It's Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals

The IPL Twenty20 cricket tournament is winding to a close with an exciting final on the cards between the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals tomorrow.

Both teams won their semi-final games in contrasting but emphatic style. While the Royals batted the Delhi Daredevils out of the competition through outstanding strokeplay, the Super Kings knocked out the highly rated Kings XI Punjab through accurate seam bowling.

Their ride to the final has also been in contrasting style. Chennai - a pre-tournament favorite and lead by the league's highest paid player - started with a bang, struggled in the middle and managed to pull off some crucial wins in the end. Rajasthan - the cheapest team in the league and the pre-tournament underdog - started badly, but cruised through the tournament otherwise.

Despite their differences, both teams are lead by immensely talented, inspiring leaders in Dhoni and Warne. I do not know if the two best teams in the league are facing off tomorrow, but certainly they are lead by the two best captains.

So, who are the favorites to win tomorrow? Unpredictability has been the hallmark of Twenty20 cricket, with luck and nerves playing important roles as well as pure cricketing skills. Tomorrow's Champion could very well be the team that handles pressure better. Analysis aside, I am just hoping for a fitting finale and a thrilling contest!

IPL - entertaining but not engaging

It's been a month since the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and despite any initial apprehensions some might have had, it's been a huge success.

From huge sixes to quick wickets; outrageous stroke-play to brilliant hat-tricks; improbable wins to inexplicable losses; one-sided contests to last-ball thrillers; SRK dancing to Mallya whining; players getting slapped to CEOs getting sacked; inspiring leaders to clueless captains; failing favorites to winning underdogs; Australians getting cheered to Indians getting booed; spectacular fireworks to skimpy cheerleaders; awesome centuries to painful ducks; delightful cameos to devastating spells; athletic catches to dropped chances; insightful commentators to well, Ranjit Fernando; highs to lows and everything in between, it really has been an entertaining month of Twenty20 cricket!

But, despite all the entertainment, there is a sense of detachment for fans like me - expats who are far away from the action with no real affinity towards any particular team and inconvenienced by time. It's like watching a typical Bollywood blockbuster - entertaining for sure, but not engaging. After waking up early to catch the first couple of matches live, I now watch mostly the highlights and sometimes the replays.

IPL is fun, but it hasn't quite managed to evoke enough passion to lose sleep over - except when Tendulkar is batting!

The Giant Pool of Money

I chanced on an excellent episode of This American Life today on KQED radio titled 'The Giant Pool of Money'

A special program about the housing crisis produced in a special collaboration with NPR news. We explain it all to you. What does the housing crisis have to do with the turmoil on Wall street? Why did banks make half-million dollar loans to people without jobs or income? And why is everyone talking so much about the 1930s? It all comes back to the Giant Pool of Money.

The program does a fantastic job of explaining to the listeners how the subprime mortgage crisis happened, and has led to the current global credit crunch. Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson describe the events in simple terms through the personal stories of some of the people involved in this financial chain - borrowers, brokers, bankers and investors. Download the podcast here while it is free.

Celebrating Puberty

When my phone rang in the middle of the night last Friday, I woke up startled wondering who on earth was calling at such an odd hour. 'This better be important', I muttered to myself as I picked up the phone and heard my cousin from India announce that her daughter has 'come of age' and that they are having a 'Sadangu'. Half asleep, angry to be woken up and surprised that she called at all, this piece of news overwhelmed me! I froze, struggling to find the right thing to say; thankfully, my wife nudged me and whispered 'congratulations'. I muttered the same and handed the phone to her, heaving a sigh of relief.

Congratulations? Is that what you say? Actually, did I need to know this? Did anyone except the parents need to know this? And does it have to be celebrated through an elaborate ritual with guests? While Hinduism is loaded with rituals, this particular practice of celebrating a girl's puberty is distinctly Dravidian and as far as I know this is only observed by non-Brahmin Tamils.  Traditionally, when girls were married off as soon as they hit puberty, the celebrations served the purpose of letting everyone in the community know that the girl is available for marriage. But, does this still hold relevance? While puberty is an important milestone for a girl and deserves celebration, it should be a personal and private affair. Instead of announcing the news to the whole world, take the girl shopping, take a vacation, send her out with her friends - anything to make her feel special, not embarrassed.

As for my daughter, I would be happy and proud when she transitions from a little girl to a young lady, but I sure won't be calling up anybody in the middle of the night!

Sambar Noodles

Yes, you read that right. Apparently, the folks at Maggi have paired the South Indian Sambar with Chinese Noodles! As curious as it sounds, this is a flavor combination that I will not be trying any time soon. What next, Idlis in Schezwan sauce?