PRG's Thoughts

The IPL and BCCI have come under severe criticism for continuing a cricket tournament during one of the greatest crisis in India’s history. Calls for stopping the tournament are all over social media. What a waste of a good opportunity.  Don’t shut down the IPL- USE IT!!! In 1985, Live Aid, a music concert held on one afternoon raised over $125 million for the famine in Ethiopia. A 24-hour telethon led by George Clooney ‘Hope for Haiti’ raised more than $57 million for the earthquake ravaged country.  Can you imagine how much awareness and money can be raised with a T20 match being played every single evening?  The BCCI is missing out on being one of the greatest contributors to India during this challenging time.  There are a number of people in India and abroad who would like to donate money and contribute in any way they can. The absence of a credible NGO or an easy-to-use platform hinders them in the process. There is no greater opportunity at the moment than the...

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.” Cassius Julius Caesar Act I Scene II It came on slowly. The first few doses were small and perked your curiosity. ‘Wow,’ you said, 'this is good stuff.' It was after all a brilliantly concocted cocktail. It had a suicide, alleged murder, drugs, celebrities, nepotism, arrests, whatsapp chats, Bollywood and multiple stars with multiple opinions. It consumed you. You didn’t just wait till your supply arrived at 9 pm, you were addicted all day. You forwarded videos and articles. You tweeted with hashtags and debated with friends. And all along the enablers of this addiction had you begging them for more. Yet, today, months after this started, you are standing here demanding apologies from the very media houses and anchors who provided you with the supply for your addiction. That is like an alcoholic blaming the bartender for serving him.  While I do agree that journalism and the media hit rock ...

The decision to ‘default’ the match against Novak Djokovic was a harsh one. The punishment, in my view, did not fit the crime.  I may be in the minority when it comes to this viewpoint. Legends of the game like Billie Jean King have said on twitter - ‘The rule is the rule. It is unfortunate for everyone involved, but in this specific situation the default was the right call’.  The US Open website had a report on what happened. In a nutshell when a player violates a code, the Point Penalty Schedule is as follows- The first code violation is a warning, the second is a point penalty and the third (and subsequent) is a game penalty. This scheduled may be bypassed in favour of an immediate default.  The USTA Statement read, ‘In accordance with the Grand Slam rulebook, following his actions of intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences, the tournament referee defaulted Novak Djokovic fr...

Did they all get it wrong? An even bigger concern is whether they are still getting it wrong. Trump, Modi, Merkel, Johnson, Conte and the rest of the world leaders. Are they leading us to safe waters or bringing on a storm of Tsunamic proportions? Some locked down their country and some did not. Some have announced stimulus’ while others are waiting for things unfold. In the darkest of times which leader has made the right choices and whose decisions are bringing on a despondent future? Possibly for the first time in history, there is no incontrovertible right answer. Even if there is one, at this point in the crisis, it is certain that neither you, any head of state or I know the right way forward. For leaders of countries this is a watershed moment. In their lifetime, no crisis or calamity will ever eclipse what they face today. There have been wars, terror attacks, famines, floods, recessions and financial meltdowns. Yet, this faceless enemy is more unpredictable, dangerou...

What a year in sports, it's been really exciting; A number of champions, went down fighting. It’s time once again, for a year-end summary; 2019, filled us with memories. Let’s start with cricket, it was a World Cup year; The final was tied, the outcome brought tears. The number of fours, determined the winner; The rule is so sickening, I threw up my dinner. NZ were robbed, without another chance; But a rule is a rule, ‘Twas England’s dance. Nadal and Djoko dominated the courts, Federer losing Wimbledon, boggled us with thoughts. Four different women, winning each of the majors; Serena came close, but in finals caused no danger. We’re still really pleading, the young ones come through; It’s almost 2020, someone new is due. It looked all sown up, by Liverpool in Jan; Things then turned sour, just don’t ask their fans. They haven’t won it all, since 1990; Don’t choke Reds, it’s time for your party. Jose is at Tottenham, is it a desp...

Time to mock social media. I had written one about Facebook, this is about Instagram. I'll be the first to admit, I may have done some of these myself. But I do call myself a tool when I do it. So here’s to laughing at myself and the Instagram world. The following article is not based on anyone living or dead. Any resemblance to any of my friends or people I follow is a coincidence. It is not written to hurt or make fun of anyone in particular. If you still get offended, then you’re probably guilty. The Posts I Don't Understand The Workout Video   As one meme said “Unless you are falling off the treadmill, we don’t need to see your work out video.” I hope you know that we see you in real life. We know exactly how fit or fat you really are. So when you post a workout video and then eat a burger and fries with 4 whiskies at dinner you’re not fooling me. And by the way, if your trainer is taking your video then he/she is not looking at your form so you’re p...