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.)