Indians started as favorites in the 1987 Reliance Cup and cruised to the semis. But then, in semis, Gooch swept everyone to distraction. When Gavaskar got out, I still had hope. When Kapil played that infamous hoik off Eddie Hemmings, I still had hope. But when Shastri fell (he was the last man out), I could not control my tears. As an 8 year old, who had just started following cricket a year or two ago, and who was told that India were surely going to win the cup this time, there was nothing which could console me. My mom tried all sorts of things to pacify me. She told me that this is sport and this is what is meant to happen in sport. One team has to win and one has to lose. So, one should not cry when one loses in sport.  I was also offered a Vadilal King Cone if I stopped crying. From that day onwards I don’t remember crying while watching any sporting event. Indian cricket has come a long way and in the last 24 years since then, there have been moments of agony and moments of ecstasy with the former being far more than the latter. On Saturday, April the 2nd, as I drifted to sleep after a series of sleepless nights, I remembered all those moments of agony.

I remembered the 1992 World cup. When India lost a close match to Australia by one run, thanks to the rain-rule and some suicidal cricket after a beautiful Azhar innings, I was old enough to hide my pain. When India crashed out of the world cup in the semis in 1996 due to crowd trouble, Kambli cried openly but somehow, I managed to suppress my sadness. Maybe it was the fact that the 12th Standard board exams were just round the corner and there was no time to brood over the loss. The same year, Dravid and Ganguly made a sensational entry to International cricket. Finally, there were people who could share the work load with Sachin. Before this, it was “ The Sachin Show” with Azhar playing the supporting role most of the times in batting and the bowling relying on Kumble for any victories in the subcontinent.

We made it to the final of the tri-series in South Africa in 1997 and in the second final Dravid dared to look Donald in the eye and cart him around the park even while he was receiving a mouthful from Donald after every shot. We played great cricket but somehow managed to lose. This was the story of Indian cricket for a long time. We played great cricket but somehow managed to lose. And with that, I learnt to accept the idiom that competing is far more important than winning. Although, I tried to convince myself about it, it never felt right. We came agonizingly close to winning the third test there only to be denied by Cullinun, Klusener and loss of most of final day’s play due to rain. I remembered bunking college so that I could watch that game but as usual it was never rewarded. By this time I had learnt to separate emotions from sport.

I remembered Tendulkar’s, arguably, best knock chasing in the second innings in Chennai when we lost 4 wickets for 4 runs and Sachin was reminded once again that he cannot rely on those coming in after him to finish off even an easy job. I remembered the time when Australia ruthlessly brushed us aside in 1999 World Cup and began their era of domination. I also remembered the ICC knockout in 2000 when a Chris Cairns blitz, out of nowhere, blew us away after we had the match in our pocket. I came to the US in 2002 and I continued following cricket, although now it was mostly online with cricinfo.com becoming my daily staple. I remembered the 2003 World Cup when we pooled in money to purchase a dish package while we were students. It was against the rules to install satellite dishes in the apartment complex we lived. So, every night, we carried the dish outside in the hedges (the games started late night-early morning) and got it in once the game was over. Although we were brilliant throughout the tournament, the journey, as usual, ended in heartbreak. We were outclassed and shocked by Australia’s ruthlessness. The 2007 campaign was more of a fiasco for Indian fans. I had decided that I wouldn’t follow cricket again but I did console myself with the fact that I did not eventually go to the Caribbean although I had earlier planned for the trip.

So, on April the 2nd, when I saw Dhoni lifting the trophy and the expressions on everyone’s faces in the Indian cricket team, I was giggling like a school kid myself. What I did not realize was that there were tears rolling down my cheeks. These tears made me remember the day I cried in 1987. They made me remember the red diary and where it had all started for me. They made me remember all those moments of despair, agony and concealed heartbreak which couldn’t ever be revealed. It all seems silly but yet, it was very relevant.

In the times since 1987, Indian cricket has been blessed with icons that shone individually and were all part of the golden generation of Indian cricket. Azhar, Ganguly, Kumble, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, Dhoni, Srinath, Zaheer have all played with at least some of the others during their careers. But if there was a “glue” that held the different generations together, has played with everyone mentioned above and, in Kohli’s words, carried the burden of Indian cricket on his sole shoulder, it was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. So, it was no surprise that everyone from the team mentioned his name in the post match interviews. Here was a guy who started playing international cricket when Kohli had just celebrated his first birthday and yet the sincerety in his joy and celebration was still that of a carefree teenager and not a battle hardened general. We all knew he had waited for this moment all his life and we all so badly wanted him to have this. Everyone in the team seemed to be happy to let Tendulkar take the center stage, on a day when his contribution was minimal. And that is what makes Tendulkar great. In one of his conversations with Don Bradman, Dean Jones asked him about what he did after scoring the 334. Don said he simply retired to his room. He did not share his happiness with his teammates and did not let them share his own. As a cricketer, there is no denying that Don Bradman was perhaps the best. But he wasn’t too liked by his teammates. And that is what will be Tendulkar’s legacy. Far greater than the statistics and numbers will ever tell. India adores Tendulkar and that is a fact. It must be pretty obvious from all my cricketing posts that I have nothing but adulation for this guy. From the time he clubbed Qadir for those 3 famous sixes to the time he held up the World Cup, it was as if I have always been part of this journey. I am sure a lot of people from my generation feel the same. We have never met or seen Tendulkar. We don’t even know if we will be able to say anything when we meet him. But, we all feel that, in our own way, we have contributed in his journey. And what a journey it has been. All throughout, even when he was going through the lean phase in around 2006, one cannot deny the sincerety and the joy with which he played the game. Tendulkar played for the love of the game and the accolades followed. It is a reminder to everyone, not just sportsmen, that there is no substitute for hard work and dedication. Love what you do and success will follow.

The world cup final was riveting in itself but the post match presentation and celebrations at Wankhede will be something that will be imprinted on everyone who was watching it. It was one of those “I was there and I was doing this while it was happening” moments of your life that you will be telling your grand kids about.

I have replayed the day over and over again in my mind. Have you?

The last time India lifted the trophy, I was close to 4 years old and other than the fact that my parents and their friends were rejoicing in front of this newly purchased box, I don’t remember much. I do distinctly remember watching Malcolm Marshall cry mid pitch and Kirmani take off his rug, which to me, was very funny. Little did I know that to experience such euphoria again, I would have to wait a lifetime. The wait still continues. However, there is something different this time. For the first time, since the tournament’s inception, India winning the cup is more than just a wish. There is more than just hope this time. In fact, dare I say (and I know this will haunt me if things go wrong), there is an accepted inevitability about a win. Yes, I know the bowling dept leaves a lot to be desired. But this side has a quality of making a match out of hopeless situations – be it Yusuf Pathan against SA, Bajji in the practice game against Aus or Zaheer against Eng in the tied game. Yes, we shouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place against England. But, what is heartening is the fact that we bounced back from the dead.

More than just for getting the trophy home, the very fate of the ODI format is dependent on India winning the tournament. We all know how Indians felt about one day cricket when the format was introduced. Nothing is more a testament to their initial reluctance than the 36 not out by Sunil Gavaskar in the inaugural game of the World Cup. Then, there was a minor incident in 1983 and ODI cricket has never been the same since. In fact, it became so big that it catapulted India into becoming a cricketing superpower that is now regarded as an overgrown monster by the rest of the cricketing nations. Much is also known about India’s reluctance in accepting 20-20 form of cricket. While it was getting popular in other countries since 2004, BCCI had been resisting it for quite some time. In fact, for the 2007 20-20 World Cup, it sent a team which would have been called second string, if not for the fact that we ultimately won it. And four years since then, we have witnessed the yearly razzmatazz of the IPL. So, the bottom line is that there is not better cricketing endorsement than India lifting the trophy. In fact, the very idea of ODI being obsolete stemmed from the early elimination of India from WC in 2007.

I think, in its bid to making the game popular, the governing bodies forgot that cricket is essentially a contest between the bat and ball. I remember how a batting pitch was always praised by the commentators as it meant more entertainment for the crowd (read fours and sixes). In the name of entertainment, the sub-continent, especially, prepared flat belters catered for the pinch hitters taking advantage of the first 15 overs. The bowlers, who were already neutered by the bouncer rule, were reduced to being lambs for slaughter. Then, somebody came up with a brilliant suggestion that the middle overs are not worth watching and so there should be more overs with field restrictions – enter powerplay. Instead of these gimmicks, what really makes for interesting viewing is watching top teams compete. If you serve a India-Kenya matches with fries and dessert, it still will not have any takers that a India-Aus or SL-SA has. Also, looks like things have come a full circle, with teams opting to go back to the 80s strategy of preserving wickets and blasting at the end.

The format of the World Cup also needs much to be desired if it has to market itself as pinnacle of the sport. According to me, the best WC so far was in 1992. Yes, there were innovations like color clothing (and some irritants like the rain rule). But, what made it interesting was that there wasn’t a single uninteresting or irrelevant game. Zimbabwe (which btw defeated England in the tournament) were the minnows of that time but the same team ultimately formed the core of a strong team in the late 90s which ran everyone close and if not for the Mugabe government and the crisis in the country, it would have ended as a very strong side. Every team played each other in the format and the top four qualified for the semis. The trouble started when ICC in the name of globalization started including 14 (sometimes 16 teams) in the global event. This meant that there was never any chance of “everyone plays everyone”. So, in 1996, SL qualified for the quarter finals without playing against WI and Aus (who forfeited their group games against SL). In 2003, Kenya made it to the semis, thanks to NZ not going to Kenya and Eng not going to Zim. This was, in addition, to the already bloated nature of the tournament. So, the ICC came up with quite a seemingly good format in 2007. But, no one planned on India and Pak losing to Ban and Ire. And so, that diluted the Super 8s or 6s or whatever the hell it was after India crashed out. There are talks about getting rid of the minnows altogether for the next tournament and keeping the number to 10 to allow for a format similar to 92. Although, this may seem a good idea, it will be taking a step back in terms of making the sport global. In 1992, there were less than 20 countries playing cricket, while there are around 120 today.

There is a pre-world cup qualifying tournament among these Associate countries which gives us the added 3-4 teams which play in the World Cup. This is usually the incentive for the Associate nations to compete in that tournament. Plus, the inclusion of an associate nation can be justified by matches like the one against England, where the Irish completed a dream victory over their arch rivals across the pond.

One solution can be to have top 6 teams in the ICC rankings qualify for the WC automatically. That will mean 3 test playing nations will not qualify for the tournament by default but will rather have to earn their place. And to earn its place, there can be a small pre-tournament between the winners of ICC qualifiers and the three last ranked test teams. Out of the whole pack, maybe only two should join rest of the 6. So, when the “real” tournament starts, it will mean business. Anything that can be done to restore the world cup to its glory days can and should be done. This will automatically quell any doubts about the future of one day cricket.

I do want to believe that one day cricket will survive. Yes, I do enjoy test cricket the most among all formats. And if there is any form of cricket which makes me stay up at nights, it is test cricket more than anything else, where every session unfolds like a scene in Sholay – each one just deserves to be there. But I do have some of the fondest memories of my childhood watching one day cricket. As a child, it did appeal more than test cricket. If anyone watched test cricket in the 80s, you would know how teams played for draws. There was a period when India and Pakistan played out 13 draws between them consecutively before “that” game in Bangalore. So, one dayers appealed the child in everyone. There was a dearth of ODIs during the 80s. There were no 24/7 cricket channels. I think Doordarshan did contribute to making one-day cricket special. In its own twisted and sadistic way, DD contributed to the economics of demand and supply. Deficiency of supply is what makes a product even more superior than it already is. The 90s took all that away with unnecessary tri-series and ICC knock-outs every couple of years.

Coming back to India’s hopes this World Cup, there is this small matter of Sachin Tendulkar. Although going by his current form, it looks very like that he may be around for the next WC, this seems like his best shot at the trophy. Right from the time he started playing the game, he has personified what the format meant even in the days of “slow motion” cricket. While the rest of the team played at a snail’s pace, he would play cricket the way it should be – entertaining and yet not suicidal. Just before the 1992 WC, there was a series on TV where former players analyzed each of the teams and the players. In one such segment, Sunny Gavaskar had talked about how Sachin will eventually get to 50 hundreds – this when he dint have a single ODI century to his name. Now, I don’t remember if he talked about a specific format. But that hardly matters now since he almost has 50 in each of the formats.

It is hard to believe it today looking at his 47 ODI hundreds, but for the first five years, he did not have any. Yet, he captivated the entire nation with his brilliant cameos. There was a time till mid-90s, when people would switch off TV sets once Sachin was out. And for a lot of people who started watching cricket in the 80s, it remains the same. If there is one thing missing in Sachin’s illustrious career, it is the World Cup. And so, this world cup means more to me than its predecessors. India may win every WC after this but it still wouldn’t make up for Sachin holding the trophy at Wankhede on April 3rd.

So, here’s wishing all the best to the men who are carrying the hopes and aspirations of more people than anyone else in the world right now.

It’s been a really long time since the last blog post. And a lot has happened since. For most part of last year, we were waiting for the arrival of our first child. And she arrived mid-December. Fatherhood has by far been the most rewarding experience of my whole life. I know you can argue that it’s the mother who has to go through everything and I don’t deny that. In a way you can say that a father can have his cake and eat it too. No pain, only gain.

For a mother, the child is already a living entity while it’s in the womb. But for a father, the first real connection is only after the long (believe me, it seems way longer than 9 months) wait and that makes it all the more special. Plus, at birth, in most cases, the Dad sees the baby before the mom does. For the next few hours, I could not stop jumping or doing whatever the hell I was doing in excitement. It may sound crazy but if you are too happy then your memory goes for a toss so even though I know now that I was very excited, I don’t remember how I reacted. The only thing which made all of us crash was the fact that we were up for close to 36 hours straight before the birth.

Newborns are delicate little things and as new parents that’s a scary thing. I really wasn’t sure what the right or wrong way doing things was. We were (my wife will deny this but even she was) nervous wrecks for the first few weeks. We called the emergency help line at least 5 times in the first week. But slowly, the nerves calm down and things fall into a schedule. Those who know me will vouch for the fact that I don’t wake up easily once I fall asleep. I can stay up all night but once I sleep I am dead. All that changed without me knowing about it. A typical night’s sleep now involves waking up couple of times. But, there is nothing short of bliss in holding her close to my heart in the middle of the night and watching her fall asleep – absolute bliss.

For the uninitiated, babies are pretty boring little creatures for the first few weeks. They don’t do much. They do teach you what human life is really all about – eat, sleep, poop. And that’s really all they do. Apart from the mother (who they recognize right from birth), it’s only after the first 6 weeks that they start responding to stimuli including other people. And its fun to see them learn to do that. So a ceiling fan or an old birthday balloon becomes their best friend, a loud retort can make them cry and someone talking or singing to them can make them babble endlessly.

There was nothing more assuring than having my mom-in-law around during this time and we could not thank her enough for this. It may sound funny but if you call the medical night nurse helpline when the office is closed it has a recorded message which says – “if you have tried everything else, call you your mother. ”

Well, that’s what’s cooking at my end. So, although I may not blog very frequently now, I will try to post ramblings every now and then. And if anyone missed me, a big “thank you” for thinking about me.

PS: The title “From dude to dad” was suggested by my wife who saw it in a TV advertisement. Can’t give credit to the exact ad as both of us don’t remember which product it advertised.

To start with I must say it was a good movie. It had a fast pace, which I thought was its absolute plus point and it keeps you engaged throughout. The story which drew from Mahabharat as well as Godfather unfolds very well on screen. Prakash Jha as a director has given great movies like Gangajal and Mrityudand in the past so I had expected nothing less from him. In fact, there in lies the problem. I had expected a little too much from him.

First of all, as far as adaptations on age old stories into today’s world go, the bar has been set pretty high in the recent past by movies like Omkara, Maqbool and even Dev-D. So, the idea of using Mahabharat as the background in a 3 hour movie is exciting in itself. For the record, Mahabharat is my all time favorite story off all time because of the complex nature of each character. All characters, although heroic, have shades of grey and are more human and believable than the ones in most other stories and there isn’t anyone purely black or white. Hell, even Krishna comes with a dark side to him. So, the backdrop had absolute potential to be built into something great. The director falls prey to trying to establish these connections too obviously. Omkara was as close to Othello as you can get, but it was so beautifully adapted into the rustic Bihar/UP that it made you forget that it’s a tragedy by the Bard himself. On the other hand the references to Mahabharat in Rajneeti are more “in your face”. When the “Kunti” character in Rajneeti says lines like “Tum mere jyestha putra ho”, it actually cracked me up. I wouldn’t have been surprised if in the next scene Ranbir’s Arjun addressed his brother as “Bhratashri”.

Although one of the characters refers to Ranbir as one with a dark side, the director doesn’t really do much to give us insight into his character, the way one got from “Landga Tyagi” of Omkara. Same hold with Ajay Devgan’s Karna. Being one of the most complex characters in Mahabharat, it provides a great potential for character development. In fact, the director seems confused as to how Arjun Rampal’s character should be perceived by the audience. I guess when he got too confused he decided to get rid of it all together.

As far as performances go, Ranbir and Nana stand out. Ranbir is definitely someone destined for stardom in the long run. Manoj Bajpai does well but over acts in parts. Arjun Rampal and Katrina Kaif are better than expected. Ajay Devgan has his trademark grim and brooding face all throughout the movie – something which he does in almost every movie now a days, when he is not doing his buffoonery in Golmaals. Btw, where did Naseer disappear after the kissing scene? What a waste of a wonderful actor

If you want to watch Rajneeti as a separate entity without concentrating on the originals, you won’t be disappointed and in fact will walk out with a feeling of having seen a good movie. But unfortunately, the director makes that difficult with the not-so-subtle references. So, if you have the time, stick with the 52 episodes of B.R.Chopra’s Mahabharat and Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather. But as movie in itself, Rajneeti is definitely worth a watch.

Yes, I did get back from Iceland and I did so long time back. But, I have been keeping really busy in office and haven’t gotten any time on hand to write. Finally, I got some breathing space. So, making the most of it.

I mentioned in the lost post that there was a snow storm forcasted in Boston for the day of our flight. Luckily, it was a false alarm. It did snow about an inch but that’s way too less to keep our dear old Logan from functioning. So, as promised, here are the details of our Nordic Adventures.

The first thing which hit us when we landed at Keflavik airport (which is about 30 miles from the city of Reykjavik) is that although it was about 8-9 in the morning, it was still dark and it remained that way till almost 10. The daylight in Feb lasts only from about 10 AM to 5 PM and it’s just the opposite in July-Aug, when the day lasts for 24 hours. In fact, in summer, midnight golf is one of the big attractions of Iceland. The second thing which hit us was that it was much warmer than Boston. In fact, the airport shuttle had its doors open for more than 15 minutes while waiting for passengers and in spite of sitting on the seat right next to the door we were quite warm. Now, that’s a dare I won’t take up in Boston. Btw, the airport shuttle tickets can be purchased at the airport and these shuttles drop you to the hotel of your choice at no extra cost.

In daylight, we noticed for the first time how the landscape was like nothing we had seen before. Iceland is a very young island which was formed a few thousand years ago. In fact, there were volcanic eruptions occurring frequently near Reykjavik even about a thousand years ago. Once the lava cools down, it takes a few thousand years before any vegetation can start growing there. As of now, the only things which grow on these lava fields (which occupy much of Iceland) is moss and in some places, grass. In fact, Icelanders joke about this with questions like: What do you do if you get lost in an Icelandic forest? Well…., you stand up.

We had not booked any trips beforehand and on the first day we decided to explore the city of Reykjavik and plan our day trips for the next few days. We got a few maps from the hotel reception and decided to use the public buses to get around. Unlike Paris, where the locals are rather cold towards tourists, Icelanders turned out to be a much friendlier lot. The bus drivers would take out time to explain the buses we need to take to get around. A couple of times, people who saw us struggle with maps helped us with directions without ever asking for it. The city center of Reykjavik is not bigger than Panjim (Goa, India) and it has a great old world feel to it. Reykjavik is supposed to be one of the most modern cities of the world but it was nice to see that they have preserved their identity through much of globalization by promoting local businesses.

As mentioned in my previous post, my wife had contacted a Goan in Iceland, George Holmes, who runs a restaurant called Indian Mango in downtown Reykjavik. We had decided to have our dinner there so that we could meet George and also find out about things to do in Iceland. That the dinner at Indian Mango was delicious, was another plus. The lamb curry needs a special mention here. Icelandic lamb has a distinct flavor, thanks to its no-hormone raising policy and chef Holmes’ spices complemented the flavor perfectly. In fact, when we told our waitress that we wanted to meet George, he was really excited to see us. We got talking about life in Goa and our visits back home and within no time were chatting like old pals. He brought out a couple of dishes along with some Icelandic beer which weren’t on the menu. And to top it off, he invited us to his house that night to sit out in the naturally heated Jacuzzi to watch the northern lights. Every home in Iceland, apparently, has a natural hot tub outside where Icelanders like to sit in during the winter nights to watch the Aurora Borealis and we were lucky to get invited to share this Icelanders’ favorite pastime. He picked us from the hotel at night and even dropped us back. Sitting in an outdoor hot tub when the air temperature is close to 40 degree Fahrenheit and sipping chilled Icelandic Christmas drink – felt like holiday finally. Thanks George for the wonderful experience.

The next day we went on the Golden Circle tour. Btw, all the day-tours can be booked at any of the hotels. In Reykjavik, everyone picks you up from your hotel for whatever you want to do. Also, don’t bother changing currency. You can pay in dollars at all the places you visit without any additional exchange fee. The tour took us to Pidginvellir which was the site of the oldest known Parliament in human history. The Vikings used this site as their parliament as well as for dishing out capital punishment and I must say they had really creative and horrific ways of doing so. As a side note, the Vikings had discovered America long before the famous Columbus did. For someone who was so bad at what he did, Columbus certainly takes the cake when it comes to fame. I mean I wouldn’t want Columbus as my navigator while I am driving in Boston which sits on the edge of Altantic Ocean. One wrong turn and you could end up in ocean. That always makes me wonder if the GPS company would have ever named its product as “Columbus” instead of “Magellan”.  To get swept in another direction is one thing but then instead of admitting his mistake, he was bull-headed enough to call the people he saw “Indians”. I can almost imagine what the conversation between Columbus and his soldiers might have been (why do I picture Peter Griffin from Family Guy as Columbus when I think of this?):

Columbus: Boys! So we have finally reached India.

Sailor: But Sir, this doesn’t look like India.

Columbus: This is India.

Sailor: But the people don’t look like Indians.

Columbus: This is India. They are Indians.

Sailor: There aren’t any gems and spices around.

Columbus: This is India.

Sailor: But Sir…..

Columbus (Shoots the sailor): Anyone else has any doubts?

Everyone in unison: Sir, this is India.

I did not start out to write this but when I though about Columbus I couldn’t resist from writing about him.

Anyway, coming back to Pidginvellir in Iceland. The North Atlantic rift also passes through this site. North Atlantic rift runs from North to South of Atlantic Ocean and Iceland is the only place where it is seen above sea level. So, you can actually walk between the continental plates of Europe and America and the distance between these two plates increases by about 4 cm every year.

North Atlantic continental rift

Path between european and american continent

This shifting of continents is the same thing which is responsible for Himalayas growing a few cms taller every year in Asia. Next, we went to the Gulfoss waterfall which was in half frozen state. Just a few kms away, we also visited the Geysir area. Here, there are numerous hot springs which are quite active. In fact, Strokkur, the most tourist friendly among them, shoots water about 25 feet into the air every 3-7 minutes.

Strokkur Geysir

Ready to explode

We also visited the geothermal plant which converts all this heat from underground into electricity and heat for all of Iceland to use. I was quite proud to see a picture of Dr. Abdul Kalam, during his visit to the plant, displayed prominently. We also saw a few dormant volcanoes along the way. The land of Iceland seems to be bubbling with energy ready to erupt. There are hundreds of earthquakes occurring in Iceland on daily basis, though of very little intensity. But, it makes you aware of the forces hidden under the earth’s crust.

Most of the day tours end by 5. So, we decided to head to the Reykjavik city center for dinner. This was the routine for every night and that way we could savor quite a few of the local delicacies. Reykjavik city comes to life after 12 in the night. People in Reykjavik know how to party. Most of the pubs/clubs are open till 5 AM and some of the food stalls open only after 1 in the night. Eating a hot dog called “Paylan” after drinking all night is as customary as the hangover that follows the night. Order it “with the works” and you won’t be disappointed. Along the way, I also had the Icelandic lobster which is smaller than a king-prawn or crawfish but scores big on flavor. Icelanders serve up their national bird, Puffin, as a delicacy. If they don’t have any problem with killing their national bird who am I to refuse indulgence in its taste. So, I tried the smoked puffin which tasted very much like any other cured meat. Since, it was cured, I couldn’t really tell how it must’ve tasted originally. I had always wanted to eat escargots (snails), so when they were on the menu, I couldn’t resist. They taste more like mussels but have a slight woody flavor. Btw, snail farming is catching up in France and Spain and apparently, snail eggs are on their way to knock caviar out as the accompaniment pf choice to champagne. Wash this all down with Brennevin (Icelandic Vodka Schnapps). My wife is a vegetarian and she was pleasantly surprised (She had to survive on bread and cheese during most of our Paris trip) with the variety of vegetarian dishes every restaurant served. She swears by the bowls of soups and cups of hot chocolate she devoured during the trip.

The next day we went horse-back riding on a lava tour. The Icelandic horses are shorter than their European or Asian counterparts and they have what is called the “fifth gait”. This is a distinctive style which is a cross between walking and running which offers the rider a smooth and comfortable ride. Icelandic animals have been kept isolated for centuries and this has resulted in them having unique characteristics not seen in animals of the same kind world over. Even when someone wishes to adopt a domestic cat from outside Iceland, the animals have to live quarantined on another island for three months before they can be accepted in Iceland. Apparently, the animals from Iceland haven’t developed the immunity to many diseases which the other animals can bring along. Anyway, this tour was a lot of fun, especially when the guide made the horses gallop at faster speeds.

The next tour was what we had been waiting for all along, Blue Lagoon. No Iceland trip would be complete without it. This is advertised on every brochure you see and so you wonder whether you will get disappointed when you actually see it. But, believe me, the hype is all true! It’s a surreal experience altogether. The day we visited Blue Lagoon it was snowy yet a bright sunny day.  So, it added to its mystical beauty. The water is blue not because of the tiles below (like in a swimming pool) or because of the reflection of the sun. It is actually murky blue because of the color of silica dissolved in this water. The white silica from the bottom of the lake can be used as face mask for its medicinal properties. In fact, there are pots of this face mask lying around which you can use. The water temperature varies from place to place inside the lagoon. So, if you feel too hot or too cold, just walk till you find the temperature right for you. There is a dry as well as wet sauna room and a lava room next to the lagoon. For some time, you lose the sense of time and reality. It’s nothing short of paradise.

Blue Lagoon

Blue Lagoon

The same night, we also went on the northern lights tour. The tour guides go hunting for the best location for viewing these lights. Although we did not get the best location (it was about 50 miles away), we saw a lot of activity in the sky that night. It took quite some time before the activity reached its peak. At its peak, you see various bright bands in the sky increasing and decreasing in intensity. To a naked eye, they appear only as white bands but you can see the true colors if you can capture them on a good camera. I am a “point and shoot camera” kind of person so it took me close to an hour before I could take any pictures of these lights at all. So, finally after all the playing around with the camera settings and without any tripod or special lenses, this is all I could come up with. But there was a professional photographer in our tour bus who had a big-ass camera and a tripod and his pictures were awesome.

Northern lights

Northern lights

As a child, growing up, there are places which you know you will visit sometime. London, Paris, New York, fall in this category and then there are places which you never expect or hope to visit. Iceland, falls in this category. This trip was a much needed break from our hectic schedules and boy, am I glad that we picked Iceland.

So, last month I decided to give a gift of vacation to my wife for her birthday. Well technically, we both are going, so yeah, I get to share the gift with her. She had no clue about the gift and the look on her face was priceless when she opened it. It was a 5 day trip to Iceland. We had been thinking and talking about Iceland since almost a year, so I knew there was no chance of her not liking it. And boy, am I glad I chose that gift. She loved her gift and has been planning the activities and things-to-do ever since. She even contacted a Goan who runs a very popular Indian restaurant in Reykjavik on Facebook so that we can get more tips about Iceland from an insider. And finally, we leave tonight!

For the skeptics, no, Iceland is not all about cold Scandinavian weather. In fact, at this time of the year, it is much warmer than Boston, thanks to the warm currents along its coast. Also, there is a snow storm brewing in Boston for tonight, so ironically we escape from the icy cold this time, for now. I dread coming back to Boston in 5 days, trying to clean foot and a half of snow from 2 cars. Also, hope the snowstorm in Boston doesn’t cause flight delays.

What are our plans there? Snow safari, horse-back riding to the glaciers, see the northern lights (Aurora Borealis), which are most spectacular at this time of the year. Then there is the Blue Lagoon. It’s a naturally heated lake (btw, Iceland is considered the “Green”est place on earth because they use geothermal energy for almost everything, from heating homes to cooking) which doubles as a spa. The water as well the mud is known for its medicinal properties. Everyone who has been there says that this experience is nothing short of bliss. We are really looking forward to a relaxing day there. We also plan to take the Golden circle tour to see the geysers and Gulfoss. We haven’t decided on the exact plan yet as we want to be flexible an focus more on relaxing. The idea isn’t to add stuff to your travel resume but to try and have a good time.

Iceland has traditionally been an expensive place to visit. But, unfortunately for Icelanders, their economy tanked last year due to failure of their banks. The Icelandic Krona, which was selling at about 60 to a US dollar in 2008, is currently selling at about 120. So, in short, tourists get 50% off everything. The food and drinks are still expensive when compared to US or the rest of Europe but not what it used to be.

Along the way, I have been sporting some fun questions and it’s been fun to watch people react when we mention that we are going to Iceland.

Here are a few gems:

1. What are you going to do in Iceland? Go Penguin hunting?

I did not answer this one but couldn’t help but smile. Many of you will already know this, but penguins are found naturally only in the southern hemisphere. Hence, the smile!

2. Iceland? Who goes to Iceland?

Well some crazy folks like us do. What’s more, we brag about it on a blog.

3. How long does it take? 20 hours?

Yes, if you still live in the 16th century. News flash, its 2010 and so from Boston, it’s a direct flight which takes only about 5 1/2 hours. So, it’s closer than flying from Boston to LA.

We are super excited right now and hope the weather in Boston stays good for the flight. Keeping fingers crossed. Will come back with stories about Nordic adventures to tell.

It’s the story of two thugs Khalujaan (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi), who are on run from the man they stole from. They land at a friend’s place near Gorakhpur to find out from his widow Krishna (Vidya Balan), that their friend is no more. The movie tells the story of their intertwined lives from there on. In between, we see caste-based naxalite-looking groups, menacing yet comical dons, smart-talking and gun-wielding teenagers and debauched businessmen.

There was never any doubt about Naseer’s acting abilities. He proves yet again why the actors from the Pune film institute from the 80s are rated so highly. I don’t think anyone else would have done justice to his role of Khalujaan who is a romantic at heart yet is involved in the world. He brings certain – for lack of a better English word – “najakat” to the role. He looks every bit starry eyed as a teenager in the song “Dil to bachcha hai”.

Arshad Warsi is great in his role of the rascal, Babban. Although, he is best known for the role of “circuit” in Munnabhai series, he shows there is more than one-dimension to his ability. But despite the presence of these two, Vidya Balan steals the show in the complicated role of Krishna, which has more layers to it than an onion. She is as comfortable as the sweet-talking widow as she is as the foul-mouthed seductress. Khalujaan describes her aptly when he says “agar mein aurat hota to tumhe janane nahi deta ki mein pari hoon ya tawaif” (If I were a woman, I wouldn’t let you know if I am an angel or a prostitute). Vishal’s movies always have a strong female character, be it Tabu in Maqbool or Konkana/Kareena in Omkara. And his protégé seems to believe in the same school of thought. Also, watch out for the 15 year old Nandu who gets the best one-liners in the film.

On the downside, the movie does seem to lose pace in the middle but it picks up again at the end. There seemed to be disconnects in editing in some places. Maybe, it was just the print I was watching (wasn’t playing in theatres here). Also, in some parts, there is definite need for sub-titles as the language is too rustic to understand. Vishal’s music seamlessly integrates with the movie and “Ibn-e-batuta” and “dil to bachcha hai” are quite catchy. The song by Rekha Bharadwaj is quite haunting as well. 

Its great to see movies like Kaminey, Gulaal, DevD, A Wednesday being made, which is a welcome departure from the standard fares which the Johars and Chopras have been serving us. There is more to film-making than romancing in silk sarees in Switzerland and dancing at a sister’s marriage. No idea if the movie will succeed at the Box office or not. But it definitely gets thumbs up from me.

 Whenever apple has a new product release in pipeline, sites like “macrumours” goes all out speculating what and how the product will be. I am sure apple has its people involved in creating a buzz on these sites. So, it wasn’t a surprise when the blogosphere went abuzz with rumors about iPad. I love apple products, be it their iPod, iPhone or Macbook and I had been following these rumors online for quite some time. And I had the live blog open which gave minute-by-minute updates of Steve Jobs’ keynote speech.

 When I was reading these updates I got thinking about who apple would be targeting to sell this product. Mac line of desktops and laptops are targeted towards people wanting to move away from Windows (specifically Vista at one point of time) or people who want to be cool. iPhone revolutionized the mobile devices in a way more than apple ever imagined by bringing coolness and functionality all together without looking like a boring blackberry used by upper management. So, does iPad have a target audience?

 Priced at 499 (starting price) for the wifi version (with no 3G), it is priced higher than the netbooks which offer a full keyboard. iPad probably looks like upper shell of the Macbook (bit smaller), without the keyboard. The keyboard is brought up on the display itself, so that would take up half the screen. So, I don’t know how practical typing a document is going to be, specially, if you are switching between two documents. Also, no 3G means that it will be restricted to your house and more often than not you would use it on your couch. For me, I would rather use a netbook for such use.

 The model with 3G is priced higher starting at $630. That makes it quite an expensive proposition. You could buy two netbooks from Dell/HP/Acer for that price. Plus you would pay for the 3G, either on the go or $15 for 250 Megs of download per month or $30 for unlimited usage, which means your cost doesn’t end at $630. Some people may feel that it would be quite useful for something like getting directions when you are in the car. But then wouldn’t iPhone be a more practical choice, one for its size and two because it has a GPS chip built inside?

 You can also connect the iPad to the dock and connect a physical keyboard (sold separately). But then that takes the portability out of it. An apple mini, which is priced at around the same figure might be a better option for such usage.

 Apple also intends to compete in the e-reader market so that pitches iPad directly competes against the kindle e-book reader. Kindle has a near monopoly in that segment so far. Granted iPad offers documents in color while kindle does not. But what tilts the scale in favor of kindle is the fact that it uses e-ink technology which renders pages just like a book, without any glare, making it a near-substitute for a physical book. Mac screens are beautiful to look at due to their higher resolution but they definitely have a higher glare which ends up straining your eyes. So, unless iPad switches modes between something like e-ink for reading and normal screen for regular usage, it would fall short of a kindle. Btw, while we are at it, has anyone heard about “infibeamPi”. This was apparently developed by an ex-Amazon employee but I was shocked to see how identical it was to a kindle down to the Amazon logo. Copyright infringement or is something cooking?

 iPad, as a concept, is great. It does a lot of things. But, in trying to do all those, I think it loses focus of what it wants to be. Whether a book reader or a netbook or a portable internet device. That’s exactly what happened with Macbook Air which compromised on practicality. But trust the die-hard apple fan boys to get the iPad on the first day anyways. Also, some people might want to get it just to add to their cool quotient. So, don’t be surprised if you see lines outside the apple stores in March/April, when it becomes available for public. Success or failure, one thing you do have to credit apple with is innovation. So, even if iPad fails, trust apple to come out with something new and innovative the next time Steve Jobs takes stage.

 Although, I did not stand in line the previous night, I did buy the iPhone on the first day of its release. I have owned the 3G and 3GS versions ever since. But I don’t see myself buying the iPad on the first day or even the first couple of months. If you do, then I would love to hear about it.

 PS: This blog has been written before the official release of iPad. It just tells you my thoughts about the device and is not a reflection of how the actual device is.

 Watching Avatar in 3-D was a cinematic experience beyond ordinary. It would be understating if I say that this movie might just revolutionize the way movies will be made in the future. Brilliant! Excellent!

 This was story telling at its best. And I say this because the story in itself isn’t something which you haven’t seen or heard before. Heck, even a few Indian Tarzan/Jane movies might have a similar story where the aggressor goes into the forest looking for treasures and the leading man/woman falls in love with Tarzan/Jane. And you know what happens next. But what makes Avatar different is the way this story is told on screen. James Cameron is a master story-teller and there was never any doubt about that. His movies always spell grandeur, in fact, sometimes, bordering on being over-the-top. But there is no denying that he knows how to keep audiences glued from start to finish. Be it the non-stop action in Terminator series or the love story in Titanic, he knows what audiences will lap up. Avatar is no exception and the creation of the kingdom of Pandora in 3D definitely makes it more exotic. Actingwise, nothing to write home about. I haven’t seen it in 2D so I cannot comment on what a viewer feels about the movie in 2D. But seriously, why would anyone waste money on the 2D version when you get to see the 3D for almost the same price?

 I like the way there were not-so-subtle innuendos about the American aggression. I couldn’t help but chuckle when the General talks about “preëmptive strikes”. Haven’t we heard about those from a certain American President for the last 10 years? Replace Unobtainium with Oil or diamonds and the movie tells the story about Iraq, Sierra Nevada or any other place where there has been aggression. The program director in Avatar talks about how they have been building schools and teaching English to the people in Pandora and says he doesn’t understand what else they need. That exactly is the problem with any form of aggression. An imperialist power which conquers for materialistic gains will never understand the sanctity of tradition and culture. Some things I couldn’t stop thinking about after watching it.

 Anyway, to give a verdict, definitely watch Avatar and watch it in 3D. Btw, the movie is shown in three different 3D theatres: IMAX, Real 3D and Dolby 3D. IMAX is supposed to give you the best experience with the huge screen size and better pop-out effects. But it also becomes tiring on the eye after about 45 minutes and this is a long movie. Real 3D and Dolby 3D are technologies used in non-IMAX theatres with smaller screens. The pop-out effects aren’t as much pronounced but it makes the movie more watchable as your eyes don’t get strained as much. I saw Beowulf in 3D in IMAX sometime back and I got out with a headache. So, I chose to see Avatar in Real 3D and it was a great experience. So, choose according to what suits you and your eyes.

Since I have taken up this dare, if I disappear after this post then don’t be too surprised. It just means that my wife has sent me to rest in a better place. I am walking a tight rope here. Before the wedding, a lot of my friends had built a scary image about marriage. One thing which I realized after a couple of years of being married is that I was so wrong. Not because the scary image part is untrue. But because, as a rule, a husband is always wrong.

When you get married, you do realize that living with a person is a whole different ball game than being in love with the same person before marriage. It’s a lot of fun as well. And at times, there’s friction. But as time goes on, usually the friction goes away. If there is one thing that Charles Darwin and his evolution has taught husbands is that you should evolve (read, give up already. There is no point arguing). So, yes I have evolved to avoid getting extinct.

I have also learnt when, how and in what way I should open my mouth to speak. There are times when you have to act fast and reply in one way only. These questions answered with any other reply can be dangerous. Have I put on any weight? Quick …”No”, is the answer. How do I look? ….Always go with “beautiful”. You can try “stunning” once in a while. But don’t overdo it. You don’t want to sound fake, do you?

Then there are questions you never ever reply to. You may get tempted to act a little smartass but avoid that at all costs. It’s not funny when she doesn’t see the humor in it. These are questions like “Do you think you are so smart?” or “Am I that stupid?”. You might feel the urge to counter that with a “duh!” or “Hello?” but if you want to survive, don’t do it. I shouldn’t stretch my luck here with more questions. I am already walking a tightrope. But, you get the gist.

Then there are trick questions. There is no one way to handle it. In fact, when you are asked such a question you are already in trouble. It may be as simple as asking “Did you keep the laptop here?”. So, now you think if she had repeatedly asked you to keep it in some place and you did not do it? or whether you just kept it lying in some place where its not supposed to be. Tough one!

If you are my wife and you still haven’t killed me, you know I love you, sweetheart. And jokes apart, you are the best thing to have happened in my life. Looking forward to many wonderful years ahead with you. As Dr. Evil says to Mini Me…”You complete me”