I have a knack for doing things in reverse.

Take Dylan, for example.I was a Dylan fan way before I had heard him sing.Way before that in fact.I had stumbled upon an article about him,gotten hooked and began to dug deep. I read up everything I could get my hands on,which wasn't very much I must admit.But it gave me an idea of what I was in for before I was floored by Like A Rolling Stone. I'm pretty sure that if I'd heard that brilliant nasal drone unawares,my experience would have been quite different.

I am a football freak,as any friend of mine would tell you.I support Manchester United..(the understatement of the century),have done so for at least ten years now.The first United match I saw was eight years ago.(He's loony,you say...and I don't blame you).

The same lopsided logic applies here.It wasn't the football United played that attracted me.Niether did the fact that they were the most successful and entertaining side in the world while I was growing up in the nineties.Or the fact that by the time I started following them religiously,they had won,or were on the verge of winning just about every trophy you could name.

The reason I fell in love with United was...Munich.

At the end of the Second World War,United were a struggling club ; almost bankrupt,their stadium badly bombed,without a full time manager.That's when they hit a rich vein of luck by signing a Scotsman, a former Manchester City and Liverpool player as manager.His name was Matt Busby.He inherited a football team in a very sad state,but he set about remedying it.The key word was Youth.Lads in school,or just out of school with a knack for playing fast,attacking,entertaining football.

A team was quickly built,and the work began.They won the FA cup in 1948,defeating a strong Blackpool side.Four years later,they were League champions.As the first great post-war team was maturing,the plan kicked into overdrive and the first batch of youngsters got signed.This batch was already proving to be outstanding,having won the FA Youth Cup an astonishing five times.Roger Byrne,Jackie Blanchflower,Bill Foulkes,Mark Jones,David Pegg,Liam Whelan,Eddie Colman and Duncan Edwards joined the first team,a product of the United youth and scouting program.

Something magical happened,this team of young lads turned into the leanest football machine in England.They won the League in 1956.And again in 1957.And they didn't just win it,they won it with style,with pace and attacking vigor that had never before been seen.They were not just a team anymore.,They were Matt Busby's little bounders.They were The Busby Babes !!

If ever they're playing in your town,
You must get to that football ground,
Take a look and you will see,
Football taught by Matt Busby.
Manchester,
Manchester United,
A bunch of bouncing Busby babes,
They deserve to be knighted.

So goes a famous terrace song,"Manchester Calypso"

But winning in England was just the beginning.There was a new adventure just beginning...Europe. England had long considered itself the home of football,and somewhat scorned upon the rest of the football playing world.The notion that since they had invented the game,they were by default the best team,was shattered when the Hungarians-The Mighty Magyars-,thrashed them at Wembley,England's home ground.English football had retreated into a Europhobic shell by the time the Babes arrived,but European club football was just starting.

The English Football Association-The FA-,myopically prohibited any English club from playing in Europe.But Matt Busby defied them and entered Manchester United in the european Cup.The Babes' first European game was at home to Belgian club Anderlecht.There was apprehension as to how the kids from England would faare against European opposition.But all those fears were allayed as the Babes licked Anderlecht 10-0.The adventure was on.

They reached the semi-final in their first attempt,ultimately losing to eventual winners Real Madrid in an entertaining encounter.But the stage was set,the torch had been lit and the Babes were ready for another try,confident that this time they could go all the way.1958 began on a positive note.Slow and steady,the Babes were advancing on three fronts.They were on the way to reclaiming their third League title,were still in the FA cup,and had just won the first leg of the European Cup quarter final against Red Star Belgrade (Crevna Zvevda).


Full of anticipation,the team set out to Yugoslavia for the return leg of the match.On 6th February,1958,after a very intriguing game,they drew 3-3,thus ensuring a place in the semi final against AC Milan of Italy.The second Semi-Final in the second attempt.This time,there was a genuine hope that this team,whose average age was just 22,would go all the way.They flew back to England on a twin-propeller Elizabethan aircraft.With a blizzard raging,they had to stop at Munich to refuel.A quick refuel later,they were ready to take off.A first attempt failed,so did a second one.

There were thoughts about abandoning the trip for the day and heading back on the next,but the captain decided against it.The runway was covered with ice and slush,the wings were iced over.and there was heavy snowing when the plane set off for the third time.The plane set off,and just before the wheels left the tarmac,the plane skidded,slipped and crashed into a barrier.One of it's wings hit the side of a house and the plane caught fire.As survivors dragged themselves out of the burning wreckage,the greatest tragedy in english football had unfolded.

At 3.04 PM on 6th February 1958,23 people died,including eight of the Busby Babes-Geoff Bent,Roger Byrne,Eddie Colman,Mark Jones,David Pegg,Tommy Taylor and Billy Whelan.In addition,three club officials,Walter Crickmer,Tom Curry and Bert Whalley also perished,along with the plane staff and some journalists.The greatest football team in England was no more.





Duncan Edwards,Big Brilliant Dunc followed fifteen days later,after valiantly struggling for life,even saying that he was ready for the next match,two days before he passed away.Matt Busby,the manager,badly injured,struggled on.His injuries were so severe that he was twice given his Last Rites.

Back in England,the country was in shock.The whole of England,irrespective of club loyalties,was in mourning for the bunch of young lads who had set football ablaze with their own brand of football.The loss to Manchester United,and to British football was immense.Most of the Babes were playing for their national teams,and were a symbol of hope for the international tournaments to come.The crash not only deprived United of their greatest team,but also cost England the world cups of 1958 and 1962,which would have had entirely different outcomes if the likes of the great Duncan Edwards had played.

The story wasn't over yet,in a scene unimaginable today,United had to play their next competitive match just 13 days later.An immobile Matt Busby told assistant manager Jimmy Murphy,"Keep the flag flying,Jimmy".In barely two weeks,Murphy managed to string together a team that included survivors still recovering from the trauma,reserve team players and hastily bought replacements.This team astonishingly reached the final of the FA cup,before losing to Bolton 2-1 in an emotional final as Matt Busby,in crutches,watched from the sidelines.

Busby was the one who suffered the most.He head seen these kids grow up,and he considered himself responsible for the disaster by ignoring the FA's orders and playing in Europe.These feelings stayed with him for many years,while he rebuilt Manchester United from the ground up,just as he had done after the war.This resurgence was finally complete when,10 years after the crash,United beat Benfica from Portugal 4-1 at Wembley to finally lift the European Cup which they had set out for way back in 1957.Matt Busby was knighted that year for his services to football.This was the ultimate fruit of Busby's labours,it also served as his great catharsis....


That was the story that turned me into a United fan,and as I watched United win against Munich that night in 1999 in the greatest European final ever,my journey was complete.It would have been Sir Matt's 90'th birthday if he was alive,but it served as the greatest birthday gift nonetheless.

I am still a United fan;I miss classses to watch them play,skip marriages and functions,scream my head off when we score a goal(just ask my neighbours),and sulk for days when we lose.But Munich is still special.And every year,when the 6th of February comes nearer,I go through my collection of articles,videos and photos,and -call me asentimental sod if you will-get almost teary eyed.This year was the 50th anniversary of the crash.The club commemorated it splendidly,the fans did their part brilliantly,while I sit here typing my own silent remembrance.


Here's to the Babes.....The Flowers Of Manchester !!

MANCHESTER UNITED IS MY RELIGION

Manchester United. Every time I hear those words I swell up with passion, with pride. But let me tell you, for me, they are not mere words. They are much more. Faith. Religion.This is a passion that has lasted for ten years and still grows on inside me.

Now, football for me has always had two names: England and Manchester United.My interest in football began with the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.I was 11 and i took immediate like to England's team. They got into the knock-out rounds, and faced Argentina in one of the most historic games in modern footballing history.

The game included Michael Owen's wonder goal, arguably one of the best goals ever. However this game gained notoriety for David Beckham's red card. Diego Simeone fouled Beckham and while picking himself up from the ground, he pinned the English player onto the ground with his hands. Beckham, in an instinctive reaction, flicked his leg at Simeone's. Simeone over-reacted and theatrically fell to the ground( and later admitted to do so) in order to get Beckham sent off. He was. England went on to lose the game on penalties.

It was sad. However since I wasn't a die-hard football fan then, I forgot all about it in a day or two.After that, well, a world cup failure(as in 2002 and 2006.) would result in me ruing over our mistakes for the next 4 years. Last year I even cried a wee bit. There I said it.

This cup was important for me as it was the seed behind my interest in Manchester United.Beckham, Scholes, Sheringham,Neville were some of the players I'd liked in the cup, were in the squad and when I started to watch the EPL, I naturally took a liking to Manchester United.

Here's a brief history of my journey with Manchester United-

1998-99

It seemed like a Midas touch.Yes I took the credit for the most successful season in English Club history. A perfect season.

It was the final day of the premiership season. Arsenal had just lost to Leeds. We needed a win against Tottenham to snatch the title from Highbury's hands which were almost touching it. United came from a goal down to win 2-1. The premiership was ours!

United then beat Newcastle 2-0 in the FA cup final at Wembley. One more cup to go.

At Nou Camp,in the final of the UEFA Champion's League, Manchester United squared off with a European powerhouse, Bayern Munich. 90 minutes. We were again trailing 0-1.Tears. Then, as I lost all hope, came the greatest comeback in footballing history. Two stoppage time goals from Sheringham and Solskjaer brought home the mother of all trophies, the European Cup.Tears. Tears of joy.

The next two years we repeated our Premiership success making it three premiere league titles in a row, but couldn't do the same in Europe. Ruud Van Nistelrooy,Juan Sebastian Veron and Fabien Barthez came to Old Trafford during this time.

The 2001-02 season was a disappointment. No cup wins, nothing. Jaap Stam was unceremoniously transferred, Steve Irwin left. The record transfer of Rio Ferdinand raised many questions.

In 2002-03 United once again won the Premier League. But Rio Ferdinand was banned for 8 months after failing a drug test.'03-04 was again not much to talk about with only the FA cup. Cristiano Ronaldo bedazzled the United team when they lost to Sporting Lisbon.

The next year saw Cristiano wearing a red jersey.

But this was one of the most difficult stages in recent United history. There was a storm over the transfer of David Beckham, arguably one of United's best midfielders ever, to Real Madrid. I hated Sir Alex Ferguson for this, and my anger increased with the team's dismal form in Europe and the league . It was painful to watch United go down on penalties to Arsenal, leaving us empty handed. A gleam of hope was seen in the signing of Wayne Rooney.

But the failure was repeated in the next season as well,but we managed to win the FA cup after defeating Milwall 3-0 in the final. Skipper Roy Keane had left after a huge row at the beginning of the season and soon this loss was followed by Nistelrooy's departure to Real Madrid. There was a huge mess after the Glazer's took over United, sparing the team with minimal money for transfers.

The last season had been a revolution of sorts.We returned to the 'United' style of attacking football of the 'golden era' in the 1990's. The Premiereship has finally come back to Old Trafford, according to me, where it belongs.
But we were outplayed by AC Milan in the Champion's League and were knocked out after a 0-3 drubbing at the San Siro Stadium. We failes to make it doubles after extra time loss against Chelsea. Damn Drogba.
But this season I am looking forward a Treble.
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It's been a long, exciting journey, tears of sadness, of happiness.

I missed the age of George Best, of Dennis Law, of Bobby Charlton. I missed watching Eric Cantona score some of the most stunning goals in history. I regret that.

But then,I belong to a different era of Manchester United. And I'm proud of it.

When Ole Gunnar Solksjaer poked the ball past Oliver Kahn at Nou Camp in 1999, I was there.

When United overturned a 3 goal deficit at half time to win 5-3 at Tottenham in 2001, I was there.

When United obliterated Newcastle 6-2 in 2003, I was there.
When Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick on debut versus Fenerbahce in 2004, I was there.
When United destroyed AS Roma 7-1 in 2007, damn right I was there.

When United lifted the Premier League title last season, I was there, and when United strangled Newcastle last week 6-0, I was still there.

Once a Red, always a Red. Manchester United for life.

In the 2004 movie, The Day After Tomorrow ,besides all the crazy destruction, I remember one scene vividly.3 Researchers are stuck in a terrible storm, with their generator about to fail. The doomed scientists pull out a bottle of 12 year old scotch.They raise their final toasts-

Simon: Gentlemen[toasting].To England!

Terry Rapson: To mankind!

Dennis: To Manchester United!

_______________________________________

Oh it's a grand old team to play for,

Oh it's a grand old team to see,

And if, you know, your history,

It's enough to make your heart go woh, oh, oh,oh...

We don't care what the City fans say,

What, the fuck do we care,

For we only know, that there's gonna be a show,

And the famous Man United will be there.

Glory Manchester United!

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Be Right Back!!!

Well haven't I just been the lazy one not blogging since September. Right now, like most of you, I'm preparing for a semester end holidays and a date with all the loved and dear ones. I think I bit off more than I can chew with this one. It's like a wedding that just grows and grows. but with help from the family, I think we're all going to have a very fun time.
My eldest cousin sister, Karishma, is just going through a rough patch and i m waitin to be back at home with her.

I'm getting ready to write a book named "Uncertainty Principle" which should be released next year, if it does work out. Its about four friends... Arindam (AD), Rishi (RM), Akash (AC), and Manish (MK); and their journeys through childhood and then at MIT where these four meet up for the first time... They manage to do well and have decent GPA's... and then a holiday drive to Goa which puts their life in jeopardy....

Navneet, Animesh, Raghav, Nabarun and I are about to start working (hopefully!!) on our bots to be ready for techfest, IIT bombay, Jan 24th....
I hope everyone has a happy and safe Christmas. Check back soon.

Another day ends!!!!

I suppose it's fine if no one ever reads the blog here. I didn't make an announcement, but I did place a link on orkut. So, I can only assume that anyone who recieves the new update feed there may have possibly come here. I don't know who else might come here, and I don't know if random people go reading random blogger pages, but when I write it will only be because I want to put my thoughts somewhere so that the ideas will not all be forgotten.



Lately I've been a mess. This is what the stress of college does to me. I even worry about the stress. I worry about my health, my future, my relationships, my personality.. everything. I'm stressed, and just a bit more anxious overall. I don't call it depression because that's the word I use when I think someone is unhappy and really doesn't have a good reason why. This is mostly what teenagers and menopausal mothers get to be. And when the later pushes you to your limits, convinced it's her fault because you're still having the same problems with the way she treats you, as she did when you were three. I haven't done everything perfectly. I was a bit slow and irratable with her on Sunday. The lower my blood sugar dropped, the less able I was to find myself something to eat. I think she knows this by now, but she just got angry about it. I was angry at the hurtful things she said and demeaning way she continues to talk to me. I hate further that she does it with a sweetness to her voice, and always defends that she wasn't doing the things I say she was, and she most certainly was in a good mood. In short, I'm not complaining about my imperfect family. But the pshychological games she's played with me all this time, although she clearly doesn't seem to see it herself, it keeps me trapped coming back for more. Friends used to always tell me that my mom was so nice. They seemed jealous even. I couldn't really put my finger on a good adjective to describe her. Maybe that's because I sensed a superficial level to her. I hated that her tone never changed as I got older. She still talked to me as she would to a child.... Or something like it.

Anyway, I don't need to rant here. I do it too often becauase I'm trying to work something out in my head. And I do it more when things are jumbled in my life.

I don't want to be a complainer, I want to be bright and cheery or just not say anything. I don't want to be a procrastinator. I want to feel passionate again about life. Not just in short bursts that don't become anything. I want to be able to roll with my impulses. I've quit smoking successfully, and now I just need to remain there sucessfully. That means next week, next month, and the one after.. next year, and 50 years from now. I need to remember permanently that I do not really want to pick that up again, and it really is worth it to not smoke. And then the other stuff.. I think I need to learn how to only do it when I can afford to spend some hours relaxing somewhere suitable.

I need to do work now, and I'm running out of time already, but I've not been able to concentrate at all, and then was just too tired and finally fell asleep. Now I need to just write what I can for this assigment. I wish I could reach a point of productivity in prioritizing my homework. No one is there to help me, and I keep thing to help myself. It twice and frightening to know that I've pretty much failed at the schedule that i had made and exams knocking in a weeks time. I can only count on myself, and I'm not sure it's enough.

(this piece of thing was written at 2:29 AM.... hence may contain some mistakes.... but these were the pieces of thought at the end of a tiring day..... so its justr time to sleep..... Good Night..... Ahem!!!)

Sport in India is just another hobby....

“Life is a slippery wicket…”, and as the saying goes. Isn’t it dicey to compare our precious life with a game or have we made our life a game. That’s all we have to discuss tonight.

To start with let’s go to our roots. In ancient India games like ‘satranj’ were played for recreation purposes. During those time archery wasn’t categorized as games… because man was still dependent on hunting and it was necessary for its basic survival. ‘Satranj’, although

competitive, was played just as time-pass. Fast forward to this century; Times have changed. Primeval man has become gentleman. He longer needs bows and arrows for his lifestyle. But as an ant who never forget the route to its nest we have to keep our instinct alive and hence we find people playing it in indoor stadiums.

Games are added in every school’s time-table. Not because it would help students to take it seriously. On the contrary it is added to add relaxation in the hectic life of the students.

Jobs are becoming less as the population rises. Hence we see humans taking diversion from the usual trend. In various countries, sport has become one of the choices for earning a living. Unfortunately, in India the condition for the same is pathetic.

While we were talking about population lets compare our nation with its closest rival: China. There are five major sports schools in China which start training individual around the age of eight and produce nearly hundred and twenty individuals for every Olympics. In India, the absence of training makes sure that we do not get many trained professionals. Hence we end up looking to recruit people from the army to represent our country in the Olympics. How can we then say that sport is a serious career option?

The conservative background of India means that commoners do not get any awareness about training camps, if they do occur once in a blue moon. There is no encouragement from the families where children are looked upon as bread earners for the family. This lack of support by the family for any kind of games have also been shown in movies such as ‘Iqbal’ where a poor boy is made to fight to pursue his interest for the most popular game in India. Hence, sportsmen hail from rich families where there isn’t a pressure to earn money from the age of ten or of any kind. Others are those who have genuine talent and have the courage to struggle to any level to pursuit there interest. Petty politics in India doesn’t help the situation. If you happen to be the first cousin of the chief minister, you happen to be in the national team, while this doesn’t only discourage potential players but also diminishes the status of the team and of the game. As a game loses its popularity it also loses it funding and sponsorship. Popular games such as cricket do not have funding, sponsorships and viewers at domestic level. Many Ranji matches end up occurring in empty stadiums.

Tendulkars’ are not born everyday, but they can certainly be made. The infrastructure to groom young talent is nil in the country. Youth camps to indentify young talent are very few. In them also you need ‘contacts’ to get noticed.

The national cricket board made a mockery of itself when it was to choose a coach for the national team! The popularity of cricket means that they get a foreign coach on demand and manage to get knocked out in the group stages of the world cup, while there isn’t a proper coach for Sania Mirza, who is ranked In 30’s in the world rankings. The Salt Lake stadium which has the capacity to hold 1,20,000 viewers has a average attendance of 3,000 per match. In the festival time, it is given to organizers to hold fairs. Eden Gardens, one of the biggest grounds in the world, doesn’t have a care taker since the last six months.

Everyone in India wants to become a doctor or an engineer and wants to be a part of making India a developed nation. No problem in doing that, but that means that sports as a career option can take a back seat. Plus it is commonly assumed that a person enter the field of sport only when he is not good at studies.

People look for a career that provides handsome salary and job security, plus some assurance in old age. In India, money is only there in cricket, that too as long as you play. We often read that one time famous cricketer or hockey player dying of illness with the national board just looking on. The board itself is in debt, how do you expect them to pay for an ex-player’s surgery!!! In sports your career end at the age of 40. There isn’t a job guarantee after that. The government does nothing to help those who once represented our country. You are only recognized if you win an award, and that popularity also dies down with time.

With such pathetic conditions neither I nor you would be risking our life in sports. After all, life is not a game, remember!!!

So as a tree that can never leave it roots, India too for the time being has decided to stick to its roots. Sport still is for recreational purposes only.