Ajmal Kasab: India Wins 2-0... Or does She?

29th August, 2012 will go down as the day the Supreme Court of India sentenced to death, the Pakistani Terrorist, and lone survivor of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Ajmal Amir Kasab. The cost of keeping this man alive and safe for more than 3 and a half years was about 35 crore rupees. (Yes, count the zeroes if you wish. That's 35,00,00,000). Anyway, the end is near. Death Sentence it is. That'll be a Win for India. In football terminology: India 2-0 approaching stoppage time.

Wait... 2-0?? Where did the second one come from??

Well, the first victory was claimed when we allowed him a trial. High Court, and then to the Supreme Court. Proof that India will not stoop down to barbarianism in times of crisis. The Government, although the Plaintiff, ensured his well being and provided him with a lawyer, health care, newspapers, and the most notoriously publicized Mutton Biryani at his Arthur Road Jail cell, and did so much to the displeasure of the general population who had called for an immediate death sentence.

Morals, dignity, integrity, laws, democracy... The decision to allow him a fair trial, a fair appeal and provisions to exercise every right any defendant is allowed in an Indian Court of Law. THAT was 1-0 to India.

The appeal was upheld at the Supreme Court and he has been sentenced to death by hanging for 'waging war on India'. 2-0.

But, lets not get carried away with the Sentence. Afzal Guru has been waiting for his hanging for some years now. Let Kasab hang first. Then we'll talk. (Ok, that last bit wasn't mine. Read that on twitter.) Makes sense to me. You know how lightning quick Govt. procedures are in India. Pranab da, the call is your's.

Another question I asked myself was: Who did we beat with the 2-0 scoreline?? Kasab? Pakistan? Islam? Terrorism? Jehad? If you answered a 'Yes' to any of these, then I suggest you think again.

Kasab: well, we didn't beat him. We put him through our Judiciary system which, to be fair has had its own share of criticism to deal with. Moral victory, maybe.

Pakistan and its innocent citizens were never the enemy, so... no. The Pakistan internal establishment, yes.

Islam: don't kid yourself. One of my best friends and my neighbor are Muslim. Not the enemy.

Terrorism: No. The element of terror and Jehad as its catalyst are still thriving in the underground extremist networks.

I'm sorry, but apart from the moral victory, I see no positives from the sentence of Ajmal Amir Kasab. 

And also, vengeance for those who lost their loved ones in 26/11. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for the sentence. But, Kasab is not the root of the problem. The root lies in the top levels of state funded terror units that brainwash kids like Kasab with a self righteous notion of Jehad and the promise of Allah's rewards, ultimately training them into deadly killing machines. Unless the top level is destabilized and taken down, we will have more 26/11s and Ajmal Kasabs.

This is not a complete victory for India over anyone. But a small step towards the Herculean task of dismantling the Jehadi terror network that still survives in Paksitan as well as India.

Meanwhile, let Kasab hang from the gallows and send a message out to the world: India will strike with dignity. Always.

Jai Hind.

-Pratik Gupta

My Idol: Paul Scholes

I'm not a man of many words. Playing football is all I ever wanted to do. - Paul Scholes.

Widely acknowledged as the best attacking midfielder of his day, Paul Scholes is as simple as he is brilliant. He personifies the ideal sportsman. Though not without his own minute set of flaws, he is in my opinion, and of countless others, the perfect footballer. He sets a bar too high for any other footballer of this generation to meet. Yes, we will have the flair and dazzle of many other players, but, none can match Scholesy in terms of his level of perfection and excellence.

Part of the famous 1992 FA Youth Cup winning Manchester United team, christened Fergie's Fledglings, Paul Scholes was always destined for greatness. He has been a pivotal part of Manchester United's midfield for the last 20-odd years. He is undoubtedly one of the most naturally gifted footballers in the World. With his mind boggling movement, unmatched vision, elegant composure on the ball, inch perfect passing, both long and short, and a rocket of a right foot shot, Scholes is the ultimate midfielder. There has always been debate about his tackling ability which, I admit, is not the most refined. But, hey, nobody's perfect. Despite his stout figure, he is known for his dominance on the pitch. He can control the midfield like a puppeteer.

Known as The Ginger Prince, or Ginger Ninja, he pierces the sternest of defenses with his passing, and scores some insanely awesome goals. Here you can see him striking his famous goal against Barcelona at Old Trafford. It was the second leg of the 2007-08 Champions' League Semi-Final which Manchester United won 1-0 on aggregate; this was the only goal in 180 minutes of football over 2 legs. United went on to beat Chelsea and win the Champions' League that year. 

I count myself one among the innumerable youths to have been inspired by him; not by his football, cause I suck on the field, but by his persona. He's a man of simple nature. He comes to the ground, trains, goes home. On match-day, he plays in his usual Central Midfield role. He gives his 110% and produces an unquestionably brilliant performance irrespective of the result.

He has always been dedicated to Manchester United and pledged his entire career to the club. Such sincerity and loyalty are rare qualities, seen in only a chosen few of his generation. In his Autobiography, he writes that he faced a difficult time when United signed Juan Sebastian Veron, as Scholesy was pushed into the right wing, but stated that was ready to play in a Manchester United Shirt in whichever position he was asked to do so by the manager.

As loud and expressive as he is on the pitch, he is known to be an equally 'shy' and quiet individual in person. He rarely gives interviews. I'm pretty sure he has avoided the press all through his career. In a rare interview in 2003, he described his perfect day as: train in the morning, pick up my kids from school, play with them, have tea, put them to bed and watch a bit of TV.

Talent, fame and the honor of being a regular face in the Manchester United line-up for almost two decades failed to lift his feet off the ground. He is known to be as modest as anyone you'll ever meet. He has a passion for football. For Manchester United. His life has always been about going out there, on that pitch and giving it all he's got and never giving up. 

No controversies... No serious speculations about him wanting to leave Manchester United... No fits of rage... No run-ins with the wrong kind of people. No bad press... Just a brilliant performer on the field and an ideal family man off it.

Paul Scholes is the perfect inspiration. He is my idol. He signifies what I strive to be: Attain perfection in whatever passions I have, be dedicated to my goal and work consistently towards achieving it, and, most importantly remembering never to lose myself along the way.

In my eyes, the best midfielder, and the most complete footballer the world has seen, or ever will see: Paul Scholes. 

Nothing but Respect.

-Pratik Gupta.

Simple Things

If nobody told you Life would be easy, you were probably among those lucky people who had sane people all around them influencing their upbringing. And definitely saner than the idiot who invented the board game: Life. Spin the wheel, make money and win. (I do like the tag line though: 'You Can Be A Winner').

No, life's not easy. It gets more complicated and difficult with every day, week, month and year. And you probably learnt a lot about it in your own respective ways while growing up. So I'm not here to lecture y'all on that. I'm here to pass on a very simple message: Lighten Up When You Can.

Let me explain. We all live about our lives trying to earn money, lead our own lives and try to meet expectations of our loved ones as well as ourselves added to the contribute to Global Economy and progress and all that Commerce bullshit that I'll never understand. Sometimes we get stuck in so deep that we barely have time to reach out and connect with the world around us, and in turn, with ourselves.

Simple Things... Things that may seem insignificant much at face value, but, can go a long way to keep you happy. Things that may seem a waste of time, but, if you try them, bring a sense of satisfaction from deep within.

Here's a list of things you I have experienced that help me connect with Nirvana - the divine feeling:

1. Wake up around 15 minutes early from my normal morning schedule and open the windows. Look around at the dark skies at the crack of dawn, observe the first rays of light, feel the cool moist morning breeze and let it absorb me into it. I normally prefer plugging in my headphones and listen to a song or 2. (Coming Back To Life by Pink Floyd is among my all time faves).
2. A late night drive at cruise speed.. Alone. Empty wet roads and again, my favorite music.
3. Goa. Calangute Beach. 5:30 AM to 7AM. Half a foot deep in the water. Headphones on. Feeling the waves crashing on my knees and watching the slow, magnificent sunrise from behind me.

These are some moments when you can just forget everything about your daily life and perceive the beauty of the world you live in. Simple Things... We all need them. Trust me. They help.

Try it.

Disconnect.

Break Free.

Cheers. :)

-Pratik Gupta.

Balance? Maybe.

That we live in a strange world, is not in doubt. Apart from its many flaws and equally wondrous methods of balancing them, there's this one thing which bothers me every now and then: The English Language.

Back in the days when I was at school, we learnt that English was a global language. Lingua Franca, they called it. Well, yeah the French would disagree. And the Spanish. And a minority set of Countries who, for their own reasons have chosen some other language as their national tongue. But, they won't understand this piece cause they won't know English anyway. Well... Balance. ;)

But anyway, the issue with English. So... If English is a Globally accepted language, it should in all respects, be perfect. No ambiguities and confusions. No redundancies. Right? Well, not really the case is it?

For example: Maybe is the word that defies balance to the hilt.

I asked a colleague of mine the other day, "Bro, some of us from work are going out for dinner on Friday. Can u make it?" And he replied: "Maybe". Pretty smart, wasn't it? Maybe. The ultimate diplomatic tool. Deflecting the question, yet not completely declining the invitation. In his defense, he wasn't completely sure if he could make it. And therein lies the beauty of it: we'll never know, will we? ;)

'Maybe' and his evil twin 'Maybe Not' epitomize uncertainty in an undeniable, unquestionable fashion and yet, balance out their differences. You see, the answer 'maybe' translates to: "Not Sure. But there's a better chance of assent than dissent." While 'maybe not' sounds more like: "Not sure. But there's I good chance I won't." If you are smart enough to see the subtle difference, there wont be as much an ambiguity. 

So, the next time you ask a question and get an uncertain reply like, maybe/(not) and probably/(not), corner the diplomatic dud and force a straight answer outta him.

-Pratik Gupta. :)

PS: That colleague of mine finally did turn up for the dinner. ;P

PPS: Comments are welcome.

Independence Day: What The Oxford Dictionary Won’t Tell You.

To start off, I had a difficulty spelling Independence today. I wasn’t sure whether it was IndIpendence or IndEpendence. Glad I sorted that out immediately. Thank you, Oxford.

Secondly, happy Independence Day to every Indian around the world. I hope you felt as patriotic as I did this morning, and watched the Flag unfurling ceremony at Red Fort followed by Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s speech.

The most perfect morning for an outing, tight security and and air of pride and patriotism all round. The school children were dressed in the colors of the Indian national flag and arranged in an order to look like the hoisted flag. Beautiful. Well, it doesn’t really matter if you missed it. We’ll have the media telecasting the main lines and key points from the speech along with the highlights of the event.

The day would be followed by a critical analysis of the PM’s speech and how he delivers empty words year after year… and baseless conclusions that India is probably in a worse state than it was 66 years ago.

Right on cue, I read a status update of facebook about how people will remember Independence day only on the 15th of August and carry on with their lives for the rest of the year. There are a few of those every year. As much as I resented reading it, I couldn’t help but admit that I once shared that thought. Probably 2 or 3 years ago.

The PM’s speech covered a varied range of points ranging from Farmer Benefits, to a new, more convenient Pension claim system, condemnation of the violence in Assam and Mumbai and promise of a better tomorrow, statistics of successful programmes and impending plans for new ones. In all, a complete speech of the present state and what we can hope the future India to be like.

This morning, I realised what Independence day means… or should mean, rather. I had an answer to all the cynics who thought that Independence day celebrations had no significance and was a waste of time.

Independence day is a day of hope. Hope that India can be what She yearns to be. She can grow into the India that we all know she can be. It is a day that not only helps us remember the sacrifices made by countless national heroes and faceless martyrs towards the ultimate goal of Independence, but also, serves as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance, passion and dedication. It took 90 years and innumerable lives from the first strike on British rule in 1857 to earn us the Freedom that we are celebrating today.

Remember the heroes, not for their sacrifice, but for the result of their resilience and iron-clad will to liberate India from external rule. Its a matter of intent, patience and hope. A perfect blend of these 3 elements will take India where She can be… where She deserves to be. It will take time. But, rather than being condescending and looking down upon the past 66 years, we should learn from them.

Do your bit. Be Patient. And Incredible India will no longer be just a dream.

Jai Hind!!

Signing off,

A Proud Indian.

Pratik Gupta.