Hey Ram!

Finally, Allahabad High Court has pronounced the verdict! There are atleast three good things about it. First, it has indeed pronounced the verdict. No nuisance of any further stays! Secondly, Enthiran will have a trouble-free opening (well, almost). Thirdly, the stock market SHOULD open with a big bang and hopefully my stocks will go up atleast for a few days :))

Almost entire nation was led to believe that the verdict will be in favour of Wakf board. Centre had cautioned states like Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka etc. Demolition of Babri Masjid cannot be given 'legal sanction', directly or indirectly. Just like the 'Ball tampering' issue, Allahabad High Court seems to have gone for a political decision, instead of a judicial decision.

Quite a few lawyers came on TV (I was seeing NDTV) and all of them were 'partially' right. The problem was that they were wearing other hats! Rajeev Dhavan did talk of panchayati justice and PP Rao echoed my question/thought as well -

When no one asked for division of land, how can the court divide it into three portions?

Of course pacifists from the Muslim side like Javed Akhtar wanted Muslims to give up the rights and 'accept' the verdict. There are those like Mahavishnu of Mount Road who believe that the intriguing compromise could work.

The best indicator could be seen very soon, especially in North India where Bihar elections is due very soon. Just when people were thinking why the BJP cannot go back to its ‘ mandir wahin banayenge' stance, this judgement might have come as a shot in the arm, if not a surprising shock for the party. The elections or the results for BJP could fairly indicate how communal people still are. I hope TN with its influx of north indian immigrants does not veer towards 'militant Hinduism' of especially these herbivorous ladylike men :(

Hey Ram!

I bet, we heard the last!

Now, Pak opener Hameed claims colleagues fix ‘almost every match’!

Pakistan opener Yasir Hameed has reportedly claimed that his teammates were allegedly involved in fixing “almost every match”, even before the dust is yet to settle over the allegations of spot-fixing against three fellow players during the team’s tour in England.

I do not expect that cricket can be devoid of such allegations or such scams. Infact, a few days when Ian Chappell spoke on Does ODI cricket have a future?

I think the part of the problem with 50-over cricket is that it is becoming very formulaic

And I think most people accept the fact that the problems with match-fixing in the late 90s and early 2000, a lot of it came from the fact that the players felt that they were playing in a lot of games that did not have meaning. Therefore, it was felt that it was easier to fiddle around with those games. So I have been a believer for a long time that the way to look at the cricket programme is to go for more quality and cut back on the quantity.

Actually when they were debating whether ODI cricket has a future, some of the Pakistan players and the betting syndicate seemed to indicate that it is test cricket where it is easier to involve in betting scandals. There are 5 days, 15 sessions and who is ever going to note that something strange is happening in one session! Test cricket is infact a recipe for all sorts of betting! It is also difficult to say what is result of betting. I saw certain no-balls in TV which cannot be 'planned' - foot was just over the crease!

When Manoj Prabhakar alleged that Kapil was part of the saga, many may have indeed said No Not you Kapil

Prabhakar smiles the smile of a man who knows it's a question that's always coming. "It's not the player everyone thinks it is. He's a bigger name ..." And then his smile fades, his mouth hinges shut.

"Oh, you mean it isn't Mohammed Azharuddin?" the reporter asks.

Many people were actually expecting Azharuddin indeed and infact, everybody would have accepted that he indeed was part of the betting 'brigade' WITHOUT BATTING AN EYELID. He was a Muslim, he chatted and laughed with Pakistanis etc!

I think the professional era has to do everything with this betting menace! In Pakistan, they dont know how long they are going to play and given the unpredictability of their career, they may think as well of making a quick buck, when sun is shining. Not long back, Australians were part of 'disclosures' what some would say as 'innocuous' information like weather or even team composition. In professional era, it basically boils down to earning in whatever possible way. If some can model, dance down the ramp and earn, why cant some others say team composition, bowl a few no-balls and earn? After all, they can argue it will not alter the result of the match!

Madras Nalla Madras!

How did my 'first 10 days' in Chennai go? I guess that the first thing is on the health front. Having lived a decade in Bengaluru where I contracted 'sinus', the 'pollen-free' monsoon weather gave me a cold and almost a headache, which is one of my bigger problems. My mother is usually home-medicine savvy and 3-4 day of 'medicated' cooking fixed it, well almost!

On the travel front, traveling to the office which is far (compared to Bengaluru) is easily accessible despite change of buses. Also I start early in the mornings, so like in Bengaluru, I am in my seat easily before 8:30 am. I always knew and say that a Bangalorean does not know what a crowd in a bus is. I also say that any engineer should start with at least a '2-month orientation' in Chennai, experiencing the heat, crowd and knowing what it is to sweat out. It will really be a joke to compare the bus ticket charges in Chennai to say Bengaluru. I pay Rs.7.50/- to Rs.8.50/- to reach my office from home and even if I take 'Deluxe' buses, I may not pay more than Rs.14/- to reach my office.

Now, coming to the most difficult part. Working in an Indian company. For starters, the offer given to me over mail was higher than 'on print'. The Chennai HR washed their hands off saying that they printed what the Bengaluru HR mailed them. After some mails, it was finally agreed to hand me my 'new offer letter' soon! The Chennai HR could have chosen better words in her communication to the Bengaluru HR. Ccing 'others' (like me, my manager, three managers in Bengaluru), she need not point out the mistake of the Bengaluru HR! Man, it was one whiplash of a mail, that made EVEN ME embarrassed! I am not surprised if Chennai folks really have a 'nice image' in others.

I am neither surprised nor angry that 'services based' company is clueless, but it is when the people who are put 'in charge', showcase their ignorance as truth and expect it to be followed, that you really get pi$$ed off! I don't know who has given them the idea that physical design folks can do DFT! I was confused when the guy said that DFT is 'back-end'. DFT can NEVER be back-end and I wonder how the company is planning to get projects by saying DFT is 'back-end'! Even if it is said that DFT is kept with physical design for 'administrative purposes', it is comical. There is absolutely nothing that DFT shares with physical design and in fact, in all the companies that I have worked before, I neither know nor care who the folks in physical design are. We give them a netlist and they have to take care of the physical design of 'WHAT WE GIVE'. If we receive/expect any deliverable from them, we are probably in the wrong company.

I hope some sense prevails in the company, sooner or later!