You are on page 1of 16

Akanksha

Volume 1, Issue 4

The Great Indian


Showdown
Election Introspection

Editorial
Working towards Corporate Excellence or
Corporate Burnout?

My Adda
Rafting at Kali Nadi

Sports Corner
Some weird sports

June 2009

Circulated for free and not for sale.


Free circulation and not for sale
March 2009 Akanksha

N amaskara! We are back!

Our team could not publish the last issue due to certain unavoidable reasons and we apoligze
for the same. However, we are back and we would make sure to get the magazine on time.

In last 2 months, there has been lot of drama and curiosity in the political arena. Things are
settling down and the government is back in action. Recession has been a thing of past and we
are getting used to it. By the time, the copy of this emagazine lands in your inbox; I am sure a
good vibrant monsoon would have started in India.
-Harsha Gatt S

What’s in Akanksha?

Great
Reader's Writer's Art & Photo Laugh Out Tension
Indian Editorial My Adda Estyle Guru Sports
Corner Corner Gallery Loud Kaiko
Showdown

Index Page

01. Great Indian Showdown 03


02.Editorial 04
03.Reader’s Corner 05
04.Writer’s Corner 07
05.Art & Photo Gallery 08
06.My Adda 10
07.Estyle Guru 13
08.Sports 15
09. Laugh Out Loud 17

Disclaimer: Every effort has been taken to ensure that the content published on Akanksha is accurate. Images on the
website are either the property of owner or being used under Creative common liensce for non -commericial purpose. If
you wish to reproduce any images or content, please get in touch with the Editorial team. We accept no responsibility
for any action taken out based on the content in the magazine. The views expressed in this magazine are those of the
authors and do not necessarily represent the Editorial team in general.
Cover Design and Layout Design by Harsha Gatt S.

2
March 2009 Akanksha
The Great Indian Showdown
Election Introspection
In the 2009 Indian general elections, the Indian National Congress (Congress) won 206 seats
and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 116 seats out of a total of 543 seats. Five years ago,
the Congress and the BJP had won 145 and 138 seats respectively.
A jubilant Sonia Gandhi reiterated that Manmohan Singh will be Congress Party‟s choice for
the prime minister. Manmohan Singh will be the first Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to
return to power after a full five-year term. In short, Indian electorate‟s love affair with the
Nehru-Gandhi family continued.
Most of the poll pundits had predicted a spilt verdict and regional parties would be crucial in
forming the government. This was completely dismissed by the “Indian Voter” who chose
stability over the change. The rejection of the Left and its brigade would be the best example for
the decision made by the Indian electorate.

What went wrong for BJP or what clicked for Congress?


There is a fundamental truth to political communication: it‟s never aimed at the society‟s elite. I
believe that although the campaigns were successful in catching people‟s attention once, but
they did not convey any message to the public.

Online community is all about conversation and connection. Joining the conversation in a
smart, appropriate way, and building those connections is really both an art and a science. It
requires very good listening skills, and the ability to show respect to the people who are already
in the room, so to speak. Online communities have personalities and inside jokes and dialects
that are highly specific to them. So, if we have an ad running where our political leaders are
pitching their political campaign, would the user take note of it? It won‟t make a difference to
the user since he/she is engrossed in the community discussions. Any ad which tries to convey
something irrelevant to the community is seen as infringement into the private space.

The BJP ran an aggressive 360 degree campaign on mass media and digital media, but it didn‟t
work. The Congress ran a traditional campaign with less emphasis on online world; it focused
more on movie songs, local rallies and the charisma of the Nehru-Gandhi family, and
succeeded. BJP has lost in spite of its brilliant campaign, not because of it. BJP campaign used
the right medium: social/digital but calling Manmohan Singh as weak leader made no impact.
The BJP‟s campaign was perceived to be negative, filled with personal attacks against Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh. Because the PM is perceived by the electorate to be clean and
honest, these personal attacks backfired. Also, the media played a big role in making it look
like Singh is handling Advani in tactful way. BJP campaign managers are always disconnected
with reality, if you recollect the India Shining campaign of 2004; it also failed to convert the
campaign into votes.

Ok, let‟s get back to basics. Five years in opposition should have led to soul-searching within
the BJP and the enunciation of a clear strategy to tackle the Congress. That did not happen.
The Congress managed public relations and the media better than the BJP. The BJP went for
quick fix and tried to position itself in the online world. It failed to connect with youth of India
since its campaign did not have a clear strong message. Bringing the black money back to
India cannot be a poll issue and does not influence the nation as a whole.
The BJP had no striking agenda. Its issues — terrorism, inflation and unemployment — have
ceased to be major issues. The only thing the BJP could think of was speak ominously of
money in Swiss bank accounts and this rarely got beyond the English-speaking media.
2009 elections are over. Results are out and introspection has started. Political pundits are
wondering whether this is the start of „Politics of Youth‟ or „Death of Communal Politics‟. That
is the beauty of Indian politics — it is unpredictable. At the end of the day, the BJP was
unpleasantly surprised and the Congress pleasantly.
- Harsha Gatt S

3
March 2009 Akanksha
Editorial
Working towards Corporate Excellence or Corporate Burnout?
Are you working 60-70 hours a week, spending too much time away from your family, counting
the effect of every purchase on your next EMI and living paycheck to paycheck? You may
already be earning an executive level income due to your Corporate Excellence, but what price
are you and your family paying for that income? Are you experiencing Corporate Burnout?

“A rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or


pointless pursuit. It conjures up the image of the futile efforts of a
lab rat trying to escape whilst running around a maze or in a
wheel.” As an employee you will be paid a monthly salary and in
most cases the amount you are paid is set by the employer and
not by you. It is a simple trade: you sell your time on a daily basis
in return for money so as to obtain life‟s necessities and, if you
are lucky, a few of the luxuries as well. If you want to increase
your income, “ALL” you have to do is increase the number of
hours you work. The fact is that if you increase you working hours then you tend to have less
free time for yourself and your family because following an exhausting routine that leaves no
time for relaxation. Over the long term it is just not a sustainable nor an effective strategy. It
leads to burnout, or a fate worse than burnout

The results of the office stress study pointed out that difficult co-workers create more stress
than unrealistic workload. Primary causes for stress at work include: Difficult co-workers
(16%), Unrealistic workload (15%), Tight deadlines (11%), Last-minute projects (10%),
Overbearing or interfering boss (9%) .
Sometimes, the unrealistic workload comes due to co-workers who over-perform in the quest of
corporate excellence. More than half of workers say they work under a great deal of stress and
77 percent say they feel burnout on the job.

Sometimes the fire within creates a burnout. The passion an energy that you bring to work
each day will eventually take its toll. The only variable is how long will it take? The key factors
to will revolve around the number of hours you put in, your personal tolerances, and the
amount of tasks you have. Taking a vacation was the old solution to burn out. Most people
today realize that prevention is the best answer. Vacations can be just as stressful as helpful,
and everyone knows that work only piles up while you are on vacation. Preventing burnout can
be tricky, because it usually requires you to self-monitor. That means learning how to say no.
People burnout because they try to do too much themselves. The key to burnout is pace
yourself, be honest about what you can handle, and learn to share the load.

Take time out to empty your mind. Round up your useful memories of successes at work and
discard those damaging emotions and negative thoughts of failures and goals missed.Make
time to get away from the rat race now and then. Go on a picnic with the family, visit your
relatives and friends regularly, or a weekend excursion to a totally different environment. Or
even attend a seminar out of the office. Anything that will break up your normal workday
routine is good.
Master the art of saying "no." One of the most common causes of burnout is not knowing when
to stop taking on more responsibility, more work, more commitments. If you're a high achiever,
a perfectionist, or extremely ambitious, it's tempting to think you can "do it all." But the reailty
of life is that none of us can do it all. We all have a breaking point. Learn to recognize yours
and then don't feel guilty when you refuse to take on any more for the moment.

Retain your sense of humor. Feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and/or driven can evaporate the
humor from your work life. Try to take time each day to laugh with your employees, boss, or
co-workers, or at least to smile a little. Lightening your mood can work wonders on the effects
of burnout.
-Harsha Gatt S

4
March 2009 Akanksha
Readers Corner
The End
This is first chapter in the series “Enter and Escape” which is based on the true incidents which
happened during the dot com bust.
The Reception area of the once, filled with humanity, office looked as barren as the stump of a
just chopped tree. There were few who came in nowadays, including the Chairman or Hairman
as he was nicknamed by the staff. The air in the office was that of gloom,despair. 35 crores
were spent in two years in creating a company that delivered not one of its promises nor did it
succeed in living up its jazzy mission statement. As I sat, waiting for the Chairman and his
lawyer to arrive, I wondered what went wrong with this wonderful idea.

An idea, that employed 250+ people all across India, gave dreams and hope to a few more and
finally forced me to sue and win an unecessary legal battle. An Idea that had the power to
create a business empire, an idea that could have made the Founder-Chairman Sudarshan
Sankar a millionaire many times over. My thought process was disturbed as I saw Sudarshan
and his lawyer troop in. The lawyer, Anand Kumar, had a rather regal bearing compared to the
short crooky stature of Sudarshan.
Anand, was known in the legal circles as a considerate, astute and abrilliant advocate. He was
frequently known to take the side what he thought was right,and ofcourse at a price.

As they trooped in, Sankar, as he is popularly known, smiled a weak smile. A smile that
betrayed the nervousness, the tension and the helplessness he faced during the last 3 months.
All, the results of a no holds barred contest between us, of which I emerged the comprehensive
victor. For a change, he had lost, his first loss of face in many years. I had become the first ex-
employee of Sankar to nail him for his misdeeds. The tension was palpable in the room as we
shook hands. Anand pushed across to me a legal document that stated all the dues that were
to be given to me and my 20 other collegues. The total amount came to Rs 30 Lakhs in direct
payment,Rs.5 lakhs as compensation/legal charges and Rs.20 lakhs in indirect payments like
PF. Then I was given another folder that had the PF withdrawal forms, along with DD's for each
of the 21 individuals.
As I went through the folder, I remembered the line from Jerry Maguire "Show me the money".
Atlast we had our money, the money that we had worked for, the money that we had fought so
much for.

I picked up the speaker phone that was lying nearby. Dialled the number of my lawyer
Sumanth and informed him that I had in my hand, all that we had agreed upon in the out-of-
court settlement, a couple of days back. Sumanth was worried more about my safety. He had
ensured that 2 police constables in mufti were posted near the office just in case. The call was
agreed upon earlier so that no tricks could be played. Also so that Sumanth could prepare the
necessary documents to withdraw the case that we had filed against Sankar.

My head felt light, it was over at last. We had reached the goal we wanted to. Sudarshan
Sankar had been outwitted for the first time in his life. We i.e the 21 of us, had probably
become the first people in Sankar's long working life to ever wring out money from him. We had
set an example for others to follow. All it needed was guts, dutch courage and some clever
thinking.

We shook hands again, I walked out of the office with the folder. As I walked out, I smiled to
myself. Little had Sankar realised, that his own Lawyer had sided with us, for a price ofcourse,
that the Police Inspector who Sankar had bribed so much to have us nailed, had been bought
over.

As I walked on , the sun was shining brightly and showing me the direction as to where to head
next....
To be continued
-Sudheendra M

5
March 2009 Akanksha
Writers Corner
Practical
“Aparna it‟s pointless” Rohan was explaining. “Just think about it. We have two different
perceptions of life and it‟s not going to work this way” he was nodding is head. “You need more
time to settle, I can‟t wait any longer” he said. “But I am still twenty three and you are twenty
eight. I don‟t think another couple of years are going to hurt”, I retorted with a red face.

I was not going to break down but it all seemed too soon and reasonless. A two year long
relationship with Rohan was coming to an end but I was not prepared. I did not know how to
react as I was in a great deal of shock. I was feeling like a child whose lollypop was being
snatched away without a reason. “Look, I hardly fancy your job, most of the times you are busy
and so am I. You are not going to give up your career for me. So I have decided to move on and
be more practical.” It was like a slap on my face. I had to control myself from exploding. “So is
that it?” I asked. “I guess it is” he answered. “What are your plans then?” I asked, with my
mind already in a deep pit. “Well, my parents have
arranged an alliance for me. The girl has finished her
graduation. She is ready to quit her job for the sake of
marriage. Her father is a business man and we are in
the same business line. So my future career prospects
look quite bright. I am quite happy with it. So… so”,
he stammered and probably realized that he wasn‟t
talking business. I felt amazed the way he spoke
about the break up and his marriage. I was disgusted
with my choice of men, but still heart broken. “Done
deal uhh?” I mocked. “I think it is practical” he
retorted. “So do the moments we spent with each
other, building castles, mean nothing?” I really
wanted to know. “I did not say that. I may miss you but I am sure I will … I mean we will get
over it in the long run.” “I don‟t doubt it” I said. “You are already over me. So is that all a
woman means to you? does the way you felt with me, the future you dreamt with me mean so
less that you prefer a cook and a housekeeper over that?” my voice was breaking; I had to
control myself very hard now. He just sighed. He walked out of my office and from my life
without saying a word.

Men… they have quite disgusted me from that day. But I am not foolish enough to generalize
over one rotten egg. “It‟s a practical world of business” Rohan‟s words were still fresh in my
mind. But today I was going to meet a special man. A man who was waiting for his love to
return. He was waiting for his lady who was mentally sick. But he was waiting for her recovery
so that he could spend the rest of his life with her. After I heard about this story, the journalist
in me would not let me be in peace. I had to meet this man. I finally reached this village in the
outskirts of Bangalore. I then reached his place and told him the reason for my presence. He
was surprised initially and eventually relaxed once I explained
him about my job in the news channel. He was infact
delighted. He was educated only till his third standard and
then had taken up the job of a tailor. He had fallen in love
with Geetha, a girl from the same village and they had
planned to marry. But fate had different ideas. Geetha had
taken mentally ill after a mysterious fever and ever since he
had been taking care of her as she had no family. “I hope she
gets well soon” he finished his story. “What if she never gets
well?” I asked. “If that‟s my destiny… I can‟t change it” he
said. “But isn‟t it more practical that you better admit her to a
hospital as the doctors seem to suggest that the mental illness
is difficult to cure. Why should your life take the brunt?” I was
thinking about Rohan as I spoke. He smiled and said “I don‟t

6
March 2009 Akanksha
mind waiting. What you say may be more practical but I love her.” I felt jealous but I did not
stop. “But this woman is insane. Isn‟t love more about the mind? And when she has lost her
sanity what are you going love? Her body?” I questioned. I was arguing more with the questions
of my life than with that man. He gave a grin and said “well, madam you are right. Love is more
about mind. But I loved her when she was sane. The memories of a sane Geetha and the way I
felt with her are greater than all other practicalities. You can feel it when you are truly in love.
So I have decided to wait.” I felt I had heard the same questions somewhere. Yes they were my
own. Now I had an answer. I felt very cheap for being so insensitive towards another woman.
My heart swelled with pride for the man. Rohan was forgiven for his act; after all we were never
in true love... I guess. I walked back home a happy woman.

A few months later I was back in the same village to cover a political party meeting. I wanted to
see how Geetha and her man were doing. So after the coverage I went to Geetha‟s place while
the camera crew was resting.

When I reached that place I saw a young lady in her late twenties cleaning the front yard. I
introduced myself and asked how Geetha was doing. She stared at me for a few moments and
then told me that Geetha had passed away. I was devasted. I then took a few moments to
recover and asked her about the man. “That man is my husband” she answered coldly. I felt
quite satisfied. After all he had waited, he deserved a life. Probably he had married after waiting
for his love. The woman had already smacked the door. I was about to leave when I noticed
that another lady was watching us from a distance.

I was walking back to the camp when that lady started calling me. “Are you a relative a
Geetha?” she asked me. “No, just a well wisher”, I tried to brush off that nosy woman. “So you
don‟t know about that traitor‟s story …huh?” she asked me. “No … but wait a minute who is
the traitor?” I grew curious. This was probably the chance she was waiting for “you know that
man. He was there with her till her end. But only after her death did we come to know that she
possessed this house and an acre of land. Since her relatives are not close by there was nobody
to claim all this property and he has inherited that mad woman‟s property” she finished. “But
doesn‟t he deserve it for taking such good care of her” I tried to defend him. It was a desperate
effort from my side to feel better though, by now I understood his so called “true love waiting
for its return”. “But after her relatives lodged a complaint with the police, it seems to be very
clear that he poisoned Geetha so that he could quickly marry and start a family. But now he is
trapped in this murder case” she spoke as though she was talking about a soap opera. I felt the
earth under me split. She
didn‟t seem to notice and
she continued “his wife had
told him that she could not
wait longer. Infact I think
she wanted Geetha‟s money
more than the tailor himself.
She is a very practical
woman” the nosy woman
finished. My world came
tumbling down. I did not know what to say. I walked back blank to the camp. I forgave Rohan
once again for being straight forward rather than fooling me to believe in something virtual
called “true love”. Rohan you were right. It‟s a practical world of business.
-Apoorva.G

7
March 2009 Akanksha

The Forgotten Lines


Woman! when I behold thee flippant, vain,
Inconstant, childish, proud, and full of fancies;
Without that modest softening that enhances
The downcast eye, repentant of the pain
That its mild light creates to heal again:
E’en then, elate, my spirit leaps, and prances,
E’en then my soul with exultation dances
For that to love, so long, I’ve dormant lain:
But when I see thee meek, and kind, and tender,
Heavens! how desperately do I adore
Thy winning graces;—to be thy defender
I hotly burn—to be a Calidore—
A very Red Cross Knight—a stout Leander—
Might I be loved by thee like these of yore.

-John Keats

This time on forgotten lines, it‟s an ode to one of the most respected poets of 19 th century: John
Keats, one of my favorites too. The poem is called as woman when I hold thee flippant. Keats
brings about a manly nature with a very touching tenderness in the entire poem and also
maintains the boyish frankness.

Many feel that there are faults of tastes in this poem; however poetry lovers will easily forgive
this, given the fact that it is a rare case of disinterested passion. Unlike most poets who adore
the beauty and tenderness of a woman, Keats feels a virtuous and modest woman is hard to
find. However his heart is desperate to find a tender and kind woman. Many scholars feel that
this poem may not be written in best of taste. However, all agree that the poetry is very
charming and has polite devotion in it.

You can find the entire poem here


http://englishhistory.net/keats/poetry/woman.html

- -Apoorva.G

8
March 2009 Akanksha
Art and Photo Gallery
Paintings by Anusha Sekar

Freedom Rajasthani Women

Child Lord Krishna

Sketches by Madhu

9
March 2009 Akanksha

Photo Gallery
Photos by Vittal N

Lucky Droplet

God’s creation

Refreshing!!!

10
March 2009 Akanksha
My Adda
Rafting at Kali Nadi ,Dandeli
Rafting or whitewater rafting is a challenging recreational activity using an inflatable raft to
navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on whitewater or different degrees
of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers.
It is all about paddling a small or large raft on
rapid river waves. The raft can be manned by
one or many adventure seekers. With forward
and reverse strokes, they man oeuvre the raft
over the rapids. As rafts do not have guardrails,
they may have to swim when things turn
choppy.
All river rapids are graded according to an
international standard. Each river has a
particular whitewater class rating, with the
maximum grade of V1 being considered
„unrunnable‟ for commercial rafts. The rafting
scale is prepared according to the severity of the
rapids and the skill and experience required for navigation. The development of this activity as
a leisure sport has become popular since the mid-1970s. The popularity of the sport has led to
the formation of several organizations and parks by the mountains that provide the adventure
tourists an opportunity to try out this sport.

Rivers like Sutlej, Narmada, Spiti, Kali, Sarda and others are perfect for White Water Rafting in
the northern part of the country. Down South, one of the few places where nature enthusiasts
can go for this adventure sport is Kali Nadi located in state of Karnataka.

This is the best way to see the endangered and stunning environment through which the Kali
River flows. The Kali offers a great opportunity to paddle through numerous, exciting technical
class 3 rapids. The beautiful surroundings are home to a wide range of wildlife, including a
flourishing bird life, in particular several species of very rare Hornbills. Monkeys, elephants,
wild boars, sambar deer, crocodiles, giant squirrels and even sightings of leopards and a black
panther have been recorded from the boats.
The most popular tour is "The Kali" and is (9 km) long, offering nearly two hours on the water.
There are many great fun
rapids to be found in these
incredible surroundings. For
the true nature lovers a "Kali
Special" (14 km) is offered for
groups, giving two and a half
hours to enjoy the river and
surroundings and another
hour if you opt for the
sumptuous lunch on the
river. Including transport
and briefing both these tours
will take up half a day. This
is a really pristine,
uninhabited, spotlessly clean
and very rare environment to
raft through. A totally unique
rafting trip that can be rated
as one of the most beautiful
stretches in the world. Since
it is highly endangered and

11
March 2009 Akanksha
may not be here for many years to come we advise you to see it whilst you can.

White water rafting can be pursued by almost anyone. However, it is important to be in good
physical condition to try it, especially when navigating through tough rapids. Whitewater
rafting is certainly not a port recommended for expectant mothers and people with diabetes,
heart or lung impairment.
Before starting off with the adventure trip, choose a strong and light raft. Usually, rafts have
inflatable compartments with vulcanized rubber bodies reinforced by nylon fabric to navigate
sharp rocks. These rafts are provided by the operators/clubs that you sign up with. Pack your
life jacket and helmet, sleeping bag, sneakers, quick-drying clothes, swimsuit, shorts and T-
shirts, sunshades, sun tan lotion, torch and two pairs of shoes. Tour operators usually provide
wetsuits, life jackets, pump, patch kit and throw ropes.

Below is the route map to rafting bases.

ADDA METER
Type of Place Adventure
Road to Reach Good Road
Cost at Place Average
Food at Place Own arragement or prior intimation to operator
Ambience Good
Best Suited Family, Friends and Couples
Best Time Anytime except moonson
- Ravikanth S

12
March 2009 Akanksha
Estyle Guru

Shopper’s paradise
Fashion and fashionable clothing come in different shapes and costs. This time on our Estyle
guru section we‟ll give you the trips and tricks of shopping for
the right maal and looking kamaal!
We have listed out the best places in Bangalore to shop for
clothing and accessories and look stylish and economically
too…

Starting off from the cheapest places, the first place which
features on our list is Chikpet
Yeah, we are actually talking about “the chikpet” located near
market, right in the heart of the city. If one is low on cash
this is the best bet to get some great fabrics to get them stitched. You can find some very good
quality and fashionable clothing and accessories, all you need to know is to bargain. There is
very little that is not available here. Try once.

For the ones who can afford a few extra hundreds, the better
shopping places are Gandhi Bazaar and Jayanagar. DVG
road in Gandhi Bazaar is just what estyle guru advices for all
the clothes shopping you wanted to do. Here you find shops
which sell lehengas ranging from 20,000 Rs to shirts you can
pick up for just 50 rupees or even less.

Jayanagar in comparison is a little more expensive when compared with Gandhi Bazaar. But
the variety of the stuff you can buy here and the quality puts Jayanagar on the hot shopping
spots of the list. Some of the branded wear shops here swear
by amazing and happening collection of clothes. So next time
you are thinking of a chic party wear without burning a hole
in your pocket head straight to Jayanagar. These two places
are not only hot shopping spots but also cool places to hang
out with a gang of pals with all those ice-cream parlors and
eateries. Shopping can‟t get better than this.

Moving on to the expensive side of the city, for all the


branded & designer wear freaks, there is always a
commercial street and brigade road. Quality and brand rules
the roost in these shopping
spots. All the leading
brands house in and around the area. So for all those who
don‟t mind spending an extra thousand on that nice shirt,
this is the right place to be. Not to forget malls like forum,
Garuda, Bangalore central etc. Most of the times, the malls
house branded wear. But estyle guru finds the malls are
sometimes over-priced for not-so-worthy stuff. So shop at
your own discretion!

Shopper caution: Estyle guru finds that Big Bazaar is one WRONG place to buy clothing. Half
the time it is over priced and the quality of the fabrics are not so great either. So next time limit
the shopping of groceries & vegetables to big bazaar and not clothes!
- Apoorva. G

13
March 2009 Akanksha
Sports Corner
Some weird sports!
Across the world there are lots of sports. Some people might think baseball, rugby etc are weird
and unusual sports, but I have shared few sports below which are some of the weirdest sports
ever come across. The following sports go beyond the boundaries of unusual sports when it
comes to rules and equipment.

Unicycle Hockey

As the name already says, it is hockey played on


unicycles. If you would exchange the unicycles for
skates, it looks a lot like ice-hockey.
The IUF (International Unicycling Federation) has
published an official set of unicycle-hockey rules. By
far the most teams that I know of are either from
Germany or Great Britain. There are only a few
teams in the rest of the world (Australia, Canada,
France, Japan, The Netherlands, Puerto Rico,
Switzerland, USA).Unicycle Hockey World
Championship is conducted once in two years.

Shin kicking

The object of this sport is to kick the other person‟s


shins until they‟re so weak they fall down (or you can
throw them down). Their motto: If it ain‟t broke,
you‟re not kicking hard enough. According to the
official Shin Kicking website, they‟re petitioning to get
this one in the Olympics.

Man V/s Horse

The Man versus Horse Marathon is an annual race over 22 miles, where runners compete
against riders on horseback.] The race, which is not technically a marathon, as the route does
not meet the prerequisite distance, takes place in
the Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells every June.
If you thought the sport had anything to do with
strength, then you‟re wrong. The annual Man
Versus Horse Marathon requires stamina and
agility. Taking place in the Welsh town of
Llanwrtyd Wells, the marathon puts human
contestants up against mounted horse
contestants. The event started in 1980, when a
landlord decided to hold the event after hearing
two men arguing about whether or not an
individual could beat a horse in a cross country
race.

14
March 2009 Akanksha
Wife carrying

First introduced in Finland, wife carrying is an


actual sport where male competitors race while
carrying a female teammate.
The objective is for the male to carry the female
through a special obstacle course in the fastest
time. Major competitions are held in Sonkajarvi,
Finland, Monona, Wisconsin and in Marquette,
Michigan.
The rules are as follows: To participate in the event,
the wife of the participant should weigh at least 49
kg, 15 second penalty for dropping the wife, wife
must wear helmet. No, this doesn‟t sound weird or
unusual at all!!

Toe Wrestling

A popular activity for children, toe wrestling is now


a competitive sport. The World Toe Wrestling
Competition first started at a pub in Derbyshire
, UK in 1976. Locals thought it would be a great
idea to hold a competition where individuals lock
toes together and force their opponent‟s foot to the
ground. The organizers applied in 1997 to get the
sport included in the Olympics, but unfortunately, it
was not accepted.
-
B
a
d
- Suhas G S

Laugh Out Loud


Wife: If I dismiss the cook and make the food myself for a month, what will you pay me?
Husband: I won't have to pay you, you'll get my entire insurance amount.

Two men are talking. 1st person: I got married coz I was tired of eating out, cleaning the house,
doing the laundry & wearing shabby clothes.
2nd person: Amazing, I just got divorced for the very same reasons

Police arrested a drunkard & asked: Where are you going?


Man: I'm going to listen lecture on ill effects of drinking.
Cop: Who'll lecture at midnight?
Man: My wife...

Before marriage: Roses are red, sky is blue. U r beautiful, I love u.


After marriage: Roses are dead, I'm blue. U r my headache, one day I'll kill u.

Q: Why do women live longer than men?


A: Shopping never causes heart attacks, but paying the bill does!

Contributed by Gautham>

15
March 2009 Akanksha

A newly born baby asks the nurse :Do you have a mobile?
NURSE: Yes, I do have, but why do you need mobile?
BABY:To give a miss call to god that I reached safely
Contributed by Srikanth Joshi

Attitude
Non-smoker- I hate cigarettes.
Smoker- Me too, thats why I'm burning it !!!
Contributed by Shreehari

Q: What‟s meant by copyright??


A: to copy in the right way!!!!
Contributed by Abhilash M

If you like to recommend your friends to subscribe for Akanksha; please ask them to drop in a
mail to subscribetoakanksha@gmail.com
Make your views visible to the world! Send in your comments on Akanksha to
editors.mfc@gmail.com

16

You might also like