Cricket is a funny game

There is an old fact that remains the crux of the so-called gentlemen's game. A bowler is as good as a batsman makes out him. If you strain your ears to hear the habitual cricket commentary, you would realize that if a ball is spanked for a boundary, the bowler loses his credit unless it’s an edge that flew past the slips. The same ball would have been treated as the ball of the tournament or beyond if it results in a wicket. Otherwise, nobody bothers to credit the bowler for his effort. On a given day the worst of deliveries produces the best of wickets and the commentators appreciate the apparent plan the bowler had to take those wickets. In a game that has so many variables like the pace of the delivery, pitch/weather conditions, bat’s dimensions, batsmen’s eye/strength/co-ordination/ability, I believe nobody can claim to be an expert in professing the outcome of the game. Yes – The experts can give directions, indications and review the perceptible strengths and weaknesses of the players and teams involved, but as they, its only done when it is done. Or, every ball bowled is a different story and can have pleasantly surprising or strangely shocking outcomes.

Still we have ‘Experts’ in the game. And I say this without any disrespect to this elite group as they still know more than many around in this game which throws innumerable possibilities in a freaky frequency. And this my friend, is one more reason why cricket is a funny game.

A stone unturned and metal casted

Before I open my gag, I would put a disclaimer around this topic. Please abstain from reading beyond this if you love wearing jewels. And with this statement, I have already eliminated atleast 50% readership to this article.

Now, why is it that I am witnessing a sense of retribution in myself around jewels? Blame on the bloody calendar, blame it on horoscopes, blame it on love – There are toooooooo many nuptial events happening around me and wherever I go, invariably, gold accessories are the centre of discussion. Even in the archaic days of our society there is an unsaid equation that has been holding true for decades now. The equation is read like this: Marriage = It is an event where lots of gold is on display and almost all men are either poorer before or after the event. Having an economic background, it’s easy to argue that the demand for any object increases when the supply is less and the same holds good for Gold. Same should hold good for a lot of elements in the periodic table. But other than a few like platinum, titanium etc none of the metal could attain the materialistic value like Gold. Besides Gold is not just only an element in the periodic table. The common expressions that I see in a Gold-seekers eye when someone walks gold-loaded in a conjugal affair, like the ones I have been to, speaks volumes about the kinship that they have towards it. So its more than economics and chemistry. Here is my theory which ofcourse needs credible research before it would be published as a thesis. Besides economics around gold is effortlessly defeated as Gold ornaments are not of great value compared to Gold bars, coins etc.

A Gold-seeker craze for gold should be guided by hormonal imbalance. The joyous expression on that face when someone gifts gold (And this expression is only when someone gifts –not when you buy for yourself) is a true reflection of ecstasy with all 17 muscles stretching beyond their limits in that unparallel smile that’s pasted on their face. The same cannot be achieved even if you send a picture of yours when you had toured moon. Its psychosomatic truth. A lot of responses I get around this topic is like what men have for sports or cars. But I feel the craze for sports or cars is different. Men love sports because it gives a competitive rush to life and that goes well with the DNA codes the creator had written in men. It brings a sense of oneness when we collectively support a team/player etc. (Not always though –you need to watch a club-level soccer game in Argentina). It gives an identity to a man and brings more reasons to share a beer with him. With cars/bikes etc, there is a tangible benefit that men attain when they use the machine in life. But where does craze for Gold address any of these elements? And if it does it only brings odium between gold seekers.

During my adolescence, I saw people of my generation abhorring Gold and shifting to cheaper alternatives like terracotta, artificial gold etc. But then a new craze has evolved – Platinum and stones, though the latter has been around for spiritual and the ostentatious ones. Diamonds have been a symbol of fortune and it is a corny sight when you see 15 women swarming in like bees to check one of the earrings recently bought (It seems like someday one of the 15 would do a Mike Tyson by biting Holyfield’s ear and have the diamond for good). I don’t quite get it. I agree that I don’t have aesthetic sense nor do I go about understanding the amount of effort to bring out the sparkle in a jewel. But isn’t it simple that it’s a damned stone for which some African youth has lost his/her future. For God sake, its just a pebble – which beyond a temperature would vaporize like any other metal in the periodic table. You know why they say ‘Diamonds are forever’? Because its elemental carbon and carbon found everywhere in almost everything we touch and breathe out carbon in different forms.

And if I were to talk about jewel brands – I would be judged in court. I have come across the magic word, that could bring the fairer sex out of coma/death bed – Its “Tiffany’s” or “Solitaire”.

The Workplace caricatures

Team maybe defined as a group of individuals striving together, and hence you have multiple traits composing itself as one unit. Below, is an effort to dismantle this unit and show the flavors that it constitutes itself of. Every team would have some or all of these caricatures. And sometimes having them all, sets up a fine balance as well. All of them have their interesting aspects. I leave it to you to choose the best.

1) The “Slogger” – He loves his seat. And he loves his Laptop. No distraction is enough distraction and seems to have swallowed the Bhagavad Gita (Karam Karo, Phal ki Chintha math Karo). Generally specs boarded, silent candidate, who believes in worshipping work. He is the favorite to many as he would assist anyone at work. He times his few breaks and doesn’t indulge in gossip.
Attire – “Does he care? Darn anything that comes in handy, work is important, not clothes”

2) The “Good for Nothing” – There can be sub-categories to this as one may display multiple traits to fit this bucket. Usually, evicted from the work place if he is not able to disguise it. But otherwise doesn’t expose himself and sticks to a client who is easy going and does demand much. Doesn’t involve himself in cross team exercise to safe-guard his left over reputation.
Attire – Formal Clothing throughout the week, One less thing to complain about them.

3) The “Management Guru” – Normally doesn’t involve in the day to day operations, but prefers spending time on “STRATEGIC INIATIVES”. And his task stops with initiating this exercise and then the “Slogger” does the rest. He loves to brag about his previous stints and commonly seen using the following jargons in meetings – “integrate killer metrics”, “transform interactive action-items”, “expedite cross-platform portals” . Loves to set-up meetings with little agenda. Perceived by many as a visionary – and a potential manager of sorts.
Attire – Crisp Attire. Polished shoe and belt. The divine Blue shirt/black trouser combination.

4) The “Fire-Fighter” – The best man to have when your client is screwing you left, right and center – Even better if he is your manager. Makes his point clear and has no time to crap around. Being direct in his conversations makes others uncomfortable. Generally good at work and very focused.
Attire – Unknown, no-one dares to completely look at their dress.

5) The “All-Knowing-Idiot” – They come across in all shapes and sizes. Prefer themselves to be labeled as a “Domain Expert”, as they have glanced a couple of analyst reports and would bring in those and only those few points in every meeting when their technology is discussed. Agrees to one and all and cannot counter arguments as they know nothing about it. And they speak so loud so that other walking by, would know that ‘He is the person to go in doubt’. Prefers to question in meetings and offer their unwarranted opinions. Basically a Frog in the well endowed with 2 analyst reports.
Attire – Found carrying more print-outs than clothes.

6) The “Sleepless nominee” – They are always found in the “Busy mode” on communicator. The three mails they send during a day are times @ 1.23AM, 2.50AM & 4.30 AM. Their utilization rates are the highest.
Attire – The groggy eyed still manages to dress up smart.

7) The “Impresario” – Strives hard to make an impression. Can be spotted in his early days. Found questioning in every meeting and having feedback sessions with his seniors on a daily basis. In his early days he is found sitting in the front benches in School and smiling at the teacher constantly and raising his hand to every question asked by the teacher. Visibility, good or bad, is good for him.
Attire – Depends upon who today’s meeting is with.

8) The “New Kid in the Block” – Fresh meat, I say. Embracing corporate life isn’t easy. They come and don’t last long as once identified, as they are put in their place by their managers. Given the right direction, they could focus their energies to come up with something valuable – but not always. They imagine big – Their decks go only to the top executives. And they wonder what others have been doing here for decades as they believe that they could change things in minutes. Attire – New clothes, Consistent addition to their wardrobe.

9) The “Gossip Monger” – He knows it all. He knows who is quitting and who is joining in his place. He knows what salaries you draw and at what grade are you. He knows that you slapped a colleague 7 years back when you were drunk (In all probabilities, you and your colleague would have completely forgotten it). He has his own networks to find where all you have been giving interviews. The only character other than the “Good for Nothing”, who identifies similar people to hang around and that’s how the network grows. They also fill in positions like “Crib machines”.
Attire – Decently dressed, but know which dress you would be sporting this Friday.

10) The “Chirpy Chaplin” – He is known to one and all. Even the guards/house-keeping staff know him. He talks to all and his remarks are never taken in an objectionable sense. His lips are elastic as he is found smiling at everyone. He is never uncomfortable with the top brass.
Attire – Formals only as he is found only with the top management.

11) The “12 to 4” – They are an epitome of balance. Come rain, come snow – They need to be back at 4. They are the “Cinderella” of the unit as hell breaks loose if they don’t make it home or otherwise. There office phone bills, if reviewed, would be minimal as they never used the office phone to take client calls. Honoring personal commitments remains their focus.
Attire – Too little a time to realize their attire.

12) The “Fashion Conscious” – They know calendar better than anyone. They seem to plan their attire for the entire week. Always found in shopping malls in the weekends and I admire the entire effort of synchronizing everything –From the watch to their socks.
Attire – Find someone else to talk about them, I am too naïve to say anything.

13) The “Commoner” – He is never seen anywhere. His manager has to ping him to know where he is sits. Nobody knows where he sits. Nobody misses him once he is gone as nobody cared to know him. He comes to the office like all of us; He does his job and vanishes in thin air and doesn’t believe in making noise. Easy resource to handle during FPR, as he is oblivious to the entire community – Specially for the manager as he could trample him with one statement ‘You don’t have visibility in the organization’.
Attire – No-one knows, no one care.

The Stress Factor

I am already feeling drained down, and this, my friend - is the first day of the week. So what constitutes this mental exasperation? Homo-sapiens in their late 20s are expected to be sturdy and rigid enough to handle the so-called “stress”. They are supposedly in the pink of their health. But first lets define mental stress – A force or an element in your existence that keeps you negatively engaged and negates harmony of life. The solution though, lies in the definition itself. The solution lies in a simple word – “your”. Its unique for every person and is different in diverse circumstances for the same individual. It is upto each individual of how much one wants to absorb or be influenced by this force. It is easier said than done though.

For example, I have a recurring issue in life like say – A dog barking in front of my house @ 6 in the morning every day. I try shooing him away but my efforts go in vain. I am quite weak hearted to poison him to exterminate his subsistence. And the my grievance falls on deaf ears of the civil bodies. Arguably I still have a lot of options left. But it depends on the individual how he or she tackles this situation and the amount of abhorrence, detestation, aggravation, the individual carries forward to affect the rest of the day. I may stay grumpy throughout the day dreading for the next morning. Or I just empty my mind and focus my energies elsewhere.

Now, this is a small concern that has little significance in compared to the issues that we face everyday. But the underlying fact behind handling stress is how much “you” incline yourself to take it on yourself. If you decide that this isn’t a major concern in life - it becomes MINOR. This is compelling fact that cannot be ignored. But there is a thin line between “Taking it easy” and being “Irresponsible”. A lot of times these qualities merge and the image that is casted out leans more towards a negligent disposition.

THE MAN RULES

Old, but I love these

WE ALWAYS HEAR"THE RULES" FROM THE FEMALE SIDE. NOW HERE ARE THE RULES FROM THE MALE SIDE.

THESE ARE OUR RULES! PLEASE NOTE.. THESE ARE ALL NUMBERED "1 " ON PURPOSE!

1.MEN ARE NOT MIND READERS.

1. LEARN TO WORK THE TOILET SEAT. YOU'RE A BIG GIRL. IF IT'S UP, PUT IT DOWN.
WE NEED IT UP, YOU NEED IT DOWN.
YOU DON'T HEAR US COMPLAINING ABOUT YOU LEAVING IT DOWN.

1. SUNDAY SPORTS IT'S LIKE THE FULL MOON OR THE CHANGING OF THE TIDES.
LET IT BE.

1. CRYING IS BLACKMAIL.

1. ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT.
LET US BE CLEAR ON THIS ONE:
SUBTLE HINTS DO NOT WORK!
STRONG HINTS DO NOT WORK!
OBVIOUS HINTS DO NOT WORK!
JUST SAY IT!

1. YES AND NO ARE PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE ANSWERS TO ALMOST EVERY QUESTION.

1. COME TO US WITH A PROBLEM ONLY IF YOU WANT HELP SOLVING IT. THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
SYMPATHY IS WHAT YOUR GIRLFRIENDS ARE FOR.

1. ANYTHING WE SAID 6 MONTHS AGO IS INADMISSIBLE IN AN ARGUMENT.
IN FACT, ALL COMMENTS BECOME NULL AND VOID AFTER 7 DAYS.

1. IF YOU THINK YOU'RE FAT, YOU PROBABLY ARE.
DON'T ASK US.

1. IF SOMETHING WE SAID CAN BE INTERPRETED TWO WAYS AND ONE OF THE WAYS MAKES YOU SAD OR ANGRY, WE MEANT THE OTHER ONE

1. YOU CAN EITHER ASK US TO DO SOMETHING OR TELL US HOW YOU WANT IT DONE.
NOT BOTH.
IF YOU ALREADY KNOW BEST HOW TO DO IT, JUST DO IT YOURSELF.

1. WHENEVER POSSIBLE, PLEASE SAY WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO SAY DURING COMMERCIALS..

1. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DID NOT NEED DIRECTIONS AND NEITHER DO WE.

1. ALL MEN SEE IN ONLY 16 COLORS, LIKE WINDOWS DEFAULT SETTINGS.
PEACH, FOR EXAMPLE, IS A FRUIT, NOT A COLOR. PUMPKIN IS ALSO A FRUIT. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MAUVE IS.

1. IF IT ITCHES, IT WILL BE SCRATCHED.
WE DO THAT.

1. IF WE ASK WHAT IS WRONG AND YOU SAY "NOTHING," WE WILL ACT LIKE NOTHING'S WRONG.
WE KNOW YOU ARE LYING, BUT IT IS JUST NOT WORTH THE HASSLE.

1. IF YOU ASK A QUESTION YOU DON'T WANT AN ANSWER TO, EXPECT AN ANSWER YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR.

1. WHEN WE HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE, ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING YOU WEAR IS FINE..REALLY

1. DON'T ASK US WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO DISCUSS SUCH TOPICS AS FOOTBALL OR
MOTOR SPORTS

1. YOU HAVE ENOUGH CLOTHES.

1. YOU HAVE TOO MANY SHOES.

1. I AM IN SHAPE. ROUND IS A SHAPE!

1. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS.
YES, I KNOW, I HAVE TO SLEEP ON THE COUCH TONIGHT;

BUT DID YOU KNOW MEN REALLY DON'T MIND THAT? IT'S LIKE CAMPING.

The Jungle and the fine balance

For a good 4 to 5 days, I have been living in the jungles of South India - probably my best jungle escapade so far. All these days, I thought multiple times to blog about the experience and finally I am back to civilization where one of the few recompenses would be access to the net.

I was privileged to get familiarized to diverse existences as I stayed in places which placate you with diametrically opposite comforts. The first couple of days were in Cicada resorts - Bandipur; The resort offers ultimate comfort and the staff pamper you with everything you think you require. Other than the wildlife safari and nature walks the resort offers the pool, the spa, a wonderful bar and great food. Rooms are comfortable and cozy. And the view is awe-inspiring. The staff is highly competent and the service offered is overwhelming. Though the resort is undergoing some massive renovation, there was hardly any fracas over it.

Next I move onto Glen-view resorts in Masinagudi for a good 3 days. I could still feel the chill in my spine when I recollect a singular instance. In Glen-view, I was enjoying my drink post supper outside my room, when I heard the leaves rustle in a nearby bush and it was pitch dark (Read Sinisterly dark). Something big was around me and I just ran into my room. For the rest of night, I lay anxious thinking what it could have been. Leopards/other big cats, do frequent the place, but it’s a rarity. It couldnt have been an elephant, though the bulls were sighted recently outside the resort a while away. Could have been a bear or a mongoose or a big rodent and to supplement this, we could hear the dogs in the nearby resort barking incessantly. But that’s what Glen-view could offer you as it is the last resort in Bokapuram and shares its boundary with the hill/jungle. Glen-view has decent rooms and the staff are one of the most hospitables ones around. Service, whatever could be offered in that confined space, was dealt by the staff with supreme efficiency. I could vouch for this as they took care of dear friend of mine who was suffering from severe cold and cough. The foliage is so thick that sun-light hardly penetrates and this can be currently attributed to the monsoons as well. And hey - dont be surprised if you find a monkey shredding your roof off if you take up the tree house. Glen-view is still understood as a part of the core jungle by the inmates of the forest and they don’t seem too keen to share this space with you – Atleast not in the near future.

One unfortunate incident that I want to throw light on, is the despicable attitude of the local safari drivers show towards the animals in the reserve. They try to taunt the animals into retaliation and thereby believe that they have provided you with the ultimate amusement. Acts like swirling the jeep towards a bison and blinking the head lamps at it and provoking it by raising the engine throttle etc are considered to be intrepidness. But when I intervened I was looked down as a coward incarnate.

Imagine this: You are sitting with your family and loved ones at the dinner table and suddenly someone barges into your house and disturbs your meal, scares your kin and irritates/abuses you. The effect of this may not be immediate, but with this consistent pressure on animals, there may be a day when they charge at innocent non-interfering clueless trespasser who actually respects the wilderness.

But whose fault would this be? Its all ours; Its us for whom these localites try these stunts on these animals and try to make a buck or two than normal. Apparently, a group had told the driver a day before that "They want to be chased by an elephant"; Another Santro driver offers my jeep driver some free money to help him sight some wild animals. And he believes that he could maneuver his car as good as this localite does with his jeep and the icing on the cake is the fact that he planned to do it with a 4 year old in the car. Has he lost respect for his own life or does he believe that his 4 year old is expendable at the cost of his silly tricks with his car with wild beasts?

I pledge hereby that I wouldn’t be a part of these safaris anymore as it dawns on me that I am violating seclusion of endangered living-beings, in realizing one of my many asinine dreams. I am also planning to bring in some kind of education to these jungle residents to edify the value that wildlife brings in to this world and more so for them as they live for, by the wildlife. It’s a thin line that we are treading on. I would welcome any suggestions to get this going.

And yes...watch out for some pictures here soon...

Bonds for life

Of all the bonds that we share in our entire life, there are very few which last till eternity. Couple of my K9 friends make me indulge in the feeling of oneness. They have no malice, spite, jealousy or any other abhorrence for which we loathe our human counterparts for. It’s unlikely that you would get that unadulterated form of affection from any human barring our parents which is a natal bond. That pure spurt of exhilaration when they see you, coupled with the shower of love/dribble (Read: Licking, nibbling, slobbering – It’s their language of love) and who can forget those whirlwind tails which wag at a pace which could generate enough power to run a car – these are true insignias of life and reasons for survival and we, sometimes tend to ignore these and run for acquisitive ventures – Pity on our existence.

I see the care that my friends gives to these K9s, the love with which they feed them and dedication with which they make sure that they are part of their subsistence. It is a major commitment and once in, there is no way you could shy it off your back. And how would you shy it off when you see these 4 legged friends pampering you throughout their life? But the reality is, some do. Reasons for abandoning them may be physical/financial ability to give them the requisite attention & or the lack of interest once these K9s grow up.

No surprise on who are man’s best friends!! But are we their best friends?? Not always – Particularly when I see an abandoned dog scouting for food in the neighborhood trash.

The magic of the web and privacy

Just pondering over our ‘seemingly inviting and friendly’ web spaces, where we unknowing store significant data about ourselves. Before we even jump on to this, just think of the mobile phone revolution. The intent of reaching anyone at any point of time has long been achieved through these geared gizmos which offer you other attractive facilities - the likes of music, alarms, calculator, convertor, radio, navigation tools, calendar...even the basic phones have all this nowadays – beyond which you have advanced facilities like email etc.

Onto the web now, phew...don’t know where to start...Facebook, LinkedIn, skype, orkut, blogs, google lats, mails, picasa/flickr and others leave you tracked eternally. I mean there is so much about you ubiquitously. Folks get to know your habits, traits, personality, character and even the way you go about doing your daily chores. So how does it all work and where does it end? It simply works because of the natural human interests - Being Connected, Sharing and curiosity.

Staying Connected - For a decade, the younger generation shied away from using letters (Postal Service) and then this avenue of catching up with known folks was an stupendous recipe to satiate their appetite. Suddenly, school friends, colleagues, family found it alluring to stay away from each other. ‘I know you, Do you remember me?, Oh I remember the way you got drunk and fell of the wall’ – some common starting comments. I had to go back through my memory lanes multiple times to find the connect with some folks when I got some messages – No offense meant, I would have startled many the same way.

Sharing - I wish to share what I have managed/achieved. I wish to display something interesting about me, something eye-catching for others to look in me and create an interaction with strangers with a mysterious rationale (includes bonding, flirting etc). And these tools offered the right outlet to this.

Curiosity - I wish to know what’s new with others. What’s is he/she doing now? And it answers a plethora of questions like 'Is this person single?' 'Good enough to blend with?', 'What’s the background/interests/hobbies/testimonials like?' Aplenty more. (My grey cells throw a lot of these ideas but my fingers are derisory to pen these here.)

Where does it go from here? This colossal chunk of information is giving birth to personalized marketing. I mean the tech giants aren’t dumb to just let go of this data. I am betting a big revenue game that would prop up later. Or if I am wrong it already exists. Whatever it is, it is big. Already folks track your searches and offer customized solutions to what you are after. Alerts are designed to keep you up to speed with what you want. And many more if we put some business sense to it.

But is our privacy at stake? This is pure cloud computing as you feed the data and it all exists in some server (physical location) and you don’t care about it as these sites assure you of security of data…Think about it…It means a lot to me when my records is residing in an anonymous blurry slice of the web.

Guess I have scratched my brain enough for ‘Just pondering’… 

Budget Updates

Surely, our FM deserves accolades for the balanced budget that has been put out this year. Well, all of you would have made careful observations on how it affects you. The FM did claim that all the financial moves made addresses the 'Mango Man'(Aam Aadmi).

Just came across something that struck me and even corresponds to our FM's statement. My carpenter came over to get some points fixed in our house. And guess what - He smokes a brand that is far more expensive than mine. Now you could interpret that in 2 ways - 1) He has a better taste and 2) My cigs are a little expensive over 'Bidis'. Here the former is true...Guarding my personal choices eh!!
But none can deny the fact here that the 'Mango Man' is already benefitting and see our FMs vision being fullfilled.

Another reason for me to completely get over the smoking paradise.

Thought of the day

What are diamonds to women, are balls to men...

Both the sexes do not understand why the other craves for those so badly...

P.S Balls are spherically rounded globular objects. Balls here, intends to relate cricket, tennis, soccer, volley, basket, golf, TT and other sports balls for which Men are ready to forgo sleep, food, comfort etc.

Irony of life

Just realized this as many of our experiences teach us:

You may be good at something, but you may not like doing it. But you may doing something that you are not really good with. And hence everything is worth a try. You never know your liking meets what you are good with. And life becomes merrier and you love your work - truly after that.

Enough Gyan for the day.

Good Old Calcutta

I had blogged emotionally about Calcutta a few years back - Guess it came out as a pent up aggression as other places seemed to lack what it offered. A new matured me (Pun unintended - though my folks still believe that I havent grown since 16) noted some instances that I have not come across in other 'cities' where life is a race.

1) Only a bong and a bong in Calcutta still believes that a loose formal trouser and a pair of sports shoes can be together looked upon as fashion. I mean this combination was last seen in early 1990's when the Sunil Shetty's and Akshay Kumar's used to drape in those dumb movies. And did I forget to mention that these loose trousers need a 15 year old belt to hold it onto their waist?

2) Where do you see a woman sitting near the threshold of her house on a weekday and petting a cat on her lap at 11 in the morning? In other metros people WORK during these hours. Probably the cat was getting its WORK done during working hours.

3) There is one place on God's green earth where people could haggle for an hour about 50 paisa. And they can haggle for hours as in Calcutta the day consists of 72 hours.

4) Alright jumping to weekends. Imagine a main road. Vehicles are few, drivers prefer to sleep and decline to earn a buck by transporting people. And on the main road, a blanket is put and there are about 10 folks who are playing card in broad daylight.

5) A weekend - A market place - Probably one of the busiest markets. A flyover cutting throught the market. And under the flyover there are a bunch of 25 folks who are playing chess and there are 3 chai walas making their moolah for the day. Heard love for sports....See it literally.

And dont mistake me. I love this spirit of lethargy and miss it when I get away from Cal...Good old Cal...