Formula 1 - Felipe Massa's cruel mistress

The 2008 season was Felipe Massa’s coming of age – the year he finally delivered on his promise and the expectations which had been accompanying him ever since his move to Ferrari. It wasn't just the final race; in which Massa thought he was the champion as he took the chequered flag after a faultless weekend, only for Lewis Hamilton to overtake a creeping Timo Glock on the last corner of the race and snatch the Championship. It was the maturity shown by him, often conspicuous by its absence in the past, during the whole season which led experts and fans alike to laud Massa’s performances. 

Mixing consistency with speed, Massa would have been a deserving champion, and his coronation in his home nation of Brazil would surely have been a spectacle to endure. Alas, it wasn’t to be. 

With great power comes great power

I recently had the good fortune of being part of a VIP entourage and their visit to Varanasi for one Sunday. My aunt, a high ranking government official, was in town for a meeting and I had been invited to tag along with her a few of her colleagues, a senior IAS officer and an MP, no less, as they explored the wonderful city I've been living in for the past 3 years. 

It was an eye opening experience as I got to see first hand the power wielded by such officers based simply on their association with the central government of India. Coming from a family with a history of government service, anecdotes glorifying the privileged position enjoyed by many of these officers had always been commonplace for me. But to see (and enjoy!) such treatment first hand is a different matter altogether.