The world cup soccer fever is on! 32 countries from across the globe is vying for the top honour in football.It indeed is a spectacular event displaying stamina and skill.But in India,this sport is still restricted to few pockets like Kerala,Punjab,Goa and West Bengal.
Cricket is sometimes described as the game having 22 players on the field and 22000 idiots watching them play.With some people realizing that this game is a cash cow,the reach has spread wide and far through television.The game has been further commercialized with the invent of the Twenty T20.
Let us look at some surprising facts.India has a total population of around 118 crore.The total population of the 32 countries playing in the World Cup football is around 180crore.If you remove 3 countries ( namely USA,Brazil and Mexico),the combined population of the 29 nations would be the same as that of India.
Still India does not have a team worthy enough to play the worldcup? Forget that,it does not have a team to feature in the top 100 FIFA rankings.
As proud Indians,we would take pride in the fact that we are No1 in test rankings and No 3 in One day rankings.But what we should consider is that Cricket is played as a serious sport in around 20 countries,while Football is played in over 100 countries.
A consolation factor would be that Baichung Bhutia has played for a club in England and Chetri is now in UK.Airtel is coming up with a football academy and clubs like Man U and Arsenal are looking at developing players from India.I do hope that the top political brass ( for those who are not aware,Union Ministers are at the helm of AIFF,BCCI,IOA just to name a few) take some steps to see that sports do develop in this country.I hope against hope that in my lifetime I can see India getting over a dozen medals at Olympics and participating in one World Cup Football final round ,not to mention the Cricket team lifting the World Cup at 2011!!Till then let the ball keep rolling..
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Mobility to Immobility
Mobile phone is one of the most important inventions of the recent past.And with more innovation being added to this small gadget ( you can listen to FM radio,read Ebooks,browse the net,control your TV,record your favorite TV program),no wonder this is becoming an important part of your life.But seriously thinking about it,isnt it more of a bane than a boon?Forget the difficulties like getting calls at odd times and places,lets check a few frequent issues.
I used to remember around 20 phone numbers at one point of time,but now the only number I can remember is that of my home.( I dont even remember my own mobile number at times).Isnt it making us short memoried people?
But the most serious thing that I have noticed off late.People being glued to their headsets..recently I read a newspaper article where a lady was run over by a train.Apparently she was so busy on the phone that she didnt hear the engine sound of the train that mowed her down.Accidents caused by drivers who are speaking on mobile or glued to their headsets are becoming very common.Today morning I saw a person crossing the road with music blaring out of his headset.( Yeah I could hear the song from his mobile).This gentleman was so coolly oblivious to the traffic that a bus which was speeding down the road had to brake hard,but inspite of a lot of honking,this guy just didnt hear !!! I do see a few guys who forget to get down at their stops because they are so drowned in the conversation they are havivng on the mobile.
Guys..mobile is a cool gadget..lets use it coolly..else you will soon RIP.
I used to remember around 20 phone numbers at one point of time,but now the only number I can remember is that of my home.( I dont even remember my own mobile number at times).Isnt it making us short memoried people?
But the most serious thing that I have noticed off late.People being glued to their headsets..recently I read a newspaper article where a lady was run over by a train.Apparently she was so busy on the phone that she didnt hear the engine sound of the train that mowed her down.Accidents caused by drivers who are speaking on mobile or glued to their headsets are becoming very common.Today morning I saw a person crossing the road with music blaring out of his headset.( Yeah I could hear the song from his mobile).This gentleman was so coolly oblivious to the traffic that a bus which was speeding down the road had to brake hard,but inspite of a lot of honking,this guy just didnt hear !!! I do see a few guys who forget to get down at their stops because they are so drowned in the conversation they are havivng on the mobile.
Guys..mobile is a cool gadget..lets use it coolly..else you will soon RIP.
Air India is only Gas!
Air India or Indian Airlines or the newly branded Indian is the national airlines of India.But the experience of flying on one of its airlines is an nightmare that one would want to forget.
One of the most embarassing experiences was when I travelled from Delhi to Ahmedabad to attend my friend's marriage.Two weeks prior to departure,I got a call from the airlines saying that my flight ( ETD 6.45 from Delhi) was delayed and the new ETD stands at 7.30pm.On being asked why,I was told the airline had a technical snag ( wow..they knew about it a fortnight ago?).A week prior to departure,I was informed that the new ETD is 8.00pm.The reason being late arrival of incoming aircraft.Wow..how efficient that the airlines knew this a week in advance.But alas..the flight didnt have any technical snag as predicted.But it was late in arriving.On the D day,the flight arrived at 10pm and departed at 10.45 pm.It was not a good experience to be among the last 20 odd people to be at the airport before the airport closed operations for the day.
And not to mention that IA operates from Terminal 1A,which boasts of little amenities.And how could I forget..i missed the whole point of the journey.I reached Ahmedabad at midnight and by the time I reached the venue,the sangeet was over.
Then my recent journey from the Bangalore airport.The airline staff took 20 mins to spot my booking in the system.It did givev me a scare as to what was the issue.Little did she tell me that the flight was delayed.It was printed on the boarding card though.And while I was patiently waiting near the boarding gate,I was surprised suddenly to see that the boarding was changed to reflect that of a jet airlines flight.While Jet was courteous enough to announce the change in boarding gate,Air India choose to remain mum.The flight was delayed by more than an hour,but no announcements and no personnel was available near the boarding gate to provide clarifications.The bus that transported you to the aircraft was pathetic..torn seats and stinking bus.The Air India bus at Chennai airport seems to be the only non airconditioned vehicle operating there.One door which does not close was tied using a plastic strap ( used to secure baggages).Poorly trained staff,who consider salaries their birth rights but in no mood to help passengers are an added pain.The frown on their face when asked for a bottle of water or anything else is enough to put you off.
Merger or De Merger,whether the government pumps in money or not,Indian is not going to prosper.Agreed that Indian ( being the government run airlines) enjoys privileges like prime routes prime time etc.But it does have the good fortune to have the highest number of employees per airline.In fact if you see an Indian flight landing or taking off,you will be surprised to see people crowding around like a swarm of bees.Without pruning this unproductive workforce,without enforcing discipline in terms of flight taking off on time,without improving the courtesy of its staff,AIr India would just be a bag of gas.When JRD Tata handed over the airlines to the government to make it the national carrier,little would have he known that one day people will say just that to this airlines.TATA!!!
One of the most embarassing experiences was when I travelled from Delhi to Ahmedabad to attend my friend's marriage.Two weeks prior to departure,I got a call from the airlines saying that my flight ( ETD 6.45 from Delhi) was delayed and the new ETD stands at 7.30pm.On being asked why,I was told the airline had a technical snag ( wow..they knew about it a fortnight ago?).A week prior to departure,I was informed that the new ETD is 8.00pm.The reason being late arrival of incoming aircraft.Wow..how efficient that the airlines knew this a week in advance.But alas..the flight didnt have any technical snag as predicted.But it was late in arriving.On the D day,the flight arrived at 10pm and departed at 10.45 pm.It was not a good experience to be among the last 20 odd people to be at the airport before the airport closed operations for the day.
And not to mention that IA operates from Terminal 1A,which boasts of little amenities.And how could I forget..i missed the whole point of the journey.I reached Ahmedabad at midnight and by the time I reached the venue,the sangeet was over.
Then my recent journey from the Bangalore airport.The airline staff took 20 mins to spot my booking in the system.It did givev me a scare as to what was the issue.Little did she tell me that the flight was delayed.It was printed on the boarding card though.And while I was patiently waiting near the boarding gate,I was surprised suddenly to see that the boarding was changed to reflect that of a jet airlines flight.While Jet was courteous enough to announce the change in boarding gate,Air India choose to remain mum.The flight was delayed by more than an hour,but no announcements and no personnel was available near the boarding gate to provide clarifications.The bus that transported you to the aircraft was pathetic..torn seats and stinking bus.The Air India bus at Chennai airport seems to be the only non airconditioned vehicle operating there.One door which does not close was tied using a plastic strap ( used to secure baggages).Poorly trained staff,who consider salaries their birth rights but in no mood to help passengers are an added pain.The frown on their face when asked for a bottle of water or anything else is enough to put you off.
Merger or De Merger,whether the government pumps in money or not,Indian is not going to prosper.Agreed that Indian ( being the government run airlines) enjoys privileges like prime routes prime time etc.But it does have the good fortune to have the highest number of employees per airline.In fact if you see an Indian flight landing or taking off,you will be surprised to see people crowding around like a swarm of bees.Without pruning this unproductive workforce,without enforcing discipline in terms of flight taking off on time,without improving the courtesy of its staff,AIr India would just be a bag of gas.When JRD Tata handed over the airlines to the government to make it the national carrier,little would have he known that one day people will say just that to this airlines.TATA!!!
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