s in store for another 365 days?

BESCOM was kind enough to remind us that it’s still around with a power shut down at 8 this morning. Could that be an auspicious beginning to 2010? Perhaps, it’s a sign of things to come – more power cuts.

As I write this, 2010 is just a day old today with many more to go. No point speculating what will be and what will not. Time will tell.

And I’m not the type to look back and dissect the year gone by. I have good and also not-so-good memories of 2009 and but that’s all in the past. One must look at the road that lies ahead.

I have seen life a lot more than many have and if my beard is white it’s not because I decided to give it a whitewash. It’s a sign of experience. I’ve traveled bumpy roads and surmounted many obstacles to get to where I am.

If at all there’s any one thing that’ll never change in me it’s the ability to stand up to a wrong. Just in case it’s slipped your mind, I’ll continue to be the fighter for a cause and values I hold high.

Cheers to 2010 and the dawn of a new year. Let happiness and joy prevail.  

I for one don’t believe in New Year resolutions. Things like giving up smoking, drinking, having sex, no non-veg – I mean, these all the pleasures of life, so why give them up?

Maybe in some weak moment or perhaps in trying to impress my girl-friend I did make ridiculous promises that I could never keep. If at all I do make a resolution it’d be not to make any resolutions. I enjoy life better knowing I’m not handcuffed to doing this or not doing that.

Men who make New Year resolutions because their wives insist they do so are the ones who like to duck behind mommy’s apron. Men who can’t really assert themselves are more prone to falling prey to toeing the wife-line.

It’s a strange world we live in nowadays. All that people care about is themselves and this self-centred, selfish characteristic I see in abundance. Their New Year resolution is simple, ‘I promise this year that I will only swear by I, me and myself and to hell with everybody else.’

That’s perhaps one reason why good friends are hard to find. Gone are the days of a friend in need is a friend indeed. Each time you try to make a friend he/she eyes you with suspicion. What’s he up to? What does he expect from me? Maybe he’s eyeing my money.

Luckily, I have a few good friends who’ll stand by me through thick and thin. And this friendship has been around for decades. We may meet very rarely but we are always in touch and that matters. Importantly, some of them are well-connected people in the higher echelons of society.

I know people who think that just because they have hundreds of social contacts on Facebook they have friends. Nay! They’re mere wires and cables connected to the computer, reacting to commands of the mouse. Frankly speaking, they are mere ‘Face Offs’ with no heart and soul. These are not friends who’d give their right hand at a time of great need. Given the chance they’d probably fart in your face. They call it ‘Social Networking.’ I call it the ‘Punch and Judy’ show.

Now, I’m going to make a resolution this New Year. I vow to stand by my friends who I know are genuine and wash away with insecticide the other pests who smile at my face, when actually they wish they could stab me in the back. Sadly, some don’t even know how to smile.

Happy New Year in advance to all – the good, the bad and the ugly!