FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid - El Clásico

There are some fixtures in sport that are equally important for both players and fans alike. FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid on Monday Night was one such event. The El Clásico at Camp Nou turned out to be a nightmare for the Madrid players and fans who went back with a 5-0 defeat while the Barça brigade marched triumphantly dressed in their blue and red jerseys.
Jose Mourinho’s boys were sent home demolished and striped of their unbeaten streak of 26 games.

Barça’s game was a complete delight to watch, it was skilled, coordinated, directed and simply exquisite.

Lionel “The Wonder Boy” Messi proved once again why he is one of, if not, the best footballer around. He struck the woodwork six minutes into the game and his intensity set the tone the game would follow. Though he remained goalless in the fixture, he was very much like a fearless infantry man throughout the game, in front and involved in 3 of the 5 goals scored.

What seemed to be a goal galore turned out to be a one sided bout which ended with nothing less but a knockout. Ten minutes into the game Iniesta’s assist and Xavi’s ball control put in the first goal for Barça and it looked as if Madrid would level the score soon. The Barça fans roared once again in the 17th minute when Villa pushed the ball to Pedro who drove the ball right into the back of the net. “Cute boy” Ronaldo’s nerves gave way very early in the game when he pushed Pep Guardiola, the Barça coach, who wouldn’t give him the ball on the sidelines. Nine minutes into the second half Messi finds Villa in striking position, passes the ball and Villa sends in the 3rd Barça goal of the night. Mourinho looked on stunned but unfortunately for him his horror had just begun, 3 minutes later a beautiful volley from Messi, gave Villa the chance to score his second and Barça’s 4th goal for the night. The scattered Madrid defense was now demolished. To make matters worse, 1 minute into extra time, Jeffren Saurez hammered in the last nail into Madrid’s coffin by striking the 5th and final goal, raising the score to 5-0 before the whistle ended Madrid humiliating El Clásico defeat.

The Barça players walked around the field, waving and celebrating the victory with their supporters. Real Madrid’s prize player Cristiano Ronaldo looked around in dismay and Jose “the Special One” Mourinho sat slumped in his seat, defeated, Barcelona proved a point, they were the better team by miles that night and Mourinho’s Madrid looked like a bully put in his place.
Barça’s players performed like a group of fierce and skilled gladiators whereas Madrid came out of the game looking like a bunch of novice bullfighters, scarred and covered in blood.

Real Madrid’s frustration showed in the eight yellow cards and one red card they carried from the game. Barcelona also received 5 yellow cards as scars of battle. Like all competitions between two fierce and ‘eternal’ rivals this too was a aggressive, pungent, thrilling and satisfying event… thrilling just for the Barcelona fans, I guess.

Barcelona took the top spot in La Liga with a difference of, as Madrid fans put it, “just two points” on the table, yet they remain five goals apart on the field. Undoubtedly this fixture will be remembered by both Barça and Madrid fans for years to come.

As Real Madrid and FC Barcelona find their way along the UEFA Champion’s League route, lets hope its as exciting as ‘a Barça style El Clásico execution‘.

Sufi Music - The Intoxicant.

I have spent the last 5 hours listening to Sufi music, not consciously; I just couldn’t stop and went on to hear qawwali after qawwali. And this hold that Sufi music commands over the listener is in essence the spirit of Sufi music. Sufi music is a ‘spiritual intoxicant’.

The music is the wine, the sound is the drug, and the aura, created by the rhythm and beat of the instruments, the power in the qawwal’s voice and the robust poetry leads to the intoxication of the soul and the spirit.

One loses all worries, thoughts and slowly drifts into a peaceful state; this quality of Sufi music is identical to that of meditation. No wonder than Sufi music is considered nothing more than a prayer by many.

The poetry may tell the most romantic of tales, the story of two lovers or of one lover seeking his beloved but if one listens carefully and understands the depth of the music and the words being sung, you will notice that the singing is more chanting, and the romance is nothing more than a devotee seeking the Almighty. The narration of a man’s love for a woman or such is nothing more than a metaphor used by the poets to show the desperation a believer has to meet his ‘beloved’ and the eternal strife of finding and witnessing God.

If one leaves the spiritual side to this form of music aside and one views it in a simple manner, you will still fail to ignore the enchanting quality of Sufi music and qawwali. The tempo of a ‘mehfil’ lifts to incomprehensible levels due to the power of the music. The fevour with which the qawwals perform is inspiring. People forget about the past, stop worrying about the future, for that period the moment is now and nothing else. And this is truly the most beautiful and powerful quality of Sufi music.

Whether it is the fevour of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the robustness of Abida Parveen, the softness of Jafar Husain Badauni or the magic in Amir Khusroo’s poetry or the strength in Kabir’s words or the truth in Rumi’s rhyme, all the same, the message is of peace, love and unity, for me this is the greatest quality of Sufi music.

“Jab hai sab Aashiq tumhare naam ke,
Kyon yeh jhagde Rahim aur Ram ke,
Tum ek Gorakh Dhanda ho”
(Qawwali: Tum ek Gorakh Dhanda ho.)

26.11.Never.Forget.

They say time is the greatest healer but I say there are some wounds that even time can not heal. The wound of 26/11 is the perfect example. Time that has passed by has only increased the anger, pain, sadness, grief and frustration.

Anger towards the cowards who sit hidden and unchecked, pain for those who lost their loved ones. Sadness for the innocent people who were slain, grief for the loss of brave hearts who fought till their last breath. And frustration towards the government for their inaction and politics.

News channels will have ‘special’ programs slotted out for the day, politicians will pay tributes, the people will light candles, the police will try their best to keep vigilant and the terrorist will seek inspiration from the barbaric acts their ‘brothers’ committed in the city of dreams, Mumbai.

There is one more entity who will be sitting in his cell reminiscing and trying to understand what he has done, Ajmal Kasab.

He will be praying to his God for forgiveness, I hope.

I am yet to understand how money and brainwashing can convince a person to enter a suicidal mission. Religion is lost in translation and interpretation for only then can it be twisted and used to instigate in the name of God.

Do these men seriously believe they are fighting in the name of God, the ever merciful and supreme? Are they convinced that killing innocent men, women and children will lead them to heaven? What is this ‘war’ they are fighting? And when will this ‘war’ end?

For to many innocent men, women and children have died, too many good soldiers have sacrificed their lives, too many people have paid the price for their ‘brothers’ actions, enough blood and tears have been shed.

I hope, the events of 26/11 will teach our nation and the world to be more alert and vigilant. Like minded countries should realize this menace called ‘terrorism’ must be eradicated. By means of dialogue or force, by means of love or hate, by means of treaties or battles. Let not one human die in the name of God, for God is just an excuse. If history teaches us one thing that is as clear as crystal it is this, the largest of empires have fallen, the mightiest of kings have died, and the greatest of evils have been conquered by good.

For in the end the Good ride home victorious and the Brave enjoy this Earth, as that is the will of God.

Jai Hind!

Freedom of Speech and Sedition

For the record -



(A) the right to freedom of speech is NOT ABSOLUTE in any country and the right is commonly subject to limitations, such as on "hate speech".



(B) Sedition is the stirring up of rebellion against the government in power. It may not be aimed directly against the state in an open violent manner. A seditious person is one who engages in or promotes the interests of sedition. Therefore, seditious conduct can be in the form of anti-national speeches, statements, acts and further encouraging one's fellow citizens to rebel against their state.



Hence, let those who test India's democratic fabric and leniency know that the iron fist may be covered with a velvet glove, but nonetheless, when the iron fist does come down it will come down rock solid and judgment shall be full and final. Let those who want to separate, leave the nation, but those who believe that the Indian nation can be separated into different pieces, need a reality check and a trip down memory lane. For India is a Union, a Union of Strength.



These "cocktail-circuit" paper weight "leaders" are not revolutionary, they are day dreamers, trying to "earn a quick buck". But be warned India may be a patient & peaceful nation, but at the same time it is a proud, sacred and united country.



Jai Hind.

Today is September 11 (I wrote this on Sept 11, 2009)

Today is September 11, 2009. I sit in my room with only the company of a few questions. Questions that seek answers but will never be answered. Questions that seek logic they will never find. Questions that need justification but can never be justified. Questions!

If today I was given the opportunity to meet any persons, dead or alive, I would choose to meet all the terrorists who died on the 11th day of September in the year 2001.

I would ask them if they achieved what they believed they would.

I would ask them if they felt the triumph they so craved for.

I would ask them if they truly contributed to the cause of Islam.

I would ask them if Allah praised their effort.

I would ask them if Allah blessed their act.

I would ask them if Allah appreciated their courage.

I would ask them if Allah accepted their sacrifice.

I would ask them if Allah welcomed them into Paradise.

I would ask them if all the lives that were spent in their attempt to achieve Martyrdom were enough.

I would ask them if they heard the silent whispers of the virgins awaiting them amidst the terrorized screams of their victims, the Infidel.

I would ask them if they saw each other glow and smile amidst the destruction, the blood and the death.

I would ask them if they felt the truth they believed to be sacred.

I would ask them if they had avenged the death and plight of their brothers.

I would ask them if their faith in God was stronger than the rest.

I would ask them if they knew they were wrong and it was too late.

I would ask them if they correctly understood the teachings of the Prophet, the will of Allah and the virtue of Islam.

Now I ask all believers and non-believers alike.

I ask them if enough blood has been shed.

I ask them if enough lives have been lost.

I ask them if their God tells them to keep on killing.

I ask them if their God believes in Peace.

In our times I see greater problems facing our planet. Greater problems that may affect our existence. Problems that may plague the future of the generations to follow us.

This hatred based on Religion has to stop.

For Religion is a sense of belonging and devotion and not of domination and destruction.

And it is important for us to understand that if time and the tale of civilization has taught us one thing it is this truth, that evil forces have always risen against better judgment and righteousness, human spirit and love, but the virtue of truth and reason has always prevailed and triumphed.

We must understand and believe in this.

It is the existence of Humans that proves the existence of God.


“To die for a Religion is easier than to live it, absolutely.”
-Jorge Luis Borges

Triumph

I could never believe that confidence could give way to fear. How uneasiness would take over belief. In life you can never know who you really are, as every situation brings out a new quality in a person and adds a different dimension to life. Each experience alters one’s perception and outlook. This is why man has not reached his peak yet.

To peak a man must conquer fear, displace uneasiness, nervousness and doubt, replace it with calmness, peace, belief and finally man must feel loved.

If one is not calm and peaceful or/and does not believe in oneself, he/she can never succeed, can never evolve.

Conflict gives rise to confrontation, confrontation gives way to triumph. The need to triumph is the essence of mankind’s growth and this need or want to succeed is what leads to Evolution.

Evolution may be physical but more importantly it is political, geographical and emotional. Political as only once man’s society is organized can it be perfect. Geographical as over time power & dominance has shifted from one part of the world to another finally leading to a coalition of powerful sects rather than a single centre of power dominating over the rest. Most importantly man’s emotions have changed from being primitive to complex.

Man’s evolution is directly related with mankind’s destruction. Man’s need to triumph over each other is its greatest gift and curse.

This need of triumph must be replaced with direction. Direction towards a common goal, to succeed as one race. Humanity needs to be defined more importantly as a unified entity rather than a collective term used for the various castes, creeds, races, religions and sexes that inhabit this planet.

In this day of fraud, terror, anguish, frustration and fear, mankind must shelter each other from a common misery. The problems we face are the same and the cure is shared. One man’s pleasure is another’s pain. One man’s profit is another’s problem. Man must evolve to benefit each other. If one man’s pleasure is everyone’s pleasure then there is no pain. If one man’s profit is everyone’s profit then there is no problem. Mankind must understand that the Earth is shrinking and its inhabitants are increasing, each day. Conflict based on land, water and energy is a conflict against mankind’s existence. Control over the forces of nature is control over mankind’s growth. Man was made to compliment each other not to confront each other; this must be understood and implemented.

Mankind must forget their various flags, boundaries and borders, its different languages and traditions, their various religions and communities. They must stand together as one and not stand against each other as many.

Man’s unity is its triumph.  

triumph

Kargil

When I remember the days of the Kargil War, I remember tension, mixed feelings and a sense of urgency. Today many years later on Kargil Divas I would like to pay tribute to the several martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice for selfish individuals. Selfish individuals who are busy in the rat race far away from the border and the enemy, engrossed in making a quick buck or saving a buck. Busy breaking or bending the law, busy playing vote bank politics or bringing about religious divide, I see corruption becoming a benchmark for earning money, more than half the people who have told me they want to join politics wanted to because of the (black) money they could make, "boys" striving to become business"men" were not interested in what business they wanted to get into, the end result should be money, big money (earned due to hardword but also a lot of effort put into deceiving, bribing and buying off authorities). I see citizens cribbing about the mess around them but not clearing it up, I see people cursing their elected representatives, yet not asking themselves why they keep electing them time and time again or do not go and make sure their vote counts. I see bridges and roads made and re-made and re-made. I see a lot of bullshit around me and try to understand if we are in this bullshit of a place, why do men like those who died fighting on the border during the Kargil War thought this country and its people were worth their sacrifice. Did they see something that I or Most of Us have missed, is there some hidden part of Bharat that I have not travelled to...and then I came across a quote of a Captain who died during the War. To me his words are a true testimony to what an independent person should feel, when at war, when at war against an enemy, may it be in any form, may it be a person or a system or a attitude or a generation the Spirit should be the same as the spirit conveyed in these words:

"Either I will come back after hoisting the Tricolour (Indian flag), or I will come back wrapped in it, but i will be back for sure" - Capt. Vikram Batra, PVC.

To me this says, Find a cause worth fighting for and keep at it. But find a cause worth living for and at the same time worth dying for. For that is the true meaning of life. - If you have no "cause" then Why are you living? Independence is not just a country surrounded by a border, independence is a country full of citizens ready to die for it but first it must be worth dying for, a country is "created" by the people who fight for it, but it is "made" by the people who live in it.

Jai Hind.