Bitter Grapes - II!

“Hell has three gates: lust, anger, and greed” -  Bhagavad Gita

Last week I wrote about the people accused of cheating and destroying the sports for their personal greed. My last blog was mainly on Football. There is no doubt that football a sport that is more close to my heart but as an Indian once I was madly attached with the cricket. However, turn of events over the years the madness died down and main culprit is a demon name BCCI who is killing it. Betting and fixing are the hot topics in the cricket for recent past and mainly during IPL. Betting is illegal in our country and I don’t know how it will help even it is legal. Betting and fixing more and more coming into the games since shorter form came to the picture.  I feel “the Fixer” of any games should be treated as any petty criminal. These are the few incident and people who involved in the betting or fixing while playing the game.

Pakistan

Saleem Malik	Banned in 2000 for offering bribes. First Cricketer To Get Jailed.
Ata-ur-Rehman	Banned in 2000 for dealings with bookmakers
Mohammad Asif	Bowling planned no-balls against England in August 2010. In November 2011 he was sentenced to 12 months in prison by Court in England, for conspiracy for cheating.
Salman Butt	Bowling of no-balls against England in August 2010. In November 2011 he was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison by Court in England, for conspiracy for cheating.
Mohammad Amir	Bowling planned no-balls against England in August 2010. In November 2011 he was sentenced to six months in a young offenders institution by Court in England, for conspiracy for cheating.

India

Mohammad Azharuddin	Declared guilty as per the BCCI. He rejects this and has taken the matter to court where it is currently sub-judice.
Manoj Prabhakar	In 2000 he tried to implicate Kapil Dev and others but it backfired as he was found guilty himself
Ajay Jadeja	Alleged to have associated with bookmakers

South Africa

Hansie Cronje	Guilty of accepting monetary rewards from bookmakers. For Forecasting matches
Herschelle Gibbs	Initially agreed to under perform in an ODI game at Nagpur, but reneged on the deal and scored 74 off just 53 balls
Henry Williams	Initially agreed to under perform in an ODI game at Nagpur by conceding more than 50 runs off of 10 overs, however got injured after bowling 11 legitimate deliveries and 6 wides, conceding 11 runs.

Kenya

Maurice Odumbe

Receiving money from bookmakers

West Indies

Marlon Samuels

Passing on team information to an alleged bookmaker

Indian Premier League

2010

Five uncapped Indian players Mohnish Mishra, Shalabh Srivastava, T P Sudhindra, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali was  suspened from IPL  in the wake of a television sting operation which claimed to have exposed corruption in the cash-rich IPL.

2013

Current version of IPL was most controversial. Cricketers, bookies, an IPL team owner,  a small time actor and an umpire linked to the fixing scandal. Three crickerts form  Rajasthan Royals team, Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, was arrested on the charges of spot-fixing. A numbers of bookies too arrested from different cities and it followed by the arrest of a small time actor Vindoo Dara Singh and Gurunath  CEO of CSK team. Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf became the another casualty of this sordid saga.

!!!Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.!!!

Bitter Grapes - I!

“The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.”  - Mahatma Gandhi.

Having extreme greed is not a crime, success never comes without being greedy. The greed for learning, for money or for acquiring knowledge is not a crime. All great person who left behind their vast invention definitely were more greedy than us. People like Bill Gates and Warren Buffets too greedy for more money, only they used it for a cause. However, when greed comes as a package along with unscrupulous route then it is crime. Since last week we are experiencing so much regarding spot fixing in the IPL and being an avid sports junkie certainly felt being cheated. Earning as good as sixty lakhs rupees for not bowling a over properly, WOW and OUCH.  

Every sports have a history of fixing and betting but only the team game which more often popped in the picture but no body guarantee that a tennis or a golf match never rigged.

If a fixer in a game of cricket which only played among a few handful countries can earn sixty lakhs within five minutes then what if it is a game of football. Here is a few instances of Football betting and match fixing.

Football

Paolo Rossi (The Villain turned to a Hero) - Italy

While at Perugia, Paolo Rossi was involved in the infamous 1980 betting scandal known in Italy as Totonero, and as a result of this Rossi was disqualified for three years though this was later reduced to a two year ban.

Rossi returned just in time for 1982 FIFA World Cup and he scored three memorable goals to shock Brazil 3–2 to qualify for the semi finals against Poland. n the final against Germany, Rossi scored the first of Italy's three goals to win the match 3–1, giving his team their third World Cup. With six goals total, he won the tournament's  Golden Boot award.

Spanish League – La Liga (2012-2013)

This year just concluded The Spanish football league is investigating Deportivo La Coruna's 4-0 win over Levante on 13 April over a possible case of match-fixing.

Italian League –Serie A (2005-2006)

May 2006 by Italian police, implicating league champions Juventus, and other major teams including AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, and Reggina when a number of telephone interceptions showed a thick network of relations between team managers and referee organisations. Juventus were the champions of Serie A at the time. The teams have been accused of rigging games by selecting favourable referees. The table shows how the teams severely punished.

Ac Milan	Deducted 30 .
Fiorentina	Barred from 2006–07 UEFA Champions
Juventus	Stripped of 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles. Relegated to Serie B.
Lazio	Barred from 2006–07 UEFA Cup
Reggina	£68000 fine

Champions League

A Champions League tie played in England is among 380 suspicious matches in Europe uncovered in a wide-ranging match-fixing investigation.

The European police agency, Europol, says matches they believe were fixed include Word Cup and European Championship qualifiers, two Champions League games and "several top football matches in European leagues".

425 match officials, club officials, players and criminals are suspected of being involved, while a further 300 games covering Africa, Asia and south and central America are under suspicion.

A Champions League game involving Liverpool FC is at the centre of the biggest ever football match-fixing scandal in Europe, police have revealed.

It was claimed that the 2009 home tie with Hungarian side Debrecen VSC is under scrutiny. Liverpool won 1-0 and are not under any suspicion. But it is reported Debrecen goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic was allegedly paid to ensure there were more than two goals in the match. Poleksic palmed a shot by Fernando Torres into the path of Dirk Kuyt, who hit the winner.

!!!Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction. - Erich Fromm!!!

Scot Freed and Scot Caged!

No entrainment can beat a football match when two quality teams fighting out on the pitch. Only sport which involved us physically and psychologically be it on television or from the touchline.  It is not all about Uff’s or WOW‘s like other sports. Frankly speaking, it is difficult stay still while watching a football match, my two feet constantly react with every hit and miss. Since ages I am following English Premier League. Even long before television arrived in India, I was madly following the game. Not, denying. at that time I was supporting Liverpool, it was when Kenny Dalglish  was in his prime. In 80’s I switched my loyalty to another RED and obliviously it is the Red Devil, Manchester United. Even MANU hater have to agree that the glamour quotient of the club is never got any competition not even by Barcelona. In 1986 a man in his early forties took over the charge of the club as head coach at old Trafford and rest was the history.  It is difficult to imagine the same Old Trafford without a man who constantly chewing the gum and adjusting his watch with the playing schedule. Often he is angry and often breaks in to a jig with immense happiness. A tribute to the Scottish genius named as Alexander Chapman Ferguson and fondly known as Sir Alex or Fergie.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Alexander Chapman Ferguson was born on  31 December 1941in Govan, Glasgow, Scotland.

After his playing career, he briefly coached a few club in Scotland and then at the end of the 1984–85 season, it was reported that Ferguson was being considered for the Liverpool manager's job after the retirement of Joe Fagan was announced, but the job was quickly accepted by Liverpool striker Kenny Dalglish, he did eventually join Manchester United when Atkinson was sacked in November 1986.

Manchester United

Appointment and first years

Ferguson was appointed manager at Old Trafford on 6 November 1986. He was initially worried that many of the players, such as Norman Whiteside, Paul McGrath and Bryan Robson were drinking too much and was "depressed" by their level of fitness, but he managed to increase the players' discipline and United climbed up the table to finish the season in 11th place, having been 21st when he took over.

First Trophy

For the 1989–90  season, United went on to win the FA Cup, beating Crystal Palace 1–0 in the final replay after a 3–3 draw in the first match, giving Ferguson his first major trophy as Manchester United manager.

First League Title

In 1990–91, there were some excellent performances that season but lost to Liverpool and  2–0 home defeat by Everton. The game where 17-year-old Ryan Giggs made his senior debut. They were runners-up in the League Cup, losing 1–0 to Sheffield Wednesday. They also reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, beating that season's Spanish champions Barcelona 2–1. After the match, Ferguson vowed that United would win the league the following season, and at long last he seemed to have won over the last of his skeptics after nearly five years in the job.

1998–99: Treble success

The 1998–99 season saw United complete an unprecedented treble sweep of trophies: the league, FA Cup and Champions League. The success coincided with the club becoming the world's richest and most valuable sporting brand worldwide.

Orders and special awards

Retirement

On 8 May 2013, Ferguson announced his retirement as manager of Manchester United. During his 26 years at the club, he won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League and two UEFA Champions League titles. His last match for the United will be On 19 May, 2013, against WBA. Another Scottish, the Everton Manager David Moyes will be his successor.

Some of the Major Reward

    Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE): 1983

    Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE): 1995

    Knight Bachelor (Kt.): 1999

Statistics

Playing Career
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)
1957–1960	Queen's Park	31	(15)
1960–1964	St. Johnstone	37	(19)
1964–1967	Dunfermline Athletic	89	(66)
1967–1969	Rangers	41	(25)
1969–1973	Falkirk	95	(36)
1973–1974	Ayr United	24	(9)

Coaching
1974	East Stirlingshire
1974–1978	St. Mirren
1978–1986	Aberdeen
1985–1986	Scotland
1986–2013	Manchester United

Team	From	To	P	W	D	L
East Stirlingshire	1 June 1974	20 October 1974	17	9	2	6
St. Mirren	21 October 1974	31 May 1978	169	74	41	54
Aberdeen	1 August 1978	5 November 1986	459	272	105	82
Scotland	10 September 1985	13 June 1986	10	3	4	3
Manchester United	6 November 1986	Present	1500	895	337	267

Sir Alex Ferguson was a one-off, a freak of nature who more than earned his 27 years at a powerhouse football club and brought unparalleled joy and glory to the red side of Manchester. There will not be another Ferguson, at least not in this century. He leaves behind a lasting legacy, a stand in his name and a statue of his.

!!!Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. - Thomas A. Edison!!!

The Dream Merchants!!

On 3rd May, 1903, precisely 100 years back, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, a small town photographer from Maharashtra, screened his black-and-white silent film Raja Harischandra and that made him the founding father of Indian cinema. This year, on same day Indian film industry celebrate a century of its existence. The film was based on the life of Raja Harischandra, a famous character from Hindu mythology.

Dhundiraj Govind Phalke's better known as  Dadasaheb Phalke, made almost 95 films but never made any money and  he died in penury.

Apart from Hindi film industry India also have many regional film industry with some great name.

Hindi Film Industry also known as Bollywood. As per my current status I can proudly declare that am not at all a movie buff. However, during my school and college day things was different. During my early working years I was greatly exposed to the Hollywood but once I returned back to India once again I gone back to the Hindi movies.  On Indian cinema’s centenary, the blog is a tribute to the world’s largest Film industry.

It is difficult to handpick a few but listing my top ten films, top three actor and actress.

My Top 10 Indian Movie

1. Pather Pachali [1955]

8/10 - IMDB

Director: Satyajit Ray

Story by: Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay

Cast: Karuna Banerjee, Chunibala Devi, Uma Dasgupta, More

2. Sholay [1975]

8/10 - IMDb

Director : Ramesh Sippy

Cast : Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini,

Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan

3. Mother India [1957]

7/10 - IMDB

Director: Mehboob Khan

Cast : Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, and Raaj Kumar.

4. Mugle Azam [1960]

7.7/10 - IMDB

Director :  K. Asif

Cast :  Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala and Durga Khote

5. Awara

7.6/10 - IMDB

Directed :     Raj Kapoor

Cast : Prithviraj Kapoor, Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Leela Chitnis

6. Pyasa

7.7/10 - IMDB

Director: Guru Dutt

Cast : Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha

7. 3 Idiots

8.3/10 - IMDB

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Cast :  Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sharman, R. Madhavan

8. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

7.8/10-IMDb

Director : Aditya Chopra

Cast : Shahrukh Khan and Kajol

9. Do Bigha Zameen

7.4/10 - IMDb

Director : Bimal Roy

Cast : Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy.

10. Gol Maal

7.7/10 - IMDb

Directer:  Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

Cast : Amol Palekar, Utpal Dutt, Bindiya Goswami

Top Three Actor and Actress

Amitabh Bachchan

Aamir Khan

Uttam Kumar

Waheeda Rehman

Madhubala

Kajol

Indian cinema can not go without music and my top three :

Music Director

R. D. Burman

S. D. Burman

Naushad

Singer

Kishore Kumar

Mohd. Rafi

Yeshudas

Lata Mangeshkar

Asha Bhosle

Sunidhi Chouhan

!!!Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls. - Ingmar Bergman!!!

The Ponzis and the Scapegoats - II!!

There are many prowling Ponzis roaming around us yet this one is the concluding part of the series.

Peerless

A Peerless Ponzi scheme is like a Peerless IN pyramid scheme, but is restricted by one central figure. Rather than a business investment opportunity, a Indiana Ponzi scheme involves an obscure investment vehicle with an unreasonably high rate of return. Early investors are paid by the investments of later on investors. But fraud transaction records encourage them to believe that the investment itself is actually generating the promised rate of return.

Peerless is one of the few funds to have been able to buck the trend and grow its assets under management from scratch.

Sahara

Sahara India too began as a chit fund company in 1978. Chit funds are collective savings schemes practiced in India. Unlike large asset management companies, Chit Funds often have weaker regulatory supervision.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India has been able to find just 68 genuine investors from among the details of lakhs of investors the Sahara group has sent to its office.

These are the only people who have responded to mailers from the market regulator and sent complete details of their investment in the two schemes of Sahara India Real Estate Corporation and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation that the Supreme Court has asked to be refunded.

Rose Valley

A Rose Valley Ponzi scheme is like a Rose Valley NV pyramid scheme, but is restricted by one central figure. Rather than a business investment opportunity, a Nevada Ponzi scheme involves an obscure investment vehicle with an unreasonably high rate of return. Early investors are paid by the investments of later on investors. But fraud transaction records encourage them to believe that the investment itself is actually generating the promised rate of return.

In January 2011, Sebi had barred Rose Valley Real Estate & Constructions from raising public money and from launching any scheme with immediate effect. In an interim order, Sebi had also instructed Rose Valley Real Estate not to divert any fund raised from the public which is kept in a bank account or in the company's custody. This is also pending in court as Rose Valley challenged the order.

The market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) clamped down on Rose Valley Real Estates and Construction Limited for raising funds from the public, without a registration certificate for 'collective investment schemes'.

Saradha

Founded in 2006, the rise of Saradha Group has been meteoric. In the span of seven years the group diversified into several businesses including media, real estate, and automobiles. The Group also signed several high-profile sponsorship deals including  one of India’s oldest football teams.

In 2008, Sudipta Sen floated Saradha Realty India Limited which offered installment plans ranging from 12 to 60 months with minimum deposit of Rupees 100 per month with returns ranging from 12% to 24%. As the money began to flow in from the market, he floated several companies in several sectors attracting more investors. From 2010, Sen made major investments in media, buying several newspapers and TV channels.

Sudipta Sen, who rose from a small-time property dealer to lead the Saradha group, was arrested on April 23, after police tracked him down in Kashmir, where he was said to be hiding.

India has had a long history of such scams from which little lessons seems to have been drawn. In the eighties and nineties, several such firms went bust and thousands had their savings wiped out, but they hardly proved to be a deterrent. However, Bengal is the hotspot for most of the Ponzi Scheme.

!!!Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed -  Mahatma Gandhi!!!