Two options (or was it three) sprung from the pink end
and did i know which one to take
one less traversed rings ethics
the other smells of green back
while the present colours my name
conclusions did i reach
not once but thrice (or was it six)
yet confusion blurred its dark head again
three roads (or is it two) beckoned
one signalled right
other insinuated dough
the current claimed my love
will it aver my will

While still at Wimbledon

People's Sunday at the Slam

There was yet another uniquness to this years Championship. People's Sunday as it was dubbed hosted play for the third time in Wimbledon's History. And What not Wimbledon is considering staging an annual event out of people's sunday, thanks to packed houses and the gay atmosphere on that day.

Yup there is one more to it, Grand Old Lady Martina Navaratilova (47) swansong at the Wimbldon ended in the second round. And the men err Gentlemen's game here bade farewell to yet another Wimbledon Legend, Goran Ivanesevic.

The championship under cover


excerpts from ESPN STAR

Wimbledon suffered its first all-day washout for five years and only the 31st in its 127 year history when torrential rain, gale force winds and biting cold wiped out any prospect of play. After a frustrating and miserable day, All England Club officials finally conceded defeat at 6:45 p.m. (1745 GMT) leaving 45 first round matches in the men's and women's singles still to be completed.
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Lawns soak
damp spectators sulk
gazing at the darkness above
for a patch of dry grass below
as the fit flex their elbow
in the locker room
longing to hear the crackle
"Ladies and Gentlemen may I have your attention please..."

Nation building through design


Reminiscent of a corporate makeover, war torn Iraq wants to wipe out all memories, including the flag ( above left) that had once festooned many a Saddam snaps.

The new flag (Above right)has won accolades from the West for its brilliant design. My choice still rests with the previous one. The latest looks far too amateurish.

Another point of concern, red, green and black, colours admitted as those that represent the Arab world are conspicuous by their absence. Far from it, the unfurled Iraqi flags colours mirror the Israeli flag.

Influential Indian writer (and former journalist) Kamala Markandaya died on May 18. That was news and sadly Indian news paper ed felt it just wasn't hot enough. The result, am yet to see any obit.

Penning her books in mid point of the twentieth century, at more or less the same period as the other famed Anglo-Indian novelists like Mulk Raj Anand, RK Narayan, and Khushwant Singh, Kamala Markandaya did manage to sensitise her readers.

Sticking to cliches, though being the only women in that illustrious group demarcated all of her work, the impact was however bolstered by the unfeigned tension her characters encountered when they deserted rural India for the cities.

The emotions displayed by her characters juxtaposed or rather punctuated by melodramatic representations leave an lasting impression.

Thanks to my mom ( Her English Litreature department at college gifted her with novels everytime she topped the class. And that everytime just happened to be all the time) have read/re-read quite a few of Kamala Markandaya's works. For instance, passages from her book 'TWO VIRGINS' are etched in my memory.
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A quick scan of the web yielded quite a few snippets. New York Times did carry an obit, but a week late.

South Asian Journalist Association quotes Shashi Tharoor, author of "THE GREAT INDIAN NOVEL " and "RIOT" : "This is a terrible loss. Markandaya was a pioneer who influenced all of us Indians writing in English."

Her two most popular novels, NECTAR IN A SIEVE and a HANDFUL OF RICE, are taught in hundreds of American courses, both in the public shools and the universities."

Her books: NECTAR IN A SIEVE (1954) That novel was follow by nine others, including A HANDFUL OF RICE (1966), THE NOWHERE MAN (1972), TWO VIRGINS (1973), and THE GOLDEN HONEYCOMB(1977).

After 1948, she migrated to England making frequent writing inspiration trips to India.

Read this, if am not wrong, in Business World. And bet you, it did give me a kick.

Have begun chanting Asio, Asio or something on that tone. Nope, am not a hegamonist or a dreamer (Excuse me Mr Kalam) but looking at something happening which i have thought but shrugged it of as a misnomer, cheered me to sport the

While EU was expanding last month, Asians, were upto their own cheekiness. In South Korea, finance ministers from 13 Asian countries inaugurated a website pointing to the Asian Bonds Market. Huh, sounds a dud right!

But wait
This analysts say would create a $1.3 trillion bond market ultimately chalking out a common Asian currency. Hmmm still not interstice, here's some additional spice. Asians are sounding that they will not finance the gaping budget deficits of the world's largest economies, effectively ringing in that the $1.7 trillion parked with the central banks in Europe and USA is not for keeps.

There is still some amount of grumpiness, Jaswant Singh, the outgoing Indian Finance Minister then was not there.

Tired of calling it a sabbatical. It was pure laziness! The only solace, lacked the drive to write unpaid. All good things come have to come to an end, so would bad things right.

For the occasional reader of Passingshots, good things are over, for the versatile writer that i'm, bad effects (read ' writers block') has deserted me finally.