FIFA World Cup...a cup that unites the world

Let's accept it...Cricket is not a game that unites nations! Its actually Soccer/Football. And the Football world cup being held in the poorest continent, it is perhaps the most uplifting sight. Indian soccer is in laggards. But then Cricket is what makes the nation has its heart on. Imagine if India withdraws, Cricket as a game will die, cause we as a country have the richest cricketing board.

Now as for Football, FIFA as a governing body has done some dramatic changes in South Africa as a country. And South Africa has of course done its bit by co-operating. Not only has the host nation represented itself well but has been able to deliver on a lot of NGO projects which include development of sports villages. The key focus also is on development of Women's football.

Also, the game unites those who play each other too...if you notice players exchange their soggy jerseys with each other after a game. A gesture hard to replicate in any sport...just to show that whatever happened in the field is a game, but mutual respect remains. Imagine our pot bellied cricketers doing that...

India hosts the Commonwealth games this year....let's wait and watch. :P

Raajneeti- Everyone has a dark shade, everyone has an intent!

I have always loved Prakash Jha's movies. Hard hitting, brings out the best of each character and most importantly grounded in reality. Raajneeti is a Godfather inspired movie with Politics as the primary setting, and how democracy in India has of course become a joke! The underlining fact is there is no such thing as democracy, and so is the plight of this country in the hands of the privileged few. They of course are drunk on power.

What gets murkier is that there is no right or wrong. Women are used as pawns or even just as instruments to accession, the general public gets swayed by who pays them to vote. Nothing wrong there too...but I do wonder how different are we then from China? As a country? Or the new America where civil liberties are more and more compromised each day by the government in a fight against terror? Who is the terrorist here? The government? The people who vote? Or is there a terrorist inside each one of us?

Perhaps a quote from another movie would help to introspect....Agent Smith to Morpheous in THE MATRIX "I'd like to share a revelation I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species. I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with their surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area, and you multiply, and you multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague..."