The Sunderbans - Paradise Preserved

So, this was a family trip after a long time, probably the last time we had a family trip was back when I was in Class 10th (yes, like a typical Indian child, I count my life not in years, but in Classes) to Rajasthan, that too was without dada (for the uninitiated to Bengali, it means brother). So, it was after a long while that we were all free at the same time of the year, and I suggested the Sunderbans to my father when he asked me about whether I'd like to go to Sikkim (no offence to Sikkim, but I'd just been to Dalhousie, a hill station, recently).

So, we went on a Government-owned cruise boat. As with everything that has the word "Government" associated with it, dada and I did not have many expectations out of this ship, the Sarbajaya. But we were fairly surprised. The ship was small, by among the much smaller fishing boats and day-only cruises, it was quite large. The lower deck looked like a railway compartment, and the toilets were small, but clean (that, of course, was the biggest relief). The upper deck was done like a small restaurant.

Of course, we had to travel 3 hours by bus to reach the place where we went up on the cruise, Sonakhali. The bus journey was particularly painful, and by the time I reached Sonakhali, my enthusiasm for the cruise had been lost already. And then the cruise started on the river. The first few moments were sheer joy - the cold wind kissing my skin, and soon we entered the "core" area of the Sunderbans (basically, uninhabited land). Dada had expected the Sunderbans to be marshy, but it really felt like a huge ocean and big islands in the ocean. The islands, of course, were fully of dense mangrove forests. Oh, that reminds me - Sunderbans is named after the Sundari (Mangrove) tree.

We stopped at a watch tower in the evening. People were searching for tigers, but I always knew that on such trips, searching for tigers is like searching for toothpicks in a desert. Some people got too excited, calling crab holes as tiger footprints. So, we all went back to the cruise. By seven at night, it was dead cold, the wind was as cold as it gets in Delhi, and I was on the upper deck, sitting in the cold wind (mainly because I was having breathing issues in the lower deck). We stopped at another watch tower for the night, and after a rather good dinner, we slept on board, while the ship was anchored.

Early next morning, we visited two watch towers. In the first one, we saw a rather shy crocodile. Now, tigers I knew we wouldn't see, but I was really hoping for a few crocs on the river, but what we could see were just eyes and a snout. That, my friends, is what disappointment is. This morning, we were going near this German family. They didn't understand English, and despite doing a diploma course in the language (which I usually don't attend), I couldn't understand German. It was only later in the day when the little girls were practicing their numbers did I realise that they were speaking German. There was also another European couple (probably French or Polish), but I barely interacted with them. And in this way, about two dozen tiger-hoping-but-disappointed humans came back at around noon.

So, it was twenty four hours on the sea (yes, the river was as broad as a sea. At times, the eye couldn't even see the other bank). At first, to be back on land was a bitter-sweet feeling. Yes, I wanted to be back all the while, but finally when getting down, it felt like a transition from peace to the noise of human existence. The Sunderbans are still dense, still beautiful and enigmatic. By the time my mind was getting used to that kind of peace, it was all over. And now it is back to the rigmarole of college-life-exams. How I wish there was a middle path between the two. Probably that is there for me to discover.

So, all in all, the Sunderbans is a place worth visiting once in a lifetime. Of course, no big bangs on this trip, just the whole experience of a river cruise (you can also, of course, go on the luxury cruises that cost about 20 thousand per person). How highly would I rate this trip? Decent, not as good as a history-rich Rajasthan sounds to a history buff like me, but its as close to undisturbed forests as you get. You obviously don't get into the forests, and that kind of adds to the entire enigma of the forests. Probably there was a free royal bengal tiger lurking just 10-odd metres from you. You'll never know. And like so many things in life, some questions are better left unanswered.

Why Facebook No Longer Works

Facebook's importance in my life cannot be understated. For four months of my life after the boards, facebook was my only interaction point with the outside world. I've met so many of my lost friends on facebook and this beautiful technology has allowed me to meet up with them. It is a good way to keep in touch, for sure.

But nowadays, every time I come on facebook, there is a certain morbidity I feel. It feels like "this isn't the true world, what am I doing here?". It all feels very superficial - to look at friends' photos, to comment below that. I mean, talking to people personally seems so much better - communication can then be free.

Have I changed? Has life around me changed? Why does facebook, the site that sustained me for 4 months - and the site on which I had become a permanent feature, not look so interesting anymore? Well, because now I enjoy being physically with my friends, talking to them personally, hanging out with them. Facebook doesn't allow me to do that, doesn't allow me to go to Kamla with them, have food with them.

But is facebook all useless now? Of course not. I can still meet new people here, and facebook still remains a good starting point for a friendship. And it is still a good place to keep your friends updated about what is happening in your life. So, for the past and for the future, I'm still sticking to my old flame, facebook.

Lonely at the Top

So, here comes another one of my seemingly endless self-obsessed, self-praising and self-deprecating posts. But this one is going to be more general, I promise (at least when compared to the ones that came before).

So, here it goes. For so many years now, in school and outside, I've been chasing success like a hungry hyena. I've made sacrifices on the way, like every other person does, and I've not really let emotions ever sway me. In class 9th, I used to study 10-12 hours - utilise every moment of my life to study. And finally, after so many years of chasing, I was at the pinnacle of my success when I topped the Class 12th board exams in Delhi.

But then I looked back, and I realised that i had given up too much. Primary among them that I had given up on a lot of socialising. True, I'm not really your typical social person, but I could have become social - I could have FORCED MYSELF to become social. But I didn't - because what I aimed at that moment did not require me to be social. I kind of ignored my family life. I was so engrossed in the pursuit of academic excellence that I forgot to make my parents feel special. I forgot to tell them how much they matter to me. I forgot to celebrate their little joys and sorrows.

Basically, I forgot how to live life. I'd turned myself into an emotionally unmovable block of stone. And perhaps that is what many of us end up doing. We chase something so blindly, that we forget everything around us. Its like Arjuna and the fish's eye. The fish eye becomes more important to us. And why? Do the goals in life deserve the attention we give them?

Then i came to Stephen's. For the first few weeks, I was, yes, the "Delhi Topper", the quintessential nerd whom everybody respects and loathes at the same time. But then some people made me realise my insufficiencies. They showed me that, in life, to be successful is a different ballgame than to be successful in school.

I've given up a lot to be where I am, yes ... but now that I am in college, I want to do everything that I have not done till now. I want to go around watching movies, I want to wile away my time chatting to people, I want to be myself - dance in my crooked ways, go to college without bathing. Everything I did not do, I want to do now.

Birthday Greetings

The first birthday in St. Stephen's College (and incidentally, the first birthday away from home, since i was on vacation in Kolkata this time last year) was quite a memorable for two particular reasons - I have never been given so many gifts by friends, plus I have never been made to feel as loved as my friends this time made me feel.

The night was lazy to begin with. Aishwarya wished me at 9:30 on Oct 29, because he wanted to be the first to wish me, but was feeling too sleepy to wake up all the way till 12. On 29th October at 10:00 PM, I took adieu from Aashik and went to my room, soggily waiting for 12 o' clock to strike, because firstly, I was feeling sleepy and secondly, I knew that people would come to wish me at midnight. I was almost half-asleep, till I suddenly got a message from Sanjay bhaiyya (5 minutes before 12). Then my brother called, slightly before time, to wish me. And the I could hear voices outside the door, and then a knock.

Now, the door to T-3, Mukharji East, doesn't open easily and thus people outside thought that it was locked. However, on further trying,t he door opened and outside were my senior, Vedant, my friends Aman and Manchit, and my room neighbour David. Now, Vedant thinks that his wishing me first would surprise me, but to be frank, a funny feeling within me told me that he would come - one of those inexplicable things in life, for sure. Then slowly came Jerrin, Rupam, Dipak, Rupam II and finally, Anjishnu. And then dragged to the tennis court and kicked 18 times by 3 men. Oh my, next day my back was paining.

Oh yes, how could I forget ! Kritika and Aditi, as expected, called me and sang happy birthday to me on the phone. Now, this was something I knew was going to come, but what happened in the morning I didn't expect. Sheeni Kapoor also called, quite unexpectedly, and a host of other people sent their messages. Then I talked to Karan for some time in the night and finally went to sleep at about 2:30 AM.

At 6:00 AM, my phone started ringing and I saw that it was my cousin, so I just put the phone on silent and went back to sleep. But when I woke up at 9:30, I saw tens of messages and missed calls on my phone, plus I had a class at 9:35 AM. I just put on SOME clothes and rushed to the statistics class. Then at 10:30 AM, Kritika called me to meet her at the college gate. I went there, and I was so surprised by her birthday gift. She has always been such a sweetheart, and I got further proof this time.

Then it was 11:15 AM, and I had a tutorial at 1:25 AM. But I still had not taken a bath! I went to the bathroom, but regular water supply was gone! And the geiser water was piping hot! I innovated (uncharacteristically) - I dipped my towel in the boiling water and just washed myself. And then rushed back, just in time, for the tutorial.

Now after that, from 12 AM to 5 PM, I was at the Hansraj Fresher's Parliamentary Debate, and birthday luck rubbed on - we won both the tosses, and both the debates that day.

For what happened after that, wait for the next post ....

Winter Becons - inside and outside

A wintery night, a cup of coffee and a radio transistor - and the perfectly romanticized winter term of the first year begins emphatically. It has been a rather slow first three days, in the sense that I've not been working for my societies as much as I would like to (plus, I feel extremely guilty about missing my Mathematical Finance course ka tutorial today).

So, the highlight of the first three days was a joint birthday party with SJ and MM today. The birthday party, an endeavour initially to have a good time with your close friends, ended up in quite a bit of "politics" in class. Often, what people perceive you to do is not actually what you are doing. Due to budgetary considerations, the guest list has to be limited, but that's not what others might always perceive it as. One of the bigger tragedies of life, really, is misunderstanding. Hard to see why people fall prey to it so often, but well ... yehi zindagi ka dastoor hai.

Though what I am really bullish on is the onset of winters in Delhi. As long as I get hot water to bathe everyday, I don't have issues. The winter chill, the late nights - oh, the memories long etched in my psyche. Of the midnights at India Gate binging on ice - creams and the chill down your spine while bathing. Oh, yes. I must accept it too - I love Delhi's winters.

Getting Back

So, hello my dear (and few) readers. Here is an update from my side : the autumn vacations silently passed away on October 15, 2009. It was put on life support till October 18, thanks to Diwali and the reliable, good old Sunday. Yet, on October 19, it draws to an end. Of course, being the lazy creature I am, I took time off till October 21st. But as much as I might not want it (or perhaps I do want it), I must get back to college.

My attempts at getting a data card for my laptop have been futile. My laptop, though only a year and a half old, has become too old - she's become sick, infested with deadly viruses (relics of my failed international admissions process). So, no data card for now. Of course, I realise that it is a great tragedy to my ambitions of world domination (pun intended), but nothing that cannot be worked around. I feel like I'll be walking on crutches for one more term at least, unless a miracle happens or unless I get a new lappie (which I'm hopeful about, actually).

My goals for this two-month term are quite clear : consolidate a space in all societies that I am a part of (and in the case of FNIC, work hard to make the Futures Club a success). More importantly, I want to keep in touch with the world outside of St. Stephen's (which is tough given that I will not have unrestricted access to the internet). But still, whatever I can do.

As I head back to college, there is an excitement about meeting all my friends again. But then, most of my friends are day scholars. The rest of my day is to be spent with my few rezzie friends and myself. Myself - that is something on which I need to work now.

Why St. Stephens Must Change

It has been almost four months since I last had a blog entry. Yes, I must confess that I've grown old in this duration, and (much to the chagrin of my loving mother) thin too. I've come to St. Stephens College in Delhi (arguably one of the most reputed colleges in India) and I'm looking forward to making the best out of my years here.

What is my initial reaction to St. Stephens'? Well , it is just another college, yes, but what makes it different is that its reputation attracts a lot of good talent from all over India and competing and interacting with these minds actually broadens your horizons. Teaching-wise, St. Stephens is as good or as bad as any other regular Delhi University college. Infrastructure-wise, St. Stephens is quite terrible - the loos in the hostel are dirty, there is no power back-up and there is no air conditioning.

Unfortunately, there are many people in the college who are hanging to a sense of importance and a sense of exclusivity based on the past legacy of the college. For them, being a Stephenian makes them, by default, superior to people from other colleges. But what they must realise is that the past will long be forgotten, what will matter twenty years down the line is not Shashi Tharoor or Amitav Ghosh, but what we do today. The results of the college have not been too good of late, and unless we rid ourselves of the arrogance of being Stephenian, we won't be able to unlock our true potential.

Now let me get to other aspects of college life. The residence is a good place, in the sense that they don't stuff 3-4 people in a single room. Initially, it was a single room for each student, but today the first years have to share their rooms. But that is not really a problem, its a good learning experience in tolerance. Ragging, to begin with, was minimal (the routine song-dance) but later reduced to zero. The residence is a good place, and the rezzies are quite surely the cream of St. Stephens college, not because they've scored more than others (which they usually haven't) but because these men and women have a personality, a distinct personality.

In college, the Extra-Curriculars are extremely good. But there are a lot of, what I would call immature kids, who go to each and every society in that juvenile optimism that it'll look good on their CV. What they fail to understand is that in the long run, your CV is supposed to represent you, and not the other way round. So, I've joined just the societies that really interested me. But the society I most look forward to working for is the Finance and Investment Cell (FNIC), not only because its most professionally-run than other societies , but also because it has some amazing people at the helm.

How other colleges perceive St. Stephens' college? Well, most colleges give us importance that I feel we do not deserve in the first place. Every college takes St. Stephens as a benchmark, be it quizzing or debating or anything else. We've long back been upstaged by Hansraj in quizzing, and our grip on debating is also loosening. I do not take this to be a sad development. It is a stimulating thing to be overtaken by others, because that provides you with the next benchmark to strive for. If you don't have a goal, how can you go about doing your task?

So, as another term appears on the calendar entry, I am waiting eagerly to get back into the muck and work my way up. Why do I want to go up in the first place? Because I want to change things, because I want arrogance to be defeated, and because I want to pursue the truest form of education.

Six Years That Changed My Life

Year I (Class 7): When I climbed the stairs to the D-block third floor on 22nd April 2003, to VII L, i was completely numb. And then I entered a classroom and 40-odd unknown faces stared at me, and i was made to sit beside one such person - Rohan Bhatia. He was an eccentric friend, quite innocent and immature, who was always over-enthusiastic. Then I met Aishwarya "Aishu" Raj later that day in the D-block lounge. He had joined the school one day before me and we quite instantly hit it off, perhaps because we were both 'new fish' in the dirty pond. Ritin Kakkar (a decent bloke) scored 50 in the first Monday Test results that I witnessed. Shayeri (an arrogant-sweet wisecrack) was the 'established' topper and Sukriti Mishra (sweet, but obsessive. God knows what happened to her) was leading the charge of the newcomers. Then there was Lavi Aggarwal (who juggled the third position with me), Prachi Jain (sweet) and quite a bit more. By the end of seventh, 'our' group included me, Aishwarya, Rahul Bhatnagar (oh God!) and Tushar "Tush" Agrawal (a kind, arrogant kiddo).
How it Changed Me: I made a friend for life, in the form of Aishwarya, and also that I was intiated into a ravine that I fell into next year.


Year II (Class 8): Rewind to the Class VIII assessment exams. A 'firang' who is taking the exams with us stands up, all unnerved, while the class teacher tries to calm him. Welcome, Sushant "Sushi" Tandon, to our group. This guy beat me badly in table tennis, but by Class XI, I was able to beat him on a regular basis. Class VIII only reminds me of perversion. Something tells me I was at my most perverted then. But maybe it was only an innocent child's inability to come to terms with things around him. Then, there was a budding friendship with Charit Taneja. And when we came to know that sections would get shuffled in ninth, we all prayed very, very hard. The clock, meanwhile, went on ... tick-tock, tick-tock ...
How it Changed Me: By Class VIII, I had seen the nadir of perversion. It kind of gave me a broader perspective about life, far beyond even my current age.


Year III (Class 9): April 2, 2005 : He has a bag hanging on his shoulders, standing on the short flight of stairs that lead into C01. Welcome, Shubham "Bum" Prakhar, into my world. What can I say about him that I have not already said (check out this blog's archives for more). It was kind of awkward, talking to Mr. ICG and a hosteller. Plus his frequent quizzing incursions and all. But yes, he kicked me, kicked me hard. My jealously of Shubham defined me for the next two years. I had pledged to come out of his shadow in two years (something I achieved). But two other amazing friends of mine - Yash "Hashish" Chopra and Tanmay Singh, I came to know this year. Tanmay (the big, bruiser of a boy) I first saw practicing for a dance in the assembly and have been friends with him since, and Yash ... I don't know when or why we became friends, but its been good so far. And yes, Aishwarya is still in my section. And how can I forget the JSTSE classes? The stay-backs, meeting Debolina "Debo" Roy, Sameer "Sam" Mittal and all the fun we used to have. Oh, I still miss those lovely JSTSE classes!
How it Changed Me: I had become very ambitious, the beginning of all my later success is in class 9, on the day that Shubham Prakhar came to my class.


Year IV (Class 10): Oh God, the boards are here! Add to that the fact that I was rejected by the JSTSE people! The year couldn't have begun on a worse note. Somehow, it went downhill from there. My NSO, NCO, NSTSE ranks stabilized. The boards were fun, walking every morning to Sanskriti, eating a chocolate, and taking the exam - it was completely sans any stress. And yes, Shubham beat me easily in the boards. I was defeated. I had touted the boards as the last 'battle' between Shubham and I, and I had lost, I had been vanquished and humbled! Yes, I cleared the NTSE (which buried the ghosts of JSTSE), but that was more like a post-script.
How it Changed Me: I had been humbled, and all the ambition broken. I could never study that hard EVER again. It felt like the last four years had been undone, and maybe they had actually been.


Year V (Class 11): Oh God, new class, new people! For the first few days, I felt completely hapless - for the first time in four years, there was no Aishwarya to talk to! What would I do? Well.... I found Aeshwarya "Aesh" Raj, and Jayati "JT" Sindhu. In two years, only God knows how much I have irritated these two supremely sweet people. And then there was Mohul Raj Singh, with whom I always have a rocky friendship, and Sukrit. Class XI was more of an ascendancy, when I was beginning to get a grasp of where life was talking me. And mid-way through it, I met Kritika "Kritu" Bajaj. For the next two years, she's been my closest confidante.
How it Changed Me: Class XI gave me valuable lessons in managing people and other 'dps' experience that was to stand me in good stead later on.


Year VI (Class 12): The most amazing school year I could've wished for. I went to quizzes, debates (won some, lost a lot - but it all made me better at a rapid pace). My 5-day hostel misadventure and then my confinement in THAT room in DSOI, Dhaula Kuan. But throughout it all, Aesh and JT and Kritika were always there for me - they never let me feel sad or lonely. Then I interacted with Neelanjana "Neelu" Gupta and with a whole lot of other people. This was the year of my failed foreign applications, of my greatest truimphs and humiliations. And when it ended the way it did, with a 98% and "delhi topper" tag in the boards, it all seemed very ordinary in comparision with what a year it had already been.
How it Changed Me: Class XII has made me what I am today - entirely.


Thank you, amazing people mentioned above, for being there in my life. I owe a part of me to all of you, each and every one of you. Without you, I am nothing, and I can be nothing.
And people from school with whom I interacted only after school got over:(1) Aditi Bajpayi(2) Stuti Govil(3) Nimisha Jain(4) Parmita Mathur
Thank you to all of you too.

Wanted: Some respect for the CBSE Examinations

Before I begin my advocacy of the CBSE Board Examinations, I must make a few things clear. Firstly, I think the CBSE exam pattern is extremely flawed. Secondly, I have said before and I reiterate that scoring in the CBSE exams amounts to nothing - it does not, in any way, prove a person to be intellectually superior to another person.

This said, I now begin what I want to say. Any parent, any student and a lot of teachers consider anybody who cracks IIT, especially the top 1000 ranks, as a human whose mental capabilities are far greater than those of others. Those who top CBSE, in comparision, are almost invariably considered bookworms and rote learners. They are seen as creatures who are dipped in their books for the four-five months before the Boards and as creatures who lack imagination.

So, first let me talk about IIT. I have seen people who have cracked IIT (my cousin stayed with us and cracked IIT with AIR 210) at close quarters. Indeed, their skills at Physics, Chemistry and Maths are unparalleled. But does mastery of three subjects make them intellectually superior? True, they know about different approaches to solve a question and are better at applying what they learn than what most of us are. But beware, do not believe that this is in any way their intellectual superiority.

I say this because even these IIT people are, in a way, 'conditioned' to solve things like that. In Class X, I was among the best in the sciences in my school, but today I'd be lagging far behind. What changed in these two years? Did the others' brains grow faster than mine? No. Over two years, these IIT aspirants were conditioned to look at a question and were taught different ways to solve it. Done on a sustained manner, it made them more adept at solving questions.

But the point is that these students are solving questions, they are not doing anything creative or imaginative. They are not using most of their brains, just the small logical part of their brains. These hard-working men and women have not outgrown the rest of the student body, they have simply greater reasoning and logical skills.

Now coming back to the CBSE toppers. True, the CBSE English is among the most subjective and consequently, one of the most lop-sided examinations ever devised. Imagination and different lines of thoughts are discouraged and one must write answers that follow a particular line of thought. But that said, to score in the CBSE exams, one needs clarity of though and a flair for expressiveness. If I want to score in CBSE, I have to write my answers as briefly and as curtly as possible without leaving any details. Even in English, I am not supposed to write just anything, I must write what has been asked of me. And over a scale of 30-40 roll numbers, the CBSE English marks remain fairly relfective of one's skills in the language.

This said, it is extremely easy to master CBSE. It is easy to learn about the loopholes of the CBSE system and work your way up it. But then, the same applies to most other examinations, even the SATs and is nothing new and exclusive to the CBSE. But to score 99 in Economics took me a lot of practice and a lot of clear thinking. And to score my precious 100 in Maths took me a lot, a lot of hardwork. And my 98 in Chemistry and 95 in Physics did not come easy either.

So, all said, I want to say that scoring in CBSE proves close to nothing, but neither does scoring in IIT. What really matters is how you are able to apply all that you learn in the institution that you go to. Maybe the crux of the matter is the disrespect of arts and commerce subjects in India. So, till the day that Economics commands the same respect as Astrophysics, engineers and doctors will continue to be looked at in awe and the "poor" and "unimaginative" B.A and B.Com students will have to live in wait for the due respect that should be accorded to them.

One Day of Being a Celebrity !

As the dust finally settled on 22nd May 09, it emerged that I had not topped All-India, but was merely the Delhi topper. Early morning, being woken up by a call by the Principal, Dr. Shayama Chona, and since then the day has been little short of a fairytale.

But throughout it all, I knew that this was a one-day celebrityhood; that next day everything will be over and I'll be back to anonymity. But this moment, a teardrop on the cheek of time, shall forever be memorable and that is what I tried to do - to savour every moment of what I knew would next come only if I assassinate a public figure. So, I try to recollect every moment and etch it forever, indellibly, in my mind.

First, some Hindi newspaper ending with 'Patrika' called me and took my interview for half an hour. For the next two hours, there was nothing. I was wondering if due to my presence in Kolkata and not in Delhi, would I be deprived of all the media attention? But then maybe now I understand why the calls dried out - because I was talking to Sonali, Kritika and Deboleena! But once I kept the phone, it was like a flood broke out.

TOI called and took my telephonic interview. Then came HT, Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Jagran and what not! And then the electronic media came. First up was NDTV's Monideepa (whom I had seen several times on the news). She got sweets for me, some Bengali ladoos maybe. Then they took an interview, but that was the comfortable part since I've already been on NDTV Metro Nation.

Then came the Bengali news channel, 24 Ghanta, but NDTV continued shooting. They shot me on facebook, typing, moving the mouse and all. Then as soon as they left, News X came and took an interview. Then Sahara's Komolika was calling me, and once even said "If you do not come here, I will lose my job!" But the 24 Ghanta people did not let me move anywhere. She kidnapped me and took me to her studio.

On the way, Star Ananda, 24 Ghanta's main rival, called me and when they realised that I was with 24 Ghanta, they banged the phone on me. But they called back 5 mins later and did a voice-in LIVE with me. Then I went into the 24 Ghanta studio, but Sahara's Komolika was waiting outside the 24 Ghanta studio. She almost got into a fistfight with the 24 Ghanta woman. So, they went to their studio above and there Sahara took my interview, after which I was escorted into the 24 Ghanta studio, where I was LIVE for a good two hours.

Which actually left me quite drained. In the two hours that my father put his cell on silent, he got 53 missed calls. 24 Ghanta gave me a two-hour break in-between. But who was I to enjoy respite yesteday. In those two hours, I have at least five interviews, including the Indian Express and the Asian Age.

Then I went and had kebabs in the South City mall at 6:00 PM, my first thing to eat since morning. And then I went back to the 24 Ghanta studio to shoot for a political discussion. And the best part was that my Bengali is so good that I spent one whole hour staring at the people there rattling 'shuddh' Bengali. By the time I left the studio, my jaws were paining out of trying to speak Bengali.

And then, thankfully, my last shoot for the day was a live video-in for NDTV India, where I (thankfully) had to speak in Hindi. But right upto 10:00 PM, I was busy giving interviews on the phone.

And today when I woke up, father had got at least 6-7 newspapers, and I was reading out the articles. "Kolkata boy tops CBSE" or "Two Toppers minus tuitions". I was misquoted at several places, but its okay - I don't mind it! And today again I leave for Star News' LIVE telecast at 1:30, knowing fully that all this is a mirage, an illusion that won't last tomorrow. But as long as it is there, I shall savour the moment.

Five Game Changers of Elections 2009

1. West Bengal: The shock of the election has come from West Bengal this time. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Bannerjee has won 19-20 seats and the Congress has held on to 6 seats. This is the CPM's worst poll performance since 1967. Though I was expecting the Trinamool to go up, I was not in my wildest dreams expecting it to trounce all of the Left by itself. Now is an opportunity for the Trinamool for 2011.

2. Uttar Pradesh: This is the second of the two shocks of this election, along with West Bengal. I was never expecting Mayawati to do as well as Mulayam did in 2004, but I was definitely not expecting the Congress to emerge as a close third to the two regional parties. What I think worked for the Congress was, along with the campaigning, the selection of the right candidates. The Congress has shown promise and I hope it does not disappoint.

3. Maharashtra: Maharashtra this time has defied logic and voted for the Congress-NCP alliance despite what was mostly a non-performing state Government. The effect of the MNS factor will become clearer in a few days, but for the Congress, Maharashtra has been the big story this election along with Uttar Pradesh.

4. Tamil Nadu: Throughout the election, I told everyone that the DMK-Congress alliance was arithmetically superior to the AIADMK-PMK-MDMK-Left. Just yesterday, I told a friend that I expected DMK-Congress to get at least over half the seats, and I am proud to say that I got it right.

5. Bihar: Lalu is now definitely facing irrelevance and I would like Nitish to take the risk now of allying with the Congress since the BJP is surely incapable of providing him a national platform. But the defeat of Lalu-Paswan has been complete and the Congress has shown its relevance even in Bihar.

Why I still prefer the Congress (but only slightly)

As the elections are drawing to a close, I thought it good to explain why my political loyalties lie with the Congress, but only slightly. The Congress, I must confess, has too many faults and the party, in my opinion, in itself is against demoracy:
(1) The party has not held elections to its Congress Working Committee (CWC) in years

(2) The party relies solely on the Nehru-Gandhi family for campaigning. Even the Prime Minister addresses very few rallies on his own

(3) The part is full of sycophants who are servile to the Nehru - Gandhi family

(4) The party's state units are almost always squabbling among themselves. The state leaders are like crabs who pull down whoever is the rising leader in the party

But the only reason that my faith in the party still remains is because of Sheila Dixit. To be fair to her detractors, her "achievements" are not really to be accredited to her:
(1) CNG was implemented in buses and autos after a Supreme Court directive

(2) The Metro Rail project was started and inaugurated by the previous BJP Government

However, she has done several things (greenery, BRT) on her own and even if the BRT has failed according to some, at least this Government is trying things. And Sheila Dixit's contribution remains more in the field of culture and the arts.

But this brings me to the next point: Why should I prefer the Congress at the CENTER based on its performance in the STATE? If I am to be a sensible voter, I should vote differently at the state and central level. 

But when I vote at the center, the thing I want most is a stable Government which is not bound by demanding allies. I must confess that as a coherent whole, the NDA seems to be better. But what is disconcerting about the BJP are:

(1) nothing concrete was done against Varun Gandhi

(2) the BJP has a habit of running down institutions. After the President is elected, the BJP could do good in respecting her. And the BJP should not pass disparaging comments about the Election Commission

Frankly, Indian democracy is "ruled" by parties that are nothing but family fiefdoms (eg. DMK, RJD, JD(S), SAD, NC, NCP, BJD). Yes, the BJP is the only party that seems to have any semblance of a democracy. The Communists, of course, are almost completely democratic but they are unable to provide a stable dispensation at the center and are too rigid to govern the nation.

All said and done, I'd prefer the Congress because of people like Manmohan Singh and Sheila Dixit. 

My Top 5: Sportspeople of All Times

#1: Martina Navratilova:

It is a herculean task to enumerate her achievements, but I would make an attempt alright. She's won 18 Grand Slam Singles title, 31 Grand Slam women's doubles titles (an all-time record) and 10 Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles. She has a record 10 Wimbledon titles, a record she shares with Billie Jean King. She holds the open era record for most Singles titles (167) and most Doubles titles (177). She has the longest winning streak in tennis history (74 matches). All this lead to Billie Jean king calling her "the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who ever lived."

What Goes For Her: The sheer volume of her achievements. Nobody, and I mean nobody, can ever achieve all that she has. And the more important fact is that she has played with other greats in the game like Steffi Graf, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King and has a neutral to favourable win-loss record against all of them.

What Goes Against Her: Nothing. Martina Navratilova's career has been a perfect fairytale. She is the oldest grandslam winner and the oldest winner of a singles match in tennis. What more?

#2: Mohammad Ali:

Mohammad Ali has been declared "Sportsperson of the Century" several times towards the end of the last century. In terms of victories and achievements, his career may pale in comparision to others in the list. But he scores above everybody else by the sheer number of 'greatest ever' matches that he has had. His bouts with George Foreman ('Rumble in the Jungle') and Joe Frazier ('The Fight of the Century') are the stuff of legend.

What Goes For Him: He is truly a 'legend'. His repeated combacks, his cerebral style of boxing and his iconic status worldwide.

What Goes Against Him:There is little consensus on his name as the greatest heavyweight in boxing history in the boxing fraternity.

#3: Michael Phelps:

When he smashed Mark Spitz's record of seven Olympic medals, what was most notable was the fact that everyone expected him to. That is how dominant Phelps has been been. Even in Athens in 2004, just incase you didn't notice, he won 6 golds and 2 bronzes. He's been awarded the World Swimmer of the Year from 2003-2008 (except 2005) and the American Swimmer of the Year from 2001-2008 (except 2005). He's just three medals from breaking Larissa Latynina's record of most medals in the Olympics, but already has more golds.

What Goes For Him: His dominance had been unchallenged and unrivalled. He is arguably the greatest Olympian of all times, far ahead of Spitz by dint of his longevity.

What Goes Against Him: His conduct in his personal life leaves a lot to be desired. He cannot be called an idol unless his private life too stands is like that of a role-model.

#4: Lance Armstrong:

Lance Armstrong is an icon in every sense of the word. He dominated cycling for seven years, winning the Tour de France for a record-breaking seven times. He was named the Associate Press Male Athlete of the Year in 2002-2005 and ESPN's Best Male Athlete in 2002-2005. But what sets him apart from the rest is his battle, and eventual victory, with testicular cancer. The prognosis wasn't good, but Armstrong never let it affect his performance in the track.

What Goes For Him: His battle with cancer and his complete, unrivalled dominance of the cycling world right until his retirement.

What Goes Against Him:The fact that cycling is, for most parts, not a very popular sport. But it is the sport's fault, not his.

#5: Sachin Tendulkar:

If cricket is a religion in India, then Sachin has got to be the God. You might argue that there are equally talented cricketers like Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar, Vivian Richards or even Sir Don Bradman, but Sachin somehow towers above them all. Perhaps it is because he started playing at such a young age and is still playing, and playing well for that matter, today. Perhaps it may also have to do with his off-field conduct, which is impeccable. He is a symbol of cricket in the modern world - being among one of the richest sportspersons of all times.

What Goes For Him: His impeccable off-field conduct, his longevity and most importantly, the fact that he is perhaps a perfect idol. Whenever the word 'cricket' is mentioned in India, perhaps the word 'Sachin' would follow.

What Goes Against Him:The fact that cricket is played by only about a dozen serious nations. Cricket is not an Olympic sport and is played in very few regions, mostly the Commonwealth nations.

The Best of Bollymusic: My Top 5 Romantic songs since 1990

1. Pehla Nasha (Jo Jeeta Woh Sikandar) : I am not a huge fan of romantic songs, but when you hear this song, you just cannot resist its melody. Beautiful lyrics, competent singers and an irresistable melody - this is as close as you can come to perfection. If you haven't heard this song, you have got to be missing something in life.
Lyrics - ****
Melody - *****
Singing - ****
Picturisation - ***



2. Khudaya Khair (Billu) : One of the best romantic songs of late, this one has sweet (though slightly absurd) lyrics and a hummable melody to go with it. It is a terrific feel-good song. The singing, though perhaps lacking somehow, is nevertheless good. I would be shocked if this song is not a contender for one of the music awards this year. Till now, its my song of the year.
Lyrics - ****
Melody - *****
Singing - **
Picturisation - **

3. Tauba Tumhare Yeh Ishaare (Chalte Chalte) : This song never seems to loose its sheen for me. I've been hearing it for such a long time now, but every time I hear it I want to hear more of it. The singing was absolutely amazing - perhaps the romantic song of Abhijeet.
Lyrics - **
Melody - ***
Singing - *****
Picturisation - ***

4. Hum Tum (Hum Tum) : My favourite Rani Mukherji song of all time, I think this song is underrated. Babul Supriyo finally made an indellible mark as a singer. The lyrics are competent, the Rani-Saif chemistry is crackling and the picturisation is good.
Lyrics - ***
Melody - ****
Singing - ****
Picturisation - ***

5. Kuch Na Kaho (Kuch Na Kaho) : A song from one of the most forgettable movies of all time, this song neverthess makes it to my list for its joyful exuberance and its sweet melody. It has a very fresh appeal to it. And the video is great too - frankly, Aishwarya Rai never looked better in this film.
Lyrics - **
Melody - ****
Singing - ****
Picturisation - **

Moral Policing Vs. Vulgarity : Where is the middle path ?

I've been thinking about writing a post titled 'Beware of the MTV culture'. MTV makes violence seem to be ordinary. Alright, you might argue that they condemned the physical violence on Roadies and on Splitsvilla, but why should they show fights and arguments as the "highlights" from the next episode. I like to watch these fights, I must confess. But that does not mean I condone such blatant display of violence. No, the MTV culture must not be allowed to propagate.

Which brings me to my next point. I am NOT engaging in moral policing. What happened in Mangalore is absolutely abominable and I support the Pink-Chaddi campaign (not that I sent Pink Chaddis to Muthalik, but still generally). What happens with Raj Thackeray and the mockery on each Valentine's Day is absolutely condemnable too.

But let me ask you this: When you see couples in Lodhi garden showing a Public Display of Affection (PDA), do you support it? Do you support Akshay Kumar getting unbuttoned on the ramp? I mean, I still think that the person who filed a PIL against Kumar is wanting attention. But I still feel that what Kumar did was not right. I don't want him to apologise. I just want him to know that it was not right. Alright, your brand is called 'unbuttoned', but if you show Kumar unbuttoning on stage, do you mean to say that people who wear that brand of jeans should be unbuttoned? Oh come on, there are better ways to sell your wares than to engage on obscenity.

I have always opposed aping of the west. But unfortunately, that is what mostly happens. Why should we compare Bollywood films to those from Hollywood? Why not judge them on their own merit (or the lack of it, if you ask me)? Does somehow have to speak English the way the Americans or the Britons do? Since we are the largest English-speaking community in the world (or at least second), why should we not have our own distinctive style of English. But you know what, we actually do. We insert expletives (the really dirty Hindi ones) in our English sentences to make it more 'effective'. What is wrong, people? Are we losing faith in our language that we need to put in expletives to make our point more effective?

Perhaps we're already on a path from which there is no return. We're denegerating and there is no escaping it. But every big movement begins with a small step. And so shall a reformation.

The Best 5 Prime Ministers of India

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

1. Foreign Policy: Vajpayee's foreign policy successes are many. He led India to a victory over Pakistan in 1999 in Kargil and more importantly, he US began to recognize India's position against Pakistan. Relations with China also normalised.
2. Economy: The economy stabilised by the time he took over in 1999 and started an unbelievable growth trajectory. He firmly supported disinvestment, but not blind privatisation. As Manmohan Singh said at a recent rally, the economy grew at 5.6% during the Vajpayee tenure, indeed a very impressive growth rate.
3. Home Affairs: This is where the Vajpayee Government had its failures. It failed to check the VHP's protests in 2002 in order to celebrate the demolition of the Babri Masjid. He also failed to take any concrete action against Narendra Modi's Government. You may argue that he upheld democracy by allowing the people to judge - and it thus remains debatable wher you can blame him.
4. Biggest Embarassment: The Tehelka scandal rocked his ministry and the Coffin scandal involving George Fernandes portrayed his ministry as quite corrupt.
5. Biggest Advantage: He's a 10 time Lok Sabha member and has won the "Best Parliamentarian" award. I am pleased to put a distinguished parliamentarian on top of this list.

Jawaharlal Nehru

1. Foreign Policy:Jawaharlal Nehru's foreign policy was flawed beyond repair. His Non-Aligned Movement and more importantly, his blind trust of China exploded in his later years. Problems that he created (like Kashmir) haunt India till this day.
2. Economy: The Indian economy under Nehru was rebuilding itself. The foundations laid by Nehru were strong enough to sustain India through a lot of dangerous periods. Food security also improved vastly and industrial growth also remained consistent.
3. Home Affairs: Democracy took deep roots under Nehru. All institution of independent and democratic India (the courts, the army, the police) were set up and remain strong till this day. If India has survived till this day, a lot of credit goes to Nehru for letting democracy take off in India.
4. Biggest Embarassment: The defeat to China will remain forever to portray Nehru's later years as weak and incompetent.
5. Biggest Success: DEMOCRACY !!

Manmohan Singh

1. Foreign Policy: His single biggest foreign policy success remains the Indo-US Nuclear Deal.
2. Economy: The biggest challenge for the Indian economy ever took place in his tenure. The economy still maintained a 6-7% growth rate and never went into recession. Two stimuli packages were announced and a slew of other measures taken. Though the Left clipped his wings, he still managed to bring stability to the economy.
3. Home Affairs: Terrorism marked his tenure. The rapidity of attacks increased. Thrice in Delhi, twice in Mumbai - and the Government failed to take any measures. It reached a peak in 2008, only after which the Government removed the Home Minister. It is noticeable that since P Chidambaram took over, only 1 terrorist attack took place.
4. Biggest Embarassment: The presence of inefficient and often corrupt ministers like Shibu Soren in his cabinet and the ruckus created during the trust vote marred his credentials.
5. Biggest Advantage: A clean image remains his USP. He's slowly being recognized as a man of clean politics.

Indira Gandhi

1. Foreign Policy:Indira Gandhi scores highest on foreign policy. She led India to a victory over Pakistan in 1971 and captured 1 lakh Prisoners of War. She presided over India's first nuclear explosion and stood tall before Nixon. She withstood US ire and still managed to reinstill the sense of national pride. It should be noted that Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the one who called her "Durga" after the Bangladesh liberation.
2. Economy: The economy was a problem during most of Indira Gandhi's tenure. She began with a huge economic crisis and the country went through cycles of deflation and inflation. However, the green revolution that she presided over has ensured India's food security till date.
3. Home Affairs: Indira Gandhi could have been on top of the list just that I am not comfortable with the idea of putting on top a person who didn't believe full-heartedly in democracy. A Prime Minister has got to respect democracy. But declaring Emergency and by turning the Congress into a sycophants' club, Indira Gandhi left a very bad legacy for democracy in India.
4. Biggest Embarassment: The emergency will continue to define her. All those who say she's the best Prime Minister India had should remember that had the Army not refused to be part of her scheme, our democracy might have been endangered.
5. Biggest Advantage: She seems to have been destiny's child. Despite the emergency, she remained so popular with the masses.

V P Singh

1. Foreign Policy:He really didn't have much time to formulate a definite foreign policy
2. Economy: The economy was heading towards dire straits, but you can't blame VP Singh for it. It was rather the policies followed since the 1970s that resulted in the problem.
3. Home Affairs: VP Singh was a man against corruption. He was removed from the Congress for unearthing corruption in the Government and led to the defeat of Rajiv Gandhi in 1989. However, the Mandal politics unearthed by him haunts India till this date. He is the grand daddy of vote bank politics.
4. Biggest Embarassment: The Mandal report was tabled in his tenure. Whether it was due to demanding allies or to polarise votes only VP Singh knows.
5. Biggest Advantage:He was seen as a man against corruption

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For a more recent list (Aug '13), click here.

Rejected, Dejected

While I was in the midst of preparing my foreign application package, I always thought of Columbia and Stanford as the ones I really wanted to go to. Not that I didn't want to go to Harvard, Yale or Princeton, but I didn't think that I stood a chance. All this while, I thought of Northwestern and University of Chicago as back-ups.

But these back-ups exploded in my face. I was rejected at both Northwestern and U Chic. I really didn't have any idea why. All the way, I thought that if they had to select an Indian, that could be me. But I wasn't selected.

More than the dejection of being rejected, I am scared about the other three. By the 1st of April (coincidentally, April Fools' Day), I shall really know if I'm going abroad or not. I really wanted to. But I have had a good Boards Examination.

If this fails, I will apply to LSE for my masters. If I don't apply with financial aid, I guess I should go through. And then I will look back and maybe have a good little laugh about this.

My New Blog: Obsessive Compulsive Quizzing

I have started another blog on quizzing. Since practically no one reads this blog o' mine, I don't expect many to read the other either. However, you must realise that I write these blogs as future investments. Just incase I become famous some day (say, a Booker or a Nobel prize), people would want to know me. And what better way to know me than my blogs, eh?

But I did put in quite a little research into my new quiz blog:

www.ocquizzing.blogspot.com

I plan to put up the answers to each of the quizzes with the next quiz that I post (which should be one week afterwards). These quizzes will be in sets of 10 on some topic (beauty pageants to begin with). Maybe someday, I could compile all of them together and publish a quiz book. Now, that would be fun.

After the Boards

For a non-engineering, non-commerce, non-medical Grade 12 student like me, the Boards is the highlight of my academic life. 

While a lot of people have a lot of complaints against the boards, I don't really believed that the Indian Educational System is flawed. It is all a matter of perspective. Nothing ever stopped me from doing what I wanted to do. Nobody and nothing stopped me from preparing for Columban Open for 6 months (despite knowing that quizzing cannot come overnight) and only 2 months for the Boards. Its often the student, and nobody else, who is to blame.

I enjoyed the pressure of the Boards. I enjoyed each moment of just trying to do everything in the NCERT. It was fun. You read it once, twice, thrice ... and you still come across facts that you overlooked. You have to be at your best. You can't go on for 4-5 hours with the same book - you just stop absorbing things then.

But now I am free. Free as a bird. And what do I plan for the next three months? Hmmm... I await my foreign admission decisions. And I really, desperately seek to complete my novel. That one is almost on top of my priority list.

Reviewing the Academy Awards 2009

While the entire national media goes overboard celebrating Slumdog Millionaire's success at the Academy Awards this year, one must maintain objectivity while reviewing its success. Let our right judgement not be swayed by feelings of attachment to Slumdog. 

The Academy Awards are a celebration of excellence in cinema, not like our own domestic award shows that celebrate excellence in public relations.

1. The 5 films nominated for the Best Film this year and even last year were by no means big earners. This year, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with about $130 million at the US Box Office was the largest hit. The Dark Knight with about $540 million at the US Box Office was not a nominee.
2. In India, will any award ceremony not nominate Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi? Of course not! Its a Yash Raj, they can't ignore it. Yet, RNBDJ deserves only acting and music nominations.
3. A couple of years back, the best actor (male and female) went to Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai (now Rai Bachchan) for Dhoom 2. I mean, Dhoom 2 was a decent commercial entertainer, but were the performances worth awards? No.
4. Compare this to the Academy Awards, which are quite immune to public opinion. Brad Pitt has never won an Oscar despite acting in very intense roles, simply because someone was better. This year, it was Sean Penn.
5. The Academy Awards did have performances, but these performances were timed so well that one wouldn't really get bored. In Indian Awards, you have one performance after another. Why?

This is why I really look down upon our own award ceremonies. They are base, predictable, boring, and in very polite words - absolute trash.

And for this precise reason, Indian Awards will never have the same kind of reputation as do, say, the Oscars or Golden Globes or the Venice Film Festival. I mean, how many people know the actor who has won the maximum number of filmfare Best Actor awards? (p.s. it's Dilip Kumar with 8, I think)

Anyway, here I review this year's Oscar winners. Of course, I haven't seen a lot of the movies from the US and UK this year, and so my judgement rests more on personal likings or the lack of it:

1. Best Actor: This was, according to me, a big upset. I was rooting for Mickey Rourke. Firstly, his movie was about Wrestling (but that didn't make much of a difference to be). More importantly, it would have capped off a very remarkable comeback by Rourke. And his eccentric fashion sense was pleasing to the eye. Yet, Sean Penn comes across as a wonderful actor and a wonderful person too. As someone on NDTV once said "Mickey Rourke should win, but Sean Penn will win."

My Pick : Mickey Rourke 

Eventual Winner: Sean Penn

2. Best Actress: After five nominations, it was almost impossible for Kate Winslet not to win. From her very moving portrayal of Rose in Titanic to her criticism of anorexic models, Kate Winslet has been a very dignified actress. She's not called the best actress of her generation for nothing. And look at her humility. She had nothing but respect for Meryl Streep and acknowledged her fellow nominees as well. She's deserved tyhis for a long time and thankfully, it finally did happen. She's of Meryl Streep's calibre, I feel. For being a wonderful combination of acting prowess and grace, Kate Winslet it this year's Oscar winner. Truly, a masterful act.

My Pick: Kate Winslet

Eventual Winner: Kate Winslet

3. Best Film: I was very divided on this. I have seen Slumdog and generally liked the movie, but because of the acting rather than the script, dialogues or the direction. Yet, as a complete movie, Slumdog perhaps works for me, and it certainly did work for those at the Academy. The Reader was the movie that I thought could thwart Slumdog's chances, but it did not (thankfully).

My Pick: Slumdog Millionaire

Eventual Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

The Pro Wrestling Addict : Top 10 Wresters of the Modern Era

Maybe none of those who currently read my blog are fans of professional wrestling. But I've been thinking a long time about making a 'Top 10 List'. I thought of  Top 10 movies of 2008, but I haven't even watched many movies like Ghajini and really couldn't comment on that.

So, here it is. My list of the Top 10 Greatest Wrestlers of all times. What is the basis of this list? The single most important factor was influence on the game. I'll enumerate my other criteria for the list:

(1) Longevity

(2) Wrestling Skills

(3) Audience Response

#1: Shawn Michaels

If WWE is your temple, Shawn Michaels is definitely your God. He worked his way up the WWE ladder since debuting in the late 1980s and his DX ushered in the WWE's Attitude Era. His mat skills are unbelievable and his mike skills legendary. 

You can just wonder at his influence. Triple H and Chyna are just some of the people he got to the WWE. He also participated in the first Ladder Match and won the first elimination chamber and the first Hell in a Cell. If you love to hate Vince McMahon, thank HBK for that. He has been involved in by far the most intense rivalry sports entertainment has even seen with Bret Hart. If he calls himself the "show stopper" its not for nothing. He's the only wrestler to have posed for Playgirl.  Long after he's gone and till the day WWE continues, Shawn Michaels will continue to be on top of my list.

#2: Hulk Hogan

I've always thought of Hulk Hogan as overrated. His wretling skills would be among the worst in this list. But he scores on longevity and audience connect. He's the only symbol of professional wrestling in the US. He's the American Hero. And he's a sort of legend. As a ch

ild, I didn't know who exactly Hulk Hogan was, but I knew he was some kind of super-hero.

He's a 12-time champion. His championship reign was the second-longest in WWE history. He slammed Andre the Giant in what will be the best match of the 1980s. After he left WWE (then WWF), Hulk Hogan has been a less of a star. I wasn't really impressed with the NWO thing. But you got to hand it over to him to be equally successful in WWE and WCW. I guess he's just a bigger brand than what either ever was. So, for being the most famous wrestler and the most dominant WWE champion, Hulkamania is on this list too.

#3: The Undertaker

Undoubtedly the greatest gimmick of all time, the cultural influence of the Undertaker would rank next only to Hulk Hogan. Even before I got hooked to pro wrestling, the Undertaker was one of the only three wrestlers I knew, apart from Hogan and Michaels.

The guy's storyline has been developed really well by the WWE creative team. Almost all of WWE's speciality matches - hell in a cell, inferno, casket and the unforgettable buried alive - trace their roots to the Undertaker. He's been such a star attraction that he's never wrestled in the midcard (he has never even held a mid-level championship).

Mark Callaway's contribution to the Undertaker's character is no less. He's had the persona to carry off the larger-than-life wrestler and still make it believable. Even in wrestling skills, the Undertaker scores heavily with as many as four main finishers at last count. If there was ever a perfect wrestler, it is the Undertaker. (p.s. my blog's name, Funeral Parlor, was the Undertaker's chat show early on in WWE)

#4: 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

He's the man who almost single-handedly saved WWE in the late 1990s. With Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart gone and Triple H and the Rock still to come to the top-card, Steve Austin ate lustfully into the 'big boss' Vince McMahon to carve an indellible legacy for wrestling fans to forever remember.

He might not be known as much for his mat skills, but they were undoubtedly the best among the WWE wrestlers of the late 1990s. What I remember best about him was his legendary rivalry with the Undertaker. WWE kind of lost the script post-2000. But for all hell that Steve Austin raised with the Rock, Bret Hart, Undertaker and Kane, he's right up here in the list.

#5: Bret 'The Hitman' Hart

He's arguably the most gifted wrestler of all times. He headlined WWE at a time when the company was going through turmoil and he left the company in times of turmoil. Had Goldberg not kicked him into retirement, we would all have been hoping for an encore from the 'best there was, the best there is and the best there will ever be'.

For me, his career's biggest highlight will be that such was his start power and so solid was his reputation that WCW made Goldberg lost thrice to him, out of the six matches that Goldberg ever lost in WCW. I haven't ever since the guy wrestler, but his records, his conduct and his legacy are so imprinted on any pro wrestling fan's mind that its hard to forget the contribution fo the Hitman.

#6: Mick Foley/Mankind/Cactus Jack/Dude Love

He's the hardcore legend and easily the most lovable wretler of all times. He's torn an ear while caught in the ropes, got teeth knocked out, fallen over 16 feet from over the cell. If you are talking about "shocking", here is your man.

So brutal was his career and so violent his matches that he retired in 2000. He's made Extreme wrestling enormously popular in the sport. He is almost a terrible athlete, but that is not what he was meant to be, anyway. His matches with Vader were so violent that they were never booked in a match again. Today's wrestling owes almost everything to Mick Foley. 

You can't think of today's wrestling without hardcore. And when you think of hardcore, you can't miss Mick Foley. And that is why he makes it here in the list.

#7: Ric Flair

Professional wrestling is going global and that is the reason why Ric Flair is not on top of the list. True, he's a superb athlete and perhaps the best heel of all times, but his influence has been limited to America. He's not the most easily recognisable superstars abroad.

But he's a 16-time champion, a Royal Rumble winner and won his first Intercontinental Championship almost 20 years after his prime. You have to respect the man for wrestling at the age that he did. You also got to put him in your all-time best list for inspiring a generation of would-be wrestlers.

In stature, he's next only to the Hulkster. And in influence, maybe next to none. He'll forever be the greatest wretler that the US ever saw. Wrestling will forever be synonymous with Ric Flair in America. Woooo....

#8: John Cena

You can love him, you can hate him (I don't like him either), but you just cannot ignore him. Most of you would say that I've contradicted my own criterion of 'longevity' to rank John Cena, but had it not been for longevity, he might have been higher than at No.8.

He's achieved so much in such a short time. He's the longest reigning WWE Champion since Diesel in the mid-1990s. He's been the biggest star of WWE for almost three years now. Its so hard to see John Cena without the WWE championship around his waist.

He's also enormously talented. He's powerful. He's a mix between Hogan and Michaels and that's why I'm sure that by the time he retires, Cena would be in my Top 3. The question is - who'll be out?

#9: Chyna

I expect almosteveryone to disagree on this name on my list. But you have to be reasonable.What she's achieved is no mean thing. She is the first and only woman to participate in the Royal Rumble (and eliminated, hold your breath, Mark Henry and Chris Jericho), the first to be the number one contender for the WWE championship and the first to win the Intercontinental Championship (that too, twice!!).

There were legends in women wrestling before her. But she's the one who competed on an equal footing with the boys. She went one-on-one with Chris Jericho, Eddie Gurrero and Jeff Jarett. Before her, men had to be paid to lose to women. But after her, women like Beth Phoenix and the Awesome Kong have defeated men without much of a fuss over it.

And the best part is that its not even fake. X-Pac had to run to the police because Chyna beat him up so bad in real life. Had her career not been cut short by WWE, Chyna would easily have been in the Top 5 in my list. Nevertheless, for giving an all new dimension to Women Professional Wrestling, the "ninth wonder of the world" is number nine on my list.

#10: The Big Show

The Big Show probably should not be in this list. For most of you, Andre the Giant should be the only 'Giant' who should be in any Top-10 list. But I have no doubt that if reservation exists for 'Giants', the Big Show should occupy it.

He's more skilled than Andre. When was the last time a wrestler had only a punch as a finisher? The guy learnt boxing while he was away for a year. He's a much better athlete than Yokozuna and Rikishi (he lost 50 pounds while Yoko and Kishi were fired for not losing weight). He's far better at the audience than Khali or Giant Gonzales. And the most important fact is that he's the only guy ever to hold the WWE, WCW and ECW titles (the ECW, though, was as a WWE brand). He probably won't leave much of an influence when he retires, but he's given world wrestling some very memorable moments and is the most decorated giant of all times. For this, and for his ability to excite the crowd, the Big Show rounds off my list of the Top 10 of the Modern Era.

More Awards:

(1) Best Announcer: John Bradshaw Layfield

He made up for his lack of skills in the ring while behind the mike.

(2) Best General Manager: Vickie Guerrero

She's made Smackdown better than RAW.

(3) Best Stable: NWO

The NWO had all start and all storylines.

Notable Omissions:

(1) The Rock: I would definitely have put The Rock on this list had I had just one more place. But maybe The Rock, by choosing Hollywood over Wrestling put brakes on a wonderful career. 

(2) Edge: He's won over 40 championships, but the WWE has made him seem a very weak champion. They could have done better. Maybe if he turns face sometime soon, he'll be in the list.

(3) Kane: He's my personal favourite, but WWE has almost ruined his career. At his peak, he eliminated 11 men from the Royal Rumble. If Undertaker is No.3 on my list, he owes a lot of it to Kane.

(4) Kurt Angle: He's a far better wrestler than several people on my list and his rivalry with Lesnar is the stuff of legends. But he wasn't just in the top 10.

:: In The City of Joy ::

My hippie lifestyle of late brought me back to Kolkata this week. I had been to this city before, but never really stayed for a long duration. And here I was in the supposed cultural capital of India. My expectations were simple - a rustic city, bubbly bengali people, narrow one-way roads and a marxist atmosphere in the city.

I was fairly surprised by the city. Of course, for a die-hard Delhiite like me, the city was as close as I could go to a small town. 

(1) The Roads : Though Delhi's roads are far superior, Kolkata is not far behind. However, the traffic sense of Kolkata's people is much worse than Delhiites. There is not even a slight sense of lane driving. Traffic signals are few and far apart. The yellow taxis are as irritating and ubiquitous as the green autos of Delhi, though their larger size means a bigger nuisance.

(2) The Food: Unlike Delhi, Kolkata has a unique food culture. Bengalis have their own form of biryani, which is much oilier and consists of a plateful of slightly coloured rice, a boiled potato and a single peace of chicken. Any form of chicken gravy is strictly avoidable for health reasons (the gravy is mostly oil). But Kolkata is a non-vegitarian's ultimate delight. You get all kinds of rolls and then you have great bakeries that serve all kind of non-vegitarian fare. Not to forget China Town, the paradise of Chinese food. You get authentic chinese fare at reasonable rates. A great bargain!!

(3) The Weather : Kolkata's cold is obviously not as chilling as Delhi's. But I noticed that its always foggy in Kolkata. You can roam around with just a t-shirt on, something unimaginable in Delhi (of course, the native people tend to wear a lot more on them). The summers are bad. If there is any power cut, you better pray for electricity to return soon. Or else, you'll be drenched in sweat within minutes.

(4) People : I've mostly been annoyed with the people of Kolkata. They're enthusiastic, alright. But they're also very proud, vane, slow and loud. They tend to speak at very high volumes. They are capable of parking their vehicles in such a way that the road traffic gets blogged. The shopkeepers don't seem to want to sell their things - they're so slow. Compare this to a Delhiite, who is generally a bully and is fast, conceited and proud. Maybe its because the Government has pampered the people. That's what a Marxist Government tends to do.

(5) The Public Places : Kolkata's public places are more "intellectual" than Delhi's. Its very difficult for people to survive the entire National Museum of Kolkata - not to mention the fact that half the things in their Egypt section are fakes. The science city, my brother told me, is very boring. You have Nicco Park, which is a decent amusement park, with a water park better than Delhi's Oysters. The ticket price of Rs.250 is quite worth it. The malls are good, though no match on Delhi's malls. 

However, the place where I stay (Patuli) is an ideal place for someone like me. There is almost no visible air or land pollution. Its a little far from the central areas, but there is no need to go to places like the Park Street. You have quite a few malls nearby. And the greenery !! The greenery in the entire Kolkata makes it worth a stay.