Dogs gone astray

• India has never qualified for the World Cup despite its rich legacy with football. I was very young when Maradona stunned the whole world. He alone, in 1986, made Kolkata turn to a phenomenon called the Argentina cult. Even in 2014, 60% of Kolkata are loyal to lose sleep to support Argentina. The remaining are mostly Brazil fans. The Kolkata brain does acknowledge that India will never qualify in a WC. We do realize that our form of football that culminates in a East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan derby, is just not in the same league as other nations. But the Kolkata heart, every fourth year, cries for a Brazil or an Argentina. This is Bengal, dear.
• On a busy Kolkata wall, I spotted a writing: "Like the hungry, unemployed, deprived Brazilian youth who protested against the opium called the World Cup, can't we raise our voice against IPL?" Well, I always rate football way above cricket and it's really difficult for me to say anything negative about the great sport. Nonetheless, I was happy to see at least someone showed some courage to peel off the skin and taste the tasteless.
• Android Kitkat is coming soon. How many times one needs to upgrade one's radio partners to stay socially relevant? And how many different ways to communicate to prove one is sociable and cool?
• AAP did badly in the LS election. What followed is a comedy of errors - the group of corruption-haters, who took up brooms to cleanse the system, started hating each other. Rift within the party ranks led to exodus of its leaders and a near extinct state of the party.
• Sahara-sri, Mr. Subrata Roy, who is behind the bar right now has pleaded for mercy. With a tax liability above INR 10K Cr and an age of 66Y, I strongly feel he should be let go. He is the 2nd largest employer in this country. Is money laundering a crime in India? I'm shocked. Over the years every big name of every industry has felt privileged to be invited to a party hosted by him. He has sponsored the biggest ritual - cricket. Everything was so great about him till recently - he in fact insulted the court time and again with remarkable arrogance. Even a quintessential villain in a Hindi movie would feel ashamed by his style of poking fun at the judiciary. His new-found mellowness is disappointing. Just today I saw a 'breaking news' on HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S) party. It's a case of cash for MLC seat in Karanataka. The amount he is believed to have asked in the conversation tape is INR 40 Cr. Later he didn't deny nor he sounded apologetic. Rather said it's the unfortunate situation of Indian politics and he can't help - it's not only his party but a unanimously accepted practice all over. Should he quit? That's the ongoing media trial - crafted to hog the air-time. Why? He has shown honesty, nor was he caught in taking the money. And what's there to hide when it's so 'normal'? Btw, he is the man who once refused to step down from CM's post quoting astrological reasons! The law book needs to be revisited. Corruption should be treated either as a subject in B-schools (it's cannot be made a general subject, but only for the brainy scholars) or a sport event. We will have more than enough volunteers to train young minds. We will welcome healthy competition among the achievers. Indian corruption deserves respect from its public. Media will be quick to follow the public sentiment. I think sociology does open up to adapt to changes in behavioral patterns of people. Rules, norms, laws... even the constitution can be subject to change. The other option is to look at the sky and wait for a "black hole sun" to "come" and "wash away the rain" [ ~Soundgarden / Black hole sun].
• I visited Shantiniketan of late. I was wondering what Tagore would have felt if he found only 25 out of his 2500 songs are doing the rounds. Nothing is everlasting. Rabindra Sangeet, on the other hand, is too powerful to wither out. The absence of any true competition has actually resisted its natural death. Be it writing or the musical originality; it has been above comparison. But Tagore was a philosopher whose profoundness cannot be sold easily after so many years. The film makers have tried to use it. Music makers have tried to experiment with it. Reality show makers have tried to project it as a theme. For obvious reasons, these not-so-qualified ones had to stick to the peppier 25. Apparently these are done as a homage; but these contributed to its decimation too. Mrinal Sen, during an interview shared an interesting story that occurred to him while shooting in a remote village. He realized, contrary to common belief, that villages remember Tagore's music far more respectfully than the urban elites. Tagore would have preferred a natural death for his songs to the current slow poisoning.