Ebullient, Energetic, Espana

Michael Schumacher, Harrison Ford, Enrique Iglesias, Jurgen Klinsmann Franz Beckenbauer, Joseph Sepp Blatter, Henry Kissinger, Juan Carlos........ the list went on at the VIP stand of a full-house 55000-holder Ernst-Happel Stadion at Vienna, the capital city of Austria. Gentlemen from sports, politics, culture and royalty had all arrived to watch Germany take on Spain in the grand finale to what was a spectacular UEFA Euro 2008 Championships.

UEFA Euro 2008 made an estimated two million soccer fans visit Vienna and cops had to fly in from France, Germany and Switzerland to ensure that the tournament was free of any shameful incident. It really is difficult to contain the ardent proponents who cheer for their respective nations. As many as 650 volunteers on job saw to it that the city streets were litter-free. Austria made every single effort to neatly carry out the task they had agreed upon to. Incredible effort!!

Lacking the usual pace during the initial stage of the championships, Germany finally came into its own with a host of performances which saw them outplay Portugal in the quarter-finals and then surprise Turkey in the semis with that glorious penultimate minute scorcher from Phillip Lahm which enraptured the Germans to no end. That’ll be an unforgettable moment for Lahm, as that atoned for his casual approach for the good part of the game. Germany were fortunate to squeeze through a spot to finals, something which even Joaquim Loew agreed. Schwiensteiger, Klose, Ballack and Podolski ended as the prominent goal scorers for Germany.

Spain on the other hand produced some consistent good performance right from the beginning of the tournament. David Villa’s hat-trick against Russia was one of the highlights of their impressive display in the league stages. In the quarter-finals, Spain outclassed Italy in the penalties, with their goal-keeper Iker Casillas being the hero of the evening following his two match-winning saves from Daniele de Rossi and Antonio de Natale. Guus Hiddink’s Russia, which managed to string together a bunch of victories to advance into the round of final 4, were again defeated by Spain, which also managed to maintain a clean sheet. Xavi, Guiza and Silva piled on goals to see Spain 3-0 home.

For the title clash, Germany received a boost when skipper Michael Ballack was included despite nursing a calf strain. Loew’s side did not take much time to settle. They were the side which looked more comfortable in the first half as the passing looked better than at any previous stage of the tournament. However, Miroslav Klose and Thomas Hitzlsperger could not convert any glimpses into a goal. Spain, minus the tournament-leading scorer David Villa, took a while to get accustomed to a new 4-5-1 formation.

Three minutes past the half hour mark, Torres sent one striking down the inside-right channel after Xavi sent a smooth ball into the German area. With a goal as lead, Spain increased the spirit of play and capitalized as Germany looked less potent with Ballack getting injured his left eye at an inopportune moment.

Spain leading the first half 1-0 held its nerve despite Shwiensteiger and Klose trying hard to make it all even. The scoreline would have read 2-0 if not for some intelligent defending and low crosses being cut short by Germans. And finally, as the game drew towards close, Spain had every reason to cheer for they were advancing towards a first major victory since 1964. They deserved the victory and the tournament for being consistent and performing throughout.

Meanwhile, Raul would have been as disappointed as Germany, for he opted to stay out of the competition. Torres, the man for Spain, was all joy as any Spanish on earth for putting an end to the famous tag which Spain had managed to achieve, ‘Perennial Hapless Comedy Under-Achievers Of International Football’.

Come What MAY......

It has been quite some time since I last hit the "Publish Post" link. The month of May 2008 was perhaps filled with more news than any month in the first half of the year. Perhaps, the lionine share of the news and all that constantly hit the daily headlines belongs to the Indian Premier League which has blown the trumpet of freshness, both in the world of cricket and that of business. Lots of cricket zealots (wives and girlfriends apart) would have silently cursed Lalit Modi, for spoiling their evening plans, sleep and keeping a zillions of spines chilling at the eerie hour of 12 (2400 hrs) in the possible hottest month of the summer. It really was an ornate extravaganza, for at times, I felt that the IPL would eventually replace the quadrennial World Cup in its fame charts.

Modi, later in Exxtra Innings, revealed that it was during a scorching noon at Wimbledon, where it all began. Sharad Pawar, Modi and other eminent officials of BCCI were at the Centre Court watching in awe as The Fedex Juggernaut was on its full strength thrashing a belligerent, equipotent Rafael Nadal en route its 5th consecutive championship to equal an existing record of Bjorn Borg. That the finale dragged itself into exhaustive 5 setter, two of which included tie-breakers, gave the spectators more than their penny's worth. Taking a cue from the unprecedented glory of Wimbledon, our guys have done an incredible job of gifting us a month-and-a-half-long reality blockbuster, which has already cast its growing shadow on the 50-50 over or 5-day version of the game. The league has already launched India to the fore of a corporate run cricket with tremendous ease. Fittingly, Rajasthan Royals, led by a shrewd campaigner in Shane Warne won the inagural edition of IPL, effectively putting an end to theories which sought the opinion that the amount of money invested is tantamount to talent and success. Where were the Asnodkars and the lesser known Pathans in the mind of a well bred cricket purist?? Hardly anyone would have guessed that these cricketers, who have spent most of their time playing for dull Plate 'B' divisions would carve a gem of success from a team which resembled a sandstone at the beginning of the league. All plaudits to Rajasthan, for proving the pith of the success was hard work and self belief. Those impaired in the Jaipur blast can happily find some smiles returning on their faces following the stupendous feat of Rajasthan Royals.




While IPL itself is not the soul of life, the month of May had other important things in store.In Karnataka,the focus on cricket had to take a back seat as the Royal Challengers of Bangalore did everything unasked for.Instead, someone who had been ruthlessly humiliated and betrayed in a 20-20 contest (the stakes involved here were higher than an IPL tie) had all reasons to cheer as he successfully made a come-back to shut JD(S) out of contention, atleast for the coming 5 years. BJP ripped severe deep cuts into its earlier coalition partner with 110 seats favoring the earlier-beleaguered party. While BJP's clinch this time around improved from 80 (2004 stats) to 110, that of JD(S) saw a slump from 58 to 28. A neat shift of 30 in the wrong direction for demonstrating calculated betrayal. The media crew, known for its expertize in spicing up things, did not miss capturing a glimpse of an empty JD(S) headquarters at the onset of declaration of the election denouement. Congress meanwhile remained mute as ever, taking no chances to reform ties with a party who've clearly demonstrated what they are capable of. BSY finally ascended the throne and the new government has just finished its expansion and is looking forward to justify its selection. The independent winners were drafted to create a majority bench and were actually offered posts which they otherwise would have never likely achieved. With this victory, BJP, which has seen tremendous success of late, achieved its first full strength government in South India and is looking in good nick for the 2009 national elections.


On May 5th, oil prices reached US $120 per gallon for the first time to pressurize world economy. And more was to come as it soared close to $130 at the end of the month creating severe panic. The central government, already under fire from several quarters due to rising inflation and fluctuating economy is fighting its best to keep the surge within manageable limits by reducing tax levy and other involved costs, but it remains to be seen as to how long will this last. Tough times await us if this runs rampant. It's interesting to see how Mr Manmohan Singh and Co. would manage to stabilize things in the final leg of UPA's helm at the top.


Shifting our focus to the cinema, Bollywood fared moderately this summer. It's the smaller screen which has captured the excitement with a steep increase noticed in television viewer points and ratings. While it was the Set Max which romped home with maximum prime-time television viewings, Star Plus came up with innovative programmes like 'Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain..?' to keep the viewers craving for more. Shah Rukh's affable hosting of the show has won several fans already including the likes of Lalu Yadav and Amitabh Baccchan.

So many things happening there within a short span of 30 days. It was a hectic but nevertheless happening May, things came and things went. Come what MAY, things begin and things continue.....................

The Remarkable Assortment of Fun and Comic

Suppandi.....Kalia the Crow.....Chamataka.....Naseeruddin Hodja.....Kapish.....Tantri the Mantri.....Ramu and Shamu.....Doob Doob.....Chamataka......Raja Hooja.....Detective Dog Ranjha.....Mopes and Purr.....Mooshik.....Shikari Shambhu.....and the list goes on.....

Well, I can bravely assume that it is totally impolitic to introduce these famed characters, as they easily have a large number of friends and fans across people of different age groups, predominantly children. All of them are skittish and special in their own characteristic way, and when you mix them together to form a colourful, humorous motley, it combines into a household-name-popular comic series called Tinkle. Into its 28th year, Tinkle has been the most sought-after comic in India, and still continues to reign the roster. Known for its incredible assortment of fun, stories, puzzles, quiz, contests and other features, this comic series has the reputation of more than 600 copies being printed till date.

Tinkle grew into fame in the early 80's shortly after being introduced. I still remember those days when I eagerly waited for the newspaper vendor to deliver the latest copy, and never gave it up until I finished reading at a stretch. Every story published in Tinkle has been distinct and of new taste, particularly the very first story of every edition, which generally is a sort of parable. Tinkle Digest, the greater version of Tinkle, has several such stories which teach a moral or two. Not surprisingly, it costs Rs.50 a copy, but is indeed worth every single penny.

Suppandi, one of the most entertaining characters of Tinkle is my most favourite character. I wonder if there is any other master on earth who has the forbearance and composure of that of Suppandi's owner, who gets baffled everytime he commands a task to Suppandi. Suppandi rocks nevertheless.

Coming to another funny character, any hunter would envy the hap of Shikari Shambhu who accidentally succeeds in hunting down a feral man-eater on the prowl. Sheer serendipity...!! As is his customary wont, he never (always, yet successful) has faltered in his bid to win the catch. Only his finicky wife and we readers know how lucky he is. Else, all other countrymen and village folks from hinterlands have a great reverence for Shambhu, the intelligent hunter.

Kalia, the crow, gifted with an exceptional moral rectitude and remarkable intellect has been the killjoy of zillion malicious plans devised by the hapless Chamataka and its willing accomplice Doob Doob for ages.

And then there is the wise Naseeruddin Hodja, a dream minister any emperor would love to have in his political state of affairs. Tantri the Mantri, the sly minister, has never had the fortune of stepping the throne, given his nefarious thoughts of cut short the life of his innocent ruler Raja Hooja. Serves him right, after all. And he is not finished yet, busy devising another one.

Mopes and Purr have been the most vigilant detective duo on the block, hunting down the culprits every now and then, with aplomb. This series got introduced later as it was missing in the earlier fortnightly editions of Tinkle.

To search and publish such fresh, wonderful stories, with other topics of related interest, on a regular basis when you have a large, anxiously waiting fan base can get seriously onerous. We readers are extremely grateful to Mr. Anant Pai, more fondly known as Uncle Pai. And not to forget the painstaking efforts of the artist team of Tinkle, who tirelessly depict the funny expressions and illustrate the gist of Tinkle. In many ways, Tinkle has been the elixir of thousands of us to get rid of all the tedium and feel rejuvenated. There may be a certain Champak or Gokulam, but Tinkle easily rules the realm of comics and is way beyond its contenders in terms of its number of readers and fans. It rightly deserves all the encomiums and eulogies.........