Matka Phod @ Mumbai

"Matka" is quite a deceptive word ... there are 3 entirely unique connotations I myself am aware of :
a) In most IITs & IT-BHU ( I can at least vouch for the latter coz I went there ) "matka" is the mildly derogatory term for M. Tech students ... derogatory coz the assumption is that one should naturally be doing MS in an US univ instead.
b) In Mumbai underworld parlance "matka" is a particularly infamous form of gambling originally started by a gentleman named Ratan Khatri. IF you are curious to learn more please go here.
c) Then of course there is the straight "matka" ie clay pitcher. This in conjunction with "phod" ie smash ( the other more colourful meanings of phod and its derivatives like phad, phadna etc could be the subject of a future discussion !!! ) becomes "matka-phod" which many young folks in Mumbai ( also refered to as Govindas ... no connection with the bollywood Govinda ) become obsessed with during Janmashtami. The objective is to phodofy the matka which is suspended high in the air by forming a human pyramid ... the group doing it the fastest wins the prize ( which goes into lacs ... hence a big deal !!! ).

Today is Janmashtami and the original plot was to go out into the streets of Mumbai ( specifically around Dadar ) to see the Govindas in action ... but the Olympics closing ceremony and the India-Srilanka third one-day fuelled the inertia already triggered off by a particularly heavy Sunday lunch :-) and I happily lounged in front of the TV all afternoon switching channels to get as much of the action as possible.

The Beijing olympic torch at the Bird's Nest stadium 5 seconds before closing. Was the best ever olympics for India finishing 50th with 3 medals.

With Sri Lanka at 94-6 one would have expected a cake walk for India ... Jayawardane & Thushara put up a good fight to get the match quite close though in the end we won easily. Here's a Thushara run-out goof up ... luckily Yuvraj got him out the next ball before he could do any further damage.