La Roja triumphs

Netherlands vs Spain - World Cup Final 2010,11 July 2010
Soccer City, Johannesburg

Thirty two nations, ten venues, 64 matches and a month long of football fever- all these came to an end on the 11th of July 2010 when Spain reigned supreme and lifted its maiden world cup title. The final between the Dutch and the Spaniards was deemed to be a tough one for both the sides. The Netherlands were the dark horses to win the tournament but Spain were indeed one among the favourites to win the tournament.

The closing ceremony at the Soccer City, Johannesburg was a real delight to watch. The stadium designed in the shape of a 'Calabash'- the Afrikan pot was occupied 100 percent. The ground was turned into a giant screen with the aerial lights providing some eye catching visual imagery. The hour long closing ceremony will remain in the minds of the millions of television viewers and spectators who were present there. Former president Nelson Mandela graced the occasion by making his presence felt along with his wife. Columbian singer Shakira entertained the spectators with her sleezy hip movements, dancing, shaking and singing along with the African local band and the whole crowd was dancing to the tune of  WAKA WAKA. Africa's wildlife was presented with dummy elephants making their way to the water hole. The best moments in this month long soccer feast were also displayed and at last the whole of Africa said Thank You in a number of different languages, this being a sign of faith that the FIFA had in Africa for hosting the world cup tournament.

The Netherlands and Spain were in for a tough task ahead of them. Both these teams were vying to get their hands on the trophy for the very first time, the only difference being that the Dutch were in the finals on two previous occasions but failed to lay their hands on the most coveted prize in football. The Spaniards on the other hand were never in a world cup final.

The Dutch played really physical football right from the time the whistle was blown to start the game. Van Persie, Nigel Di Jong and Van Bommel receiving yellow cards within the first half hour of the game. Nigel Di Jong must have been shown a staright red but a nasty stamp on Xabi Alonso's chest in the first half. Spain too had its share of yellow cards, Puyol and Ramos getting into the referees books.

Spain were dominant, keeping the ball to themselves and playing possession football. Iniesta and Xavi the midfield maestros were simply superb, showcasing perfect power,skill,balance and technique. The Dutch rattled the Spanish players with constant fowls and giving away freekicks now and then. Robben had the best shot on goal in the first half, cutting in  from the right and drilling the ball hard into the near post with his powerful left foot but Iker Casillas had his eyes wide open and he had to because its The most important match and mistakes will cost either team dearly.

Half time gone both the teams were locked up with a 0-0 scoreline, neither side being able to break the deadlock.

Fifteen minutes after the first half both teams were out on the pitch, refreshed and raring to go at one another. As the match progressed it became more and more nastier. Constant fowls, display of the yellow cards and clashes among players marred the free flowing nature of this beautiful game. The Dutch received five more yellow cards and the Spaniards received three.

Robben broke free from the defence and was one on one with the Spanish goalkeeper but couldn't put the ball into the Spanish net. The trailing left foot of Casillas denying Robben his goal. The Dutch were distraught and Robben just couldn't believe it. All Robben had to do was chip the ball over Casillas' head instead he went for the shot and thereby ruined his country's chances to go ahead. Ramos on the other end couldn't keep the header down in the 77th minute from a corner kick. The Dutch were confused by the Spanish set piece and Ramos was suddenly left all by himself.

Robben missed another chance in the 83rd minute when he raced past Puyol to get to the ball but failed to control it properly and put it past Casillas. Puyol must have been sent off at this point of time but the referee didn't quite seem to notice the foul he had committed. Robben was tugged from behind and pulled by Puyol,preventing him to regain his balance to take the shot. Horrendous refereeing indeed and when Robben protested he was shown the yellow card. That just summed up Robben's and Netherland's day.

Full time gone and not a single goal on the score cards the game went into extra time. The players were indeed weary and tired but thats the price you pay for playing your hands on the coveted trophy in football.
Fabregas was brought in in place of Alonso and he too missed his chance of giving Spain the lead in Extra time.

Both the goalkeepers (Stekelenburg and Casillas) were indeed heroes and deserve a lot of credit.

in the 119th minute Heitinga received his second yellow and was sent off. The Dutch were down to ten men and seemed to succumb to the marauding Spanish Aramada. When it looked like the match would indeed be settled on penalities Andries Iniesta lunges forward and drill in a shot into the far post and into the Dutch goal, breaking Dutch hearts all over the world.

Spain had achieved the impossible, the reigning EURO champions were crowned the World Champions. Spain went beserk the fans got even more crazier and the whole nation went into a state of euphoria.

Spain became the second nation after West Germany to lift the EURO and World Cup titles back to back. They were the better side indeed, they played sublime football, showed great character and displayed courage at the highest stage.

Germans too good for Maradona's team

Argentina vs Germany - World Cup Quarter-Finals 2010

The clash of the titans in football is always awaited with much anticipation. The press, media and other sport talk shows get into all sorts of comparison, pulling out statistics and discussing tactics with the football pundits as to who would emerge 'The Winner'.

This particular quarter final saw one of the best European nations taking on one of the finest South American Nations. Germany with their young squad were up against Maradona's well experienced team with the world's footballer of the year Lionel Messi leading the forefront for the Argentinians. The venue was set in the coastal city of South Africa- Cape Town. The Germans were clad in their other kit, sporting the black and golden colours where as the Argentinians were in their traditional sky blue and white stripe shirts.

Germany got off to a dream start when Bastian Schweinsteiger took the free kick and delivered the ball right into the six yard box for the 20 year old Thomas Muller to head the ball right into the Argentinian goalkeeper's legs and then deflected into the net. Three minutes gone and the Germans were upbeat and in the lead. For the first in this world cup Mr. Maradona looked a worried man and it was also the first time that Argentina were behind.

The Germans could have easily doubled their lead but Klose miscued the shot and it went over the cross bar. Argentina were in top form in later part of the first half, launching onslaught after onslaught but the solid German defence denied them anything. Tevez, Messi and Higuain looked unimpressive. First half gone Germany were in the lead.

Argentina regrouped themselves and showed some attacking football in the second half. They needed a goal to come back in the game and take the game to Germany. Crisp defending by Lahm denied the Argentinians a chance to score, had Lahm not cleared the ball at the vital moment Argentina would have gone level. The young German squad were in top form in this world cup, destroying their opponents ruthlessly. Miroslav Klose scored the second goal for the Germans in the 67th minute and virtually sealed any comebacks for Argentina.

The Argentinians needed some magic from their hero Messi. Messi tried hard,dribbled well, took on the German defenders single handed but luck was not on his side. He couldn't find the back of the German net. Argentina's woes got worse as the game progresses. In the process to score goals their defence was exposed and was lackadaisical. Schweinsteiger making an easy run into the box and delivered a low pass to Friedrich who tapped the ball into the Argentinian net.

The scoreline read Argentina 0 Germany 3.

The German onslaught didn't stop end there. Their hunger for goals and the desire to kill their opponents produced another goal from Klose in the 89th minute. The Germans had reserved their berth for the semis and were on cloud nine. The Argentinians were distraught.

Another South American was sent home packing. They follow the shoes of Brazil who exited the world cup yesterday when they were ousted by Netherlands.

Could the Germans win the world cup for the fourth time? They await either Paraguay or Spain in the semis. If they continue this killer form then Germany could go all the way and come out with top laurels and the $30 million prize at South Africa.

FINAL SCORE LINE: GERMANY 4 ARGENTINA 0

Trip to SRIRANGAM

I along with Karthik aka KP, Amol and Balu decided to visit Srirangam to attend our batchmate, Anantharaman’s engagement ceremony. KP, Amol and I boarded the Rockfort express from Chennai Egmore and Balu joined us at Tambaram. We got the tickets from Sundari (Anantharaman’s fiancé) and comfortably seated ourselves in coach S6. There were many others from the girl’s party on the same train. The train left the station at the correct time and whistled along the path occasionally, stoping at Mambalam and Tambaram before picking up full speed. All of us gossiped for quite some time before dozing off in our respective berths. I occupied the middle berth and could feel the cold air caress my hair all along.

The train reached Srirangam at about 5:30 in the morning. I had slept well but was still a bit groggy. We were transported from the station to the mandapam (function hall) on a mini bus, which was completely occupied by the girl’s party. The four of us were standing, no issues coz we are YOUNG BOYS and we are supposed to have the never say die attitude and must never get tired.

Anantha gave us a warm welcome and showed us our room. We kept the luggage in the shelves and were going to lie down. Balu picked up a couple of pillows and I picked u a jamakalam (traditional South Indian rug). We spread it across the floor and were dozing happily within minutes. KP woke us at 8:00 am and all of us freshened up; brushing, bathing and doing our daily business. Next we went downstairs and had a sumptuous breakfast with pooris, idlis and halwa. The halwa was in particular exquisite. After finishing our breakfast we decided on going around the town to do some sight seeing. A cab was arranged and all of us hopped in happily. We went to Rockfort temple first. As soon as I got down from the cab a person approached me asking if I was from Malaysia and if I wanted to exchange some Malaysian dollars. Weird isn’t it? I have always received comments from people, linking me to different places. Few thought I was from Bengal, few asked me if was a North Indian and few asked me if I was from Maharashtra. I am quite happy that my identity is always a mystery and it does help when I travel to different places.

We purchased tickets to visit the deity at the top of the hill. Balu and I had a camera but I bought a single ticket for the camera. We climbed about 170 steps and then veered to the left to worship the God who according to locals blesses worshippers (couples in general) with kids. This is because this particular God incarnated himself as a midwife to deliver a child of a mother in that town centuries ago. After worshipping him we set out to climb the final set of stairs to reach the hill top. There was a guy who checked our tickets once again. Balu was hiding his camera in his jeans pocket but allowed the tag to hang outside his pocket. We were caught and that guy asked us to pay for the second camera too. I was thinking Balu aaargh !!!

We worshipped Lord Vinayagar at the hill top also known as Uchchi Pillayaar.We got an amazing view of the whole temple town from there. The view was breath taking. We messaged Ramki and Jana to wait for us outside the temple and then began our descent. We picked them up outside St Joseph’s church and all of us drove to Kallanai Dam. We had to while away our time and thats why we decided to visit the dam. This dam is supposed to be a very ancient one, dating back to centuries. We spent some time here clicking photos now and then and I troubling others to get into weird poses for the photo shoot. Balu was showing off his skills with his Cannon camera and clicking off leaves and trishools with the macro mode. But I must confess Balu was good with the camera.

After visiting Kallanai dam I asked the cab driver to drop me at the nearest bus stop from where I could board the bus to Trichy main bus stand. I had messaged Chandralekha (my future classmate at TU Delft) that I will be coming to Trichy and that I would pay her a visit. The rest of them went back to the mandapam to have their lunch. The Trichy main bus stand would be about 10-12 Kms from the place where I boarded the bus. I was surprised that the bus fare was only a mere three and half rupees. The battery in my phone was low in charge and I feared that I may not be able to contact her after reaching there. So I noted down her number and Amol’s number in a separate piece of paper in case my phone runs out of charge and if I need to make a call from a public phone booth.

I called her up and said that I have reached the bus stand and within ten minutes she was there in her scooter to pick me up. She took me to her house, which was about 3-4 Kms from the central bus stand. I had lunch with her at her house, met her dad and mom and spent some time chatting with her. I then got dropped at the Central bus stand from where I boarded the bus to Srirangam.

After reaching the mandapam I bathed and changed into a fresh set of clothes and was ready for Anantha’s engagement ceremony. The ceremony went on well, Anantha was looking stunning in his new suit and his fiancé was looking beautiful in her silk saree. Balu was the official photographer, clicking pictures from all angles possible. KP, Ramki,myself, Balu and Amol were ogling at a couple of pretty girls at the function. Suddenly it started pouring heavily and the whole place was cooled down. I must say the mandapam was getting really hot with so many people inside.

We finished our dinner and went to the station at 21:45 hrs. The train was scheduled to arrive at the Srirangam station at 22:30 hrs but was delayed by half hour. All of us were dead tired by then and immediately fell asleep once inside the bogie.

I really enjoyed the trip !!

Young German team runs riot

FIFA WORLD CUP 2010

Germany vs Australia 13 June 2010

The world cup match between Germany and Australia was the second match of Group D, the match kicking off in Durban. The German squad chosen was the youngest ever in Germany’s world cup history. The Socceroos on the other hand had a squad with many of its players in the thirties. The stadium at Durban is a wonderful piece of architecture and one of the best venues of the ten built for the world cup 2010.


The Socceroos had an early chance from a corner kick in the first half, Tim Cahill heading the ball first and Richard Garcia striking it directly at Philip Lahm. This instance shows the importance of stationing a player at the far post when a corner kick is taken. After this chance it was the Germans who had the lion’s share of the possession, dominating the game and making those quick cheeky and well timed runs past the Australian defenders.

It was just a matter of time before Germany went ahead with a goal from Podolski in the eighth minute. It was superbly struck shot from Podolski with his dangerous left foot. The sheer power with which it was struck took the ball past the Aussie keeper who managed to get a right hand to it.




Germany would have doubled its lead in no time but a miss from Klose from 6 yards denied the Germans their second goal. Confidence was brewing up in this young German side and in the twenty seventh minute a well executed cross from Lahm and a bold header by Klose gave the Gemans their second goal. This was Klose’s eleventh world cup final goal. He is one of the favourites for the ‘golden boot’ title at this world cup. The Aussies struggled to crack the solid German defence leave alone find their target. Fisrt half gone the Germans were leading two goals to nil and were in high spirits.




The second half provided more excitement for both the spectators and player alike. The Germans took the game to the Aussies right from the first minute of the second half. The passing, the crosses, the runs past the Aussie defence were all executed to perfection by the Germans. The Germans doubled their lead with two more goals in the second half and put the game beyond Socceroos’ reach, Muller and Cacau putting their names on the score sheet. The woes of the socceroos doubled as Tim Cahill was shown a straight red by the strict Mexican referee in the 56th minute for a harsh tackle on Schweinsteiger, the Aussie team was reduced to ten men.






Final score line; GERMANY 4-0 AUSTRALIA






Germany now sits on top the table in Group D, followed by Ghana who also registered a win against Serbia. The Aussies being the underdogs of the tournament face an uphill task of making it to the second round.

BLOOD DONATION

Date of BDC camp: 26 May 2010

Venue: Ashok Leyland Technical Centre

My office in conjunction with the Indian Red Cross Society had organized a blood donation camp on 26 May 2010. This is one of the initiatives taken by our social forum KRITI here at Ashok Leyland Technical Centre. Coincidently this is the same date on which the blood donation camp was organized last year.

Blood donation is a noble act and by donating blood we directly or indirectly aid in saving human lives. Hundreds of people throughout the country are in urgent of blood either because they or their relatives have met with an accident or they are undergoing a major surgery or they need a complete transfusion of blood.


Blood banks spread though out the country are doing a wonderful job by storing blood of different blood groups so that in case of an emergency the requirement can be fulfilled. By participating in a blood donation camp one can do his part in taking forward this noble cause.

I along with my Raja, Karthik and Himani were the volunteers for our floor. It was our responsibility to take down names of people willing to donate blood, compile the list and send it across to Jasdeep who is the main head of this campaign. The representatives from the Indian Red Cross society were to arrive by 8:30 hrs and the blood donation camp was supposed to begin by 9:00 hrs. Instead the camp began at 9:40 hrs. It was heartening to see a lot of people coming forward willingly to donate blood. I too did my part in donating blood. This is the third instance in which I am donating blood. Last year I was asked not to donate because I had suffered a typhoid attack in Oct 2008. The minimum gap between any illness and blood donation must be one year.

I feel elated and happy that I donated blood and was a part of this noble campaign. In an office where the total strength exceeds 500 people the response was just satisfactory, around 140 people tuning up for the campaign. The camp was organized in a better way this time and I would say that it was a combined effort from all the volunteers, representatives from the Indian Red Cross Society and our dear helper friends who assisted us in setting up the tables and beds.



A total of 48.3 litres of blood was collected and appreciation certificates distributed. Lots of photographs were taken and we made sure the campaign was organized in a smooth manner. We could have campaigned better by putting up posters at frequently visited places such as the water dispenser, canteen notice board and also the online notice board. This would have roped in more people to donate blood.

COMPOSTING

I started disposing the vegetable waste generated in my home in a clean, efficient and fruitful way. Lots of vegetable waste used to get generated while my mom prepares lunch for us. This ranges from carrot peels, cucumber peels, onion skins, stems of green leafy vegetables etc etc.

We have two dust bins at home. One for the dry waste generated (e.g. paper, hairs, cobwebs, dust) and the other for the damp or wet waste generated (left over food, skins of fruits and vegetables, coffee powder residue, tea residue etc). The organic waste was being dumped in the second dustbin mentioned above all these years. It did not occur to any of us that there can be a better way of disposing these organic wastes and so the same old practice of disposing the organic waste was being continued.



I got inspired by my cousin at Delhi. She is an environmentalist and I used to visit her frequently during my on-duty trips to Alwar (this place is located at a distance of 160 Km from Delhi). I was a bit surprised to find that they had no dustbins at home. The kitchen waste for the day was accumulated in a polythene cover and later dumped in their kitchen garden. The practice is called “Vermi-composting” ie putting all the vegetable matter into the soil after digging a small trench in the ground. The trench is then covered with soil and water sprinkled over so that the vegetable matter decays and gets converted into soil.



The organic waste is completely decomposed in time span of two to three weeks and the soil is also enriched with nutrients. Last Sunday after having my lunch I thought why not I try disposing the organic waste in an efficient manner. So I took a small shovel and the organic waste dumped in the second dustbin at my home. The soil was hard and rocky, all moisture being sucked due to the intense heat. I poured a little water to aid the digging process. I dug a small pit about ten centimeters deep and fifteen centimeters wide. Then I put half the organic waste in that pit, covered it with loose soil, sprinkled water and flattened the ground surface. I dug up another pit of that size adjacent to the first one and dumped the other half of the waste in that and covered that put also.



Today is the second day and I believe that by the end of two weeks this organic matter would have decomposed to a certain extent. I feel happy that I was able dispose the waste in a clean way. The other advantages include fewer burdens on the municipality to clear the organic wastes, less pressure on the landfills and cleaner roads and streets.



The most important advantage is that your kitchen garden is replenished with nutrients and the soil quality will be better, helping your plants to grow healthier. If all people realize this and make a conscious effort towards disposing vegetable waste by composting it then we could have cleaner streets, less overflowing dustbins and healthier surroundings.

Europa Cup semifinals 2010

Liverpool vs Athletico Madrid ( 29 April 2010)

Liverpool's 2009-10 campaign has been rather disappointing and slightly above average, they being knocked off the Champions league, FA cup, Carling cup. Also the title race for the Barclays Premier League is far from their reach. Only salvation which they can obtain is by winning the Europa Cup but things didn't quite happen the way they wanted.

Athletico Madrid, the spanish club travelled all the way to the port city of Liverpool to take on 'The Reds' in the second leg of the Europa Cup semifinals. Liverpool having lost the first leg in Spain was hoping to regain some ground. Torres was out with an injury and the Liverpool squad lacked quality.

Liverpool kicked off the first half towards the KOP end and within 10 sec of the game Benayoun got a chance to put them ahead but the angle was acute and some good goalkeeping by the Athletico keeper kept Liverpool at bay. Liverpool dominated the first half, but couldn't quite capitalize and surge ahead on the score board. Daniel Agger's brilliant header from a Gerrard free kick was turned down by the linesman because Agger was just off. Good work by the Athletico defence.

Athletico had a couple of chances too, Garcia smashing a full volley but Reina did good to push the ball for a corner. Aguero had a brilliant chance when he rounded off Reina but couldn't place the ball rightly fro Diego Forlan to score.

In the 44th minute Liverpool went ahead with a Aquillani goal. The italian did well and the finish was good. Aquillani, the 20million pound transfer was at last on the score card with his first goal for Liverpool.

The danger of an away goal still loomed large at Anfield  because if Athletico scores even one goal, Liverpool would have to bounce back by scoring two.

The second half was evenly balanced with both teams surging ahead and creating chances but neither team could convert them into goals. The match was carried into another extra 30 minutes after the second half was over. The teams were tied at 1-1 aggregate.

Yossi Benayoun gave Liverpool the much needed second goal 95 minutes into the game. The execution was superb and finish brilliant,hard and low into the bottom corner of the net.

Anfield Erupted !

But celebrations lasted only 7 minutes as Forlan clipped the ball past Reina into the net to break all Liverpool hearts. Sloppy defending by Johnson and unmarking of Forlan by  Carragher cost Liverpool a chance to be in the finals of the Europa League.

Liverpool tried hard to score the third but Athletico held their nerves till the end. So another European night at Anfield had ended in disappointment for Liverpool.

Final Score: Liverpool 2-1 Athletico Madrid

Aggregate: Liverpool 2- 2 Athletico Madrid

Athletico move ahead based on away goal.