Today morning I received an SMS from a dear friend. It contained headlines from some Marathi newspapers that referred to the Pakistani team as "पाकडे"। I could have, and under normal circumstances would have, deleted the SMS. But I wanted to convey my point of view to my friend. I SMSed back saying that I have always objected to this term and I don't need to take this extreme stance to prove that I am a Maharashtrian and a Hindu.

Pat came the reply, sighting "the spilled blood of the innocents". I tried to reason saying that there must be people in Pakistan who are least bothered about what God their neighbor is praying to. They too, like most of the common Indians, must be only concerned about their lives and families. The only misfortune of both countries is that such people on both sides are not speaking up. The day they do, there will no terrorism left. I got back references from lives of Shivaji Maharaj and the Bhagwad Geeta. I conveyed my understanding of the same. But in the end, I knew that neither of us can convince each other.

Then I got thinking. I would have felt bad, and definitely would have been angry, if we had lost yesterday's match. Yet, I also believe that the only way to mend fences is to bring moderate people on both sides together. Such people need to speak up. Or the communal voices will make sure that more innocent lives are lost - both Hindu and Muslim.

Am I suffering from a dual personality? I don't know. It has been a strange relationship with Pakistan. But then my generation didn't suffer through partition. Perhaps, it would have been different if it had.

Will my generation ever be able to resolve this dilemma or will the next generation inherit it from us?

"Terrified" is the word I can choose to describe my state of mind when there is any cricket match between India and Pakistan. As it is, I can never watch any match where India is playing. But the tension increases hundred-fold when we are playing against Pakistan. I just cannot take the tension.

So I was very happy yesterday to sit inside my cabin working while most of the office emptied out save for a couple of girls working outside my cabin. I thought - these ladies will be least interested in the match so I can work peacefully. Looks like I was gender-biased - BIG TIME! Soon the sound of cricket commentary leaked through the cabin walls. Then, the news of Sehwag getting out. Oh Boy! How I wished God had given us the facility to shut off ears.

By the time I went home, India's innings was over. I braced myself for the ordeal ahead. A couple of earplugs insured that I couldn't catch the commentary from our own living room. But the crowd gathered outside in the streets was making a ruckus. Soon, I understood their ways of celebration - claps and shouts meant that our fielders did well, lot of shouts accompanied with the beat of the "dholak" meant Pakistan lost a wicket. I tried in vain to concentrate on the novel at hand.

I stepped into the living room only when Pakistan needed 30 odd runs in 3 wickets. It was fun to watch the crowds dancing in the streets after we won. Hats off to both the teams for playing under such tense situation and also to the people for watching such a nerve-wracking match!

Cookery Shows

I have become a hopeless addict to the cookery shows. I love watching Kylie Kwong, Angela Lawson and Rachel Allen on Travel and Living channel. Since "Food Food", India's first dedicated food channel, was launched I have become an ardent fan of "Firangi Tadka" (though I believe "Cheff" Chinu makes unnecessary hand movements!), Chai Nashta and of course, Sanjeev Kapoor's Kitchen. I think I will not be kidding if I say that I have thousands of recipes jotted down in diaries, notebooks and scraps of paper. I try some over the weekends and most of them turn out to be pretty good.

But I must admit that it is not possible to try out all the recipes. That, however, doesn't deter me from copying down new ones. And the dream of collecting all the tried-and-tested recipes in one book has so far remained, well, a dream :-(

I am not sure what to make of what Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said. He says the players are clean but might be surrounded by bad people. Shouldn't honesty be judged by how one behaves when tempted? After all, if there are no bad people to tempt then anyone's "honesty" might simply be "lack of opportunity". Just like courage is "the will to act despite presence of fear" and not "the absence of fear".

I am surprised though that he has asked the players to dedicate themselves to Pakistan for the match. I almost expected him to ask them to play for "the glory of Islam"!

10 things to learn from Japan

Someone sent this to me in an email:

10 things to learn from Japan

1. THE CALM

Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY

Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

3. THE ABILITY

The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

4. THE GRACE

People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

5. THE ORDER

No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE

Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS

Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.

8. THE TRAINING

The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.

9. THE MEDIA

They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.

10. THE CONSCIENCE

When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly!