During Fifa world cup no matter how crazy Kolkata becomes on the lemon jersey team from Latin America, the veteran soccer freaks of the city never get tired of comparing the retrospective of the golden 70’s samba magic and the present display of Dunga’s team’s workman like football. Indulge yourself in a morning “Adda” at any tea stall with a hot cup of tea in hand and enjoy the mimic ride of 40 years in the past, where accolades will shower on Peles, Didis, Vavas and Socrates like cats and dogs. They say after 82 world cup Brazilian football style has changed dramatically.
In fact Soccer all over the world has never been the same. The playing ball, the drills, the skills, the media coverage, the coaching style; everything has changed over the years. And this continuous evolution only makes Football unique and the most beautiful game on earth.
So what’s the root cause behind all these changes?
My ans: Second World War, continuous growth of technology and media and obviously the mindset of result oriented stubborn lifestyle where finishing cut determines how successful you are.
The mayhem and havoc that Second World War brought on this planet, it would take years to blow war trumpets again for the third version. Till then the axis powers of the world will keep on fighting for mine resources, water and land, the common people who wants to get the picture live and exclusive, will cherish the battle for pride on soccer field. Thus result has taken the first priority over everything else. Media involvement has increased to speak the heart of the nation; pressure stepped up notches on coaching stuff resulting in more tactics, more ragged method of playing and more muscles. The eye soothing free flowing football went missing. To avoid the heavy traffic on ground, teams who used to play touch football started playing Arial balls as passes. The approach towards the game started tilting towards this thought -nobody has come here to do circus, its soccer my dear friend, if you want entertainment go for something else. Can you wonder the present football allowing a player to dodge 7 players in trot like Maradona did in 86 world cup?
But in spite of all these non football oriented issues, still there are some classic clashes in world football which are purely built on soccer egos rather than political slambams or wound of a past war. Like Brazil vs. Portugal or Brazil vs. Argentina. Portugal is known as the Brazil of Europe in world football. They sport that panache, arrogance and flavor in their style of football that European teams rarely have. Ironically the history tells they are all cousins. The Portuguese thinks they taught Brazil how to play soccer, but the Brazilians think that they showed the world how to play the footy stuff.
Since the day schedule for the twenty ten world cup was released every soccer lover has been waiting for this very match of group league. Like always Media again came in picture, the first, last and the 3 pages of middle wasted the newsprints talking about this match only. The hoopla killed the promise in its embryo stage.
Brazil needed nothing out of this match to qualify for the second round, Portugal just needed a draw. So both of them did their mutual bit and settled for draw, and played one of the most boring games of this world cup.
Dunga rested Robinho; kaka was sitting out for red card on the previous match, the fuel of Brazilian attack was sure to be missed. For a change Dunga kept Albez in the team and played him as an attacking mid fielder though Albez is a genuine right winger. But who can replace Maicon in that position. Another Ronaldo is far from reality, but still Fabiano is not even the10% of his past position holder. The ball control is so average, that it’s hard to believe he is a central forward in Brazilian national team. The Skeletons came out more when kaka and Robinho were not present to supply the passes to him. Through out the match string of boring back passes and monotonous aimless ball possessions ruled and killed the game. Albez tried couple of times from long range but not enough to disturb the Portuguese goal keeper.
From Portugal’s perspective, the team fresh from a thumping seven nil win over North Korea promised a lot before the match. Quiroz’s midfield was patchy for first 20 minutes of the game, when Brazil kept playing passes between them. Frustrated with lesser ball possession the Portuguese players started playing the rough game lead by Pepe. Fifa is penalizing heavily for tackle from behind. Good if it inspires ball play again. You commit once see a yellow; commit twice its bye bye from the referee. The way two teams started tackling each other; more cards were on the cards!!! The players from both the teams got heavily booked. On the second half Portugal showed a bit of urge and stepped on the gas, even twice got genuine chances to score, but Juilo came up with two brilliant saves.
Three questions come to mind after seeing the match –
1. If they were so anxious for a draw, wonder why they committed so many fouls and got booked?
2. And what’s more mysterious is that, if Fifa is punishing so huge for so less threatening challenges on the field wonder why the referee dint show Juan red card for handling the ball when he stopped the play to rescue a Portugal attack.
3. What goes in Chirstiano Ronaldo’s head before he shoots a free kick? Standing like an animation movie character is good enough to produce a Match snap on the newspaper, but why on earth he never gets tired of trying the same so stupid thing. Watching his free kicks, one RD Burman classic comes to my mind, “Aajkaal pav jamin pad nahi padte mere, bolo dekha hai kabhi tumne mujhe udte huye”. The only difference is he doesn’t fly, the ball flies and that too by a long long margin from the target. The audacity that he shows while trying to beat Julio, one of the best goal keepers in the world, from 35 yards is quite mind boggling and deserves some more Vuvuzela on his ears.
With so many talents on display the most awaited match of this world cup had a very few goal mouth actions for a neutral like me. I once read Hrittik Roshan saying “kites is not a biriyani, it’s not a pasta”, when he protested against the criticism of his much awaited movie kites. I don’t know how Brazil media will react to the game but taking one leaf from Hrittik Roshan’s comment I am saying Brazil vs. Portugal was neither a Biriyani nor pasta but a smashed potato, which you buy, hearing the weight of the name, but later turns out to be a torture.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Nasha (Nesha) and The Master of Nirvana
During my school days whenever I heard the Hindi word “Nasha” or “Nesha” in Bengali (which means intoxication), the ideas that used to knock on the doors of my heavenly holy mind were cricket, soccer, carom, detective story books and films by Mr. Satyajit Ray. On summer vacations after having lunch, reading detective stories of “Feluda” and “Byomkesh” was like a routine stuff for me, and then I used to fall asleep leaving those books on my face. Really it was one of those better and cherished memories of my childhood. But fortunately or unfortunately meaning of certain words doesn’t remain the same throughout one’s life. Different phases of life, experience and maturity; these factors put their paws on some words or feelings, and their values and meaning change dramatically. And it happened to me the same for the word “Nasha” too, just like mountains and ocean have shared my love as I grew up with age. Thanks to my Dad’s job I travelled a lot during my childhood with him, and I remember in my school days I visited lot more mountains than sea beaches. One typical attribute of childhood is that what ever you see, your thinking and process of falling in love lies in the same line. The gigantic presence of mountains made a heavy impact on me and truly I felt how small I am with respect to this special sculpture of nature. To develop my love on sea I had to wait a long time, until I sat on the beaches of Goa almost the whole night with a bottle of beer in my hand and saw those waves kissing my toes and then going away from me, with an unwritten assurance that it will come back again only to go away and I would grasp those sands like a clone love of water time and again, but all in vain. Sounds quite heavy na!! Ok, one simple example. There was this scene in the movie “Tejab” where Anil kapoor rescues Madhuri from a gang of bad men, and then they set out for a night ride in a caravan. The song “Soh gaya yeh jaha” kicks off but Anil and Madhuri never speaks during the song they just look at each other thinking some one would break the shackle at some point of time. I saw “Tejab” first time when I was in primary school, and I dint quite understood the reason of their silence in spite of being in love. Now when I see the movie I feel that there are times when you can’t speak, and silence speaks thousands words for you.
By the way I was talking about intoxication. Now when I come to hear the word “Nasha” it feels some thing different than before; “Don’t use drugs, it’s a sin”, “intoxication is injurious to health” these typical statutory warnings I could only think of. Frankly speaking I had a friend group when I was in college, who dealt with intoxication heavily; now seen and quite rightly accused as a common practice of college goers. But for an exception in my case, none of those my friends were from my college and music played a very integral part in those sessions. Most of them were older than me, but some how I convinced them that though I am not going to taste the drugs like them, but I like the music they prefer and I like their company and their heavily intellectual discussions. Luckily they took me in their team. They say youth will always prefer those who take time to talk about their life, their thoughts and their numerous complexions and problems. Now in “Bewra-firangi- music-loving-community”, the undisputed king of Drug sessions is none other “Pink Floyd”. When I asked the reason of such tag they say that PF’s psychedelic sound some how grows on you similar to drugs and in one way or the other they shake their hands with each other and make a very heavy and composite impact on mind with its lyrics too. Our group was really spoilt for choices. The legends they banked upon were Lennon, Jim Morison, Sid barrette and many others, who themselves were “All-time-bewra-greats” of music world. Thank god, I lived a part of my life with those guys, other wise I am quite sure that I could never feel Kurt Cobaine and his band Nirvana like I feel now. Kurt and his songs came as a birthday gift to me from those guys on the day crossed my teen age. Crossing the threshold was made so melodramatic that they played the number “feels like a teen spirit” for me, followed by “come as you are” a song of a true and lost friendship. The album was “Nevermind” and it was sarcasm of its highest level. Kurt was truly an object of intoxication for me. Nirvanas music was so grungy but yet so poppy in its nature, that it actually touched my sensibilities and quench of melody, being an Indian. I would sit in my study room making the whole room dark and listen to Kurt for hours. I would fry and pan free the sticky oils of my failures and frustration listening to Kurt’s husky brushed high pitched voice and think why this guy stopped or rather not allowed in his life going beyond the age of 27. After Karna’s character in Mahabharata, if someone else’s death shattered my senses then it was Kurt for sure. I confess that I could not by heart most of the Kurt’s songs, but one thing I understood from the short length of most of his songs that this guy is not ready to waste any time and effort talking unnecessary words. There was this song “Something in the way” which was so low voiced, I could hardly listen to what Kurt was saying, but when I read the lyrics, I found it was me and many like me. The magic of Kurt’s lyrics was hidden in the fact that he literally “beeped” grammar and put more emphasis on musicalities of words. . Like the word “memoria” in “come as you are”. And meaning of those words too change with time. Lyrics that he wrote were very two dimensional, you read it once you get one meaning you listen to again and again magically you feel something different he wants to say. I put Kurt in the same league of Lennon and Dylan, who were more poets than a singer. Kurt touched the disenfranchised youth’s heart, because youth could relate to Kurts fidelity and honesty of work. For example in the song “Polly” where Kurt stood by that girl who was raped in a Punk rock concert or in “Smells like a teen spirit” where he asks the youth for massive destruction of the society and rebuilding it once again. The Video was a bonus. The dancing cheer girls, the mad students of “Oakwood” jumping, thumping and pumping in excitement and enthusiasm and between all of them there was Kurt, a personality who is no different than those students, in fact he reacts like one of them only. Pushing Michael Jackson down on the charts of billboard, would be good example of the fact that up to what level Nirvana gained its popularity as a band.
Nirvana was, is and would always be a course of my life like many others. I can see T-shirts with Kurt’s face on it, more than any other legend of any other field and its growing day by day. Kurt’s popularity among youth will not only remain the same but it will grow as ever across the world, though Kurt is no more. And here I feel an urge to say something.
Kurt’s music is “Nasha” for sure, and it’s different by its genre style and lyrics than others. Take the “Maza” of this “Nasha” only, don’t fall on different track my dear friend, because it’s very easy and quite obvious too. Even I had many experiences during college fests where students would bring their objects of intoxications to their musical Rock gurus in green rooms, so that they taste the “Prasad” and make it holy for them. That’s the different track. Some accepted some did not. Rock is sure a culture more than a genre of music but in no way it can be an excuse of dealing on drugs in the name of music. I can’t argue whether this legends would create this sort of music without taking drugs or not but I can assure you that taking the fun of it, don’t require the same.
By the way I was talking about intoxication. Now when I come to hear the word “Nasha” it feels some thing different than before; “Don’t use drugs, it’s a sin”, “intoxication is injurious to health” these typical statutory warnings I could only think of. Frankly speaking I had a friend group when I was in college, who dealt with intoxication heavily; now seen and quite rightly accused as a common practice of college goers. But for an exception in my case, none of those my friends were from my college and music played a very integral part in those sessions. Most of them were older than me, but some how I convinced them that though I am not going to taste the drugs like them, but I like the music they prefer and I like their company and their heavily intellectual discussions. Luckily they took me in their team. They say youth will always prefer those who take time to talk about their life, their thoughts and their numerous complexions and problems. Now in “Bewra-firangi- music-loving-community”, the undisputed king of Drug sessions is none other “Pink Floyd”. When I asked the reason of such tag they say that PF’s psychedelic sound some how grows on you similar to drugs and in one way or the other they shake their hands with each other and make a very heavy and composite impact on mind with its lyrics too. Our group was really spoilt for choices. The legends they banked upon were Lennon, Jim Morison, Sid barrette and many others, who themselves were “All-time-bewra-greats” of music world. Thank god, I lived a part of my life with those guys, other wise I am quite sure that I could never feel Kurt Cobaine and his band Nirvana like I feel now. Kurt and his songs came as a birthday gift to me from those guys on the day crossed my teen age. Crossing the threshold was made so melodramatic that they played the number “feels like a teen spirit” for me, followed by “come as you are” a song of a true and lost friendship. The album was “Nevermind” and it was sarcasm of its highest level. Kurt was truly an object of intoxication for me. Nirvanas music was so grungy but yet so poppy in its nature, that it actually touched my sensibilities and quench of melody, being an Indian. I would sit in my study room making the whole room dark and listen to Kurt for hours. I would fry and pan free the sticky oils of my failures and frustration listening to Kurt’s husky brushed high pitched voice and think why this guy stopped or rather not allowed in his life going beyond the age of 27. After Karna’s character in Mahabharata, if someone else’s death shattered my senses then it was Kurt for sure. I confess that I could not by heart most of the Kurt’s songs, but one thing I understood from the short length of most of his songs that this guy is not ready to waste any time and effort talking unnecessary words. There was this song “Something in the way” which was so low voiced, I could hardly listen to what Kurt was saying, but when I read the lyrics, I found it was me and many like me. The magic of Kurt’s lyrics was hidden in the fact that he literally “beeped” grammar and put more emphasis on musicalities of words. . Like the word “memoria” in “come as you are”. And meaning of those words too change with time. Lyrics that he wrote were very two dimensional, you read it once you get one meaning you listen to again and again magically you feel something different he wants to say. I put Kurt in the same league of Lennon and Dylan, who were more poets than a singer. Kurt touched the disenfranchised youth’s heart, because youth could relate to Kurts fidelity and honesty of work. For example in the song “Polly” where Kurt stood by that girl who was raped in a Punk rock concert or in “Smells like a teen spirit” where he asks the youth for massive destruction of the society and rebuilding it once again. The Video was a bonus. The dancing cheer girls, the mad students of “Oakwood” jumping, thumping and pumping in excitement and enthusiasm and between all of them there was Kurt, a personality who is no different than those students, in fact he reacts like one of them only. Pushing Michael Jackson down on the charts of billboard, would be good example of the fact that up to what level Nirvana gained its popularity as a band.
Nirvana was, is and would always be a course of my life like many others. I can see T-shirts with Kurt’s face on it, more than any other legend of any other field and its growing day by day. Kurt’s popularity among youth will not only remain the same but it will grow as ever across the world, though Kurt is no more. And here I feel an urge to say something.
Kurt’s music is “Nasha” for sure, and it’s different by its genre style and lyrics than others. Take the “Maza” of this “Nasha” only, don’t fall on different track my dear friend, because it’s very easy and quite obvious too. Even I had many experiences during college fests where students would bring their objects of intoxications to their musical Rock gurus in green rooms, so that they taste the “Prasad” and make it holy for them. That’s the different track. Some accepted some did not. Rock is sure a culture more than a genre of music but in no way it can be an excuse of dealing on drugs in the name of music. I can’t argue whether this legends would create this sort of music without taking drugs or not but I can assure you that taking the fun of it, don’t require the same.
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