football

I don’t like Chelsea much – Russian billionaire’s money, boring play, don’t like the attitude.

I like Liverpool – it was the club of Owen, Gerrard and Suarez. I remember the way they won the Champions League years back, that is what makes someone follow sports. And their anthem of “You will never walk alone”.

I follow Barcelona – due to Ronaldinho, Pep Guardiola earlier, Messi, Macherano, Xavi, Iniesta.. and where Suarez is now. Also since they have close knit players who are loyal to the club for long, from youth academy days.

I don’t like Real Madrid – in spite of Zidane having played there. Too much money, greedy for quick results, no loyalty.

I root for Manchester United – due to Alex Ferguson, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney. Loyalty, passion, grit maybe the other reasons.

I don’t like Manchester City – in spite of talents. Same as Real Madrid – money can’t buy results always.

I want England to win when they play – due to Owen, Gerrard, Giggs, Rooney and others. Even if they are under achievers..

I don’t like Germany though, in spite of the talent. Can’t put my finger on the reasons quite clearly, but it has to be the attitude.. I generally don’t like cocky and talented lot – even if few argue that they are entitled to it.

I follow Uruguay – due to Suarez and their fighting spirit. They feel entire world is conspiring against them and they have to fight the world to win.

I don’t like Chile – in spite of the talent of Sanchez, Vargas, Bravo. Single reason – episode of Jara abusing Cavani to get him send off and eventually beating Uruguay. That is crooked, shows the attitude.

I don’t like Italy – single reason again. Getting Zidane sent off in World Cup final after enraging him with comments on his sister. The image of Zidane walking past the trophy will always make me want Italy lose their matches.

I root for Argentina – Maradona, Riquelme, Tevez, Messi, Macherano. Maxi Rodriguez’s extra time goal in a world cup, their 26 pass goal.

I like Suarez – talent and his story. In spite of his flawed character, people like him needs second chance. They are fighting their circumstances, all the forces that want him to fail. I read that he may be feeling that people who try to take the ball away from him are denying him his life itself and he reacts.

I don’t like Christiano Ronaldo – biggest reason – arguing for Rooney (his clubmate in ManU at the time) to be sent off in a world cup match and winking after accomplishing it. Shows the attitude. Too worried about proving himself, too much of showmanship, feels like he truly doesn’t care for his team, think people are beneath him. I can watch him play, he is talented, but won’t feel sad if Portugal or Real Madrid loses.

Finally, I like Messi – genius level talent, attitude, passion. He seems to be playing for fun still, in spite of huge pressure. It felt bad when he lost the penalty. I switched off the TV when the last Chile penalty went in. Hope he comes back one more time. 

giving

“This is what you shall do;

Love the earth and sun and the animals,

despise riches,

give alms to every one that asks,

stand up for the stupid and crazy,

devote your income and labor to others,

hate tyrants,

argue not concerning God,

have patience and indulgence toward the people,

take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men,

go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families,

read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life,

re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book,

dismiss whatever insults your own soul,

and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.”

-       Walt Whitman

പഴവങ്ങാടിയിലെ തിരക്കുള്ള ഒരു റോഡിന്‍റെ സൈഡിൽ തൽകാലത്തേക്കു പാർക്ക് ചെയ്തു കാത്തിരിക്കുകയായിരുന്നു. ചക്കി സീറ്റ്‌ ബെല്‍റ്റ്‌ ഒക്കെ ഊരി മുട്ട് കുത്തി എന്‍റെ നേര്‍ക്കിരുന്നു എന്തൊക്കെയോ പറയുന്നു. ഒരു വയസ്സായ ആൾ ആ സൈഡിലെ ജനലിൽ മുട്ടി എന്തെങ്കിലും തരണം ഏന്ന് ആംഗ്യം കാണിച്ചു.  സാധാരണ പോലെ ഇല്ല എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു വിട്ടു. മഴ ചെറുതായി പെയ്യുന്നുണ്ട്, രാവിലെ മുതലേ. അയാള്‍ ആ മഴയത്തു അത് വഴി പോകുന്ന എല്ലാരോടും ചോദിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. നടക്കാന്‍ ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുണ്ട്, കൈ വിറക്കുന്നുമുണ്ട്. കുടിയന്‍ ആണെന്ന് തോന്നുന്നില്ല. മിക്കവരും അയാള്‍ക്ക്‌ കാശു കൊടുക്കുന്നുണ്ട്, പ്രത്യേകിച്ചും സ്ത്രീകള്‍. അതില്‍ ഒരു സ്ത്രീ അങ്ങേരോട് കാര്യങ്ങള്‍ ചോദിക്കുന്നതു കണ്ടു. അങ്ങേര് വളരെ കാര്യമായി ഉത്തരവും പറയുന്നു.

അയാള്‍ കുറച്ചു കഴിഞ്ഞു പിന്നെയും ജനലില്‍ തട്ടി. ഞാന്‍ ജനല്‍ തുറന്ന് ഒരു പിടി നാണയം എടുത്തു കൊടുത്തു.

“എന്തിനാ അച്ഛ അങ്ങേര്‍ക്കു കാശു കൊടുത്തത്?”

“ഇനി മുതല്‍ ചോദിക്കുന്ന എല്ലാര്‍ക്കും കൊടുക്കാന്‍ തീരുമാനിച്ചു.”

“എന്നാല്‍ പിന്നെ ആദ്യം ചോദിച്ചപ്പോ കൊടുക്കാത്തതെന്താ?”

“ഓര്‍ത്തില്ല, അങ്ങനെ തീരുന്മാനിച്ച കാര്യം.”

“ഒരു പത്തിരുപതു coins കൊടുത്തു കാണും.”

“ഇല്ല, അത്രയും ഇല്ല”

music for the lonely

“Aap kidhar ho” I took a sip of hot ginger lemon tea, black, from Chai Point

“Mein Gate 11 ke bahar, Chai Point ke pas hoon”

“Mein bhi idhar hoon”

I was watching the backs of cab drivers standing, to see which one with mobile phone will turn. One turned and I raised my hand. He showed the hand written placard with my name that he was holding. I hadn’t seen that even though I had looked through all of them on the way out. But then I didn’t try to call immediately, had to buy a tea first. Chai Point tea is good, though MDP’s black and lemon tea has replaced it as favorite recently.

He didn’t like it that I had passed in front of him. He might have written out the placard, that didn’t come to use.

“Mein ne dekha nahin tha” I tried to apologize, he didn’t acknowledge. I now walk faster – to start quickly, to beat peak traffic of Bangalore. He didn’t hurry up though, was trailing behind me. I was irritated a bit about this slow pace. He was a tall fellow, heavily built. Had a beard, somewhat like French, hanging little longer from the chin. It may have been dyed black, the way you sense it without thinking about it – somehow the age and the blackness of the hair throws up an incongruity. On that count, I am greying, in my moustache and beard also now. But then I had started greying from age 16 onwards.

“Aap is ke us par wait keejiye, mein gadi leke aata hoon” He went to take the car from parking and I walked to end of the walkway.

I looked at the SMS to check car number, saw that his name is Nazir. Nazir pulled up the car and I got in the back. I have been in two minds whether to get in the front passenger seat. I didn’t want to feel like chauffeur driven. But sometimes they keep their papers, mobile chargers, folders in the front passenger seat – expecting no one will enter there. So made my peace to stick to getting in the back always.

He had an FM channel going, kept changing it. Bangalore has FM channels in Hindi. In one channel, a prank call program was going on. They were calling someone sitting in the loo, again and again to ask him some silly question. Nazir was smiling.

One guy in motorcycle crossed from right to left, Nazir had to break hard – he honked, called out to that guy. “Paagal. Dekha wo kya kiya”

“Aap Chennai se hai?” I must truly look like a chennaite, get this question often.

“Nahin. Kerala se hoon. Trivandrum” I was giving short answers. Never asking a question. It doesn’t occur to me, often until much later, that I should ask a question as well, that is how the social conversations go, especially with strangers.

He got tired of ads in FM channel and had put on one of his CDs. Hindi songs, some I hadn’t heard before. But it was refreshing. I was thinking that they don’t make songs with such good lyrics any more, singing with full voice, instrumental music even though typical, but not synthetic.

“Barish hain Kerala mein?”

“Haan. Jor se. Monsoon shuroo huva na” I saw from the plane that the landscape of Bangalore is also greener, hard land is clear brown, puddles of yellow muddy water in numerous quarries from which they scraped up rocks to build up the city.

One after the other similar songs were playing.

“Yeh saare ek film ke hai?” first question from me.

“Nahin. Alag alag hai.” It got him talking.

“Mujhe yeh purane gane bahut pasand hai. Drive karte vakt to, yeh gane hi ek vajah hai. Mein to yeh gaane kayi baar suna hoga.” Music helps to keep the sanity. Driving for hours and hours, taking strangers from one place to another everyday – it is not easy. I go to one barber for last few years – he has AIR Malayalam channel always on, hums along with even obscure songs, must have an encyclopedic memory by now.

“Aap ache hindi bolte ho. Wo kaise”

“Mere pitaji Hindi teacher hain, un se seekha tha” I am happy that someone thought I speak good Hindi. Actually I don’t. I haven’t spoken much. But my father will be happy to hear.

“Aap kidhar se ho?” My second. You have to ask me a lot of questions first and give me a complement to get me talking.

“Mein idhar se hi hoon.”

“North mein tha kabhi?”

“Nahin Idhar udhar ghoomta rahta hoon. Char panch bhashayen bol sakta hoon”

He talked about how Bangalore is becoming too congested, roads that can accommodate 15 lakh cars plying 80 lakh today, how in next 5 years city will be impossible to live in, people’s lives spent in commute. In between good songs, appreciating Rafee sahib, how he went to hear Lataji last year and her voice still the same, Anuradha Paudwal’s songs etc.

In office that day, some of the team members were complaining that Ola and Uber drivers are making it big, more than folks in IT, how we are underpaid, how they can afford expensive schools which we can’t think of etc.

He drove me back to airport in the evening also. 4 ½ hrs of good music for me, but for him it would have been 8-9 hours of drive back and forth from airport twice that day.

Some of the songs from that day – he had commentary for some..

“Tujhse Bichad Ke Zinda Hain, Jaan Bahot Sharminda Hain” – “har gane me ek poori story hai. Aaj ke gane me kya hai – sirf dance karne keliye hai”

“O Priya Priya Kyun Bhula Diya”

“Ja mujhe na ab yaad aa, mujhe bhool dene de”

“Meri Kismat Mein Tu Nahi Shayad”

“Nazar Aati Nahi Manzil”

“Teri Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge Kadam, Aaj Ke Baad”

“Aaya Re Khilone Wala” - “mere sasur ko 6 betiyan hain, jab woh is gane sunte ho to milkar rone lagte hai.”

“Khilona jaan kar tum to mera dil tod jaate ho”

“Kuch Log Mohabbat Karke Ho Jate Hain Barbad”

“khuda bhi aasman se jab jameen par dekhta hoga”

“Kah do koi na kare yahaan pyaar, is mein kushiyaan hain kam beshumaar hain gam”

“Kya Hua Tera Vaada.. Bhulega dil jis din tumhe ,Wo din zindagi ka aakhri din hoga.”

“Mitwa Bhool Na Jana”

critical thinking

I was reading this article by Chelsea Manning about six years in prison (for leaking classified US army information to wikileaks). One interesting quote from the article -

And through it all, one thing has remained clear: It is important to read everything. To absorb everything. Act as your own filter for information. Search for your own answers to questions. If we rely on others to digest information for us, than we can’t say that we truly understand why we have done what we’ve done and where we will be going. We cannot, and will not, understand the world looking at information filtered through one lens.

These days information is spread through the masses through facebook and whatsapp. I feel the most recent election in Kerala was the first where Social Media would have played such a big role – there was a news that 71 constituencies out of 140 would have significant influence due to social media (even this needs fact check). Everything someone said or did during campaign or in the past was discussed at length. Every issue has two or more sides of arguments taken up by armies of social media activists. One example was the “Somalia” comment made by PM Modi. Opposition used it immediately to attack – comparing a progressive state like Kerala to Somalia, stats of Kerala Human Development Index to Gujarat, trolls which went viral. #PoMoneModi was trending in Twitter and it became national news. No one checked what he actually said (comparing child mortality rate of Kerala adivasis in Attapadi to Somalia). In post election analysis, NDA was counting this as a failure to counteract swiftly. They came back with data points – that LDF leaders had said the same thing two years before, actual state of affairs in tribal communities etc. But it was too late, damage was done. I am not justifying whether he was right or wrong, but this is a data point – one example of how information is consumed now - through memes/trolls. It is quick, takes 2 seconds, enough to make an opinion. No need to read in depth articles exploring different sides of the issue or listening to an entire speech than the sound bites taken out of context. It has come to a point where even detailed articles are summarizing the points in a meme as a lead to get people to click.

Another recent read was a book review of How to lie with statistics. A quote from that -  

He argues that just five simple questions can be used as litmus test.

The questions are

1.      Who says so?

2.      How does he know?

3.      What’s missing?

4.      Did somebody change the subject?

5.      Does it make sense?

I think these questions are applicable beyond stats. We need to apply them for any kind of news or analysis that we read these days.

Recently after two years of NDA govt, there were slew of articles giving stats on everything ranging from GDP growth, number of bank accounts created, LPG subsidies, highway miles created – all saying there is progress. At the same time, many of these same numbers are taken out of context – things have been either consistent or better in the past. In GDP case, it seems the method of calculation itself changed and comparison is with something which is not calculated using same method – then it is random number comparison. It doesn’t necessarily prove the point that things have become better. It is said that the lies travel faster and truth has to catch up. Many of these numbers can be fact checked with sources online. But who would bother to search for it?

Social Psychology and Behavioral Science is used effectively by marketers and campaign managers. Campaigns are being managed more professionally – we hear about PR/marketing and ad agencies, ex-IIT/ex-IIM, US-returnees etc involved in campaign management. It is not bad – more educated folks getting involved in political process, helping to shape the future. But it is also dangerous to try with a population who may not know that their opinion is being formed by a marketing team.

Exaggerations and choosing data and facts conveniently/selectively have become a serious problem. Emotion can trump facts. Only way out is to read much more than facebook posts and whatsapp images, listen to opinions of those who disagree with your line of thought also and make up your mind yourselves.