The Fall of Legends - What comes of it?

Global News is in a wild frenzy covering the 'fall' of cycling legend Lance Armstrong. They see a man, who has finally been brought to his knees, his pride and legacy slaughtered by allegations of doping and performance enhancing drugs. They see a man, a role model, a legend, an inspiration finally cave into the pressure of over a decade of continuous allegations - allegations on his commitment to the sport, allegations on his integrity and allegations on his comeback. 

Lance Armstrong, a man of sheer grit and determination, fought testicular cancer in the 1990's to come back to professional cycling and changed the face of cycling by winning an unprecedented 7 consecutive Tour de France titles between 1998 and 2005. Along with this awe inspiring comeback, he used the platform his cycling provided him to educate people about fighting cancer through his foundation Livestrong. 

The point of this post is not to take a side on whether Lance Armstrong is guilty or innocent; the point is to ask a few simple questions. 

What will be achieved, so many years later by stripping a man of everything that he stands for? 

If various governing bodies take doping so seriously, why was it not proved during the course of the various races? Why does it have to take so long?

Athletes who achieve tasks that are otherwise thought of impossible till that point of time, are immediately put under the scanner. Are authorities so skeptical that they have to test samples over decades to prove a point? 

These questions are not only specific to the case of Lance Armstrong, recent stories about Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt all point in the same direction. These are individuals who have made phenomenal accomplishments in sport, and are under the scanner. 

For me, as a person, what hurts the most is the fallout of the entire Lance Armstrong saga, is the hit that the Livestrong Foundation will take. The work that Lance Armstrong has put into it over the last decade has served as inspiration to countless people fighting cancer. 

I have admired Lance Armstrong since I was a kid, and more than anything the last two days have been personally painful for me to imagine the courage that Lance would have had, to put his foot down and say: 

"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by (an) unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken me to where I am today: finished with this nonsense. 

    I had hoped a federal court would stop the United States Anti-Doping Agency's charade. If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA's process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting, I would jump at the chance. 
    But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. There is zero physical evidence to support the outlandish and heinous claims. 
    The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it? From the beginning, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI (international cycling union) and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way. 
    The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, World Anti-Doping Agency and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples - under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests - perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or cut a sweetheart deal. 
    USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours. Today I turn the page. "

People will say whatever they have to, but I'm happy that Lance has gone out on his own terms, guilty or not! I was, I am and I will continue to be a believer in Lance and everything he has achieved. I still believe that he has been the truest bearer of the maillot jaune. 

Janmashtami: A traditional celebration or an exhibition of flesh?

It is visuals like this that that have become the norm for 'traditional celebrations' like Janmashtashtami over the last few years. This year, though, all decency, culture, traditions and moral values have been burnt in the fire of 'entertainment'

We are now a society, who are welcoming porn stars to be chief guests to our traditional celebrations. Yes, traditional celebrations and not fashion shows or casting couch sessions!

We are now a society, where every child very well knows that picture sirf teen cheezo se chalti hain: 'Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment' and it is with the promise of this entertainment that event organizers are trying to marry to starkly different visuals and values together.

I'm sorry, but I just don't see the connection!

I mean what the hell is wrong with the guys organizing these events? Do we really need to have celebrities like Sunny Leone to attend these events? Are there no more celebrities who represent our culture and values anymore? Why are we mixing sex and culture when we can mix glamour and culture? 

The Old Friends

Jack sat there alone, looking at the group of youngsters gearing up for their Friendship’s Day lunch. There was excitement and buzz among those kids, just like he had felt on this day, some 25 years ago. How much had changed he thought. That group of such good friends had drifted apart, or was he the one who had drifted apart from them?

His thoughts got interrupted by the noise at the table of youngsters. One of the guys was making a valiant attempt at catching the attention of the girl he fancied, at the rest of the group was in uproar because of that. The girl could not do much but blush.

He smiled to himself at the scene. His thoughts drifted to his mannerisms as a young man. He had some great times with those friends, and he sorely missed that. He wondered whether he would be sitting alone over a cup of coffee today if things had not gone sour between them. He made every attempt possible to replace those friends, with many combinations of new ones, but it just was never the same. He had friends today, lots of them, but none of them as true as those. That was why Jack enjoyed the solitude more than spending time with the people he now called friends.

Before he realized it, he was done with his coffee. He paid the bill, put on his coat and walked out of the café, feeling the warmth in his heart of good memories of a time long gone by. He thought of his old friends, smiled and hoped that one day the burnt bridges can be repaired. 

Of Bombs, Blasts and Terrorism

This surely might come across as a random rant about the recent bomb blasts in Pune. But, rather than complaining about the incompetency of governments, confused policemen, unconcerned politicians, this is our chance to look upon a generation who lives in the constant fear of terrorism and militancy. We have, over the last decade experienced and encountered 'terrorism' in a way that generations before never had. Between Mumbai and Pune itself, the last four of five years have witnessed many such attacks. These attacks are not on the cities, these attacks are on the people, on a generation that has now become so immune to such happenings, that it has begun treating these blasts as a common part of their lives. We hear about a bomb blast and simply put up a status or send out a tweet asking people to take care. We have become casual about these blasts. We have become casual about the fact that the government is doing squat, hell, we have become so casual that the next generation will feel left out if their city doesn't get bombed every year or so.

Yes, there is loss of life and property. Yes, we feel the pain. Yes, we want to get up and make and difference. Yes, we want to usher in change. But in a country with selfish, gluttonous pigs for politicians and puppets for governments, there is very little a generation can do. We have got used to sitting back and taking it.
That will change, and very soon. Till then, the older generation will feel the tremor of every bomb and the younger generation will accept it as a part of the time that they live in. 

Book Bound: Zero Day by David Baldacci

Zero Day

Author: David Baldacci

Now, I must confess that I am relatively new to David Baldacci, especially when compared to Jeffrey Archer and John Grisham, but I simply cannot draw a parallel since each of them is in a league of their own, and rightly so.

This is my second David Baldacci book, after Absolute Power which was one of his first books over 15 years ago.

David Baldacci, has struck gold with Zero Day and this is mostly because of Special Agent John Puller. John Puller is a war hero, a special agent with the Military CID and he is among the best at what he does.

In Zero Day, Agent Puller is sent into a struggling rural American coal town to investigate the mysterious murder of a Colonel with the DIA and his family. Agent Puller teams up with a local police Sergeant, Samantha Cole in his quest to get to the bottom of these murders.

As the investigation proceeds, more and more bodies start piling up, but the entire equation behind their deaths doesn’t. Agent Puller gets thrown into the investigation all alone, with the top brass keeping a close eye on the progress. John Puller keeps digging and nearly gets blown up on two occasions.

Agent Puller is the younger son of Army Legend, Lt. General John Puller Sr., now an old man with Alzheimer’s.  His older brother is serving a prison sentence for treason, the reasons of which were not explained. John Puller is portrayed as the perfect American soldier – Tall, Fit, Strong, Technically sound and knows how to follow orders. Puller’s exploits in Afghanistan have earned him several accolades, but he has still not come to terms with losing his 

entire team at war.

What caught my attention the most is Puller’s inept ability to assess situations, being prepared for the worst and the skill to read between the lines.  

His pairing with Sergeant Cole and the development of their dynamic was interesting but largely predictable. The involvement of her entire family created an added complexity, especially with her brother – in – law playing a pivotal role.

David Baldacci has wonderfully weaved in the hazards of surface mining and their impact on the environment. The inclusion of nuclear bombs and technology, while being at the center of the plot, somehow only serves the role of giving the story an explosive ending, where it could have done a lot more.

I will rate Zero Day a 3.5/5. Whenever the book lacks in certain areas, John Puller more than makes up for it. Baldacci has created a memorable character in Puller, a character who we should get to read more about. As far as I am concerned, the book has only just scratched the surface of John Puller.  

Screen Struck: Review of 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Promises were made that this will be the EPIC conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman. And EPIC was what was delivered.

Set eight years after Batman took the fall for Two Face Harvey Dent's crimes, all with the hope of making Gotham crime free. Batman's sacrifice has paid off, until terrorist Bane threatens to wipe Gotham City off the map permanently. 

The Dark Knight Rises had the uphill task of living up to the standards set by The Dark Knight in 2008 and Christopher Nolan, with the success of Inception under his belt, has put together and made great great use of a stellar cast all working together like a well oiled machine. 

Every character, developed beautifully, each telling their own story, some torn apart by their loyalties and some driven by their vengeance.

Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred, Joseph Gordon - Levitt as Blake and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox all play key roles in Bruce's journey to finding himself and the Batman again. 

Anne Hathaway as Selina, the catty thief whose only priority is herself, treads the fine line between good and bad, responsible and ruthless perfectly well, adding that needed dose of glamour and oomph into the story. 

Marion Cotillard essays the role of Miranda, a wealthy philanthropist with a twisted past. Despite being so pivotal to the entire plot line, the development of this character is somehow lacking and though a very powerful climax is delivered, a lot is left to the imagination and one can only imagine the impact of a more powerful character could have had on the entire movie. 

Tom Hardy, the Bane of this movie, delivers a role that is powerful and strong. To fill in the boots of Heath Ledger's JOKER is virtually impossible, and Tom Hardy does his bit to become Batman's worst nightmare. Nolan successfully takes Batman to his breaking point with great delivery and orchestration from Bane. But despite the brute force, Bane never holds you the way The Joker did, but thats being way too hard on any body, even though he is the central negative character of the entire movie. 

The Dark Knight in 2008, was purely about the JOKER, the evil and the madness, and the The Dark Knight Rises is only about Batman. Christian Bale does an excellent job of portraying the struggles of a fallen hero. The conflict in him to protect his city at any cost or to live a comfortable life and a sprawling business empire. He takes on a journey of determination and belief, of failures and successes, of transcending beyond a broken body, making sacrifices and protecting what you love the most. For me Christian Bale is Batman. Period. 

Despite its fairly long run time, the movie keeps you engaged and waiting for what is to happen next. The production quality is impeccable and true. It is not a run of the mill superhero movie with action sequences one after the other, Nolan has taken the time and effort to create a story, to incorporate the drama and fiction which make this film stand apart and stand leagues ahead of what I have seen in recent times. 

The downsides? 

Bane, with his mask, was difficult to understand at times. The plethora of characters has resulted in lack of development of certain key characters. The romance between Bruce and Miranda, seemed out of place and unnecessary. 

The biggest downside though, was the lack of 'Batman' time. I surely could have done with more time of him in his cape. 

These few downsides do not undermine the magnitude of this movie at all. I came out a pretty satisfied customer and could not hide my joy for quite a while. 

I'd give The Dark Knight Rises a 4.5 out of 5. 

Till next time. 

The Trail : Prologue

She stood there in utter disbelief, shocked and confused about what just happened. The world as she knew it suddenly ceased to exist. She saw the blood but couldn’t feel the pain. There was a whirlwind of action around her, chaos and mayhem, action and chatter. But she was completely cut away.

She still stood there, unaware, even when all the noise around her subsided. A tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality. An officer, probably from the local police department was saying something to her. She could see him talking, but couldn’t hear him. All she could do was stare.

It was only when she finally saw that serious face that she so very well recognized, that she cracked, tears pouring from her eyes, trying to make sense of all the mayhem that she might have just caused. She braced herself for what she was about to hear. He made his way to her, face full of disappointment and said “Rita, I hope you fully understand the implications of what just happened here.”


To be continued......

PS: The Trail, is simply a working title for all posts to follow under this.