Of coffee and tea...

Babulal: Aaj ke khaas mehmaan ke liye, hum khud special chai banaayenge!
XYZ: Babulal, tumhare baap ne bhi kabhi chai banai thi?
Babulal: Baap ki baat mat karrr, woh to coffee banate the!

Aaya hoon to...

Implicitly, explicitly, and sometimes subconsciously, Crime Master Gogo has enriched all our lives with his seemingly obscure, yet deep insights and philosophies on life. Thus, he rightfully deserves recognition, admiration and of course,the ultimate stamp of approval - a fan club on Facebook. Join and share your thoughts on Crime Master Goga!

Gold diggers...

Its the same story every four years.

Before the Olympics, people write/talk about India's medal hopes and how we will win 'at least' a couple of bronzes this time.
At the Olympics, we falter and don't end up with much. (Granted, over the last 3 editions, we have graduated from bronze to silver to gold.
After the event, reams of paper are spent on "Why is it that a country of one billion cannot produce a gold medal, and how we *need* to fix the system"

But, honestly - who cares???
Yes, significant investment in sports infrastructure could generate jobs and medals. But, will it generate substantial employment and results? What if we did infact pump in billions to create a sports infrastructure that created a few hundred or a few thousand jobs and generated a few medals? Is that a 'profitable' investment?

Yes, sports are key for a healthy body and mind. Let's keep it that way. Let's enjoy the game in our backyards and grounds. Why worry about medals at the Olympics? While today's barometer of social and economic progress is tied to Olympic medals, is it a barometer we should be concerned about? NO!

Instead, let's focus our energies on other sectors and aspects of the average Indian's life, to create and distribute wealth. As they say, one cannot achieve everything. If the UK, US, Japan and now, China are ahead of the curve in millions and medals, I suspect they did it piecemeal - baby steps. One thing after another...

Let's come to the realization and acceptance that sports and Olympic glory are not a priority for us. With a slew of issues from water to roads to electricity to poverty that need require transformational solutions, let's not channel our energies into a quest for golds, silvers and bronzes.

Thus far, our lack of Olympic medals has been due to apathy, not due to a conscious choice. Its time for us to make that conscious choice to be apathetic to medals and empathetic to social and economic transformation.

Lords of the Rings...

While I await the typhoon to pass by Hong Kong, I have spent quality time in my mainland friendly hotel,watching CCTV. Indeed, this is an exciting time in this region and the Olympic fever is intensifying on the streets (and TV sets) in Hong Kong.

One of the oldest/most prolific civilizations around, China has come full circle in its quest for glory and recognition. Nearly thirty years ago, China started opening its door to foreign investment and embracing its own model of capitalistic communist growth. The means of progress (Tiannanmen Square in 1989) and at times, even the outcomes, can certainly be debated (what about the poor in rural China?). That being said, what the Chinese have achieved over the last 2-3 decades is remarkable - the transformation from an agrarian, bicycle riding nation to a Starbucks chugging, high tech manufacturing driven, VW driving people.

Yes, an event of this scale in a country with a communist background is bound to have controversies - Tibet demonstrations, Kashgar terror strike, 'blue skies' or the lack thereof in Beijing and so on...

However, in the final analysis, one can't help but feel awe, envy and admiration about the Chinese juggernaut as this summer's Olympics dawns upon us. I am confident given the hard working ability and the human capital of the Chinese people, this will go down as one of the finest Olympics in recent times - a true celebration of the 're'-emergence of the Chinese civilization on the world scene.

Bravo Beijing! Well done!
Congratulations China - You have arrived!