RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR F Scott Fitzgerald was a remarkably gifted novelist, a writer par excellence with his own indelible stamp of dainty luminosity. Fitzgerald’s literary magic was not just rooted in his delectable prose, or his amazing range and versatility, but it also dwelled in his poetic imagination, dazzling vision and seemingly effortless — and, also […]
RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR Each of us is blessed with wholeness — to hold the divine essence in our being. This corresponds to a mirror with just one reflection — of our soul in the context of our vision, or eyesight. It quantifies the infinite expanse of our eyes — the sum of the parts, or part […]
RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR Sir Garfield St Auburn Sobers. What a name — and, description. A gallant knight and the game’s ultimate all-rounder. Sobers, who made his Test debut, against England, at Kingston, over 60 years ago [1953-54], was a total cricketing phenomenon. A three-, or four-in-one, marvel. He’s a Lara with the bat, an Alan Davidson […]
RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR Fast bowlers are often visualised as fiery, wayward, reticent and edgy characters. The inference is obvious. One of the most indispensable components of any cricketing strategy, fast bowlers, thanks to their proffered, menacingly fertile dual imagery of pyrotechnics and speed, have also been opinionated as difficult customers, or tough-to-handle folks. If their varying […]
RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR Claudio Monteverdi was one of music’s greatest composers. He was his own symphony, and magnum opus. A martinet classicist, Monteverdi, quite simply, never ever compromised on what he thought was exact — be it a note, or a theme. He is fondly remembered, today, as the primal composer of L’Orfeo, albeit his most famous composition […]
RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR Sidney Lumet, the legendary American movie director, was, doubtless, a master of cinema. His statistical roll-call of films was not only remarkable, but fabulous. His films received more than 50 Academy Award nominations, while Lumet himself was nominated for ‘Best Director’ seven times. What’s more, Lumet, for the best part, was the focus […]
RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR So far as the audience was concerned, he’s as meritorious a master of ceremonies anyone ever saw. A prodigious batsman with the princely touch, he’s nonchalant, where many would hurry; and, utterly regardless, where many would defend. His effortless presence denoted just one thing: computerised efficiency, something that could, at times, fail. A […]
RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR All of us know that intelligence is more than a symphony of ‘know-how’ and ‘know-what’ areas in the brain. As Juan Huarte, the Spanish physician, contextualised, intelligence is the ability to learn, exercise judgment, and be imaginative — a case of neural Darwinism, lyrical and evolving. For Jean Piaget, the Swiss psychologist, intelligence […]
RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR Elvis Presley was not born rich; he came from a poor Mississippi family. But, he enriched music, like no other singer — before, or after him. Presley showed a rare gift for musical talent, at a very early age. In the process, he absorbed all the styles related to a host of genres, […]
RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR Sir Jack Hobbs was a purists’ purist. He brought to batting a new dimension, a rare canvas of perfection: something that is as yet unmatched. Hobbs’ art was full of profound expression, a fount of wisdom. Of subtle refinement and classical definition — a celebration of cricket syntax and grammar. Hobbs [December 16, […]