Attention Passengers...

    "Attention Passengers" would be the beginning of the any railway announcement in India. If they here this, foreigners would think that Indian Railway is too cautious and taking so much care for the passengers to be board in the train, which we Indians alone would call as 'Train'. Most of the times the so called 'Attention Passengers' announcement would be aired to inform the passengers that, their train would be late for another couple of hours. One should be really lucky to get his/her train on time in India !
    If we get our train on time we have to negotiate with lot of other things inside the train. For instance,FOOD; One of the basic needs, Sometimes they would supply horrible food inside the train. Loos-motion, food poisonings etc are normal things which would follow after a meal or two inside Indian Railway.If you are really lucky, you would even get cockroaches inside your meal pack, that too freaking ALIVE !! And if one wants to taste the worlds' worst vegetable cutlet, Chicken Biriyani etc, No kitchen in the world than Indian Railway's kitchens would better supply it.
         Now about some facilities offered inside the train. To be specific, inside the toilet ! You would never find a foreign railway network which provide passengers inside, with an opportunity to express their creativity to make their train journey a memorable one. Indian railway is a perfect example for that. All toilet walls are freely given to the passengers to express their feelings. some would write some excellent quote, some would draw some nude picture and explain each and every part of it more perfectly than your biology teacher, Some would prefer to write down girls' cell numbers. They say call girls, but majority of such numbers would be the numbers of  innocent girls who had refused a valentine's day gift or a proposal. And some political party fights would be seen on those walls as well. What else people need to have a NICE JOURNEY ??
        In every boggy you will find warning sticker pasted on the wall against smoking and drinking inside the train. Yet someone would make a boggy or at least their seat and surroundings a BAR inside. They will drink, sing horrible songs and smoke as if they are in a bar. Shukriya Indian Railway for an attached bar, Creativity boosting toilet wall [Creativity hub!], Ass-Leaking food and beverages. SHUKRIYA !!

Come on India Dhikado...

                When I was in 5^th standard, I used to watch one advertisement with more than 100% interest. I didn’t understand the dialogues in the Ad.  But I loved that Ad like anything. It was Official Wills video. The scene of the Ad would begin with mob stepping out of a cricket stadium with their hopes buried in the gallery as India in the verge of losing a match. Arun lal’s commentary would be played in the background. Here goes Arun Lal, “Have a look at this, India is going to face the toughest situation. Game is down to the wire, And as India’s hopes are less, people started moving out after firing the posters of team India on the stands. It is a big task, Can they pull it off?”As fans rushing out side, One guy in Red and black strips full sleeve T-Shirt seems running in the Stadium by pushing the crowd which comes in his opposite direction. As he reaches the gallery he jumps like a monkey on the boundary grills in the gallery and started roaring ‘COME ON INDIA DHIKADO’. Then Sachin turned back at the gallery. In fact all Indian players started feeling something different and finally Anil Kumble took the last wicket to make India victorious. Throughout the Ad, ‘Come on India song’ would be played. That singer in the video would be continuously asking all the team to show ‘Some will’!

          Where is our team standing now guys?

ICCI ranking system would say us that, we are in 3d position in the ICCI ranking. But are we delivering results? We played 7 tests and lost all the matches. When we lost 4 matches in England fans thought that it was a bad omen. After that India came back well in the home serious against West-Indies. It was tour down under in Australia waiting us. We lost terribly in the first match in Melbourne. I never thought India could lose a game like that. We were almost there to win a game but team India lost it like anything. Then we thought it was a starting trouble and team would strongly come back in Sydney. But I have never seen India performing like this on the field. All bowlers struggled and Michael Clarke hit his maiden 300 in Sydney and Team India’s irresponsible kind of batting invited another massive innings defeat.

Then we thought in Perth we would pull back. But I still wonder why India didn’t play Aswin there. Yet we thought we would show some positive intent in the game. Pitch in Perth lived up to it’s expectation that the ‘Courtyard of batsmen’. Team India were restricted to their lowest total in the series so far and Australia took a massive lead of 200 plus as Warner made a quick centaury. India’s reply was positive but soon started going back to the pavilion one by one. Rahul Dravid and Virak Kohli resisted but it was not enough and team India lost the game for an innings and 35 runs.

                    Now we know what would happen. All the media would ask for Dhoni’s head and couple of seniors’. But is that the right step we have to take. Let me ask you one question, Is Team India’s new coach doing something great? Garry Kirsten never behaved like a coach in the dressing room. He was one among the members of the team. He listened to the problems of the players and improved the performance of each and everyone. Finally Garry helped Team India to lift the World Cup 2011. He then, left to South Africa to coach his own national team. Look at the improvement of current South African national team. Srilanka has been squeezed by the hosts in the quick surface in South Africa.

Is there a Garry Kirsten in India?

                       Yes, we have a left hander former captain who had shown the guts to remove his shirts to celebrate a memorable victory in the Mecca of cricket, The Lords.

                     Yes I am talking about the fearless tiger of Bengal, Ever green and uncrowned prince of Calcutta, Mr. Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly is the cleverest captain India had ever seen. If Ganguly can coach team India it would be a new beginning in the history of Indian cricket. No Australia.. NO South Africa would dare to challenge India.

                      Now we can hope for the best from team India in the remaining tests in Australia. Yes Indian tigers are wounded. Australia must be seriously aware of this. Let us hope for the best. Let us support our team. Our Men in Blue..

 Thanks for your time

Sharath Muthirakkal