Could you believe! This kid, this absolute kid, the baby of the family, all who could do at one point of time was complain to Ma that I have hit her (OK, did too, about 50% of the complaints had some basis, but whatever), who can be an exasperating bore and brilliant conversation as she chooses, who thinks like a thirty-year-old and behaves like she’s ten, whom I have called nothing but Mota for the last eight years (and I couldn’t care less about the newly acquired hourglass figure), whom I still quarrel with, whenever I am back home, over possession of the remote-control of the TV, who in my eyes is still the 13 year old tiny little kid (OK she is nearly as tall as I am now) from when I left home, who was surely the most taciturn, most nagging and most plain-and-simple irritating 2-year-old there ever had been, who I still remember, age 3 or so, insisting on going with me on Baba’s scooter and literally escorting me to school everyday morning, who has been my biggest supporter, my biggest (only?) fan, and the person most jealous of me, who has inherited my tricycle, then my bicycle, my clothes, my science books of class XI-XII, my writing style and now my room (although being nice enough to let me have my old room back for the few days that I am home, but never the TV); but has steadfastly refused to be remotely interested in the books I have told her to read, steadfastly refused to study Engineering, is the most determined person I know, and arrogant too, and snobbish, and who calls me a villager while she is the Calcuttan, and who will be nothing but the tiny one to me, who I’m so happy to see has grown up, and has grown up much smarter, much more ready to take on the world, than I could even dream of being at her age, and am so happy I am still Dada, a friend whom she can trust and share secrets with (manifold thanks to Alexander Graham Bell), who has grown up into this really level headed woman, proud, confident, uncomplicated, and intelligent, has yes, will have to be acknowledged now, grown up.
TWENTY YEARS OLD !!!!! GOOD HEAVENS !!!!!!
Monday, November 29, 2004
Thursday, November 25, 2004
GLOBAL RICH LIST POSITION
You are in the top 13.15% richest people in the world.
There are 5,210,763,260 people poorer than you.
How do you feel about that? A bit richer we hope. Please consider donating just a small amount to help some of the poorest people in the world. Many of their lives could be improved dramatically or even saved if you donate just one hour's salary.
Oh, and in case you’re interested you are the 789,236,740 richest person in the world.
Moral of the story... Chill, coz dough may come and dough may go, fun lives on forever
There are 5,210,763,260 people poorer than you.
How do you feel about that? A bit richer we hope. Please consider donating just a small amount to help some of the poorest people in the world. Many of their lives could be improved dramatically or even saved if you donate just one hour's salary.
Oh, and in case you’re interested you are the 789,236,740 richest person in the world.
Moral of the story... Chill, coz dough may come and dough may go, fun lives on forever
A Gobble approach to email.
In 1621, a few hundred Pilgrims and Native Americans sat down to celebrate a bountiful harvest. The feast lasted three days, and included fowl, venison, fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, and plums. There was no pumpkin pie, however. There was also an alarming lack of user-friendly webmail services.Now, 383 years later, it's once again time to celebrate what has come to be known as Thanksgiving—a time to gather with family and friends and give thanks for all that we have. We have many things to be thankful for. But mostly, we are thankful for you—our users—who remind us of why we work so hard all year and why we love what we do. That's better than all the dried fruit and clams in the world.
Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for making our approach to email yours.
Gobble gobble,
The Gmail Team
Rather Innovative, I thought.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
On The Ganguly/ Dravid post
Wish I could write so well, and put the point across so much in details.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Two Men
Hated him initially. Then started admiring him, after he became captain, especially for the transformation of the Indian team from the “tigers-at-home-paper-tigers-away” to an actually hungry, aggressive unit. Love his non-parochialism, non-regional-biased approach. India at last had a captain who is willing to stick his neck out for a junior teammate, wherever he is from. And for all those disbelievers who think that this Indian team would have been successful under any captain whatsoever they are so good, well, they have never been previously, have they? And let’s accept it, captaincy does generally affect the player’s performance. Very few players have been equally successful as players when they were captain, as they were when they were not.
But let’s accept this now. He does not deserve his place in the team anymore. And the Young Turk is coming up. And he has been groomed properly for the position thanks to the repeated chances given to him, even on the face of failure, by the same guy whose position the Young Turk will be taking. And let’s accept it, on present form, the Young Turk is better suited for the role. Better technically, more talented as a batsman, a better cricketer basically.
And what the Indian team needed in those days when in crunch situations, they used to just lie down and wait to be slaughtered, was a leader of men. A strong man, who would look the enemy eye to eye. Who would never back down, who would not show the other cheek. Who would instill in th team the fire which has been the hallmark of his cricket. And now, when all that is achieved, what the national team needs in its leader is a strategist. A cool head in a confident man. A man who is never bigger than the team, one who gives the team solace, confidence and takes the team along with him. And oh, definitely warrents his place in the team without a question. A performer and a thinker of the game. In other words, this man.
Ride into glorious sunset, skipper. You have served your purpose. Your contribution to the team has been immense, and history would testify for that. Your time now, though, sadly is over. Put your hands together then, for the person who is in my opinion the rightful heir to the captaincy of the men in blue. For the person who by dint of performance, is one of the greatest reasons for the sudden rise of a team called the “Men In Blue” in a nation obsessed with icons. The archetypal team-man, who kisses the national emblem on his helmet after the moment of greatest personal glory (have you ever seen any other Indian player do it previously?).
You never know what will work for you !
News Flash 1
Shorts shrift
Norwich fan and `psychic' Samanda Chambers, a regular guest on a local radio station, is, along with a group of friends, planning to wear red underwear at tomorrow's match, believing different colours to have influences on people's moods depending on which part of the body they are worn.
News Flash 2
And for heaven's sake, they did win, didn't they?
NORWICH, England, (AFP) - Newly-promoted Norwich earned their first top-flight victory since 1995 with a nervous 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Southampton.
Hmph !
Shorts shrift
Norwich fan and `psychic' Samanda Chambers, a regular guest on a local radio station, is, along with a group of friends, planning to wear red underwear at tomorrow's match, believing different colours to have influences on people's moods depending on which part of the body they are worn.
News Flash 2
And for heaven's sake, they did win, didn't they?
NORWICH, England, (AFP) - Newly-promoted Norwich earned their first top-flight victory since 1995 with a nervous 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Southampton.
Hmph !
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
The Dream
(This is not a complete work of fiction. The broad events are all historically accurate. The dates though are approximate)
1691 AD, Murshidabad.
Govardhan Baksi angrily paces his room. A big defeat. An embarassing defeat. And he knows that the king will not take this too kindly. Yes, the biggest blow will invariably fall on the army general, but being the second-in-command, Govardhan's position too would not be the most comfortable.
Govardhan Baksi is reaching middle age. He is a ‘bakshi’ of the king, so that is a high position in itself. But at age 38, he is quite sure that the chance of being army general might be rather slim for him. Competence as a soldier has never been his problem. It’s just that strategizing with pen and paper has never been of the slightest interest to him. He has always been the first to run into the opposing forces in battle. And truly, all strategies tend to go haywire once the heat of battle singes you. And when that occurs, only he will survive who has the strength to take the battle on its head.
But his mind is racing now. What if… what if the king really takes offence? Yes, this was not to be the easiest battle to be won. The enemy was in their own terrain, and it was not such that the armies were very much lop-sided in numbers. The general concept of putting everything else, fighting skills, terrain etc. to the sidelines with sheer numbers in battle, has always been the trick for the Husseinshahi forces. Well, there was hardly ever a plan B. A long, deep breath. Well, so we lost.
1692 AD:
Govardhan Baksi has returned to his villege. Well, this is a fairly large village, and not too far away from the most important city in the vicinity, that is Bardhaman. Say about 50 Km or so.
And he quite likes his villege. Far from the hustle-bustle. Far from the princely court of Murshidabad. That’s four days’ journey. And that has to start day after tomorrow. The king will be rather interested in planning for the next battle.
And yes, the king, the second in line of the Husseinshahi dynasty, is known to be a quirky man. He is said to have a temper that is like the rains at this part of the country. And yes, he is reputed to be large-hearted to friends, but he gets disenchanted with friends easily, and being a man of power, (he rules almost the whole of Banga and Kalinga, and the most of Anga-desh too), crossing his path quite often is fatal.
Yes, Govardhan is scared of him. And although he, by dint of his position, is a semi-important minister in the king’s court, Govardhan hardly opens his mouth unless absolutely required. And this is better, Govardhan feels. The king knows him by his deeds, and not by his talk. Better to be safe than sorry. And truly, the post he commands in the court of a Muslim king, he himself being a devout Vaishnav Hindu, speaks volumes for his ability as a soldier and loyalty to the throne.
Govardhan retires to bed, a trifle uneasy.
Three weeks later:
Govardhan is shivering with happiness. This was really unexpected. The king has superseded many other more experienced men, and chosen him to lead the forces in the next battle. And after the defeat of last year, Govardhan has to make it sure that there is no repeat of that performance. And seriously, the way Anantasen had been humiliated by the king makes Govardhan a little scared. The King does not tolerate failures. And Anantasen was one of the king’s favourites. Truly, having been his second-in-command for the last five years, Govardhan accepts that Anantasen was quite a capable army general too.
And yet, he has fallen so low today. A shiver runs through Govardhan’s body. That’s where Govardhan might be next year. And the king spared Anantasen’s life at least. Govardhan might not be so lucky. He knows that he has to do things that he pretty much hates doing. Going back to the drawing board. Chalking out strategies to win this war. And yes, pray. He has to pray very hard indeed.
1694 AD:
Govardhan wakes up with a cold sweat. Devi Durga had come to him in him dream. And has ordered him to set up a temple, and pray to her. There are nitty-gritties of the idol that has been explained to Govardhan. Very different they are from the normal way the Goddess looks.
Was it real, Govardhan wonders. But well, a month before the war, if the Goddess has come to you in your dreams, you take it as a blessing and go ahead and do the needful.
But I am a Vaishnav. My god has always been Gopal. How could the Devi come on my dream? I am not a Shaakta, for heaven’s sake…
There is only one answer. The Devi wants it that way. The Gods want it that way.
Govardhan nods. So be it.
1695 AD:
“Tell me Govardhan, what prize do you want?” The king booms.
The war was won. Convincingly. And Govardhan was the chief architect of this victory. Whoever had said that Govardhan Baksi was a mere soldier and knows nothing of strategy, must seriously be a laughing-stock now.
“Tell me Govardhan”, the king booms again.
Govardhan looks up to the throne. With a half smile, he says, “I want to retire. I want to go home”.
…………………….
The Devi is still celebrated in Govardhan’s villege. This is the 309th year of the celebration of the arrival of the Devi on earth in the Vaishnavite Baksi family in Khandra., a villege about 50 Km from Bardhaman. (Oh, did I mention, Govardhan Baksi was allowed to retire and given a lot of land in and around that area).
The Devi’s idol is curious to behold to a few.
She is not dressed in the traditional sari, but in the garb of a Rajput woman, that of the Ghaghra. I don’t believe there is any other part of Bengal and elsewhere where this particular garb of the Devi is duplicated.
The colour of the Devi is that of the stalk of the ‘Shiuli’ flower.
While generally in the idol, on the Devi’s right are Laxmi and Ganesh, and to the left are Saraswati and kartik, here Kartik and Ganesh interchange positions, but not Laxmi and Saraswati..
There is no ‘Daaker Shaaj’, and all the decorations are made on the main structure itself.
The temples of the Devi, and that of Gopal, are right next to each other. Unthinkeable in medieval Bengal.
And, well, my mother’s maiden name happens to be Baksi. Govardhan Baksi is an ancestor.
1691 AD, Murshidabad.
Govardhan Baksi angrily paces his room. A big defeat. An embarassing defeat. And he knows that the king will not take this too kindly. Yes, the biggest blow will invariably fall on the army general, but being the second-in-command, Govardhan's position too would not be the most comfortable.
Govardhan Baksi is reaching middle age. He is a ‘bakshi’ of the king, so that is a high position in itself. But at age 38, he is quite sure that the chance of being army general might be rather slim for him. Competence as a soldier has never been his problem. It’s just that strategizing with pen and paper has never been of the slightest interest to him. He has always been the first to run into the opposing forces in battle. And truly, all strategies tend to go haywire once the heat of battle singes you. And when that occurs, only he will survive who has the strength to take the battle on its head.
But his mind is racing now. What if… what if the king really takes offence? Yes, this was not to be the easiest battle to be won. The enemy was in their own terrain, and it was not such that the armies were very much lop-sided in numbers. The general concept of putting everything else, fighting skills, terrain etc. to the sidelines with sheer numbers in battle, has always been the trick for the Husseinshahi forces. Well, there was hardly ever a plan B. A long, deep breath. Well, so we lost.
1692 AD:
Govardhan Baksi has returned to his villege. Well, this is a fairly large village, and not too far away from the most important city in the vicinity, that is Bardhaman. Say about 50 Km or so.
And he quite likes his villege. Far from the hustle-bustle. Far from the princely court of Murshidabad. That’s four days’ journey. And that has to start day after tomorrow. The king will be rather interested in planning for the next battle.
And yes, the king, the second in line of the Husseinshahi dynasty, is known to be a quirky man. He is said to have a temper that is like the rains at this part of the country. And yes, he is reputed to be large-hearted to friends, but he gets disenchanted with friends easily, and being a man of power, (he rules almost the whole of Banga and Kalinga, and the most of Anga-desh too), crossing his path quite often is fatal.
Yes, Govardhan is scared of him. And although he, by dint of his position, is a semi-important minister in the king’s court, Govardhan hardly opens his mouth unless absolutely required. And this is better, Govardhan feels. The king knows him by his deeds, and not by his talk. Better to be safe than sorry. And truly, the post he commands in the court of a Muslim king, he himself being a devout Vaishnav Hindu, speaks volumes for his ability as a soldier and loyalty to the throne.
Govardhan retires to bed, a trifle uneasy.
Three weeks later:
Govardhan is shivering with happiness. This was really unexpected. The king has superseded many other more experienced men, and chosen him to lead the forces in the next battle. And after the defeat of last year, Govardhan has to make it sure that there is no repeat of that performance. And seriously, the way Anantasen had been humiliated by the king makes Govardhan a little scared. The King does not tolerate failures. And Anantasen was one of the king’s favourites. Truly, having been his second-in-command for the last five years, Govardhan accepts that Anantasen was quite a capable army general too.
And yet, he has fallen so low today. A shiver runs through Govardhan’s body. That’s where Govardhan might be next year. And the king spared Anantasen’s life at least. Govardhan might not be so lucky. He knows that he has to do things that he pretty much hates doing. Going back to the drawing board. Chalking out strategies to win this war. And yes, pray. He has to pray very hard indeed.
1694 AD:
Govardhan wakes up with a cold sweat. Devi Durga had come to him in him dream. And has ordered him to set up a temple, and pray to her. There are nitty-gritties of the idol that has been explained to Govardhan. Very different they are from the normal way the Goddess looks.
Was it real, Govardhan wonders. But well, a month before the war, if the Goddess has come to you in your dreams, you take it as a blessing and go ahead and do the needful.
But I am a Vaishnav. My god has always been Gopal. How could the Devi come on my dream? I am not a Shaakta, for heaven’s sake…
There is only one answer. The Devi wants it that way. The Gods want it that way.
Govardhan nods. So be it.
1695 AD:
“Tell me Govardhan, what prize do you want?” The king booms.
The war was won. Convincingly. And Govardhan was the chief architect of this victory. Whoever had said that Govardhan Baksi was a mere soldier and knows nothing of strategy, must seriously be a laughing-stock now.
“Tell me Govardhan”, the king booms again.
Govardhan looks up to the throne. With a half smile, he says, “I want to retire. I want to go home”.
…………………….
The Devi is still celebrated in Govardhan’s villege. This is the 309th year of the celebration of the arrival of the Devi on earth in the Vaishnavite Baksi family in Khandra., a villege about 50 Km from Bardhaman. (Oh, did I mention, Govardhan Baksi was allowed to retire and given a lot of land in and around that area).
The Devi’s idol is curious to behold to a few.
She is not dressed in the traditional sari, but in the garb of a Rajput woman, that of the Ghaghra. I don’t believe there is any other part of Bengal and elsewhere where this particular garb of the Devi is duplicated.
The colour of the Devi is that of the stalk of the ‘Shiuli’ flower.
While generally in the idol, on the Devi’s right are Laxmi and Ganesh, and to the left are Saraswati and kartik, here Kartik and Ganesh interchange positions, but not Laxmi and Saraswati..
There is no ‘Daaker Shaaj’, and all the decorations are made on the main structure itself.
The temples of the Devi, and that of Gopal, are right next to each other. Unthinkeable in medieval Bengal.
And, well, my mother’s maiden name happens to be Baksi. Govardhan Baksi is an ancestor.
Monday, November 15, 2004
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha - Roddy Doyle
Spectacular, is the word. Had not been moved so much by a novel for a while. And have not read a novel end to end for even longer. But just could not keep off this one.
And how far away from Asansol is Barrytown? I could almost visualise myself in that group, doing exactly the same things as these kids. And well, life was so much simpler then. The definition of fun, the definition of happiness was simpler.
Lump in the throat. Alright.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Don't make a promise if you cannot keep it
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha - Roddy Doyle
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
Butterfield 8 - John O'Hara
A history of the world in 10 and a half chapters - Julian Barnes
The Turn of the screw - Henry James
The Heart is a lonely hunter - Carson McCullers
Cyrano De Bergerac - Edmond Rostrand
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote
The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene
Poems of Emily Dickinson - Emily Dickinson
The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
The Little Prince I wrote about. Paddy Clarke is turning out to be quite excellent.
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
Butterfield 8 - John O'Hara
A history of the world in 10 and a half chapters - Julian Barnes
The Turn of the screw - Henry James
The Heart is a lonely hunter - Carson McCullers
Cyrano De Bergerac - Edmond Rostrand
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote
The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene
Poems of Emily Dickinson - Emily Dickinson
The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
The Little Prince I wrote about. Paddy Clarke is turning out to be quite excellent.
The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery
I wanted so much to love this book.....
And failed.
This is not the time for modern day parables, I guess....
Or has the child died?
To start the day...
Thank you MTV, that was a great way to start the day.....
6:15 a.m. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Hope.
6:25 a.m. Angel of Harlem - U2
Tribute.
6:35 a.m. Red Red Wine - UB40
Love.
6:15 a.m. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Hope.
6:25 a.m. Angel of Harlem - U2
Tribute.
6:35 a.m. Red Red Wine - UB40
Love.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Sleeping on the Motorbike
Yes, can do that too... as in, sleeping while sitting on the pillion seat of a moving motorbike without falling down...
Harish BVK was rather stunned the last time I fell asleep on the pillion seat of his mo-bike, and so, I'm sure was Suppu MM.... and this time it was on a Kiney.....
Not that I wasn't surprised myself. No clue how I do it.
Harish BVK was rather stunned the last time I fell asleep on the pillion seat of his mo-bike, and so, I'm sure was Suppu MM.... and this time it was on a Kiney.....
Not that I wasn't surprised myself. No clue how I do it.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Monday, November 08, 2004
Amitspeak
(Continued: Again IHHO)
A data gatherer is good only for fact based quizzes, the prime proponent of which is your anglicized Bong friend - Mr Basu.
Since he is the trend setter in quizzing in India, that was a style that was much in vogue in the 90's (when quizzing really took off in India). This explains the huge popularity of quizzing formats like - KBC (which is not a quiz), Mastermind and University Challenge.
All based on how vast your reading has been and how much you're able to store of what you have read all your life. How you store it and the reason you store it is an entirely different argument.
Unfortunately this style is still very much in vogue primarily cos all elims are based on data gathering, which means only the data gatherers go on stage and get the glory - more motivation for prospective quizzers to mug up encyclopedias, who won wimbledon from 1901 - 2004, etc etc. Which is like - Kekule's inspiration to the benzene ring.
As quizzing evolved and more live shows came into existence - people start getting tired of the "fact muggers" cracking quizzes and expect more "sysnthesis of facts" to result in the answers.
Now there are various proponents of the "work-out-the-answer" style of quizzing. The extreme amongst them is Giri Balasubramaniam, who unfortunately also intersperses his questions with very low-brow trivia which can be off putting for some quizzers. (e.g. anti-rape jeans - eh, nikhil ? :D).
I guess even Derek does a "work-out the-answers" quiz very well on a live show - I saw a good performance from him yesterday @ IIMB, very much unlike what we had seen @ NITIE, and so does Joy Bhattacharya to a certain extent.
The others I guess are just amateurish QuizMasters who're trying to evolve their styles.
The motivation to gather data is also deep rooted in the quizzing style of your locale - Bong's are voracious readers and are natural data gatherers, where as in Bangalore data gathering has been forced on junta here cos of a Bong dominated quizzing style and the functioning of the quizzing circles here (KQA & Arul Mani).
Chennai quizzers are predominantly Hindu reading TamBrams - who have a 64 page paper thrust on them every sunday which is loaded with the most arbitest stuff from all over the world. Why wouldn't they become better data gatherers ?
Pune on the other hand (and I am not advicating or saying that Pune is better / worse than the other cities) has a more "workout" quizzing style cos thats what the audience appreciates. Maybe thats also cos Quizzing in Pune is still non-commercialised and pople still quiz for the love of the connect.
And thats all the cities that quiz in India.
So Laha, how you quiz is forced on to you by the "socio-ethno-geographic" environment you're bought up in, and maybe later dictated by commercial motivation.
- amit
A data gatherer is good only for fact based quizzes, the prime proponent of which is your anglicized Bong friend - Mr Basu.
Since he is the trend setter in quizzing in India, that was a style that was much in vogue in the 90's (when quizzing really took off in India). This explains the huge popularity of quizzing formats like - KBC (which is not a quiz), Mastermind and University Challenge.
All based on how vast your reading has been and how much you're able to store of what you have read all your life. How you store it and the reason you store it is an entirely different argument.
Unfortunately this style is still very much in vogue primarily cos all elims are based on data gathering, which means only the data gatherers go on stage and get the glory - more motivation for prospective quizzers to mug up encyclopedias, who won wimbledon from 1901 - 2004, etc etc. Which is like - Kekule's inspiration to the benzene ring.
As quizzing evolved and more live shows came into existence - people start getting tired of the "fact muggers" cracking quizzes and expect more "sysnthesis of facts" to result in the answers.
Now there are various proponents of the "work-out-the-answer" style of quizzing. The extreme amongst them is Giri Balasubramaniam, who unfortunately also intersperses his questions with very low-brow trivia which can be off putting for some quizzers. (e.g. anti-rape jeans - eh, nikhil ? :D).
I guess even Derek does a "work-out the-answers" quiz very well on a live show - I saw a good performance from him yesterday @ IIMB, very much unlike what we had seen @ NITIE, and so does Joy Bhattacharya to a certain extent.
The others I guess are just amateurish QuizMasters who're trying to evolve their styles.
The motivation to gather data is also deep rooted in the quizzing style of your locale - Bong's are voracious readers and are natural data gatherers, where as in Bangalore data gathering has been forced on junta here cos of a Bong dominated quizzing style and the functioning of the quizzing circles here (KQA & Arul Mani).
Chennai quizzers are predominantly Hindu reading TamBrams - who have a 64 page paper thrust on them every sunday which is loaded with the most arbitest stuff from all over the world. Why wouldn't they become better data gatherers ?
Pune on the other hand (and I am not advicating or saying that Pune is better / worse than the other cities) has a more "workout" quizzing style cos thats what the audience appreciates. Maybe thats also cos Quizzing in Pune is still non-commercialised and pople still quiz for the love of the connect.
And thats all the cities that quiz in India.
So Laha, how you quiz is forced on to you by the "socio-ethno-geographic" environment you're bought up in, and maybe later dictated by commercial motivation.
- amit
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Some Soundbytes on the Quizzing v/s Analysis mail: Maheshspeak, Vivekspeak, Nikhilspeak...
(Again, all this is ITHO.... )
MNB:
heyyy,
gr8 article! and even greater to get a mail from you after such a long time !
yes - the number of workoutable questions is really what determines how analytical a quiz is ...sad that with arul mani's huge and pointless connections - workoutability went out the window
......
VL:
Dear All,
Statutory Warning : I still dont agree with **** (this happens to be me) on American Beauty and on the benfits of Vodka over Bacardi over Draught Beer. The caveat had to be issued at the beginning of the mail so that it is very clear that I am not replying to his mail because **** happened to agree with me on a particular issue. The 'a' can be replace by ' only one'
Question: Is quizzing a sport ?
Answer: Yes
Every sportsman today is a Professional. The game is his bread and butter. Yet only a century ago and probably less than that Jim Thorpe was stripped off his Olympic medals because he played baseball -professionally - even though he was a decathelete.
So where does this take us to. Quizzing will becoming professional and data gathering will triumph. But so has the case been with every other sport. Today it is only partially the skill of the athelete that determines his victory. The importance of medicine, technology and ofcourse drugs plays a greater role than sheer skill.
In the same manner a person who has the ability to memorise the most inconsequential of facts through a rigourous 'mugging up' schedule is most likely to win a quiz rather than a person who has come across various facts/answers due to his interests in particular areas.
So why is this happening? Very simple. Money. The bigger the prizes get the more people see it as a way to live. (some part edited here).
And then comes the blame game. Well all of us are responsible. We went to every quiz for the money to finance our trips to the nearest liquor dealer at MDI, to waste money at Gurgaon malls where a cup of coffee is Rs. 45.20 i.e. $1 at todays exchange rate. In essence - easy money hurt nobody.
A final thought:
Bjorn Borg's ternnis was elegance personified. 1975-1980
Boris Becker introdces the game to power serve 1985-1991
Edberg challenges Becker with grace 1987-1992
Pistol Pete and AK-47 Goran Serve kill the game 1995-2001
Roger Federer reclaims the game through elegance, power, skill and balance.
Andy Roddick ???????
If elegance is analysis and power data gathering I guess every sport will have its yin and yang - but it will always be the professionals who triumph in the end.
Regards,
VL
USD/INR 45.20
NA:
agree with VL's mail in totality....well penned sir...
except for one point....pete sampras didn't kill the game with power....i'd say there was almost a charm that he brought to the game.....the hard professional never breaks into tears when someone from the crowd mentions his coach who passed away recently....he always disputes hotly any close line call - doesn't shrug it off.....not pete, not pete....
MNB:
heyyy,
gr8 article! and even greater to get a mail from you after such a long time !
yes - the number of workoutable questions is really what determines how analytical a quiz is ...sad that with arul mani's huge and pointless connections - workoutability went out the window
......
VL:
Dear All,
Statutory Warning : I still dont agree with **** (this happens to be me) on American Beauty and on the benfits of Vodka over Bacardi over Draught Beer. The caveat had to be issued at the beginning of the mail so that it is very clear that I am not replying to his mail because **** happened to agree with me on a particular issue. The 'a' can be replace by ' only one'
Question: Is quizzing a sport ?
Answer: Yes
Every sportsman today is a Professional. The game is his bread and butter. Yet only a century ago and probably less than that Jim Thorpe was stripped off his Olympic medals because he played baseball -professionally - even though he was a decathelete.
So where does this take us to. Quizzing will becoming professional and data gathering will triumph. But so has the case been with every other sport. Today it is only partially the skill of the athelete that determines his victory. The importance of medicine, technology and ofcourse drugs plays a greater role than sheer skill.
In the same manner a person who has the ability to memorise the most inconsequential of facts through a rigourous 'mugging up' schedule is most likely to win a quiz rather than a person who has come across various facts/answers due to his interests in particular areas.
So why is this happening? Very simple. Money. The bigger the prizes get the more people see it as a way to live. (some part edited here).
And then comes the blame game. Well all of us are responsible. We went to every quiz for the money to finance our trips to the nearest liquor dealer at MDI, to waste money at Gurgaon malls where a cup of coffee is Rs. 45.20 i.e. $1 at todays exchange rate. In essence - easy money hurt nobody.
A final thought:
Bjorn Borg's ternnis was elegance personified. 1975-1980
Boris Becker introdces the game to power serve 1985-1991
Edberg challenges Becker with grace 1987-1992
Pistol Pete and AK-47 Goran Serve kill the game 1995-2001
Roger Federer reclaims the game through elegance, power, skill and balance.
Andy Roddick ???????
If elegance is analysis and power data gathering I guess every sport will have its yin and yang - but it will always be the professionals who triumph in the end.
Regards,
VL
USD/INR 45.20
NA:
agree with VL's mail in totality....well penned sir...
except for one point....pete sampras didn't kill the game with power....i'd say there was almost a charm that he brought to the game.....the hard professional never breaks into tears when someone from the crowd mentions his coach who passed away recently....he always disputes hotly any close line call - doesn't shrug it off.....not pete, not pete....
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Quizzing v/s Analysis
(All of the things said as under, are strictly IMHO. For any different opinions, please use the comments coloumn)
Quizzing at times reduces the ability of analyse (Vivek Laha being the biggest proponent of this theory), and you become a data gatherer rather than using the data to make your own analysis. I remember Amit Didolkar and BV Harish Kumar once ribbing me for being less interested in the 'Why' than the others of the W5H. That was when I considered myself as a maybe-someday serious quizzer.
Personal interests get stymied at times too. As in, how would the knowledge of which was the first nightclub Pink Floyd played in improve your appreciation of their music? On the other hand, knowing that Danny would have played Gabbar if he would not have refused the role could make you analyse as to what would have been... Sad part is, you need to know both the consequential and the inconsequential to be up there as a quizzer, and true, the inconsequential often rules the roost in the major quiz contests. And in the quest to gather that much of info, would you actually go as far as sitting down, thinking and analysing, rather than gathering some more data? To be a really good quizzer, it is not important to appreciate the art and the science, it is good enough to just read up on the information and have a good recollection. And if someone actually tells me that they have genuine interest in Sports (popular and unsung), Music (ghazals and heavy metal), Literature (Harold Robbins and Jean Paul Sartre), Organizations (Shri Mahila Griha Udyog and Apple Computers), Politics (Arun Gawli and Alberto Fujimori), movies (Jag Mundhra and Vittorio De Sica), and 15 such other genres, and are interested enough to analyse all of that, either they are lying between their teeth, or they have 48 hours of free time in a day.
Going to quizzes, though is a different experience altogether. You get these amazing snippets of information on stuff you are interested in, which stimulate your interest in the same, and prompts you to read more on that. This might well give you a whole new way to look at the person / piece / organization / whatever.
A friend of mine (a brilliant quizzer in his school/ college days) had mentioned that he could not believe that once he took the pains to mug up on each and every goal scored in the finals of major football events, when he was not really interested in soccer at all. And he is today amazed to think that he actually did that.
Two corollaries remain though:
One: that it is good to be a data gatherer when you are a kid, because the seeds of later day analysis has to come from the solid bedrock of data that would come from the days of the youth. Laha I guess is being supported again. It is happening increasingly regularly nowadays. And whoever was there on that fateful day when we discussed 'American Beauty', would sure as hell be shocked at that.
Two: You cannot really complain at the professionals. They have decided to make quizzing (and thereby gathering of data) their life, and would sure not bother too much about analysis, something they would not need so much in their profession anyway. And these are the ones who would surely acknowledge quizzing as a sport, and themselves as sporting professionals. It is just like I was playing soccer regularly as a kid. That gave me the gift of fitness, the sense of team-playing, and have that spurt of adrenaline, all that important to have a competitive spirit in later-on life. Some others take it as a profession. So? So cool. Live and let live.
I still love quizzing. I still love taking part in quizzes. I guess I am still somewhat competitive. But increasingly, what I love more is just being there, physically, and soaking in the information, separating the chaff from the grain, and going back home, definitely more curious than I was when I entered the place. And definitely, one of the things I will forever be proud of, will be the creation of W5H alongwith the three gentlemen mentioned in this text and a few others (W5H, which I desparately hope will not go extinct ever).
Quizzing at times reduces the ability of analyse (Vivek Laha being the biggest proponent of this theory), and you become a data gatherer rather than using the data to make your own analysis. I remember Amit Didolkar and BV Harish Kumar once ribbing me for being less interested in the 'Why' than the others of the W5H. That was when I considered myself as a maybe-someday serious quizzer.
Personal interests get stymied at times too. As in, how would the knowledge of which was the first nightclub Pink Floyd played in improve your appreciation of their music? On the other hand, knowing that Danny would have played Gabbar if he would not have refused the role could make you analyse as to what would have been... Sad part is, you need to know both the consequential and the inconsequential to be up there as a quizzer, and true, the inconsequential often rules the roost in the major quiz contests. And in the quest to gather that much of info, would you actually go as far as sitting down, thinking and analysing, rather than gathering some more data? To be a really good quizzer, it is not important to appreciate the art and the science, it is good enough to just read up on the information and have a good recollection. And if someone actually tells me that they have genuine interest in Sports (popular and unsung), Music (ghazals and heavy metal), Literature (Harold Robbins and Jean Paul Sartre), Organizations (Shri Mahila Griha Udyog and Apple Computers), Politics (Arun Gawli and Alberto Fujimori), movies (Jag Mundhra and Vittorio De Sica), and 15 such other genres, and are interested enough to analyse all of that, either they are lying between their teeth, or they have 48 hours of free time in a day.
Going to quizzes, though is a different experience altogether. You get these amazing snippets of information on stuff you are interested in, which stimulate your interest in the same, and prompts you to read more on that. This might well give you a whole new way to look at the person / piece / organization / whatever.
A friend of mine (a brilliant quizzer in his school/ college days) had mentioned that he could not believe that once he took the pains to mug up on each and every goal scored in the finals of major football events, when he was not really interested in soccer at all. And he is today amazed to think that he actually did that.
Two corollaries remain though:
One: that it is good to be a data gatherer when you are a kid, because the seeds of later day analysis has to come from the solid bedrock of data that would come from the days of the youth. Laha I guess is being supported again. It is happening increasingly regularly nowadays. And whoever was there on that fateful day when we discussed 'American Beauty', would sure as hell be shocked at that.
Two: You cannot really complain at the professionals. They have decided to make quizzing (and thereby gathering of data) their life, and would sure not bother too much about analysis, something they would not need so much in their profession anyway. And these are the ones who would surely acknowledge quizzing as a sport, and themselves as sporting professionals. It is just like I was playing soccer regularly as a kid. That gave me the gift of fitness, the sense of team-playing, and have that spurt of adrenaline, all that important to have a competitive spirit in later-on life. Some others take it as a profession. So? So cool. Live and let live.
I still love quizzing. I still love taking part in quizzes. I guess I am still somewhat competitive. But increasingly, what I love more is just being there, physically, and soaking in the information, separating the chaff from the grain, and going back home, definitely more curious than I was when I entered the place. And definitely, one of the things I will forever be proud of, will be the creation of W5H alongwith the three gentlemen mentioned in this text and a few others (W5H, which I desparately hope will not go extinct ever).
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Take a pledge, Ginsoakedboy....
Crime and Punishment- Fyodor Dostoevsky
Who said elephants can't dance- Lou Gerstner
The Mayor of Casterbridge- Thomas Hardy
Sir Gary- Trevor Bailey
Myra Breckenridge- Gore Vidal
Rabbit, Run- John Updike
The Adaptive Corporation- Alvin Toffler
The way of all Flesh - Samuel Butler
The Lexus and the Olive tree- Thomas L Friedman
A corner of a foreign field- Ramachandra Guha
The world according to Garp- John Irving
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance- Robert Pirsig
High Tech Titans- Erika Brown
We, the People- Nani Palkhivala
The Secret Agent- Joseph Conrad
Shesh Nomoskar: Sreecharaneshu Maa-key - Santoshkumar Ghosh
Amrito Kumbher Sandhaney- Kalkoot
Kothai Paabo Taarey- Kalkoot
Neelkantho Paakhir Khojey- Atin Bandyopadhyay
Charan Chhuey Jaai (part 1)- Shankar
Charan Chhuey Jaai (part 2)- Shankar
Manab Jameen- Shirshendu mukhopadhyay
KraantiKaal- Prafulla Ray
13-tee Upanyaas- Sanjeev Chattopadhyay
Now let Ginsoakedboy take the pledge that he would not buy a single book until he gets the number of unread books on his shelf down to single figures, and if that would mean stomping my feet in desparation at Crossword and Landmark, and committing suicide at Blossom Book Stores, so be it.
Who said elephants can't dance- Lou Gerstner
The Mayor of Casterbridge- Thomas Hardy
Sir Gary- Trevor Bailey
Myra Breckenridge- Gore Vidal
Rabbit, Run- John Updike
The Adaptive Corporation- Alvin Toffler
The way of all Flesh - Samuel Butler
The Lexus and the Olive tree- Thomas L Friedman
A corner of a foreign field- Ramachandra Guha
The world according to Garp- John Irving
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance- Robert Pirsig
High Tech Titans- Erika Brown
We, the People- Nani Palkhivala
The Secret Agent- Joseph Conrad
Shesh Nomoskar: Sreecharaneshu Maa-key - Santoshkumar Ghosh
Amrito Kumbher Sandhaney- Kalkoot
Kothai Paabo Taarey- Kalkoot
Neelkantho Paakhir Khojey- Atin Bandyopadhyay
Charan Chhuey Jaai (part 1)- Shankar
Charan Chhuey Jaai (part 2)- Shankar
Manab Jameen- Shirshendu mukhopadhyay
KraantiKaal- Prafulla Ray
13-tee Upanyaas- Sanjeev Chattopadhyay
Now let Ginsoakedboy take the pledge that he would not buy a single book until he gets the number of unread books on his shelf down to single figures, and if that would mean stomping my feet in desparation at Crossword and Landmark, and committing suicide at Blossom Book Stores, so be it.
Monday, November 01, 2004
Verifications of a few inferences, post Landmank Quiz Bangalore 2004
Inference 1:
Quizzing is a sport, just like cricket or soccer or chess or scrabble.
Inference 2:
Like in any other sport, in quizzing too, the professionals would win, more often than not.
Inference 3:
It is still a maturing sport, so amateurs, if they are very good, still have a scope. After a while, surely, they would not.
Inference 4:
The best shot for amateurs is definitely in speciality quizzes.
Inference 5:
I am really happy for all of the above. I invariably come out of a quiz just dying to check up a few facts on the net, and knowing more. And that's great.
Quizzing is a sport, just like cricket or soccer or chess or scrabble.
Inference 2:
Like in any other sport, in quizzing too, the professionals would win, more often than not.
Inference 3:
It is still a maturing sport, so amateurs, if they are very good, still have a scope. After a while, surely, they would not.
Inference 4:
The best shot for amateurs is definitely in speciality quizzes.
Inference 5:
I am really happy for all of the above. I invariably come out of a quiz just dying to check up a few facts on the net, and knowing more. And that's great.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)