Writing for the Internet – In this entertaining read (or hear if you would like to listen to the podcast), writer Morgan Housel expresses his opinion on a variety of topics related to society and work. One of the many interesting takeaways – it’s good to be a little underemployed!
I heard the news of Diego Maradona passing away late last night (India time). He was only 60.
Growing up in India in the 1980s, my earliest memory of international football is watching the 1986 World Cup on Mexico. And who can forget the ‘goal of the century’ that Diego Maradona scored against England in the Quarter-finals of that tournament. He went on to score two more goals against Belgium in the Semi-finals and assisted the match-winning goal against Germany in the finals.
He could not match those feats again in the 1990 World Cup, but Argentina did manage to reach the finals, losing to Germany by a solitary goal. And he played two matches in the 1994 World Cup in the USA before being sent home after a failed drugs test.
At that time, in India, it was not very easy to follow club matches. So it was only much later that I read about Maradona’s exploits with Napoli in the Italian League. It is an astonishing story. He joined a relatively ‘unsexy’ club that had never previously won the Italian League and led it to a stupendous run of results – winning the League in 1986-87 and 1989-90 and finishing Runners-Up in 1987-88 and 1988-89. Napoli also won the Italian Cup and the UEFA Cup during this period.
It is fair to say, I guess, that this story of Maradona’s genius was not as well knows as his World Cup exploits. Here are some articles that try to convey what Maradona meant to the city of Naples:
His time at Naples was also the theme of a documentary by Asif Kapadia, simply called ‘Diego Maradona‘.
There is no doubt that for people of my generation, he was the best football player ever.
As I woke up this morning, still processing the news that he is no longer with us, I saw that the skies were grey and a steady rain was falling. It was as if the heavens themselves were shedding tears. As many have commented, there will never be another like Diego Maradona again. Rest in Peace, Legend.
This week, I decided to select a few articles on some of my favourite topics:
Bird Man – I have been bird-watching for close to four decades now. It still gives me great pleasure to be out and about, peering closely at our feathered friends and trying to identify the species of bird that I am watching. This article goes into detail on why this hobby appeals to many.
The drink that kept us going through Covid-19 – I love my cup of coffee (South Indian filter coffee, black, no sugar). This article looks at how the coffee business has been impacted by the pandemic. Fun fact that I was not aware of prior to reading this article – Coffee was the number one e-commerce grocery product before 2020.
Are your favourite foods at risk of extinction? – Extinction is not an issue with animals alone, even plants run the risk of going extinct. But, as this article states, ‘all plants are part of an eco-system, and as habitats disappear – largely due to farming – or come under pressure through climate change, it can be difficult to predict what effect this will have on food security.‘
Best in Travel 2021 – This year saw Travel coming almost to a stop. As we wander about what the near future holds for travel, Lonely Planet has ‘decided to make this year’s Best in Travel different by recognizing places and people demonstrating a genuine commitment to sustainability, community and diversity.‘ You might find some places or experiences to add to your bucket list on this list.
‘The Power Of Music’ To Affect The Brain – A casual Web Search will throw up plenty of results on how music impacts us. I found this particular podcast quite interesting.
I am a late adopted of Digital technologies, which my friends find ironic, given that my profession if Digital Marketing! I have only just started to enjoy listening to streaming music. And similarly, I have only recently started appreciating the benefits of an e-reader.
Thanks to the Amazon Kindle app, I have started reading books at a greater pace recently. These are some of the books that I have read over the past few months:
Of Birds and Birdsong – M Krishnan. An easy and delightful read on habits of some of our commoner birds.
Aimless in Banaras: Wanderings in India’s Holiest City – Bishwanath Ghosh. A book that takes you to the heart (or soul) of India’s holiest and oldest city.
Longing, Belonging: An Outsider at Home in Calcutta – Bishwanath Ghosh. This book takes us to Calcutta (or Kolkata) and again takes us to the depths of this fascinating city.
This is just a partial list as for some reason, I am unable to find a few others in my history. It is for this reason that I am thinking of publishing the list, so that I can have it as a reference.
Digital marketer, travel / culture / heritage enthusiast
Sanjay Varma 