Miroslav Klose – The Unsung Hero on the Green Turf

Miroslav Klose is the most familiar name in modern German Football. Those who have seen (any of) the last three world cups do not need a separate introduction of this goalscoring machine. The striker has been on the pinnacle of the German football for more than a decade now and was arguably the best striker of the last decade on the international level. He has the ability to score goals from almost any position. Although he is a right-footed player, he can score fantastic goals from left foot also, his powerful headers seem to burst the net. He doesn’t need a second touch to score a goal and can improvise from any situation to put the ball in the net. He is the ultimate predator. And who can forget his somersault celebrations? His different styles of flips are one more reason why he is favourite among the fans. The coaching staff of the German National team surely understand his importance to the team. Even when he is out of form, he is always included in the team, because when he wears the German colours, he will score goals.

Miroslav Klose

Klose comes from a sporting family. His mother, Barbara Jeż, was a member of Poland’s National Handball team, while his father, Josef Klose, was a professional footballer. He began his professional career at FC Homburg and played his club football at Homburg, Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, before leaving for Lazio last summer (2011). But it is not the club football that made him so famous. It is the international matches, especially the big competitions, that put him in the limelight. He has scored 14 goals in three World Cups finals, and he is tied with fellow German Legend Gerd Muller and just 1 goal behind Ronaldo in the all time WC goalscorers list. Klose is also the only player to have scored five or more goals in consecutive World Cups, as well as the only player to have scored at least four in three different tournaments. This is enough to make him a Legend. In 2001, he made a statement that in 10 years he would be the best German goal-scorer of all times. Well, he came very Klose to that. He is now just 5 goals behind Gerd Muller with a tally of 63 goals in 113 appearances.

Although sometimes regarded as a player whose success comes to full fruition more for country than club, Klose’s Bundesliga career was one of great accomplishment also. Playing for FC Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, Klose scored 126 goals in 316 league appearances, adding another 27 goals in European competition and 21 in Cup contests. He has scored an average of 0.40 goals per game, which is nearly equal to Raul’s tally of 0.41. But the pundits and critics always overlook this.

Another most important attribute of the German is his honesty and love of football. Klose is well known among his fellow players as being just and fair in his play (Which is hardly found in other players these days). He is never in the news for the wrong reasons. Even when he was not getting a regular first team action at Bayern recently, he never made a fuss about it publicly. Because of a series of injuries and the rise of Mario Gomez meant that Klose would be a second choice. Bayern were ready to offer him a year’s contract, but he wanted two years. Unfortunately no agreement was reached between the two and Klose was available in the transfer market. He received many lucrative offers from the Russian clubs but he turned them down and signed for Lazio in Italy. In today’s world where players change their loyalties for an increment, Klose certainly stood out as an exception. He is already back in form with 8 goals in 13 matches for Lazio and going strong! He is sure to play in the Euro ‘12 and is hoping to stay fit for the FIFA WC 2014 after which he wishes to hang his boots.

Here is an interesting fact about the right-footed striker: While playing with Werder Bremen he appeared to be fouled by the Bielefeld goalkeeper and given a penalty kick. Klose knowing he had not been fouled let the referee know and the call was revoked. He is admired by his fellow players for this. Could you possible picture Ronaldo or Messi doing the same? I don’t think so.

Such gentlemen are hard to find in modern times. I wish him all the best for his future at Lazio and I hope he will shine again in the club football and will continue to entertain us with his trademark somersaults.

भुलेश्वर मंदिर:

भुलेश्वर मंदिर:

भुलेश्वर हे पुण्यापासून साधारण ५५ किमी अंतरावर स्थित शंकराचे मंदिर आहे. हे मंदिर अंदाजे ख्रिस्तजन्मानंतर १२३० साली चौल्य वंशाच्या राजांनी हे मंदिर बांधले. तर काही जाणकारांच्या मते मुख्य मंदिराचे बांधकाम ८ व्या शतकामध्ये पांडव (?) वंशाच्या काळात झाले आणि बाह्य भिंतीचे काम १३ व्या शतकामध्ये झाले. पण एका गोष्टीवर सर्वांचे एकमत आहे कि मूळ मंदिराचे बांधकाम आधी झाले आणि त्यानंतर काही वर्षांनी बाह्य भिंत बांधली गेली. ( मंदिरासाठी वापरलेला दगड आणि भिंतीसाठी वापरलेला दगड हे पूर्णपणे वेगळे आहेत ). पेशव्यांचे गुरु श्री ब्रह्मेंद्र स्वामी (Dhawadshikar) ह्यांनी १८ व्या शतकामध्ये ह्या मंदिराचा जीर्णोद्धार केला.

ज्या डोंगरावर हे मंदिर स्थित आहे त्याला दौलतमंगल किल्ला (मंगळगड) म्हणतात. हा किल्ला १६३४ मध्ये मुरार जगदेव ह्याने बांधला. (ह्या मुरार जग्देवाने पुण्यावर १६३० मध्ये हल्ला केला आणि गाढवाचा नांगर फिरवला. त्याने हा किल्ला पुण्यावर नजर ठेवण्यासाठी बांधला).

हे मंदिर शिवलिंग, तसेच मंदिराच्या भिंतीवरील कलाकुसरीसाठी तसेच अत्यंत सुरेख आणि रेखीव मूर्तींसाठी अत्यंत प्रसिद्ध आहे.. तसेच भारतीय स्थापत्याचा एक उत्तम नमुना आहे. भाविकांची अशी श्रद्धा आहे कि जर आपली इच्छा पूर्ण झाली (देवाचा कौल मिळाला) तर देवाच्या पिंडीखाली ठेवला जाणारा प्रसाद गायब होतो. ह्या मंदिराचे दुसरे महत्त्व असे कि ह्या ठिकाणी पार्वती आणि शंकराने एकत्र नृत्य केले आणि पुढे कैलास पर्वतावर जाऊन लग्न केले असे मानले जाते.

ह्या मंदिरावर मुसलमान राज्यकर्त्यांची अनेक आक्रमणे झाली. त्यांनी ह्या मंदिराच्या अनेक मूर्ती तोडून टाकल्या, कलाकुसरीचा संपूर्ण नाश केला.. अनेक मूर्तींचे हात पाय आणि डोकी उडवली आहेत, तसेच त्यांचा नाश करण्याचा पुरेपूर प्रयत्न केला आहे. मंदिराचे हे भग्न रूप पाहून मन विशण्ण होते.

मंदिराकडे जाण्याचा मार्ग:

पुणे - सोलापूर महामार्गावर साधारण ४५ किमी अंतरावर यवत गावाच्या जवळ उजवीकडे मंदिराकडे जायला एक फाटा आहे. येथून ७ किमी अंतरावर हे मंदिर आहे. जाताना वाटेत अत्यंत तीव्र चढ असलेला घात लागतो. त्यामुळे वाहने सुस्थितीत असल्याची खात्री करून मगच जावे.

अधिक माहितीसाठी संपर्क साधा:

http://bhuleshwar.com

येथे काही छायाचित्रांच्या लिंक्स देत आहे.

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Bhuleshwar

http://www.flickr.com/photos/soumitra911/3371746061/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vikrantdate/3839944746/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/awesh/3886966829/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruhiclicks/2073666558/

मी काढलेली  छायाचित्रे:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/borkarabhijeet05/sets/72157626407645325/

Why?

I have been selected for the Visiting Students Research Programme (popularly VSRP) at National Centre for Radio Astronomy (NCRA-TIFR) for Summer 2011 and I will be working on ‘modelling the gas distribution in high-redshift galaxies and relating this to galaxies in the local Universe’.

When I told about this to my friends, many of my friends (mostly form engineering or finance background) asked me, “Why do you want to work on something like that?” Their criticism clearly pointing towards the fact that such a topic does not affect the humanity, not in the direct sense. Such a study will not increase the mileage of a car, nor will it solve the problem of power deficiency.

Ever since Man acquired the ability of thinking, He has been wondering “why what we see is the way it is?” He observed what was happening around and tried to deduce the laws governing different phenomena. To seek knowledge, to understand the surroundings is the fundamental character of humans. For thousands of years Man questioned everything that was happening around him and hunted for answers. He formulated theories about occurrences in his environment. Using these theories he created tools and machines for His assist.

One of the greatest and glorious examples of this is Sir Isaac Newton (I know many people curse this name) and the Theory of Gravitation. (The “apple falling from tree” story is a myth). There’s an interesting story about Newton. After completion of his high school, his mother wanted him to give up studies and start managing his deceased father’s farms. (‘Wish he had followed his mom’s advice!’ you’ll say!) It was his Uncle’s and Schoolteacher’s continuous requests to his mother made her change mind and let him go to Cambridge. Back to my point, the theory of gravitation is a marvel. What makes you roll down the hills is the same thing that makes the moon go around the earth! Isn’t that amazing? Now nobody had asked Newton to do this, to come up with a theory of Gravity. It was the inquisitive nature of his that asked the questions ‘why does the moon go round the earth? Who or what makes it do that? Why an up thrown ball comes down?’ And he thought about these and he found the answer. (It’s not that easy, try for yourself!)

After developing this theory, he came to know that every ball thrown upwards doesn’t necessarily have to come down. (Read escape velocity). And because of this idle musing of his, we have artificial satellites which, you know what they are used for...

A similar example can be given about the theory of Atoms. For thousands of years people had wondered ‘everything we see, what it is made up of?’ The Greeks thought all material were made up of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. They came up with the concept of an ‘Atom’, an indivisible particle of matter. (Indian philosophers also came up with similar theory independently.) Experiments done in the following two millennia confirmed this hypothesis. (Although E, A, F and W lost their place as fundamental entities, the idea of Atom was confirmed.) In the late 19th Century it was observed that the atom is divisible and was made up of positive and negatively charged parts and thus electron was discovered. In the early 20th century, as a result of efforts by Rutherford, Bohr and later Schrodinger, Dirac and many others, different models of atoms came forward and were refined time and again to give a proper model of an atom. Using this model the working of semiconductors could be explained. It was further used to develop better semiconductors and transistors which make up every tech gadget you use today.

The aim of physical science is to explain what happens around us, to explain every event that has happened, based on logical judgment. Develop a theory based on the evidences and observations. Use this theory to make predictions about further experiments and observations. If your theory can explain it, well and good; otherwise you will have to improve it (or someone else will).

“As long as Physical Science exists, the highest goal to which it aspires is the solution of the problem of embracing all natural phenomena, observed and still to be observed, in one simple principle which will allow all past and, especially, future occurrences to be calculated” – So said Max Planck, the Father of Quantum Theory.

Now going back to my project topic, the aim is to develop a consistent theory to describe the formation of galaxies in the early Universe by studying the gas dynamics of these galaxies and comparing these with the dwarf galaxies in the neighbourhood of our local galaxy cluster. If this works, great! If not, it will imply that there are some hidden unknown parameters that are affecting the evolution of galaxies. Then there will be a need of a theory that incorporates these unknown factors.

But above all this, there is one obsession that we do all this for, ‘pleasure’! As the greatest mind of the 20th Century, Richard Feynman said, “Physics is like Sex! It may give some fruitful results, but that’s not why we do it.”

Experiments with Death

I was riding my Splendor with the usual 45 kmph speed through the city. I thought somebody called me from the roadside, some friend yelling my name. I looked behind on the Footpath. Suddenly a bus comes speeding from left and BANG!!!!

I feel the blood coming off my head. The hot fluid rushing out of my brain spreads over the road. The pain of the broken spine is unbearable. My vision is blurring. I cannot move a bit. My hand is trembling. And then everything goes dark, Forever....

This was just one of my "Gedanken Experiments" (Thought Experiment) about my own death. I was asked many times "Do you Fear DEATH?" and my answer was always "NO I don't". They kept saying "You are bluffing, When you will actually see death, you will be damn frightened". I say Go To Hell.

Another example of such Thought Experiment.

I am trying to climb a difficult part of a cliff. I try to traverse it from the left. Suddenly the rock I am standing on breaks into small pieces. I am put off balance. I try to catch the cliff but in vain. I go down skidding, bumping the almost vertical cliff and hit the ground very hard. End of the Game.

Now a very interesting question comes forward. Why to do this? The First quickest answer that comes to my mind is Because It is Fun. But it is the least Important. The most important is the analysis of the Aftermath of the situation i.e. What will happen if this happens? If I die, how will people react?

Use your imagination here. being a physics student I am used to such problems. You are given a situation. Put the parameters in there and try simulation. Here parameters being Nature and Behavior of the nearest persons in your life or the ones you want to test.

For example

1. If I die with a road accident, how will my friends react. What will others say? "He was always a rash driver", "Too careless" etc or may be something else? Left for the reader as an exercise :-)

Similarly experimenting the death of your nearest people helps a lot. How will be your life if one of your parents dies? "Have you gone Mad Mr. Borkar?" okay lets face it. Everybody who is born is certainly going to die. BY this rule You, Your Parents, Your Siblings, Your Partner, Your kids, Your Friends, everybody is going to die. So simulating such situation helps you a lot.

Try it. For example if one of your sibling dies. How will that change your life? Again put the parameters in and simulate. You will see different people reacting differently. And it helps a lot in determining the course of your life.

Now if you think I am mad, Thank you. :-)

Being a Physicist

Being a Physicist is a really tough job.

Firstly doing physics is not as easy as people might think. Its a hell difficult a job.

Secondly the main problem is can you keep yourself motivated enough to continue working in the same field. Because Physics is a really boring subject if you are not doing a very fantastic job i.e. a Nobel Quality research. The worst times are when you are a UG or a PG student and you don't know about your Future. Then you keep thinking will I be able to keep myself motivated for atleast next 40 years of my life? Because the job you are doing will hardly get any recognition at all unless you are doing a Noble Stuff which is a pure rarity. The project you'll be working will be known to only a handful of people. You will get a decent Salary, no problem with that, but the name and fame will not be there. Unlike performing artists, who get attention even if they are performing on the smaller stage, hardly anybody notices your work. So the only thing you can do then is love whatever you are doing and enjoy the subject.

I would suggest to all those students who want to pursue a career in physics, just think about it many times and don't take hasty decisions. It will cost you a life. Because when you are deep into it, its really difficult to come out of it.

I have faced the same situation myself many times, wondering whether I would be able to do it, but I have emerged positive on that.

The Unfathomable Brain

The Human Brain is a very complex system. You don't need any words to explain that.

Everybody knows the complexities involved. But then there are some things that a human brain does which are so fascinating,

you are astonished.

There are lots of things a brain does and Science is just getting to know some awesome stuff it works out.

A couple of centuries ago, you wouldn't have thought about these things in the same way as today when you have understood,

partially may be, how it works.

Take this example:

When you look at a person you find him/her beautiful and attractive.

(Here it is assumed that there had been no interaction between you two, you have not talked yet, just looked at him/her.)

But your friend does not seem to like him/her much? What is the reason? Why beauty is subjective and not objective?

Here the brain comes into the play. Your brain takes into consideration the height, the width and the built of your body.

But most important is the face.

Your face reveals a lot more information about you than you can imagine.

The most important is, it tell others what different Genes are there in your body. (Don't believe it? Contact specialists)

Now when you look at the person, your brain scans the face of the person you are looking at, and notes down the types of genes

he or she has. And then it compares those genes to your own genes. If the genes are similar, the brain rejects the person.

But if the genes are highly contrasting, the brain gives a positive signal, and you find the person attractive.

Also there is another thing that gives your vital information away - Your sweat!

The smell of the sweat talks about the types of the genes your body possesses. Thus if you want to decide your partner, trust your nose!

(Animals are also found doing the same thing. When they are ready for the intercourse they smell the female.)

Why such a selection?

The types of genes determines what kind of partner you should choose. You have your set of genes and your partners has his/her set of genes.

Now if the genes are very diverse and uncommon between you and your partner, your child will get both sets of genes.

But if both of you have similar type of genes, then your child will get a limited number of genes. The genetic structure of this child would be less diverse

and hence the chances of survival of this child would be lesser than that of the Former child.

The genetic structure is better if it is diverse. The more type of genes it has, the fitter will be the child. S/he will have better immunity to the diseases.

Now you and your friend do not have similar set of genes. Thus the person you like will not be the same person your friend likes.

Thus we say, "Beauty is in the Eye of Beholder!" :-)

Also this is the reason why they say, Do not marry your nearest cousins, because you have similar sets of Genes.

You might be a Physicist

You might be a physics major –

- If you have no life and you can PROVE it Mathematically.
- If you enjoy pain
- If you know vector calculus but you can’t remember how to do long division
- If you chuckle whenever anyone says ‘centrifugal force’
- If you’ve already used every single function on your graphing calculator
- If when you look in a mirror you see a Physicist
- If it is sunny and 70 degrees outside and you are working on a computer
- If you always do homework on Friday and Saturday nights
- If you know how to integrate a chicken and can take derivative of water
- If you think in “math”
- If you’ve calculated that the World Series actually diverges
- If you hesitate to look at something because you don’t want to break down its wave function
- If you have a pet named after a scientist
- If you laugh at jokes about Mathematicians
- If the Humane society has you arrested because you actually performed the Schrodonger’s Cat experiment
- If you can’t remember what’s behind the door in the science building which says ‘EXIT’
- If you have to bring a jacket with you, in the middle of the summer, because there’s a wind-chill factor in the lab
- If you avoid doing anything because you don’t want to contribute to the eventual heat death of the universe
- If you consider ANY non science course is ‘easy’
- If when your professor asks you where your homework is, you claim to have accidentally determined its momentum so precisely that according to Heisenberg, it can be anywhere in the Universe
- If the ‘FUN’ center of your brain has deteriorated from lack of use
- If you’ll assume that a ‘horse’ is a ‘sphere ‘ in order to make the math simple
- If you understood more than five of these indicators
- If you make a hard copy of this list, and post it on your door.

borkarabhijeet05's photostream

borkarabhijeet05's photostream on Flickr.

These are some photographs taken by me. Please have a look and let me know your opinion.