Belles' Belly Balle

For all cheerleader fans of the 20-20 IPL, there is good news. The Maharashtra Government has officially accepted belly moves by hot Ukraninan belles. If the Janmashtami celebrations organized by an NCP minister are to go by, cheerleaders at IPL events have found a new lease of life. Seems, they need not come for cricketing celebrations, but can come for traditional celebrations.

What an irony, of a Government which stepped in to ban cheerleaders from IPL matches, to them being entertained by Ukrainian belly dancers. If the belly dancers' balle balle is not objectionable, then why would cheerleaders for a match be ? Or is there an ulterior motive to poach the cheerleaders for belly dance performances by the same netas ?

Following up on my previous post about politics being a game of contradictions, this is another blatant example of this. While dancing in pubs has been banned, and pubs ordered to close by 11:30 p.m. day events for public viewing of belly dancing seems to be fine. Or are the netas trying to justify calling belly dancing an art form like Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi in India ?

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Politics ... thy name is Contradiction

Watching the headlines these days, makes it sickening for viewers. The past week has been even more so, with horror stricken stories. It was funny how the news channels were prioritising the news stories. While one channel had debates running on the communal tension and violence in Orissa, another was covering the flood hit areas of Bihar. Another channel was busy broadcasting the protests and curfews in Jammu & Kashmir over the Amarnath land dispute. Of course, all these news items were subsequently covered by each of them. Not to mention the Singur land dispute which is making headlines everyday.

Up until last week, there was joy and jubilation with the Olympic heroes from India. All of a sudden, there is more of gloom and worry all around in India. A sense of insecurity which swept the nation with serial blasts seems to have gained momentum with acts of communal violence in Orissa, siege of the TATA plant in Singur, gun firing in Jammu Kashmir. Even nature seems to be against the nation today with floods lashing in Bihar.

What is more appalling is the level of contradiction in each of these major incidents. Demands of Azaadi in Kashmir came to the forefront with large masses of separatists leading the cause. What Azaadi meant in this context is unclear, atleas to me ! Azaadi to carry out trade across the LOC ? Azaadi from India ? Azaadi from militants ? Contradiction can't be more in the face, when those seeking Azaadi, have to be shielded by the same country who have been protecting them for the past 60 years. When militants open fire and hold them hostage, there doesn't seem to be demand for Azaadi.

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Sporting Revolution ?

How often does one get to see such a sports headline (courtesy CNN IBN) in India, without any cricket news ? Look on the side for the cricket match which is going on at the same time. Well, for once, the whole of India is looking up and noticing and more importantly following the other sports India is faring well in, and that too at the International level. First hailing Abhinav Bindra and now, wrestler Sushil Kumar who won bronze in the 66kg category a short while back.

The newspapers too have cricket in the last page, eventhough India is fighting out in Sri Lanka. The Olympics has taken centre stage (as it well should) over cricket and this is the opportune moment for SAI and other Indian sporting organizations to join hands and build the momentum for a gold winning India. India is supremely talented in the craftsman like sports and the agile ones. This is where the focus should be on. To build on the laurels, to reward accomplishments of these sportsmen and encourage the common Indian, that Sports is a well rewarding profession.

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I Lay ..

I lay, thinking deep, thoughts meandering and playing randomly in my mind. The thoughts which refused to let me take those sweet moments of snoredom, and tied me in a never ending journey of musings. They played on my mind, in so haphazard a manner, I could not pinpoint, the one which concerned me the most.

I lay, sleep eluding me all night, wondering is there a light at the end of the tunnel. The gloom which threatened to shroud my moments of happiness and memories of joy gone by. The thoughts ranged from the present to the past, and settled into the future. What does future hold for me?

I lay, thinking further, entangled beyond disentanglement, at the predicament, of not able to close my eyes in peace. I was in an uneasy trance, accentuated by the eagerness to get up and do something, to break this train of inundating thoughts.

I lay, the deluge of thoughts never ceasing to disturb me, my mind going hither and thither, pleading my brain to break this shackle. When I did, it was with something unthinkable, which would induce a further sense of awakening, the dreaded coffee beckoned.

I lay, after a cup, dreaming when this would end. It was not long back, when I tried to break such a trend, singing and humming well past midnight. Madness, one might think, neither slept, nor did I blink. A break I wished, would wring in the calm. It never happened, and I lay disturbed.

I lay, thinking over, switching on the droning music for a change. Thinking over and over, this to be the balm, for the uneasy calm . If ever one was fatigued by uneasiness and thinking why sleep is deprived, then this was the time, this was the night. It seemed in the morning, how it might be tonight ?

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Need for Greed

In news which just came in, Abhinav Bindra won India's first ever individual gold medal at the ongoing Beijing Olympics. The world could say, a first after a century of Olympics ? Nothing to harp about. But for a country, starved of sporting heroes aside of cricket players, which is not even an Olympic event, this is indeed a welcome change. Come to think of it, in Athens 2004, India won its first ever Silver medal through Rajyavardhan Rathore who also featured on Times Magazine's top 100 athletes to watch at this Olympics. And in 2008 India has gone one better.

India needs to shake off it's days of orthodoxy in the field of studies and expand its horizon of fields. There is no dearth of talent in the country of billions. It is a matter of a mental makeover. But, this cannot start without the support of the Sports Authority of India (SAI). With medals at any event, there needs to be a need for greed, to win more, AND more.

SAI needs to take good care of its medal winners, be it at Olympics or at Commonwealth or the Asiad, monetarily and by recognition to encourage sports in the country. A normal middle class family would want to see monetary rewards in their children's sporting honours, to encourage them to participate further. It is encouraging to note Geeth Sethi ,Prakash Padukone, Lakshmi Mittal coming forward to sponsor players, who are genuinely talented and encouraging them.

The best part about today's media is just this. The recognition (sometimes unduly necessitated) that they give to performers and hopefuls is certainly a welcome change, and can only help in India projecting itself as a Sporting nation too. Cricket may earn millions, but unless other sports, which are part of the Olympics are given due importance and recognition, Abhinav Bindras maybe far and few in between.

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