Mumbai Board Gamers

When we were kids we used to spend our days playing games with friends, usually without bothering about anything else. As we grew up, we continued playing games with our friends, only now the games weren’t limited to dice or boards or pawns. The words ‘business’ , ‘monopoly’, ‘ludo’, ‘snakes & ladders’ or ‘chinese chekkers’ always bring a smile to my face as they remind me of those wonderful childhood days. Sometimes I miss playing these games. I tend to wonder why I grew up to busy myself with this corporate life. For those who liked such games played other games like ‘scrabble’, ‘the game of life’, ‘pictionary’, ‘scotland yard’.

Eclipse

I recently came across this group of enthusiastic ‘board gamers’ who meet almost every week to play board games. These games are not games which you would have normally played before. These games are more advanced and they need strategies, thinking and anticipating your opponent’s moves. The games have gigantic boards with hundreds of pawns with which you can perform various actions. To name a few - ‘Eclipse’ is a game which involves space age battle, ‘Civilization’ on the other hand allows  you to build your own civilization, promote your own culture and win battles, ‘Powergrid’ makes you use resources like oil, coal, money to power cities which you control. There are more than 100 such games with them.

Stone Age

So if you are in Mumbai and want to spend your time in a constructive manner then I suggest you should try out at least one session with them. If you feel you don’t know how to play these games, then worry not, they are kind enough to explain all the rules in detail and before starting a game they do conduct a trial game. Games vary across all genres and difficulty with number of players ranging from 2-10 depending on the game. Some games need 1-2 hours whereas some may even take 5-6 hours to finish. These sessions are organized all over Mumbai but generally at Parel, Mahalaxmi, Bandra and Juhu.

The Mumbai Board Gamers was formed 5 months back. They already have around 100 members. The people in the group are down to earth and very helping. Some of them are alumni of IITs  and IIMs also. One needs to just give their time and dutch in for whatever they eat / drink, rest everything is on the house.

I joined them last week and have already attended four sessions and it is truly addictive. It’s certainly better than watching a sitcom or lazing around watching TV. Some of these games are also part of business school games. And additionally it serves the purposes of networking and meeting new people.

You can reach them by joining Mumbai BoardGamers or for any details / queries please leave a comment here or get in touch with me @gaurav_agrawall on twitter.

Barfi ! - Unadulterated Innocence...

Unadulterated Innocence! That is how you describe the ‘Barfi’ experience in two words. The movie which travels from the hustle bustle of Kolkata to the quaint, mist-laden environs of Darjeeling is much a treat for all age groups alike. It captures the yet-uncorrupted parts of your brain well and does manage to enthuse the hidden child or maybe just the die-hard romantic in you.

The script revolves around the life of Barfi, a young guy who cannot speak or hear. And what is Bollywood if not for a love triangle? But this triangle is as beautiful as it is different. The story is a beautiful rendition of how differently abled people can and are like any other human being. It speaks volumes how much one can communicate even sans words. How emotions and love can be conveyed without speaking. That is where the movie’s USP lies. It’s simple yet elegant and it does manage to leave you teary-eyed.

Barfi or Ranbir Kapoor, happy go lucky as he is, falls in love with Shruti, played nicely by the newcomer Ileana D’cruz. But as luck would have it she is already engaged. Love still blossoms in the hills and there comes a time where she needs to make a choice. And choose she does! In some other part of town, Jhilmil or Priyanka Chopra, who suffers from Autism is living her own story. Barfi who has grown up with Jhilmil decides to kidnap her when he needs money for his father’s operation. And there begins the comedy of hits and misses. From Darjeeling to Kolkata and back - it’s all seeped in raw emotions and love!

Travelling back and forth in time, the movie narrates itself as a story with constant flashbacks to different periods in time. One may get a tad confused but if one engrosses oneself in the movie enough then I am pretty sure it will be a relish. The cinematography and direction are spell binding and keep you entertained throughout. And the acting is simply marvellous – be it Ranbir or Priyanka or even Inspector Dutta (played by Saurabh Shukla). Although the first part is a bit slow and may make you take your eyes away from the movie, the second part more than makes up for the slip. The plus point of the second part being better than the first is that it leaves a lasting and lingering good-wala feeling on you. Overall it is a good watch and I would rate it 3.5/5 !!

Catch the official trailer here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZxrao3zou4

US Open 2012 – Preview of Men’s Singles preview

So the final slam of the year is here. Considered to be the fastest of the four courts, the US Open has always been exciting. Last four years have produced four different winners, most notable was the US Open of 2009 where Juan Martin Del Potro came from 2 sets down to win the match and the tournament. I still remember how I had written off Del Potro after being 2 sets down and had gone off to sleep. But as the saying goes, you can never win at half time and the goal is not scored until it is actually scored.

So, time for predictions of US Open 2012 winner. People would call me foolish and also thoughtless if I say that this year’s tournament will be won by someone apart from Federer or Djokovic or Murray and it may be right too considering the way these people have dominated tournaments year after year. There are few who have managed to challenge these players in grand slams and no player has been able to keep winning against these players on a consistent basis.

Obviously, the withdrawal of Rafael Nadal from this year’s tournament may be the talking point but everything would be forgotten once the tournament gets underway. Talking about the grand prediction, it doesn’t take in-depth tennis knowledge to guess the winner.

Roger Federer has rolled back years and sublimely taken over Wimbledon again. The elegance, the skill and the mastery seems to be back. Besides, his bogey player, Nadal has also withdrawn. He is thus a formidable opponent and a challenger for title. Novak – he is another contender to win the title. With his fighting spirit, his rise to the top, his stamina and bringing out his best at toughest times, Djoko is now one of the favourites. Murray has now formed a reputation which he may not like - of not performing at a big stage. But, it seems, with Ivan Lendl being his coach, there is a difference in his mentality. Shockingly, his previous defeats in grand slam finals were in straight sets but in Wimbledon finals he managed to finally win a set. His comprehensive victory against Federer in the Olympics gold medal match may come as a shocker but it seems that his time has finally come.

Apart from these three, the only player which I feel can challenge top three is Del Potro. The fast pace court will suit his game. Del Potro is one whom I assume to be a dark horse and certainly consider him better than Tsonga and Ferrer.

However, if you ask me to put my money on a player, I may still go with Novak Djokovic. According to me he just has that extra edge which may help him to overcome other 127 players. Lets wait for 8th September !!!

66th year of Indian Independence!

Thousands of ‘midnight hours’ have come and gone by, the world slept and awoke as a routine and India managed to complete its 66 years of existence as a democracy when states around it succumbed to military rule and autocracies. This by no means is a mean feat but India now needs to rise from the ‘midnight hour’ phenomenon as we certainly did not catch the entire world napping; for the record it was 2.30pm in the American Capital and most would have been wide awake. Nevertheless, the allegory symbolises the intrinsic value of the historical event that was unfolding – the lowering of the Union Jack and hoisting of the Tricolour!

India will always have a special place in history. Not only because the Indus valley civilisation was much advanced than the contemporary world but also because it has resolutely but subtly had its effect on the entire world. UK would not have been such a roaring economy (pre-crisis I mean) but for the gold that was looted from India. Bangladesh would not been born if not for Indira Gandhi’s timely intervention in the erstwhile East Pakistan. So also South Africa would have taken a few more years to rid itself of the apartheid that was prevalent therein if the Mahatma had not stood against the whites. These are the few direct impacts we have had on the world. But we still continue to prop up the IT industry of the world and many of NASA’s scientists are Indians.

But now India needs to reclaim its lost glory – lost because the current glory is but a mere shadow of its original being. India needs to assert itself on the world stage. By assert I do not mean that it should disturb world peace or disrupt the democratic systems around the world. But a point needs to be driven home that we shall not take things lying down. Indian diplomacy needs to rise to the occasion and re-engage with like-minded countries and untie to fight the scourges of terrorism, violence, corruption and similar global vices. Using the platforms of multilateral platforms a refreshing change needs to be brought in the way systems function. From expansion of the UN Security Council to giving impetus to the Non-alignment Movement, from establishing channels of communication with the African nations to building bridges with the South American continent, from playing a meaningful role in the Middle Eastern crises to taking decisive action to arrest global warming – the time has come for a nation to reawaken.

National interest should be at the forefront of any decision, political or otherwise. If anyone falls short of the patriotism that is needed to support India in nation building, well, simply tune in to the numerous patriotic songs that are playing around. The heart-wrenching voice of Lata Mangeshkar singing Vande Mataram instantly makes one teary eyed. It affects you because somewhere within you know you are falling short of doing your bit for your country, your motherland. It is time you wake up to the nation’s call. Take a pledge to serve your country in whatever way possible. Be a responsible citizen. And remember – we are all Indians first and lastly we are Indians!

The Irish House

For all those who wanted a Mclarens kind of bar to hang out at, here’s a great option – The Irish House at Phoenix Mills. Yes, it’s inside Phoenix Mills. In case, you are wondering how come you missed even though you Phoenix mills is your second home on weekends, join the club. JFYI, it’s up the stairs next to Smoke House Deli and Noodle Bar.

Conspicuousness apart, the place has great ambience. They've got the typical bar look just right with brick walls, bare wooden tables and high chairs. Just the right mix of the classy and the casual. The walls are interspersed with TV screens playing the ongoing  sport events. What takes your attention away, and I mean this literally, is the huge roll down screen. If you want to enjoy a match with buddies over beer, this is the place to be. Gives the place a sports bar-ish feel. I ve heard they also have a Karaoke and stand up comedy too. Should check that out sometime.  There’s something about the place and one liners. You’ll find one liners “Ask not for what your country has done for you, ask whats for main course” and “Reality is just an illusion caused by the lack of alcohol”J all over the place right from walls to the coasters. The crowd quality is also pretty good (Read between the lines!).

 Anyway, the ‘must try out’ as far as food is concerned would be the Grande Nachos. Cheesy and saucy, it forms the perfect munching option .There is another heavenly dish full of cheese rightly named ‘Heavenly Cheese’ - a delight for cheese lovers. In general, the place has yummy appetizers are quite good. Vegetarians are not really left with too many options as far as main course is concerned though I would recommend the Meditteranean Sandwich for veggies. The pastas and spaghettis are nothing special but then hey it’s an Irish pub and not an Italian restaurant. My carnivore friends say that the shrimp bucket was excellent so you may want to try that out.  If you are a lover of cottage cheese, then you got to try out the Double Double – An ultimate delight consisting only of cottage cheese. They serve most beer brands and also a decent variety of cocktails though the mock tail menu leave doesn’t really leave you spoilt for choices.

The menu is slightly overpriced but worth it I would say considering the quality (and quantity) of time that can be spent there. If you believe that “Beer is the answer ... who cares about the question!!” or you are a sports aficionado or you are just looking to chill post work, just grab hold of a couple of friends and go Irish.

The Comedy Store

Friday 21st July, 2012 -- The Dark Knight Rises... Well, he rose and continued to thrill the audience but we suffered through an hour and twenty minutes of traffic from Apollo Mills to Phoenix Mills (I'm led to believe it’s less than 5kms), to reach just in time, in complete snitty moods, at the perfect place - The Comedy Store. As part of a multinational company few perks that we get are corporate events and laughs if not a healthy pay-check. So a group of 26 odd 'corporate slaves' headed to The Comedy Store & we all needed a couple of laughs !

This rather short show of two hours was hosted by Kunal Rao, an ex-Chartered Accountant who quit his job to become a stand-up comedian. As part of his short opening act, he got a few chuckles from the crowd and generally warmed them for the acts to follow. Kunal also had the opportunity to reacquaint himself with our colleague, the Consultant - Vivek. Vivek was the enthusiast from the audience who got picked on all through the show for having a few funny liners of his own. Note to all - don't mess with comedians in their element. They are like bosses out to get you! 

Kunal and all the other comedians for the night did the standard lines of 'First time to comedy store?' and 'Why would you sit in the front row if it’s not your first time here?' Fortunately for them there were 3 pretty girls in the front row...

Next on stage was Abish! This guy was good and had some brilliant material. From how terminator would sound in Bengali 'Asta Livista Dada' to what actually happens on the cricket ground - his enactment of MSD in slow-mo was simply brilliant! His song to irritate his 'mallu' uncle and auntie is worth memorising - you never know when you need to get those off your back! He also made jokes about how Indian names are derived and how his simply rhymed with his brother’s - Anish. Well Abish is definitely worth watching again. This guy from Delhi was on fire and kept going at it all throughout. His personification of cities when given characters and voices was simply superb.Yes the Maharashtrians are still angry and will stay so !

After a rather long twenty-minute break (you can carry your drinks inside) Kunal was back on stage talking about comprehensive condom machines and jokes on CA’s and as such his spontaneity was not to be missed. There was a lot of interaction between the comedians and the three pretty girls in the front row and a young guy Pratyush. There was a special feature by Ahmed Sharif (he has apparently shared the stage with the likes of Vir Das) but as Kunal forewarned us - have no expectations. Though he had good material, Ahmed’s jokes fell flat, maybe because of his timing or otherwise, but there was something amiss. However, worth mentioning were his jokes on Al-Qaeda, Dumbledore and how Indians are so fond of shortening names - poor Gandalf will never visit India.

Post a very anti-climatic stint by Mr. Sharif the mood definitely was very glad to have Kunal back only to introduce Rajneesh Kapoor, yet another Delhi-ite. I was a little apprehensive but this guy’s simple jokes had us in considerable stitches (After the show our sides hurt from all the laughing). He talked about flying and superstition and about kids and how stupid they are these days with their low IQs. He did the classic ‘my Punjabi mom’ has two solutions to everything - get married or else eat something. It solves all !! J Rajneesh apparently wastes a lot of time googling/surfing the net and shared his insights about people’s comments on Youtube. Funny it seems, but a war between India- Pakistan can/does start on youtube. He observes that every third comment is 'to view pictures of girls click on this link'. We ended the night clucthing our sides.

All in all, the 25 CA - consultants left the Comedy Store very happy. All the comedians were very certainly on their feet and think rather fast, their spontaneity and interaction with the crowd makes the evening very memorable (if you are with Vivek).  So, The Comedy Store is a must visit - because any wo/man who can make you laugh till your stomach hurts a little is certainly worth the 600 bucks. You can also watch the shows by Vir Das and international comedians at NCPA, Sophias, Bhabha Hall and etc.

The Comedy Store: (website link) http://in.bookmyshow.com/events/Abish-Mathew-Kunal-Rao-Rajneesh-Kapoor/ET00010232
http://www.thecomedystore.in/


P.S. - Just to test Rajneesh's theory lets see if the third hit/comment on this blog is ..'to see pictures of girls ...' 

About the author: Namrata Mahtani

The first review to have gone public and is pretty ecstatic. Thank you Coffee and a Quill – this is my Oscar moment!! Is paving her way to become a consultant in HR. With a knack for organising and talking too much is also trying to complete her MBA in HRD. You can also follow her on twitter @njmahtani

Virat Kohli – Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man

The memory of Herschelle Gibbs tearing apart the Australian balling line up in the chase of the then highest one score of 434 is still clear. However, after doing all the good work and scoring a mesmerizing 175, he was not able to finish the match. Enter VIRAT KOHLI.  Scoring 133 against Sri Lanka and finishing it in style is something which I will rate higher than Gibbs’ innings. The score was not the only concern against Sri Lanka - the pressure of a failed batting line up in Australia, expectations back home and the ghosts of bouncy pitches of Australia. Virat Kohli defied all odds and did the impossible.

Never before had any player risen to the status of one of the bests in such style, never before had any player scored 13 centuries in just 89 matches and never before did any player cement his place in the side in such an imperious manner !!!

VIRAT PREM KOHLI is a name which would now run shivers in the Sri Lankan side for years to come. Never has one particular player been such a thorn for any side. Virat scored his first ever ODI century against Sri Lanka and has never looked back since then. Scoring 13 centuries over a period of last two and half years, Virat Kohli has undoubtedly been the best ODI batsman for Team India. Scoring 12 centuries in winning causes he created an uproar in the cricketing world.

Critics may always point out that scoring 11 out of 13 centuries in sub-continent doesn’t make a player great. True, very true… Virat has still a long way to go to be called as a cricketing LEGEND. But, there would hardly be anyone who will point out against Virat. He has been in the form of his life and his purple patch has continued for longer than anyone would have expected. Averaging more than 50 for a one down batsman is outstanding to say the least. However, success doesn’t come easy.

At the age of 18, Virat lost his father. A Ranji match between Delhi and Karnataka was going on the day this tragedy happened. Delhi’s then coach, Chetan Chauhan, had relieved Virat from his duties towards Delhi and had asked him to go for his father’s last rites. Despite being up for the most of the night and rising to his duties as a son, he nevertheless turned up for the match. Scoring a gritty 90 which helped Delhi in avoiding follow-on he left a mark of being special. Comparisons were then drawn between him and Sachin Tendulkar who had done a similar thing during the 1999 World Cup - scoring a century against Kenya after his father’s death. The innings shall forever be etched in the minds of those who witnessed it.

Captaining the U-19 Indian team and leading them to World Cup glory now seems just a beginning of an illustrious carrier which Virat seems to very well have. Despite being just 23 he has established himself as an important batsman on the team or may be the “MOST” important batsman.  However, it will help to remember that he began merely as a reserve batsman. After performing decently in his first one-day series he was never given a chance considering the famed batting line up of India. He finally got his chance with a share of luck which every cricketer waits for. In his case Yuvraj Singh got injured. Virat grabbed this opportunity and scored his first ODI century and from there on, as they say, rest was history.

Kohli has been in a domineering form, tearing apart all the famous bowling line ups around the world, burying the ghosts of so-called bouncy pitches. His innings of Hobart where he scored 133 of just 86 balls may have just defined his career (which was already superbly defined before this innings). Tearing apart one of the deadliest bowlers, Malinga, he carted 24 runs of his over and made the chase of 320 runs pretty easy. And then came his top-notch innings - scoring 183 runs of just 148 balls against Pakistan.  Well agreed that the Pakistan line up was new but then Pakistan has a history of producing superios fast bowlers one after another.

Now, after 13 centuries in 89 innings and with a batting average of 52, we can truly say he is the next big thing in Indian cricket. Talent was always there but unlike many players he has not (yet) thrown away his talent. Players with immense talent like Rohit Sharma have let go innumerable chances but Kohli is one of those rare breeds who create their own place in the side. Brought in as a replacement of rested or injured players, currentlyno one can even think of dropping him.

It may seem that Sachin’s golden days have been revived by this Delhiite. Till he is remains on the crease it does seem that anything is possible. Younger players should take a leaf – or even many leaves if possible - out of his book - his determination, his grit, his dedication… Age just seems to be a number for him, because he has played so many wonderful innings under pressure which would seem impossible even for the greatest of greats.