The Lost Pages

Oye, shaadi kab kar raha hai??

2012-02-05T20:06:00.000+05:30

You know what, I hated Chemistry as a kid. Thermodynamics managed to give me nightmares. But never before have I been pestered with one question such as the one gracing the title of this post! People are so persistent - cousins I have not talked to in ages, friends whom I have to look up on facebook to recall their existence before answering to their impromptu 'hiiiiiii' on gtalk have just one question to ask as if their lives depend on it. Tell me people, is it the food? or is it about a good forum to scout a good match for yourself? or it is the sheer sadistic pleasure of the evil laugh "huuuaahhaaaaaaaa" watching the guy getting married in front of your eyes. Sometimes I fear that the complete stranger on the road rather than asking me the address of a particular place will ask me this- bhai sahab, shaadi kab kar rahe ho?

Pheww! Calming down... ok, the stranger wala part was a bit exaggerated. But isn't so all this hoopla around getting married? Of course, I want to get married, settle down, have kids and contribute to this ever growing number of people on this planet not withstanding the fact that the world is going to end in 2012. Facebook has made things worst. 5 years back, I am sure people got married with the same urgency as they are doing now. You could choose not to care! But now with facebook, there is no escaping the notifications, the photos, the honeymoons, the kids and what not. Yeah, I know, you are going to bring the sour grapes theory as a counter argument! Doesn't matter. Because I am happy for every one of you who is getting married. I am sure it is the best feeling in the world. What I am not happy is about the expectation to fall in line soon. So, please stop asking.

I am sure it will happen when it has to happen. There is a time for everything in life and your time & my time may not be at the same time. WTF, I am remembering Schrodinger's Cat from The Big Bang Theory in the middle of this blog-post. I surely need help. Too much sitcoms! Ok, where were we? oh yeah, the time thing. You see, it's quite simple. Anyways, I am not blaming you. You have every right to get married to whosoever whenever and wherever you want to. But probably this 2 marriages per week thing is getting to me. Seeing bachelors disappear from my friend-list at this pace was something I was not prepared for. Now that it is happening, every day in and day out, I am finding it a little too overwhelming.

Not so in my distant past, it wasn't such a big thing you know. All we cared about was our college days & a placement! That used to be THE WORD. And suddenly 9 months into this entirely new phase of our life, that word is replaced by the dreaded M word. It's about the priorities I guess, they change. May be it was too fast a change. Or may be I was ignorant of this impending phenomenon of my generation getting married ALL AT THE SAME TIME! ~peace~

It's All About People!

2012-01-16T22:41:00.000+05:30

Realization: People management is like sex. It is not as fancy as it is made out to be in the books.

One word: It's messy!

In this world where we talk about managing your people well, it is unarguably the largest coefficient in the regression equation of your professional life. One change of + to -, and your career may well be headed south or like a rudderless ship you want to jump off but you can't! It is a skill that must be earned. Given that most of us think we are pretty good at it sometimes itself is the biggest barrier for us to think people issues through. I am no expert at dealing with people, but just want to share a few of my learning that you may relate to. So here it goes-

Managing Diversity

Lesson no. 1: clean your slates. And lesson no. 2: keep cleaning it every day of your life. There is no set formula and surely no Avada Kedavra to get rid of all your limitations when it comes to dealing with people. I am a great admirer of diversity in everything. I like variety. People are different, each one of us is well capable of drawing our own inferences from situations. There lies the real challenge. You can choose to cut-paste your style but it comes with a statuary warning that it may backfire big time. So, think through. Just put that first thought that comes to your mind through a Go/ No-Go gauge. Spontaneity works like a charm in most of the situation but may be not here. Trust me, it helps.

Recognize Charisma

The next big watch-out is on how to manage high performers or more appropriately manage charisma. It is a difficult one. You may be faced with situations where the charismatic or the high performer may not be having the best of the work-ethic or the level you desire. They are the mavericks-genius breed. Most of the times, such people in the organization are indispensable. Make no mistake, you WILL need these people to get you out of difficult situations at work! Hence, you better keep them happy. But that doesn't mean giving them a endless rope. You recognize them, overlook a few misses but always remember to know what the right length of the rope is. It may take time, so experience helps. But to start with, tag them handle-with-care.

Lead 'The Average'

Personally, I am most comfortable dealing with this kind. May be because I am one of them. The Average. They cover whatever they lack in talent with a strong work ethic. All of them are not the A players. A company like Apple believes in hiring just the A-Players. Works well for their kind of company and their work. But in most others, this group is the majority. I have this core fundamental belief that The Average can co-exist with The Charisma till the time both are working towards the same goal: creating value. One might take more time to get there than the other but eventually it will. A Dravid easily co-exists with Sachin. The key to managing the average is to lead them. Good leaders can get exceptional results from not-so-exceptional people. So, lead well and lead with a 'strong' purpose.

Will share more as I add a few more lessons to my life! Till then Cya!

Nexus'ed' This Year!

2011-12-29T11:34:00.001+05:30

I have always had a year-end blog. That's like a tradition for me. Much like the Boxing Day test match at MCG year after year that India just lost a few hours back. Anyways, since it is a tradition, it HAS to happen, come what may. So, I had been itching to find a topic worthy of this spot on my blog's timeline! The thoughts ranged from how the year has been for me personally, but then I thought enough of cribbing I have done all year. Let us end something with a cheerful topic. Sometimes, the wanna-be journalist in me rises and I feel like writing my opinions on Anna, the whole Lokpal Saga in this campaign of India Against Corruption. But then I thought, Opinions are likes wives. Since there are so many of them, nobody cares for yours unless you got a real good one!

And then I glanced across and my eyes zeroed in on my Nexus S. And there it was. This is the thing that was on my laptop wallpaper in January 2010 and finally it is there in my hands updated to the latest Android 4.0 OS a.k.a Ice Cream Sandwich! The year 2011 will remain the year when I got smarter with my phone. I followed my Nexus S from the pre-launch period and in turn became the-guy-who-keeps-talking-about-phones! I still remember the dejection when I came to know of the launch price and dropped the plans to buy it. But as the luck would have it, the prices dropped and on my 26th Birthday I bought it. I still remember the time when the shopkeeper un-boxed my Nexus S and I looked at it. It was so beautifully lying there. It was that kind of a feeling oh-my-little-baby types!

That's not the end of it. I am not an Apple fan-boy but, after his death, I bought a book on Steve Jobs out of sheer curiosity. I have almost finished the book and I must say, despite all the controversies, he was a genius par excellence. In the journey of reading that book, I read about him on the internet, saw his famous videos and all of it dazzles you. Despite all of this Steve obsession, when I tell people that I am not a believer in Apple's way of doing business, they smirk at me. Apple controls the user environment and yes, it has its own advantage. But a person like me prefers the freedom and opportunities that Android ecosystem brings with it and of course I can't afford the price tag Apple products carry with them. On the other hand, I also feel bad for ending my relationship with Nokia. Nokia 1100 was the first phone I bought but in the current world of technology & my needs, Nokia just isn't the right fit.

Having a smartphone makes you realize the opportunities the future may hold. More and more people are buying affordable smart handsets. With a good internet connectivity, it presents immense opportunities. Phones today are at the center of people's lives and will become more so in the future. Talking of future, I hope 2012 brings many happy occasions and the corresponding opportunity to write about them on my blog! Here is wishing everyone a very Happy New Year 2012!!

A Fresh Start!

2011-12-15T21:45:00.000+05:30

Gone are the days of saying - Age is just another number. Age is not a number, it is a reality. A reality that has been a companion all this while, only waiting for the right opportunity to show itself. Finally, it is here. You may always feel that probably it has come a year or two earlier than you expected but denial only makes things worse than what you expect it to be. With each passing day, you start to live your life backwards. Of course, all is not lost in your late twenties. There is plenty happening around to keep you occupied and yes, there is a lot to look forward to in future still. But all I am saying is that the connecting dots of your life just somehow happen to be in your past, dots that are important to your diary of life.

I am sure what I am going to write is not the exactly the kind of stuff I would like people to read. On Facebook , my one update will attract a swarm of virtual friends to like or comment. On Twitter, I will be ridiculed for polluting their timelines with emotional crap. Somehow, I find solace in the warmth of my lost pages. I own this space, this is mine. I know it can still be read, poked fun at and can very much be discussed on a gmail thread totally oblivious to me. But, you know what, I am comfortable with that. I can just disable comments and give myself a false assurance that no one read it. That is way I see it. So, here it goes.

What is with this age that you start looking for a companion. A companion with whom you can discuss your day, hear about their day. Someone to spend your evenings with. Someone to tell what you liked about a particular thing and more importantly what you didn't like. Someone to just share your thoughts, opinions or emotions with. My usual reaction to such stuff otherwise would have been too-cheesy or more derogatorily too-desperate! But not now. It makes more sense now that it ever did. You just clear the cobwebs of your mind, and you start to realize what you really want.

Of course, nothing in life comes for free. There are no guarantees in life. What you really want, you may end up never getting it. But I don't want to regret later not trying for it. Like my blog, I own my space and the right to experiment with it, however illogical it may finally turn out to be. It is funny no? How quickly things change? Now when I look back, the ordeal of last few months seems worthwhile. I don't know if I am really at peace with myself or may be it is all just a mirage. But finally having shut the door, I am no longer bothered about those occasional knocks. I guess that is good enough for a fresh start! #WIN

Rebels & Rockstars

2011-11-13T00:15:00.001+05:30

Love is inherently rebellious. And Rockstar, the movie, captures it quite well. It is a beautiful story of two rebels at heart who fall in love and go through a myriad of emotions which are too complex for both of them let alone for the viewers. It is a love story all right but what engages the audience is the rebel inside the lovers and the complexity of their emotions. At least that is what was the deal clincher for me, personally speaking!

A special word for the director. Imtiaz Ali has an uncanny ability to bring different shades out of otherwise perceived 'normal' actors. He did it with Kareena in Jab We Met and he has pulled it off again with Ranbir in Rockstar. It is a great art, which necessitates a very deep understanding of not only his actors but even a deeper understanding of the entire gamut of human emotions. It is not very easy to break the mould for Ranbir to switch from chocolaty to rebellious. But he pulls this off splendidly well.

The only low point of the movie is Nargis Fakhri. I am pretty sure she tried her best to capture the essence of the character but her emotions, dialogue delivery and expressions left a lot to be desired. But it is easily overlooked by the stand-out performance by Ranbir Kapoor. As I said, it wouldn't have been easier for him to portray the transformation from being a Jat boy from Pitampura to a attitude-is-all Rockstar. But he has done a good job and truly deserves all the accolades that may come his way in near future.

Last but not the least, the highest point of movie is, and I think everyone will agree, it's Music. It is truly soul stirring. Each of the songs is a gem, a masterclass. You listen to the songs and realize why A R Rahman is the genius he is. He creates music which transcends boundaries of cultures and touches your heart. Mohit Chauhan has done a great job as well and has displayed a great variety in singing all those masterpieces.

But in the end, the rebels meet in a field where there are no wrong-doings or right-doings, a world without judgement and social protocols. A place of their own, where there are just two of them, no one else. We all wish in our hearts for such a place and the movie succeeds to take you there. That's a WIN!

Save The Date 11/11/11

2011-11-11T19:56:00.001+05:30

I like symbolism. I really do. Good bye.

For the love of Tennis!

2011-11-04T21:16:00.001+05:30

Office ends 5 PM. Cab drops me to my place 5 45 PM. I just thought for a second and convinced myself today is going to be the day. It takes a lot, a lot of motivation to break the routine, drive 8 KMs on a bike (with so costly petrol you know :P) and that too after office to go anywhere for that matter. That too to pursue a sport, with its no tangible professional benefits, no networking, no monetary rewards. You pursue it because you want it, because you love it. So is my love for the sport of tennis.

After a considerably long gap of 3 years, I had a tennis racquet in my hands. Flood lights were on, and thus began the game. Before starting I told my friend that I am starting back after a long time, so expect some sixers and edges. He was supportive and told there is a muscle memory. Your muscles still remember how to react to that ball, even though you feel you may have lost it! That was quite comforting actually. But I said,"My friend, my muscles have amnesia :P" But I guess he was right. It, in a way, relaxed me. I could just leave my worries to my muscles (by muscles I mean the normal ones :P, for the better part I have a lot of fat and less muscles) and play without having to take responsibility for how I play. Worked quite well!

Few things give you more satisfaction than playing your favorite sport. And today was such a day. Immensely enjoyed playing. And the fact that I am yet to freshen up and smell bad with all the sweat, I am here typing those feelings on my lost pages. I must be very very excited and happy. Yes, I can behave this way :) But I just hope that one day, just one day in the week, I can continue to play. The plan is to play on Saturdays but I know that mostly doesn't work! Somehow I have promised myself that I will do it. Manage it any way! I have to.

I guess this is enough. Thank you God. Thank you for setting up everything nicely for me to play tennis in Bhopal. Love you!!!

October

2011-10-27T21:33:00.003+05:30

It has been a long time away from blog. Caught up in the usual, drifted away from the thing that has always stayed by my side. Visiting my blog after a long time, got a pleasant surprise from Blogger in the form of Dynamic Views templates. I must stay, they look good. Give a very pleasant and not so boring look to the blog. Thumbs up!

This post isn't special but who knows it might as well turn out to be! Personally, things have been going rough. But this isn't a forum to crib about that. By the way, wrapped up the 3rd season of The Big Bang Theory! It is an amazing series. My take away from this season will be the line 'we were at different places in our relationship' :P. All yours to speculate. Anyways, who could predict that geekyness can be so much fun. The characters are amazing, the punches are great and well, they are adorable :D Sheldon!! OMG.. No words to describe him!

In other news, watched Ra.One yesterday. On the Diwali day, 32 useless souls, me included, spent the evening subjecting ourselves to the torture of this 150 crores or simply put loads of BS. I am not a part of typical anti-SRK gang. In fact, I am fond of some of his movies and especially his interviews! But lately the kind of cinema he has chosen to be a part of is rather ridiculous and damaging! Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, My Name is Khan and now Ra.One, no doubt being visually appealing, have fallen flat on their faces when it comes to engaging story telling.

Other than that, happy with the work I am getting at the company! Nice people make things easier and touch wood so far, people have been helpful and pleasant. Hope it continues. Still got a lot of things to learn and improve. Let us see how the next few months go! And yeah, I have finally managed to get my bike to Bhopal. This means increased mobility and hopefully less boring weekends. Anyways weekends are going to be busy with a cricket league coming up in the company!

Also forgot to mention on my blog this BIG news! Bought a Nexus S on my birthday in August. Having a great time with this phone. Absolutely in love with it. So much so, people have told me that I am obsessed with my phone. Now I am keenly awaiting Android 4.0 a.k.a. Ice Cream Sandwich! Likely to get the update before the year end. Other than this, I am a pretty much sitting at the boundaries :P and hope to get in soon :) I know cryptic this is but don't freak out :) Chalo take care.. have a good time! Cya.

एक नाम

2011-10-03T11:41:00.004+05:30

दीवारों पर तो खूब लिख रहे हो,
कालिख से हमारा नाम आशिक,
कभी दिल की खिडकियों से,

झांक कर भी देखो |

य़ू ही बदनाम कर रखा है बाज़ार में

हमारी ख्वाहिशों को,

कभी अकेले में इन से दो पल,

बात कर के तो देखो |

तुम तो रास्ता दिखा कर,

जाने किस राह निकल गए,

गुम हो गए मुसाफिर को,

उसका मुक़ाम तो दे दो |

कहानियों में जीना तो,

अच्छा सिखा दिया तुमने

बहुत जी लिए इन ख्वाबों में,

अपनी उन कहानियों को,

अब एक अंजाम भी दे दो |

तुम्हारी मोहबत्त में

खुद को कुर्बान कर दिया हमने,

बदले में मोहबत्त ना सही,

उस कुर्बानी का एक छोटा सा.

इनाम तो दे दो |

भूल ना जाए इस आशिक की,

आशिकी को कल का ज़माना,

इस लिए, जाते जाते,

हमारी कब्र के पत्थर पर,

एक नाम तो दे दो |

PS: I am not going through any crisis! Things are absolutely fine..! Just that I am fortunately or unfortunately better at bringing out sad emotions rather than the happier ones.. #MyBad

The Last Chapter

2011-09-11T18:08:00.000+05:30

I hate to see him lose. He has been my hero all these years. A players so magnificent, a living legend, he doesn't deserve to go through all this. It has been heartbreaking to see that expression on his face, watch the post match interviews and see him answer those questions. He continues to believe in his ability, and rightly so. But the inner dejection is evident with a touch of frustration in response. So much emotion, so much anger protected from the public eye by that calmness that is now so synonymous with his name, Roger Federer.

Andre Agassi said in his speech at the 2011 Tennis Hall of Fame and I quote,"Tennis teaches you there’s no such thing as perfect. You want to be perfect, you hope to be perfect, then you’re out there and you’re far less than perfect. And you realize, I don’t really have to be perfect today, I just have to be better than one person. It’s true." But for players like Federer, perfection is what their accomplishment is. Their biggest competition is themselves. And that is where Fed has been losing his battles.

My friend with whom I keep discussing tennis said this morning that no story of greatness is complete without a chapter on the comebacks. And to his credit, he is absolutely right. Sachin's second wind and Andre's rise from 140s to be the No.1 in rankings is a case in point. But will Federer be lucky enough? The next year is a long time away from now, and when you are 30 and playing professional sport, it is even longer. Every true fan of the game out there wishes for him to win one last slam of his life. Whether or not it happens, only time will tell. Time and again, he has been losing matches he should rather be winning. As he said in the post match interview after losing to Djo at the US Open 2011,"Well, I mean, it's awkward having to explain this loss because I feel like I should be doing the other press conference."

We love fairy tales, we like happy endings. And I wish Federer gets his due. He deserves a grand exit, at a grand stage, a stage only Wimbledon 2012 will provide for. His story is a story of a champion par excellence, a true role model and a gentleman of the game. This morning I was watching for the nth time the retirement speech of Agassi. It moves you even if you are not a follower of the game. I get goosebumps seeing that video, can't even imagine the day Fed chooses to abandon his canvas. Every loss of his makes me wanna quit watching this sport all together. The loss at Wimbledon and yesterday's are etched in my mind as a grim reminder of his just-human abilities. These are not the memories with which I want to end my association with my hero. That is why I am going to keep watching the sport, waiting for the last chapter on the comeback. I hope it comes next year. Amen.

When it happens, it happens!

2011-08-31T20:09:00.002+05:30

Goa is the ultimate expression of bachelorhood. A must-visit item on any guy's ultimate things-to-do list pasted behind dorm doors or written at the last page of a class notebook. It had been on the radar for a while for me but somehow never materialized. But finally this August, it did. But not before the inevitable last minute hurdles. When Joshi posted Goa in August mail, it was dismissed merely as a sudden rush of adrenaline or a frustration spike on the routine life's control chart (excuse the geekyness :P). A few usual posts on the thread dilly-dallying on the whole thing but Nagu's copy of his ticket got things moving. I too scouted for various options for me to reach Goa from Bhopal in the least possible cost. But a 13K return flight was enough to discourage me and I wrote an i-am-not-coming mail on the thread. But at 10:30 pm that very night as I was finishing my dinner an sms sent shock-waves through my oh-so-organized life. My ticket had been booked for a non-refundable 13K!! And who else but Nagu to take such a spontaneous action. That is why I love this guy. Nagu, in retrospect, you get my biggest Thank You ever to you! I would have been carrying regrets for life had I missed this trip.

So, as they say, when it happens, it happens. This quote has more significance. The trip buas will know, especially Adi :). You sometimes expect things to be rocking and fun. But this trip, it got better and better and better. So much fun packed into just 3 days was sheer awesomeness. It started with a short stay at Nitin's place with a nice chat about relationships :P Varshik joined in from office and when we danced to Sooraj-ki-Bahoon-mein at his place, I could sense the energy building up. The road trip had begun with the bachpan-se-mera-mood-kharab-hai driver!! We picked up sLuDGy Snake from the airport and the first thing we did was to throw Sourjyo's socks straight out of the window to restore some sanity to the cab's atmosphere, literally speaking. The ZNMD was fresh in mind and we were enjoying the road trip feeling. And then just like ZNMD style, an argument about something Ram and Laxman :P did began. Filmi style we solved it and had food at a dhaba and then had a stopover for sLuDGy to crap. Yes, it is an event worth mentioning. Trust me, you don't want to know the details. This was followed by an amazing journey. The scenic beauty made all of us reminiscent of the journey from Guwahati to Shillong. All in all, a perfect recipe for the blog post na? I could already see my post shaping up :D

So, there we were. In Goa and ready to rock. Adi, Dude, Joshi urf Bharat, Keshav had reached already. Checked into our Blue Beach Resorts, got ready and left for Calungute beach. Enjoyed a lot at the beach, did all the crazy things possible, posed in some good and some not so good formations. Dude suggested that we buy the beach shirts and wear them 'at the beach' next day. We did buy those after some bargaining and did wear them but 'the whole day'. We didn't know that this will turn out to be the best purchase of the trip! We were pretty tired and decided to first come back to the resort and relax in the pool. Amazing relaxation! In the evening, decided to go out for food and drinks. Because of the extended weekend, most of the places were crowded. So, decided to find some other place and went to Pizzeria. Had good food, Tequila shots and above all had Nitin's 7UP moment there. Also Adi became a PALS :P. What an enjoyable night it was, followed by an equally enjoyable phone call from me and Adi to Ram and Laxman :P who were on a bus from Bangalore to Goa and reached next morning.

So, finally all 11 were there! Decided to go to St. Francis Church on bikes. Oh wait! I am missing one important piece of info. We had only 2 bikes. So, decided to get a few more. Since we were tripling, someone suggested that we get down as soon as we see the police. And damn! As soon as turned out to be too soon. Just outside our resort, the thullas caught us and we were challaned! But finally we got the bikes for everyone! So, wore our colorful beach shirts and started from our place, me with my orange shirt on my green Mahindra Deo :P. What a 40-minute ride it was. Just amazing!! Saumi riding Avenger with feel-like-God calmness and Nitin with his nothing-below-120 speed. Midway got to know of the need for helmets and idea of Church went out of window. Stopped at a Domino's and had pizza for lunch. Then came the most rocking time!! We went to Aguada Fort in our colorful shirts and attracted all the attention, sang songs, got a flying pic. The entire crowd at the beach was looking at us (for obvious reasons :P). Had an absolute blast there!! Again went back to the resort and relaxed in the pool.

In the night went to our cruise named 'Royal Cruise' which actually wasn't so royal! Better I skip that part. Then came the most awaited moment of the trip. The D.i.G night!! For one more time, the room transformed to become B9 or G-wing. The old songs were back, so were the dance steps and the rituals! and yes, the dream to dance on Bhag Bhag Bhose DK was also realized. This was followed by the usual bakar session and some parvachan from Mr. Keshav which I was told I was lucky to miss being half slept! The DiGs are always the awesomest and this was no exception. What a memory for lifetime! What Friends! Just _/\_

Belling the Spirit of Cricket

2011-08-01T10:41:00.002+05:30

If not as old a question of who-will-bell-the-cat in the fable Belling the Cat, it is definitely an equally important one. Ian Bell incident yesterday at Nottingham has once again invoked the so called spirit of cricket and put it up for scrutiny. There was no dearth of divergent views on social networks as well as the views of experts in the mainstream media. It is an issue in which it is very hard to take a middle ground or be very ambivalent in your opinions. Either you are for it or against it. Each side has their arguments polished and have examples from the past where the spirit has either been violated or upheld. However hard you try to argue, there seems to be a certain amount of 'sense' in the arguments of the other side.

What is meant by fair play? What is this spirit of cricket? If the batsman is technically out why care about the spirit of the game? If Bell was so naive to assume that the ball is not in play or a few years ago Murali was stupid enough to go & congratulate Sangakara without waiting for the ball to return to the keeper, why do we be overly generous? This is a sport, and in sport you capitalize on the mistakes of the opposition. I am not too much into football, but I will take the liberty to assume that in football, a self goal is never withdrawn by the opposition team in the football's spirit of the game. Yes, some people will say we can't compare apples to oranges because Cricket is a Gentlemen's game. We play in a certain way and we would like that to be preserved.

The fact of the matter is that the spirit of cricket has been violated, sorry, is violated on a regular basis. We define this spirit to suit our immediate needs and so do the players who are actually playing the game. Some batsmen choose to walk, some don't. Some wicket-keepers appeal to every ball that passes the bat's edge, some don't. Sidebottom almost tackled Grant Elliot, had him run out and had no regret whatsoever. But MSD was somehow always 'expected' to reverse this decision. Don't know whether it was done on the advice of seniors in the team or there was a phone call from Mumbai. We will never know. But, in the interest of the series, my personal viewpoint is that probably what was done was the Right Thing To Do. As Gaurav Kalra from CNN IBN said on twitter and I quote "Having covered the 2008 series in Aus can vouch for the fact that one incident can overshadow a whole series- this was 'potentially' as damaging".

The other point that assumes importance here is that India currently is the No.1 team. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. How many of us in India & across the world looked at erstwhile Champions Aussies with great respect. I am pretty sure none. They were a great team, but they were never the true Champions of the game. Do you want to become that? There are many who frown upon when such things are mentioned. Why can't we be ruthless? Why should we be expected to play the sport in a certain way when Jelly Beans have been thrown at our batsmen? One of our most respected batsman VVS had to show his bat to ensure there was no Vaseline. His integrity has been questioned by Vaughan, even if jokingly. Our players are reprimanded for questioning the umpire's decision but Swann is let off even for kicking the stumps. The much tradition-talking English crowd jeered & booed our players without any reason. We have been victimized even in past and we have every reason to express our anguish and retaliate. But we are the World Champions. We have a great talent pool of cricketers. We have the richest cricket board. We have a great commercial property in IPL. It is all up to us the kind of champions we want to be.

As far as the spirit of cricket is concerned, it remains an unanswered question and a pretty tough one to crack. Me, you, administrators of the game and the commentators can only comment on it. It is only in the hands of the players who are there on the ground to take the ultimate call. It is a combination of how much respect you have for the game, your country's culture and how opportunistic are you likely to be in a certain match situation. Harsha Bhogle termed it as case of "confused morality". Indian team has taken a brave decision and sent a message to teams around the world. How well they would like to absorb and apply this message is really up to them. But as far as setting of the precedent is concerned, I am proud & confident our team has set the right precedent.

Toh Zinda Ho Tum

2011-07-17T14:42:00.008+05:30

It is not a Classic. It is not an Epic. It is not even Great. It is just simple. And this simplicity is that wins you during the course of the movie. There is something about Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara that connects deep within. The depth that we have forgotten to experience in the speed of our lives, in the complexities of our relationships and self-doubts about our future. That one moment in the movie when Hrithik comes back to the boat after the deep sea dive captured the very essence around which the movie revolves. And if you connect, you feel it. If you don't, you will come out of the multiplex saying it was just another typical bollywood flick.

Of course, being rich, good looking, and with a holiday ticket to Spain helps but the movie is not about those. The story is about conquering your fears, connecting with your deeper side and facing your insecurities head on. The movie is simply poetry in motion. And dare I say this, but if I had to choose the more beautiful between Javed Akhtar's poetry & Katrina Kaif, I will choose poetry. More so personally, because there was a time when I used to write Hindi poetry and it made me happy. In the funny sequence of Diamond Biscuit-Diamond Biscuit, it was like an 18-year old amateur writer laughing mockingly at a suited-booted manager of today.

The cinematic brilliance is nicely intertwined with the poetry and it helps you to let go for a while. Helps you to connect with your childhood, mock those teachers with funny accents and play those stupid pranks. Everyone loves to play a critic and if you sit down to find flaws, given that we all are impressively talented at that, we will find it. But this is not a critique, it is just what I felt at a personal level. In one of the dialogues Katrina says, she wants life to surprise her. Of course, we all want that. Who wants a monotonous life? But sadly most of us living the same life day after day. Yes, such movies are aspirational and may not be tailored to the tastes of those who appreciate 'realistic' cinema. But, I feel the movie succeeds to pull off a realistic undertone within an aspirational setup of a bachelor party to Spain.

For me, the best part were the poetic narratives within the story. And 'Toh Zinda Ho Tum' is my favorite from the movie and that is what this post is dedicated to. Good Bye!

Dilon mein tum apni
Betaabiyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum

Nazar mein khwabon ki
Bijliyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum

Hawa ke jhokon ke jaise
Aazad rehna sikho
Tum ek dariya ke jaise
Lehron mein behna sikho
Har ek lamhe se tum milo
Khole apni bhaayein
Har ek pal ek naya samha
Dekhen yeh nigahaein

Jo apni aankhon mein
Hairaniyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum

Dilon mein tum apni
Betaabiyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum

2006 - All Over Again!

2011-07-03T00:27:00.002+05:30

My blog got a dubious first recently. For the first time in 4 years, I couldn't write a single post in a month. My bad! Hope to set things straight soon. And with all the new things happening around me, hopefully I will get lots of stuff to write about.

So finally, after an excruciatingly long wait of 3 months, I have landed in Bhopal. As the plane touched down and the captain announced that the outside temperature is a pleasant 25 degrees, a sudden rush of nostalgia filled my mind. There were mental snapshots of lots of place we visited very frequently in 2006. The upper lake, manisha lake, 10 no. market, bitthal market, chappan bhog, vrindavan dhaba, etc. etc. etc. The rest were sufficiently vivid, thanks to my love for Google Earth!

The first day at the new job couldn't have been more awesome. Loved it all the way. It is here you get to know why this company consistently features in the best places to work. The only disappointment of the day was that Federer crashed out of Wimbledon, losing to Tsonga. Seems like even an ardent fan like me has to concede that an era ended at that match. But he remains the most stylish, graceful, God-level tennis player for me to have ever touched a grass court! Also visited our new flat and instantly fell in love with it!

Then the first weekend of the job. I was getting bored and since right now I don't have any super close friends here, mostly was spending my time tweeting! Since everyone is busy getting to know each other, things are a little chaotic but ultimately I am sure I will find a good company to hang out with! Talking of hangout, I joined Google+. Finally Google has a decent foundation in the form of this social network that at least has the potential to be a facebook-killer. Whether or not it lives up to it is a question with its answer in future.

So, coming back to the weekend story. I am not the explorer types but finally gathered my courage to see around the city on my own. Thanks to Sardana, we were saved the pain of house hunting giving me quite a bit of free time on this weekend!! Took an auto and went to 10 no. market. And of course, the first thing I did was to have a sandwich at the famous cycle soup wala shop. Bought some stuff, went around the market. Some old shops have renovated their facades in keeping with the modern times. But the feel of the market still remains, so do pan-spitting stains and lots of flies :P. After that, decided to walk to the Bitthal Market. All this while, saw our favorite restaurants on the way, Bakes n Shakes, Top n Town, that gym window where I blacked-out and almost fell outside, the sabzi mandi, Amer Bakers, CCD where we gave tip of 50 paisa & ran away and many more. Planning to catch an evening show of Delhi Belly tomorrow at the newly opened mall in Bhopal. Yes, finally it has got a mall! Also got to do shifting baba, too much!!

Came back to the guest house and had an awesome bakar session with Amol, Varun, Saurabh, Misfaq and Khalid. Laughed our hearts out!! And what better to wrap up the day with a blog post after almost one and a half months. So, that is how it began - Bhopal - IInd Innings!

The Upside of Boredom!

2011-05-26T15:17:00.009+05:30

Damn! That Sidhu..!! Whenever I think of using the phrase light at the end of the tunnel, all I recall is a motormouth Sardarji with a colorful turban telling me that the light is from an Indian train waiting to run over the Sri Lankan team. Anyways, despite the Sidhuism at the beginning, trust me, the post has nothing to do with it, not even remotely. The post is about Boredom, something which I am suffering right now, thanks to my delayed joining date. To the extent that I have changed my gtalk status message from http://www.bored.com/ (Hell yeah! I got a commission for free promotion!) to 'Available for Chat' which elicited only 1 response from my 500 odd gmail contacts (you people are cruel, you see!). I have mutilated enough pigs in the angry birds game to attract PeTA attention. Who knows, I might as well feature in their next print ad.. well loving pigs.. Oh God, save me!!

But, you see, all is not lost here. Everything in this world has a silver lining. So I am guessing even Boredom should also have an upside, only that I have been quite ignorant about it till date. So, I thought about the positives of boredom. Well, as a genuine product of Indian Education System, it is my duty to 'define' anything before I start and my MBA has taught me, when you are hard pressed for time and do not want to be accused of plagiarism, use Wikipedia freely giving proper reference.

So here it goes, "Boredom is an emotional state experienced during periods lacking activity or when individuals are uninterested in their surroundings." (Source: Wikipedia). Well, it is time to list the reasons we can all love boredom once in a while:

1. Losing the Sense of Time-

I recently came across an article which said that research has found that there is at least one human tribe on earth which doesn't possess a sense of time (If you are more interested in South American tribes than my article, here is the exit Article ). Boredom is not much different! You define your time in events, like last Sunday it rained.. last Wednesday I met my uncle. It is actually wonderful to not look at the watch, to not set any daily alarms, life is free na?? at least one of the constraints of 'time' is no longer there!! wonderful it is!

2. Soul Searching-

Boredom helps you become more American in your thinking. You actually end up 'allocating' time for doing some soul searching (a very common reason for citing sabbaticals from job and heading to Banaras to smoke weed), finding your true self and looking for a deeper purpose in your life. You allocate time, you also think about it, and some of us actually make a plan for their future, and the next thing you know is you end up watching the trailer of Hangover-2 and you tell yourself - ''baby, this is life, this is how life should be - Fun in Vegas!!" All the soul searching becomes a D2D phenomenon, that is Direct-to-Dustbin.

3. Realization that you have become Plump!

I have to thank one of my friends whose gtalk status message gave me my third point (here is the acknowledgement buddy, no law suits later!!). In the speed of life in a B-School, you end up being a e-couch potato. Free Wi-Fi, 2 AM Maggis & morning Bread-Butter-Jam become great enablers for your waist line to grow organically. Other than that, impromptu outings and planned birthday/ placement dinners have most of us eat like a horse and not regret! Boredom lets you slow down enough to realize that your old jeans doesn't fit you at all. Common Reactions: Morning walks, swimming classes and gym.

4. Getting the best value from your Tata Sky connection-

This one is very important, in fact very beneficial. You actually start surfing more than 3 channels!! Can you believe it?? In the rec-room of college, it is a cardinal sin to switch on any channel other than 9XM, MTV and a sports channel! At home, when I am getting bored, the remote is in for some heavy duty. My current affairs knowledge hits a peak, suddenly I have a viewpoint on every issue. I start caring about a little anaconda in Amazon forests, thanks to Nat Geo. Even those crappy reality shows that we made fun of, become your favorite pass time. So, you derive full value from your digital TV Subscription!

5. You know, I read this book...!!

Last, but not the least. Boredom brings you closer to books, willingly or unwillingly! Very honestly, books are my last resort. When nothing else seems to cure boredom, flipkart is just a click away. A one month break means you can read 2-3 books depending on your reading appetite. And this 'knowledge repository' helps you to brag about your reading habit till the next IIM interview or a sophisticated office party. "You know, I read this great book about Corporate Culture, you should totally buy it, it is a great read" and there you go! You have scored the necessary brownie points on your intellectual capabilities! Amazing!

Well, there can be many more, different for different individuals! But I guess boredom is not at all just-a-bad-thing! So, enjoy boredom and live it to the fullest!! :P

PGP09 Anthem - BRING IT ON!

2011-05-02T12:31:00.004+05:30

"This one is very close of my heart, an anthem created for awesome66 by our batch-mates only. Too precious a memory, so just want to keep on my lost pages, my memories for life."

The lyrics for the anniversary special song
credits : Nagu, Rukma, sLuDGy, kESHAv

la la la zo zoo zo zooo......... 2
we came here
with some fear
we could hear, raindrops against our heads

we'd come far
we still are
chasing stars,
fears we have shed..

looking back on the past
it's sure been a blast
it's gone by too fast
memories remain.. in our hearts..

la la la.. zo zoo zoo ... 2

we'll go on
we'll be strong
a new dawn, waits for us ahead
wherever we roam
we have shown
this is home, to our hearts and heads..

looking back on the past
it's sure been a blast
it's gone by too fast
memories remain.. in our hearts..

la la la.. zoo zoo zoo zoo..

(Words of Hissdom - by snaky) do try to relate to ppl :)

a year has passed by
and to be very frank and honest
it has been pretty bitty and biscious
the corporates have rejected us
and the organization has realized that
good is good for everyone

our chairman had told us
crisis is the genesis of innovation
but where's the learning?
that i don't know

the lingering doubt remains
why the aunty's still fresh?
bolo manav.. is it?

seriously, we don't need gentle reminders
we are doing the needful
and one day, i'm sure we'll shine
till then, remember these words
BRING IT ON..!!!

Today GOD Was Born

2011-04-24T09:16:00.004+05:30

To begin with, it may seem highly sacrilegious to give such a title. But come to India, experience the religion called cricket that binds us all together and you will get to know the man who has been bestowed with this ultimate title of GOD in a country where we take our Gods seriously, or rather too seriously. What has HE done? What is so special about HIM? Why it is considered almost anti-national to say anything against HIM in India? Why does time stops when HE is batting? Why do people switch off TV sets when HE gets out? Why does the combined heart-rate of a Nation rises when HE enters nervous nineties? These are questions which hundreds of acclaimed critics, much better bloggers than me and a Nation of billions has been trying to answer for the last 22 years. But around all this, one phenomenon goes from strength to strength - aHIS name is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and today is HIS 38th B'day.

Happy Birthday Sachin. Just a small dedication from me to my childhood hero.

Confessions of a PlaceCommer

2011-04-15T12:15:00.005+05:30

We love these kind of scary headings, like the one given to this blog post. Confidentiality is our working philosphy and contacts our most treasured possession. Yes, we are the placecommers or p-commers as is mostly known across a world within our world called B-School. Modern B-Schools should be credited with more than just giving the world a bucketful of managerial jargons and the recession of 2008. Knowingly or unknowingly, the management schools have ended up carving this amazing species which is most generally hated, ridiculed, criticized of being always politically correct and discredited in the name of flashes of individual brilliance or a stroke of luck helping a B-School Grad lay his hands on a dream job!

Well, the preceding paragraph should be enough for you to quietly sneak out of the interview if you are one of the 'lucky' few shortlisted based on your SOP - Statement of Purpose, wait, there is more. I still vividly remember the day when I got into the PlaceComm, the congratulations poured in, in person as well as in the email since there are people in a B-School who think written communication is truly one of the effective forms of Networking :P. Not arguing on the veracity of the same, but there is a general 'perception' in management grads that the one making through the p-comm interview is just a touch above the others, is a 'selfless' guy, got the necessary 'communication skills' to deal with corporates, has a goldmine of contacts, and in short has all the ammunition to make the revered HR visit our B School. Well, we thought so.

But, our perceptions were in for a destructive test! The enthusiasm with which we began the 'Placement Season' was tremendous. At times, we felt like working in a call center! Making calls through board numbers, we tried our best with the receptionist to butter them up in giving us the direct mobile number, soon to realize the reward of the compliment for a sweet voice was capped at just the email. MS Excel became our companion and we developed at least thousand more ounces of patience being at the receiving end of the same HR replies which pretty much were like - 'we are considering your campus', 'our campus shortlisting is done/ or yet to begin', 'the business hasn't given us the numbers', 'we only go to IIM A, B and C', 'we will consider you next year'. Our numerous attempts ended with a plea whether we can spam their mailboxes with our 3 MB brochure and 2 MB student profile, so as to meet the server limit of 5 MB in most corporates! :P

So that was about the 'companies' or 'our partners in an endeavor to develop a mutually beneficial relationship between our institute and your revered organization'. You see, no wonder I have become verbose and overtly formal in my written communication! Writing those emails, invitations, corporate interaction mails does that to you, especially if you do it almost daily. There are days when we meet huge success (well that pretty much meant that none of our calls went to voice mail and there was not a terminal NO by a company) and we celebrated with a cup of coffee and some dark fantasy cookies at the canteen. Also, there are many days we end up dejected, need to be consoled that we didn't screw up that contact, and hated HR people!! But over time, we realized that the HR guys probably receive hundreds of similar calls and to be fair to them, it is irritating if you got no update to give! We made some good friends in HR and also figured out the ones to be tagged handle-with-care for passing it over to the junior placecomm.

In the end, the open houses! Definitely, the most interesting and sufficiently challenging task of being in a PlaceComm team left to address in a open house and 'take queries', to put it mildly. It's like being left in a cage with a mob intending to knock the stuffing out of you. The allegations of information asymmetry, bias towards your friends, inefficient handling of the situation will go past your ear like a Bazooka weapon in Pocket Tanks :P and if you don't know how to take evasive action, God save you. It sometimes became unimaginable that we were part of the same bunch of people as hungry for jobs as anyone else out there. But, then again, we taught ourselves that had we been on the other side, we will probably be as vicious as them. Confidentiality breeds suspicion, but 100% transparency also isn't the best thing! We needed to strike a balance and develop public speaking, crisis management and yes, crowd management skills!

It was one hell of a ride. Especially because it was made so by my colleagues :P, meant in both senses of the word - tough as well as exciting. I just recalled a dialogue from 'Angels and Demons' where camerlingo tells the Prof. that the religion is flawed, because the man is flawed. No placecomm can be perfect, because we are inherently flawed. Knowing it's flawed, yet continuing to work with the same level of motivation every next morning as if yesterday never existed is what needs to be the mantra. Everyone works for himself/ herself, but working towards the future of your batch-mates and above all your institution is the fuel that probably keeps a p-commer go on. Personally speaking, being a placecommer helped me become what I thought I never will. It added a whole new dimension to my personality, helped me identify my flaws and work on them.

Once in a college party when I was gone :P, I told a few people around me that you can take a placecommer out of a placecomm but you can never take placecomm out of a placecommer. However clichéd, it has stayed that way!

Goodbye to Awesomeness

2011-03-24T21:37:00.011+05:30

The Shillong effect refuses to move on. It has stayed in my mind like a morning song stuck in my head. Inadvertently, playing in my head all the time, every time reminding me of the most wonderful 21 months of my life. Engineering was fun, and I never thought anything will top that. But these 21 months did, and did it quite easily. The life and times with awesome66 will continue to be with me for the rest of my life. I don't know how but this awesomeness was something special. People said, probably the small batch size had something to do with it. Some people said, may be it was the selection criterion. Some others said that may be the urge and yearning to do well being a start-up institute was the real reason. Forgetting about the reasons, I can comfortably claim that this is the most talented and most diverse group of 66 people that I ever met and will ever meet. And I still keep writing is, hard to get used to the fact that it is now 'was'.

Goodbyes are never easy. Especially saying goodbye to the awesome place IIM Shillong turned out to be. Never thought that I will be spending the most important years of my life in the far eastern corner of India. A small dot on the map has left such a big impression on our hearts. In a way, it was the perfect recipe for life. Lots of happy days, lots of tough days, many treasured friends, a few bad people as well eventually giving me memories of a life time. A random post by me in December 2009 made us famous as awesome66 and we lived up to it. What we experienced together was sheer awesomeness. And it is almost obligatory for me to conclude this journey on my blog. I typed this post at least 4 times. Every time I would start, my thoughts would get the better of me. Word by word, writing became tougher. So, I am choosing the easier way out. I wanted this to be grand and famous (that's me :P) but I know it is not going to be. So, the easier way out is to list my memories from IIM Shillong.

Every time I come back to this blog, the list is going to give me goosebumps :)

1. Sustainability Foundation Course

2. DiG - B9 Sourjyo's Room esp. the candle lit DiG

3. Mess and the associated bakar

4. Hygiene PPT in Footsteps 2010

5. PlaceComm Room

6. Open Houses

7. Flag Post on a full moon

8. G-Wing

9. WeWe and the anonymous mails

10. Rains, Clouds, Sun and the cold

11. Joshi's b'day Charra Re Charra Re :P

12. RannBhoomi esp. the match where I defeated Adhi :P

13. Cricket Matches in Rec Room and yes Fed-Nadal match as well

14. Last 1 month when only 10-15 of us were there in campus

15. Making and eating Pasta with Baba, Harsh, Sakshi

16. Gossip Session with Baba, Gullu, Harsh, Sakshi and Veena

17. B'day Celebrations and Abra's GPLs

18. Outings to BB, Bistro, Green Plate, CP, CCD, City Hut, Shillong Cafe

19. Social Networking

20. That time when all of us won various B School competitions

21. PlaceComm StudC meetings

22. Farewells 2010 and 2011

23. Those one liners- kahan se aaye ho, baawaraaa, bring it onn., AMB, hawwwww, wooohooo that's something, wow balue model and many more..

24. Zooozoooozoooo lalalalalal - our class anthem

25. playing TT with Harsh

26. Kopda Cup

27. Natalie ma'am classes

28. Sarkar Sir's strategy MCQs paper last 8 questions ;P

29. Corporate Visits as placecommers

30. GIRC Moment of Pride

31. Mess Maggi and Egg Bhurgi and Gobhi Manchurian

32. Breakfasts - always special!!

33. Dance Parties

34. First Formal Photo-shoot

35. TMI Clasess

36. Earthquakes

37. Uma's Ghost Story

38. Class DPs

39. Diwali and Holi Celebrations

40. Juniors - 94 of them

41. Hail Storms!

42. Team Green Genes!! - sinha sid and me

43. Our first outing as a batch to Shillong Peak

44. the hectic schedules of Term III

45. Google Group - that thread of poetry, decide the color theme for farewell, sanjay mail and electives!!

46. My first PPT in RD's class and That Tata Ace ppt in DRSS

47. Getting my PnG offer!

48. Aastha-Sandeep Reception at IIM S

49. Group J Bonding!

50. My room G3 with FedEx posters

51. My speech of Go and Win it in Kakoty Sir's class

52. Pan Cakes with PePe

53. 1st Anniversary Celebrations!!

54. DiG logo with Debu and Adi on Diwali and our justification to Keya Ma'am
55. Mumbai Chapter outings esp. the HRC one!
56. Living on bananas, ganne ka juice and samosa pao at Andheri Station with Lakho
57. Sitting on Marine Drive with Swarno & Lakho
58. KD playing TT with me, of course!!
59. My one and only Blackout!
60. Sitting in Mittal room to discuss things that bothered us.
61. Working on brochure with KayP on the last day of year1!
62. That Biryani outing with Adi, Kd, Saumya, Girish on last day of year1.. never got that kind of Biryani!
63. DRSS class bashing of placecomm and subsequent 'reaction' of mine :P
64. Going to the up-hill mess during times of Typhoid and Chicken Pox!
65. Arya Store..!! I will definitely miss it and many of us will for sure!
66. and last but not the least our awesome66 blog: http://iims-pgp09-connect.blogspot.com/

So decided to end with 66... Wonder how many of them I am still carrying in my head. Countless!!

Meaningless

2011-02-25T21:50:00.004+05:30

I have been watching the TV Series Dexter for about three weeks now. Yesterday, one of the characters had a particular dialogue- "Truth speaks to me from a quiet place." How true was that. It immediately connected somewhere inside. I have been trying to write something but in vain. Always disturbed by the loud music that is a constant in otherwise very dynamic place where I live. Life is not a straight line, almost never. It has that ever changing character of it. At different points in our lives, we feel constrained by the very freedom that the life bestows on us. We are free to choose our counter actions to anything that bothers us. But ultimately we feel tied up with our own manifestations of that freedom.

We want to, but whether or not we need to becomes the bigger question to confront. What is right and what is wrong start to seem so meaningless. In fact, what would be perceived as right and what would be perceived as wrong is where our choice lies. It is that feeling of always playing to the gallery and not really playing for oneself. I might be sounding like an idiot but there is always a struggle between the fake and the real, both tied to our own self. I am really not sure whether this makes sense to anyone. But it makes perfect sense to me. Yes, I am not a great writer to write in a way that you understand and appreciate. But for once, just let me write for myself. Why is always that thought of whether you will understand it bothers me and for that matter everyone. Why a communication requires two parties to perfectly understand the message. Why don't we just let it go, meaningless and abstract, the way I want it to be!

If - Rudyard Kipling

2011-02-11T21:42:00.008+05:30

Came across this poem and really liked it.. Would like to come back some day and read it on my lost pages :)

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Why do sports need heroes?

2011-01-23T10:30:00.017+05:30

Do sports need a hero to prosper? Isn't sport a sum of bits and pieces of top quality players, sweating it out on a playing surface. Won't a sport be better off by giving a fair playing level to each & everyone who competes? Why do we crave for champions who once in a while make the game 'their own', for a while become bigger than the idea of that sport? Why do we willingly submit ourselves to the sheer dominance of just an individual in an era which otherwise champions the cause of freedom and democracy. Why do sports need a hero to survive? The answer is as mystical & abstract as the idea of the champion itself.

The likes of Sachin, Federer, Messi & Tiger Woods are the ones who are testimony to the point I want to draw home. It is impossible to imagine the game without them. What is that makes their effort seems super-human? When players like these say good bye to their art, it leaves a gap which seems unsurmountable for centuries. Yet, the game goes on and literally gives birth to another champion. The very idea of sport is not all about competition, it is not about topnotch warfare tactics. It is about the beauty with which Sachin plays that straight drive or a Federer hits those impossible winners from the baseline. It is the effortlessness with which they play that makes champions seem to be free from certain physical laws and boundaries of human mind.

In one of the interviews, Roger Federer said that one thing he always remembers is that he is never bigger than the game itself. But, purely from a spectator's perspective, today's tennis is about him. Would you settle for anything lesser. Would you? My answer is no. How many times do people in India leave the game as soon as Sachin departs. How many times do they continue watching Sachin score a century even if sure of an Indian defeat. Well, we do that all the time. We are mere followers of the champions, not the game itself. It is a controversial statement to make but just a passing thought of our own sporting heroes will lay credence to this statement.

Look at Tiger Woods. He dominated the sport of Golf like no one had before him. But when he fell from grace, what an impact he had to the game. He returned to professional golf after a while. He was the same guy, with the same skill but hasn't been able to match his own standards, let alone that of new rising stars. The truth is that the heroes themselves draw their greatness from their followers. We, as the crowd that sits all around the stadium, give them their champion status. We are never an unbiased crowd. We love underdogs and we love champions. That is what is the definition of a 'good contest' for us.

A good example of what I wrote in the last paragraph is what Andre Agassi said in his retirement speech. He said," The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what it is I have found. And over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty. You have willed me to succeed sometimes even in my lowest moments. You have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for dreams, dreams I could have never reached without you."

Be it any sport, it needs heroes to take it to newer levels, to transcend new boundaries. A sport needs heroes whom crowds worship, whom they can look up to, whom they can cheer on during the game. We, the mortals, are always looking for idols of worship. A fair game is not the game we look for. We look for the champions who possess the game more than the game possess them.

Super Sunday

2011-01-22T21:31:00.006+05:30

Just finished my dinner, stole my regular gond-laddu from Nagu's room, filled my small-is-beautiful watermelon water bottle, made my bed to sit back and write about the kind of day I had. Hmm... sounds like highly jobless and uninspiring.

But, in some sense, today has been a special day. On one hand, I am so happy for some of my friends. It is so relieving to see those tense faces turn into beautiful gtalk smileys. But on the other hand, I have had to sit with some of my other friends and console them. It is usually said that tough times do not last, tough people do. But all these literary marvels fall flat on their face when you are wearing the shoe that pinches, & pinches hard.

Fate is the milestone where the rubber meets the road. The reality is cruel and seldom puts any options before us. The time has been really good and I just wish that it continues in the same spirit. Only thing I tell my friends is to keep their head and heart in the right place. But, then again, it is far more easier said than done. It is very silent in here right now. No one is playing weird songs and no one is shouting in the corridor. I feel awkward. For reasons that I can't put here, I am perturbed by some negative influences who affect you even when they are not here. Just chuck!

Other than that, in terms of cricket, today was a Super Sunday. Two exceptionally competitive matches played today. Tempers ran high, and today was one of those days when I was seeing the ball like a football. The ball was coming nicely on the bat and after a long time, I felt very very satisfied. Yeah, the sledging was there but all within limits. I guess when adrenaline is high, these things just happen.

What else! ended the day with Dhobi Ghat. A huge injustice meted out to a possibly good script. This could have been much better handled. I am not an art movie critic but the movie was lifeless, boring and other such adjectives can be used to describe the torture Dhobi Ghat is. Anyways, now thinking what to do next! Have no idea...

www.thelostpages.in

2011-01-11T14:48:00.002+05:30

Well, it is important. It is an important moment for my blog. It finally has its name on the web and thus integrates with this seemingly ever connected world wide web. It is like having an identity in a crowd, standing tall with pride.

The best part is that it is earned. The Directi competition in which we virtually broke all records of spamming lead to we getting our own domain names and websites. And more than the happiness of getting a prize, it was the beginning of the time when you are spoilt for choice. Sitting in the class, what will be my website's name was all I was thinking for a week! Some suggested monetize it, some said make it your CV on the web. Hmm... but I have that bad habit, of thinking too much but finally taking the decision in a moment, just like switching on a bulb. And the bulb said, go for thelostpages.in and so did I, finally!

And oh yeah, I ended up designing the blog one time more. And quite frankly it was my biggest effort till date for designing and playing with the XML codes. The template you see has been modified a lot, literally from a black background to a white one. And I am happy with it. It looks sober and looks good! Even Keshav said it looks fine. That is such a relief :P

Anyways, just enjoying the new identity or should I say the improved identity :).. cya!

December Rains

2010-12-30T11:58:00.016+05:30

Just another 40 hours and the decade will be over. Hmm.. time to just squeeze in one more post it seems :P. About what? just random stuff I guess. Would like to begin with the awesome weather this morning in Ludhiana. Yes, Shillong's rains are awesome but there is something special about December rains in Punjab, don't know what but it kind of gives a very happy feeling.

Being at home all day, watching cricket 24x7 was pretty much what I did. Boxing day test matches at MCG and Durban were just a viewer's delight. Absolute treat to eyes! On one hand were the once-mighty Aussies kneeling down to the now-dominant Englishmen. On the other hands were the roaring Indians firmly establishing their No. 1 status in the world to South Africans who started the chit chat in the first place. It has been a wonderful last week when it comes to cricket!

Sreesanth getting Kallis out off a snorter with Kallis's body bending in Ultra Motion is a clip which will be played zillion of times over and over again. It was that ball that defined the Indian pride in that match. On the other hand, despite me not liking him, my heart went out to Ponting after his terrible Ashes loss and the subsequent interview of his. He has done many a wrong and as per the Indian notion of Karma, it just comes back at you. But it was sad to see one of the greats of the game so jaded and leaving almost it to the fate. My personal opinion is that he should leave captaincy for now and concentrate on his game but somehow things don't happen that way down under. Let us just wait and watch on that front.

From cricket to social networking, it has been a boring facebook and twitter for me! The holidays seem boring with virtually none of the classmates online. And it is that realization that all of this will seem boring once we get busy with our daily lives. But may be the internet access will make a difference. Seriously hope so! I just keep refreshing my facebook and twitter pages for some new updates but in vain.

Over to food now. It is great to be back and one of the major drivers is definitely food cooked by mom. It is heavenly. Nothing really beats it. From paranthas with white makhhan in the morning to gazar ka halwa in evening, it is just out of this world feeling! I have been relishing it for the past few days and gained some weight :P. As I read on facebook the other day - People get all fussy about what they eat between Christmas & New Year. But what they should really care about is what they eat between New Year & Christmas!.

On a personal front, things have been changing fast :). Will post whenever the right time comes. Cya for now, enjoying the rains once again. B'bye...