European Championship

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It's not everyday that I wake up late in the night to catch up on a program; but yesterday was different.

I had caught up on a few games earlier, then the semifinals and yesterday it was the final. The chanting, the crowd, the colours, Enrique and then the fervour that ignited as the teams entered the ground...everything was worth every minute of lost sleep. The anger, the disappointment, the efforts and a myriad of other emotions were all there.

While the match was in progress, one thing was evident. The Spanish made more attempts at scoring, they kept the ball more among themselves. And then, whenever the Germans ventured into Sapnish territory, the defence was so solid that on a comparison of number of shots at goal itself, the Spanish were much ahead at any point of the game. This proved the old adage - to increase the chance of success, increase the number of attempts, you are bound to be successful.

I really felt bad for him when Fernando Torres sent the ball zooming at the goal only to be bounded off the post. He deserved that goal for the sheer attempt. Bounding off the post does not make the effort less worthy but then a goal missed is a goal missed. Later, a few minutes later, it's through the same degree of perseverence and poise that he guided the ball into the goal, this time at a much safer distance from either posts and there was nothing that anyone could have done to stop it.

It looked so simple, sheer magic. The restrained move didn't give anything away for Lehman; just as the goal keeper moved in, the ball was lifted ever so delicately over him and into the goal.

I watched the event till the cup was lifted; and then felt the sleep catching up in an instant; browsed the channels... tamil, kannada, telugu, malayalam, hindi....irrespective of language, every channel was playing some movie song or the other. After the wonderful efforts of the two teams, such film based programs appeared so weak, pale and well, actually pointless. I guess, I wouldn't be watching these channels for quiet some time.

Long live the game!

Responsibility

At first glance this image evokes thoughts about hormonious co-existence. But then, is there anything natural about it?

The elephant lives in a herd and generally exhibits a highly social behaviour. The one in the pic definitely doesn't look like one in captivity. Then what makes it to haunt the national highways and demand food from speeding trucks, putting its life at such a huge risk ?

Typically the ones that get separated from their herds behave like this. Yesterday's newspapers reported that in a small town in Orissa’s Keonjhar district, such an elephant had attacked some villagers while on a rampaging search for its food. Obviously it had got used to threatening people to get its mouthful and so it was another attempt on another empty stomach day.

The inaction of forest officials and all those who had the power to do something about it had angered the villagers. It seems the tusker had killed eight people in the last two years. In spite of the track record, no efforts were taken to retrieve and confine the wild streaked animal. The common villagers could only see the threat from the big animal. From their simple existence, things like conservation and protection of endangered animals do not matter as they are constantly pitted against such life threatening situations and for them its a matter of their survival.

Fed up of the animal's antics and fed up of inaction from concerned officials, the mob took things in their hands and turned their fury on the elephant. Someone poured petrol on it and then lit it on fire.

After the incidence, the officials blame the public, the public blame the officials but the half burnt elephant had run away into the jungle.

Who knows when it will return?

Who knows what will be burnt next?

How many such half burnt issues are running amok just waiting for a solution from the empowered ones?