The Straight Hair Project

Most of the girls reading this will agree with me: You do not like your hair.

It is every girl’s problem for life; curly haired women want straight hair, while poker haired want wavy hair. I have wavy hair, which fall up to my shoulder, maybe a little longer in length. And the word scrunch makes me cringe. I have the undying desire to have straight flowing hair.

And that makes me try new and innovative ways to make my somewhat curly hair straight.

When I was young I tried to straighten my hair by tying them in a plait just after I washed my hair. That worked for me a little time but not for long. Then I started braiding my hair in smaller sections, like a hippie, and then leaving them open just before the party. That too did not last for long, and my expectations kept attaining new heights.

I started using straightening products, conditioners and serums to make my hair straight enough. As I reached the age of 18, I started having my own hairstylist, and she always suggested the scrunch look to me. And that made me angry. Finally, I got my hair straightened for the very first time.

That look went on for quite a while with regular straightening therapies, but as my hair started growing, I could see my ugly curly hair growing out again from the roots. To control this, I bought myself an iron, to straighten my hair whenever I want. But the use of this iron had no limit and I used it every single day, day and night. And this led to its confiscation.

But the limit was when I used an iron; hold on your breath, an iron used for ironing clothes to straighten my hair. (That was my friend’s idea, but, my hair was used). My mother kept on warning me not to do this, as it may damage my hair forever. I kept on doing that till one day my hair was burned. That was the time when I realised that I need to stop trying to straighten my hair, and in that process I am damaging my hair to the roots.

That was when I decided not to try any more ideas on my hair, and now, I love my hair the way they are.

That is the perfect solution to good hair: LOVE YOUR HAIR AND THEY WILL LOVE YOU BACK!

This post is written for the topic: 
http://www.indiblogger.in/topic.php?topic=70

Angry birds teach you Physics

On a lazy afternoon, I was totally bored and decided to play "Angry Birds", the only game on my iPad. Not a great fan of the game, I started playing it. After a few levels, I suddenly realised a funny fact. Unknowingly I had started using the "Law of Trajectory" I had learnt a few years ago in physics. I was thrilled and started looking keenly at every trajectory I used while playing. And voila! I could complete all the levels, yes seriously!

Games have been time and again criticised by parents and teachers but this revelation of the Angry Birds game made me wonder if the argument against these computer games is even valid given the fact it can be a fantastic way of education!

The Roots of the Demon

Family is the basic unit of the society.

And in every family the same scene replays: The father telling his son, “If you win the race I will give you a remote control car.” Isn’t it familiar?

This goes on until the child himself starts asking for material goods in return of a favor. And thus starts corruption and bribery.

It is ingrained in us to ask for something in return for the job we do, be it winning a race or completing a project.

Then why do we complain when politicians and bureaucrats ask for bribes? They too have been trained by the people around them to expect something in return. That’s what they are doing, similar to the small children who ask for gifts in return of good marks.

So, the growth of the roots of corruption begin at the very basic level: the Home. And we create the corrupt future of tomorrow with our very own hands.

Thus, it is very important for us to curtail corruption at the very beginning. The roots of the demon need to be cut before they grow too deep. Only then can we dream of New India.

 

The People I Met Said So.... (Part 5)

Do you like reading about the dons of the Mumbai mafia? If yes, then you are happily welcomed to the world of S. Hussain Zaidi, specialist in the Mumbai mafia and its chronicles.

The author has written three books on the subject, Black Friday: story of the 1993 bomb-blasts, mafia queens of Mumbai: dons of the ganglands, and the latest, Dongri to Dubai: six decades of the Mumbai mafia, on the greatest of the dons, Dawood Ibrahim.

Some excerpts of the interview:

You have written three books on the Mumbai Mafia. Why did the mafia interest you so much?

• As a journalist I wanted to be a specialist in certain beat and not a reporter who is part of general reporting. My editor assigned crime beat to me. In the process of covering crime, I specialized in writing on mafia.

Your books always have a detailed and thorough observation of the smallest of things. How did you make this possible?

• With diligent effort and extensive research. 

You have interviewed so many notorious gangsters and criminals. Have you ever received any threats from anyone?

• Just once, before Black Friday was released, when I recieved a call from a man telling me about my son. I was scared out of my wits then. But I replied to the caller, "he is in so and so school and class". I didn't know what to do.

You have also interviewed the most wanted mafia king, number 1 terrorist declared by the US, Dawood Ibrahim himself. How was the experience?

• I could not believe that Dawood could be so polite and sophisticated in his conversation.

Which gangster has fascinated you the most? Why?

• None. They don't fascinate me, it's my job to make them fascinating for you.

According to you, is your field of crime reporting dangerous?

• If you stick to your beat and not get personal, then it’s not dangerous.

Did you go into crime reporting by choice or by mere coincidence?

• My editor at Indian Express wanted me to cover crime. That's how I got into this profession.

I would like to know your take on this: was the Mumbai Police too laid back when 26/11 happened, even though the city had suffered from so many attacks like the 1993 Bomb blasts before?

• They are always laidback and never learn from their mistakes.

You are first a journalist and then a writer. Can you please enlighten us about your work as a journalist?

• Journalism is a difficult beat. It’s like lighting a lamp on bare palm.

According to you, which is the most important thing that a writer must do to become successful?

• He should remain honest and dedicated to the core.

Has your life changed after your first book was released? How did it change?

• It got me more recognition.

Can you tell us a little about your schooling and graduation?

• I studied at Guru Nanak School in Mumbai and went to college at Chetana College of Commerce.

Describe yourself, in not more than 20 words!

• I want to remain a humble man all my life.

Only a person, who can read, can write. What books do you read and which is your favorite genre and your favorite book?

• I read Steve Martini, David Baldacci, John Grisham, Gerald Seymour etc.

What do you have to say about the banning of books? Do we really need to ban novels on the basis of inappropriate content?

• No books should be banned. It’s not Kafkaesque regime any more.

Were any of your books subject to banning?

• Never.

Have you ever thought about writing something else other than the Mumbai mafia?

• My next book is about David Headley.

We all are awaiting your next book. Will it be coming out anytime soon?

• It should be released by this year end.

We would be waiting, wouldn't we?

Marriages are made in... India.

They say there are three seasons- summer, winter, and the monsoon. But in India there is another set of seasons, which no Indian can deny- family bonding, festivals and weddings.

Recently I attended my cousins wedding and realised how the Indian mentality is deeply affected by this institution more than anything else.

And if you think it is only the big wedding day, you are wrong. It begins much before it. It begins with the 'girl-meeting-boy' story. Only that happens in the presence of some fifty odd members of the family, closely scrutinising the persons-in-question's every move. If the boy says yes, 'shagun', a token of love is send from each side to the other.

Then begins the preparations for the wedding day, an impossible task for a single person. From lighting up the house to the food selection, everything has to be done strictly by a family member. And under the pretext of helping with the wedding arrangements, distant chachis and mamis begin flocking around the household giving it a new zing and life.

Children running around the house, the pretty sweet cousins and friends, teasing the bride and groom (in their respective households) and men authoratively ordering the workers is a common sight in a wedding house. Aunty-jis, wearing bright clothes and loaded with gold, take care of the costumes, while the uncle-jis see to it that all the shopping is well funded. And the ladies of the house are not at all tired of rehearsing their dance steps for the sangeet, late into the night.

And let me tell you, even though you may feel that the wedding is a short affair after all, that's absolutely bad judgement on your part. Indian weddings are definitely not a day- affair. It has to go on for a couple of days or even a week sometime. And every function is attached with an unknown importance of its own.

Amidst all the clamour, the bride, shying away from her teasing friends, applies mehendi on her hands and feet. The Bollywood songs, which are innumerable, given the fact that every movie includes a shaadi, are playing at the background for the movie-effect.
Then comes the sangeet, where even the great grandfather of the groom shakes a leg with style. No one, even the shy bhabhiji doesn’t wither away from dancing on this occasion.

And finally the day of the wedding arrives, and everything goes to a whole new level. It is a time when two families come together, not just to wed their children but to see if the other family is worth their child! And this is measured on the amount of gold, ghee and ras-malai served in the wedding!

The band baaja ringing in one's ear, the groom descends on a ghodi (a mare) to the bride's house accompanied by the baaraatis (meaning his large extended family).

And the wedding ceremony takes place while chachiji checks out mausijis gold bangles and exclaims, "Oh! Gold ke daam kitne badh gaye hain!", while mamijis try to fix up their daughters' marriages with some rich handsome guy in the wedding and while the groom's best man tries to pataao a young hot chick from the bride's side.

And amidst all this chaos, lies the future of the two souls getting together for life.

And then it feels like the rivers may flood, as its time for Bidaai, the ultimate occassion to cry. The bride's eyes get watery as she's leaving her home, and in joins her papa-mummy, didi-bhaiyya, dada-dadi, nana-nani, and the innumerable chacha-chachis, mama-mamis and mausa-mausis, along with the kiddie gang of the house.

And then it all ends and everyone bids goodbye to one another and promise to meet up in the next wedding.   

But why do Indians have such extravagant weddings? True, that it is all about fun and enjoyment of the occasion, but beneath all this lies the fact that all this helps the two families gel well, and get comfortable with each other, thus making them a part of the other's family.

And it really does take all this chaos, khatpat and the chutzpah for a successful marriage, after all!!!

Mumbai gave me "Wings"

When I look back and get nostalgic, I vividly remember the day my mom left me on my own for the first time, in this big city. I was extremely sad and there was nobody to console me. So I decided to shamelessly cry myself out, before starting my life, a life which I had dreamed of every single day for the past few years. And now here I am, loving this city more and more as days pass by.

I have enjoyed every bit of my life in Mumbai so far. I also admit that its not been a cake walk staying here, but yet I have survived and learnt the art of surviving.

Being a girl who had a car and a driver at her service everywhere she went, I had no clue, how I would travel in the city. With no vehicle at my disposal, I once took a taxi from Mumbai Central, and woah! The taxi driver took me in rounds before we reached college and I paid him 200 bucks for that ride. I still feel stupid of myself for that one. And once when I had to travel to Churchgate, I took a train from Dadar in the opposite direction and realised it only when I reached Bandra! But now I can find any place and travel by all the three modes of transport available, efficiently.

Mumbai also taught me to manage my finances, something which I had never done. I laugh at myself when I scheme to cut down eating and go by a bus rather than a taxi, so that dad doesn't get to know of my shopping endeavours.

I have learned to eat food in any form, find my way in the many lanes of crawford market and keep going on, whatever happens, even if its a bomb-blast.

 I have learned to be independent, and live life according to my terms. It has given me a chance to make my own decisions, have it my own way.  It has made me confident enough to hold my head high and say that I am an individual, with my own choices and preferences.

But in turn, it has also made me value of the things I have. It has made me more responsible as a daughter, as a friend and more importantly as a human being. Mumbai taught me to believe in the age old adage of "God helps those who help themselves".

It has made me self-made, grounded and more importantly adaptable. Truly, It has given me wings to soar higher and higher!!!

The People I Met Said So.... (Part 4)

Another interview, another Author. This time it was Harsh Snehanshu.

He got published at young 19 because of the emmense popularity of his first novel published on his blog. And it was a cakewalk for him to get published, the support was strong and his will power strong, too. He is 'Harsh Snehanshu', the author of "Oops! 'I' fell in love..." And "Ouch! That 'Hearts'...". He belives in following his heart and has always done that. Currently travelling all over the country, he is all set for his third book to release in two months time.  And what is the most impressive thing in him is his love for punctuality, a jewel of a value in a person.

Harsh Snehanshu, in a candid talk with Vaishnavi Patil, gives us a glimpse of his heart, tells us about himself and his excitment about his third book, the last in the series!!!

To check out the interview, click here.

Which "Identity" are "You" Wearing Today?

We all have multiple identities. Sometimes, we feel that some identities are imposed on us.

But not a single identity can be discussed as an ideal identity for a man or woman. We cannot define the perfect ideal Indian. Nor can we choose an ideal human being. Cause the identity which every person has differs from another in a way that we cannot talk about.

John Donne said “No man is an island, not on his own always.” We live in a social context. And India is a country known to the world for its variety and diversity; but also for its tolerance of diversity. And diversity in India is not organized democratically but hierarchally.  Thus, there is no scope to form a new identity in such a culture. “Moral obligation”, an important part of Indian culture, forces us to carry on the identity which your ancestors have derived over the years without you thinking of your own choices. And this pressure is the main reason to why we have so many identities.

E. M. Foster once said, “If I have to choose between my country and my friend, I have the guts to choose my friend.” That is possible only when a man has his own identity, and he does not succumb to pressure, be it of a country or even of the whole world.

Imagine our identities hanging in your closet. You open your closet, pick up the most suitable identity for the occasion and don it. It is a way of trying to stand out in your best attire, but at the same time trying to fit in by wearing one which is quite similar to the people around you. So basically you try to pick up the best identity in that very situation. But there is no one identity to you, making your life a big confusion for yourselves. And the standardization of things like beauty, intelligence, which has no measure of its own, has made things much more difficult for all of us. That is the reason why we find many people today, including people who have lived half of their lives, in search of themselves, asking everyone they meet the same question, “Who am I? What is the purpose of my life?”

So the only way to bring stability in our identity is to recognize ourselves and bring it to light; not to keep it suppressed deep inside us. Awareness about our own identity is necessary. We don’t need to backward in time, but go ahead in space. So, finally all you have to do is to choose our own path and keep on walking it till you find your destiny, without caring about what others feel about the path. And as Zig Ziglar said, "What would you rather be in life, a meaningful specific or a wandering generality?"

The People I met said so.... (Part 3)

Recently, I had the joy of interviewing another debut author, Ar.Aabhas K Maldahiyar, the author of ‘Restart… an architect’s journey to the parliament house’. It was an experience to cherish, the author expressing his views on the "system" and other issues faced by our country today.



Know more about him through the interview:

He is keen to study politics, all art forms, and literature, has enormous passion for architecture and is highly revolutionary by attitude. He wants to carry on as an Architect, but wishes to take up the pen with a desire to bring remedy for the wounded “system” surrounding us. Apart from writing and carrying Architectural research, he spends time painting portraits and reading books by Robin Sharma, while ‘The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch,’ is his all time favorite.
He is the new author on the block, Ar.Aabhas K Maldahiyar. His debut novel, ‘Restart… an architect’s journey to the parliament house’ was released on the 5th of this month.
Aabhas, in a candid talk with Vaishnavi Patil, tells us about his views on college, politics and the ‘”system”, his experiences, his favourite books and his love for painting and what he thinks about the literary scenario in the country!!!
Click here to read more.






-This article by me appeared in the debut writer sahitya column of isahitya media.








(To read the previous parts of this series, click here: Part 1 and Part 2 .)

The people I met said so... (Part 2)

A few days back I got an oppurtunity to interview a debut author, 'Vinita Bali'. Her first novel “Life serves Love…the fullest form of living” was unvieled by Mr. Chetan Bhagat, an honour in itself.

Know more about her through the interview:


A bubbly, fun loving and somewhat having a soft-corner for romance, she is the new girl on the block. We present to you the debut author of the book “Life Serves Love”, Vinita Bali. She one of the youngest authors published in 2012 by Power publishers.She is brave on the outside and soft on the inside, she is just 21 but she has the courage to voice out her feelings and thoughts courageously. She is the future of new age Indian authors.
Vinita Bali, in a candid talk with Vaishnavi Patil, gives us an insight on her book, her opinions of the Indian literature in the 21^st century and most importantly tells us about herself!!!
click here to read more.









-This article by me appeared in the debut writer sahitya column of isahitya media.




(To read the part 1 of this series, click here.)

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Hello everyone.... Welcome to the Upper East side, my world. I am Serena and I live with my friends Kyra and Blair, in this world of glitz and glamour. And the one person who knows all about us is "Gossip Girl". She even got hold of our recent plan of going to the Caribbean for the summer. Her post on the (in)famous gossip girl site:

Hey, Gossip Girl here! Your one and only source to the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite.

Summer spells FUN and the Upper East Siders are never inside during the hot season. How would the temperatures get soaring if the hot ladies of the Upper East Side are not out in the sun, flaunting their designer bikinis and toned bodies???

And as you all are generous enough to keep me updated throughout the summer, here are the details of Kyra and her gang of girls planning for a ravishing summer treat at one of the exotic beaches in Caribbean.

Some excerpts:

K: Hey gals, why not go to Caribbean this summer? Mother is keen on arranging a full paid trip to Europe, but I wanna go to Virgin Gorda!!!

S: That’s a superb plan, K! After such a tiresome semester, I need some break from school and all the other rumors circulating in the town.

B: Virgin Gorda? Will there be a Givenchy’s store there? I need to do some serious shopping this summer!!!

S: Sure, B! But you will be on a holiday, and routine work is strictly a no-no on holidays!!

K: Oh B, don’t you want to bath in the sun, have mocktails and flirt with guys?

B: That I leave with S, K. When she’s around, nobody really even looks at me twice.

S: B, enough of this now. It’s a girls’ holiday, and I want to keep it that way.

B: But it will be really hot there and when I return back to the town I don’t to be a cooked lobster!!

K: Ohhhh B… how can you be so silly? Do you think I would let you burn in the sun? Recently, I came across Lakmé Sun Expert, a wonderful sunscreen lotion.

B: But does it really work? The last time I used a sunscreen, it made my skin look ten years older and the effect wore off like in ten minutes!

S: Don’t you believe K, B? She is the cosmetic expert among the three of us.

K: Thank you, S. And B, the Lakmé Sun Expert, a light feel formula, with SPF and PA+++, protects your skin from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays that cause tanning and help prevent deep-skin damage.

B: K, thank you so much for your suggestion. I am sure the Lakmé Sun Expert will make our summer more exciting and fun!!!

S: Oh yes, I am sure of that. K, and please do carry your guitar. We want to sing and dance and do all the things which we didn’t do last vacations.

K: And beach volleyball too.

S: Yes, that too. Anything for you K!!!

B: Gals, now stop planning! Time to go shopping for new bikinis and sunglasses.

S: Caribbean, here we come!!!

K: Holidays are meant for BFFs!!!

That’s what the Upper East Siders are going to do this summer. Don’t forget to take a leaf out of their books or rather their secretive tabs, and use Lakmé Sun Expert for a fun-filled summer!!!

xo xo Gossip Girl!!!





And now that the whole world knows where we would be during the summer, you are most welcome to join our little fun party!!!

- an entry for the "The Lakmé Diva Blogger Contest", http://www.facebook.com/ilovelakme.

Are you game for a True Story; Fiction Style??

             Walking through the long rows of shelves in the library, I was searching for a book which would give me company for the next few days. As I walked past the non-fiction section (which is not my favorite genre), my eyes set on a book named "Aruna’s story” by Pinki Virani. I picked up that book and after reading a page, decided that this was the book I would like to read. And this very book opened up a whole new world of non-fiction and true stories to me!

             After that one, I have read many books in this genre. Mafia queens in Mumbai, based on the lady dons in the city, Black Friday, based on the1993 Mumbai blasts and recently Death in Mumbai, based on the Neeraj Grover murder case are a few of them.
               These works of non-fiction are a treat to our minds.... to read the article further click-here.









-This article by me appeared in the journalistic sahitya column of isahitya media.

A Dose of Reality in Fiction

            There has been a tremendous evolution in the Indian literature scenario over the past decade. There is a wave of new people taking up writing to express their thoughts and ideas rather than just penning down a story to entertain the reader.
            These people are neither professional writers and nor have they studied the techniques of being a good writer, but still they are here, wooing the audience and enthralling them with each new novel. The last couple of years have seen young IT professionals; financial advisors and even housewives pick up their pens and write down their thoughts in the form of a novel. And the most common trait them is a simple factor: They all are very near to the world we live in! Their stories are not of princes and princesses; they don’t have the clichéd topic of lovelorn couples and family opposition; but they have what we call a glimpse of our lives.....
 to read the whole article- click.








-This article by me appeared in the new age sahitya column of isahitya media.

The Mixing of the Classes

I wonder what “They” were thinking when “They” passed the law of reserving 25% seats for unprivileged children in privileged schools?

I don’t mean to discriminate between the citizens of this nation, but is it right for “Them” to pass this law on a pretext to cease this discrimination, and in turn give rise to more of it?

It begins with the smallest things of concern, their bags, their books and their clothes and shoes. How are the underprivileged people going to afford three uniforms a week, when they can’t afford two meals a day?

Then comes the social standing of the classes. Will the rich be comfortable with their children mixing up with children who belong to the lower strata of society? I don’t think so. Or even if the rich mix up with them, will the poor children not be jealous of their rich friends? The poor children will always want to have the better and nicer things, and they will want them at any cost, thus giving a way for crime.

Also, we have to think about the poor children and the trauma they will undergo, if they are not able to cope in their new schools. And then even if the fees of these schools will be comparatively less for them, will they be able to provide their children with coaching classes and other talent classes?

Thus passing this law has not really changed the scenario, because even though the education level may increase, the social harmony will decrease, causing discrimination between the classes.

Actually “They” should have just tried to change the current level of the education system in the government schools and improved them rather than making the already unmanaged system more unmanageable. I just hope all turns out well for the children!

'Change is necessary'

                        Every time there is a 'Change', it brings about a Revolution. Not French or an American Revolution, but a Revolution in your ideas and the way you look at them. I have always stood up for myself and even today I would do the same for others of my kind- be it on reel or in real. If I wish to change something, I would want to Change the way women are portrayed in Television Serials, popularly known as 'soap-operas'.

                         The other day, I was watching a prime-time soap-opera, when suddenly the female protagonist got slapped by her husband. I was shocked to see the suddenness of the physical blow, an unnecessary event in the woman’s life. The scene definitely showed physical abuse, and I had a notion that the woman would stand up and face her husband bravely. In this hope, I watched it the following day. But to my utter surprise, the woman did not stand up for herself; instead she asked for her husband’s forgiveness and readily agreed when he told her to forget it all.

                       Is this a portrayal of a 21^st century woman? I don’t think so. Then why show it on Indian television soap-opera, a medium propagated to a half billion people?

                      On one hand, women are going out to work and are even at the highest positions. They have equal rights as men and are also allowed to have their own way.  But on the other hand, they are shown in these serials as a shadow of their powerful husbands, with no voice of their own. I don’t say that all soap-operas are the same, but then majority of them portray the feeble yet brave woman, with her in-laws dominating and harassing her. This woman is not given a right to talk in the house, but still she does, in order to change the household. But how much of this is true? You never know. All mother-in-laws are neither bad, nor all sister-in-laws come and stay at their brother’s houses. And not all ‘bahus’ are ideal either!

                     And the paradox in this situation is that all the viewers of these soap-operas are the so-called ‘modern’ women, their rights and voice secure in their own houses.

                    Then why do they even watch these serials? Because they get pleasure, or do they want a life similar to those helpless women? This remains a mystery to me. And it will never be solved until we change the impossible portrayal of the Ideal Indian woman on the Indian television scenario.

Capital Punishment: The fate of Ajmal Kasab??

            "Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab", does this name ring a bell???

            Yes, he is the lone terrorist who was caught on that fateful night of 26/11. He was the only attacker captured by the police; an evidence that he was involved can be given by the following picture.
          
             And yet, he was given an extra fair trial, provided with all the comforts of life and kept in an surrounding, in which he never really lived!
          
             The martyrs' widows never got their revenge; the people never got their pleas heard, and after three years, Kasab is still alive in jail, living life to his fullest. 
          
              Even the Media is now turning a Blind eye to this case, as there has been no news of the further developments in the Kasab case for over a year.

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            This article in the Indian Express, gives an insight on the Kasab trial and its outcome(2010).             
            We are not sure if Ajmal Kasab is going to get the punishment he deserves.

If the government is rethinking its decision, it is our responsibility to see that he gets a punishment he deserves.

           

                                                                       

IPL: A Modern Roman Circus?

                 History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.
                                                                 ~ Karl Marx

                         It was the year 246 AD. A prominent aristocrat in the Roman Empire had his funeral in a few hours. It was to be in a public market of Forum Boarium. A large crowd had gathered for the funeral. Taking advantage of this to bring political prestige to the family name, the first Gladiatorial fight was organised. So the beginning of gladiator history and combat started with a funeral.
                        This probably changed the whole course of history in the coming years. By the closing years of the politically and socially unstable Roman Empire, Gladiator games provided their sponsors with extravagantly expensive but effective opportunities for self-promotion while offering cheap, exciting entertainment to their consumers. Gladiators became big business for trainers and owners, for politicians on the make and those who had reached the top. An ambitious politician or a private citizen may postpone his deceased father's funeral to the election season, when a generous show might get him votes; those in power and those seeking it needed the support of the common public, whose votes might be won with an exceptionally spectacular show, sometimes even the mere promise of one. Ownership of gladiators or a gladiator school gave muscle and flair to Roman politics.

                        The scale of the Gladiatorial Games increased from just a small number of participants to the massive numbers of gladiators seen in the spectacles of Roman arenas and the Colosseum. People were being entertained and they loved it. The Roman Economy was in a financial crisis; but yet the roman kings were their own self, setting up exuberant shows for the common man, which lead to ignorance to handle the crisis in their lives. Betting on the gladiators increased tremendously, making people believe that the gladiator fights were a source of easy money. Thus the gladiator culture destroyed half of the roman empire, making way for others to conquer it.
                        Jump to 2008 AD. India is in political and economical turmoil as always. But at the same time, The BCCI came out with a brilliant idea of providing the ultimate entertainment to the common man: the INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE.
                       It is a well known fact that an Indian equates to a cricket maniac. Cricket is not only perceived as a game but as a matter of national pride and honour. Be it the Test cricket format or the ODI format, it is the most popular game in India. And thats what caught the eye of the powerful and those in need of power. They became the sponsors to this project, they put up extravagant shows and "bought" cricket players from around the world, just like the roman kings who selected their gladiators. They made various teams, one allotted to each sponsors, just like each king owned a mini army of gladiators. The cricketers are paid handsomely and are given personal trainers, spectacular training grounds and glamour; the same way as the gladiators.

                        And at a specific time of the year, they are unleashed in the arena to fight the battle of their lives; that is to play cricket. This form of cricket is short, sweet and very entertaining. With two matches a day, the Indian premier league goes on for eight weeks, throughout the summer. It is the ultimate entertainment of the year. From tickets sale to souvenirs, the sponsors of IPL are making money in everything.
                        But have we thought about the profits of IPL to the common man other than entertainment? IPL has nothing to offer to the public besides entertainment. But if it is entertainment, then is it paying the entertainment tax to the government? No, IPL is exempted from the entertainment tax by the government on the basis of the argument that it is a sport.
                        But if it is a mere sporting event, then why the unnecessary glamour and glitz, the before-parties and the after-parties? What would have been a tremendous profit to the government, was subtracted by the government itself; just like the Romans did, 2000 years ago. The Roman Kings wanted more power, the already rich sponsors of IPL are keen on minting more money.
                        The money coming from the last four Indian premier leagues, has never been declared in public. We never know the real digits and how many zeros accompany them. So it is a blind game in which the public is made the victim. Betting has turned out to be a parallel business in the IPL season, with millions of dollars and rupees being put up on the outcome of these cricket matches.                        People are being fooled in the name of entertainment, and the problems which need to focus on are ignored, as it happened in the roman empire.  Are all the problems in India solved; now that we are having entertainment months in the country? Now think of it in this way: aren't we an entertainment to all those people in power, showing our antics and dancing to their tunes (in the literal sense)!!!
                         Today, we all are gearing up for the annual entertainment dose of the great Indian circus, the IPL, but we need to rethink our choices before it's too late.