February 13, 2013

A house goes up, a house goes down.


A house goes up
A house goes down
A house goes up
A house goes down
There is nothing you can do
To take away my memories

I remember Arun and Tarun
And their big fat and long train
That their engineer dad got them
From the U S of A
I remember they had an elder sister, Sangeeta
And she was much more grown up than all of us
She was an elder sister and I don’t recall her ever
Sitting around the train
From the U S of A

A house goes up
A house goes down
A house goes up
A house goes down
There is nothing you can do
To take away my memories

I remember the Land Lord
Dutta uncle on the first floor
And his morning sneezes
That carried with the wind
To my ears
Or did they carry the wind?
It was like he was always sitting there
On that first floor
I don’t recall ever hearing him
Apart from his sneezes
But he was a good man, I know that

A house goes up
A house goes down
A house goes up
A house goes down
There is nothing you can do
To take away my memories

And what can I say about Didi?
Dutta uncle’s wife
She was an even better woman
Than he was a good man
As I stood behind my wife
Who stood in front of the sink
We saw her stand there
She was alone, she seemed so alone
And I often thought that all this will be gone
And it is, it is

A house goes up
A house goes down
A house goes up
A house goes down
There is nothing you can do
To take away my memories

And Didi played with vermilion
And wished the married women just that
And she spoke in a language that was hurried and chewy
That seemed like English, Hindi and Bong all at once
She had been stabbed on the mound in broad day light
She was fragile and fearless
She was a little woman but she seems so much bigger
In my mind’s eye

A house goes up
A house goes down
A house goes up
A house goes down
There is nothing you can do
To take away my memories

And there was Kartik and still is
Who was so much littler when I met him
When we sparred with our table tennis bats
When we smoked in that cave for a room
When we heard Cohen and Beethoven
When we heard so much of Straits and him singing
When we were friends and brothers
And Kartik dangled from a grill
And soon he wasn’t that little kid anymore

A house goes up
A house goes down
A house goes up
A house goes down
There is nothing you can do
To take away my memories

And Kartik’s Dad had a big deep voice
It’s the kind of voice you associate with the past
And men with big deep voices
And he was an advertising consultant
And seemed to know a great deal about
A great many things
And he had a business associate
Who was crazy about the 60s and Winwood
And the Low spark of high heeled boys
What a name, what a name that was
And I swear I’d never seen so much cool
Music at the same place all at once

A house goes up
A house goes down
A house goes up
A house goes down
There is nothing you can do
To take away my memories

And Kartik’s sisters, loud and cuddly
Who crooned out Karteeeek
Maybe that’s how sisters are meant to be
I had no clue, I had no sisters
And one of them had a worn out pair
Of ballet shoes
How cool is that?

A house goes up
A house goes down
A house goes up
A house goes down
There is nothing you can do
To take away my memories


(In memory of K 33A Hauz Khas Enclave and its people)

January 20, 2012

The White Bored 1: Why has India lost it




Produced by Yash Chawla, NDTV. Rambling by Bored Member NC.
Shot on location at The Bored Room, Yawn T Roads. 

From Jan 7, 2012 Pre-Perth. First posted on Bored Cricket Crazy Indians

My NDTV debut with Bored Cricket Crazy Indians

Last year, NDTV 24X7 featured us. If you can get your hands on a better quality video, let me know.




BORED CRICKET CRAZY INDIANS from Yash Chawla on Vimeo.
Better quality video minus the NDTV credits though

September 01, 2011

Is Nathan Lyon Australia's Amit Mishra

My first look of Lyon, and I think to myself, this kid looks a lot like Mishra – the obvious similarity is the vanishing hair. But there’s also this kidlike smallness about him. Then there’s this small coincidence that they both took five on debut. But what most will overlook is that both players remained not-out for no-score in their first test innings.

Both players will win their first test. I won’t be surprised if Dhoni overshadows Lyon, as he did Mishra, three years’ ago.  

Yesterday, Dhoni, once again, did Mishra in. This after he looked like the only Indian (other than Dravid) who could bat at The Oval. This after 2-19 vs. Leister in a T20.

Relax Bhajji, with MS by your side, no spinner will be allowed to make it large on this tour – the one-dayers will see both Ashwin and Mishra being teased on selection, both could end up playing two games each, if not less.

July 27, 2011

When did you know about Lord's

By now you’d think the Lord’s defeat was an open secret. I made an Early Bored Call at Reverse Swept Radio – “India will win Lord’s” around the 8th minute. To add some levity I also predicted India will win 4-0 along with a SRT 100.

Quite a few bloggers called Lord’s. Why don’t journalists make such calls?

When do you think India knew they were going to lose – when they saw the previous records and scorecards? After the ‘make it large’ spoof ads? After Zaheer walked away? When Yuvraj walked in? When Amit Mishra came on? When Saha came on, did Saha come on? How many extras can you have on the field before you realize, this is not the team I went in with? When MSD bowled? When Kapil Dev mocked him for making a mockery? When Raina bowled?

When Dravid was dismissed on the fifth morning. And flung his bat at an imaginary fly. He knew. It was good enough for me.

So is it correct to say that Dravid lost us the game for he was the only one who could have saved us?