a blog about a lot of things

Selection Day: A Review Aravind Adiga has a reputation as a chronicler of the ambition of the Indian masses to bridge the gap of inequality. In this, his third novel, the scope is once again on the effort of members of the lower classes trying to make it into the exclusive world of privilege but this time the author goes about it by focusing on modern India’s great love: cricket.  Few things are more representative of the aspirations of the Indian masses than the dream to be a cricketer. IPL success stories capture the entire nation's attention and this allows the writer to detail another familiar Indian character, the entrepreneur who sees brilliant opportunities everywhere. The cricketers are Radha and his younger brother Manju, both exceedingly talented and continuously bullied by their father, who has made a contract with God that his son’s will be the best and second best batsmen in the wold. They make a less divine contract with Anand Metha who sponsors them ...

Food is usually linked to memory. This isn’t an original idea and to many people the food that I’ve chosen is barely memorable, just as most people won’t really be able to speak of great cheese sandwiches or fried eggs and not mean a specific meal instead of the entire selection of eggs or sandwiches. Dosa is a simple meal which can be ready in a matter of minutes. I usually explain it as a savoury crepe made of rice and lentil flour. It is served with sambar (a lentil and tamarind stew) and coconut chutney. The best dosa I’ve ever had is at Dosa Mahal in Toronto. It was the first time I’d had dosa in almost two years and that was probably why it remained in my mind as a representation of the best. It’s impossible to untangle the experience of food from the taste only. The taste is linked to history. It’s a common enough trope that even children’s movies like Ratatouille can use the idea that a simple dish which evokes memories of childhood will have deeper and almost spiritua...

West indies play India in the second match of the teams in group 1 in the ICC T20 world championships. Both teams should have a point to prove. For India , the defending champions, it should be their first real test after coming up against a self destructive Bangladesh team and a vibrant but ultimately outclassed Irish team. The West Indies looked dominant against Australia and their batting also performed against Sri Lanka but the general feeling is that their fielding is not of the standard of a championship winning team. There has also been talk of the level of commitment of the Australians who seemed to already be looking towards the upcoming Ashes series. The pressure is also on both teams from the fans. The IPL is the most lucrative, largest and best organized 20/20 tournament in the world. Ideally it is the perfect training ground for the international stage given its plethora of international stars. India are the defending champions having won the inaugural title before...

When India plays the West Indies in the upcoming ODI series, provided they know their history, the performance of their team in the Caribbean is something they would seek to put right. India has characteristically underperformed in the West Indies and has only won a single ODI series out of the five played. Considering the fact that India is challenging for a spot at the top of the ODI rankings while the West Indies remain mired in the bottom of the table, another defeat would be difficult to explain. Coming of the back of an embarrassing exit at the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup, where the ineptitude of the Indian batsmen against the bouncer was starkly exposed, this tournament should serve as a chance for redemption. The Indian fans showed extreme displeasure with the captain after the T20 exit and Mahendra Singh Dhoni will need to be at his best to prove he is still the best choice for the captain, if only to appease a volatile public. There is also the challenge of re-...