Naresh Iyer rocks!

Although a year late, but it was worth the wait for young singing sensation and AR Rahman’s protégé Naresh Iyer. The ‘Super’ singer was chatting on the internet catching up with his friends at his Matunga flat in Mumbai when the news broke in that he has won the National Film Awards, 2005 for best playback singing for Rang De Basanti’s ‘Roobaru’.

In fact Roobaru was his debut song and as a debutant he boasts of sharing the credits for the song with AR Rahman and now this song has won him a national award. Due to litigation in Delhi High Court, the announcement of the 2005 National Awards were on hold until it was finally cleared and announced in August 2007, almost a year late.

“News was in the air that I was getting it. But I was anxiously waiting for announcement. Main thing for me was that the song was doing well. I was confident that I will get the award, but with this official stamp on the song, I can say that mission is accomplished. There’s a sense of completeness in this song now,” he says.

The 26-year-old, however, doesn’t forget to share the credit for success of his song. “I thank AR Rahman sir who has guided me throughout my journey. Also I want to thank Raakesh Omprakash Mehra and lyricist Prasoon Joshi who banked on a debutant like me for this song. Actually all credit should go to them, as they were the one to tolerate a newcomer like me.”

Recalling the incident of him accidentally getting to sing Roobaru, Iyer says, “It was at 4.20 am after almost 12 hours of tiring recording session, that Rahman sir asked me to sing Roobaroo. I never knew that my version would be used for the movie. I was dead tired, but who would miss such an opportunity? I recorded the song but made a mistake in two lines. Though Rahman sir was supposed to sing the whole track himself later, when the film's music was released, I came to know that he had used my track. The part where I had made a mistake was sung by him and thus I got to share credit for this song with him. This was my first Hindi film and I can just thank my stars for this."

However, stardom for Naresh has mostly come in the southern parts of India as being a Rahman protégé, Naresh is mostly involved in regional language films. “In Hindi, I would be singing for the movie Woodstock Villa and I have sung couple of hindi songs for Rahman sir’s upcoming movie, although I don’t know the name of the movie,” he says. “Last one year has been quite busy. I have been traveling a lot meeting a lot of people and I hardly get time to spend with myself and my family members. Me and my mum both miss each other,” he says.

In fact Naresh was doing a course in Chartered Accountancy before being spotted by AR Rahman in Channel V’s Super Singer talent hunt. Although Naresh didn’t win the show, but Rahman found his protégé in him and the rest as they say is history.

“I should thank my family as they supported in my endeavours. They were very cooperative and showed no resistance at all when I ventured out to become a singer. Success is not easy in creative field but they stood behind me. Moreover, my granny wanted me to become a singer. Had she been alive, she would have been happy.”

Being a playback singer has its own disadvantages since visibility is nil or very less. But Naresh seems to be lucky enough. “Down South, I get called up for lots of television shows. I make it a point to be visible enough for people to recognize me. But visibility or no visibility, one has to take all in your stride,” he quips.
However, what may surprise you is despite being a singer, Naresh Iyer hardly listens to music. “I am not an ardent listener at all. I just listen sometimes to catch up with the latest style of singing and music. Although I love MLTR,” he says.

Wagah-Attari: Celebrating 60 years of Freedom

After a successful launch of his second album – Jhoomo Re — singer Kailash Kher is gearing up for another musical spectacle at the Wagah-Attari border as part of celebrations for the 60 years of India and Pakistan’s independence.

“I would be performing along with AR Rahman. Rahman once sang Gurus of Peace along with the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. This time I would be jamming with Rahman for the rendition of this song,” says Kailash Kher. Apart from the two, Sivamani would be performing in the concert.

The concert is being organized by Friends Without Borders in conjunction with Routes to Roots. The main attraction of the concert is that singers will perform from two stages — one in India and one in Pakistan — to be set on either side of the border on August 14.

Among the Pakistani musicians, great Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shafqat Amanat Ali and Atif Aslam would be performing from across the Wagah border. The concert would be hosted by celebrities include Bollywood great Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Wasim Akram and Shainne Malik.

“It’s a novel concept and I am honoured to be a part of it,” says Kher. “This concert is an effort to bind the two countries together with music. When there is no line in the hearts, then why should be there on land. If there’s a line on one’s heart, then the person gets a heart attack. Just think what will happen to land when people draw line on it to divide it,” he adds.

In fact, Kher is excited about singing rendition of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, as he idolizes him. “I am greatly inspired by his selection of the lyrics. I am a sufi singer too, but when it comes to listening it’s just Nusratji. I don’t listen to other singers. I am happy that Sufi has gained much acceptance now. It is the newest flavour of music and has a blend of spiritual as well as entertainment.”

Sex, Kink and Delhi

Call it Western culture influence or anything, kinky sex has become the IN thing. A lot many couples are experimenting with their sexual tastes. There is a kind of bedroom revolution among Delhiites. However, it is also causing breakdown of marriages and relationship troubles as few are able to cope with their partners’ weird sexual desires.

Experts say one of the main reason for several such couple heading for divorce is their failure to understand simple fact that sex is a two way process and both partners have to enjoy it and be comfortable doing the act. But sometimes the situation takes an ugly turn as in the case of Harpreet Singh Suri who has been arrested for raping and forcing his wife to do anal sex.

While Singh's case is expection, there are several others who are enjoying bedroom experiments. Men and women both have now fewer inhibitions about talking about their preferences and sexual exploits. Eight years back when Michelle (All names of case studies in the story have been changed), then studying in Delhi University's north campus college, refused for a fellatio and anal sex with her boyfriend. Almost eight years later, working in an advertisement agency, craves for sex and loves fellatio and anal sex.

"There were inhibitions earlier when I was in college. Sex for me till then was just missionary position. Initially I used to enjoy it but my boyfriend used to hate me for that. I know every man's dream is a blowjob but I wasn't prepared for that. But after couple of years it got boring and then I started experimenting new positions and I loved it. Now I don't hesitate to perform fellatio on my boyfriend even in a moving car. It's so exciting," says the 29-year-old Vasant Kunj resident.

Dr Surendra Nath, Head, Department of Anthropology, Delhi University says, "Media is always full of news about sodomy, oral, anal and even group sex. When people read and see in television about this, they also feel adventurous and the need to experiment. They too want to see the different side of sex and hence the behavioral changes in society."

Take the case of 21-year-old Shikha, a JNU student. Her boyfriend got a shock when she asked him to have sex in the common bathroom of the hostel instead of his hostel room. "I love having sex in public places. The feeling of getting caught by others while having sex makes it kinkier. My boyfriend got a complete shock when I asked him to pee on my vagina in hostel bathroom. I love it, but my boyfriend hates it. But he cannot help it. Whatever I say he has to do it," she adds.

30-year-old Amit, a Sainik Farm resident, says, "I have many sex partners and I shuffle around with them. Although I always believe in protective sex but sometimes the demands of girls are such that it's not possible with a condom. One of my girlfriend asked me to make out with her in a moving car. And while riding on me she asked 'what if my mom was on top of you'. I was completely shocked when I heard. Once another girl asked me to have sex inside the rest room of All American Diners in India Habitat Centre. After we were done with it, the guard confronted me when I came out. He knew what exactly had happened. As I am a regular there, I just walked off." Amit gets his HIV test done every four months. "It's so risky these days. But sometimes I really feel what will happen to them when they get married. How would their husbands react?" he says.

"With husband it's just plain simple missionary position sex. All these experiments are meant to be done with only boyfriends or sex partners," says 22-year-old Ruchi, an executive working with a PR company. "Blowjobs and anal sex excites me. But I can't do it with my boyfriend as I am getting married to him. So I have a sex partner too with whom I simply practice uninhibited sex. We meet once a week and it's a kind of relaxation therapy for me, a stress buster.

25-year-old Shabana, a Vasant Vihar resident, says, "When I was in Class IX, our school took us out for picnic to Lodhi garden. I along with my friend Swati saw a guy screwing a girl behind the bushes. I got excited about this and one night few years later I asked my boyfriend to have sex at the same spot. We sneaked in the park and spent some two hours there fondling and groping each other. It was exciting."

Central Asian Flavours of Delhi

The Uzbek prostitutes operating from Lajpat Nagar

Sex, prostitutes and cocaine forms an integral part of the Delhi's underbelly. Especially, white-skinned prostitutes from the CIS countries are most sought after but it's not easy to lay your hands on them. You should be connected within the sleaze network in order to lay one. The catch is you should know the ring leaders namely Neelam, Nafisa, Nargis, Sofia, Diana or Angelina, operating from Lajpat Nagar, under whose directions they work. On Wednesday cops arrested Neelam from Lajpat Nagar after residents complaint about their illegal activites. Five call girls from Uzbekistan who were part of the sex racket were also arrested.

So how these sex racket runs? From where these girls come? These blonde chicks come from all countries but most of them in Delhi are either from Russia, Ukraine or Uzbekistan. They come on a three-month tourist visa to India. But coming here isn't easy job. They have to bribe the officials in Indian embassy in their respective countries, through agents. India and Dubai are the hotspots for these prostitutes. Some even try a visa for Doha , although it's a risky affair there.

According to an Uzbeki prostitute operating in Delhi, "We have three months to earn money in Delhi. Earnings of one month takes care of the bribes that we paid to get a tourist visa here and earnings of the rest two months is what we take back home. It also takes care of legal expenses, if any, incurred if we land in a soup."

And one of the biggest clients of these chicks in city are the event management people who sadly have expanded their role of organizing entertainment party to procuring these girls for affluents clients. Event managers often keep "Madam" of these girls on speed dial to entertain their high profile clients including business executives who are on official visit. In one such chance encounter with an event manager who was organizing girls for rich clients, I was surprised to see that the clients turned out to be a well-known businessmen and a small time politician from UP who also owns malls. Surprisingly the venue for the meeting was one of the various State sadans at posh Chanakyapuri. The politician was staying there and he had contacted the event manager to supply these white-skinned girls for entertainment.

It's pretty obvious when you get a blonde to govt sadan there are fears of getting caught. So when the event management guy, called the ring leader, he kept his fingers crossed. Although the ring leader, let's call her Nafisa, knew this chap, but still asked, "Where will you take her? We only allow girls to private places. You cannot take her to any government property. Only to city's five star hotels, if you can manage or private residences in south Delhi or private farmhouses. The girl doesn't know English and all dealings through phone only."

The event management guy, let's call him Sid, didn't tell her that he would take her to govt Sadan. Deal was fixed. For every shot it he was supposed to pay Rs 3,000 to her and not more than two men per girl. He had to cater to two girls hence he asked for only one. Nafisa knew Sid's car number and so she asked him to give a missed call to her once he reaches next to Sai temple at Amar Colony in Lajpat Nagar.

At around 1 am Sid reached the designated place. It was dark and the air standstill. One could hear the whistling of the gatekeeper somewhere in the bylanes of Amar Colony. Slowly the car door opened and a five-feet three-inches tall girl entered the car and settled in the rear seat. Well, this one had jet black hair, clean skin, blue Caucasian eyes, a great figure wearing blue denim jeans and laced black top with her hair falling free and black ankle-length boots. She could be easily mistaken for a member of a girl band.

After whizzing past the narrow lanes of Lajpat Nagar, and crossing the cops' barrier, the car hit the Ring Road. There was a stunned silence inside the car. The monotony was broken soon as her cellphone rang. Nafisa called her to check if everything was 'Ok'. Well it wasn't Nafisa, it was another friend of hers' who was talking to her in her native language. (Later Sid told that they all know English but pretend to customers that they are alien to English) The girl was down with her menstrual cycle so was at home and hence was in touch with all her colleagues who were on duty doing favours to the rich and famous of the society.

As the car parked into the driveway of govt sadan in Chanakyapuri, Nafisa called up Sid. The girl behind had told her that the car was in Chanakyapuri and Nafisa was fuming over it. After Sid pacified her and told her that there are no chances of getting caught, she agreed and let Sid take her to the Sadan. Nafisa clearly told Sid that it's Rs 3,000 per shot. The businessman knew the rules of the game and took his own time. 'Coz once a guy cums it's considered to be a shot. The politician was unaware. Excited to the hilt he asked her to do fellatio on him. He was done in 15 minutes. The deal with Sid was only one single shot per person. Thus the girl politely wore her clothes and sat on the sofa and called Nafisa telling her that she was done.

While Sid was waiting in the car, he proceeded to the room to fetch the girl. Politician was agitated and asked her for another shot. She clearly told in broken English that she was ready but they need to pay another 3k in advance to do so. This was the first time the girl spoke in broken English. The politician in his drunken stupor held the girl by her hair. Before things could turn ugly, Sid entered the room and took the girl away. It was 3 am and Nafisa called Sid to drop her back as there's another client waiting to pick her up. Another client, another bed, well the sleaze can’t stop here in Delhi.

Batsmen can’t wait for umpire if game is to walk tall again

Christopher Martin-Jenkins believes that a modern tendency has been responsible for demeaning the game’s fundamental spirit


At Lord’s on July 15 the Chief Cricket Correspondent of The Times delivered the seventh annual Cowdrey Lecture, from which this is an extract. The lecture was inaugurated in 2001 in memory of Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge, a past MCC president and England captain. The previous lecturers have all been former international cricketers.

Rooney & Zoonie, the love of my life

Zoonie

Rooney

A Lesbian Affair

(As told to yours truly)

Those who think I am a lesbian, well, I must confess that I am a bi. However, it was in college that I got attracted to my teacher with whom I have shared some wonderful years together.

About myself, I have a bit tom-boyish looks and that’s how she, 28, (say Rita) got attracted to me. I was her student,19, and we used to board the metro from the same station in CP for DU. Although I lived in New Delhi area, she used to come from East Delhi. Her husband was into research and later she confessed to me that he was a gay too and had a south Indian partner.

I was a third year student then and Rita used to teach me. Since we traveled together there was an attraction. I thought it simply to be a simple teacher-student relationship confiding everything into her. Even my feelings about my friends delving into relationships and flings that I used to have in college. Suddenly, I realized she was getting too much involved with my life and surprisingly I too started delving into her affairs.

In emotional moments she used to hold my hand and be very touchy at times, I thought it was normal. I was in college and am pretty adventurous. I too started responding to her overtures. I loved her neckline so I was too physically getting attracted to her. I was open for experiments. All those metro rides to and from DU and long walks to college in campus or on cycle rickshaws, started taking its toll. I was in a relationship with her.

Why I chose her?
I had my childhood friends. They all were going around and had a bustling sex life. But in due course of time, all were getting bored of their relationship. I could see them, both boys and girls weren’t happy. They had their own trials and tribulations. So when it came to me, I thought the best-suited option for me was staying without a guy in my life. I had few quick-fire relationships which were enough to fulfill my bodily needs.

As for her, her husband had a regular sex partner. She had a tumultuous life. Since she had few friends as she shifted to Delhi after marriage, she had few friends to bank on. I provided her that badly-needed shoulder when she needed me. Few say that lesbian love or male-bonding only happens if they are too frustrated or have been-there-and-done-that a bit too much that you get bored out of sex. Hence the need as well as the urge to try alternate sex happens. Maybe this was the reason apart from my experimental nature.

During this time I met a guy. He was simply my sex partner and nothing else. I confided in him about my relationship with Rita and being liberal, he encouraged me. And it was on the Valentine’s Day, that we went on a date to CP’s Barista. We spoke to each other at length, caressed and spoke about her marriage, my future plans, etc. Evening we went back home. Nothing happened!

A week later, she called me home. Her husband had gone to his village on a ‘study tour’ along with his gay partner. Rita was home alone and she invited me home. She loved my boyish attitude and I was curious about experimenting. I was game for it just for the hec of it. Initially I enjoyed a lot. We were like two unsuspecting lovebirds enjoying our love life free from the cudgels of society. Had I got a boyfriend, it would have been hellish for me but with a woman along with me, I was like a free bird. However, I didn’t notice her growing possessiveness about me.

I passed out from college and shifted to south Campus. I was staying in a hostel so I was free from family bondage of going back home early, etc. I started staying with her and made a boyfriend in class. I enjoyed best of both worlds. We used to sleep and explore each other in bed in front of her husband. He had no problems.

However, Rita’s love for me was becoming obsession. She wanted me home by 7 pm and was repulsive towards my classmates. She felt stupid that I was going out with my classmates, it didn’t matter to her whether they were guys or girls. Moreover she was insecure about me, especially when she came to know I made a boyfriend. That day she created a huge scene at home.

When in hostel, she started keeping check on my boyfriend too. I didn’t like this attitude. We started having constant fights. To tease her I asked my boyfriend to sometimes give me love bytes on intimate parts so as to make her jealous. I also used to make stories that I slept with other girls and she used to crack up. This was my way of teasing her. I renewed my relationship with my sex partner. That day I spoke all about my relationship with him. I used to hide certain facts with him. But high on drinks, I told him all, each and every intimate details of our one-and-a-half-year-old relationship. That day too she created a huge scene. She hated me talking about him but enjoyed every detail about my lovemaking with him. She became violent in bed. I somehow didn't like it.

As time passed by, sex became boring and no more was I infatuated towards this chubby, clean-skinned sexy partner of mine. I started keeping a distance from her. Two months back we separated. Sometimes, she calls me but I don’t feel like responding to her overtures. She talks and she’s still insecure about me. I can’t help it. Life has to go on and I have to move ahead. Be it a guy or a girl, what’s in store for future is mystery. And I like solving mysteries.

I don’t lie, I don’t lie, I don’t lie; cocaine

Recently I bumped into an old colleague of mine and the first question she asked was, “Do you do Cocaine?”

I was stunned. Well, I asked why had she asked such a question. She answered, “You have such an in-depth knowledge of cocaine that you must be a cokehead yourself.”

I grimaced and could offer just a polite “No” as my answer. But she wasn’t finished yet. “Well, all dopers say they don’t do drugs.”

I could say nothing more. All of these are occupational hazards when you cover narcotics.On hindsight I must admit that I was one of the few guys in school who occasionally tried smoking a few joints of hash. But that was all there is to it. Nothing more!

I was a momma's boy then and never went in for crazy cocktails. For starters, cocktails, in our public school lexicon, wasn’t the usual alcoholic stuff served in hotels. It used to be a concoction of Phensydyle or Corex, Coke or Pepsi, mashed Brufen tablets, Proxivon, a quarter of whisky and a tinge of Iodex balm.

Ingredients differed according to the taste of the mixers. Whatever the mix was, it was enough to calm the nerves of 10-12 students for an entire evening. The ‘pharm’ kick would sometimes last till chapel service in the mornings.

But I have never tried the Pharms even as it has begun to gain in popularity in recent times. Pharm Parties have become a rage in Delhi. On days when Cocaine peddlers are in hiding, they are the next-best-thing. You get the right kick, nobody catches you and even Delhi Traffic Police’s alcohol metres fail to detect that you are on a high as you drive.

Coming back to the tree-crowned hills of Shimla, the place is famous for its babas — a terminology used to refer to those who partake of Shivji ka Prasad or hash. Babalog are a different breed altogether. They swear by their prasad and say ‘Jai Bholenath’ to greet friends. Alcoholic drinks are a strict no-no for them. I still meet people from the babalog breed in Delhi.

They work in swanky offices, drive luxury cars, do white-collar jobs but they don’t forget to drive to Manali once in a while to fetch their Malana Cream (best hash available in this part of the world). Old habits die hard.

One of the good things, if you can term it so, is the babalogs have lived up to their reputation by staying herbal and not venturing into chemicals. Observing the Delhi drug scene, they definitely are the good boys of high society.

Arki Heights

Arki Fort

Arki is a quietgetaway hidden away in Western Himalayas boasting of a rich cultural heritage.

Arki. Does this name ring a bell in your head? Well for starters, it’s a quaint town tucked away on the midhills of the western Himalayas. Located about 40 kilometres from Shimla, Arki was once the headquarters of the princely state of Baghal and still boasts of India’s last living crowned king — Raja Rajendra Singh, who was crowned as the King of Baghal just before India’s independence.

Well, we are not going to talk about the Raja here. Instead we’ll talk about his heritage fort, which has now been converted into a hotel — The Palace Retreat, Arki. But if you are a great listener, then you can indulge in a story-telling session with the King. He has plenty of stories to tell you, including the times of India’s freedom struggle, about the lores of Arki and how in his kingdom, no one was hung to death.

The hotel is part of the 17th century heritage fort complex built by Rana Prithvi Singh, the ruler of the former Baghal State from 1695-1700 AD, in a Northern-Indian, Rajput Mughal style. The fort has a rich history behind it. The Arki fort was also the headquarters of the Nepalese General Amar Singh Thapa for eight years from 1806-1815, when he ruled Himachal.

The Arki kings also patronised art in a big way. The palace is famous for its frescoes executed in the Arki Kalam style, thanks to the art-loving Raja Kishan Chand (1840-1876). The roof bears a splendid floral design, while the wall murals depict battles scenes and episodes from the Puranas and other epics. Do check out the brilliant representation of Kalidasa’s poem Kumarasambhava.

It’s a pleasant country-side retreat for travellers on the way to Manali, Dharamshala and Shimla. Whichever way you are going from Delhi, if you take a slight detour, you are bound to get mesmerised by the palace and the small town of Arki, which means a sunny place. Baghal is the short form of Baghalaya, translated as the land of leopards. Well, Leopards are a rarity here now, but if you trek to the hills, you might have a brush with them. Arki is a place to unwind. Far from the maddening crowd, it’s a loner’s delight. One can relax in the fruit orchard and flower garden here. You can also go for long walks in the forest. Ancient cave temples are also located near Arki. One can go on a trek there too. Naldehra Golf Course and the hot sulphur springs at Tattapani are also not that far off from the place.

The view from the Cliffend-Bar-N-Cafe terrace is especially charming at night illuminated by the lights from nearby hillside towns and villages. The rooms are beautiful as they still retain a regal charm. The hotel serves a wide range of Mughlai, regional pahari, and select European, Latin, Chinese and Thai cuisine. It also has a well-stocked bar with a variety of snacks.For details log onto http://www.hotelpalaceretreat.com/ or call 01796-220621, 220021.

Music, DJs and cocaine

DJ SAAZ

Not even a fortnight has passed since Delhi got a shocker in the form of cricketer Maninder Singh being arrested for allegedly possessing cocaine that India’s one of the top DJs Dj Aqueel is being arrested for possessing .4 grams of ecstacy at Dubai airport. Media is in frenzy and obviously these high profile arrests are just the right mix of cocktail for media to thrive upon.

However Delhi’s leading DJ - Saaz – feels that the frenzied approach of media and building such hype over these arrests only create more excitement for the youngsters to go and try it more. “Rather than tackling the drug menace, they just build the hype and kids get adventurous and go ahead with trying it for once and than ever.”

“Everything in Delhi is on a boom right now. Delhi is getting more nightclubs, a lot more TV channels and newspapers are being launched so there’s lot of awareness which only leads us to copy the western culture. And in doing so we are just falling ourselves apart,” he adds.

The Delhi-based DJ, who is a regular on the UK nightclubs as well as the Indian party circuit, feels, “There’s no harm in copying the western culture, but only problem is that we can’t copy the UK system here. I play regularly here and see teenagers binging and dancing here, whereas in London, they check your ID for age proof (only above 21 are allowed) and do a thorough search for drugs on people entering the nightclub. And if you are caught, no way you can escape. Whereas in Delhi, we have a law which says serving liquor to only 25 and above, but actually we end up serving to girls as young as 17.”

The DJ feels, this is the root cause of the drug menace in the Capital. Talking about DJ Aqueel’s arrest, he says, “I have met Aqueel several times and have spoken to him when he comes to Delhi. He is a sane person and wouldn’t do such a foolish thing of carrying Ecstacy tablets in the airport and that too in the Middle East. I can bet on it that he has been framed. Aqueel is in a different league altogether and he has the Bollywood tag too. Almost in all the Asian circuit he commands a respect and has carved a niche for himself. In this business there are too many competitors and anybody would have planted the two pills on his bag. I know him personally and he can’t do such a foolish act. Basically it’s not about him, it’s about anybody. Any person, until he is a peddler, won’t take such a great risk of landing in the cop’s net along with drugs at the airport.”

Talking about Londoners as the biggest snorters, Saaz says, “Well, a drug addict there does it privately and takes utmost care of not getting caught. Although you see in nightclubs people snorting in groups, but then they get it from peddlers and they have links. I don’t know how they do it, but there are instances. But just linking up drugs with nightclubs is not correct. In London, a drug addict will do drugs, no matter where he is, but with care. In India they have a feeling that their dad’s wealth can help them get away with the crime if they are caught. And like London, they gain entry easily into nightclubs. Youngsters too have misconception that certain genres can only be enjoyed when you are high on drugs.

“As a musician, I would like to request people especially youngsters that DO NOT ASSOCIATE ANY KIND OF MUSIC WITH DRUGS. The problem in Delhi is that youngsters find it hip to do drugs. They think that if they do it, they are IN the scene. Youngsters do it not for the kicks, but to merely show off. What typically happens is a 17-year-old girl starts smoking dope and gradually progresses to other forms of chemical drugs. By the age she reaches 23, she’s already a veteran and you know what they call them then? (Coke sluts),” he adds. “It’s just a way of ruining your future.”

Talking about drug scene in Delhi, Saaz says, “Everybody does it at an individual level. I don’t say that DJs don’t do drugs, but tell me any field where you won’t find cokeheads? It’s totally individual. There are DJs who demand cocaine at the nightclubs before performing; otherwise they threaten not to play. What can you do? Event managers succumb to their demand. And if you visit some of the nightclubs here you can see traces of cocaine at the most probable places.

“Another myth is people associate certain genres like funk, trans, acid house and progressive rock to drugs. There’s nothing of that sort. You don’t particularly need drugs to enjoy the music. Music is in itself a high. It’s lot of fun and the easiest language to understand,” he adds.

DJ Saaz has some advice for the media also. The DJ feels that media shouldn’t blow drug cases out of proportion. “When you blow it up then kids get more adventurous of trying it out. And I feel that youngsters between 17-23 are the most vulnerable. Authorities should ensure that rules are followed of not serving liquor to kids below 25.”

Finally DJ Saaz has an advice for youngsters: “Choose your life over drugs, ’coz there’s lot more to it.”

Coke Sluts

Coke’s the right choice if you wanna get a high in Delhi. But getting a high on the drug is not the only thing which our City’s snoterati yearns. What they crave is the company of the beauty in bed along with their booty. Sleeping for the cokeheads in Delhi is just a coke’s distance away in Delhi’s social circles. There are plenty of girls who’d do anything for snorting a line of cocaine and if you look deeper in the muck, their ways of taking cocaine are too kinky for a layman to imagine.

It was the arrest of Delhi’s well known peddler Naquibullah Ali, who was murdered in Tihar Jail, that the cops came to know how cocaine can get you girls. In his confession report Ali admitted of having sex with his high profile clients including a mother-daughter duo of South Delhi. His long list of women clientele included well-known fashion designer staying in south Delhi. And his different ways of administering cocaine into the body of his women left cops spellbound. Cocaine enters into the body through mucous and wherever mucous is found, cocaine can be taken from there, including the private parts of the women. So these high society women had found rather kinky ways of taking cocaine.

According to a senior Delhi Police cop, “Sometimes it really gets embarrassing if you listen to the telephonic conversation of the peddlers and their high profile clients and their many girl friends in front of subordinates. They either talk about cocaine or sex. Nothing more nothing less. For them value of money is nothing. It’s only Cocaine which can get you anything.”

Well, wherever there’s Cocaine, coke sluts follow you. They can be anybody – right from a daughter of a big Delhi businessman, whose pictures are regularly published by national dailies in page three to a nondescript college student who become a slave to her cocaine suppliers. Sex and even indulging in orgies is a common phenomenon for them.

In fact the Delhi Police cops once bumped into a group of filthy rich south campus college students last year. This group had more girls rather than boys. And the only motive of these guys was to bed these girls in lieu for a line of cocaine. A South Delhi resident who passed out from one of the top public school of the country was involved in this and it was he who introduced cocaine to these college students.

Craving for Coke for these girls was so much that sometimes, they used to venture alone to buy cocaine in the dirty bylanes of Karol Bagh. The same person is often seen in the company of a daughter of a high profile Delhi businessman. Once in a South Delhi nightclub, she was so high that she ended up in the men’s loo with her friend and it took half an hour for both of them to come out of the men’s loo. When both the girls came out, instead of feeling embarrassed, they started fighting with guys inside the loo. What they were doing is anybody’s guess. Toilets are the favourite joints for cokeheads to snort in the nightclubs.

There’s another girl from Greater Kailash, who is Delhi’s another prominent coke slut. Unable to afford cocaine on a daily basis, her craving for the white snow made her sleep with anybody who could give her a line of cocaine. She then also became involved in selling cocaine and whenever she used to meet clients she used to wear a red dress, resembling that of an airhostess of a private national airline. And it took her no time to change her ‘master’ when the previous one went to the jail.

The list of these coke sluts is long and you never know that the girl next door is a coke slut at night.

Cricket, Capital and Cocaine

TWO years back, Narcotics branch of the Delhi Police was hot on a chase of big time drug peddler. They were regularly tapping his cell-phone and during his conversation they learnt that one of his regular clients was an ex-cricketer staying in a posh South Delhi colony. He was regular in the South Delhi's cocktail circuit and had number of girl-friends with whom he had lurid conversations when high on drugs. Cops did not arrest him even though they knew he was a drug user as they were interested in netting the drug supplier. It was for the first time that narcotics sleuths found out cricketers’ love for white snow or cocaine.

In fact in the case of Maninder Singh, too, cops zeored on him while trailing information culled out from a drug supplier Mohammad Aslam arrested in March this year. During Aslam's interrogation the name of Saim Siddique figured. He also disclosed that one Mohamamd Naved, a Mumbai resident supplied drugs. Naved is said to be part of big inter-state drug network which is run by his brother Guddu, a known drug pedeller. Tapping of Siddique's cellphone provided further lead that he was procuring cocaine for his mentor Maninder who runs a cricket academy at Maninder Singh Cricket Academy at National Stadium. Sam is coach at his academy and is Maninder Singh’s Man Friday.

According to DCP (Narcotics) AS Cheema, “We were trailing Sayyam and his trail led to Maninder’s house. When we arrested them, they were on their way to airport as Maninder was going to Mumbai for five days. In Mumbai too, Sayyam had arranged for Maninder to procure cocaine from someone. We have got some leads on this matter and we are investigating on it.”

Talking about Maninder Singh’s marital problems, a close friend of the cricketer said, “It was his regular abuse of drugs that was the root cause of his troubled marriage. Maninder’s wife is a simple homely housewife and she opposed his excessive use of drugs. The problems started three years back when Maninder became a regular cokehead.”

Even though, Sam and Maninder are not part of the big drug network and kept a low profile, there are few flamboyant cricketers (both past and present) who are frequently spotted at hip discotheques. Flushed with money and high on fame quotient, these cricketers move around with rich kids who are capital’s known cokeheads. Nigerians are their favourite peddlers.

When asked about Maninder’s crony Sayyam, a regular who snorts cocaine and knows most of the suppliers in the circuit said, "I have never heard this name (Sayyam). I know of a Kashmiri guy working in a restaurant in a five-star hotel in New Delhi, who supplies to one of the biggest names of world cricket. There are other big names too. I think the cops need to net them as well. In a recent party, a couple of cricketers were seen snorting cocaine in a small room at a high-end bar of Delhi. At the party, a foreign high profile ex-cricketer snorted cocaine in front of me in room. When he came out he met an Indian cricketer too. They shook hands and the Indian cricketer walked into the same room where he had snorted cocaine.”

Although Maninder singh’s arrest has stunned the cocktail circuit “Never in our life had we imagined that Maninder Singh is a cokehead. He was one of the few decent cricketers and never seen in Delhi’s page three circuit. There are certain other cricketers, whom we have seen in the regular page three parties and roaming along with cokeheads. If Maninder, who used to keep such a low profile, is doing cocaine, then you can see how deep drug abuse has penetrated in Delhi,” says a party goer, who is omnipresent on most page three dos in Delhi. Also the alleged supplier to Maninder, Sayyam Siddiqui’s identity too is not familiar among cocaine users.

In fact according to page three grapevine, “Few English and ex-Pakistani cricketers last year were regular at the prominent nightclubs of Delhi, whenever they visited Delhi and their hosts were regular users of cocaine.”

Delhi loves to get high on cocaine and most of the rich brats and nightclub regulars swear by it. For some, cocaine is an easy means of sleeping with a girl as the Capital has its known high profile ‘coke sluts’, who would do anything for a free dose of cocaine. The Indian capital ignonimously sees heavy imports of cocaine and ecstasy pills whereas it is becoming a huge exporter of heroin and hash.

Cocaine comes to India from Africa. India is an important transit point for this white gold. The normal international trade route of cocaine is from Columbia to African countries from where it travels to either Delhi or Mumbai and from here it travels to European countries. A large part of the consignment is dropped in India for consumption. It costs Rs 3,500-8,000 per gram in the Indian market. Pure uncut Columbian cocaine is for Rs 8,000 and as the impurity goes higher, the cost comes down. This is a cause of concern for cokeheads as cocaine mixed with heroin can be deadly concoction where death is imminent.

The Rahul Mahajan cocaine case was a shocker to the snorting fraternity as they believed it was adulterated cocaine which took the life of Pramod Mahajan’s secretary Bibek Moitra and sent Rahul into hospital. The aftermath of this incident was bad news for the community as lots of big peddlers hid themselves and Delhi’s high profile New Year bashes went high and dry after the page three fraternity decided to celebrate out of Delhi.

Ragging, DU style

Ragging is a state of mind. Cheap thrills and a different kick altogether; ragging is a window to the future. A window, where one comes to know who is going to be your Man Friday for the entire year or who would be the college president after three years. You find your friends and foes while ragging a junior or in Delhi University’s jargon “fachcha”.

The college ragging during day time, when day scholars are there, is simple and done mostly to impress on girls. Yes, unwritten code in North Campus is that day scholars cannot rag a hostler. Only students from same department can do some “introductions” in a lighter vein. However, the hostels of the colleges in the North Campus at night are the hotspots for ragging.

Right from making a guy strip off and make them run to another college and pee on its boundary to making a junior stand on a platform while their hands raised is a normal routine every year for the fachchas who join the hostel. There’s another unwritten code in hostels that is religiously followed in DU is never rag hostlers from the north east and vice versa. Raggings in DU starts from day one and finishes on the day hostel seniors throw a fresher’s party generally happens in July end or in September. After that friendly fachchas are roped in for the DUSU election work. The Mass ragging is generally a fun thing and none of the juniors are assaulted physically barring few slaps, etc.

There are few smart blokes who try and enter the hostel after the fresher’s party. However for them ordeal is tough as their ego goes for a six as fachchas who have undergone ragging by seniors are invited to rag their smart brethren. It’s simply gross.

Now any hostel in North campus has two types of hostel residents. The first are the legal ones and the second types are the illegal residents. Generally the joke in Hindu College was that though hostel has 200-odd legal residents, food was cooked for 450 residents as illegal were more than the legal ones. Same was the case during our time in the hostels of KMC, Hansraj or Ramjas. There have been lores of these illegal residents in each of the colleges. Prominent among them was one Mr Bhakuni, who though was a student of KMC but was staying in the Hansraj hostel for more than a decade.

So the illegal residents are a real menace because they know for them sky is the limit in ragging. They cannot be punished by the college where they are staying or doing ragging. At times they can be ruthless. In Hindu hostel there was a student from a respected school in Nainital. The boy was a topper but he enrolled himself in Hindi Hons course although his best of four percentage in class XII was 96. Hostlers were stunned when they came to know about this and thus he was the prime target of serial raggers. In just couple of intense ragging sessions in a gap of three days was enough for him to decide that this college was not for him. He left the College. Whatever happened to him in this session just simply cannot be written. He was mentally interrogated and then stripped off and made to do different stuff which was just gross.

In another instance of Hansraj hostel, a guy from Siliguri and another one from Meerut were ragged for almost three hours. Their ordeal was so bad that when asked to do fellatio on each other, they went ahead for it only to be stopped at the last moment. This time the raggers were not seniors but the fachchas, who were ragged for three months, posing as seniors. Since the two joined after the fresher’s party, so it was customary that the fachchas ragged their peers.

There also have been instances when some juniors are given ‘training’ in ragging. A public school pass out from Shimla who joined St Stephen’s, was ragged in Hindu College hostel prior to his joining the Stephen’s hostel. His ragging was arranged by a senior from school who was staying in Hindu College. Although his ordeal lasted for three hours, but later he became friends for the rest of life with his tormentors from the other college. In fact he found a den in Hindu College hostel during the ragging season in St Stephen’s.

Of Bullying and Ragging

Coming from a public school background, I thought it was bullying that mattered more than ragging. Ragging is just transient than bullying which is an unending ordeal for a kid right from middle school to senior school. Well, those who have gone through the bullying ordeal find ragging as a cakewalk and sometimes enjoy it too. However, both have their own pros and cons. Sometimes, these stories can be so heart-rending that they would haunt you forever. Am no great storyteller, but here are some incidents that will quench your thirst for some gory tales.

There was a classmate of mine Gurjinder G studying with me at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. His dad was a doctor in the army hospital. In normal circumstances Gurjinder would have been a normal student had he joined the school right from the beginning. However, he joined in seventh standard, thus missing out on the rigorous grooming process which a residential public school student undergoes during his grooming right from the stage of Kindergarten school.

Gurjinder grew in various schools throughout the country as his dad’s army job entailed traveling through his career. Under the patronage of his parents and frequently changing schools, Gurjinder became an anathema in the new school. In public school jargon he was a ‘sissy’ or ‘momma’s boy’, completely opposite from the ‘rough & tough’ persona of his batchmates who grew up on regular dose of caning and other corporal forms of punishments. In public schools, ‘titting’ or complaining about someone’s mischief is a crime and if you are in a senior school (above class VII) and if you cry then you are blot among your classmates. Gurjinder’s fault was that once a classmate beat him up and he started crying. That was it. His painful ordeal that lasted till he passed out from school in class X had just begun.

Bullying it was called and even his juniors used to bully him. Right from giving home-cooked food to running errands to the shops nearby, Gurjinder used to do it all only to be beaten later. Gurjinder became more of a human boxing bag to students and suffered blows everywhere.

He was so horrified by the entire experience that a close family friend told us that Gurjinder couldn’t sleep at night and he used to get nightmares every night. In fact, his torturous life during daytime in school used to haunt him even in his dreams and he used to shout while sleeping begging boys not to hit him. Although initial two years were hard for him but later the tortures toned down as became a fifth former (Class X). However, scars of his bullying in school remained with him painfully. Since he left school, I lost touch with him. Since then I haven’t seen his name among the list of students to have joined our illustrious alumni association later. Perhaps, he would have rued the fact that he was associated with that school.

A lesson for parents here that if they want to send their kids to a residential public school, then send them right from the beginning, I mean kindergarten or class I, otherwise it’s difficult for kids to adjust to the environment.

Koti, the land of my dreams... in pictures

Apple trees at my orchard

This land is workstation for soKotime...

Different shades of green

Village Temple at Koti

Vishwas checking his mobile signal;-)

West Point: View from the Western side of the land

Off the beaten tracks, Swift is not too swift here

Location of the house in Koti village

South View: Down south, it's amazing

The site for my house

Another day in paradise

Global warming is taking its toll and India is seeing some drastic changes in its weather conditions. According to the met office on Monday, Shimla registered a temperature of 24 degrees, seven degrees above normal. Two decades ago, people would still hope to see snow in April and Shimla once witnessed a snowfall in the month of June too. But that’s history and what the future beholds in the summer months is mystery. Let’s talk about the present, which is definitely a welcome gift.

At 24 degrees, Shimla is pleasant. Good for long walks across the ridges of the main town in the evenings and the mornings. Right from Chotta Shimla, or Forest Road or Sanjauli, in the east to Summer Hill, or Boileauganj and Chakkar, in the West, the walks are lovely. The woods are deep and the roads almost empty, except for a stretch of a few kilometres when it passes through the Mall road and other town areas. Also on the platter are a magnificent view of the Himalayas on the East, Shivalik ranges on the West and Churdhar range on the South. One also gets to view stone churches, turrets and spires, wood façade cottages and mock Tudor houses on the way. It’s an ideal destination for flaneurs, only if you can pester your friend’s grandfather there. He can show you where Bollywood great Bhisham Sahni and Anupam Kher spent their childhood, or where Rabindra Nath Tagore spent a few months of wilderness in Shimla.

The summer capital of the British Raj also offers numerous trekking routes into the mountains that last from a day trip to a week- long tryst. The most common trek nowadays is the trek to Tattapani, where one can indulge in white water rafting on the fiery Sutlej river. A less frequented spot in Shimla is ‘the Glen’. As its name suggests, the place is situated deep in the woods near historic Annandale ground (In 1888, the second oldest football tournament in the World, Durand Cup was kicked off here). The place was developed by the British and has an ice-cold stream flowing through the forest, making it one of the most fascinating picnic spots in the city. But don’t venture out alone here, as it’s a lonely place. Going in groups is advised here.

There’s another long walk about which none of the tourist guides will tell you or even dare to ask you, but this walk is truly amazing. This walk is all about cherishing the British legacy — the Kalka-Shimla railway line. Get lost inside the railway tunnel No. 103, the last tunnel on the Kalka-Shimla toy train route. Keep walking towards the Summer Hill railway station. Once inside this tunnel, the walk is intriguing, but worth exploring. Obviously check the timings of the trains, as the light on the other side of the tunnel could be of an oncoming train. Once you have crossed the tunnel, you will find several beautiful spots where you can just take a break and relax.

If you keep walking down the tracks, in half an hour you’ll reach Summer Hill, the seat of the Himachal Pradesh University. Take a chai break here, but remember the small tea stalls make tea — pahari style — always high on sugar. One can then visit the Viceregal Lodge, an edifice of British Raj. The lodge is a Baronial mansion built in Elizabethan style. A unicorn and a lion guard its manicured lawns and the interiors sport intricate wood carvings. A perfect end to your walk in the tree-crowned hills of Shimla.

BREAKING NEWS: Sreesanth worth Rs One Crore

India team's official dancer may not have played the World Cup, but his on-field antics in South Africa has definitely helped him raise his price in the market. Percept D Mark last year signed him for Rs 15 lakh, but this year his price has been raised by Rs 85 lakh. Rs One crore, yes, that's the minimum guarantee money that this Kerala wonderkid is getting for a year now.

According to sources Yuvraj Singh is all set to become Indian team's vice captain. Not a bad investment by Percept D Mark here. He can easily become a captain in the next two years now, if everything goes according to the plan. With Sahara as the team's sponsors and Percept having a close relatioinship with them, I wonder who the official selectors of the Indian cricket team are?

Well, it's the same company which hasn't paid money to former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey...

Out of frying pan, into the fire

With India's World Cup honeymoon in the West Indies over in just a week's time, it's time for some accountability session as the Board ofControl for Cricket in India meet in India's financial capital Mumbai on April 6 and 7 where the fate of under fire coach Greg Chappell would also come up for discussion.
The Indian team hasn't arrived yet, giving enough time for the Indian media to speculate and faff regarding the future of the Indian cricket. The team, which is in the Caribbean after its exit from the World Cup last Friday, is in a state of anxiety.
Suddenly the action has shifted to Indian shores from the Caribbean and Indian journalists covering the World Cup in Trinidad are the only source of information for the team members apart from their families back home.
Journalists there too are busy catching up the latest gossip back home and then passing it to their faithful friends in the Indian team.
No one can hide the fact that there's rift in Indian team after their ouster from the World Cup. The endorsement wars too have come to light recently when a lawyer claimed that cola drink major Pepsi were behind Sourav Ganguly's sacking as the former Indian captain endorsed arch rival brand Coke.
There is gossip floating around about how an sms sent by a journalist to Ganguly in Port-of-(S)Pain, which reached Virender Sehwag by mistake,created a 'furore'. The fact that players like Sehwag and Dravid overreacted to it suggests that there's tension prevailing between the members of the team too.
It was on Monday that media gathered in the team hotel expecting an elaborate press conference by Anil Kumble to announce his hanging of boots, but that too was called off and now has been postponed. Players are tight-lipped in the Caribbean and are mutely examining the situation back home.
BCCI chief Sharad Pawar, a federal minister in the Indian Government, has said that there will now be two cricket teams for India - India Seniors and India Blue. While the seniors will consist of the more experienced players, India blue will also get a chance at international games.
According to Pawar: "We will sit with former captains like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev and get their advise about Indian cricket basedon their past experiences. We will discuss in detail India's World Cup performance.
"We will see the team manager's report and also ask his personal observations during the tour. We will also give a chance to the coach and listen to what he has to say and discuss about the captaincy as well."
Captaincy conundrum
A top BCCI official, on conditions of anonymity, said that the board is considering a major overhaul in the team. There's also speculation about the future of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. Talks of Yuvraj Singh being appointed as the Indian captain too is rife. (His managers - Percept D Mark) are backing his case strongly. Last year they gifted him a black Mercedes when he was appointed as Vice Captain by them. They don't want their investment to go haywire. Maybe on being a captain Yuvi gets a Bentley!)
But, a lot of Indians want Sourav Ganguly to be back as captain. They think that it would help the team to get back their killers.
Coaching crisis
The Board is still open to the idea of a foreign coach and may even talk to Dav Whatmore, Tom Moody and John Wright. Former Indian cricketer Mohinder Amarnath and Kirti Patil's name too is in the running. However, all these things will be discussed when the Board meets with former Indian captains.
Present Indian coach Greg Chappell has already said that the side's failure to execute the plans was responsible for the debacle in theWorld Cup and it's a collective responsibility. "I'm happy that I've done the best job I could do, and so did the coaching staff and support staff. The planning was good, the preparation was good, butthe execution on the day was not," he was quoted as saying. Chappell has also added that India haven't won an overseas tournament since 1985. (Basically he wants to say that India's loss is nothing new. It's generic in nature.)
"There are obviously some reasons, but I'm not prepared to go into them at this stage," he said. (Expect some brickbats when the team arrives. Meanwhile, Greg Chappell is busy planting stories in the media in his favour. Sports journos too are showing their allegiance to him by following such stories in a big manner. It seems like cricketer's the sense and sensibilities of the media too has gone for a toss.)

WHAT OUR BIGGIES SAY ABOUT THEM?
S Venkataraghavan: "It is disappointing, pathetic and frustrating. The team members lacked everything, including the fighting qualities. They have to sit, review and analyse such performances. The concerned should be held responsible," he said.
Gundappa Vishwanath: "Losing two matches out of three speaks volumes about their lack of application and determination. It's a shame that they failed to qualify for the SuperEight." Abhishek Bachchan: "I am disappointed like any other Indian, but do not beat them up. They tried their best. I know what failure is like and they will rise again. Give them a chance."

Advertising pangs
With the Indian team's ouster, advertising industry has been the worst hit. Sponsors and advertisers are withdrawing their cricket-centric publicity campaigns. According to industry insiders Pepsi, Hutch, Hero Honda and LG have been the worst hit as they had to take off their big marketing campaigns planned around the World Cup. Pepsi has pulled out its 'Ladega To Jeetega' ad campaign featuringSachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag. Similarly, other companies including Hutch and VISA have been discontinued. Reebok,which featured several cricketers in its ads, has also taken a u-turn. According to industry sources, a Sunfeast biscuit advertisement featuring Sachin Tendulkar is being replaced by Shah Rukh Khan's take. The ad industry has suffered losses ranging to nearly Rs 200 crore (1USD = Rs45 approx). The official broadcaster too has taken a hard hit. Expecting to raise Rs 800 crore in ad revenues, industry analysts say that it will incur at least 60 per cent in losses as now they have to sell the slots in much cheaper rates.The Indian tourism industry too has suffered approximately Rs 50 crorein revenues. Indian fans, expecting Indian team to reach the SuperEight, had planned their travel to the Caribbean in April. But India's early exit from the Cup has made it sure that all the bookings were cancelled. According to an industry insider, "Travel agents had already done the booking for them in the West Indies. Now they cannot be cancelled. So we have to suffer the losses."

FULL CIRCLE

India has seen many Black Fridays and Manic Mondays, but many Indians believe that last Friday was the darkest and blackest of them all. It’s when our Great Indian Dream Team choked, once again. But is there anything new in this?
The Men In Blue are a band of chokers once they jet set to any other country. This too is nothing new. Perhaps, in Indian mythology, going to a distant land – saat samundar paar - was considered inauspicious maybe the reason for it was that India was a ‘Sone ki chidiya’, so there was no reason to set afoot in foreign shores. Our cricketers too follow the same rules. Exploit cricket on home soil as gold to the hilt. That’s it!
It was six months back when a senior cricket journalist, who has devoted his life to cricket more than what a cricketer would have, said that it might be an Aussie ploy to send Greg Chappell here and completely destroy Indian cricket before the World Cup. Well, I shrugged it off then, but conditions prevailing around us now make me think that there was some grain of truth in that too.
However, India’s loss has brought smiles among a small stratum of Indian society comprising few sports desk journalists and a lot more sportspersons who have always lived under the shadow of the great game of cricket and its demigods. For whom glory comes just once in four years, when they embark on a journey to either Asian Games or Olympics or the World Cup. That’s the only time they get their share of media pie.
For the desk journalists, it’s back to routine jobs meaning a lot more time to spend with their respective families, getting sound sleep and no more early morning drinks with colleagues on the parking lots of their offices.
For our cash-strapped sportspersons, India’s loss means a lot. They can live on hope that sponsors would turn to them for funding. Some of the world champions that India has produced in recent years in other sports (I won’t name them though), are without even a single sponsor. They can pray to God that they might be able to lay their hands on the sponsor’s booty after India’s world cup debacle. But, with crossed fingers.
“Nobody can say anything against cricket in India. It’s dangerous. All this madness and anger is transient. Within no time, India will forget them and they will be heroes again and darling of the sponsors,” said a shooter on conditions of anonymity to me. “They have mastered the art of luring fans, so performance doesn’t matter to them. They live for money and die for it. Fans won’t even get time to show their anger, when BCCI would change the captain and coach and soon the topic of discussion would be the current changes in cricket team rather than why they failed. It’s a full circle. It starts with India’s debacle in the World Cup and then consumes four long years of the build-up until the next cricket World Cup happens where India fails once again.”
Can you stop it?

The Woods are lovely dark and deep

The Chalets, Naldehra

The British Empire may have ceased to exist but its echo lingers on… Welcome to Naldehra, home to India’s oldest Nine-hole golf course in the country and now has been made famous by the boutique hotel - The Chalets. Situated at a height of 2044 metres and just 22 kilometres away from Shimla, the hotel is nestled amid dense deodar forest, with the breathtaking view of the Himalayas. On clear sunny days, one can see the mountain ranges as far as the Indo-Tibetan border.

However, it’s not the view that matters for an urban wanderer, it’s the space that matters for the city escapists like us who live, breathe and work in polluted environs of cities. It’s a paradise for loners where one can find ample time and relax in solitude, away from the din of the city.
This boutique mountain resort, offers accommodation in quaint pinewood log cottages built with imported technology and wood from Finland. Its idyllic ambience beckons you to revel in the lyrics of nature and the music of the mountain winds.

And if you are an avid golfer, this is it. The Naldehra Golf Course is one of the finest courses on the hills. The course was built by Lord Curzon. Curzon often camped at Naldehra for weeks on an end. His third daughter was conceived at Naldehra and was named Alexandra Naldera. The quaint log cottages have a small bedroom which opens into a living room with a working fireplace. A winding staircase goes up to a second bedroom with a sloping roof. Small manicured lawns and independent balconies lined with potted geraniums add to the Scandinavian ambience.

The Chalets also boasts of a spa, which offers rejuvenating massages and treatments, steam, sauna and Jacuzzi and an all season indoor swimming pool. All with stunning views of the surrounding forest. The activity room has a pool table, table tennis, carom and indoor games.
The Chalets is also an excellent base for outdoor enthusiasts, it offers day hikes and treks and picnics in the adjoining forest, horse riding, whitewater river rafting on river Sutlej, one of the roughest rivers of India.

Evening barbecues and bonfires under the night sky followed by lip-smacking dinners are an almost perfect way to end the day at Naldehra.