If only... perhaps...

The VCD lay unopened for quite a few days.. in fact, months... finally, managed to watch it on a lazy Saturday afternoon...

कदाचित (if only.. perhaps..)
A Marathi movie.. I was watching one after a long time.. quite a different tale.. as opposed to the usual stuff dished out in the Marathi film industry.. and hopefully not lifted from any Hindi or English movie either..

The central character is a well established neuro-surgeon - an extremely intelligent and confident lady - who's aware of how good she is and makes no qualms in acknowledging it as well. Her self-confidence and strong belief in herself is what gives her immense strength.

All is well till the fateful day when her biological father comes back in her life. Years ago, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his wife's murder - the testimony of the daughter being the evidence that tilted the judgement against him.

And the father comes back to reveal the truth - that the highly intelligent and razor sharp daughter had unusually faulted. And he was actually innocent.

Her life crumbles all around her, as she suspects her own judgement, her own intelligence. Was she wrong? Did her own father suffer because of her own mistake? As she gathers evidence, she realized that probably.. she indeed made a mistake...
The outcome is as expected - from the highs of confidence she falls into the depths of depression...

Ever observed your own shadow?
Your shadow is actually an image of your own personality - your belief system is the light shining behind you that creates that shadow.
As long as your belief is strong, the shadow is clear and full... and it stays with you always to keep you aware of your own presence..
As the light becomes weaker, the shadow fades away into an emptiness... an emptiness that dares to dissolve you into nothingness...

No wonder, the challenge for the lady remains.. can she revive that light of her own belief to keep her shadow alive...
If only.. perhaps.. she were right that fateful day as she had always been...

~ Quite ironically, I decided to write about a Marathi movie in English; while I have written about English movies on my Marathi blog...paradoxical, I say.. but then, c'est la vie..

Rivalry

Remember that last epic marathon match between these two?
The Wimbledon final of 2008, which many say has been the greatest final ever played on Center Court, and few or probably none would choose to disagree.

A lot of water has flown under the bridge since last July. The Emperor has been dethroned by the King. Call it fate or luck - but the two have not met since - neither at the US Open, nor at the season ending Shanghai Masters.

As the new year unfolds, as the first major of the year culminates tomorrow - the two gladiators wait behind the gates of the Colloseum, brandishing their swords, pumping their fists, getting ready for their first duel in seven months.

While Roger possibly faces self-doubts on whether he can beat Rafa who enjoys a 12-6 head-to-head advantage and more importantly, who beat him in that Wimbledon final; Nadal faces the enormous challenge of pulling himself up - physically as well as mentally - after that nerve sapping semi-final against Verdasco.

It is also the first time in the final of a major that Rafa is seeded first while Roger is seeded second. I am not sure but I am guessing that while all the 5 majors won by Rafa have come when he was seeded second, Roger has won all of his 13 majors while being seeded first (need to confirm this). But this would probably be the last thing on the minds of the two of them.

I for one, can hardly wait till tomorrow's final. Just putting together a few links to some interesting articles, posts on one of the greatest rivalries of all time in the world of tennis. Any guesses who I predict to win? - Well, none other than RF in 4 sets. Let's wait till tomorrow. Till then, enjoy reading these...

Peter Bodo, in TennisWorld on the rivalry
http://tennisworld.typepad.com/tennisworld/2009/01/tj.html

Sampras least expecting his record to be threatened
http://www.tennis.com/tournaments/2009/australianopen/australianopen.aspx?id=162342

A Nadal fan predicting his win
http://tennisworld.typepad.com/thewrap/2009/01/oz-the-duel-goe.html

Federer's tryst with the Australian Open
http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/tennis/federer-with-all-due-respect/2009/01/30/1232818732483.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Complete head-to-head match summaries between the two rivals on the official ATP website http://www.atpworldtour.com/1/en/news/newsarticle_1967.asp

.

..and...

Can Federer regain the numero uno spot again?
In history, only one man called Ivan Lendl has been able to do that.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/5/en/deuce/january2009/federer.asp

Flowers at Kamakura

A bud blossoms.
Into a bright pink-red flower.
Oblivious to the grey-white surroundings.
Small dark green leaves offer support or company.
A few Japanese characters appear blurred in the background.
Who knows?
What will be life of this flower?
And what does tomorrow hold for the bud that has not blossomed?

Is it a bunch of wild flowers & buds on a stem?
Or a bunch of garden flowers & buds on a stem?
What difference does it make?
Nothing.
Our lives continue.
Their lives continue too.
Yet, two solitary moments remain frozen in time.
The moment that captured their life in this picture.
And the moment that opened this picture in our's.

Frozen colors that appear so vibrant.
Frozen buds that appear so hopeful.
Frozen leaves & frozen flowers that appear so lively.
Frozen thoughts that convey so much.

And as happens always.. life moves on...silently..

~ A few thoughts penned after watching a nice picture.

Source of the picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/toshio1/188998382

Life in a... Metro.. with some chai..

~A few thoughts penned after watching the movie "Life in a Metro"

Its the month of March. The mercury's already gone over 37degC in Pune. But today's a different day. The skies are grey the whole a'noon - looks like it would rain anytime - a welcome shower in this heat. I stand in my balcony, holding on to my cup of strong adrak chai. The cool evening breeze carries the sweet smell of the earth - I wonder is there any appropriate word in English that describes "soundhi" so beautifully.

And then I wonder about Life in a Metro.
They say, movies usually depict life in real. How much does this movie actually represent? I have no statistics or real life examples that come to my mind. Maybe it does, maybe it does not.
Are relationships in today's metro really so complicated?

Rishtey to nahin, rishton ki parchaiyaan miley..
Yeh kaisi bheed hain..
Bas yahaan! Tanhaiyaan miley...

All this while, its the head that is talking.

Isnt it an eternal conflict - the head versus the heart.
What I should do versus what I want to do.

The heart speaks first.
Isnt that why Shruti (Konkona), the 28 year old virgin, lets go off herself in the end - she couldnt infinitely wait for her 'perfect man' - he doesnt exist until she actually gives it a try - the head made her wait for so long, finally she listened to her heart.

The head gets defensive. What about Shruti's very own sister, Mrs Ranjeet, er.. Shikha (Shilpa Shetty)? Had she listened to her heart, she would not have stayed on with Ranjeet (K K Menon), but she would have rather gone on with Akash (Shiney).

Is the heart really so selfish?

Dil khudgarz hai
Phisla hai yeh, phir haath se...
Kal uskaa rahaa,
Ab hai teraa.. is raat se..

Why does she not choose Akash over Ranjeet? Is it because Akash is a loser in life? Is it because of societal norms? Is it because she & Ranjeet have been married for 9 years, have a 6 year old daughter - and she cant imagine herself leaving all this for the sake of a love which is not more than 4-5 weeks old, and which has not withstood any real test of time?

The heart cant bear all this abuse.
It retorts angrily. What about Rahul (Sharman Joshi)?
He listened to his smart head, didnt care two hoots about any morals or principles, and just found new ways to make money. Finally, when he realised that he was sacrificing his love, he listened to me, his heart, and gave everything up! It wasnt just his bag that lay scattered on the railway platform - it was his life. And thankfully, Neha (Kangana) realised it too. Thats why she came to him.

The head cant stop laughing.
It was because of you, my dear heart, that Neha fell in love with her boyfriend, and then got ditched. Then she listened to me and got into the relationship with Ranjeet - both were happy in life until you decided to meddle in her life again. She was getting promotions & perks, he was getting sex - their mutually exclusive needs were being fulfilled - but you couldnt see that happen, could you? Thats why you made her ask for more out of that relationship. You made her attempt suicide - has she listened to just me, her head, she would have never been that unhappy in her life.

What about Ranjeet then, asked the heart.
You will never understand him, chuckled the head - his head & his heart lie in his loins - I wonder if he ever listens to us.

The heart suddenly remembered Amol (Dharmendra) & Shivani (Nafisa Ali) and exclaimed that love finally conquers all obstacles. He listened to his head in his youth - but towards the end - he realised his folly. After so many years, the two of them reignited their love & feelings for each other & became happy.

Baatein kuch ankahee si, kuch ansooni si hone lagi..
Kaaboo dil pe raha na, hasti hamaari khone lagi..
Shayad yahi hai pyaar...

You are crazy! shouted the head. Had Amol listened to you in his youth, he would have ended up being a loser in life like Akash. It is only after you become old & senile, you end up doing insane things and not care about the consquences - coz anyway, there's not much left in life to lose.

What about Monty (Irfan Khan) then, asked the heart?
Yeah, what about him, retorted the head.
He is a simpleton who gives simple answers to all questions in life.
Want to vent out your anger, just shout at the top of your voice.
Want to give love a chance, just go ahead, fall in love.

So, what do you do in the end?
Listen to the head or your heart?
Or wait for your head to permit your heart to make decisions for you?

In dino... dil meraa.. mujh se hai keh rahaa..
Tu.. khwaab sajaa...
Hai, tujhe bhi ijaazat..
kar le.. tu bhi..muhabbat..

I watch the small raindrops fall pitter-patter on the ground below.
With my eyes closed, I hold out out my hand to catch some of those raindrops on my palm. I feel mesmerized with that mitti ki soundhi-soundhi khushboo.
And I continue to sip my favorite adrak wali chai.

Kal kya hogaa?

Ever seen a batsman bend his back more majestically?

Starting the day at 297/6 with Dhoni & Pathan at the crease, India got bowled out by Australia for 330 - 4 wickets fell shockingly for just 2 runs - way too short of a 400-450+ total that seemed quite possible y'day when Dravid (93) and Tendulkar (71) were batting.

Australia were then reduced to 61/5 by a fiery opening spell from Pathan, RP and Ishant Sharma (they probably missed the services of Hayden much more than they could have imagined) before Symonds(66) and Gilchrist (55) combined forces to forge a 102-run partnership and restore some pride for the team that is seeking its record-breaking 17th test win on the trot.

A brilliant spell by RP Singh & Anil Kumble (who picked up his 600th wicket in the form of Symonds) ensured that the Australian tail did not wag much after the departure of the attacking duo, and the Aussie first innings folded for a mere 212. When was the last time that such a thing happened?

India now has a lead of 118 runs.
At draw of stumps on Day 2, they find themselves at 52/1 with Viru unbeaten on 29.
Three days remain in the 3rd test of this series, in which Australia leads 2-0.

Aage kya hogaa? A result is obviously in store.
Will India script a win and stop the Aussie victory run yet again?
Will Australian seamers fire back at the Indian batting line-up??

What should be India's target for the 2nd innings? Do you think they can make 300 or 350 or even more? Will SRT fire one more time at this venue?

What will be Australia's game plan? Will Brett Lee spit fire? Will Shaun Tait prove not to be a dud?

Will Ponting and his men still continue to wear the garb of sportsmanship?
Will Kumble and his team not succumb to the pressure of being in the driver's seat?

Its all happening down under. At WACA. At Perth. Probably, the wind is blowing either too hard, or it has changed direction.

Only time will tell...ki kal kya hogaa...

~ My feeble attempt at being a cricket reporter.

When V Met

U n I - two different individuals, as different as the proverbial chalk n cheese.
U - the ever talkative, ever smiling, ever enthusiastic, ever crazy gal.
Me - the ever silent, ever brooding, ever boring, ever serious guy.
And one fine day, V met on a train.

The train was a metaphor for life - I had no clue where it was headed, I had no ticket and I desperately wanted to get off it.
Whereas, U were one who never missed catching your train, U knew where U wanted to go, U knew what U wanted to do.

And when I got off my train, U left the train too. And came with me.
It was destiny that our paths crossed. Destiny, they say, is a matter of choice than chance. Is it?
I dont know, but what I know is this -
when V met, U showed me the way.
U were the leader and I became your follower.

हम जो चलने लगे,
चलने लगे हैं यह रास्तें,
मंज़िल से बहतर,
लगने लगे हैं यह रास्तें...

आओ, खो जाये हम,
हो जाये हम युं लापता,
आओ, मिलो चलें,
जाना कहां ना हो पता...

During our journey together, I was simply floored by you.
I was amazed by U, amazed coz U were crazy and did simply whatever that came to your mind, or should I say your heart.
I envied U, envied U coz U loved yourself so much.
I loved U, loved U coz U were in love.

U showed me that when a person is in love, it shows.
U were so colorful, so happy.
And U looked so forward to meeting your love.

हां, हैं कोई तो वजह,
जो जीने का मज़ा युं आने लगा,
यह हवाओं में हैं क्या,
थोडासा जो नशा जो छाने लगा..

पुछो ना पुछो, मुझे क्या हुआ हैं,
तेरी राहों में आकर,
पुछो ना पुछो, मुझे क्या मिलेगा,
तेरी बाहो में आकर..

यह इश्क हाये,
बैठे-बिठाये, जन्नत दिखाये हां..

Until I met U, my life appeared to be completely shattered.
But U showed me the way. I argued with U that life cannot be led the way U led it - U have to be serious in life - and I was stumped when U posed me this Q,
"U were serious, weren't u? Then why did this happen to U?"
I had no answer.

But after meeting U, I turned over a new leaf. Whenever I faced a problem, a crisis, a challenge, I put on Ur thinking hat, I put myself in Ur shoes and asked myself how would U react, what would U do. And I did just what U would do.
And I became happy. And succesful.
Even in Ur absence, U became a part of me, my thoughts, my life.

ना हैं यह पाना,
ना खोना ही हैं,
तेरा ना होना जाने,
क्यों होना ही हैं..

तुमसे ही दिन होता हैं,
सुरमयी शाम आती हैं,
तुमसे ही, तुमसे ही..

हर घडी सांस आती हैं,
ज़िन्दगी कहलाती हैं,
तुमसे ही, तुमसे ही..

Fate, they say, can be cruel at times. How ironical then, that at the same time when I started living life on the very rules that U defined, U lost faith in yourself. Reality hit hard on U, when your love did not respond the way U wanted it to.

It was then my turn to help U get aboard the train again; albeit at a different station; on a different route. I showed U the mirror - a mirror that helped U look at Ur own reflection of Ur old self. Once we were back on track, U asked me if I loved U; and I could not hide the truth.

And then, destiny played its part again - your love realised his love for you, and came back to you with open arms. U looked at me; confused; torn between two loves; not sure which path to take; whom to choose as your life partner.
Two people should get married only if both of them are in love with each other - both of us knew this.
And I walked away, for your happiness...

Maybe, you realised at that moment of separation that U were missing a train; missing a journey of life that both of us could enjoy together;
and maybe you didnt want to miss this train...
... and you came running towards me... and I reached out for U...
that's Jab V Met...

Whats wrong RF?

Wikipedia defines "inflection point" as follows:

a point (x,y) on a function, f(x), at which the first derivative, f'(x), is at an extremum, i.e. a minimum or maximum. (This is not the same as saying that y is at an extremum).

It follows from the definition that the sign of f'(x) on either side of the point (x,y) must be the same. If this is positive, the point is a rising point of inflection; if it is negative, the point is a falling point of inflection.

Consider these statistics:

2003: 72-16 win-loss record 7 titles 1 major

2004: 74 -6 win-loss record 11 titles 3 majors

2005: 81-4 win-loss record 11 titles 2 majors

2006: 92-5 win-loss record 12 titles 3 majors

2007: 65-9 win-loss record 7 titles 3 majors

Suppose these statistics were given to a statistician or a mathematician. And he or she were asked,

"please build a statistical model that defines RF's career.

please define a function f(x) that traces his career over time.

calculate its first derivative f'(x) that indicates the rate at which f(x) changes, to trace the rate at which his career changes.

and then pray tell me - is the year 2007 the point of inflection in his career?"

Note that the point of inflection could be either a rising or a falling point of inflection.

One look at the statistics and it is evident that 2003 seems to be the rising point of inflection.

(I dont have his win-loss record in 2002, but he won only 3 titles and no majors in that year.)

If we look at the majors, then 2007 certainly does not seem to be a cause for concern.

However, if we look at the win-loss record, or at the drop in the number of titles won in a year, it certainly seems to be either a blip or a falling point of inflection. (I trust a mathematician or a statistician to prove me right or wrong on this one.)

2 consecutive defeats in 2 consecutive matches is a rarity for RF - this last happened 4 and a half years ago, sometime in 2002.

2 consecutive defeats to the same guy - this happened versus Nalbandian in the last few days, and versus Canas in March early this year - twice in 2007 - when did this last happen? 2002? 2001?

Losing a match versus a guy (Fernando Gonzalez) against whom he had a 10-0 overall career record.

Do these factors fit somewhere into that model f(x)?

If someone does come up with that model, I am sure RF's opponents will certainly be interested to find a statistical based way of beating him.

Btw, here's something interesting for RF's opponents - a couple of factors that need to be plugged in the fuction f(X) - these factors could determine your chances of winning against RF in 2007:

1. you know Spanish (Nadal, Canas, Nalbandian, Gonzo all speak Spanish - exceptions are Djokovic and Volandri - but rumour has it that they underwent Spanish learning sessions in secret)

2. you have long hair (all of them have long hair, with the same exceptions again)

Well! I have the inputs/factors/statistics ready at my disposal.

Just waiting for Mr Statistician / Mr Mathematician to conjure function f(x) and tell me if 2007 is the point of inflection for Mr Roger Federer.

Till then, hopefully, RF will return to his winning ways at the season ending Shanghai Masters.

As one Mr Muhammad Ali once famously said,

hopefully, he will once again dance like a butterfly and sting like a bee.