Destined to be Champion?

Usually I do not believe in destiny. But after watching yesterday’s race in Hungary, I felt that Fernando Alonso is destined to become world champion this year. On Friday Alonso committed some silly mistakes and got rightfully penalised for his actions. At that time the 2 second penalty imposed on his qualifying time seemed to have effectively destroyed his chances in this race. But just as the qualifying session was about to start, news came through that Michael Schumacher was also penalised 2 seconds for having committed a similar mistake. And then in yesterday’s race, when Alonso retired he must’ve been thinking about what could’ve been… But then, just as Michael Schumacher looked set to finish in a strong position and dent Alonso’s championship lead severely, he too retired from the race with just 3 laps remaining. Destiny, it seems, favours Alonso to win.

Undoubtedly Jenson Button drove a marvellous race and deserved a long awaited first race victory. But it was a champion’s drive from Fernando Alonso. Starting from as far back as 15th on the grid and with loads of fuel in the car, and in slippery conditions, Alonso did not make a single mistake. Even drivers like Schumacher were caught out in a couple of occasions in such tricky conditions. Agreed that Michelin had a good package for the wet conditions, but you still need an extraordinary driver to push the car to the limits in such conditions without making a mistake. There were a lot of terrific overtaking moves in the race. The best was perhaps Alonso’s overtaking of Michael Schumacher.

Leaving the ‘destiny’ angle and looking at things more pragmatically, Ferrari’s and Michael’s chances look better in the coming races. Renault have still not been able to use their mass dampeners. They have looked severely uncompetitive without those. Hungary was perhaps their best chance to overcome that. The wet conditions meant that the Michelin advantage more than compensated for the absence of the mass dampeners. This kind of advantage is unlikely to be there in most of the remaining races. For this reason Renault and Alonso are probably the bigger losers in Hungary.

Alonso’s mistake on Friday seems to suggest that he is beginning to feel the pressure. He will have to handle himself better. Of course Flavio Briatore is there to guide him. I am sure Alonso will behave in a more mature way in future and will not crack under pressure so easily.

Pragmatism may suggest that the unusual conditions in Hungary notwithstanding, things haven’t changed much. Ferrari are currently the stronger package and Michael seems to have momentum on his side. But I come from the land of rope tricks and horoscopes. I would like to believe in destiny and something tells me that Alonso is destined to be the champion.

Juan Pablo Montoya leaves F1

It was in the year 2001 when the world of formula one was introduced to a young Colombian called Juan Pablo Montoya. JPM was brought to formula one by Sir Frank Williams from USA where he won the CART racing championship the previous year as a rookie. Soon the fiery Colombian set the tracks of F1 ablaze with his pace. JPM never shied from speaking his heart out which led many people to doubt his temperament and term him as being too hot headed. JPM was equally hot on the track too. He brought excitement to the sport which had almost forgotten about it. When in peak form Juan Pablo was one of the best over takers the sport has ever seen. Many of his daring overtakings feature in video collections of F1 fans. This single ability to perform spectacular over taking manoeuvres won Montoya fans world over.

His debut season in 2001 was a bit of a disaster. The Colombian was marred by bad luck as a series of accidents and mechanical failures meant that he finished in just 6 races. He finished in the podium 4 times and won his maiden grand Prix in Monza.

In 2002 he was denied any victory by the dominant performance of the ‘bullet proof’ F2002 Ferraris. But a consistent performance throughout the year meant that he beat his team mate Ralf Schumacher and finished the season as the third best driver.

2003 was probably the season in which the Colombian was at his best. He consistently outpaced his team mate and finished the season 3rd, just 11 points off the champion Michael Schumacher. Sweet victories were scored in Monaco and Germany. The season was witness to many exciting tussles between the Colombian and Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher.

Montoya’s pace was obvious to everyone and top teams were vying for the Colombian’s services by now. The 2004 season started with McLaren making a shock announcement at the beginning of the season itself that Montoya will be driving for them from 2005.





His move to McLaren in 2005 sparked off expectations of an intense rivalry with team mate Kimi Raikkonen. Everyone in the paddock knew that there was no love lost between the two new team mates. But Montoya struggled with the Woking based team in his first season there. New regulations in the sport meant that tyre changes were not allowed during the race. This added to the Colombian’s woes as it did not suit his aggressive driving style. As he was consistently outpaced by his Finnish team mate, Montoya’s frustration grew. After he became a father in 2005, Montoya seemed to lose some of his aggression both on and off the track. In the beginning of 2006 McLaren announced a major coup- that of having signed Fernando Alonso from 2007. This meant that either Montoya or Raikkonen had to make way for the young Spaniard. As Raikkonen continued to outpace him, experts gave JPM little chance of continuing with Ron Dennis’ team for 2007.

The announcement that Montoya will be racing in NASCAR in 2007 has come as a shock to many of his fans in F1. Montoya was more that just another fast driver. His daredevil driving attracted many people to the sport. In his best form, he knew no fear and was undoubtedly the most exciting driver to watch. With Montoya in the picture you could always expect to watch exciting racing. He would never give an inch. Montoya has also been active in the social scene, helping underprivileged children in Colombia and the world over.

I still hope that he returns to F1 some day. He will surely be remembered by formula one fans long after his departure.

Montoya fans will enjoy this tribute

Half a manager??...Naah...

It’s a start of a new academic year for me. After spending a week relaxing at home in Chennai I came to Mumbai today morning. I was greeted by a wet and drenched city as the monsoon has well and truly set in. It was a complete contrast to the dry spell I had experienced in Chennai. Luckily the local train was not crowded and we reached the hostel soon. Although we had to walk through ankle deep water before reaching the gate, it was better than what I had expected. Just one week into the monsoon and the approach ‘road’ to the hostel already looks like shit. Wonder what’s gonna happen in the months of rain to come.

It is sometimes hard to believe that I’ve completed half my MBA course. If this means that I’ve already gained half the amount of knowledge I will gain from this course then I am in deep trouble. But being a sensible person that I am, I know that I will be putting in more dedicated effort this time. I have to…because there is only 6 more months left before placements begin, and by then I must’ve learnt enough to fool my prospective employers that I know more than what I actually do! Well, I was kidding (partly). The fact that half my course is over has made some seriousness dawn on me. I realise that the next one year is the best time for me to learn about a lot of stuff.

My academics in the past year have been pathetic to say the least. My grades suck. And I cannot claim that “grades are not representative of my knowledge/capability”. Because I’ve hardly learnt anything. I am gonna specialise in finance and I don’t even know financial ratios. Gosh…I am sometimes confused between assets and liabilities! Well…at least I’ve realised the seriousness of the situation and I know, now is the time to buck up. And buck up I will!

What else did I do apart from academics…I participated in a lot of competitions, both inside the college and in inter b school competitions. I managed to get selected for the final rounds for competitions in XLRI and IIM Indore. But since the dates clashed we had to skip XL. We presented a paper in Indore but failed to get any prize. But I savoured the opportunity to visit an IIM and interact with people from various institutes.

My participation in competitions reduced drastically once my health deteriorated. I always prided myself for not having suffered any major illness ever. But the pleasant environment of GR Jani hostel, in which I am honoured to be living for the past year, has been very conducive to friendly bacteria and viruses that helped me through Malaria, Rat Fever and Jaundice. The good part about this is that now I am not at all scared of another attack of malaria since I know what to expect from this illness.

One of my worst regrets has been my interaction levels with my batch mates and my seniors, which have been very limited. My interaction with girls has been extremely limited. I don’t know whether I should’ve expected this. I’ve always been shy with girls. It did not help that my engineering college had a stupid rule that did not allow opposite sexes to interact. When I joined cognizant, I was able to overcome my shyness and I interacted extremely freely with girls. But somehow, when I came here I went back into my shell when it came to interacting with girls. Maybe it has something to do with culture…its difficult to explain, but to me, there is a sea of difference between girls here and girls in Chennai. And somehow I could not come to terms with this difference. I hope in the coming year I come out of my shell and interact more freely with my fellow batch mates and my juniors.

As I look back at the past year various pictures flash in my mind. The crowded city of Mumbai, the daaru parties in the hostel, my first experience in a discotheque, ogling at the attractive girls standing in and around my college gate during the tea breaks, the lush campus of IIM Indore, my illnesses, the class presentations, sweating it out in the streets of Mumbai during the internship, the sleepless nights, the Sunday trips to Matunga for having authentic Tamil food, the longing for home, and many more…

In the coming year I hope to live life the right way. In the end I do not want to regret not having done this or that. I want to participate in competitions. I want to update myself with all kinds of knowledge. I do not want to be lazy!! I want to interact freely with people. I want to do well in academics. I want to experience life in a b school in the true spirit.

A Comment on the Schumacher incident

The following is an article by Steve Turnbull for updatef1.com. The link is http://formula-1.updatesport.com/magazine/article/Comment--The-Schumacher-Incident/1148908415.html
I am posting the entire (presumably copyrighted) article here for the benefit of those readers who are behind corporate firewalls which block such sites.



The Monaco Grand Prix, as is often the case, provided one of the more captivating races of the season so far. The duel around the twisting, heavily contoured streets of Monte Carlo proved exciting and unpredictable, as Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Mark Webber all displayed the talent that has enabled them to reach the very top echelon of world motor sport.

Yet, for all the on track interest, the race was far from the major talking point of the weekend; that accolade went, as again is often the case, to the antics of one Michael Schumacher, whose last second manoeuvre at the Rascasse during Saturday qualifying brought the sport of Formula One back to the mainstream news, and not in the fashion we would like it to be.

Michael Schumacher and Controversy (the capital is deliberate) need no introduction to each other. It is as if the brilliant German arrived in Formula One, all those years ago at Spa Francorchamps in 1991, carrying ample supplies in his briefcase.

Indeed that very debut was littered with the stuff: Bertrand Gachot was in jail, courtesy of a disagreement involving the Belgian Jordan driver, a London taxi driver, and a can of CS gas. Michael arrived with good references, and a healthy dose of Mercedes-Benz money for Eddie Jordan’s young team, on the back of assurances that he knew Spa like the back of his hand. In fact, he had never seen the place, let alone driven there. As history relates, he qualified eighth, went to the grid in seventh place, and promptly burnt out his clutch on the grid. Such a mistake was excusable, as the ripples he had caused when he first dropped into the pool were already spreading wide and far. ( A side note; what is not remembered is that the other Jordan, in the hands of Andrea de Cesaris, was rapidly gaining on the leader, Ayrton Senna, when mechanical failure put him out of the race. It is general opinion that he would have won.)

As history again relates, Michael next encountered controversy at the following race, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where he entered in a Benetton. Jordan was incensed, as he believed he had a contract; Benetton countered that none existed, and Mercedes-Benz stood back and let things take their natural course. As we say, the rest is history and, seven World Championships later, we can look back and see how this controversial debut set the precedent for years to come.

Let us remind ourselves, in brief, of the incidents that have coloured Michael’s multi-hued career over these past fifteen years. Variously, and without detail we have: 1994: the ‘plank incident’ at Spa; the constant talk of ‘illegal’ traction control; the Damon Hill Adelaide incident. That was a good year. Then there’s Jerez, 1997; Austria and the USA 2002; these are the major incidents that stand out. There are many more, minor, less reportable ‘Schumacher incidents’ but, it must be said, Michael really pushed the boat out on Saturday in Monaco.

I don’t think there is anyone who, having seen the moment in question, could seriously doubt that at least some part of it was deliberate, was pre-meditated.

Sir Jackie Stewart was ‘willing to give Michael the benefit of the doubt’; he believes the initial ‘accident’, the lock up of the wheels into Rascasse, was just that, an accident. However, what followed, the neat parking of the car that brought out the yellow flags, Stewart puts down to Michael, and Michael only.

Keke Rosberg, on the other hand, expressed the opinion that Schumacher should ‘go home’; while Flavio Briatore explained that Michael had ‘parked the bloody car’.

These were just a few of the comments made, but the general consensus was that Michael was, quite frankly, out of order.

The Stewards, after several hours of deliberation, examination of telemetry and witness statements, agreed. Michael had deliberately impeded the progress of other cars and, as the regulations recommend, was promptly stripped of all his qualifying times and sent to the back of the grid. Most thought this fair, some thought it a tad soft, Ferrari and Michael, naturally, thought it harsh.

“Watch the video, I did nothing wrong” seemed to be Schumachers defence. Watching the video, however, condemns Michael somewhat. One fellow driver commented, dryly, that the German ‘should have covered the camera with one hand while he turned off the engine with the other…’

So, the verdict given, no appeal allowed, Sunday saw Schumacher storm through the field to an eventual fifth position, again giving us a display of awesome talent and unparalleled genius. The sheer pace made one wonder whether Michael needed pole position to win. It also begged the question – why? Why stoop so low when ones talent is so great?

Some have offered the explanation that all genius is flawed. This may be so but, I ask, could you imagine Jim Clark pulling his car to the side to protect a pole position? Or Fangio, Moss, Brabham, or even great 1980’s champions such as Alan Jones, Nelson Piquet, Prost or Rosberg? The answer is, unequivocally, no. None of those would have even considered such a move; it simply was not done. And yet, when one asks the same of Ayrton Senna, one could easily answer in the affirmative. Ayrton and Michael are from the same mould, the same mindset, where win-at-all-costs is the only way.

This manner of thinking has done Michael Schumacher no long-standing harm across his lengthy career. Many of those who have watched, with justified awe, his performances from 2000 onwards at Ferrari, will be too young to remember 1994, or 1997, or may simply have been uninterested back then. Many of those new to the sport will be questioning why such a seemingly draconian penalty was imposed for such a minor transgression. Good questions, too, but when a role model such as Schumacher, a man whom to many of the young drivers of today is still a hero, behaves in such an underhand manner, something has to be done to bring the message home: Formula One is, first and foremost, a ‘SPORT’ and, as such, must involve a level of sportsmanship. Sportsmanship involves courtesy, as well as competition; it embraces fair play, as well as ingenuity; and it is a sad fact that, in many parts of the world, Formula One only reaches the headlines when Controversy is involved (yes, the capital is, again, deliberate.)

Michael’s body language at the post qualifying press conference said it all; sheepish, guilty, embarrassed were all descriptions used on the day, and all may be right. How soon after he ‘parked’ the car, we may ask, did he realise the mistake he had made? How soon after the blatant move at Jerez, 1997, did he realise that the on-board camera would betray any excuse? And how soon after the embarrassment that was Austria, 2002, did this great driver realise how foolish, how ridiculous, he had made himself, his team, and the sport appear?

It stands to reason that the punishment may, in the eyes of the stewards, the FIA, and the many Schumacher and Ferrari fans world-wide, have ‘fitted the crime’, but consider this. From the back, Michael raced into the points – admittedly, attrition aided his cause – points that many, including myself, believe he should not have been entitled to. What discouragement is it to the younger generation that a blatant, clear as daylight attempt to contravene the rules is met with mere relegation to the back of the grid? Very little, I would say. For next race, all is forgotten.

The incident also adds heat to the fire that currently burns around Schumacher with regard to the ‘will he/won’t he’ retirement debate. This one incident, while presumed of ‘little importance’ to the future where Ferrari are concerned, has clearly had major impact on Michael. He is annoyed that he has been pilloried by just about everyone bar his team mates.

Why? Did he really believe he would get away with it? Did he seriously consider that we, who have watched him driver countless brilliant races in underperforming cars, pulling rabbits out of hats at the most unlikely places, would not question why a man of his ability could not recover a car from such a minor upset as that at the Rascasse on Saturday? If, indeed, he did believe so, serious questions should be asked of himself.

Michael Schumacher is, and always has been, a quite brilliant racing driver; he is, and always has been, superb to watch in a crisis, wonderful to watch on the limit, and controversial more often than the rest.

He once said, I seem to recall, that he would consider retirement once the younger generation begin to beat him, fair and square.

If, Michael, you have to resort to underhand tactics such as those displayed on Saturday in order to beat Alonso, or Raikkonen, or any one of the pretenders to the crown, surely that time has come?

Formula One 2006- Mid Season Review

It’s almost midway in the 2006 FIA Formula One championship season. And Fernando Alonso seems to have one hand on the cup already. The season started in Bahrain this time instead of Australia. But it didn’t make much of a difference to Renault. They started much like last year. They had the fastest car in the first 4 races. Schumacher and Ferrari upped their game in Imola. Imola was a good race, and ironically for Alonso, it was a complete reversal of last year’s race as Alonso tried in vain to get past a struggling but determined Schumacher. In the next race Ferrari were the better car and deserved the win they got. Going into the Spanish GP everyone thought Ferrari will do it again but Alonso and Renault pulled in some magic and won a memorable race. It was a fantastic win for Alonso- his first ever in Spain. And I must admit I ve never seen the kind of reaction from a driver as was seen from Alonso after winning the race. He was REALLY HAPPY!

Then came Monaco. It was another exciting race. Uncharacteristically, there were lots of over takings in the race. In fact I think so far in the season this has been the race with most no. of over takings. The weekend started on a sour note as Michael Schumacher was back with his prankster stuff. What he did in qualifying was disgusting and he thoroughly deserved the punishment he got. Everyone remembers what he did to Villeneuve and Hill and more recently (last season) to Barrichello. But one would’ve thought that he would’ve matured as he gets towards the end of his career. But no! he’s proven that bastards remain bastards, no matter what. I’ve always maintained that Schumacher is one of the best ever drivers. Not many have the kind of understanding of the car one drives and the track on which one drives as Schumi does. He’s a fantastic talent. Till last year I’ve said that he’s the best driver on track and this year I put Alonso and Schumi together as the best drivers. But despite his talent, Michael Schumacher’s attitude sucks. And that’s why I hate him. His drive in the race proved once again that he is a superb racer, but that cannot undo what he did in qualifying. If any of you haven’t seen the incident, you can view it here and make up your mind.

(if the link doesn’t work, just search for- Schumacher Monaco – in google videos)

Renault have upped their game since monaco. They realised where they were being beaten. Farrari were always faster at the end of the stints. So they made changes to their set up to make the car go fastest at the end of the stints. One could see this start to work in Monaco itself. Alonso was building gaps to Raikkonen towards the end of stints. It would’ve been a tight finish had the Mclaren lasted the race. Looking at Mclaren’s reliability I am really worried for next season as Alonso’s fan. The strategy of making the car go fastest at the end of the stints worked even better for Renault in Silverstone.

I expect Ferrari to up their game as the season proceeds. I think it will be a tough fight till the end. But for Schumi to win the championship, Renault and Alonso will need to have a lot of bad luck- like Alonso slipping in the bathroom and breaking his back.

News has just come in that fisichella will stay with Renault for 2007. more or less expected news. And it also means that Briatore has not been successful in roping in Webber.

There are 10 more races to go. I think the championship is not over yet. Its definitely much closer than last year. And we all know that Ferrari and Schumacher are fierce competitors. I expect a close and exciting tussle till the end.

Go Fernando, Go!!!

I will not forget...those amazing days

I was going thru orkut and saw a few testimonials written to me and by me. Just stirred a few old memories and I thought of writing something about it…

Engineering days were truly amazing. Our college- RMK engineering college- had a lot of stupid rules and was very strict. We really resented that when we were students. In fact we used to call it ‘the jail’ But after coming out of it we realised that there can be nothing like those days again in our lives…Despite all the rules and all, we did enjoy! I was in the hostel for the first 2 years. By nature I am shy and reserved. So I hardly interacted with anyone in the first few months. It took me 6 months to even become friends with my room mate, Chaitanya. It was Prasanna who helped bring me out of my shell. Had a good time with the ‘Tamil gang’ in the hostel… Cant forget those countless mokkai sessions we had before and after elections, cricket matches and during weekends and study holidays…Then there was the Hostel day skit in which I participated. It was deemed so vulgar that they stopped it midway through the show :).

I will not forget the long discussions with Srikanth that went long into the night. I will not forget the fights I had with Prasanna everyday we were room mates. Its truly amazing how you can fight with someone for so long and so much and you get irritated by that person so much, but still, at the end of the day you count him as one of your best friends…

I will not forget the boring long days during study hols when the only thing we all looked forward to was breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can assure that anyone who has passed out of RMK will never forget the food there. Truly mouth watering ..mmm… The chicken briyani, Dosai, Parota, sweets and much much more..

Then I moved out in the 3rd year. I started interacting with the day scholars- Ananth, Vicky, GK, and others.. We had lots of fun especially in the last year when we hardly attended classes. Had the first taste of alcohol with these guys..Three of us (Prasanna, Vicky and I) started drinking on the same day, and one of them is a hopeless drunkard now :)

I will not forget the chicken briyani in Vicky’s house. Nor will I forget those Dec 31st nights in the last 3 yrs of engg… I will not forget those truly thrilling rides sitting behind Vicky in his bike. Ananth and GK fighting was always fun for all of us. Jothi’s powers with girls remained a mystery to all of us till the end. So was Ananth’s lack of powers with girls despite his looks…Vicky trying hard to convince Sumanth to join us for a dinner or party became a regular affair.

Engineering ended, and slowly everyone departed to where life took them. Prasanna to Hyderabad, Ananth and Jothi to UK, Sumanth also went to Hyderabad and so did Chaitu, Rakesh and so many others. After a few months realisation came that ‘those days’ are over. Perhaps the best days of our lives were behind us. We still keep meeting each other occasionally. I know those days will not come back and things will not be the same again. But I want to settle down in a place where we all can meet each other regularly, have a weekend together every month and share our happy and sad moments together. I know that will keep me happy. It’s the kind of happiness that money can’t buy.

Some shocking Facts

Here I present some shockingly glaring facts which strengthen the case against reservation. These facts will show that:

-->There is no real need for reservation for OBCs

-->The existing reservation for SC/STs is not working and even after 50 years of its existence the reservations have not been able to achieve the motive behind them

-->If the govt goes ahead with the decision to increase seats it will severely hamper the quality of education and infrastructure available to the students. This is because the educational institutions simply do not have enough infrastructure and facilities and these restrictions cannot be overcome in a short time.

-->Even the first congress prime minister did not like the idea of reservation even though he was the one who initiated it.


***What is the proportion of OBCs in this country?
The report of the Mandal commission which came out many years back, states that it is 52%. But the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), a govt appointed body reported in a more recent study that OBCs form 32% of the population.

***The NSSO in its research in 1999 (which is the latest available research) stated that OBCs occupy 23.5% OF ALL UNIVERSITY SEATS

***A study done by the IITs themselves shows that 50 per cent of the IIT seats for the SCs and STs remain vacant and for the remaining 50 per cent, 25 per cent are the candidates, who even after six years fail to get their degrees.

***A report of the Parliamentary Committee on the welfare for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes says that looking at the Delhi University, between 1995 and 2000, just half the seats for under-graduates at the Scheduled Castes level and just one-third of the seats for under-graduates at the Scheduled Tribes level were filled. All the others went empty, unfilled.

***Sukhdev Thorat, the Chairman of the UGC. He points out that today, at higher education levels - that is all universities, IITs and IIMs - there is already a 1.2 lakh vacancy number. 40 per cent of these are in teaching staff, which the IIT faculty themselves point out that they have shortages of up to 30 per cent

***Jawaharlal Nehru: “On the 27th of June 1961 wrote to the Chief Ministers of the day as follows: I dislike any kind of reservations. If we go in for any kind of reservations on communal and caste basis, we will swamp the bright and able people and remain
second rate or third rate. The moment we encourage the second rate, we are lost. And then he adds pointedly: This way lies not only folly, but also disaster”

***In India only 16 per cent of the places in higher education are occupied by SCs and STs. The quota is 22.5 per cent, which means that only two-thirds of the
quota is occupied. One third is going waste.

Let me make it clear that I am not questioning the capability of students from the so called backward classes. I am a person who believes that all humans have the same inherent capability. My only point is that if there is to be any reservation, then that should be given to people who are really handicapped in a certain way in the society and are at some disadvantage. Basically it should be given to people who come from economically backward and oppressed sections f the society. Because these are people who are genuinely at a disadvantage when it comes to education. I wouldn’t really mind if a guy whose father is a railway porter and mother is a housewife, gets into an IIM even if he has a 75 percentile score and I don’t get through even with a 95 percentile score. But once a person gets the benefit of reservation then the same should not be given to his/her offspring.

Finally students in my institute have started discussing about this issue. We have decided to come out with a statement in support of the anti reservation protest. Students from the IIMs have also declared their solidarity with the protesting medicos. Students from DU and IIT Delhi have also joined in the protests. I, along with a few friends will hopefully be joining the protests in Azad Maidan this Sunday. Lets see how it goes…