When Will We JAAGO RE ?

Today, all of us stand united by the demand for the "Jan Lokpal Bill". We demand that CORRUPTION be eradicated from this society. We have lost trust in our manipulative government and the extremely slow legal system, a system which doesn't punish the bad, a system which doesn't give Justice to the victims, a system which is a toy in the hands of the government and the powerful. Hence, we believe that this Bill which has been drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde will form an independent body to eradicate corruption and give justice to victims of such acts.

At this moment, Mr. Anna Hazare is fasting for this very cause. The government has been passive to the implementation of this bill so far. But since the Fast-unto-death movement has caught the media's attention, they have been forced to "look into the matter". The citizens all across the country are participating in rallies displaying their support towards the movement and also educating people about it's benefits. The implementation of the bill in the present form will be a great achievement for the common man. A man who is frustrated to switch on the television and read about the scams, a man who sees a criminal getting bailed after just 24 hrs, a man who wants accountability for the taxes he pays and the lack of progress in his neighbourhood.

But we forget one very big hurdle in our path- US. We surely don't deal in spectrum scams and eat away lakhs of crores of money,putting the reputation of the country at stake. We , the common people, are not like our evil politicians. We just bribe the police who comes to verify the passport document. We only pay extra fare to the auto-wallahs. We only pay a few thousands to get the learner's license. We just pay a hundred to the traffic police when caught without a license or an RC. We just spit on the roads and litter the parks. We pay lakhs of rupees to admit our children to good schools and reputed colleges. Funny as it may sound, we only pay "small tips" to the waiters in restaurants where they are paid for the service they provide to us. It is we who try to board a bus and travel ticket-less. Due to the rush in the buses these days, we manage to escape, sport a smile on our faces with an air of achievement within. And, yet we go un-noticed. We constantly judge the corrupt government for its innumerous mistakes. What about WE-THE COMMON PEOPLE ?

Who is to judge us? Who will be the one who looks at us with eyes that make us guilty for not paying our taxes right. Who will be the person to make us realise the consequences of these little acts ? The government low-budget advertisements which ask us to follow the legal procedures, no matter how much time we lose. Or the TATA TEA JAAGO RE Campaign ? All these will only give us a picture of how we are. What we cannot comprehend is that all these little things are the things in our control. If you refuse to bribe the police in whose hand the fate of your passport is, there's a good chance that you may not get a passport. Then what do we do ? Nobody is ready to jeopardise their future education just for a few hundreds of rupees. So, the practical thing would be to bribe. But just imagine if the entire population on this country refuses to pay a single penny to each of the pot-bellied, gutkha chewing police officer, then maybe there won't be a future to worry about. The essential point worth noting here would not be us saving a few hundreds. It would mean the beginning of the end of corruption embedded in US.

You want 10 sprints ? I'll do 11...

It was his first full match debut. It was a match against Arsenal. He was just 17 years and 240 days old. He was nervous. He was tensed. He was how a 17 year old normal kid should be. Yet what he did that day was truly remarkable and abnormal. He scored a hat-trick against a formidable opponent and won his team the match 4-2. Was this an indication of things to follow?

Commitment, Passion, Finesse, Creativity, Strength are just a few words that have been used to describe this Legend. All these seem to be small in front of the achievements this guy has made. He’s also known as the “Galloway Giant”. He was not called a “giant” just because he was six feet. The gigantism laid in the terror he created amongst the defenders of his time, the ease with which he over powered them and the simplicity with which he celebrated his goals. This “Galloway Giant” is ALAN SHEARER.


Shearer believed that you need to give 100% every time so that no one could ask anything more from you. Shearer was quoted as follows- “Someone once said to me as a kid, if you’re asked to do ten sprints, do eleven. Never do nine because that would be cheating yourself. ”
At school-level he began playing on the streets just like most of the kids. He preferred playing in the midfield as he believed that he could “get more involved in the game”. Perhaps it is this stint in the midfield which has made him a brilliant creative forward, who not only scored goals but also created opportunities for his team-mates. Later, he spent the summer training with Southampton’s youth team. This, according to Shearer, was the “making of Shearer”. After scoring the hat-trick against Arsenal in 1988, Shearer had a successful stint at Southampton. He went on to make the then manager, Branfoot “the most popular manager” at that time as he kept getting calls from various clubs trying to buy Shearer. Despite a strong interest from Manchester United, Shearer rejected the move and decided to stay with Southampton.


Later, he would go on to join Blackburn with whom he won the Premier League on the final day of the season , tipping Manchester United. He went on to win the PFA Player of the Year in 1995. After the European Championships of 1996, Manchester United tried to sign Shearer for a second time. Shearer just said, “I am getting offers from various clubs. I must be doing something right.” .The fees was agreed and the deal was almost done when Shearer’s Hero- Kevin Keegan came up with an offer from Newcastle United and “hijacked” Shearer’s move to Old Trafford. Shearer continued his brilliant goal scoring form in the following years, winning many accolades and fans throughout the world. He could have easily gone to Manchester United and won many trophies. Especially the 1999 season, where Manchester United won the treble. But he chose his childhood club managed by his childhood hero. From this perspective it seemed obvious why he chose not to go to Old Trafford. Whatever maybe the reason, but it sure pictures the beauty of commitment, love and loyalty towards your club which is lacking in the modern-day footballers. Ten years later, Shearer was again seen showing his love for Newcastle, who were in dire straits. He turned into a manager for 8 games and took charges from the caretaker manager, Hutton, as Newcastle attempted to beat the drop from the Premier League. During an interview, he was quoted saying, “I’ve never wanted to leave. I’m here for the rest of my life and hopefully after that as well.” .Though he failed to perform the task due to his inexperience and the lack of time, he had proved his love for the club where he became a Legend.


Another memory that comes to the mind of any Shearer fan is the altercation between Roy Keane and Shearer in the 2001-02 season. The match was in favour of Newcastle 4-3 and the Red Devils captain, Roy Keane, as we all know was a “dynamic” character to say the least. Shearer was preventing Man United from taking a throw-in. Roy Keane threw the ball at him and aimed a strike at the striker. Shearer stood firm and didn’t react to it. Keane was sent off and he tried to charge onto Shearer, who looked at Keane fearlessly. This fearless nature was visible during the numerous goals he scored for both club and England. Shearer once said, “I never get fed up of scoring goals. That’s a striker’s secret.”


Shearer has not won the World Cup, The European Championships, The Champions League, The FA Cup. But he has won the hearts of every Newcastle supporter and that of many other budding footballers throughout the world. He went on to be the highest ever premier league goal-scorer, scoring 260 goals, of which 206 were scored for Newcastle United, which was another record .He was inducted in the English Hall Of Fame in 2004 and also in the 125 Greatest living footballers by Pele.
Many Newcastle fans would love to see Shearer back playing football. You can find him in Classic Players in FIFA 11 ;)


In a charity match organised against Celtic to bid farewell to Shearer, who was unfortunately injured, he would make a last minute entry on the field as a substitute which could be described as “The Last Entry of the Gladiator”. He scored a penalty and the commentary went as follows:
“And the curtain comes down so fittingly with a winning goal in front of his beloved fans...Alan Shearer ... Legend.”

I'm not hungry now. I'm STARVING !!

Samir Nasri, touted to be the next Zinedine Zidane from the age of 17, has had a great end to the year 2010. Nasri believes that at a young age of 17, it’s difficult to keep performing consistently at the highest level and carry the high expectations on the young shoulders. Nasri says it drove him “mad” to be compared to Zidane at such an early age.

Playing in the World Cup is a dream for any player. For someone of Nasri’s abilities and skills, being omitted from the WC Squad would surely be a “slap on the face”. However, the World Cup shock spurred him on to do better, to train harder. And the result is evident this season.

He has taken his game to another level. He has not only been playing brilliant football, he’s regularly scoring goals as well.He scored an audacious individual goal in the Champions League against FC Porto which was nominated for the "FIFA Puskas Award-Goal of the year". He has scooped the PFA Player of the month for October, December and January. Arsène Wenger believes that Samir Nasri’s World Cup omission has shocked the French midfielder into the best form of his Arsenal career.
He has been in the form of his life, according to Fabregas. He has scored more goals than the combined tally of the last two years, has been integral in setting up many vital goals for the Gunners this season. Just like other players who have missed the world cup, Nasri definitely had the advantage of having fresher legs and minds. But it takes more than that to do what he has been doing this season. During the WC, Nasri took a lot of time to rest and self analyze. He asked himself if he was hungry and his mind answered, “I am not hungry now. I Am Starving.”

In December 2010, he was named the French Player of the Year for his performances during the calendar year. Not being picked in the WC Squad of 30 and being named the Best player in the country is quite a paradox. But one must compliment the way Nasri has bounced back from the niggling injuries in the last year. Being "The Next Zidane" is a far-off thing but it's worth appreciation that he has established himself a contender for the Player of the Season with his performances so far.

I'm not tired. I Feel ALIVE !

Winning the Bulgarian Footballer of the year for a record seven times seems a pretty great achievement. But this fades away in the light of the burden of performing for Manchester United who have paid £30.75 million for you. You are being nick-named “Berbaflop”. What do you do? You put your head down, put your hearts in and practise like hell. This is what Berbaflop had to do last summer. And now his nick-name has been tweaked. He’s now “Berbatop”. The hat-trick against Liverpool was the high-light of the season for him.

You have to give him credit for this amazing transformation. Some call him lazy with his movements, but this season he has shown his pace with the ball and also brilliant finishing. Responding for the team when they need you the most. He was compared to “Thierry Henry” by Arsene Wenger. This, even for the Man Utd fans is a compliment.

Let’s take a look at the statistics
Season 1: 14 goals in 43 games
Season 2: 12 goals in 43 games
Season 3: 20 goals in 28 games

The transformation is just not in the statistics. It is also in the belief. He was close to being offloaded with just two seasons with the club, but thanks to SAF and Berbatov’s hard-work, he s considered the spear-head of their attack now. With the departure of Tevez and CR7, adding to it the slump in the form of Rooney, someone had to rise. Berbatov has done just that. And he just attributes it to the hard work during the summer and the managers backing, of course.

Here is the routine he followed. He worked very hard on his fitness. He ran six miles every day during the off season. He watched one World Cup match, went for a run, then watched another and went for another run. He said “ I’ m Not Tired. I Feel Alive.”

Even in the on-going season he had a ten game drought. So for him the challenge would be to improve his consistency through out the season. SAF expects him to reach the 25 goals ,mark in the EPL. That will be no problem SAF.