Beer & Football or Football & Beer ?

Friday 6 June at  Marlyebone café , Baker street , London around 7 pm 5 guys were having a discussion on football world cup about to begin in a few days. 4 of the 5 were second generation British, what I mean is one was Indian origin, two Chinese Malaysian, one American who lived in Australia for a long time yet all were British citizen. 5^th person was an Indian visiting London. All 4 British citizen were realistic to agree they will not win and kept on discussing challenges their team faced including educating the visitor that Bale did not play for England but for welsh.  Upon being challenged by the Indian visitor that England’s chances of reaching last 16 were bleak they all came together in national pride to challenge the Indian and conversation went something like this:

“Where is India in the world cup?”

“India does not play football, we are not a football crazy nation. We are a cricket crazy nation and we are the world champs”

“Oh really! Anyways we also won in 1966”

“That was 66 dude! We won in last cricket world cup”

“Ok, Ok . We will make it to the quarters. I am absolutely sure”. This making to quarter final made them agree more in national pride than confidence in the team.

“Wanna bet that you will not make it?”

 “Sure done. Next time be ready to pay for the bet.” Post this usual banter we all moved to the next beer.

If you have not guessed, that Indian visitor was me. On the flight back I replayed that conversation and was clearly surprised not by their reaction but with the thought how England had been able to unite them in pride for the team. That I thought was the magic of football and the most followed game in the world. I started to think.

As life takes turns, you grow up , get a job , get married , some again get married , have kids , travel the world, earn name and fame and hopefully money , some get old and some always remain young  thus many things change but among few things that remain constant is the team /s you follow and support be it any sport.

When your team wins you are ecstatic, when it loses you come to work next day, shrug your shoulders say few inane things and get on with life. Yet next time you are in front of the TV set cheering it on and life goes on. Life is going to come to a standstill for many millions around the world beginning 12 June and will turn in ecstasy or pain depending upon how their team does and finally on 12 July everyone will move on. 

Football is supposedly the most followed game in the world so emotions will run high. Even if their country is not playing people have their favorites and passion flows. Fandom is much much bigger than the game itself.

This blog is my analysis of teams and people who matter and a tribute to the fandom of football from a guy whose country has not qualified for many many years and does not look like it will for at least next 20 years. What the heck! Who says I have no right to opine on it anyways.

What better place to begin than current champions Spain. I think their Hero is their Coach Vincente Del Bosque. The man who is known for Tiki Taka style but ensures his team has more to offer. He is the man who has worked hard to unite Spain and its many clubs into a national force. He has brought the Catalans, Basques and Castilians to play for ‘La roja’. Inesta did score the winning goal in last final but the person behind it was Del Bosque. Man who has been able to get Xavi and Cassilas to recognize strength of friendship in national team above the animosity of Barca and Real Madrid.

If I talk about Spain and its clubs How can one not talk about Messi? I surely think he is the ‘Messiah’ Argentine is looking towards for salvation. Their best player since Maradona but has a looked a pale shadow of his great self in last one year. Some say he is keeping his best for the big stage, others feel he did not play his best because he is not wanting to be injured and stories go on. No doubt Messi is great because you do not win 4 ballons D’OR and that too consecutively. What will be important to see is how he along with Aguero, Di Maria, and Higuain is able to create the magic that Argentinians love in their heros and football. If these four fail team has not much to offer and we are staring at a national mourning in the South American nation.

Next I want to mention man who has been I feel for years ignored and never got his due- Andrea Pirlo. The Italian who was the architect of 2006 Italian victory at 35 this is surely his time to take the centre stage. He has won the world cup so knows about the madness and also knows this is his last chance. The man who plays to pass and set up shots for others will surely want to ensure he gets the free kick to seal it off. After all he practices the free kick leaving nothing to chance. Italy can never be ruled out in the WC no matter how bad the team is and this time they look to have a balanced squad and the effervescent Mario Balotelli. So rule them out at your own peril.

Cristiano Ronaldo! My Favorite footballer. If he continues to be in the form that has been all season then all Portugal have to do is let him weave the magic. There will be a few grumpy faces made for the camera, few growls of pumping the adrenalin, few looks to opponents , many pleads with umpires on being wronged but then what is football without its share of Drama and who better than Ronaldo and what better a stage then a WC in Brazil. Imagine having a team of Ronaldo, Pepe, Alves, Patricio, Nani, and not being a tournament Favorite. That has been the story of Portugal. Falter to deceive at the big stage.

That takes me Neymar Junior and Brazil. Next Pele? I don’t know but at 22 he is surely an outstanding talent and the only reason or hope that Brazil remains excited about this WC. If he wins it for Brazil all protest that we have been watching on TV will have been forgotten. He plays as a Brazilian with his dribbles and amazing ball skills and of course style. Being awarded Golden Ball in Confederations cup and winning it at home for his country ensures that he keeps Brazil as a big favorite in this WC too like it has been in many others.  

England. They still have to overcome 2 things before they can be champions. One they have to wake up and realize that this is 2014 and not 1966 anymore. Second they have to realize Penalty shootout are a part of the game and they can win a shootout. For a team that has lost six out of seven shoot outs in almost all major tournaments it is natural to be in fear. When supporters talk about goals and heroes and Rooney and even 1966, the heart misses the beat to ask “what if it goes into penalty shootout”. I am sticking my neck out to say they will not make it beyond group stage. If they make it to the Quarters its time Queen declared a national holiday.

I don’t think I can write about all teams and before you run out of patience (if not already) let me sum up a few other teams.

Germany looks to be most well balanced team with experience and youth and have been preparing hard but this is South America. Do they have it in them? They will have to dig in deep and give it their all. Joachim Loew has a big task at hand but never say never. It’s the Fatherland.

France without Ribery is not an exciting proposition but they have Benzema , Giroud and other players to take them the distance. It’s a wait and watch for them.

Netherlands were runners up last year and face Spain in their first match. Robben and Van Persie will have to set the tone if their campaign has to impress.

Next I was thinking who will be the surprise package this year. Well there quite a few contenders in Colombia, Belgium, Russia and Bosnia – Herzegovina. Watch out for Belgium this time.

So in the end what does all this come to? I think two words: National Redemption. 

Any team that wins it will in some way or other redeem itself and the nation in this time where every country has very little to give it hope and rare moments for people to come together and celebrate their nationhood. 

Fandom will translate finally into Nationdom! That is a good reason to cheer. For people like me we will cheer for a hope that someday India will participate. Till then let the beer flow...

Thank you: Kunal, Daniel, David and Alan for great evening guys and for giving me my first blog of 2014. 

20 Things l will remember 2013 for

Disclaimer: These are my personal views (in no particular order) and only in context of our very own India.

1. Shiela Killer (Oh!)  I mean Arvind Kejriwal for making a dream come true. Who would have imagined him as CM of Delhi and that too as a singing CM? He swept Delhi and imagination of the nation. Huge burden on his shoulders as he walks into 2014
2. India’s mission to mars. I was in UK and everyone was talking about it. Felt so proud to be an Indian. For once Mangal was shubh
3. RaghuRam Rajan as RBI governor. He is a man over a billion people have expectations from. He showed the world he is a man of his own and will walk the right path. Ekla chalo raghu for in 2014 you may have a new master who will want Lakshmi puja before you present your policy
4. Who can forget the #Feku vs #Pappu debate? Young generation learnt a new word in ‘Shehzada’, though many still do not what it means including the prince himself
5. Supreme Court taking 2 steps back and disappointing millions of Indians by overruling the high court verdict on 377. What was heartening was straight men and women standing up for LGBT friends and family. India never turned gay / lesbian in last 4 years my lords so please pull out the ear plugs and listen to the Pope at least
6. Sachin Tendulkar first sportsperson to get a Bharat Ratna. Forget all the controversy and comparisons (Other may not have got it, but that was never was good enough reason not to give him). His speech was moving too and I got to meet him in person with my kids
7. Return of the Master. Infosys got NRN back and just let go of anyone who was someone at infy. Now they are the only one looking for a successor as all other companies got leaders from them
8. Rahul Gandhi for clearly telling us he got the wrong genes of the family. He made rolling up sleeves a joke. No leader today in corporate India uses the phrase anymore
9. For the Devyani case. No matter which side you are on , you will agree that for once India stood up to be counted for its citizen. Yet all this could not get Dr MMS to open his mouth, thus when Obama called him he did not say anything and Obama thought he was upset
10. For Deepika Padukone to reinforce the belief that practice makes perfect. She made bad dialogue delivery look good and set the screen on fire. She was the Actor of the year and got Ranveer to expose more than her in Ram- leela
11. Narendra Modi for sidelining LK Advani, outplaying Sushma Swaraj & Arun Jaitely, making selling tea next best profession and forgetting his history lessons. Confidence does that to you but remember overconfidence is not good. Every parent tells his kids that NaMo
12. Change in how we Indians protested. Whether it was post nirbhaya or post 377 overruling verdict. Indians learnt to make their opinion count emphatically by voicing their concerns through candle light vigil, water cannons or lathi Charge. We made twitter and facebook have a special IPO is another matter altogether
13. Indian TV coming of age with 24 and US shows first premiering on Indian screens. Not to forget Kapil Sharma who made India laugh once again post the saas bahu tears had dried up
14. Hindi and other regional writers being translated in English. Sachin Kundalkar’s Cobalt Blue a book is a must read. There are many more gems like Crowfall etc. Only thing to remember is these books are not available in languages they were written in for a common Indian reader
15. New Companies act: CSR piece is a great start. Both Cong & BJP can now get corporate to focus on building toilets in India 
16. Orissa for showing the world we too can manage a natural calamity like ‘Phalin’. Take a bow Naveen Patnaik. Uttranchal was a our way of saying we still have a lot to learn
17. TV channels / anchors for making shrill fashionable, making everything news, for telling us how all of them can break same news at the same time and even getting same person on the same live show at 2 different channels. India wants answer why media did not raise question on the biggest car accident of the year even when it was in papers and internet
18. Akhilesh Yadav for being the best son of the year. He never did anything without asking his fathers, uncles, relatives and anybody who was somebody in UP. He rose every time to fall at his elders feet asking for blessings and direction like a good Indian son. This son (sorry) sun is all ready to set  in backdrop of communal riots in the state
19. For making global companies sell mobiles on EMI. Apple and Samsung went chota packet way to sell more
20. Indian electorate for ensuring that good governance wins over Incumbency. They have matured and have started making their vote count. Fooling politicians is an art and Indian voter is getting quite good at it. Watch the race for 2014 , its going to be the biggest potboiler of the year 

My X-mas Wishlist

Its Christmas time and last weekend I went to buy presents for my boys. Early on in life I had shared with them that I am the Santa Claus who keeps the gift under the X-mas tree we have at home. They were giving me hints for last few days regards what they want, checking if I had bought the gifts and making sure they would get it when they wake up on the X-mas day. During all this I asked myself, if Santa came and asked me for my gift, what would I want? After all the kid in all of us will like to get gifts and be surprised.  This question led me to think of a list of probable gifts I will like from Santa. I am sharing the same with you below in no particular order.

1)      I will to like to have a magic potion (much like the Druid's in Asterix) to remain in shape. Imagine taking a spoonful every night and all the fat & carbs are neutralized, love handles gone and I wake up in perfect shape and healthy. All this for healthy body healthy mind connection, good looks and great body will be incidental you see

2)      I will ask for a supply of all the bestseller books for the year. It will be amazing to have them delivered and not search the numerous lists that come out at the end of the year and confuse the hell out of everyone. This clearly satiates the reader in me and not to even mention that I will have an enviable collection of the year

3)      I will like to know the people who genuinely feel for me. They do not necessarily have to be my friends but at least I will know where I stand with them and know that they will keep me honest, and contribute in my journey. It will help me focus in my relationships and not be blind sighted. Imagine writing a name on a paper and a true analysis appears for you to read and understand if it’s worth investing emotionally or not

4)      Santa should help me understand what happens to the money I pay as taxes. Every time I step out of house I am taxed be it in form of road tax, income tax, VAT, service tax, surcharges list goes on and I am still counting. I need to know what happens to the money, who is using it and for what. Also if I can get a say in whether I agree on the usage or not, after all it’s my money dude!

5)      I really want Santa to lend me his Sleigh for a week in the year. I can then take my family and friends around the world, where ever we want to go and see all the beautiful places. I am sure we can use an eco friendly means of transport contributing to Go Green initiative ( not to mention that it will come free)  

While I dream of my list and wait for my Santa, Wish you and family a Great X-mas and a wonderful 2013.  

Gen Y: Myths & Realities

This is something that everyone is talking about be it organizations, leaders, managers, theorist, academicians or HR professionals. I first heard of this term in 2005 and have been intrigued ever since. I have read, discussed and finally even attended a 2 day workshop on the subject.I am now going to share with you what is my take on this ‘Gen Y’.

As a marketing guy who builds a brand let me also try to articulate a few attributes so that you have an idea of who we are talking about here:

•  Born after 1982 or entered workforce post 2000
• Believe internet is their lifeline and spend on an average 25 hours there in a week
• It’s unthinkable for them to not have a pc / laptop / tablet
•  Communicate more through text and net than any other medium even verbally in more than a few cases
•  Jobs are something that are changed as a matter of fact
• Career is not about what you do for a living. It is  about what your passion is and that runs parallel to the job
• Admiration and recognition is what they crave for
• Internet is their most reliable source followed by friends for making decisions
• Money is important for them when choosing a job but not the only thing

Hope this helps you build a mental image and increase your know the Gen Y quotient.

Before I proceed further I must share 3 things that happened last week and left me surprised. My father who returned from a holiday trip to Singapore & Malaysia was very keen that I download his photographs so that he can share it with his friends on facebook. He is planning another trip to Russia and his travel agent and he are communicating on his itenary  and other details though message box option in facebook.  

My 7 year old elder son wanted to have a conversation on how to be integrated on all apple products I needed to buy an iPhone so that we could optimally use iPod and iPad that we have. He also wanted to know if I am going to upgrade to ipad3 from my Ipad2 now that new product was available.

My 4 year old got my wife to download a new game on the iPad. While showing me what it was one evening as I returned from office he checked if I would need his help to learn how to play and volunteered to help me if I tried and failed.

I asked myself who amongst my father and my kids are Gen Y or if they both are?

A few months ago a leading weekly magazine had carried out a youth survey. It said that 76% of the respondents both Girls and boys were ok with premarital sex. In the same study 68% of the respondents wanted their spouse at the time of marriage be a virgin.  What an interesting paradox! And yet what a challenge to understand this thinking and approach.

So what exactly is this Gen Y. Every time I think I have an answer or feel smug that I have arrived at an understanding I am surprised. Gen Y have an aura and more than a few myths surrounding them. Let me try and share some key ones and also my take on them.

Myth 1: Gen Y have short attention spans and limited knowledge. FALSE

They pay attention as long as it is of interest to them and they are learning something new. Remember they have access to internet and they wiki for information much more than you and I do. They do not want pontification but substance. My 7 year old does not want to hear ‘gyan’ from me but is equally keen to understand many things that make sense to him and are logical. He has many questions and as long as I am on track to answer he is my biggest listener, soaking in all I have to say but the moment I digress I lose him.

Myth 2: Gen Y want to connect with older generations. TRUE

They are looking to make meaningful connections with elders / seniors who they can trust and genuinely look upto. They do not just want to connect by virtue of title or age. If they see value they will be like a guru and a disciple but just because you are their uncle / aunt / family or have more years they will not listen. Gen X will respect the relation, age but these people will respect the connect, the conversation, the knowledge. I have many young friends who also do a very good job of teaching me a few things I may have missed when it comes to technology or approach to events

Myth 3: Gen Y do not think about the future. FALSE

They are thinking about the future all the time but for them as of now it is something that has myriad possibilities. They are still in a stage where they have few routes that they want to take and see where it leads them. Given their high self confidence they are sure they will make something out of their life and they want to clearly understand for themselves what their purpose in life is. Ask them what they will be doing after 10 years and you are most likely to get a stare that says “are you kidding me” but talk to them about next 2-3 year you will have a more definitive answer which will include discussion on things they are passionate about and that most probably will not include work. They are clear about what they expect of life in a foreseeable future beyond which it is about possibilities.

Myth 4: Gen Y are disloyal. FALSE

They are someone who clearly have a different understanding of the word loyalty. For them life is like a ‘live in’ relationship concept. With that I mean the approach is let’s be together and explore and understand till we both see or derive value. They are not averse to long term association but may not state it upfront. It’s like when our generation changed jobs we would look at a stint of 3-5 years and mentally commit ourselves to the organization. This commitment would lead us to bear the ups and down of career and be more this will not last approach and things will improve. Today the approach is as long as I add value to myself and grow I am good being here and that could be 5 days, 5 weeks, 5 months or 5 years. This is also one of the reasons personal relationships are transient for them. It’s about togetherness in real sense where each one has expectations and understanding of how much to give in and what to expect. It is not about sacrifice and one sided investment

Myth 5: Have no Belief in Authority. TRUE

They respect authority for their qualities of leadership, guidance and mentoring that they get from the senior individual. They are very open to learn and hear you for the inputs and its quality and not just because you carry an SVP or some such senior tag will they listen to you, No. They clearly know how to segregate riff raff from a meaningful value add conversation. Visiting cards and titles do not impress them but quality of interaction does.

Myth 6: Gen Y are slack and lazy. FALSE

Almost all of Gen Y workforce is willing to work hard and give it all it takes to achieve what they set out to. They are more determined than most of their predecessors but for them getting ahead at any cost is not the right thing. They are into work and many other things and it’s important that they win but win by means that are right and in the manner they think is correct. They are their own judge of right and wrong which is shaped by their values and beliefs.

Myth 7: Gen Y want weak bosses. FALSE

Gen Y looks forward to have strong bosses not tough bosses. For them strong boss is someone who has subject knowledge, who empowers them, guides them. For them boss is someone who speaks their lingo, can keep up with their pace, appreciates efforts, has no hidden agenda, is sensitive to diversity & surrounding. They like bosses who give frequent feedback which is actionable. What is a big NO is acting tough and appearing so just because you are in a position of authority. They want you to be the boss but not act like one.

Myth 8: They don’t respect family. FALSE

They respect family and care about them. They believe that no matter what parents do they are there for them. They take for granted the responsibilities their parents have to provide for them. They clearly want parents who are friends. They also extend the family concept by including friends into it. For them friends are part of the family and score over cousins. This is because they exercise the power to choose their friends which they do not have in case of extended family and their choice comes first. They may have a mind of their own but acceptance of their choice be it in career, partner or any other facet of life is very important for them. This also does manifest in various reality shows when you see youngsters breaking down when it comes to families or friends.

Myth 9: Gen Y have no work Ethos. FALSE

Work for them is not slogging for hours. For them work is a means to an end not the end. Their priorities are different as they see work as one of the part of their life and something that helps them achieve their passion. They do not believe in staying late from optics perspective but being there if it is needed. If there is no work then for them it’s ok to leave and do something they want to than just hanging around in office twiddling at work. Lot of people talk about how they dress to work. Their approach is tell me to come in formals or the dress code and I will, if you don’t I will decide what is appropriate and walk in.

Myth 10: They seek recognition. TRUE

They clearly believe in seeking recognition because it differentiates them amongst their peer group. Why else do you think they would go the most happening pub in town, post a update picture on facebook or twitter late in the night and wait for response. Have you ever thought why Facebook does not have a dislike button? It is about I, me and myself but in a positive sense. ‘I know my value and I respect it’ is the attitude. No amount of recognition or rewards is enough and more public it is the better. A reward of dinner with family, opportunity to fulfill a passion like fly an aircraft, hike, motorbike trip is any day better than a gift certificate or a memento. Recognition or fame is the secret behind TV shows like Roadies / Indian idol that thrive on fulfilling this need and are now running into many seasons , otherwise why would someone come to an audition to be yelled , humiliated and made to feel worthless.

Now that we have discussed the myths and I hope I have managed to break a few, I know you are asking what is Gen Y exactly looking for. As per me they are looking for the following:

• Freedom of expression
• Instant recognition
• Work life balance
• Coaching & Frequent feedback
• Challenging the status quo in their own way

So in the end what is Gen Y? If you ask me from whatever I have gathered or understood “ IT IS A MINDSET”. This mindset or approach can manifest in my 70 year old dad , 7 year old son , 15 year old nephew , 25 year old coworker, 35 year old colleague or 45 year old boss.

Franklin D Roosevelt said many years ago “There is a mysterious cycle in Human Events. To some generations much is given. Of the others much is expected.” 

Acknowledgement : Research by Strategist shared in training program was insightful and have used some of it in my blog. 

Men need women and I am 100% convinced.

I got sucked into a conversation a few days back where in there were a huge debate / discussion on women and men primarily needing each other for sex and procreation. A few agreed and few disagreed and each one had strong positions like always. Long after the topic shifted to other mundane things I kept thinking about why women need men and similarly men need women. I strongly believe that women need men and vice versa for more reasons than only for procreation and physical gratification.

This made me to think about how important women are for men. Top of mind can think of several reasons / ways in which women are essential for life the way we live and the way we are. And it not about sex, procreation, giving birth and bringing up kids. So here are several reasons and in no particular order

• If we did not have women to crib and rant about think of what will happen to male bonding. All married men bond by sharing wife cribs and bachelors bond by sharing girlfriend cribs. Those in love are exception and awaiting their reality check moment. It surely comes is all I can say
Imagine a world where you do not have women to blame for not letting your things be where you left them, for tiding up, for not finding the stuff you did not touch for last few months but expect it to be somewhere around, for always ensuring you plan in advance and stick to it
Imagine if the above did not happen, there would be no conversation after 10 minutes and how boring that would be.

• What will a man do with all the money he earns if there are no women to spend? This leads to man cribbing about so much spend at every possible forum and occasion. Doctors say cribbing is good for de – stressing and hence leads to a decrease in our stress levels and saves us from future heart attacks

• One should always learn as learning is a continuous process. Think of all the valuable lessons lost on what to wear, what colors look good on you, to be aware that world is more than blue and white with an occasional black, bathroom etiquettes, being sensitive, when to say yes (always) and when to say no (never), importance of getting ready in 5 minutes and smiling while you wait for an hour for wife to get ready, listening skills, I could go on but finally its about learning to feel lucky in life and be positive. (We never learn do we? but in the process we fall in love with the rigmarole and love women for trying to teach us and silently thank them all our lives)


• It would be unfair to only mention what we get out of the relationship. We also give a lot. We spend many hours pretending to listen (while thinking of everything else possible), we give up many a beer parties so that we can spend time at home, we appreciate new curtain, bedcover, flower vase etc (even if it does not matter and we never will bother again). We always know women are never fat and never look it. We always appreciate new dress, understand women can never have enough shoes or bags, are always willing to hear about tales at the beauty parlor, always love the new look, always ready to help the mom – in – law and surely always keep our weekends free so that women can plan it for us.

All that I mentioned above I still feel strongly we need women. We need them as they give a meaning and a new dimension to our life. They make things meaningful. Imagine Rakhi without a sister or Diwali without women of the household. How boring and dull the world will be if we were all the same and there were no differences, no fights, no arguments and thus no reason to make up, charm, and fall in love over and over again. Women enrich our lives, help us engage our minds, reinforce a lot of values we grew up with, challenge us and thus keep us on the edge, sharp and ready to face any challenge. They are always our pillars of support irrespective of when we need it and what ever the reason is.

We need women to build our lives, raise family together, to enjoy our success with, to share our sorrows, to grow old with and have a lifetime worth living. And I don’t know about women but am sure that men need women in their lives. I am thankful to God for the women in my life, my mother, sister and wife. (Shit now I will have to justify the order…bless me God!)

Men and Formula 1

“For eight months in a year you watch men drive cars, change tyres, fill petrol and go around in circles some 50 or 60 times at around 300 kmph and what is so interesting about it?” my wife has asked me this question for last six years that we have been married and till date I have not had a convincing answer. Only thing I end up saying is it’s a guy thing and my four year old son who cannot understand why car racing (as per him) cannot happen all year round just validates the same.

Men (most of them) love fast cars, hot women, alcohol and not necessarily in that order. I cannot explain my love for formula one. It’s not that, I have grown up watching it like cricket or to some extent football and tennis. While across the world F1 is a second most watched sport after football in India it’s only a decade old but a lot of us claim to understand it and love it. It requires an innate ability to stare at the screen continuously for 2 hours that the race is on while enjoying and having fun. Like any other sport it has the ability to turn men into bunch of boisterous boys who shout and rant over beer at every pit stop furiously counting seconds and cursing if anything goes wrong.

That brings me to the question often asked “is it a sport?” Disbelievers strongly feel putting in millions of dollars to build cars that last anywhere from half a race to a full race or paying obscene money to drivers half of whom never ever in their career finish a race let alone reach the podium is absolutely rubbish to be called a sport. These disbelievers strongly feel formula one is a circus meant to entertain a select few who have more money than they can count. Ask the billions who watch it. They all cannot be as foolish for we know they all are not as rich and yet swear by the game.

Those days of wild times, women and caviar are over. For the last eight years that I have been following the game there has been a new kind of seriousness and intent. Today the new drivers spend all their time with team mechanics, trainers, and managers giving it their all. Everyone is hooked to a computer devising strategy which changes with an occurrence of a cloud or just a few rain drops. Drivers look grim and testy as if smiling more than needed will be a jinx. Team managers and consultants who mainly are ex drivers circulate in the pit while making mental calculations as they smile meeting few important people set up by the PR machinery for glamour and riches. Only people having fun before the race in the pits are pit girls, their aim to be caught on camera as the driver’s line up.

Fun I feel is left to people who watch, enjoy and go home feeling happy or sad but definitely knowing they had a good time most of the times. For people like me its fun to be watching the tension, trying to understand the last minute change in tyres and trying to guess the strategy of one pit stop or two before and during the race. There are two kinds of people, one who go to the race once or twice and then prefer to watch it on TV and other who watch it on TV but always desire to watch the race live. In today’s world technology has ensured you get the best view on camera but my friends who have been to a race say there is nothing more exciting than to hear a sound of a formula one engine racing and a sight of a Ferrari or a BMW zipping past. Watching a race is like being a part of a fraternity with thousands cheering and waving flags. They also agree while one gets to feel the excitement and pump up the adrenalin, you do miss out on replays of crashes or overtaking. I feel it’s important to experience both and hence will ensure I watch a race with my first born at least once in a few years on the circuit.

As I write this 2009 season is about to begin. Almost everyone is preparing to understand the new rules, new circuits and drivers of the teams they support. Lewis Hamilton comes back to the circuit as world champion and riding on his success McLaren come back as strong team. Hamilton must be feeling the heat as he starts his season to defend the title from both the Ferrari drivers. Massa missed by a turn in 2008 and is raring to prove himself. Kimi needs to show the world that last year was a blip and he has it in him to be the world champion. Fernando Alonso finally seems to have a car that is looking good and will be wanting to take it from where he left last season and give it a shot this year. BMW surprised everyone as a team last year and we must not count them out. Talking of teams a lot of us are looking to see if Force India with its Mclaren engine can make themselves count this year. They may not win the match but to be among points will be a reason good enough for a lot of us to down a few more beers.

My money as always in on Ferrari, a team I have supported ever since I began watching formula one because first due to Michael Schumacher and then for the love of their cars and the passion that hey wear on their sleeves. But I do think Hamilton is the prince, yes prince and not the king still even though he won last year because kings win a battle convincingly and in style. I like to see Hamilton win and with the changes in formula one maybe its time for the loyalties too that we have had for long. Hamilton and Ferrai, what a heady cocktail that will make if it happens some day. Till then its time for a group of men to get excited about how long is it taking to change the tyre, how much petrol went into the car, who got the pole? And then have a few beers more. If that is not fun then it sure comes quite close.

Sunday’s will never be same again for next eight months. May the best man win, and the best team win, I am happy as long its Ferrari.

H2 - completes 2008 : A year of Shock , Awe and Surprises!

Hi All

Almost everyone who read my earlier blog H1 had asked me to write a similar one at the end of the year. Well 2008 has ended and now is the right time to look back and understand what it meant while it lasted and also chronicle the events, which I believe will be remembered and discussed for years to come.

The events of first half have been captured in my earlier blog H1. (All those who have forgotten can re- read it). I had asked a question " Do we realise what we are witnessing? and as I look at the events that have occurred in second half all I can say is that was just an interval in the movie 2008. Here I present my highlights for second half of 2008:

- Wall street became Fall street. Lehman Brothers fell and actually US govt did not save it. There is no thoroughbred Investment bank in the world today. Citi survived while AIG and others are on a life saver

- Being a government owned financial institution was no longer a taboo. Gordon Brown showed the world how state could save economy and how proudly everyone wants to serve at the pleasure of Her Majesty's Government. US and others copied the same

- Inflation fell to below 7% in India when no one expected it to fall after it had touched 12% in H1

- Petrol prices kissed USD 150 dollars and then fell to USD 34 before we changed the calendar from 2008 to 2009

- Abhinav Bindra finally won a gold for India in an individual event. Truly 1 in a billion!

- F1 had a champion decided in a last 5 seconds of the final race and with luck playing an important role.

- US finally has a black President in Barack Obama. What he did unthinkable is even before being sworn in, has included Hillary ( fierce contender) and Robert Gates (serving republican) in his cabinet in 2 of most important roles. Way to go !!!

- Kingfisher & Jet came together to redefine the Indian Air industry and who better than the aviation minister to play cupid

- Australia are no more the Kings of Cricket ... crown is up for grabs and surprisingly India is a leading contender to take it. (anyone remember the last world cup)

- K serials ended ( after 8 yrs) and Thank god for small mercy. Adding on Ekta kapoor made a serial which did not begin with a K. Need I say more.

- Sheila Dixit won Delhi for a record 3rd time. She cannot thank BJP enough for ensuring her win.

- Taj & Trident opened in record 21 days after the Mumbai attacks. No one can break the spirit.

- Terrorism is no longer an election agenda and Democracy is alive and kicking. Thanks to Jammu & Kashmir and other states.

and finally

- Indian soldier emerged as the Indian of the year for 2008. A Nation Salutes!

2008. Thank you. You will be remembered.

Welcome 2009. Lets see what you bring.

Wishing all my readers a 2009 full of joy , happiness and above all togetherness.