Bloggers are like my extended family: Amitabh Bachchan

He calls them his extended family, shares his day-to-day life with them and is now looking forward to see the faces of those who regularly visit his blog. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who completed a year of blogging April 17, doesn't want to tag his online friends who enrich his life as "faceless".

" 'Faceless' is a harsh term. I refer to them as my 'extended family'. They confide in me. They show affection and concern. They get upset at times and reprimand me... they miss me when I am not there on time. Are not all these wonderfully domesticated attributes?

"And now Big Adda (the website that hosts his blog) is developing software and my readers will be able to put up their photographs on the blog against their name. So they shall no longer be 'faceless'," the Big B told IANS in an interview.

Excerpts from the interview:

Blogging seems to have become a leading interest in your life. When and how did you develop an interest in it?
It is not a leading interest, but I can safely say blogging seeks my involvement every day. I had heard of the concept but had no idea what it was and what it entailed. I heard of Aamir (Khan) having one and during a discussion with Big Adda (team), who were designing my website, I enquired about it. They happily put the whole concept together - within days trained me on some essentials ... and I made a soft beginning. It has been most enlightening since.

Did it occur to you that you may not have the time to pursue blogging seriously?
No. That didn't bother me. What worried me was my absence from it, once having started it... To me, it is a wonderful medium to be able to connect with my fans and well-wishers.

What is it about blogging that you like best?
The ability to convey individually and personally my feelings to the reader, secure in the thought that it shall reach them without any corruption.

You are an extremely private person. And yet you seem happy sharing your day-to-day activities with your bloggers' community. How and why did that happen?
I think this is a completely erroneous notion in the minds of those that form opinions on me. Every day of my life for the last 40 years I have been going in front of the camera and exposing every possible emotion or attitude that I possess. Actors are indeed as transparent as they can possibly be when in front of the lens. You come to know how they speak, how they laugh, how they cry, how they dance and run and emote and.... What more would you want to know about them to declassify them from privacy?

How close do you feel to these faceless friends who visit you regularly on the blog?
'Faceless' is a harsh term. I refer to them as my 'extended family'. They confide in me. They show affection and concern. They get upset at times and reprimand me. They share their dreams and ambitions with me... they miss me when I am not there on time. Are not all these wonderfully domesticated attributes? And now Big Adda is developing software and my readers will be able to put up their photographs on the blog against their names. So they shall no longer be 'faceless'.

You've certainly enriched their lives by your presence. How have your blogging buddies enriched your life?
Brilliant question! And one that I am so happy to answer. They enrich my life by their honesty and frankness. By pulling me out of my closet at times and showing me a mirror. By critically analysing events and moments. By educating me on my faults.

How much time do you devote to blogging? Is it now a mandatory part of your daily life?
I blog whenever I get the time. Sometimes I convey rapidly, most of the time not. But I do convey every day...And may I have the strength to continue in this fashion.

Do you feel liberated of the need to put your thoughts and voice across on the media?
Yes, I do. Liberated to give my expression as opposed to that which is perceived. Liberated to contradict a mischievous accusation. Liberated to be able to inform in the correctness of things... Liberated to share a private moment with those that understand and show sympathy... And finally, liberated to stand up to 'wretched' puerile kindergarten rhymed opinion makers and be able to exercise the constitutional right of every living Indian; the freedom of my expression.

Finally, has blogging freed you of the inhibitions regarding your privacy? Are you now more inclined to write an autobiography?
I'm incapable of writing an autobiography.

Nadal on a roll

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will meet for the third time in as many Masters events on Saturday after the duo swept to straight-sets quarterfinal wins in Madrid on Friday.

World number one Nadal surprisingly trailed 0-4 in the second set against Spanish rival Fernando Verdasco, the seventh seed, but the king of clay stormed back for a 6-4, 7-5 win in a shade under two hours.

Third seed Djokovic, fighting to claw back his number three ranking from Scot Andy Murray, will again face Nadal on clay after losing to the Spaniard in the finals at Monte Carlo and Rome over the past month.

The Serbian reached his fourth consecutive Masters semifinal with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Croatian wild card Ivan Ljubicic.

Nadal said he was happy to have avoided a third set.

"I thought at that moment (when he trailed 0-4) that I had to play a bit better and get more confidence for a possible third set," said Nadal. "I played really bad at that moment."

Murray's hopes of celebrating his 22nd birthday with a victory were dashed by Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro who beat the Scot 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in a late-night match-up.

Del Potro, who had lost all three of his previous meetings with Murray, came back from 2-5 in the first set to claim victory on a fourth match point in the ninth game of the second.

The Argentine now tackles Roger Federer who was made to work before overcoming Andy Roddick 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, his 18th career win over his old American rival.

Nadal has now won 32nd consecutive matches on clay, a run stretching back to May last year when he lost to compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round in Rome.

The world number one stands 18-0 on clay this year with Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome trophies already claimed.

Since 2005, Nadal has compiled a remarkable 149-4 match record on clay, a run which includes four successive French Open titles.

After surrendering his 4-0 second set lead, Verdasco then saved two match points in the 10th game before Nadal eventually claimed victory with a concluding break on the first of three more match points.

Federer last lost to Roddick in Miami last year, a result which ended an 11-match winning streak. But the American has now lost three times in 2009 to the Swiss.

From a total of 20 career meetings, Federer has prevailed 18 times.

"I should have won in straights, but that's what happens sometimes when you play Andy. I bounced back in the third and played well," said Federer, still in search of his first trophy of 2009.

"I came up with some nice points. Those make me happy. I'm pleased with how I played."

Roddick was not unhappy with his first few days on clay after missing six weeks of the season to get married to US swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker.

"I got into two pretty tough matches here," said the former world number one, who has always had troubles on clay.

"Coming back after six weeks off on probably my least favourite surface could be worse.

"All in all, it was pretty good preparation and hopefully it can get better too. I have definitely felt worse going into the French Open before."

AFC President's Cup Qualifiers 2009 Abahani stay alive

Abahani put in a good performance against formidable Ashgabat Football Club but still failed break the stalemate as the all-important last Group B match of the AFC President's Cup ended in a goalless draw at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The outcome however was good enough for the Turkmenistan side to enter into the last four as they became group champions by virtue of better goal difference. The result also leaves Abahani with a bright chance to make their semifinal berth as a best runners-up team.

But the popular Dhanmondi outfit have to wait until June 14 to know their fate when the group matches will be completed.

The central Asian side came into the match on the back of a 5-1 mauling of Sri Lanka Army but were nowhere near as imposing against the hosts as Abahani's defensive strategy worked brilliantly.

Rather the B.League champions dominated the proceedings for most of the time but lacked finishers to put the result at bed. Ghanaian Awudu Ibrahim was under constant marking but still managed to show his class on a number of occasions but national striker Emily was off-colour for the second consecutive game.

On the other hand Abahani wrongly tried to beat the opponents in the air but failed as the Ashgabat defense was marshaled by their tall goalkeeper Harchik who foiled the local side's attempts.

Emily got the first chance in the fifth minute but the young striker played a feeble shot to the opponents goalie after receiving the ball from Ibrahim.

Zahed Parvez and captain Nazrul foiled a further two chances.

But it was substitute striker Shahajuddin Tipu who was close to becoming a hero for the successive second match but his shot in the injury time came back from the side bar to frustrate the local crowd at the big bowl.

Everybody however was surprised by the Abahani's think-tank decision to bring in Tipu with only three minutes to go but coach Amalesh Sen defended his decision by saying that the team played according to their plan. "We set a plan with three central defenders and two wing-back after watching Ashgabat match against Sri Lanka Army. I am happy that the team played according to our plan but I must say we created opportunities but failed to capitalise on it," said the veteran coach.

"Actually we lost an opportunity against Sri Lanka Army because we could even have scored five/six goals against them and in that case today's draw could have been helpful for us," he added.

On the other hand Ashgabat coach Grigoryants Boris admitted that Abahani played better football but expressed his satisfaction over the outcome.

"We had a target not to lose the match and we achieved it. I am really happy with the result. Ibrahim played brilliantly but he lacked partner," said Boris.

YELLOW CARDS: Faisal (Bangladesh), Rustam and Dovlet (Ashgabat)
TEAMS
ABAHANI: Biplob, Nazrul, Sujan, Mamun, Pranotosh, Emily, Parvez (Tipu), Siraji (Obaidur) (Abul), Yussif, Faisal and Ibrahim.
ASHGABAT: Harchik, Ilyas, Ahmed, Aleksey, Arif, Serdar (Aziz), Guvanch, Rustam, Parahat, Amanov (Dayanch) and Dovlet (Merdan).
Referee: Mohammad Mousa Khalaf Abu Loum (Jordan).

Barclays English Premier League Red Devils in heaven

Manchester United clinched their third successive Premier League title on Saturday after a 0-0 draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side were well below their best in a surprisingly subdued encounter but the point was all they needed to end Liverpool's challenge and win the English title for the 18th time - equalling the record set by the Anfield club in 1990.

United, who also have the Champions League final against Barcelona on May 27 to look forward to, have now won the Premier League 11 times in 17 seasons and will become the first English top-flight team to lift the title in four successive campaigns if they add another crown next season.

Arsenal arrived at Old Trafford resigned to finishing outside the top three for the third time in four seasons and without any silverware since winning the FA Cup in 2005.

They started the penultimate league game of the season 18 points behind the leaders after an inconsistent season in which they had reached the Champions League semifinal only to lose 4-1 on aggregate to United.

Yet Arsene Wenger's side were clearly intent on spoiling the party as they subjected a nervous United to several anxious moments during a goalless first half.

Robin van Persie, who was totally unmarked and eight yards out, spurned a glorious chance to put the visitors into the lead when he headed Sami Nasri's 13th minute cross over the bar when it would have been easier to score.

It was an incredible let off for United and they almost made the visitors pay four minutes later, Wayne Rooney heading Michael Carrick's inch-perfect cross narrowly wide.

This was anything but a vintage performance from a United team which has dominated the Premier League during the second half of the season.

Despite being cheered on by Jamaica's Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt, the hosts found it hard to make the running.

There were more signs of nerves when Nemanja Vidic and Edwin van der Sar got in one another's way while trying to defend a free-kick before a header by the dangerous van Persie was saved by van der Sar in the closing moments of the first half.

Arsenal continued to chip away at the United defence after the break, young full-back Kieran Gibbs rifling a 58th minute effort into the side netting after a patient build up involving Barcary Sagna and Andrey Arshavin.

United responded through Cristiano Ronaldo but United's 26-goal leading scorer fired woefully over the bar after good work by Carlos Tevez.

That was Tevez's last action. Moments later the Argentina international was substituted to the displeasure of United fans who jeered the decision.

Tevez, whose two-year loan expires in the summer, had hardly set the game alight yet United continued to struggle without the South American.

Ronaldo went close with a trademark dipping free-kick before van der Sar came to United's rescue with a stunning late save in a dramatic finish.

The United keeper gets the slightest of touches on a fierce shot from Cesc Fabregas before it hammered the outside of the post. It was a huge wake up call for United but within five minutes the party was underway.

Referee Mike Dean's final whistle saw a grey suited Ferguson rush on to the pitch to congratulate his players. "Are you watching Merseyside" bellowed from the stands after Liverpool's hopes of catching United finally vanished.

Indian Premier League Hayden dashes Mumbai hopes

Matthew Hayden made a controlled half-century as Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in the Indian Premier League at St George's Park here on Saturday.

The defeat virtually ended Mumbai's chances of reaching the semifinals. With only one match left, against the top-of-the-log Delhi Daredevils, they are stuck in seventh place.

Hayden made 60 not out off 57 balls, pacing his innings superbly as Chennai chased down a moderate Mumbai total of 147-5, winning with five balls to spare.

Chennai entrenched themselves in second place in the eight-team competition.

Jean-Paul Duminy was mainly responsible for Mumbai reaching their total. The South African left-hander made 62, his fifth half-century of the tournament, off 54 balls.

It was a familiar tale for Mumbai, with Duminy holding the innings together after the team's stars, Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar, were dismissed.

Jayasuriya threatened to play a major innings, hitting 30 off 17 balls, before top-edging a catch to point. Tendulkar made 11 before he was caught at deep mid-wicket.

Duminy and Abhishek Nayar (33 not out) put on 65 for the fourth wicket before Duminy was run out, backing up too far, in the final over.

Hayden was unusually cautious at the start of Chennai's innings. At the mid-innings break he had scored only 15 off 28 balls in a total of 56-2.

Chennai looked in a trouble when Subramaniam Badrinath was out in the 11th over but Hayden, partnered by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, lifted his scoring rate as Chennai won comfortably in the end.

Hayden reached his fifth half-century of the campaign with a huge six off Harbhajan Singh which sailed out of the ground beyond mid-wicket.

SCORES IN BRIEF
MUMBAI INDIANS: 147-5 in 20 overs (Duminy 62, Nayar 33 not out, Jayasuriya 30, Tendulkar 11).
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: 151-3 in 19.1 overs (Hayden 60 not out, Dhoni 23 not out, Badrinath 22, Raina 20)
Result: Chennai Super Kings won by seven wickets.
Man-of-the-match: Matthew Hayden.

Indian Premier League Mashrafe's losing debut

Deccan Chargers climbed one place to third in the Indian Premier League table after a thrilling six-wicket win over struggling Kolkata Knight Riders at Wanderers on Saturday.

Kolkata made 160-5 after they lost the toss and were sent in to bat and Deccan reached 166-4 off the last ball of their 20 overs, handing bottom team Kolkata their 10th loss of the tournament.

Deccan captain Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs combined in a 68-run opening partnership as the Chargers took another step closer to the semifinals.

Gilchrist thumped Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for successive sixes in the second over and eventually got a top edge to deep square leg trying to sweep Brad Hodge.

But his 43 off 31 deliveries got Deccan off to a speedy start in their run chase.

Gibbs was the next to go, contributing 28 off 34, and Tirumalsetti Suman followed with 31 from 24.

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds added a cameo 18 off 13 balls, and Rohit Sharma, who hit an unbeaten 32 from 13 balls and smashed Mortaza for six off the last ball to win the game, guided them home.

Earlier, Kolkata opening batsman Sourav Ganguly had shared 55 runs with Brad Hodge for the second wicket.

Ganguly made 33 off 41 balls before being removed by Ishant Sharma in the 15th over and Hodge was dismissed three overs later after contributing 48 from 41 deliveries.

Following their departures, David Hussey smashed 43 runs off only 17 balls with two fours and four sixes.

Ryan Harris led the Deccan attack, bagging the scalps of McCullum and Hodge for a 2-20 return.

SCORES IN BRIEF
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: 160-5 in 20 overs (Hodge 48, Hussey 43, Ganguly 33, McCullum 20; Harris 2-20).
DECCAN CHARGERS: 166-4 in 20 overs (Gilchrist 43, Sharma 32 not out, Suman 31, Gibbs 28, Symonds 18)
Result: Deccan Chargers won by six wickets.
Man-of-the-match: Rohit Sharma.