"All the world's a stage and........." - William Shakespeare
The wonderful thing about life is that it compels man to be content with just a bit part in this global theatre. The more you try and do it all yourself, the more lonely and cornered you become.
Opulence 2007 was probably one such story. The story of a failed division of labour where everything which encompassed the crux of the fest- celebrities, marketing, design, event management and even putting up of publicity paraphernalia was handled by a very limited group of quality-oriented workaholics.
"Quality in everything" had been our motto right from day one. It might have just proved to be our undoing, for by the end, there was nobody managing the fest; all were working for it.
The team that worked for us was an interesting one. A mix of some of the nicest guys and girls you could ever come across (I just cannot beleive how a group could have so many like-minded individuals). Be it boozing out two days before the fest or attending classes on the morning of the fest or even behaving like a set of the most irresponsible brats, I beleive there was never a word spoken to them in anger. There were pleas, requests, orders and so on.... but never anything derogatory. All negative sentiments would be would be wonderfully suppressed and the only avenue for giving vent to all the pent up emotion would invariably be within the confines of our room. In hindsight, that was wonderfully orchestrated.
How frustrating can it get than being forced to go to the booking office when Prahlad Kakar was sending the house in raptures or to go to see off celebrities when somebody else for whom you had worked your ass off was holding centrestage. It is a pity when you work hard all year to put something in place and you don't get to see even a tiny part of it sans the valedictory! I am not the only one awaiting the Opulence videos to see how it all went. Justice can sometimes be cruel in its ways of implementation!
Digressing as I am, it is probably because I am just a bit overcome with emotion. The strange thing about our team is that we somehow were never able to muster up enough and tell the co-ordinators, "the fest is all yours", and leave it all to them.
I still recall how we used to go and put up posters for we thought that the team under us might be too tired. Mistaken priorities!
As careless, irresponsible and 'mischievous' as they have been all along, I still envy some of the IInd yearites for the talent and potential that exists there. 'Tactitude' and 'Brand Aid' were two events whose conceptualization was first-class and as an impassive novice, feel, challenged the thought process no ends. The amount of quality, passion and desire that the Ankits, Parikshits, Vigneshs, Rahuls, Gauravs and Chagganis of this world possess is tremendous. But the issue all along was whether they were able to buy into our vision and commitment?
I am also grateful to all my event team members. Vineet & Anshul surprised me pleasantly with the push that they had to get more participation for Manthan; Nimit & Deepak in Cognoscenti were no less enterprising; so were the Vibhores, Amits & Anshumans in Ventura. Saurabh, Kshitij and Prativesh were the go to guys whenever a need arose.
Adiosyncrasy has been the soul of Opulence in all its three editions for we have never failed in getting the best ad-makers. I could never quite gauge the Bhoopendras, Paliwals, Sonis and Sonals but one incident that happened during the course of Opulence would suffice for them.
Prahlad Kakar kept gazing at the wall mags and admired its beauty. That from the greatest. Kudos to you!
It is a bit strange that only the convenor gets an opportunity to become emotional during the valedictory. Opulence 2007 has been all the more richer for all these wonderful people and all I can say is .....Thanks a ton!!
P.S. The number of exclamation marks are suggestive.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Thanks a Ton!!!
I feel tired, exhausted, worn out and whatever else you could associate with a state of mind where you just want to sit all day reminiscing with a sense of nostalgia at all good things past. January 15th had to arrive one day and even though I had been looking forward to the weekend with considerable eagerness for over a year, I couldn't help but feel that pang of disappointment when it finally came and went.
Opulence 2007 was the result of a year's work and though that might sound immodest, it was precisely a year back that Mr. Con (Vik) called me into his room and introduced me to two handsome hunks- Mr. Cool (Ash) and Mr. Smart ( Ravs). For a second, I was left wondering whether there was an audition of some sort taking place and it left me flabbergasted when I was told that Mr. Cool and Mr. Smart would be part of the core team for Opulence 2007. Here were two guys, admittedly handsome, but what were they doing in a fest core committee? Two guys who were not necessarily amongst the spotlight in IT (my skewed viewpoint about things) and whom I didn't even know inspite of having worked together in the last edition.
I have had no illusions since that second.
Mr. Smart has intrigued me right from Day One. Here, I thought was a brain to be picked with just the right mix of pragmatism and vision for a none too flamboyant person like me. Here was somebody in whom I could see a bit of myself. Searching for an identity initially, Ravs left me stumped with his observations, insights and plans ....His professionalism and efficiency was unmatched at any point of time throughout the whole team and his handling of resources (something I think of as one of my few strengths) was exemplary. His schedules were the only ones that were adhered to during the entire period and towards the end his dedication, single-mindedness and commitment to meet deadlines was something to be wondered at. He sometimes frustrated you with an inhuman stoniness once a marketing deal was clinched or a celeb was confirmed but talk of girls...and entertainment....there was that all too familiar blush and energy. Opulence, I believe took the greatest toll on him for towards the end you could see him giving it his all with his mind wandering somewhere else ( I wonder...). Mr. Smart grew in stature the most during Opulence. His confidence in testing unchartered waters was striking but he never seemed to lose focus about his career and the larger picture throughout. His sense of helplessness towards the end at some very lethargic work being done by those under him was something that only amused me. Maybe, he could get involved in the dynamics of the rest of the team but Mr. Smart, I believe is very versatile and fairly talented and I wouldn't be surprised if our courses meet.
Now talk of commitment, work ethic and sacrifice, Mr. Cool would win any contest hands down. From marketing co-ordinator to celebrities, logistics to hospitality and anything else that would make anybody despair, Mr. Cool was there for you. The thing that stood out about Ash was the extravagance, pomp and fun that he brought to the table with anything that he did. Over the course of a year, I can not recall Ash losing his cool. Yes, there were the occasional "F*** Yaar"s but they were outnumbered comprehensively by the "Mast Kaam"s and "Phodu Bandha" s. I have been trying hard to convince him that he could make a great entertainer with the general poise and panache that he possesses. I felt sorry for Ash towards the end for he had put in his all for a year and he had been forced to put in more during the three days which mattered. If anybody deserved to take the first row during the Kakar workshop with feet up and at the end of it all say "Kya Phodu Bandha Hai Yaar", it was Mr. Ash. But true to form, he would be at the station or the airport awaiting some team or celebrity without any sense of time. If I were to be asked about Mr. Ash, doing what he enjoys doing is the way forward for him. Any assignment involving travel, adventure and quality and I sort of know who is going to do best. Mr. Cool could do with a bit more confidence but his commitment and dedication is going to make him the loved one.
And finally Mr. Con. I would rather be critical of him for that would save my time and give my blog some space to put up something more interesting. If I were to be part of an oganisation that was on the lookout for a leader, I would have a very easy task of telling them where to look for. Energy, Vision, Principles, Fundamentals, Articulation, Tech-Saviness, Aesthetic Appeal, Commitment, Dedication, Passion were some of the very few qualities that I could find in him. But, the two things that really stood apart about him were his abilities to think on his feet and the efficiency that was part of his 16-hour work days. His mind never seemed to get exhausted even if his body did and his brain which kept churning constantly was responsible for most of what was put together during Opulence 2007. Be it H.R, marketing, micro-management and creating 'hypes', his clock was always ticking. We might have staged a hugely successful 'Big Fight' with the MBA issue being hotly debated but through Mr. Con, I can see why the course was designed in the first place. Mr. Con made it a point to relax everybody whenever the team was at its lowest ebb. He did this so passionately and unerringly that I often got the impression that he had noted this down somewhere.
The only issue that I had with Mr. Con was that he gave his gut feeling too much importance. Sometimes, the entire world was scheming against him as well as Opulence and on other occassions it was the usual "no money, no participation and no celebrities" refrain. Yes, there were incidents to justify the approach but maybe such things could take a backseat when the quality of your fest is at stake. We live in an all embracing world and maybe, just maybe, there are larger things in life. Towards the end, I sympathised with him for I got the feeling that he had beem trying to use the best principles of corporate management in whatever he had been trying to do. Whether these need to be used in a college festival is a totally different question altogether. There are some people who like to perform routine and demeaning jobs, some have to be kicked on the back all the time and very few 1st yearites can feel good about sticking posters.
And here I am doing what I am best at. Calling myself a part of the core committee; not having done a thing through the fest and the passing judgement about how everybody worked. That is the adidas addict for you! How the festival went and how well we worked I guess is upto posterity but if there was one thing that I would carry back from Opulence 2007, it is the mates that I have made- Mr. Smart and Mr. Cool. I thought that my friends from school would never be rivalled but I can say without an iota of a doubt that I have been mistaken. How I wish that we could spend our entire lives the way we have spent the last year! Thanks a lot, guys! Thanks a ton!
Opulence 2007 was the result of a year's work and though that might sound immodest, it was precisely a year back that Mr. Con (Vik) called me into his room and introduced me to two handsome hunks- Mr. Cool (Ash) and Mr. Smart ( Ravs). For a second, I was left wondering whether there was an audition of some sort taking place and it left me flabbergasted when I was told that Mr. Cool and Mr. Smart would be part of the core team for Opulence 2007. Here were two guys, admittedly handsome, but what were they doing in a fest core committee? Two guys who were not necessarily amongst the spotlight in IT (my skewed viewpoint about things) and whom I didn't even know inspite of having worked together in the last edition.
I have had no illusions since that second.
Mr. Smart has intrigued me right from Day One. Here, I thought was a brain to be picked with just the right mix of pragmatism and vision for a none too flamboyant person like me. Here was somebody in whom I could see a bit of myself. Searching for an identity initially, Ravs left me stumped with his observations, insights and plans ....His professionalism and efficiency was unmatched at any point of time throughout the whole team and his handling of resources (something I think of as one of my few strengths) was exemplary. His schedules were the only ones that were adhered to during the entire period and towards the end his dedication, single-mindedness and commitment to meet deadlines was something to be wondered at. He sometimes frustrated you with an inhuman stoniness once a marketing deal was clinched or a celeb was confirmed but talk of girls...and entertainment....there was that all too familiar blush and energy. Opulence, I believe took the greatest toll on him for towards the end you could see him giving it his all with his mind wandering somewhere else ( I wonder...). Mr. Smart grew in stature the most during Opulence. His confidence in testing unchartered waters was striking but he never seemed to lose focus about his career and the larger picture throughout. His sense of helplessness towards the end at some very lethargic work being done by those under him was something that only amused me. Maybe, he could get involved in the dynamics of the rest of the team but Mr. Smart, I believe is very versatile and fairly talented and I wouldn't be surprised if our courses meet.
Now talk of commitment, work ethic and sacrifice, Mr. Cool would win any contest hands down. From marketing co-ordinator to celebrities, logistics to hospitality and anything else that would make anybody despair, Mr. Cool was there for you. The thing that stood out about Ash was the extravagance, pomp and fun that he brought to the table with anything that he did. Over the course of a year, I can not recall Ash losing his cool. Yes, there were the occasional "F*** Yaar"s but they were outnumbered comprehensively by the "Mast Kaam"s and "Phodu Bandha" s. I have been trying hard to convince him that he could make a great entertainer with the general poise and panache that he possesses. I felt sorry for Ash towards the end for he had put in his all for a year and he had been forced to put in more during the three days which mattered. If anybody deserved to take the first row during the Kakar workshop with feet up and at the end of it all say "Kya Phodu Bandha Hai Yaar", it was Mr. Ash. But true to form, he would be at the station or the airport awaiting some team or celebrity without any sense of time. If I were to be asked about Mr. Ash, doing what he enjoys doing is the way forward for him. Any assignment involving travel, adventure and quality and I sort of know who is going to do best. Mr. Cool could do with a bit more confidence but his commitment and dedication is going to make him the loved one.
And finally Mr. Con. I would rather be critical of him for that would save my time and give my blog some space to put up something more interesting. If I were to be part of an oganisation that was on the lookout for a leader, I would have a very easy task of telling them where to look for. Energy, Vision, Principles, Fundamentals, Articulation, Tech-Saviness, Aesthetic Appeal, Commitment, Dedication, Passion were some of the very few qualities that I could find in him. But, the two things that really stood apart about him were his abilities to think on his feet and the efficiency that was part of his 16-hour work days. His mind never seemed to get exhausted even if his body did and his brain which kept churning constantly was responsible for most of what was put together during Opulence 2007. Be it H.R, marketing, micro-management and creating 'hypes', his clock was always ticking. We might have staged a hugely successful 'Big Fight' with the MBA issue being hotly debated but through Mr. Con, I can see why the course was designed in the first place. Mr. Con made it a point to relax everybody whenever the team was at its lowest ebb. He did this so passionately and unerringly that I often got the impression that he had noted this down somewhere.
The only issue that I had with Mr. Con was that he gave his gut feeling too much importance. Sometimes, the entire world was scheming against him as well as Opulence and on other occassions it was the usual "no money, no participation and no celebrities" refrain. Yes, there were incidents to justify the approach but maybe such things could take a backseat when the quality of your fest is at stake. We live in an all embracing world and maybe, just maybe, there are larger things in life. Towards the end, I sympathised with him for I got the feeling that he had beem trying to use the best principles of corporate management in whatever he had been trying to do. Whether these need to be used in a college festival is a totally different question altogether. There are some people who like to perform routine and demeaning jobs, some have to be kicked on the back all the time and very few 1st yearites can feel good about sticking posters.
And here I am doing what I am best at. Calling myself a part of the core committee; not having done a thing through the fest and the passing judgement about how everybody worked. That is the adidas addict for you! How the festival went and how well we worked I guess is upto posterity but if there was one thing that I would carry back from Opulence 2007, it is the mates that I have made- Mr. Smart and Mr. Cool. I thought that my friends from school would never be rivalled but I can say without an iota of a doubt that I have been mistaken. How I wish that we could spend our entire lives the way we have spent the last year! Thanks a lot, guys! Thanks a ton!
Sunday, September 24, 2006
LIVER 'pool' ed
What a month that was? Oft used to describe a month that passed by rapidly, I could come across nothing else to capture the worst month of my life in a nutshell. I have often heard about ups and downs being a part of life and experienced it too, but it has always struck me as being something too trivial. It was a month I had been looking forward to for a year because birthdays come just once a year and I was to finally get rid of the immaturity associated with teenhood. The start of the English Premier League season and the prospect of getting back behind
August 1: My uncle comes to
August 2-16: Life passes off as usual with time passing off quickly even with my doing nothing. Classes, sleeping and browsing take up most of the time. Have numerous meetings to give our management festival 'OPULENCE' some shape. Put the final touches to a pretty lousy brochure but am still satisfied. At least some work done. Behave like a stupid 'professional' politician in refusing to give up my post of TPR. Feel gung-ho about it. Try in vain to get some other TPRs elected to assist me in this crucial month. Miss another 3 classes due to general laziness.
August 17: Get my training set up. Am quite happy for that is a major headache out of the way and I get paid as well. Miss 7 classes having to involve myself in what was supposed to be a tough selection procedure but in the end turns out to be quite biased. My classmates exercise their legs and try desperately to get some leather off their slippers when I return with promises to repeat the process over the next few days. What a weird world! My body pains as I go to sleep.
August 19: Opulence general body meeting takes place. Am excited at the way the meeting proceeds and also at the response. Eat heavily in the afternoon as a consequence. Wake up at night feeling uneasy. Decide to take a fast at night despite having been a very profitable Saturday.
August 21: It is my birthday and my classmates repeat the entire exercising process very extensively for around an hour just as the day dawns. Go to sleep once again with pain, wondering. Bathe for the second time in the morning this semester before going to class. Sport a new T-shirt and get back in the afternoon buzzing. Plans have already been set up by my classmates on my treating them at the TAJ that night. Withdraw money after sending my parents unconscious. Feel uneasy in the evening but still drag myself to the temple. Get a fever and dinner is off. I thus save some money or so I think.
Read on below….
LIVER 'pool' ed contd......
A prosperous month continues....
August 22: Wake up feeling terrible. Think it might be the after effects of deficient sleep over the past week. Go to class. One of my friends detects a tinge of yellow in my eyes which no one else can. Ridicule him with a tinge of fear within. Go to the doctor after class who assures me that it isn't a case of jaundice but still asks me to test for it. Get tested and go back relieved. Feel weak the whole day. Go to collect the results wearing shorts. The results reveal that I have substantial jaundice. The bilirubin levels are 3.6 with the normal limit being 0.8 and SGPT levels are 15000 with the normal levels being 50. I abuse for the 5th time during the day and change into lowers. Call my parents up who want me to leave immediately for my uncle's house in Delhi. (My parents being in Trivandrum, it would have probably taken me the rest of the month to get there). Board the Rajdhani that night courtesy the real wonderful friends I have got who display admirable selflesness. Am forced to run the entire station to catch the train, not advisable for a jaundice patient.
The next month is spent without oil, fat, salt, spices, sweets.....the list is too long. Mineral water, papayas, coconut water, glucose and a very very restricted diet has left me shrivelled and completely worn out mentally and physically. How do you spend a month with no books and television for they strain your eyes just lying on a cot thinking of life's glorious uncertainities? My bilirubin levels still conspired to rise till 14 which sent my doctor getting me to scan my liver in search of stones or cysts. Besides, my fitness conscious classmates had ensured a bent tailbone with appreciable swelling. What worse for a person needing bedrest than be unable to lie down upright or sit down? Things got to such a state that I was pretty much willing the levels down. All my shirts bore a familiar look of yellow. To make matters worse, my friends were reminding me about my attendance, missed tests, missed classes,missed whatever; Liverpool lost to Everton, Chelsea and only managed to draw with PSV; India finished 11th at the hockey World cup; Sania lost in the 2nd round at the US Open; India's cricket team was losing; the management fest was losing (so the convener says though I refuse to believe that my absence can affect anything) and all the plans that I had with regards to training remained just that. I had lost count of the number of classes missed when I returned on September 20th though I reckon my current attendance is around 55%. My Professors have already asked me to get it to 70% if I need to have a shot at writing the exams. How very assuring for a person who is mentally and physiaclly worn out, whose last checked bilirubin levels were 4.1 a week back, who no longer wants to take tests for there might be insufficient blood and who has been forced to return and attend classes just because of the attendance mess! I have forgotten how buttter tastes; the tastiest thing I have is mineral water and being still confined to bed in the hostel unsure as to whether I will be able to write the end semester exams and pass this year can't necessarily be described as the best state of mind to get into. The academic backlog of a month in what is supposed to be our toughest semester not withstanding, things are looking up. Liverpool have won against Newcastle and Tottenham; Sania Mirza won 3 matches in a row; India won a cricket match; Opulence work is proceeding; a fresh set of plans have been hatched to improve the training scenario courtesy 3 more TPRs to accompany me; and I am attending classes. Do reckon that I am due for a bit of luck and good fortune and a few comments for my posts would not be a bad way to start. But I still need to do something like 140 consecutive classes to get my attendance back on track, I am still agnostic and all the jaundice expenses have eaten into all that money that I had .....
August 22: Wake up feeling terrible. Think it might be the after effects of deficient sleep over the past week. Go to class. One of my friends detects a tinge of yellow in my eyes which no one else can. Ridicule him with a tinge of fear within. Go to the doctor after class who assures me that it isn't a case of jaundice but still asks me to test for it. Get tested and go back relieved. Feel weak the whole day. Go to collect the results wearing shorts. The results reveal that I have substantial jaundice. The bilirubin levels are 3.6 with the normal limit being 0.8 and SGPT levels are 15000 with the normal levels being 50. I abuse for the 5th time during the day and change into lowers. Call my parents up who want me to leave immediately for my uncle's house in Delhi. (My parents being in Trivandrum, it would have probably taken me the rest of the month to get there). Board the Rajdhani that night courtesy the real wonderful friends I have got who display admirable selflesness. Am forced to run the entire station to catch the train, not advisable for a jaundice patient.
The next month is spent without oil, fat, salt, spices, sweets.....the list is too long. Mineral water, papayas, coconut water, glucose and a very very restricted diet has left me shrivelled and completely worn out mentally and physically. How do you spend a month with no books and television for they strain your eyes just lying on a cot thinking of life's glorious uncertainities? My bilirubin levels still conspired to rise till 14 which sent my doctor getting me to scan my liver in search of stones or cysts. Besides, my fitness conscious classmates had ensured a bent tailbone with appreciable swelling. What worse for a person needing bedrest than be unable to lie down upright or sit down? Things got to such a state that I was pretty much willing the levels down. All my shirts bore a familiar look of yellow. To make matters worse, my friends were reminding me about my attendance, missed tests, missed classes,missed whatever; Liverpool lost to Everton, Chelsea and only managed to draw with PSV; India finished 11th at the hockey World cup; Sania lost in the 2nd round at the US Open; India's cricket team was losing; the management fest was losing (so the convener says though I refuse to believe that my absence can affect anything) and all the plans that I had with regards to training remained just that. I had lost count of the number of classes missed when I returned on September 20th though I reckon my current attendance is around 55%. My Professors have already asked me to get it to 70% if I need to have a shot at writing the exams. How very assuring for a person who is mentally and physiaclly worn out, whose last checked bilirubin levels were 4.1 a week back, who no longer wants to take tests for there might be insufficient blood and who has been forced to return and attend classes just because of the attendance mess! I have forgotten how buttter tastes; the tastiest thing I have is mineral water and being still confined to bed in the hostel unsure as to whether I will be able to write the end semester exams and pass this year can't necessarily be described as the best state of mind to get into. The academic backlog of a month in what is supposed to be our toughest semester not withstanding, things are looking up. Liverpool have won against Newcastle and Tottenham; Sania Mirza won 3 matches in a row; India won a cricket match; Opulence work is proceeding; a fresh set of plans have been hatched to improve the training scenario courtesy 3 more TPRs to accompany me; and I am attending classes. Do reckon that I am due for a bit of luck and good fortune and a few comments for my posts would not be a bad way to start. But I still need to do something like 140 consecutive classes to get my attendance back on track, I am still agnostic and all the jaundice expenses have eaten into all that money that I had .....
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Delusion that is…..Contd.
So, why this rather strange title to go for this blog ? After all, what is so delusory about the Brazilians ? Aren’t they the innocent group of individuals who believe in the philosophy of ‘Joga Bonito?’ It is this issue of perceptions that I would like to deal with in this post. Personally, I am not one who used to believe in using stats and numbers to my advantage. I was at best a very hesitant follower of history, something my quizzing credentials would not quite stand testimony to. In fact, I loathed statistics and believed it was a creation of the media to bore people. This was until I got across this book, Freakonomics by a ‘mad’ economist as Stephen .D. Levitt describes himself. A book that I would instantly recommend to everybody, Stephen did a damn good job of convincing me about the power of statistics and numbers. From someone who had the ‘bikini’ approach (as the MP Sardar would put it) towards numbers, I have started believing in using Levitt’s simple philosophy of asking the most ridiculous questions to challenge the age-old perceptions. If Levitt could ask whether a gun is actually more dangerous than a swimming pool or whether money does win elections as is perception and prove them to be convincingly wrong; surely there is scope for this question to put forward: ‘Are Brazil an attacking side after all ?’ In retrospective, are
It would be only fair to say that till the 1980’s
For sake of comparison, let us put in the Azzuri and the Nazis (oops 50$ down the drain)- perceived to be the two most boring sides in football with tactics based more on strength and unity than technicality and flair. Brazil came to the 90’ WC with what is widely accepted as its worst side in modern times- another of those conspiracy theories for they said that about their teams in ’94,’98 and’02. This is a classical case of ‘conventional wisdom’ and perception not quite in collusion as John Kenneth Galbraith would put it for if you were the worst side, how could you be the most entertaining one? And mind you, in all these tournaments
Put in arguably the easiest group in’90 along with
Fast forward to ’94,
Now to ’98 when Ronaldo and Rivaldo graced the WC stage for the first time joining the still potent Bebeto alongside the ‘magic’ Denilson.
Finally to ’02 when all the speculation was surrounding Ronaldo who after the mystery final in ’98, was making an appearance in a WC after a season plagued by injury.
’06, Germany has been similar in the sense that they have progressively got better scoring 7 goals in all ( as of now) in the group stages conceding just once.
So, where does this leave us with? The tally, skeptics might argue is certainly impressive. It certainly is. But the point that has been missed is that
It is this same aura of invincibility surrounding their defence that seems to be existing within the team that I believe will prove to be the undoing of the Samba boys. Cafu and Robert Carlos are not in the same league anymore and
Delusion that is the Samba Boys
If you were to hear about
Life does come to a standstill literally. Government timings have been changed, television sets have been installed in prisons for fear of riots and special channels have been established to provide the most in-depth coverage to its citizens. But for them it is only the World Cup matters. Defeat in the final is considered to be a national catastrophe as the 0-3 defeat to
The primary reason that the Samba Boys enjoy such backing throughout the globe is because of the attacking flair they have possessed over the years. No other nation has captivated and left audiences spellbound with their riveting style of play as much as
1930,
The first World Cup resembled a carnival in that all those who wished could play at the finals. This was probably the only Brazilian squad that went to a WC finals without any stars. Characterized by regional imbalance- all but one member of the squad hailed from 
The team (line-up in the first match, againstYugoslavia): Joel; Brilhante and Itália; Hermógenes, Fausto and Fernando; Poly, Nilo, Araken, Preguinho (C) and Teóphilo.
Reserves: Velloso (G), Zé Luiz, Oscarino, Benevenuto, Ivan Mariz, Fortes,
Coach: Píndaro de Carvalho.
Going into the sub zero temperatures of
The team: Pedrosa, Sylvio Hoffman, Luiz Luz; Tinoco, Martim (C), Canalli; Luisinho, Waldemar de Brito, Armandinho, Leônidas, Patesko.
Bureaucratic hassles ensured that
1938,
The team (line-up in the first match, against
1938 represented the first time that
Leônidas was one of the best Brazilian players of all time. He was the inventor of that difficult movement called bicycle. Leônidas was the main striker of the 1938 Cup, with seven goals. Because of his talent and the fact that he was one of the first black men to bright in a World Cup, French media called him "Diamant Noir", or "Black Diamond" in English, or "Diamante Negro", as he became known in Brazil. Leônidas knew how to use his color. There are records that, when he scored the last goal against
1950,
The team (line-up in the first match, against
World Cup football returned after the war enforced break and the Brazilians came into the tournament as favourites. Da Silva was 12 years older but was still playing professionally. The backbone of the Brazilian team comprised of Barbosa (considered, along with Gilmar, who was champion in 1958 and 1962, one of the best Brazilian goalkeepers of all time), the captain Augusto and the forward Ademir de Menezes, who would score nine goals to become the striker of the Cup. Besides, Brazil still had Jair da Rosa Pinto, skin and refined, and Zizinho, who happens to be the declared idol of Pelé, when the King was young (Zizinho did not play the first two matches in the Cup only because he was recovering from an injury).
Ademir de Menezes, Barbosa, Zizinho
1954,
Line-up in the match against
Djalma Santos, Brandãozinho, Nilton Santos, Pinheiro,
Mario Américo (masseur), Castilho and Bauer;
Julinho, Didi, Baltazar, Pinga and Rodrigues.
Known as the man who shut up Maracana after 1954, Julinho moved to Fiorentina, Italy, and was fundamental for the team to conquer their first scudetto, in 1955/56; Julinho was invited to play the 1958 Cup, but refused, honestly saying that someone playing in Brazil deserved the chance; he came back to Palmeiras -and the Brazilian team - in 1959; in a match in Maracanã, Julinho was announced as substitute of Garrincha; 150,000 people booed Julinho as he entered the field; Julinho scored the first Brazilian goal in five minutes; he served for the second goal, as was the player of the match; in the end, the entire Maracanã stood up to applaud Julinho.
1958,
The line-up in the first match, against
De Sordi, Dino Sani, Bellini, Nilton Santos, Orlando and Gilmar;
M. Américo, Joel, Didi, Mazzola, Vavá and Zagallo.
Reserves: Castilho (G), Djalma Santos, Mauro, Zózimo, Oreco, Zito, Pelé, Dino Sani, Moacir, Dida and Pepe.
Coach: Vicente Feola.
In the build up to the tournament it was widely believed that
Why was Pele given # 10? In 1958, the numbers in the uniforms would be defined by the respective comissions, and would remain unchanged through the tournament. The Brazilian Comission, however, overlooked this norm. The Swedish comissioner, rushed before the first Brazilian match, decided to assign numbers by himself.
Pelé, the youngest and probably least known of all players, was given the #10. This is one of the mystical stories which surround the career of Pelé.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Chappellway here to stay
When Greg Chappell took over as coach of the Indian cricket team after India's disastrous home series against Pakistan in the early part of 2005, the general consensus was that a new era was being ushered in. With philosophies like 'commitment to excellence', 'spirit of endeavour' and 'lateral thinking' which were beyond the grasp of most, this visionary Aussie built an aura around himself. What had initially looked like an extended honeymoon period turned sour with the now well documented spat between Ganguly and Chappell. India's losses in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe led to the inevitable questioning of Chappell's methods and his obstinacies..Chappell's quest to invigorate a clearly sagging side led to the axing of many senior players, Kumble, Zaheer and Laxman, prominent among them.But when Chappell raised questions about the then Indian skipper, all hell seemed to break loose. Clearly, if changes had to be made it had to start from the worst fielder in the side, a specialist batsman averaging less than 25 in the ODIS over the last two years and somebody who was on the decline.Why the same hue and cry was not raised when performing assets like Kumble and Laxman were dropped smacks of a certain in built hypocrisy.
The recent test series in Pakistan only served to highlight the frailties in our bowling attack. Without a genuine fast bowler and a wrist spinner worth mention, India will continue to struggle to win test matches but on turners where Kumble and Harbhajan can trouble sides. Even though the stats of the spin twins might stack up well even in overseas conditions, the reality is that neither of them have managed to run through the opposition even once on foreign soil and that in itself is a telling indictment. In this day and age, when all international teams bat deep, it is no surprise that that India's bowling attack has rarely managed to bowl out opposition teams (barring Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in overseas conditions) for less than 300. It is a testimony to India's batting prowess that we don't lose a lot of test matches inspite of being under such pressure.
Cricket has become so much of a national obsession that we just can't seem to come to grips with the fact that our nation's cricket team isn't good enough.Undoubtedly, our batsmen are amongst the best in the world, but if we look at our bowling unit we are probably the only prominent test playing unit along with the West Indies without a single match winning bowler.It is precisely the reason why we weren't able to win a test match series in Australia inspite of what Peter Roebuck described as one of the 'best batting exhibitions' ever seen in Australia and also the reason why we conceded 368 runs on a flat Wanderers wicket in the World Cup final thus rendering our batting impotent. This is where a good fielding side can cover up especially in the one day format. New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe have at some stage or the other over the last ten years achieved great success in the shorter format purely due to brilliance in the field.. None of these sides possessed the so called deadly bowlers, Shane Bond being a recent phenomenon and Donald; one well past his prime. This bowling inadequacy has also been the reason why the above mentioned teams have never won the World Cup and why India won't win it in a year's time. There is only so much even a great fielding unit can do for you are always going to stumble across greatness as South Africa did in the form of Lara in '96 and Waugh in '99. When faced with such mediocre bowling units these cricketing gods ensure that you end up playing for a lost cause. Even Chappell has implied that repeatedly stressing upon the improvement not necessarily being a gaurantee to World Cup success. It is in this light that Chappell's changes have to be seen and received. With an offside cordon comprising Raina, Kaif and Yuvraj, India will end up saving more singles, translating into more pressure converting into more desperate shots from batsmen culminating in more wicket taking opportunities; more important than the runs 'The Prince' might score ( a big 'might' considering his present form). It is no mere coincidence that a side completely outplayed by the same opponents not long back is giving it back in no less measure. The thought process behind incorporating young leggie Piyush Chawla and the strapping fast bowler V.R.V Singh in the squad is indicative of a long term vision to make India a test match powerhouse.The new found flexibility is not just a gimmick meant to keep the opposition on its toes but important steps in the process of the deveopment of the likes of Dhoni and Pathan as reliable lower order batsmen, already evident in the test match scenario thus eradicating another of India's achilles heel.
To even think of castigating a person with such foresight is unpardonable and the behaviour of the Kolkata crowd not long back was totally beyond comprehension. A support staff including a biomechanist and a full time software analyst might have been alien to Indian cricket but Chappell, in the company of Ian Frazer and 'Ramki has revolutionised the basic approach to the game. It is no longer just a question of batting, bowling and fielding any longer but a persistent effort at improving reflexes, optimise the use of G-forces, simulating situations and stretching comfort zones. Theories like the 'Del Bono' seven hat system might have fallen flat but Chappell's message and its graveness hasn't been missed out; " perform or perish". There will always be a method to the Chappell madness for he is just one of the few who can be called upon as being the ultimate authority on the game of cricket, the others being Barry Richards, Bob Simpson and Bob Woolmer.Doubts and aspersions regarding his integrity and method of functioning can be cast aside.Chappell can only take Indian cricket forward.
The recent test series in Pakistan only served to highlight the frailties in our bowling attack. Without a genuine fast bowler and a wrist spinner worth mention, India will continue to struggle to win test matches but on turners where Kumble and Harbhajan can trouble sides. Even though the stats of the spin twins might stack up well even in overseas conditions, the reality is that neither of them have managed to run through the opposition even once on foreign soil and that in itself is a telling indictment. In this day and age, when all international teams bat deep, it is no surprise that that India's bowling attack has rarely managed to bowl out opposition teams (barring Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in overseas conditions) for less than 300. It is a testimony to India's batting prowess that we don't lose a lot of test matches inspite of being under such pressure.
Cricket has become so much of a national obsession that we just can't seem to come to grips with the fact that our nation's cricket team isn't good enough.Undoubtedly, our batsmen are amongst the best in the world, but if we look at our bowling unit we are probably the only prominent test playing unit along with the West Indies without a single match winning bowler.It is precisely the reason why we weren't able to win a test match series in Australia inspite of what Peter Roebuck described as one of the 'best batting exhibitions' ever seen in Australia and also the reason why we conceded 368 runs on a flat Wanderers wicket in the World Cup final thus rendering our batting impotent. This is where a good fielding side can cover up especially in the one day format. New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe have at some stage or the other over the last ten years achieved great success in the shorter format purely due to brilliance in the field.. None of these sides possessed the so called deadly bowlers, Shane Bond being a recent phenomenon and Donald; one well past his prime. This bowling inadequacy has also been the reason why the above mentioned teams have never won the World Cup and why India won't win it in a year's time. There is only so much even a great fielding unit can do for you are always going to stumble across greatness as South Africa did in the form of Lara in '96 and Waugh in '99. When faced with such mediocre bowling units these cricketing gods ensure that you end up playing for a lost cause. Even Chappell has implied that repeatedly stressing upon the improvement not necessarily being a gaurantee to World Cup success. It is in this light that Chappell's changes have to be seen and received. With an offside cordon comprising Raina, Kaif and Yuvraj, India will end up saving more singles, translating into more pressure converting into more desperate shots from batsmen culminating in more wicket taking opportunities; more important than the runs 'The Prince' might score ( a big 'might' considering his present form). It is no mere coincidence that a side completely outplayed by the same opponents not long back is giving it back in no less measure. The thought process behind incorporating young leggie Piyush Chawla and the strapping fast bowler V.R.V Singh in the squad is indicative of a long term vision to make India a test match powerhouse.The new found flexibility is not just a gimmick meant to keep the opposition on its toes but important steps in the process of the deveopment of the likes of Dhoni and Pathan as reliable lower order batsmen, already evident in the test match scenario thus eradicating another of India's achilles heel.
To even think of castigating a person with such foresight is unpardonable and the behaviour of the Kolkata crowd not long back was totally beyond comprehension. A support staff including a biomechanist and a full time software analyst might have been alien to Indian cricket but Chappell, in the company of Ian Frazer and 'Ramki has revolutionised the basic approach to the game. It is no longer just a question of batting, bowling and fielding any longer but a persistent effort at improving reflexes, optimise the use of G-forces, simulating situations and stretching comfort zones. Theories like the 'Del Bono' seven hat system might have fallen flat but Chappell's message and its graveness hasn't been missed out; " perform or perish". There will always be a method to the Chappell madness for he is just one of the few who can be called upon as being the ultimate authority on the game of cricket, the others being Barry Richards, Bob Simpson and Bob Woolmer.Doubts and aspersions regarding his integrity and method of functioning can be cast aside.Chappell can only take Indian cricket forward.
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