Duke's Nose Lonavala - Photo blog

Hello, there everyone,  here I'm with the new blog post, but this time with an unusual blog type. Yes, I'm trying my first photo blog. A learning photographer within me always wanted to fetch something like that from the year dot. As they say, 'A picture is worth a thousand words'; very rightly & so empathetically it describes way more than an anecdote. 

On the 18th March, I went on to a trek which was nearby Pune. Yes, it was our Pune's very own International hill station - Lonavala ;) . Sometimes I wonder, how Lonavala has played a-go-to-place for all seasons to us. Be it a deluge or a chilled to the bone December, it is always mesmerising & a pocket-friendly too. ;) This time, it was a Summer & a trek just around the corner. This trek was well organised by the team JOSH from Tech Mahindra. 

Here while blogging, I will deliberately try to mute the verbose in me & let my pictures do the talking. Come let's all have a short flashback of how it went. Was it easy or really adventurous? Aahaaa, don't labour your brain, just keep on scrolling..     

Tents

We reached at the base point in the village called Kurwande at 1 am, 66 km west from Pune, which also adjacent to Lonavala. And then as proposed, we were supposed to have food & a good night sleep under the open sky filled with stars. Most of us went on to prefer to get inside the tents. 

But Angad, my Chaddi buddy (a friend from childhood) & I preferred the open sky to be our roof for a night & ditched the tent. The wannabe singers were singing acoustic songs laced with guitar's background score, some were having banter & some were still having the romantic dinner date besides the campfire.  

Trekkers

After completing the morning rituals, we straight away headed for the cause which we were here for i.e. Duke's Nose Point. Duke's Nose, after Duke Wellington, previously known as Nag-Phani -- a pointed cliff belongs to Khandala besides Lonavala. To get there at the Duke's Nose, it's mandatory to go through an exhilarating trek. 

Target - The Duke's Nose Point from far away

I got this from a far away, just a few minutes after we start walking, rather hiking. It was a quite distance to be covered from the scrubland, which wasn't even to walk on before the real action begins.

Busy

He, Angad - once he started, never looked back, not even for a photo. :P  Well I guess that was the enthusiasm of a first trek; keep walking buddy.

Cheesy Smile

        Posing! Well well, that's an irony, of what I just said. Bro, what are you up to? :D 

Dutches Point

And this was our first mind boggling halt, the Dutches Point. What a scenic view we were rewarded!

Twisting Panoramic view of Western Expressway & Railways

    It was just a start of scenic views. The entire ranges of Sahyadri were waiting on the other side.

Gathering

The very first halt also meant we had to gear up for the real action. The instructor, Vaibhav (Techie & quite a gentleman) gave every possible information he could also, he shared his past experiences about the same trek & the rappelling & cliff walking to witness the Duke's Nose. 

Duke's Nose from Dutches Point

Beauty! This is what we were waiting for! Alike a Snake's pointed head section (hood) &, therefore, the name Nag-Phani. Since the cliff seems to be the shape of the Duke & hence the name Duke's Nose. 

After looking at it, I thought - What was that? Maybe a meteorite. :P

Keep Hiking

After getting instructed by the guide, folks started marching towards the Duke's Nose. They learnt that some thrill is just around the corner. 

DSLR Selfie Time

In the meantime, we were finding the ways to create memories with the aid of cameras. Sometimes I feel, Camera is the most beautiful entity scientists have ever discovered; just sheer love! <3

Bottlenecked

And there you go! We reached our most difficult task of the day. To be frank, initially, we were like, Oh my god, you gotta to be kidding me!  If we want to find ourselves on the other side, then we have to climb this rock, which was perpendicular to the base. Some guys & I felt a doubt, Is this a beginners' trek or professional beginners' trek?

Putting their best!

Anyway, we had to surpass it & so we did it whilst questioning ourselves about the next endangered rock climbing! Can we?

I saw our instructor Vaibhav standing tall on the rock without any support & with big rise smile on his face, which was towards us. I murmured to Angad, hey as climbing ha roj karat asel, nahi? (Isn't it looks like a cake walk for him?) Angad responded back with a well-pronounced thumbs up. 

The people who were finding it difficult, Vaibhav & his mates rescued them!

Looked like he was on a mission

                    Focused or timid? No, but the first adjective suits him better and so was he doing. 

Target Reminder

We really started growing in confidence after surpassing the complexed hurdle without any aid. We both kept on telling each other that, bro we are just about to reach there. But sometimes, these just about-to-reach are longer than the fortnights, aren't they?  Yes, there was still a lot to go through.

Cliff walking

        Moral of the picture: Girls can literally pose anywhere before a camera, even if their next foot could be in the deep valley. :D   

                  

I chuckled behind my covered face.  Indeed, it was a just narrow strip of screes to walk on. I teased her about the same when we got back down. :D  These funny moments in the midst were helping us to shrug off the nervousness.

My favourite thing

I could have sat there all days & all nights without making a fuss of! I was in awe, it was just magical, to sit in such a serene ambience. I wish could have taken that place back home; I loved it! 

Wanna go downtown?

You should get an award for doing this all alone but, somehow you successfully managed to steal the attention of your fellows. Time to switch the job! :P :D 

Far away: Our base camp

At this moment, I stopped glanced down, wow how far we have come! It seemed inaccessible at the morning breakfast from the base.

Relishing friendship

You know, there is a quite amazing theory behind the picnics. Once you get back home after an excursion, you realize - your bonding has strengthened. No explanation!

Brotherhood

I'm not sure, what we were discussing about - definitely not girls! :P :D  We were just a few hundreds of meters above the sea level, we could have even rocked in the heaven as well, or hell for that matter. ;) :D 

I was trusting the pinnacles!

Finally, there - this was my solo picture, that too without my knowledge, or candid as they say. :D Propelling through some more boulders before we wind up.

When you become a 4 legs animal :P 

Not sure, how many calories we have burnt, but the Sun was burning quietly above our heads. On many occasions, we played reptiles, quite a childhood memory. :)

Naturescape

I, personally, am a huge lover of landscapes. I don't know how this is? But I enjoyed every unit of time I spent up there. 

Friends Forever

I don't need to say anything. The picture itself says a lot. Remember the excursion & friendship link that I just mentioned?

Wierd?

Probably, one could have seen the biggest grin on his face. Yes, he surmounted his fear. 

The Team

         Quite a thumping number it was! 

Better view

       This is the magic of wide angle lens. 

Priyanka, Angad & me

This girl was way behind when we started off the trek. And we found her just in time with us at the finishing line. I learnt, she indeed is quite adventurous & inspirational. Thank you!

People that matter

I had a wonderful trip with this idiot. I must confess here, I was in this trek because of his initiative, so thanks a ton. Brother, we made it to the top & rocked it.  

One thing that I always do unknowingly that - I offer thankfulness to this gracious nature & it responds by making me astonished on every next meeting of ours! And that amplifies my belief that, yes I'm a tiny part of this nature. 

Top of the world

  And finally, here I was with my signing off selfie, from 616 meters above sea level. 

This trek taught me something that, I'll cherish for the rest of my life. That was -- You got to trust the nature, especially when you're on an adventure, in it. If you trust it wholeheartedly, I'm sure your adventure will have more thrill. 

WORSHIPPING WHILE MENSTRUATING: Yes, what's wrong in it?

Yes, a lot of you might be thinking, what a man has got the business to write on such a sensitive & bold topic? I'm writing, because - I'm a living element of this society & because I feel responsible for reviving what has been lost. I write with the learning and the realization that none of these practices were originally meant to suppress women, but now they are playing like one! I felt the need to pen down something..

Menstruation… Periods and the life of a Woman. India is a country of religion, a home to some of the widest variety of cultures, all surviving together. It is a country where cricket players and film actors are worshiped as god while a woman, in her Periods is looked upon as dirt and not allowed to step into any holy premises. For ages, this belief and Rule has been blindly followed by women of the earlier generation, including some of our moms. Girls, do you remember, your mother telling you to stay confined in your room, not going out much, not entering the kitchen area and CERTAINLY not entering the temple during Periods? And I always had this question in my mind, Why they can't go to temples, cook or live a regular life, during periods? Why can't they treated normally and not like filth during periods? For a curious guy, this was a million dollar question. And this question certainly deserves an answer, WHY??? When I got to know the whole drama, I was stunned & I doubted our existence in the 21st century;  it is a ridiculous concept! Actually I really feel pity & anger, when I still get to hear these kinds of anecdotes. I thought, I must do something in this matter, whatever little I could! Hence a try..

What could be the simplest answer for this? Perhaps, the most common notion of all is that menstrual blood is impure and that it makes women impure. Interestingly, in some Indian cultures, the menstrual blood itself is revered and thought of as having potent power. I also read, about elderly women in Manipur who told that they had tasted a drop of their first menstrual blood, as part of a traditional practice. This blood was considered to be very powerful and believed to keep them in good health when consumed. Really??

 A fascinating mythological story:

According to Bhagavatha Purana, Indra had once disrespected Brihaspathi who was the Guru of all the devas. As a result of this sin, the asuras (demons) easily conquered the heavens and Indra lost his kingdom and glory. When he took refuge in Brahma, the latter insisted Indra to consider serving a young lad who is a Brahma-Gyani as his guru until Brihaspathi is pleased. However, the lad had maternal affection for the demon clan as his mother was also a demon.

Indra does ‘Brahma-hatya’:
The boy use to give yagna-havis (offering during havan which is consumed by the devas) to the demons too. Seeing this, Indra killed the young boy in a fit of rage. As the boy was in the position of a guru, Indra had invited upon himself the heinous of all sins, brahma-hatya-pathaka (killing a guru). The sin took the shape of a ferocious female demon that followed and haunted Indra wherever he ran. Finally, Indra hid himself within a flower.

Indra thought of distributing his sin:
Indra remained inside the closed flower for one lakh years and performed penance to please Lord Vishnu. With Vishnu’s grace, Indra was freed from the trouble of the demons but he was not cleansed from the sin of brahma-hatya. To get rid of this sin and earn his kingdom back he requested the presiding deities of water, trees, earth and women to take a quarter of the sin. In turn he promised that he would grant boons to all of them. This was agreed upon.



Bane and boon given to the Tree
The presiding deity of all the trees accepted a quarter portion of the sin. The tree sap which oozes out of the tree bark is the form of brahma-hatya and is considered as impure. For bearing this sin, Indra granted a boon to all the trees that they can regenerate and re-grow as long as they are not uprooted.

Bane and boon given to Water
Varuna took a quarter of the sin too. The froth or foam that gets developed on water is considered as impure as it represents the brahma-hatya. When a Hindu performs achamana, if the water has foam on it, it is dropped down. Indra granted purity to water as a boon for accepting the sin. It is said that it is because of this boon that water has got so much of importance in Hindu rituals. It purifies everything.

Bane and boon given to the Earth
Bhoo devi took another quarter of the sin. As a result earth lost its state of complete fertility and barren lands denoted brahma-hatya. The boon given to earth was the ability to refill its cavities over a period of time.

Bane and boon given to Women
Women living in that aeon have accepted the last quarter. As a result they and their progeny had to experience the menstrual cycle once in a month which denotes brahma-hatya. As a boon, women were granted more pleasure in sex than men. According to Hinduism, God cannot be seen or realized without a Guru. Menstrual cycle denotes the sin of killing a guru. So women are forbidden to see God or indulge in divine acts during that period for its sign of impurity.





Every religion has put restrictions on women:
If you thought that Hinduism is the only Religion in the world where women with Menstruation are restricted from entering temples or taking part in holy tasks, then you are on the wrong train.

Christianity: Women were forced into a separate menstrual hut during their periods and were not allowed to come out of it. According to a British Medical Journal published in 1878, it was believed that Menstruating women could actually cause Bacon to decompose. Women were prevented from cooking, churning butter, baking bread and from praying in the church.

Islam: The Holy Quran forbids women from having intercourse during menstruation and also from fasting. They cannot enter the Mosque nor recite the Quran.

Sikhism: Standing against all these religions, Guru Nanak strictly condemned this practice of treating women as impure during their menstruation and allowed them to pray and do their religious duties without any restrictions.

Hinduism: Women are restricted entry into kitchen, into the temple and are confined into their room during the menstrual days. They have separate sleeping beds, different clothes and different utensils for eating. Excuse me! But in Hinduism womb is considered sacred. Do you know that the reason why women do not prostrate themselves by laying flat on the floor like the men, but kneel and bow instead, is because the scriptures state that it is offensive to lay the womb on the floor because it is “the cradle of humanity,” in each and every woman. So our wombs are considered so sacred that the Gods themselves find it offensive if you lay your womb on the floor to worship them. Then how can Gods really discriminate? 



The Science Behind This Ancient Belief:

As for the records, there is no reason why women were treated so differently during the menstruation days in the ancient times. However, when we try logic-ing the question, the only possible answer that comes across our minds is the role of a woman and her hard tasks. During the previous generations, women had to perform several physical tasks such as grinding wheat, carrying heavy pots, farming, cooking food and also cleaning the house. But, during their menstruation, they suffered a lot of discomfort, cramps, excessive blood flow, depression, mood swings and also anger which took a toll on their health, physically and mentally. And the only way to make women rest and stop them from doing their duties was by imposing a taboo on Menstruation. This gave complete rest to women during the menstrual days, thus helping them recover well from their menstruation.


The menstruating Goddess of Hindus:
Have you heard of the goddess who menstruates? Only 8 km from Guwahati railway station is located the most famous temple of Assam, the Kamakhya temple, dedicated to Goddess Sati, an incarnation of Durga. According to ancient Indian scriptures, one of the 51 ‘Peethas’ or holy spots, Kamakhya temple is also known as ‘Yoni–Peetha’. Every year, Kamakhya temple observes a unique festival called ‘Ambubachi’ when, it is believed, the goddess menstruates. The festival draws a large number of pilgrims to the Kamakhya_Temple

Kamakhya Temple: Story of the bleeding Devi
The temple of Kamakhya has a very interesting story of its origin. The story of the Shakti Peeths goes like this; once Sati fought with her husband Shiva to attend her father's great yagna. At the grand yagna, Sati's father Daksha insulted her husband. Sati was angered and in her shame, she jumped into the fire and killed herself. When Shiva came to know that his beloved wife had committed suicide, he went insane with rage. He placed Sati's dead body on his shoulders and did the Tandav or dance of destruction. To calm him down, Lord Vishnu cut the dead body with his chakra. The 108 places where Sati's body parts fell are called Shakti Peeths. Kamakhya temple is special because Sati's womb and vagina fell here.

Kamakhya devi is famous as the bleeding goddess. The mythical womb and vagina of Shakti are supposedly installed in the 'Garvagriha' or sanctum of the temple. In the month of Ashaad (June), the goddess bleeds or menstruates. At this time, the Brahmaputra river near Kamakhya turns red. The temple then remains closed for 3 days and holy water is distributed among the devotees of Kamakhya devi. Closing the temple for 3 days and then celebrating the end of her menstruation. In this temple, the menstrual cloth is considered highly auspicious and is distributed among devotees. The idea of resting and not disturbing menstruating women, including a Goddess, does not arise from any superstitious belief. It is because of the thought that menstruation and the release of energy during this time should not be interrupted in any way. It is a natural cleansing process which helps women remain healthy, and should not be affected by external influences. If these menstrual rituals were meant to suppress women, surely we would not be doing the same with the Goddess.

But if you think, there's no real logic behind these customs. Many people who believe in supremacy of God don't even think that how a God can become unclean or polluted by a touch of menstruating women. Does this mean that a women in her periods has more power than their all powerful God? Why god should fear a menstruating woman? Womanhood is a gift from nature to females and they should cherish it and feel proud about it, shame or guilt should not be associated with any gender. Unless women themselves start questioning these type of beliefs we can't bring that change. 

Yes, it’s time to take a stand! I understand very well that many times it's not fair judging past societies with current social values and knowledge but this practice of seclusion of women in this way due to some biological processes associated with their gender should stop. We all should know that this is totally wrong and it is our duty to stop it. Let's show some courage to eradicate this practice, let's confront these things wherever we see them and let’s start this from our own homes.

A symbol of a woman's creativity:
There is no scientific proof that the blood actually turns the river red. Some people say that the priests pour vermilion into the waters. But symbolically, menstruation is the symbol of a woman's creativity and power to give birth. So, the deity and temple of Kamakhya celebrates this 'shakti' or power within every woman. What do you think about these religious ways in which a woman is observed during her menstrual cycle? Hasn’t someone overreacted in history? 



I understand very well that many times it's not fair judging past societies with current social values and knowledge. Here I am not trying to do this, rather I am questioning beliefs of present societies which are based on past social or religious values. Because of these types of beliefs and superstitions situation of women in our society are suppressed. They are treated as inferiors or like a burden in many societies from the moment the fetus is known to be a female. I think time has come to get rid of all these types of customs and rituals. We have come very far from those medieval times. As far as I am concerned I don't care what any religion or scripture says about this topic, if I see this type of prejudice and discrimination I voice my opinion strongly against it, I question it. I know it may not change anything but I do it anyways. Unless women themselves start questioning these type of beliefs we can't bring that change. I hope that more and more women will start doing it. I am sure we all can create prejudice-free environment with our efforts and I am very optimistic about it.

To everyone - Happy Women's day, let every woman to be proud of herself!

Do share your views in the comments below… Thank you!

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An Unadulterated Romance.. (love for reading)

 Hi there, it's been a long Saturday for me; it's 2 am & I'm drafting this blog for every reader out there.

The other day, one of my friends asked me to recommend a good book, and trust me I felt anally retentive! It was as if, someone has asked my opinion for taking out my girl friend, such is intimacy when I'm engaged with a book. After some time I thought - "Was he asking me to recommend a good lover?" :P :D and that thought led me to doubt my being resident of this planet. :P   A serious engagement with a really good book is never less than a passionate affair; it is the blend of mind & emotions. The aftermath of this adorable stuff leads one to distract from all else for the time it lasts.  Alike other affairs this too leaves a void, an emptiness and possibly an ache of loneliness - after seperation. But the biggest perk of this loneliness is, it allows you calculate the balance (both gain & loss) of this relationship. Eventually an array of thoughts comes to the mind which we integrate into one single life-changing lesson (possibly) and move on with a better dividend. Yeah, getting out of the woods! ;)

When I'm reading - a beautiful constructed sentence or a superb thought always drives my mind & it pervades my soul too. Unintentionally, I keep the book down and savour the thought for a jiffy, as you do with a delicious dish, nurturing the flavour of it to deliciously slide down the throat, and then stay awhile with the aftertaste. It's basically a sovereign you fetch from the content. Believe me, if you're a lover of language, you'd read these enormously beautiful constructions again & again and fall in love with them!

A good book is a lover but not every lover will give you the same joy; likewise not every book can achieve this feats of pleasure, but many do and yes, these are the ones where the writer has dived dip into the process of writing as you in reading! I normally tend to carry my books wherever possible (yes I mean it) when I'm in the process of reading. I mean, I just can't let it go, even if I'm not getting time to read. I feel like I have made a secret promise to the book & which I can't keep it out my reach. That just - 'sheer presence' of it can make a lot of difference to my day. A book is always there in my bag (nobody knows it, nobody will ever), as I eat - it often watches me from atop of my desk, and as I sleep - it often nestles beside my pillow. Here, I must confess that I have often fantasized about an invention that allows you to read as you shower!  Well.. hold on.. this is really getting weird now!

Inexplicably, if anyone opens the book where I bookmarked, I feel violated, almost as if someone has eavesdropped on a private conversation or may be as if someone is looking at you while making love. Jeez, people - you can't watch someone while he/she is having some intimate moments, learn it! :D I know, it's really bizarre, but it happens to me, may be because of marking sentences & putting my own words there in the margins as I read along! And my favourite thing, to learn new words from the content, indeed I'm a logophile. I don't know, when did I pick this habit of voracious reading? May be.. genes? Yes, they are playing at their bloody best. I might have picked my father's brain. But surely he's is not that crazy, as I'm. :D

At times, people around me persuade me for going out after a long day but I'm glad they couldn't so far, when I look forward to go my place & bury myself inside the volcano of knowledge. These books have also played a social quotient to me or a travel companion. I remember, once I was travelling to home, when I reached - I saw myself without a bag consisting my toothbrush, comb, & the other needy daily things. I forgot them because - I prioritised my books over the missed stuff & eventually I forgot to carry the same. After explaining this entire drama to my mother, she cheekily asked my father to take me to the psychiatrist. :D Funny mother, and of course she didn't understand my love for reading! To which in reply, I said thank god, I don't need too explain her further, otherwise it would have been a herculean task to labour my point, precisely an explanation more for a book than for a girl :D

When a good book ends, there is no possibility that I'll soon join by the new, no.. no way! Sometimes we just can't get over good things, let alone your love (here a book). :P There, at times I have to recheck the completion, "Did I really finish with it?" and I, then quickly glanced through the best moments spent with it; just like a turbo charged flashback :D These quick rereads also have the charisma which can engaged me for hours again. This reading habit has injected some serious fringe benefits to my account - reading makes me a dreamer. Yes, indeed it opens up the thinking tank all the time, more so. I think, every writer is good reader too! This reading plays ignition to pen down the emotions as well. I sorely miss it when I don't find time for the book. But the best part of it is - unlike human, it never demands or never complains, and that makes it a non-living legend! 

These books have been taught - only to give and never ever ask to repay it. It is indeed a joy for a festive mind who loves to forget itself into the helm of superlative thoughts. An unadulterated romance which is as divine as any love saga could get! I'm going to leave you all with another little incident that has recently happened to me. After reading it, think for a moment and tell me was that a compliment for a reader, I believe it was!

On a fine evening, I was hanging out with my friends at JM road in Pune. Alike a bunch of happy hearts we were teasing, laughing too & having one of the better days of our lives. Gradually, as we were walking past the Mac D, there was a bookseller alongside the pavement as he usually puts his bookstall there. My being a bookworm, I couldn't resist to go by the books placed there (even if I'm not going to buy them). When I looked at the book seller, in response he smiled and asked, "Aaj koi book nhi lenaa hai kya sir ji?" (Sir, wouldn't you buy any book today?)

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How the Cricket World Cup has changed over the last few years based on PERFORMANCE – Have standards lifted or dropped?

Well there is a lot to talk about this game.  By every quadrennial, this carnival of Cricket is getting huge. For me, a World Cup is a sheer celebration of this lovely game called Cricket. Naturally as we grow up, we tend to bring some changes in our way of celebration, and so is with Cricket. This apogee of the gentleman's game has seen a revolution in its growing stature over the years. This game is reaching to the new audiences by world's lengths and breadths. Cricket was a latecomer to global tournaments, and the first one came to be largely because the game was not financially strong.

The First  W Cup Champions

In 1975, following the success of domestic one-day competitions, the six Test-playing nations (England, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, India and Pakistan) were joined by Sri Lanka and East Africa in the first World Cup held in England, which was the only nation that was able to put forward the resources to stage an event of such magnitude. There was a 60 overs game played with that Red cherry in the traditional white suits, was a completely different story. One notable omission was the South African cricket team who were not competing due to the international sports boycott. Hospitalising of two Sri Lankans, far more indefensible Sunil Gavaskar's go-slow in the opening game and not a huge fan of ODI cricket - Ian Chappell - who only cared about beating England in the World Cup, were the key highlights of the first global showpiece. And then there was Viv Richards' hat-trick of almost derisive run-outs and the twilit tenacity of Lillee and Thomson remain tattooed on the memory, but it was Lloyd's feline stroke play that bequeathed the most vivid, vivacious, reverberant legacy. "His innings will always be talked about while those who watched it are still alive," predicted John Woodcock (an English cricket writer and journalist) in the Times. "He made the pitch and the stumps and the bowlers and the ground and the trees all seem much smaller than they were."

On the 21st June 1975, ODI no. 33 saw the inaugural World cup champions. The players of most of the teams not only have fantasized about playing in Wcup, but also they have raised the bar of the way Cricket is being played during these Wcups. In that era, batsman could play out 60 overs painstakingly in making 40-50 odd runs, but these days, a score of 334 in 60 overs would probably be considered par. Possibly even a little under par. Rohit Sharma would probably destroy it in the space of a couple of hours. It is an indication of the rapid and dramatic transmogrification of the one-day international, from its innocent, all-white beginnings to the genetically-modified pop-cricket that we are experiencing.

In that very first World Cup, the average run rate was just under four an over. A six arrived on average every 344 balls – once an innings, if you were lucky. But now we can see a six almost in every other over. Now a days, 300 is not steep target to chase. When the World Cup first commenced, players strove hard just to amass a total of 200 and odd. In today’s game, nothing short of 300 is worth trying to defend, even in the most difficult pitches. Infact, I would say, 400 is the new 300. We can see, how many times the teams have ticked 400 mark in the current W Cup!

400 is the new 300

In 1992, the tournament assumed a bigger, more radical skin. Whites were dispensed with as coloured clothing, that red cherry turned white and floodlights were introduced to augment day-night matches. Television took on a bigger role and a strange rain rule (Duck-worth Lewis) triggered all sorts of debates. The tournament was of a higher profile, and players were the direct beneficiaries. Sponsors began to pour in, TV deals were signed and everyone jostled for a piece of the pie.

The innovation in the shots, light bats, the power plays have given license to the batsmen to throw their bats on almost every ball.  Opening Batsmen from the period of 2000s like - Sehwag, McCallum, Gilchrist, Gayle never allowed bowlers to settle down, and is the sole reason for doing the pacers painfully pedestrian. I remember in the W Cup 2011 Sehwag hit 4 boundaries in as many matches to open the innings for India - aah.. such was the demolition. These all hard-hitters used to (some still) go berserk without getting off the mark. In the 1990s, the first 10 overs were perhaps the most crucial part of the innings. With only two fielders allowed outside the inner circle, it became common a trait for the teams to employ a pinch-hitter at the top of the order. But this generation now wants both to attack and to build their innings. They are a good mix of caution with aggression. They know when to shift the gears and when to step up to the plate - to take the charge.

Nightmare for the bowlers

The 2011 W Cup played in the subcontinent saw - how the batsmen had a feast to score on the flat tracks, as compared to 2007 Wcup. The bowlers were carted all over the park and it continued till the last ball hit furiously by MS Dhoni - the famous helicopter shot. But, now batsmen, being ambidextrous, are way more biased to play the reverse sweeps, the switch hits, scoops over the slip cordons with consummate ease - to which one can't set the field . Whether it's - Maxwell reversing his stance and flicking a 140kph full toss over the third-man boundary or Rossouw's flying uppercut over backward point - that left us envious. These all innovative rather improvised shots were unknown in the previous editions of W Cups. But now these shots are bread & butter for some bats. There is an introduction of a new concept called using the deep crease. These modern era batsmen know how to get their dancing shoes ON and to sway within the popping crease to fox the bowlers to persuade them to stray their radar. They are a step ahead of what bowlers are thinking. We all are somewhat lucky, in a way, to watch playing AB Devilliers - who can bat around 360 degree; he can, by far, bludgeon any bowler.  He has all the shots in his armoury - especially sweep-scooping one to the square leg boundary and can shift the gears at any stage of the innings. As Dale Steyn puts it - "It's like watching the Matrix movie. There's Neo right there. He doesn't understand how good he is" (They say he has not left any weak zone for the bowlers to target). Richards' manufactured flick for six off Hendrick's final delivery in the final of first W Cup was the perfect finishing touch for West Indies in 1979. I think, Richards was the first who started to employ the devastation amongst the bowlers.

Mr. 360

Then, there is a batch of suave youngsters like V. Kohli, K.Williamson, S. Smith, J. Root - who are considered as cricket's future at the tender age and now are the trump cards of their respective teams, despite of having way more experienced campaigners in their squads. They are the new Tendulkars, Pontings & Laras of this generation. It's a sheer joy to watch them batting. Their no nonsense attitude towards Cricket is rare thing to have in this professional age. Spice of T20 cricket, new rules and the urgency of getting past the score of 300 have enticed players like Amla, Rahane, Misbah to transform their strike rates.

Future of cricket

And this has made bowlers to doubt their existence in the game of cricket. To add salt to their wounds, the new rules of powerplay, free-hits, limitations over bowling the bouncers per over and two new balls from both the ends made it even worse. Fast outfields, shorter grounds, thick bats are playing villain to them, gradually they tend to succumb to leak the runs. Owing to this - the bowlers and their coaches have to ignite their think tanks to fetch something out of the box. Thanks to the bowlers like Holding, Warne (with a mesmerising spell of 4 for 33 in '99 final), McGrath, Akram (Shone under Melbourne Sky in '92), Muralidharan, Zaheer who delivered their best in winning causes. Now the onus will be on the Johnsons, Starcs, Boults, Ashwins to deliver the same the spellbound attacks. Good to see, in the initial games (of this W Cup) they are penetrating the batsmans' defence at 145+ Kmph and it almost seems mandatory to do that. Just after two weeks in the event and fears that the pair of lacquered white balls would swing the game too heavily away from top-order batsmen, when bowlers get it to deviate from the straight – have proved unfounded.

Pace battery

Amid all the speculation that proliferated in the months and years leading into this World Cup, the introduction of two new balls – one taken from either end by the bowling team – was the point of difference between previous W Cups that generated the most discussion. But, these two new balls theory from both the ends have made spinners' life difficult. Unlike earlier, they don't get the 20 over old ball to fetch the grip from surface. However thanks to the T20 cricket, now they are getting used to with this and trying to be economical rather than going for wickets (which is not a healthy sign).  The conglomeration of variation in the pace and slow bouncers (specially in the death overs) have done a world of good for them, so far. Then there are those ruinous toe crushing yorkers, back of the hand slower deliveries etc. have played a fuel injection in their arsenal.

Who can explain the importance of a single better than Proteas? Jeez, that was the tightest of ties in all W Cups('99 in 2nd Semi final). They say catches win matches, but even a safest pair of hands can drop a W Cup! Err... no it did happen - well, Gibbs can explain this well - “You've just dropped the W Cup, mate”! Fielding standards have gone high for everyone these days; to surprise - the minnows are somewhat better than some of the test playing nations, when it comes to fielding. We all know - wearing Number 99 on his back, a police-man by profession and weighing in at over 280lb (127kg) Bermuda’s Dwayne Leverock looked more at home in a rugby front row than a slip cordon. Good sides always have had good men patrolling boundaries. There are Supermen like S. Smith, Raina, McCallum, Pollard to pluck anything somewhere around them. Unlike earlier generations these players are not worried about injuries and every run is gold dust for these Ninjas.

Superman aka Steve Smith

It feels proud to see the associate nations have raised their game by every upcoming W Cup; they seem well-oiled units. For instance, every now and then - Ireland went rampant and shanghaied some of the superior teams, is a paradigm of the revolution. They always picked up from where they left last time. They persuade us to think, as if they were playing on some other planet and came back straightway to this Wcup after 4 years with the same form. In the batting department - March 2nd 2011 is a date that will live in Irish sporting folklore, as Ohh..Brien (I mean O'Brien ) put cricket on the front pages in the emerald isle with a stunning win over England by putting up the fastest-ever century (50 balls) in World Cup history by then. Well in the 2003 - Sanath Jayasuriya and co.'s worst nightmare came true when a spirited performance from Collins Obuya, who took 5 for 24, helped Kenya to pull off a memorable upset.

These all teams are in the tournament to show the test playing nations that - they are not here just to fill the numbers and also these movers and shakers should not consider them as minnows for anymore - as they can spoil the party for sure.

No more minnows

Gone are the days now, when the heavyweights in the Cricket world dominated the game for a long time (like Australia did for more than a decade) - no more stomach churns now. Today's cricket fan would be really happy to see the neck and neck competition. Being futile in the team is now yesterday's story. Teams are charting a new course, now they have learnt the hard way of putting down the shaky nerves than to nurture them. To take the early lead in the game is their priority and not to dwell on the past anymore. These teams know to make the early inroads despite of losing the toss. Earlier teams were used to rely on the veterans, but now you need every player to be your Ace on a given day.

Prize Money ? Yes, in keeping with the trend of each event being more rewarding than the previous one, the 2015 World Cup will be the most lucrative yet. In the inaugural edition '75, from a total pool of £9000. - the winners -Windies collected £4000 (nearly £30,000 adjusted for inflation) for their efforts, The losing finalists - £2000, while the Man of the Match in the final bagged £200. Lucrative numbers at that time, certainly. This time around, teams stand to earn as much as $4,020,000 provided they are unbeaten till the end. If a team loses one match en route to the title, it can still earn $3,975,000. Wow, isn't it a heavy cash-flow? A side which will produce a good piece of Cricket will definitely going to break the bank.

The technology has proved a boon to this game - the DRS, snickometer, close look on the no-balls etc. have added as incentives to it. In the 1st quarter final of WCUP 15, we all heard the voice of the 3rd umpire for the first time on our TV sets, I thought that was colossal step towards fetching the precision (about the umpiring decisions) to this heavy-hitter game. We have started to consider - even the half of a millimeter deflection to check whether the ball has pitched in line or not, in a game which is being played on hectares of land. I was in awe to see this rare sight and I thought I'm really lucky to witness this era of cricket.

Of Course, the 1975 World Cup was an accident of sorts, but the event has clearly come a long way since then. To paraphrase Scyld Berry (a cricket correspondent of the Sunday Telegraph), the World Cup is now a middle-aged man of 40, wise and assured, but still possessing the old flamboyance of a classic rock star. All I can say, this the beauty of this incredible game.

 

  Indeed, the standards have lifted!

                                       

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