2012-13 Sify Columns

10 random wishes for 2014
2014 will be a watershed year…
31 December, 2013, Sify.com

World: The best and worst of 2013
Pope, Snowden, Mandela…
31 December, 2013, Sify.com

Goodbyes of 2013
Obituaries of the year…
31 December, 2013, Sify.com

India: The best and worst of 2013
A series of year-enders…
31 December, 2013, Sify.com

7 myths about Arvind Kejriwal
Not so middle class after all…
31 December, 2013, Sify.com

11 lessons learned from Dhoom 3
Aamir goes totally commercial…
30 December, 2013, Sify.com

2013: A year in disasters
From India and the world…
30 December, 2013, Sify.com

2013: Annus horribilis for Indian mainstream media
Social media rising…
30 December, 2013, Sify.com

10 sound bites of 2013…
Tejpal, Modi, Pappu…
27 December, 2013, Sify.com

Six Devyani conspiracy theories…
It is a curious case indeed
24 December, 2013, Sify.com

Bitter truth: India, US ain’t friends
It’s time we stood up to them…
23 December, 2013, Sify.com

We can murder, you can’t underpay: US
The double standards of America…
20 December, 2013, Sify.com

Our message to America: Please treat us like shit!
Of Devyani Khobragade and Modi…
18 December, 2013, Sify.com

5 changes since the 2012 anti-rape agitation
There is reason to hope now…
17 December, 2013, Sify.com

Deepika Padukone creates the Rs 1000 crore club!
With four superhit films…
09 December, 2013, Sify.com

Five lessons from Kejriwal’s stunning debut
AAP performance is a watershed…
09 December, 2013, Sify.com

2013: The year Congress totally lost it
The slide began in 2011…
09 December, 2013, Sify.com

2013: The Year of Narendra Modi
It was NaMo all the way…
09 December, 2013, Sify.com

Congratulations,you are now a revolutionary!
The second Indian revolution…
06 December, 2013, Sify.com

2013: A year in terror
From Patna to Nairobi…
05 December, 2013, Sify.com

AAP: Ruler, spoiler, kingmaker or self-destructor?
Anything is possible…
02 December, 2013, Sify.com

Why we’re all going crazy over Tejpal
He’s getting more coverage than Modi
01 December, 2013, Sify.com

Tehelka scandal in a montage of quotes
From the incident to beyond…
30 November, 2013, Sify.com

Why the idea of Tehelka is dead and buried
Difficult to recover from this blow
28 November, 2013, Sify.com

Any verdict on Aarushi-Hemraj is a failure
Everyone is shown in bad light
24 November, 2013, Sify.com

7 deadly sins of Tehelka
Operation Cover-up…
25 November, 2013, Sify.com

How a sexual predator messes up the entire office
And why Tejpal had many sins not one
24 November, 2013, Sify.com

8 questions over the Tehelka sex scandal
Tejpal and Shoma have much to answer for
22 November, 2013, Sify.com

Reign has ended, not Anand
Here’s hoping for a comeback!
22 November, 2013, Sify.com

Tehelka as a metaphor for what’s wrong
It represents the rot in society
21 November, 2013, Sify.com

Padma Bhushan for world beaters…
Bharat Ratna for cricket!
17 November, 2013, Sify.com

6 mistakes of Mahatma Gandhi
Netaji, Nehru, Kashmir…
15 November, 2013, Sify.com

A-Z of political newsmakers
A for Amit, B for Baba, C for CAG…
12 November, 2013, Sify.com

Godhra responsible for Indian Mujahideen?
Think again!
11 November, 2013, Sify.com

30 rebels against the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty
From Netaji to JP to Jagan…
06 November, 2013, Sify.com

Indian newspapers artificially propped up
A look at how that happens…
06 November, 2013, Sify.com

Narendra Modi’s 7 unifying themes
How he shed his divisive image…
06 November, 2013, Sify.com

Something is rotten in the State of Bihar
It’s been downhill in Terror for a year…
04 November, 2013, Sify.com

Son of the soil trumps shahezaada
Modi beats Pappu hands down…
01 November, 2013, Sify.com

7 leaders who could have shut out the dynasty
From Netaji to Rao…
30 October, 2013, Sify.com

Anti-Modi camp keeps upping stakes
Constantly from 2002
30 October, 2013, Sify.com

BJP throws down its trump card
NaMo is all they’ve got
07 October, 2013, Sify.com

Tribute to the Indian politician…
The most tenacious of species
05 October, 2013, Sify.com

8 failures of Manmohan Singh
Worst PM in our history
27 September, 2013, Sify.com

5 reasons why Pak’s Kashmir claim is impossible
They’ve been on weak ground since 1947
27 September, 2013, Sify.com

Political analysis failing since 1999
Why do opinion polls get it so wrong?
18 September, 2013, Sify.com

Arun Jaitley the dark horse for 2014
If BJP don’t have numbers to push Modi
18 September, 2013, Sify.com

The A to Z of Narendra Modi
Amit, Bhatt, Cong, Development…
17 September, 2013, Sify.com

8 failures of Barack Obama
He’s fallen well short of his speeches
1
4 September, 2013, Sify.com

Modi’s 12 steps towards the PM’s chair
Such a long journey from 2002!
13 September, 2013, Sify.com

How it always ‘stings’ the BJP more
The Cong is usually spared…
4 September, 2013, Sify.com

The good, the bad and the ugly of the UPA…
The lost decade…
27 August, 2013, Sify.com

An entrance exam for Indian politicians…
A sample question paper…
20 August, 2013, Sify.com

The truths our editors hide
Confessions of a desk jockey
20 August, 2013, Sify.com

2 sides of the coin on Independence Day…
India’s good and bad…
15 August, 2013, Sify.com

6 PR disasters of Nitish Kumar
It all started with the special package
12 August, 2013, Sify.com

2014: BJP will either be dead or revived
A look at various scenarios
05 August, 2013, Sify.com

How Nehru cultivated the cult of the dictator
The nation has adopted his personality
30 July, 2013, Sify.com

5 observations on the Amartya Sen controversy
Why is he peddling the Cong agenda?
26 July, 2013, Sify.com

10 reasons why people are scared of Modi…
…becoming Prime Minister…
24 July, 2013, Sify.com

MSM guidelines I seem to have missed…
Some unwritten rules of the media
18 July, 2013, Sify.com

My slow journey off ‘offline’
One by on bastions crumbled
17 July, 2013, Sify.com

“Modi should be burned…”
Congress party’s worst speakers
13 July, 2013, Sify.com

10 question marks over Ishrat Jahan
Is the true target only Modi?
08 July, 2013, Sify.com

10 question marks over the food bill
It’s the biggest in Independent India
07 July, 2013, Sify.com

Sadly, Bihar’s no Boston
We always reply in the same cliched way
07 July, 2013, Sify.com

Don’t worry, Modi is ‘just’ about to be nabbed
…running for 11 years now
04 July, 2013, Sify.com

Current Indian politics explained…
…in cricketing terms
27 June, 2013, Sify.com

Modi’s ‘Rambo act’ is bad piece of journalism
That is the primary issue
26 June, 2013, Sify.com

Why I support Modi
(Despite the opposition)
21 June, 2013, Sify.com

Who are you calling fascist, Mr Ramesh?
How the Congress is fascist…
15 June, 2013, Sify.com

8 reasons why the BJP is hated
Some are beyond their control…
13 June, 2013, Sify.com

8 reasons why I still admire Advani
Only his last days have been bad…
11 June, 2013, Sify.com

10 things that Modi has already achieved…
Already the rules have changed…
10 June, 2013, Sify.com

The four stages of Modi’s rise
From 2002 to now…
9 June, 2013, Sify.com

The Modi juggernaut has finally begun
The BJP finally gets its act together…
9 June, 2013, Sify.com

Not Third Front but Third PM candidate
Modi and Rahul’s time will come later…
6 June, 2013, Sify.com

7 battles better than Modi vs Rahul
The Gujarat CM has better opponents…
4 June, 2013, Sify.com

Who is Pakistan’s biggest victim?
Tens of thousands have been killed…
24 May, 2013, Sify.com

7 things that will hold the BJP back
They will gain seats in 2014, but how many?
23 May, 2013, Sify.com

10 things that will bring the Congress down in 2014
Corruption, arrogance, leadership…
21 May, 2013, Sify.com

Pak leadership change always bad news
India should be wary of Nawaz Sharif
14 May, 2013, Sify.com

Mulayam: The biggest loser
The Centre has eluded him
16 April, 2013, Sify.com

How social media will dictate the 2014 polls
Its indirect impact is more important
14 April, 2013, Sify.com

Has the BJP finally turned the tide?
All anti-Modi dissent is vanishing
11 April, 2013, Sify.com

The anti-rape agitation is a lifelong movement
Progress has been made and more is needed
08 April, 2013, Sify.com

Open letter to Justice Katju
Is the Press Council chief neutral?
24 March, 2013, Sify.com

The Modi battle is just hotting up
It will continue even if he becomes PM
17 March, 2013, Sify.com

14 guffaws, misses, failures of Sushilkumar Shinde
Mr Foot in the mouth personified
14 March, 2013, Sify.com

Give Cong a strong mandate & you’re in trouble!
They get arrogant, dictatorial and misgovern
25 February, 2013, Sify.com

9 targets of Subramanian Swamy
Cong, BJP, DMK, ADMK
21 February, 2013, Sify.com

India’s long journey from the Left to the Right
And how the Internet has brought parity
19 February, 2013, Sify.com

Manmohan: ‘Clean’ despite scams unlimited!
His Government has broken the record
18 February, 2013, Sify.com

8 controversies involving defence chiefs
The latest being Choppergate
17 February, 2013, Sify.com

What if Narendra Modi is innocent?
Modi-baiters have twisted the debate
11 February, 2013, Sify.com

State or Society?: Who’s to blame for rising intolerance?
Govts give in to fringe groups
04 February, 2013, Sify.com

Rahul the PM: Not just a tragedy, but a farce
He just doesn’t stand up to Modi
28 January, 2013, Sify.com

Open letter to Rahul Gandhi
Or how his Chintan Shivir speech was a dud
25 January, 2013, Sify.com

The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty: Fated to rule India
They always come back no matter what
23 January, 2013, Sify.com

Modi is the BJP’s only hope
Time to make him a PM candidate
10 January, 2013, Sify.com

Indo-Pak ties: We smile, they attack
We always get fooled by them
09 January, 2013, Sify.com

India: The best and worst of 2012
Politics, sports, films…
30 December, 2012, Sify.com

8 demands of the anti-rape protestors
Even as the government remains unmoved…
30 December, 2012, Sify.com

Womanhood butchered from the cradle to the grave
It begins with the wish for a son…
29 December, 2012, Sify.com

A note to the dented and painted Indian woman
If our politicians wrote an open letter…
27 December, 2012, Sify.com

Theek Nahi Hai!: Open letter to Manmohan Singh
The PM gave a bland and insipid speech
24 December, 2012, Sify.com

Long live the Indian Revolution!
The protests started in 2010
23 December, 2012, Sify.com

Person of the year: The victim
She has led to an awakening in India
23 December, 2012, Sify.com

8 things that Modi has triumphed against…
…despite all his detractors…
22 December, 2012, Sify.com

Gujarat was lost in the Rajiv years
Modi has merely carried on
20 December, 2012, Sify.com

6 factors that promote violence against women
India is still chauvinistic in nature
19 December, 2012, Sify.com

Ten sound bites of 2012
They said all sorts of things
18 December, 2012, Sify.com

Daffy Definitions of 2012…
They said it!
16 December, 2012, Sify.com

You’re corrupt. I’m corrupt. We’re all corrupt!
India is seeped in it
13 December, 2012, Sify.com

8 reasons why India can’t be a superpower
We still have a long way to go
11 December, 2012, Sify.com

World: The best and worst of 2012
From Mitt to Malala
10 December, 2012, Sify.com

2004: The year that destroyed India
A tale of Vajpayee, Naidu and Krishna
7 December, 2012, Sify.com

2012: Obituaries of the year
Rajesh Khanna to Jaspal Bhatti
7 December, 2012, Sify.com

The A to Z of Congress confrontations
They have been after everyone!
3 December, 2012, Sify.com

From new to incumbent: A brief look at our political parties
As Kejriwal begins his journet
25 November, 2012

7 flop shows of Mamata Banerjee
Despite her historic 2011 victory
22 November, 2012

8 questions about the Kasab hanging
Why was it done in such haste?
22 November, 2012

From new to incumbent: A brief look at our political parties
As Kejriwal begins his journey
25 November, 2012

Tweeple will have to fight their own fight
The menace of Section 66A
20 November, 2012

8 reasons why people admired Bal Thackeray
He wasn’t a hypocrite
19 November, 2012

Eight failures of Bal Thackeray
For one he never became CM
18 November, 2012

Rahul Gandhi disappoints yet again
He is always “Coming soon”
16 November, 2012

Jethmalani: The Grand Old Rebel of India
He has been around for decades
9 November, 2012

Obama wins, but the world is still losing
His foreign policy is a mess
7 November, 2012

What is wrong with Rahul Gandhi?
He keeps making strange statements
5 November, 2012

Now jail is only a click away
The menace of Section 66A
3 November, 2012

Busting holy cows, Kejriwal style
He goes beyond the media
31 October, 2012

10 questions I’m dying to ask Sonia Gandhi
She gets away with everything
31 October, 2012

Another stale cabinet. Another fresh claim
Reshuffles don’t amount to much
29 October, 2012

So long and thanks for the laughs, Mr Ulta Pulta!
Jaspal Bhatti, R.I.P.
25 October, 2012

King Khan: A king for debut directors, too!
He has given so many breaks
25 October, 2012

Yash Chopra: The King of Versatility
He wasn’t just the King of Romance
24 October, 2012

TV news media: Modi’s biggest friend!
The more they attack him…
24 October, 2012

Arvind Kejriwal and the Right to Dream (Big)
The activist has made a great political beginning
19 October, 2012, Sify.com

Swamy and Kejriwal beat investigative journalists
Media is lagging behind in this field
17 October, 2012, Sify.com

7 lows of the Salman Khurshid press conference…
This is not expected of the Law Minister
14 October, 2012, Sify.com

Strange are the ways of the Nobel Peace Prize
Did the EU really deserve it this year?
12 October, 2012, Sify.com

I’m an Indian politician and I love talking nonsense
They get away with saying anything
12 October, 2012, Sify.com

What if Big B had never existed?
An alternative reality…
09 October, 2012, Sify.com

How to launch an Indian news channel…
They all follow the same predictable path
08 October, 2012, Sify.com

Leadership from behind
India currently has an uninspiring troika
07 October, 2012, Sify.com

Amitabh and India: A tale of parallel lives
Mirroring ups and downs over 40 years
05 October, 2012, Sify.com

The A to Z of Amitabh Bachchan
Everything you wanted to know about the star
05 October, 2012, Sify.com

7 contradictions of the global blasphemy protests
The demonstrators are harming their own cause
28 September, 2012, Sify.com

It’s Modi versus Rahul in 2014
The voters will think along those lines
24 September, 2012, Sify.com

Rising Islamophobia in Europe a worrying sign
The Clash of Civilizations?
20 September, 2012, Sify.com

The Congress turns the tide…for now
It scores big for the economy
16 September, 2012, Sify.com

Protest and make your enemies more powerful!
Benghazi, UPA and Modi…
14 September, 2012, Sify.com

Post-9/11: Now our world is less safe
India is one of the countries that is affected
11 September, 2012, Sify.com

Govt losing web battle due to Streisand effect
Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi’s arrest is ill-timed
10 September, 2012, Sify.com

India Intolerance Incorporated
This at a time when we should be getting more tolerant
24 August, 2012, Sify.com

Why the Congress will continue to be like that only
There is no alternative to the Congress
22 August, 2012, Sify.com

Northeast exodus: Scotch those rumours fast!
There is no political will with the government
19 August, 2012, Sify.com

Why Anna politics makes perfect sense
It would be a good idea for them to launch a party
03 August, 2012, Sify.com

The A to Z of terrorism and India
The country has been reeling for decades now
24 July, 2012, Sify.com

There’s nothing godly about the God particle
Important discovery, but hyped by media
05 July, 2012, Sify.com

The dark side of the Olympics
All is not well with the mega event
04 July, 2012, Sify.com

8 masterstrokes of Sonia Gandhi
She’s had a good run from 2004-12
02 July, 2012, Sify.com

Get ready for 3-4 more years of turmoil
A lame duck UPA and looming Third Front
16 June 2012, Sify.com

The world’s stupidest electorate
India has the strangest of voters
11 June 2012, Sify.com

Why the corrupt get away in India
The very system supports graft
28 May 2012, Sify.com

Congress: Getting it Left, Right and Centre
The opposition is coming from all sides
20 May 2012, Sify.com

India desperately requires electoral reforms
Right to Recall/Reject, party accounting…
20 April 2012, Sify.com

The most irritating, rude and arrogant spokespersons ever
The current Congress regime has broken all records
16 April 2012, Sify.com

Can’t we solve the Kashmir problem by 2017?
Sometimes setting a deadline helps
11 April 2012, Sify.com

When the Congress simply lost steam
2014 isn’t looking good at all
30 March 2012, Sify.com

Mamata: A rebel without a cause
Her whole life has been one long rebellion
27 March 2012, Sify.com

The A to Z of Anna Hazare
All you wanted to know about the social activist
25 March 2012, Sify.com

Who will be the next Prime Minister of India?
Prediction is pretty difficult

09 March 2012, Sify.com

Donkeys, dynasties and a forgetful electorate
The truth of democracy in India
07 March 2012, Sify.com

UP results makes almost everyone happy
And the you’re worse than me mentality
06 March 2012, Sify.com

Rahul Gandhi & Mayawati: Biggest losers of the season
Are mid-term polls now a reality?
06 March 2012, Sify.com

10 years after Godhra: Let us not forget the other riots
Indian politics is by and large communal
27 February 2012, Sify.com

Wanted: An IPL for every Indian sport
2012 is a key year for sports clubs
22 February 2012, Sify.com

Why does Cong want to pick a fight with everybody?
Allies, civil society, Internet, States…
13 February 2012, Sify.com

Is there any “clean” minister left in the UPA?
Collective responsibility means it should quit
03 February 2012, Sify.com

10 contradictions of the Salman Rushdie controversy
Events at Jaipur Literature Festival were pointless
27 January 2012, Sify.com

Open Letter to Anna Hazare…
Anna’s talent and charisma can come in handy in…
16 January 2012, Sify.com

How America and India hate Internet democracy
Both governments are moving towards curbs
14 January 2012, Sify.com

Coup in Pak could mean a war with India again
2012 will be a key year for the neighbours
13 January 2012, Sify.com

Will Aadhar be just another white elephant?
The scheme is too ambitious for its own good
12 January 2012, Sify.com

M for Megalomania, M for Maya
The EC is doing great in covering her statues
11 January 2012, Sify.com

10 Indian sporting wishes for 2012
Multiple Olypmic Golds, WSH success…
09 January 2012, Sify.com

Ten beginnings of 2011
Iraq peace, South Sudan, Djokovic era…
08 January 2012, Sify.com

10 improbable (but possible) things that could happen in 2012
Manmohan Singh could become President of India
04 January 2012, Sify.com

Nine random wishes for 2012
Like Anna Hazare finally moves on to something else…
02 January 2012, Sify.com

9 scares of 2011
Mullaperiyar, Kudankulam, WikiLeaks, Economy…
01 January 2012, Sify.com

2011 Columns

2010 Columns

December 2013 Status Updates

Subah ka bhoola agar shaam ko ghar waapis aa jaaye to use bhoola nahin votebank kahate hai.
#BSY

Mera naam hai Robin Hood Kejriwal.
I charge extra from the middle class and give free water to the poor.

(December 31)

Caveat for 2014…
If you think that only a Prime Minister’s son can become Prime Minister, then you are in fact supporting the caste system.

Anna Hazare takes help of Congress to pass Lokpal.
Kumar Vishwas: Gaddaar!
Arvind Kejriwal takes help of Congress to become CM.
Kumar, Vishwasghaat?

They were walking away from government formation but the voters started singing…
Bekarar karke hame you na jaaiye, AAP ko hamari kasam laut aaiye.

In the 1960s the Congress wanted to install a gungi gudiya on the PM’s chair.
They finally sort of got their wish in 2004.
#TheekHai

And Graeme Swann suddenly realized that he could no longer play international cricket in the presence of Sir Ravindra Jadeja and he decided to call it a day.

(December 23)

Moore’s Law: The number of transistors on ICs doubles every 2 years.
(Could reach its limit in 2014)
Congress’ Law: The size of our scams doubles tenfold every 5 years.
(Could also end in 2014)

Whom the Gods want to destroy politically, they pitch as a rival to Modi…
#Pappu #Advani #Nitish #Kejriwal

Boyzone: It’s only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away.
PappuBoyZone: It’s only words, and words are all I have, to take your vote away.

Pappu gets out clean bowled.
At press conference he is asked how he is going to improve his batting.
Pappu’s answer: I know I didn’t hit a six!

(December 22)

It seems…
All Indian politicians have diplomatic immunity to protect them against all crimes committed on Indian soil.

Can everyone be wrong?
Maid–>Has FIR against her.
Devyani–>Wrong to have exploited maid.
US–>Wrong to strip search Devyani and stay arrogant.
India–>Wrong to have taken it lying down against US for so long.

Manmohan is an Economist who plays politics and a Politician who severely economizes on his vision, governance and strategy.

(December 21)

Developed country: When is 5G coming?
Developing country: When is 4G coming?
India: When is 3G scam coming?

Peter Principle: Everyone rises to his level of incompetence.
Politician Principle: Every leader rises way above his level of incompetence.

(December 20)

When he talks sense: Jairam Ramesh.
When he talks nonsense: jaiRAM RAMesh!

Every second day is celebrated by Pappu…
April 1, Children’s Day, Papa/Dadi/Pardada… birth/death anniversary, Mother’s Day…

Government + Opposition + Anna Hazare = Finally agree + Make law.
Arvind Kejriwal = Only dissent, probably saying, “I am the law”.
#Lokpal

1968…
Advisor: Here’s presenting the Lokpal.
Indira Gandhi: It’s a grand idea, son.
2013…
Sonia: So the Lokpal is passed.
Same advisor: And it’s passed by her grandson, sniff!

Ikde tikde chohikade,
Fakta aahe Khobragade,
Ekach topic of the day,
Tyaala ghyun thokaayacha sagdi kade.
#Marathi

Secularism in three easy steps…
Step 1: Throw a stone at Narendra Modi.
Step 2: That stone will bounce back and hit you really hard.
Step 3: Congratulations! That hit now renders you secular!

Outsourced!
Major decisions by AAP to the Delhi citizens.

(December 18 )

Congress announcing Pappu as the Prime Ministerial candidate will be the final knockout blow.
(Meaning the Congress will be knocked out, not the BJP)

(December 17)

Jab take rahega samosa main aloo,
Tab tak rahega Tamaasha-e-Laloo!

The Congress should rename their “Chintan Shivir” to “Chinta Shivir”.

(December 16)

Mahatma Gandhi’s last wish: Disband Congress.
Congress’ last wish: Disband India.

(December 15)

Section 377…
Pre-1947: Ctr-C + Ctr-V from England.
Post-1947: Don’t open file.
2009: Ctr-Delete.
2013: Ctr-Z.

(December 12)

Welcome to the Hotel Jailifornia,
Such a lovely place,
You can check in and out any time you like…
#SanjayDutt

(December 7)

Q: What is this Rayal-Telangana?
A: It is nothing but a royal tel lagana to the fire that is already burning in the form of protests and discontent.

Voters to Assembly…
If you confuse us, then we will punish you by hanging you.

(December 5)

So today’s Delhi Assembly election is like an intense three-way fight between Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

(December 4)

Pappu campaigned in Bihar 2010, hit Chauka! (Congress got 4 Assembly seats)
UP, 2011: Hit Chakka! (They got 6 extra seats)
2014: Shatak maarega! (100 LS seats)

(December 3)

What Modi may have told Advani to convince him…
If you support me for PM in 2014, then I’ll support you for President in 2017.

Phases of Manmohan Singh…
1991: New Moon.
1996: Full Moon.
2004: New Moon.
2009: Full Moon.
2014: New Moon.
Key…
Full Moon=Light. New Moon=Darkness

Diggy Raja trashes the RSS.
Diggy Raja trashes the BJP.
Diggy Raja trashes Modi.
Diggy Raja trashes abc to xyz.
Bottomline: Diggy Raja is trash.

When a politician is caught, he’ll try a cover-up, cry conspiracy, try to run away, rubbish the media/victim, try to subvert the legal process and his skeletons will start tumbling out of the closet.
Oops sorry! Please replace “a Politician” with “Tejpal”!

(December 1)

© Sunil Rajguru

My mainstream media columns… (Till 2013)

2013: Annus horribilis for Indian mainstream media
30 December, 2013, Sify.com

Why we’re all going crazy over Tejpal
01 December, 2013, Sify.com

Tehelka scandal in a montage of quotes
30 November, 2013, Sify.com

Why the idea of Tehelka is dead and buried
28 November, 2013, Sify.com

7 deadly sins of Tehelka
25 November, 2013, Sify.com

How a sexual predator messes up the entire office
24 November, 2013, Sify.com

8 questions over the Tehelka sex scandal
22 November, 2013, Sify.com

Tehelka as a metaphor for what’s wrong
21 November, 2013, Sify.com

Indian newspapers artificially propped up
06 November, 2013, Sify.com

Political analysis failing since 1999
18 September, 2013, Sify.com

The truths our editors hide
20 August, 2013, Sify.com

MSM guidelines I seem to have missed…
18 July, 2013, Sify.com

TV news media: Modi’s biggest friend!
24 October, 2012

How to launch an Indian news channel…
08 October, 2012, Sify.com

2011: A scary year for media and social media
22 December, 2011, Sify.com

10 reasons why the Indian media is like that only…
25 November, 2011, Sify.com

The year VVIP privacy was finally breached
29 December, 2010, Sify.com

The year Indian media lost its virginity
24 December, 2010, Sify.com

But why are you surprised over the Radia Tapes?
26 November, 2010, Sify.com

Columns on the Nehru-Gandhi Dynasty (Till 2013)

6 mistakes of Mahatma Gandhi
Netaji, Nehru, Kashmir…
15 November, 2013, Sify.com

30 rebels against the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty
From Netaji to JP to Jagan…
06 November, 2013, Sify.com

7 leaders who could have shut out the dynasty
From Netaji to Rao…
30 October, 2013, Sify.com

How Nehru cultivated the cult of the dictator
The nation has adopted his personality
30 July, 2013, Sify.com

Rahul the PM: Not just a tragedy, but a farce
He just doesn’t stand up to Modi
28 January, 2013, Sify.com

Open letter to Rahul Gandhi
Or how his Chintan Shivir speech was a dud
25 January, 2013, Sify.com

The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty: Fated to rule India
They always come back no matter what
23 January, 2013, Sify.com

Rahul Gandhi disappoints yet again
He is always “Coming soon”
16 November, 2012

What is wrong with Rahul Gandhi?
He keeps making strange statements
5 November, 2012

10 questions I’m dying to ask Sonia Gandhi
She gets away with everything
31 October, 2012

8 masterstrokes of Sonia Gandhi
She’s had a good run from 2004-12
02 July, 2012, Sify.com

25 things (or less) Sify Columns (Till 2013)

10 random wishes for 2014
31 December, 2013, Sify.com

7 myths about Arvind Kejriwal
31 December, 2013, Sify.com

11 lessons learned from Dhoom 3
30 December, 2013, Sify.com

10 sound bites of 2013…
27 December, 2013, Sify.com

Six Devyani conspiracy theories…
24 December, 2013, Sify.com

5 changes since the 2012 anti-rape agitation
17 December, 2013, Sify.com

Five lessons from Kejriwal’s stunning debut
09 December, 2013, Sify.com

7 deadly sins of Tehelka
25 November, 2013, Sify.com

7 failures of Sachin Tendulkar
22 November, 2013, Sify.com

8 questions over the Tehelka sex scandal
22 November, 2013, Sify.com

6 mistakes of Mahatma Gandhi
15 November, 2013, Sify.com

8 coincidences and ironies of Indian cricket
20 August, 2013, Sify.com

8 things wrong with the BCCI…
02 August, 2013, Sify.com

10 reasons why people are scared of Modi…
24 July, 2013, Sify.com

7 reasons why Dhoni is a great leader
12 July, 2013, Sify.com

10 question marks over the food bill
07 July, 2013, Sify.com

7 surprises of the Champions Trophy
18 June, 2013, Sify.com

8 professions still open to the match fixers
3 June, 2013, Sify.com

7 battles better than Modi vs Rahul
4 June, 2013, Sify.com

6 ways to reduce match-fixing
30 May, 2013, Sify.com

7 things that will hold the BJP back
23 May, 2013, Sify.com

Top 3 controversies of every IPL
21 May, 2013, Sify.com

10 things that will bring the Congress down in 2014
21 May, 2013, Sify.com

10 Dravid achievements that got eclipsed
19 May, 2013, Sify.com

10 ugly truths about match-fixing…
17 May, 2013, Sify.com

14 guffaws, misses, failures of Sushilkumar Shinde
14 March, 2013, Sify.com

9 targets of Subramanian Swamy
21 February, 2013, Sify.com

8 demands of the anti-rape protestors
30 December, 2012, Sify.com

8 things that Modi has triumphed against…
22 December, 2012, Sify.com

6 factors that promote violence against women
19 December, 2012, Sify.com

Ten sound bites of 2012
18 December, 2012, Sify.com

8 reasons why India can’t be a superpower
11 December, 2012, Sify.com

7 things you may not know about the No.1 Test team
7 December, 2012, Sify.com

7 flop shows of Mamata Banerjee
22 November, 2012

8 questions about the Kasab hanging
22 November, 2012

8 reasons why people admired Bal Thackeray
19 November, 2012

Eight failures of Bal Thackeray
18 November, 2012

10 questions I’m dying to ask Sonia Gandhi
31 October, 2012

8 quick fixes Indian cricket needs
17 October, 2012, Sify.com

7 lows of the Salman Khurshid press conference…
14 October, 2012, Sify.com

7 contradictions of the global blasphemy protests
28 September, 2012, Sify.com

8 masterstrokes of Sonia Gandhi
02 July, 2012, Sify.com

6 disadvantages of the IPL
02 May, 2012, Sify.com

3 fixes the IPL needs…
04 April, 2012, Sify.com

7 reasons why we are crazy about cricket
27 March, 2012, Sify.com

8 question marks for Sachin’s all-time great status
19 March, 2012, Sify.com

10 great fight backs since 2000
04 March, 2012, Sify.com

8 suggestions to improve Tests
07 February, 2012, Sify.com

10 contradictions of the Salman Rushdie controversy
27 January 2012, Sify.com

10 Indian sporting wishes for 2012
09 January 2012, Sify.com

Ten beginnings of 2011
08 January 2012, Sify.com

10 improbable (but possible) things that could happen in 2012
04 January 2012, Sify.com

Nine random wishes for 2012
02 January 2012, Sify.com

9 scares of 2011
01 January 2012, Sify.com

12 misses of 2011
31 December, 2011, Sify.com

7 reasons why general elections could take place in 2012
16 December, 2011, Sify.com

10 things that took a real beating in 2011…
13 December, 2011, Sify.com

10 reasons why the Indian media is like that only…
25 November, 2011, Sify.com

5 sportsmen for the Bharat Ratna
11 October, 2011, Sify.com

Six things I still like about the IPL…
29 April, 2010, Sify.com

When a draw and thriller can go together!

The last time any team won an India-South Africa Test series was way back in 2006. Since then the three series have been tied at 1-1 each. This is an oasis at a time when both India and Australia have been whitewashed and the England team is also looking at a whitewash in the current Ashes series.

The deadlock continued when the two teams played out what could be probably called the greatest draw in the history of Test cricket. Never had the commentators been so wrong about a pitch and in the end you didn’t know whether it was a bowler’s beauty or a batsman’s delight.

At the beginning we were told it would be a difficult pitch to play on and one must commend captain MS Dhoni’s courage in opting to bat first. India looked well set at 264-5, but then they crashed to 280. After that South Africa seemed to forge ahead at 130-1, but they crashed to 146-6.

A rearguard action took them past the 200 mark, but the Indian bowlers hit back to get South Africa all down for 244. When India batted again then at 315-4 it looked like India would set an impossible target, but the Proteas bowlers’ struck to make it a target of 458, which at least was in the realms of possibility.

Again the South Africans saw a see-saw chase. At 108-0, our opposition was sitting pretty and at 197-4 India would have thought it was just a matter of time that the wickets would start falling.

But one must say that at 402-4, India was shut out of the game and it was South Africa’s to lose. Even though they lost two quick wickets, then even at 442-6, the equation read in their favour:

16 runs required off 21 balls with 4 wickets in hand.

You might even back Bangladesh to win at that stage.

After the seventh wicket fell, both teams seemed to have shut down the shutters and the match ended tamely in a draw. That could be called the only low point of the match. In the end South Africa played 816 balls and had any two of these dot balls gone for boundaries or wickets, then the match would have swung decisively one way.

But the chase was a curious one. There were no genuine dismissals by bowlers and freak ones seemed to be the order of the innings. There were two run outs. Three batsmen dragged the ball on to their stumps. Jacques Kallis was not out and DRS might have turned the match on its head. Finally Hashim Amla left the ball and it ended up crashing on the stumps!

Rarely does one fielder play such an important role in the match and Ajinkya Rahane’s two direct hits and one miss were downright crucial.

First Rahane hit the stumps and ended a fine century opening stand.

At 318-4 he almost hit the stumps to affect a run out in something that could have swung the match entirely in India’s direction.

Finally he took the seventh wicket in a similar fashion and that probably put the match on the path of a draw as we looked like totally losing it at that stage.

Of course India will come back much happier at the end of this Test. For one, we have ended our 0-8 streak of lost Test matches on foreign soil. Virat Kohli was the man of the match and this was one of the greatest performances on foreign pitches we’ve seen by an Indian batsman.

Cheteshwar Pujara got a 150 and Zaheer Khan made a great comeback picking up five wickets in the match. Even Ishant Sharma, whose career looked over a few months back, ended up taking 5 wickets. Co-incidentally Mohammed Shami also picked up 5 wickets, making it one of our best bowling performances.

Even someone like Ajinkya Rahane will feel satisfied as he scored more than 50 runs in the match and affected two very crucial run outs.

It is a travesty that a 4-match series was reduced to a 2-Test one; otherwise we really had a mouthwatering 20 days of cricket on our hands!

© Sunil Rajguru