Car driving - made easy!!!

With 9 months of proud car ownership. And also with hands on real-time driving experience in the most hazardous of the conditions ever, I reckon that I am worthy enough to share some of my healthy and ,of course, more unhealthy experiences that would be beneficial to some greenhorns and frustrated drivers.

Car driving has been one of my passions. However, I hadn't had an 'opportunity' (nope, necessity is the word) to really drive my heart out. Since I was born, we always had a car and a driver too, to face the music. So, I was reluctant, rather lazy, to learn driving. However, when I was out of house and when I saw some of my friends driving, I felt like the time has come. So, I asked my dad to buy me a car and he readily gave the nod (what a father. I am blessed:-)).

Then started my ordeal. All I knew is that a level head and a bit of concentration are required to acquire this art. I always knew that I am a sensible driver and when I stick to the basics, everything would fall in place. And thankfully everything fell in place.

Now, the real intension behind writing this article is not to describe my outing with my car but rather to put forth some guidelines, coupled with some of my findings, that would make car driving a pleasure, a pleasure which has turned a nightmare lately. This article will not teach you how to drive (changing gears, reversing etc) but rather make you aware of some finer aspects of driving such as 'enjoying a drive' that are not taught at a driving school.

On a fabulous evening with sun dropping down to bed, car loaded with full tank, long-wide road with absolutely no vehicles, with light music on, and more importantly with your girl by the side, one hand on the steering and another holding her hand. Amazing!!. I would live for this day and I am waiting for it. However, the cruel side of life is not what we see in movies or what we dream of.

Packed roads on a week-day evening, with cars, trucks, city buses, autos and my dear two-wheelers sprayed all around, when the movement is bumper-to-bumper, lights on, and when you approach a 45 degree incline and when your car stops and tends to go backwards. One Skoda in front and one Toyota behind, blaring horns. And, at the nick of the moment, when you somehow start to pull the trigger to move forward, one guy on a pulsar suddenly cuts inside, diagonally, in front of you ..PRICELESS!!!

This is a reality show, not the movie described in the paragraph above the previous one. Even a kid can drive on an empty road, but the real skill, mental strength and the ability to perform come out in such challenging situations. To really counter such situations one needs to follow the following :

1) Be patient.
2) Stick to the rules.
3) Understand your co-commuters.
4) Be concentrated.
5) Shed your ego and Compromise.
6) Last but not the least "Enjoy Driving"

You should be a sage on the road. Patience is the key. Those extra minutes that we gain by driving unnecessarily fast doesn't really make any difference, if you analyze properly. However, by driving with undue speed, the risk involved is humongous. Some say "Speed thrills". Yes, it does and some enjoy that thrill. There is another thrill if you can really enjoy, it would make car driving a joy. The thrill of moving in the first gear, with an expensive vehicle in front in a packed road. Any inches front or back, you hit and gone. This is the real "THRILL" and you encounter it umpteen times day-in and day-out. If you 'enjoy' this thrill, you are done for life.

It is not just you drive your own car and you change your own gears. One needs to maneuver through like a bee. Understanding your fellow commuters and actually stepping into their shoes, which is quite essential. It is all down to a psychological game, in other words, 'Driving is like playing the game of Chess'. People now-a-days no longer use signals. A nod of the head or a movement suspicious is itself a signal that the guy would take a turn. I rate the two wheelers, the most annoying section of the commuters. Even, the auto fellas can be tackled easily. But not the two wheelers. They never ever go straight. They would also move diagonally searching for empty places, cramping up the car drivers for room.

Especially, the Hyderabad traffic is notorious for its insensible commuters and educated illiterates who somehow lose all inhibitions when they are out on the road. How many times we come across traffic jams for no reason. I plead my fellow car drivers to remain in their own half and not to occupy the other way of a two-way road. One obnoxious weed in the garden of roses is enough to destroy the garden. This is always true when it comes senseless people, causing malicious deadlocks, affecting many.

Never get carried away, however good the conditions are. We never know what's up for grabs. In the face of danger always remain composed and feel responsible. Shedding of ego and Forgiveness (To some permissible level) are a great virtues to possess while driving. Once, a young man on a two-wheeler hit the rear end of my car. I could have got out of the car and blasted that guy. However, I didn't. Had I done that, an unthinkable stalemate would have resulted. Though I felt bad for a moment, I was satisfied later that I behaved sensibly. Of course the damage wasn't huge.

Wearing seat belts is one rule that the government has been emphasizing on rigorously. It is a reasonable thing for the government to do. However, this 'wearing seat belts' thing is a more an individualistic phenomenon. If one doesn't wear seat belts , oneself is under risk. Still if one continues not to wear. Who cares , if one oneself is not bothered about life. Moreover, there are certain breakages of rules that directly affect other sensible commuters. They include: jumping on signals, crossing the divide so as to cramp the two-way lane, taking turns with no or wrong signal etc. I feel that these things should be taken more seriously and punished more than what is being done now.

It is getting worse. Really worse. I just cannot imagine Hyderabad traffic, for that matter, any place in India some time down the line. Thankfully, I will be out of India soon, where I can go on a long drive, with no vehicles around, hopefully, with my girl beside, if at all I get one. I wish and pray that somehow the Indian government pulls a rabbit out of the hat and create a utopia by the time I come back to my mother land.

Jai Hind :-)

It's all about Judging the flight of the ball

Why Real Madrid threw the dice with 100 million pounds for Ronaldo? How David Beckham earns a staggering 17million pounds a year? Why is Tiger Woods a 'Tiger'? Why Fedex is Unstoppable? And why Sachin is GOD? The answer is quite simple, and it is so simple that you may not accept it as the answer.

"They all judge the flight of the ball better than most"

When we look at all the intricacies of sports, people talk about class, flair, quality, and so on..One fundamental skill that is necessary and ,if I go further, sufficient to be a top top sport person is to judge the damn round one in its flight and strike it.

I find this skill common to most of the sports involving a ball, be it cricket, football, hockey, tennis, golf, TT, badminton, volleyball etc, it is down to how skillfully one hits the ball. Furthermore, how skillfully one judges its flight and gets into a perfect position to hit it.

This concept is close to the "hand-eye-coordination" often used by experts. However, hand-eye-coordination comes after the "BALL FLIGHT JUDGMENT" because it is after judging where the ball "might be", one starts to swing the object used to hit the ball (hand or leg or bat) and tries to meet it at the previously judged position.

We see sports stars good at not just one sport but also at many others. How often we find players trained, playing others sports. For eg, Indian cricket team often involves in Football and Volleyball sessions as a routine warm-up. I have seen Roger Federer hitting the cricket ball as exquisitely as any other cricketer when he was at the nets at MCG during his tour to Australian Open. Jonty Rhodes had been a member of the South African National Hockey team before he joined the National Cricket team. There are plethora of sport stars, playing multiple sports at the highest level.

All this is possible and made easy for them as they keep hitting the round one, whether it is a tennis ball, cricket ball, football etc. Once the art of judging the flight of the ball is mastered, then it narrows down to how to hit it..It can be with a bat, a hand or a leg. And the placement and power of the hit are also crucial. But these two come at a later stage and however good one is at those, it can be futile if the flight is misjudged.

It is not an innate skill that one acquires from ones ancestors. It is through practice and with an intelligent head, this skill is mastered. The complexity lies in identifying the trajectory of the ball when it is subjected to various external factors such as wind, spin on the ball, deflections etc. It is through practice and 'been there and seen that' experiences one can make calculated projections on the trajectories and meets them at the right place and at the right time, the concept popularly called "Timing".

When I was 14, I went for Clay-Court Tennis coaching for almost a year. My coach, Salem, used to insist on this concept and when I practiced it, it made wonders. It helped me perform better in other sports such as Cricket, Volleyball and Football. I must say, it had a telling impact on my catching skills, which are exceptional, especially my out field catching, and high catches were lauded by my mates. It was possible because I used to judge the flight of the ball well and would get into positions quickly that made me take some blinders with ease.

Subjective understanding of these concepts is not necessary and many who master this art are actually unaware of that fact that they have mastered it. However, understanding these concepts is useful for a novice as conscious efforts to learn can speed up the process. The skill of "ball flight judgment" is one classic example.

My 8-year wait finally comes to an end!!!!

What drama, what excitement, what a game of football. Yes, I am talking about the night in Moscow.

The Hollywood script writers were given a run for their money, as the epic battle between the two English giants scripted an incredible finish. And, to my utter delight. No, to my utter relief, my Manchester United prevailed.

It is the biggest United game in my life after I fell in love with United, almost 8 years ago, just after united did the famous treble. Additional time (famously called MUtime) goals gifted United the most prestigious trophy in World Club football. However, then, united was a stranger to me.

Since then, the trophy has been a bunch of sour grapes, as United failed to reach the summit. I tell you, to win this, it takes a lot: quality, substance, luck etc. With European giants such as the Real Madrids, Barcelonas, AC Milans competing for the title, THE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS, it is the most difficult trophy to win.

I have seen United winning the League titles (Of course, winning the league is not easy). However, that Trophy, yes, that UCL trophy is what I wanted desperately. I want to see united lift that live. And, I wanted to live for that day.

Eventually, the D-day arrived. The night of 21st of May 2008, the day I was waiting for 8 agonizing years. I was just trying to pass time as the tension is really getting on me. I want this to be over soon. Win or loss, delight or despair, I wanted that to happen soon. I chatted with some friends, online, to pass time. I was reading the build-up on bbc.com. Then, finally tuned into ten sports for the game of my life.

The ten sports facilitator and the guests were, as usual, smiling and were cracking jokes on the Russian hats and the English supporters who made themselves look like clowns with those cheap all Russian fur hats. The boring anthems, the ceremonies were underway. After the break, it's the Kick off.

I prepared myself for a defeat, as I always do, but with a ray of hope. United kicked it off. It was all united. Owen Hargo was very industrious as he usually is. Scholesy, Carrick and the others were also playing well. Ronaldo was exceptional, especially with his trickery, bemused Essien and his partnership with Evra was quite impressive.

Then the moment. An immaculate cross from Wes Brown. And Mr.United , who else, the 42 goal scoring machine, the sorcerer, rose and created an artistic header, stunning the Chelsea fans. I was excited as Ronaldo ran to celebrate.

Then, the period of play was all United with two great chances squandered. I rued on those missed chances. Because I know how important the second goal is. That would have sealed the game off. Can United do a Barcelona on Chelsea? Do they have that mettle to see this fixture off with just one goal? No is the answer. I always know that luck plays a vital role in matches like these especially in Champions league, that is why it is the most difficult trophy to win, though you are a good team. Unlucky United concede a goal. Frank it was for Chelsea. Scored off a horrendous deflection and the goal keeper slipping just at right the moment. It was all square at the Luzhniki Stadium.

Half-time was over in a flash. Second half was underway and Chelsea looked more confident and they started to get the better off united. This really scared me. Drogba and Frank hit the post and the bar respectively. The pendulum started to swing, those nervous 80s are getting closer. Rooney taken off, he hadn't had a great game though. One goal either way is enough. Ferdinand's injury was a bit of a scare. Thankfully, it was a cramp. It ended 1-1 at the end of the regulation time.

It was football of the highest order. Two teams never wanting to give up, weaving tactical patterns and canceling each other out.

Now, the extra time. I felt that United must play well. They somehow should find their feet. I relaxed down on the bed and watched the game after a drink (Rasna it was :-)). It was going down the wire. I just cannot think of penalties. I didn't want to. Because, If we lose at penalties that would be a heart break. I wanted United to finish off the game in the extra time. However, It didn't. The show went on and on. It was chances galore at both the ends. Giggs effort was fended off audaciously by Terry, what a chance. What a chance!! Thats the end of it. No change in the scoreline. A moment of madness, when Drogba slapped in the face of Vidic. Direct RED. Roman was certainly disappointed. Chelsea down to 10 men. But, there was too little time for United to capitalize on it.

YES, the two inseparable sides must be separated. And how? PENALTIES. GOD SAVE ME FROM THIS PRESSURE.

Tevez to take the first one. He came up with a curvy run up and slotted the ball home. Then Ballack scored. I knew someone would miss. I also had a feeling that it will be one from United. Ronaldo stepped up. That boy, the best in the world. When the world was watching. What he did? His tame shot was saved.The unexpected (slightly expected) happened. Now at this moment I gave up. I have really given it up and was thinking how long should I wait again for United to come this far.

However, United and chelsea slotted the remaining penalties. I haven't watched two of them as it was sheer pressure. I just couldn't watch them. Then it was the Blues Captain, Terry, to win it for Chelsea. One strike and they are Champions. I just wanted to see the ball netted and then switch my TV off as I couldn't see Chelsea celebrating and United players in despair. It was raining heavily in Moscow. Terry steps up. He slips and hits the outside of the post and he buries himself in shame. Incredible. Unbelievable. What drama at the mid night in Moscow. I stood up off my chair, totally confused with shock or joy or pressure or disbelief. I didn't know what that feeling is. It was all square again.

I couldn't watch United penalties. I didn't see Anderson and Giggs' penalties. I watched Animal planet instead of ten sports at get rid off those nerve rattling moments. Now, it was down to Chelsea. Anelka, with a short run-up. I was sensing something here. Van der Sar showing some gestures. SAVED!!! UNBELIEVABLE. I raised my arms in disbelief with my eyes watering, looking that the United players' celebrations.This is the moment I waited for. One of the best in my life. The best United moment. The release of pressure. I was not elated, I was only relieved. My nerves eased down a bit.

You cannot ask for a better script. This is the script written by god. This is the magic of sport. Where do all these moronic movies, tv shows and the junk stand before these historic classics. This is reality. And this is life.

United celebrate. Chelsea in distress. Ballack, Lampard and the rest, all those great men, crying like kids. And my dear Terry was inconsolable. This is what the greatness of the trophy is all about. They only come once in a life time. Lives dedicated entirely for these moments. And if they miss, it is a heart break..

'THE MOMENT' NOW. UNITED LIFTS THE TROPHY. The scene that was a treat to my eyes. I waited 8 years for this very moment. WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE. THE GREATEST FOOTBALL CLUB EVER. AND WE ARE MANCHESTER UNITED.

If you ask me what is passion, I would say this is passion. I watched these breadth taking moments with delight as each united player lifted and kissed the trophy. I thanked god and extended my cheers to the architect, the face of UNITED, Sir Alex, and then, I opened orkut to greet my friends on the UNITED community and read some of their reactions. Finally went to bed at 4 am with heart filled with joy, relieved off pressure and , more importantly, SATISFIED.

Why Alex is the Greatest

"If greatness is defined by what you leave behind then Sir Alex Ferguson's trophy cabinet is as good a place as any to start.

It's a long list but stick with it.

Ten Premier League titles, one Champions League trophy, one Cup Winners' Cup, five FA Cups, two League Cups, one European Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and seven Charity Shields.

Twenty eight trophies in a shade less than 22 years with another European Cup perhaps on the way when United meet Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow a week on Wednesday.

Ferguson intimated amid Sunday's title celebrations that his current team would be his finest if they bring back that cup.

Well, let's say it now. Minus conditions and without qualification.

Ferguson is the greatest-ever football manager in Britain.

Some might disagree.

Liverpool supporters, for instance, who have always bemoaned the fact that Matt Busby and Ferguson were made knights for winning the European Cup once while Bob Paisley was overlooked for the highest honour after bagging Europe's most prestigious trophy three times.

Others might point to Brian Clough's unique management style which brought back-to-back European Cups for unfashionable Nottingham Forest or Jock Stein's success at Celtic.

Those with short memories might go for the charisma of Jose Mourinho who bought back-to-back titles for Chelsea with the cash of Roman Abramovich.

Then there is Arsene Wenger, who gave birth to the Arsenal 'Invincibles,' who delivered the most eye-pleasing football the Premier League has witnessed and whose nose for a bargain is without compare.

All worthy, but none comes close to Ferguson and here's why.

Greatness cannot be measured purely by medals or by mere longevity or even by the manner in which success was achieved.

It is a mixture of all three and Ferguson, having built three great teams, scores highly on all fronts.

But it is the style with which all Ferguson teams have delivered their trophies which is so impressive.

Not as pretty as Arsenal at their most prosaic, but football is not about weaving meaningless patterns. It is about winning and not once in 22 years has Ferguson diverted from his belief that adventure, creativity and style, albeit built on solid defence, is the best way to win.

In short, he has protected the legacy handed down by Busby and the famous 'Babes' with a ferocity he also demonstrates to reporters who might cross him.

The 2007-2008 season was the perfect example of what might be termed Fergusonism - football played with pragmatic foundation but a swashbuckling nature.

Rio Ferdinand finally came of age as arguably the best defender in Europe and his partnership with Nemanja Vidic was key. So was the work of Patrice Evra, the rejuvenation of Paul Scholes and the scampering energy of Carlos Tevez.

But undoubtedly what makes Ferguson's team stand out as his best-ever is the twin menace of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rooney should score more goals but his industry and creativity, if not his language, is an example to every schoolboy in Britain.

Then there is Ronaldo for whom every superlative has already been used but whose 41 goals this season really say it all about a wide man who is currently comfortably the world's best player.

In Ronaldo you have another of Ferguson's most accomplished managerial traits. The ability to man-manage, to polish and protect the precious jewel.

He did as much with Eric Cantona in volatile circumstances more than a decade ago. In the past two years he has done so with Ronaldo, repairing the damage caused by the Portuguese winger's part in Rooney's sending off at the World Cup in 2006.

Many predicted Ronaldo would never grace Old Trafford again after that infamous sly wink.

Ferguson dismissed the incident, if anything using it to forge an unbreakable link between his two most destructive attackers.

That is the true art of management, the ability to turn obstacles and adversity to your advantage, one which Wenger and Rafael Benitez and Avram Grant have still to master.

Ferguson is far from the warmest or most likeable of characters but when it comes to producing football teams with a musketeering mentality and a winning ethos the game has no peer.

All things considered, he is the greatest. "