Black Gold: just black now.

Now the title may seem preposterous, I agree. I mean how could the demand for oil fall when the world’s population is increasing, the number of people owning a vehicle is also increasing, the industries and factories are also expanding at a rapid rate among other factors, so then how can the demand for the most essential fuel of them all decline? Here’s how.

  The dawn of the oil age in its full sense began only in the 1860’s after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. The first barrels of crude oil fetched $18. These were used to make kerosene. Other liquids that were produced in the process were too unstable and were either burned or dumped. However a few years later the combustible engine was developed and the unwanted petrol and diesel did not go to waste.

  Since then the demand for oil has only gone up mainly due to increasing air, sea and road travel and three fifths of oil ends up in fuel tanks. Many believe that growing number of rich Indians and Chinese will only drive the demand for oil to new highs.

   However there is certain evidence that suggests to the contrary and that oil demands are close to their peak after which they will decline. It is not the problem with the supply but to many people’s surprise it’s the demand which will now fall. In the more developed nations of the world the demand for oil has already peaked and has fallen since 2005. Even allowing for the growing number of rich behind the wheel in New Delhi and Beijing two revolutions in technology will dampen the worlds thirst for the black gold.

   The first revolution was led by George Mitchell who championed fracking as a way to release huge supplies of “unconventional” gas from shale beds. This along with vast new innovations of conventional gas has recently helped increase the world’s reserves from fifty to two hundred years. In America where shale gas already billows from the ground, liquefied or compressed fas is finding its way on the roads. Even in India all the metros led by the capital Delhi have adopted Compressed Natural Gas and LPG as an alternative. Public transport in New Delhi which includes a large fleet of buses and auto rickshaws are on compulsory CNG and private vehicles and taxis too are on an increasing basis adopting to CNG. In the not too distant future gas  could also replace oil in ships and aircrafts, thus displacing a few extra million barrels of oil a day by 2020.

The other and often less recognized change is in automotive technology. Rapid advances in engine and vehicle design threaten oils dominance. Petrol and diesel engines are becoming ever more stingy. Vehicles are now becoming lighter which increases their efficiency and also vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells and increasing popularity of electric cars will also take its toll on demand for oil.

  A couple of countervailing factors could kick in to increase consumption. Firstly the Saudis who crontol 11% of output and have the most spare capacity, may decide to push out more, lowering prices and thus obviously increasing demand. Secondly if declining demand pushes down the oil price, drivers may turn back to gas guzzling cars as in the 90’s.

  Even if the demand for oil merely stabilizes, it will have important consequences. The environment should be a bit better off as there will be less carbon di oxide. The corporate world will too have dynamic changes. Currently Exon Mobil vies with Apple as the wolrds leading companies. Yet Exon is more vulnerable than it looks as Big Oil will most definitely have a future a s big gas but with not the same amount of profits.

    Many leading economists however think the biggest demand for declining demand could be geopolitical. Oil underpins Vladimir Putin’s kleptocracy. The Kremlin will find it harder to throw its weight if its main source of patronage is diminishing. The Saudi princes have relied on high oil prices to balance their budgets while paying for lavish social programmes to placate the restless youth that has taken to the streets elsewhere. Their large financial reserves can plug the gap for a while but the chances of revolution will be much greater. Most importantly if America is more dependent on gas then it is unlikely to be as indulgent in the future towards Arab allies.  The black gold has caused many a conflict in its rise, it will do so in its fall too, however most people will welcome the change.

Thank you.

I have been in a serious relationship for more than two years now. There have been good times, there have been bad times. There have been times when you are so in love that it’s like a dream and then there are times when it all goes down the drain with frustration levels reaching an all time high. So how does this all work out? To be very honest more than 90% of the times it’s the girl, males have a very low maturity level and an even lower sensibility level. So here I am thanking the girl who is my world, my life, my best friend and my universe.

    Firstly the most important thing which sustains our relationship is that she is my best friend. I can talk to her about anything ranging from sexual fantasies to which party should rule the nation, from which movies to watch to what should be the colour of the shirt I am going to wear.  Another thing which adds to our chemistry is the fact that we are never afraid to disagree, infact we disagree on most issues. I remember her saying once “you purposely always disagree with me to irritate me and then laugh.”(Though it is true at times) mostly its not true. We disagree on the strangest of issues and vehemently argue on them. Issues like who was at fault on the road or on the characteristics of a certain person. I vividly remember we once argued on why its called “once upon a time in Mumbai dobora” with her saying that once upon a time can only happen once. We even argue on intellectual topics like who is a better PM candidate, Rahul Gandhi or Modi. These arguments are usually pretty heated and even though usually I concede defeat when they reach a boiling point, she knows inside her mind that my stance has not changed one bit.

    Secondly I would like to thank her for doing crazy things with me and not shying away from being herself. We have travelled in an animal ambulance full of puppies. We have bunked college to watch a movie together just randomly. We have gone to places like the planetarium or the Akshardham temple. We do stuff like photo bomb random people in malls or walk between couples holding hands and walking. She is bar far the craziest person I have ever come across and can surely say that no one can attain a level of crazy higher than hers.

  Thirdly but also very importantly is that we don’t forget the romance part. We know the line between overdose of romance and romance (to be honest she knows it better than me, if it were upto me I’d be romantic 24*7 but then she doesn't see herself through my eyes. If she would, she would know I am staring at god’s most exquisite creation.)  We go on romantic dinner dates to nice and quiet places with nice music in the background. Oh and how she looks on those dates. Alluring would be an understatement. I remember once we went for dinner, she wore a blue dress, a hint of kajal in her eyes which was not too much but just perfect.  Her wavy hair falling down beside her glowing face till a bit below her shoulders. It was an enchanting feast for my eyes. These dinners are usually followed by coffee and a long drive. These are the days which I honestly look forward to the most beyond all other things. (can’t wait for the next one.)

The list can go on and on but one thing I mustn't forget to thank her for is for bearing with a guy like me. I tend to lose my cool (pms she calls it) when I need not and then raise my voice unnecessarily. (Not that I don’t regret it later, but still. I am a bit hard of hearing and she has to repeat herself many times and even though she hides it most of the times I know she is understandably irritated. I tend to speak at supersonic speeds and thus I have to repeat myself most of the times. I am pretty slow so I need explaining to the simplest of statements and above all I have been told that my jokes have the power to kill, so for dealing with this among many other things I thank her.

  Thank you for standing by me when most wouldn’t , thank you for caring for me when I needed care but not sugar coating anything you said in light of the long run. Thank you for surviving my jokes, most don’t.  I love you straight to my last breath and I promise you can always count on me, you will have me always. En siempre.

The Phenomena Known As Sir Alex Ferguson

Martin Edwards in November 1986, alongwith Sir Bobby Charlton perhaps made the most significant in English if not world football when he, after the sacking of Ron Atkinson flew to Aberdeen to appoint Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United. The man had such a desire to win that he took training the very next morning.  Alex Ferguson was widely recognized in the football world due to the fact that he won the league with Aberdeen, and ended the dominance of the Glasgow clubs Rangers and Celtic for the first time in 15 years. Then the highlight of his spell with Aberdeen came, he proved himself in Europe winning the European Cup Winners Cup knocking out Bayern Munich en route the final and beat none other than the mighty Real Madrid in thFe final.

      So what was it about the man that made him so great? No one can say for sure but all you can do is try to gauge the obvious points. He had a great eye for spotting talents. Now many managers can spot a talent but it was Sir Alex who was among the rare few who knew what type of player he needed for his team. Roy Keane may not be the most beautiful and skillful midfielder of his generation but what made him so great was that he was a leader of men, a man with United in his heart, a man who always gave his 200% for the team and thus Ferguson also made him captain (another wise decision) and the younger lot were inspired by him.

  After his first season in charge Ferguson took stock of his troops and made assessments about the areas of improvement (which were many as United were 21^st in the league when he took over! Even though under Sir Alex they rescued their season and not only avoided relegation but also finished 11th) and made signings such as Brian Mclair, Steve Bruce and Viv Anderson and we all know how important they were to United’s cause of knocking “Liverpool of their perch” especially Bruce.  That season United finished in 2^nd place in the league, a massive improvement from last season, however they still finished a big 9 points behind their rivals Liverpool, indicating there was still some way before Liverpool would be overtaken. At this point Liverpool had 17 league titles and United had only a meager 7 indicating that the Scotsman had to move mountains in order to catch up with their arch-rivals.

  The most notable attribute of SAF was his never say die attitude, he wanted the best out of his players even in a lost cause or a meaningless match. In a pre-season friendly of all games against Hartepool United, United were down 5-0 in the first half, the match was all but lost to their superior opponents but he was having none of it, as the players recall he sent tea cups flying across the dressing room furious with the lads performance and sure enough he got a response with the second half scoreline being 1-1.

 He had no inhibitions about uprooting the very system of the club. As is common knowledge SAF placed great emphasis on youth development and giving young homegrown players more of a chance in the first team rather than diving into the transfer market for replacements. He sold off players well into their 30’s or with continual injury problems no matter how big the name. He then saw another problem and proclaimed united was more of a drinking club than a football club and sold off Norman Whiteside and  Paul McGrath due to their excessive drinking. With Ferguson at the helm and the returning Mark Hughes after 2 years at Barcelona United were expected to challenge for the title but they finished a low 11^th and went out early in the F.A. Cup

  United spent 7 million in the transfer market acquiring the services of players like Gary Pallister and Paul Ince. However United slumped to a low league position and Ferguson admitted “ I was in too much of a hurry and too over ambitious, never again will I buy so many players at the same time, as they need time to gel as a team.” The knives were out and three years without a trophy were not helping his cause either, only the F.A. Cup could save him from the sack.

  In the third round of the competition itself Manchester United drew the mighty Nottingham Forest away, a very very tough tie. Ferguson latest called the build up to the match the darkest period of his life even though Martin Edwards assured him of his job even if he lost. But as is seen over the years SAF is best when challenged and with his back against the wall, United came away with a 1-0 win courtesy Mark Robins and later went on to lift the cup, giving Ferguson his first trophy at United (the first of many). This trophy also gave united a ticket to the European cup winners Cup and united were back competing in the fabled European competitions.

The 1990-91 season was to be a big test of Ferguson’s capability. United went out of the FA Cup early and some people began to think of previous years victory as a fluke and called for a sack, but United flourished in the League Cup, going all the way to the final only to lose to Ron Atkinson’s( SAF’s predecessor) Sheffield Wednesday 1-0. However the mettle of English clubs is tested in Europe and United reached the final of the European Cup Winners Cup to play none other than Barcelona in the final. Mark Hughes (who played for Barcelona for 2 years in between his 2 stints at United) scored both goals in a 2-0 win against his former employers and won Utd the cup. This remains a highlight of SAF’s career till date.

Before the start of next season SAF made a media statement that his team would finally win the league this season, motivating his players to keep their managers name. They responded just as he expected of them starting the season in great style but ran out of steam towards the end and ended up finishing 2^nd 4 points behind Leeds. However they did win the league cup that season. The 1992-93 season finally earned United the much coveted league title, for the first time in 26 years. The score now lay at United 8 Liverpool 18. Much of the success that season was credited to one player. Eric Cantona who was bought that season from Leeds for just a few million pounds, this singing is the most Significant of Fergusons career, and it is easy to see why, with Cantona United won 4 league titles and 2 F.A. cups.

In 1993-94 season United won the double (the premier league and F.A.cup both in a single season)The league was won by 8 points, they won the FA cup final 4-0 against Chelsea and even reached the final of the League cup, only to see defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.  Eric Cantona was the most controversial of his players and the manager was forced to stand up for him many a time. He gave an uncivilized response to say the least to an opposition manager who called Cantona’s kick on his player vicious, but this took Eric out of the headlines in exchange for Ferguson, a situation which he gladly accepted. Even when Cantona did the unthinkable by launching a flying Kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan, he was suspended for the season,and 10 games of the next season. He did 120 hours of community service against the original sentence of 2 weks jail time. Even then SAF stood by his man.

The following season SAF transferred three of his most senior players in  Ince, Hughes and Kanchelskis. He lost the first match of the season 3-1 against Villa and Alan Hansen famously said” you win nothing with kids.” The kids he was talking about were the famous ‘class of 92.’ The kids in the class were, Gary Neville and brother Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul schools, Nicky Butt and who else but the enigmatic David Beckham. These players as we all know provided not only United but England also with the backbone of their teams for many years to come. The start of the of the 95-96 season was a rocky ride as expected but when Cantona returned United improved. At Christmas United were a massive 10 points behind leaders Newcastle. However they put together a run of unbelievable results(the kids) that whitted away Newcastle’s lead and United ended the season as champions with 4 points in hand. They even won the FA cup (did the double again), beating Liverpool (who else but Cantona scored)1-0 in the final at wembley. The kids had won the mighty Double. United now had 11 league titles and Liverpool had a big lead with 18. The 1997 title was also won by united however they lost in 1998 with Arsenal winning the league. This was largely attributed to Cantona’s decision to retire from football in May 1997.

The highlight of Fergusons and even Manchester United’s lifetime was the treble winning season of 1998-99 (winning the premier league, FA Cup and UEFA champions league in a single season!). In the champions league United were drawn in the ‘group of death’ alongside Barcelona and Bayern Munich and Brondby. The teams to qualify from the group were United and Munich, with Barcelona famously failing to do so. The legendary Dane goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel had announced his decision to retire from football at the end of the season. United suffered a shock 3-2 home defeat to Middlesbrough in December, the last time they would lose in all competitions that season.

   One thing that is famous in Ferguson’s teams over the years is their never say die attitude, their ability to be a losing a game till the 90^th minute yet still backing themselves to win it with seconds on the clock. United played Liverpool in the F.A. cup round 3 and found themselves trailing to a Michael Owen strike in the third minute, with Liverpool almost celebrating victory they were in for a rude shock, Dwight Yorke scored in the 88^th minute to make it 1-1 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it 1-2 in the 89^th to win United the game. Thus within 2minutes they turned defeat into victory. They went on to take the top position in the league as the season went on. In the Cup Chelsea were beaten 2-0 at Stamford bridge in the F.A Cup.

  All eyes then shifted to the champions league quarter final against Inter Milan. The first leg played at Old Trafford was won 2-0 and the return leg in Italy was a 1—1 draw. United were through to the semi finals of the F.A. Cup, Champions League and were In the top position in the Premier League. The hopes of the first British Club to win the Treble were well and truly on. United were trailing 1-0 to Juventus in the Semi Finals first leg at Old Trafford till Ryan Giggs scored a minute from time. In the F.A. Cup semi final against Arsenal, Beckham scored in the 17^th minute, only for Bergkamp to equalize. Arsenal were awarded a penalty in the 90^th minute and if they scored they would surely be home and dry. However Schmeichel saved the penalty and the tie went into extra time. Then what happened was what SAF describes as the greatest goal in the F.A cup ever. It wasn’t an overstatement. With just 10 minutes left for a dreaded penalty shootout, Giggs rans more than half the length of the field, leaving defenders sprawling as he dribbled past them, before cutting inside and scoring. United were in the final. In the return leg of the semi final in Turin against Juventus united found themselves trailing 2-0 to Fillipo Inzaghi goals and this meant they were 3-1 down on aggregate. The stage was set for a sad exit, however Roy Keane (then captain also) had other ideas. He scored from a David Beckham cross to make it 3-2. Later Dwight Yorke made it 3-3 and if the score remained the same United would go through on the away goals rule, however Andy Cole made sure of the proceedings with a late goal to make it 4-3. Here also United were in the final. The last game of the Premier League was against Spurs, if United lost Arsenal could win the title, if they won it would be theirs. United were trailing spurs 1-0 but like always they fought back and with goals from Beckham and Cole they won 2-1. The premier league title was theirs. The score now United 12 and Liverpool 18. Part one of the treble was complete. Part two the F.A cup turned out to be a formality with United beating Newcastle 2-0 in the final with goals from Teddy Sherringham and Paul Scholes. 2 trophies in the bag.

Now was the time for one of the greatest champions league finals ever. United faced Bayern Munich. The enormity of the occasion seemed to have an effect on his young players compared to Bayerns experienced side as United lost an early goal to Mario Baslers free kick. They were under more pressure as Roy Keane the captain and the charismatic Paul Scholes were ineligible to play the final due to suspensions. Peter Schmeichel was solely responsible to keep United in the game, as he saved shot after shot of the Germans. The final whistle approached, the thoughts of a comeback were over, Ferguson later admitted he had accepted defeat. United made one last desperate attempt and won a corner. Even the goalkeeper ran forward for this showing their desperation. Beckham took the corner whipping the ball in with just about 100 seconds to go, gigs helped the ball on and Sherringham swept it in and United were level. Extra time loomed over as only 30 seconds were left and United got another corner which was going to be the last play before normal time was over. Beckham again took the kick and again Sherringham got on the end of it and headed the ball to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who scored. United 2-1 Bayern. The final whistle blew and the treble was theirs. SAF guided a young team to what no British club had ever achieved.

    Schmeichel's decision to leave United after eight seasons prompted Ferguson to bring in replacements: Mark Bosnich from Aston Villa and Italian Massimo Taibi. The latter featured in four matches, the last of which a 5–0 defeat at Chelsea in October 1999; he was not selected again by Ferguson. United ended the 1999–2000 league season as champions, with just three defeats and a record points margain of 18. In the mid-season, the club beat Palmeiras in Tokyo to win the Intercontinental Cup, but exited with apathy at the Club World Championship. United failed to retain the Champions League, out in the quarter-final stage to eventual winners Real Madrid. Ferguson sought to strengthen his squad and monitored the progress of Ruud van Nistelrooy, who he described as "a striker of the highest calibre". He met the player and his agent in Manchester to discuss formalities and was informed of Van Nistelrooy's knee injury. Ferguson recalled from past experience that he was not "terribly perturbed" and pushed ahead with the transfer. Van Nistelrooy however failed his medical, at which point Ferguson spoke with him, "emphasising that we might yet find a way out of the nightmare." The deal was resurrected a year later, for a British record transfer fee of £19 million. To solve the ongoing goalkeeping problem at United, French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was signed from Monaco for £7.8million.

 In the 2000–01 season, United retained the league title for a third season and became only the fourth side in history to do so. The achievement was overshadowed by reports of a rift between the board and Ferguson regarding his future at the club. Ferguson told MUTV in May 2001 that he was prepared to sever all ties with the club once his contract ended the following year: "The decision has been taken. I'm going to leave the club. I'm disappointed with what has happened because I was hoping something would be sorted out. It hasn't happened as I thought it would and that's all there is to it." However weeks after, both parties reached a compromise, which pleased Ferguson: "I am delighted we've settled this. When you have been at the club as long as I have it gets in your blood."

 In August 2001, United sold Stam to Lazio for £16 million. The transfer was said to have been instigated because of claims made in the player's autobiography Head to Head. Stam suggested that Ferguson illegally contacted about a move to Manchester United, before informing his club PSV.Ferguson commented that the club needed to recoup the big money spent in the summer; Stam therefore left to balance the "massive wage bill".Ferguson replaced the defender with Laurent Blanc. United finished third, behind champions Arsenal and Liverpool. United were also unsuccessful in Europe and lost their Champions League semi-final on away goals to Bayer Leverkusen, Early exits from the League Cup and FA Cup meant that the season ended trophyless. Ferguson himself admitted that the decision to pre-announce his retirement had resulted in a negative effect on the players and on his ability to impose discipline.

The close season saw Manchester United break the British transfer record yet again when they paid Leeds United £30million for 24-year-old central defender Rio Ferdinand. Manchester United won their eighth Premier League title yet just over two months before the end of the season they were eight points behind leaders Arsenal. But an improvement in form for United, and a decline for Arsenal, saw the Premier League trophy gradually slip out of the Londoners' grasp and push it back in the direction of Old Trafford. Ferguson described the 2002–03 title triumph as his most satisfying ever, due to the nature of a remarkable comeback. The excellent run-in had produced 10 wins and a draw (including 4–0 home win over Liverpool and a 6–2 away demolition of Newcastle United) from the final 11 games, and no defeats since Boxing Day. Much was made in the press of Ferguson's successful 'mind games' with Wenger in winning the title

Ferguson guided Manchester United to their eleventh FA Cup at the end of the 2003–04 season, but it was a disappointing season which had seen them finish third in the Premier League (which was won by an undefeated Arsenal side) and suffer Champions League elimination at the hands of eventual winners FC Porto. United tried to sign Ronaldinho and Fergie believed the deal was as good as done before Peter Kenyon caused it to fall apart, but there was at least one productive signing in teenage Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo (we all know how he turned out) . Striker Louis Saha, added in January, also proved to be reasonably successful covering for the injured Ole Gunnar Solskjær in attack.

  At the beginning of the 2004–05 season, teenage striker Wayne Rooney (the world's most expensive teenager at more than £20million) and Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze joined United while Cristiano Ronaldo continued where he had left off the previous season by putting in more match-winning performances. But the lack of a striker after van Nistelrooy spent most of the season injured saw the club finish third for the third time in four seasons. In the FA Cup they lost on penalties to Arsenal. A second round exit from the European Cup at the hands of AC Milan and a semi-final exit from the League Cup at the hands of eventual winners Chelsea (who also clinched the Premier League title) meant that 2004–05 was a rare instance of a trophyless season for United.

The season was one of transition. On 18 November, Roy Keane officially left the club, his contract ended by mutual consent. United failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions' League. In the January transfer window Serbian defender Vidic and French full-back Patrice Evra were signed, and the side finished in second place in the league, behind runaway leaders Chelsea. Winning the League Cup was a consolation prize for lack of success elsewhere. Ruud van Nistelrooy's future at Old Trafford seemed to be in doubt after not starting in the League Cup final, and he departed at the end of the season but not before being one of the most glorified players in the clubs history.

In 2006, Michael Carrick was signed as a replacement for Roy Keane for £14 million, although the figure may eventually rise in the future to £18.6 million depending on appearances and results. United started the season well, and for the first time ever won their first four Premier League games. They set the early pace in the Premier League and never relinquished top spot from the tenth match of the 38–game season. The January 2006 signings had a huge impact on United's performances; Patrice Evra and  Vidić came in to form a solid back line along with already existing players Rio Ferdinand and skipper Gary Neville. The signing of Michael Carrick, which was questioned and criticised by a large portion of the media, brought stability and further creativity in the United midfield, forming an effective partnership with Paul Scholes. Park Ji-Sung and  Giggs both underlined their value to the first team squad by adding significant pace and incisiveness in attack with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ferguson celebrated the 20th anniversary of his appointment as manager of Manchester United on 6 November 2006. Tributes also came from Ferguson's players, both past and present, as well as his old foe, Arsène Wenger, his old captain, Roy Keane, and current players. The party was spoiled the following day when United endured a single-goal defeat at the hands of Southend in the fourth round of the League Cup. However, on 1 December it was announced that Manchester United had signed 35-year old Henrik Larsson on loan,^] a player that Ferguson had admired for many years, and attempted to capture previously. On 23 December 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the club's 2000th goal under the helm of Ferguson in a match against Aston Villa.

Manchester United subsequently won their ninth Premier League title but were denied a unique fourth double by Chelsea's Didier Drogba scoring a late goal in the FA Cup Final at Wembley. In the Champions League, the club reached the semi-finals, recording a 7–1 home win over Roma in the quarter-final second leg, but lost at the San Siro to Milan 3–0 in the second leg of the semi-final after being 3–2 up from the first leg. Still, it was a strong sign that United were on their way back to dominance after a couple of years of being overshadowed by Arsenal and more particularly Chelsea

The next season United were back in full flow again. At the halfway stage United led the table with 45 points, Arsenal were second with 44, Chelsea with 38 and Liverpool with 36. United went out in the F.A cup quarter final to Portsmouth.

In the league united suffered a 2-1 defeat to rivals Manchester City and ended up 5 points behind league leaders Arsenal. In the champions League United reached the quarter finals and out of the 8 European teams for the first time four were British with United being joined by Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. They beat Liverpool 3-0 in the league when Arsenal lost to Chelsea meaning the title race would be between them and Chelsea. When United faced Arsenal in April they were 6 points in front of them and made it 9 with a 2-1 win. With 4 games remaining United were 5 points in front of 2^nd placed Chelsea. The faced Barcelona in the semi-finals of the champions league while Liverpool faced Chelsea.

Chelsea faced United in the league and a controversial penalty gave them a 2-1 and this meant Chelsea and United were level on points with United only ahead on Goal Difference.  In the semi final against Barcelona the first leg the Catalans held a slight edge with Lionel Messi mesmerizing but the game ended 0-0, in the return leg at Old Trafford they were better and won 1-0 thanks to a scorcher from Paul Scholes. This meant they would face Chelsea in all English final who beat Liverpool in the other semi final. In the league also it was a 2 horse race between these two and they went into the final game level on points. United won 2-0 thanks to goals from Ronaldo and Giggs,while Chelsea drew 1-1 at Bolton. The league was United’again. The score now was Liverpool 18 and United 17.

In the final of the champions league Cristiano Ronaldo gave United the lead only for Frank Lampard to equalize. The tie went into extra time during which Drogba was sent off for Chelsea for slapping Vidic. It remained 1-1 and the final would be decided on penalties. Ronaldo of all people missed his kick and if John Terry scored for Chelsea they would win it. Fate however had other plans, in his run up to the kick terry slipped, agonizingly hitting the post and the tie was alive. Ryan gigs scored his kick and Anelka had his shot saved from Van Der Saar. United were champions of Europe again.

    Although the team had a slow start to the 2008–09 season, United won the Premier League with a game to spare, making Ferguson the first manager in the history of English football to win the Premier League three times consecutively, on two separate occasions. Ferguson had now won 11 league titles at Manchester United, and the 2008–09 season title success put them level with Liverpool as league champions on a record 18 occasions in total. They also won the Football League Cup on penalties after a goalless Wembley draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

They contested the 2009 Champions League final against FC Barcelona and could have been the first team to win back to back champions league titles, on 27 May 2009 but lost 2–0 as it was the Lionel Messi show all the way

. On 8 August 2010, Ferguson added another FA Community Shield to his honours list as United defeated Chelsea 3–1 in the final in Wembley. On 19 December 2010, Ferguson became Manchester United's longest serving manager in history, overtaking Matt Busby's record of 24 years, 1-month and 13 days in charge of the club. He ended the season by winning his 12th and Manchester United's 19th league title and thus overtaking Liverpool's record of 18. Manchester United faced Barcelona again on 28 May 2011 in the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final, their third in four years, but United lost 3–1. Analyst Alan Hansen stated that he believed Ferguson was "the key component" in United's success that season, so key in fact that "[he] would have claimed the crown with any of the other top sides had he been in charge of them". With Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes all retiring in 2011, Ferguson spent big by signing defender Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers and winger Ashley Young from Aston Villa for around £17 million each, and goalkeeper David de Gea from Atletico for around £19 million. That season united lost the league to rivals Manchetser City. They went into the last game of the season level on  points but behind on goal difference. They won their last game and thought they won the league when city were losing with 2 minutes to go. However they produced a remarkable comeback and won the league with the last kick of the season. The next season united bought Arseanl talismanic striker Robin Van Persie for 24 million pounds and this proved to be instrumental in United winning the league with 4 games to spare and Van Persie ending up as the Premier League’s top scorer.

On 8 May 2013, Ferguson announced that he was to retire as manager at the end of the football season, but would remain at the club as a director and club ambassador. The Guardianannounced it was the "end of an era", while UEFA president Michel platini said that Ferguson was "a true visionary". British Prime Minister David Cameron described Ferguson as a "remarkable man in British football" Former Manchester United players Paul Ince and Bryan Robson agreed that Ferguson would be "a hard act to follow".Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer said "His determination to succeed and dedication to the club have been truly remarkable.” Ferguson revealed that he had in fact decided that he was going to retire back in December 2012 and that it had been very difficult not to reveal his plans.

SAF had successfully achieved his mission of knocking Liverpool of their perch. He proved to be beneficial for England and not only United as he gave them many great players over the years. He instilled in the club his never say die attitude and this was seen like never before in his last season as United earned victories from losing positions many a time. He had an eye for exceptional talents that would be good for United. He was a strict disciplinarian from dress codes to hair cuts and its safe to say without him United would still be in the doldrums. He protected and stood up for his players like no one else, and always believed that the club is bigger than the player, selling big names like Beckham and Staam. He will surely be missed as he always had his eyes on the future, even when he retired he helped United choosing a new manager in David Moyes and appealing to the clubs fans to stand by him as theyb stood by him.

List of trophies won by Ferguson at United.

·         Premier League (13): 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13

·         FA Cup (5): 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04

·         League Cup (4): 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10

·         FA Charity/Community Shield (10): 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

·         UEFA Champions League (2): 1998–99, 2007–08

·         UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1990–91

·         UEFA Super Cup (1): 1991

·         Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999

·         FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Lost in the sands of time-1: The Agra Fort

This is the first part of a series of places that are worth visiting but they actually never strike our mind. In the holiday period we often find ourselves looking for places to go and end up visiting same monotonous places. I hope this series will give you a reason to do something new and visit a new type of place and along with that learn something about India’s grand history. The first place I write about is the Agra Fort. Whenever we think of Agra the only thing that comes in many minds is the Taj Mahal, however there is more to this city that Mughals gave so much importance to once.

History:

The Agra Fort is largely perceived to constructed by the Mughuls; however this is a common misconception. It is not known for sure when it was constructed or who constructed it. Hindu Rajputs are the first known inhabitants of this fort and at the time it was just a brick fort. The first Sultan of Delhi Sikandar Lodi shifted to Agra and lived in the fort till his death in 1517. His successor Ibrahim Lodi held for nine years until he was defeated by the young Mughuls king Babur at the first battle of Panipat in 1526. Babur (a direct descendant of Genghis Khan and also Timur through his mother and father respectively) was a king from central Asia who wanted to form an empire in ‘Hindustan’.  Babur seized a large booty from the fort and even the famous diamond the Koh-i-noor and held the fort till his death. Babur’s son and the Second Mughal emperor Humayun was crowned here in 1530, however Humayun was defeated by his lifelong nemesis  Sher Shah Suri in 1540 who held the fort till 1555. In 1555 Humayun won back the fort, however for a very short period as almost immediately Hemu defeated him and won Agra. The Mughal army under Humayun’s  son and the third emperor of the dynasty, Akbar defeated Hemu at the second battle of Panipat. At this time Akbar was aged just 13.

Mughal architecture began influencing the fort only after this. Akbar made Agra his capital in 1558. He then ordered the fort be restored from its damaged condition and be expanded and strengthened further. Akbar wanted his people to see the sheer beauty of the Mughals and not perceive them as just some other raiders to loot booty from India. For this he emphasized on his buildings being grand and beautiful no matter how much effort and money it cost the empire. He ordered red sandstone from Rajasthan to build the fort and bricks were on the interior of the sandstone to provide stability. 4,350 workers worked on it daily for eight years completing it in 1573.

After Akbar his son Jahangir became emperor and he too expanded the fort, like his father he also had a liking for red sandstone and used it to a large extent.  Jahangir’s third son was the fourth Mughal emperor (breaking the tradition of the eldest son being chosen emperor) and is better known as Shah Jahan (his birth name chosen by his grandfather Akbar was Khurram) did major work on the fort.  As is evident from his construction of the Taj  Mahal  he unlike his ancestors had a liking for white marble rather than red sandstone and expanded the fort further using white marble. Infact he even destroyed some of the previous buildings in the fort and made them again using white marble.

Apart from the Mughal period this fort was the site of the Mutiny or the First War of Independence in 1857.

Reasons to visit:

Mughal Architecture is the finest the world has ever seen. You will surely be amazed at how the structures were constructed with such grandeur and precision in that day and age. For instance the Diwan-i-Am (Lok sabha) has 48 pillars in the hall, yet wherever you stand no matter at what angle or distance you will always have a clear sighting of the raj gaddi (The place where the emperor used to sit) and to make sure his voice reached the general public who used to stand outside the Diwan-i-Am the hall was designed in such a way that even the slightest sound would travel, so much so that you can even hear the click of a finger inside the hall from the outside (try it when you visit). Apart from the architecture you can sense the sheer grandness of the Mughal way of life. The walls were gold plated, and some walls still have precious gems inlaid in them.  You can see many optical illusions inside the fort like windows which appear closed from the outside yet are open from the inside, these were for privacy for the royal women, yet they could watch the proceedings of the court. You can also see the site where Shah Jahan was held by his son and the fifth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.  Even this prison inside the fort was made with such grandness that you would think it’s a royal room and you can also catch a nice view of the Taj  Mahal beside the Yamuna from here. The fort is 2.3sq km in area, however you can visit only 1/4^th of the area as most of it is under military occupation and some parts are too damaged to be open. The Agra Fort is a UNESCO world heritage site.

How to get there:    

Agra is easily accessible by air, rail and road. If you are going from Delhi I’d suggest you drive down, through newly constructed Yamuna expressway you can reach within 2 hours and trust me if you decide to incorporate the Fort also with your obvious visit to the Taj Mahal it will be well worth it. It can easily be done as the fort is only 2km from the the Taj. Also I would suggest you take a guided tour of the fort as he will enhance the experience even more. The guide rates are negotiable and on an average he will take 150-200 rs.

I hope you do visit this wonderful facet of Indian History and I guarantee that if you do visit it will be an experience you will remember for a long long time.

The Demon Inside

 It was a dark winter evening, I was with my wife at the local market, my wife was pretty demanding.

I barely had money to get along, yet the pressures of a falling marriage forced me to spend every dime I had to please her.

She’s barely looked at me for weeks; the only thing she wants of me is my money, which I have little.

I hear my pals talking about how their wives prepare supper when they get home.

I fail to understand their happiness as when I get home all I see some leftovers from lunch left on the table and I satisfy myself with that.

I have a 15 year old son; he is the most handsome boy on the planet. I believe he will do great things.

Even though I always try to help him with his homework, whenever I can’t do a particular question I hear a range of abuses and things like “you’re the worst father, you can’t even get me a leather jacket you old dement, it’s because of you we are poor.” How do I get him clothes, when I myself am on the brink of selling mine?

When I try to make love to my wife in a desperate attempt to reignite our love, she shoves me away saying “I don’t want you near me! I still have a bit of youth in me, the day I get a guy who can meet my needs better I will leave.

I am tired of my life; I too want a wife who loves me, a son who respects me. Is that too much to ask for?

So as I was at the market, my eyes happened to wander across the street, they fell upon a girl, a beautiful girl at that of about 20 years.

She was hugging her lover goodbye, kissed him on the cheek and walked away. They couldn’t take their eyes off each other till each went out the opposite ends of the street.

I wondered how dare she give such love to someone when I here am in desperate need of love and all I get is dejection. Something inside me went mad with rage. I don’t know why I left my wife and followed this girl not knowing why, but only that I was angry.

I followed her for the next 3 blocks. She was wearing black boots, a brown skirt which fell a little above her knees, a brown jacket underneath which she wore a black tee with a golden chain around her neck. She wore a black muffler. Her hair was tied as a ponytail. Her skin was fair; she had a butterfly tattoo on her neck.

Her appearance enraged me even more; I failed to understand how god can be so kind to people and shower money and love on them and at the same time be so cruel to me.

As she approached the end of the third block there was an empty construction site, this seemed the perfect place to ask her how she attained a perfect life. She was on the phone, her tone made it seem like it was her boyfriend.

I lost all control. I ran behind her, grabbed her from the waist as she let out a shriek of fear, and dropped her phone, I could hear her love shouting “hello Jane?” from the other end of the line as her phone hit the turf and went off. I put my hand on her mouth as she tried to shout for help in vain. I carried her to the parking lot of the construction site. It was dark, it was lonely, it was two floors below the ground and the only sound one could hear besides the struggling of Jane’s limbs was the sound of dripping water somewhere in the background.

I slapped her across the face and I told her I would let her go if she would answer my questions. I shouted at her “ what did you do to get this life?” she stared back at me with eyes of shock at what was happening with her and perplexed by what a total stranger was asking her. When I removed my hand she screamed for help. Not that it would help but yet I couldn’t take the chance, I kicked her hard in the belly and punched her hard in the face. Her nose bled and she started to cry helplessly, she tried not to howl as I would repeat the same if she created any noise. I asked her the same question again; she failed to let out any sound at all. That was it, I had to find other ways for her to give up her secret of the perfect life.

I snatched her muffler from off her body and used it to tie her hands against the pillar which she was facing. I ripped her jacket off and threw it to the ground. I told her I am asking her for a final time, I asked her to please tell me. However she only continued to cry and beg for mercy. How could I be merciful, when I myself was looking for mercy! I took out my belt and whipped it across her back, I continued doing so and asking her to tell me. When I had whipped her enough times so much so that her tee shirt tore at places and her back bled, I knew I had to try another way. I ripped her tee in two. I pulled of her skirt so that she was just in her underwear. I bent and gently kissed her back and asked her to tell me wondering maybe love would do the trick. However again she failed to answer.

I pulled down my pants, I cut loose her underwear, I ran fingers over her naked body, she is terrified and looks at me, her eyes making one last pathetic appeal for mercy as they wept. I bent over her as my chest hovered over  her back. I hurled myself into her from behind, first slowly then gradually my thrust began to increase. I grabbed her by the pony and started shouting, “tell me! Tell me!” she only let out screams, I took no notice of them as no one from the outside world could hear her.

After an hour or so I finally stopped all sweaty and frustrated as I still didn’t have my answer. Then suddenly a cold sweat broke out! What had I done? Why did I do it? As Jane lay unconscious in front of me, I was terrorized by the sight of her! I couldn’t bear to look at her. I didn’t know what to do next. The pressures of a so called family and life’s numerous failures and frustration that had piled up inside over the years awakened the demon inside me.

I put my pants on and ran up the parking lot on to the street without even looking back at the naked Jane. I ran all the way home disgusted with myself. I apologized to my wife for leaving so suddenly and promised to be a better husband; somehow she let out a smile which made it seemed as if she believed me. Life may get better I felt. Somehow I felt a strange sort of happiness in me.

I am the demon inside a rapist.

p.s- please treat this as just a work of fiction. I am in no way supporting rape or rapists as I am totally against it myself. It is a disgusting crime, but it exists nonethelss and this is just a fictional story about it.

A devil and ten thousand angels away.

How does one become a better person? Its by doing good deeds, repeatedly and consistently over a long period of time. How does one become a bad person? Its pretty simple, after he does all these good things he just does one bad deed and tarnishes his reputation for the rest of his days. It’s a similar story we explore today.

    Armaan was a 31 year old man working in a multinational in New Delhi. He was married for seven years to Geeta, a social worker and the head of an NGO for the homeless. They have two kids, Viraj, a boy of six and Samaira, a girl of four. They were a middle class family and Armaan did his very best to keep the family happy at any cost. According to Geeta he does more than enough for the family and needs to learn to be a little more selfish. She has every reason to say so and here is why.

   One day she and Armaan visited Gurgaon’s Ambience mall as he had to buy a suit for a very important board meeting the next day, and as wives never trust their husband’s choice when it comes to matters like clothes she accompanied him. They were in this really expensive store as Geeta insisted he buy the best. Armaan selected his suit and walked over to the women section to gain the approval of his wife. She really liked the royal blue suit which suited the 6”4’ tall body of her husband. She had also picked up some stuff for herself. How could she not? She was a woman left alone in a clothing store and obviously was very happy at her predicament. So Armaan went ahead to pay.

   Later when they were on their way home Geeta opened the packet excitedly to check on her stuff, but shew was surprised to find the suit that Armaan picked up was different to the one he showed her. “Why have you picked up this one?” she asked. No reply came, just a boyish smile, like the one you give to your mom when you've been caught in mischief.  She repeated her question firmly. “If I picked up both my suit and your stuff it would have exceeded our budget, so I picked up a cheaper suit.” Geeta gave a fed up expression, but didn’t say anything as she knew it would be futile.

Armaan was the ideal father. His children meant the world to him. He would pamper them like anything, even take them to India Gate late at night for ice cream even if he was dead tired from work. He would buy Samaira her favorite stuff toys and Viraj his latest video games. They were the perfect family.

   One day Armaan decided to take his family to Mumbai to visit Geeta’s parents. He applied for leave that very day. Later that day his boss called him to his cabin. He told him that his leave was granted. However he also added that he needed a briefcase to be transferred to Mumbai and that he take it with him. When Armaan asked what was in it he said he didn’t need to know. Armaan was a bit perplexed but the excitement of a family vacation overwhelmed his doubt. The next day they left for the airport and Armaan took the briefcase with him. 

  After the security check, police came and took Armaan for questioning. It was later found out that the briefcase had drugs and two fake passports hidden in it. Armaan was shell shocked and so was his wife. What would happen now?

                                                      *************

   A few months had now passed since the incident. Armaan had been sentenced to 12 years jail for smuggling. He had lost all appeals against the judgment. How did this happen? Maybe his boss was a smuggler, or maybe he too was put in a situation similar to Armaan’s by his superiors. It was Armaan’s fault also to the extent that he should have checked the briefcase, but he had blind trust on his employer.

   What is important is now Geeta thinks her marriage was a lie and her husband a thug. She has to manage her children and  get a job. Armaan’s children will spend their teens without a father and when he does come out of jail he wouldn’t know his children ( Viraj would be 18 and Samaira 16) that is if they meet him. Armaan now has to spend 12 years he wanted to devote to his family( who now hates him) in jail.

The moral of the story is, to find heaven on Earth one has to become an Angel ten thousand times, but to attain hell on it he just has to become a devil once, sometimes even unknowingly.