Passionate Unpredictability

2011-10-08T21:51:00.002+05:30

So I finally got my underwater housing which I will be using to take pics during my next scuba dive. The entire housing looks quite big but is very simple and easy to use. I was really fascinated by the fact that all the functions of the camera are available on the outside of the housing like zoom, shutter speed, aperture control and even the flash light. The camera has a 7.1 optical zoom and the housing has space available for the lens to expand during the zoom. Understandably, I am even more excited now and can't wit for Friday to come when I go and dive in the sea on the coast of Abu Dhabi. Will definitely be posting pictures and experiences from that dive.

First Fun Scuba Dive

2011-10-02T00:11:00.000+05:30

So this morning I went for my 5th and 6th scuba dives. This was the first time I was diving without an instructor and was literally left in the water to explore the seas along with my buddy, Irfan. The dives were each about 50-55 minutes long and I enjoyed them very much. From the moment I hit the water, I felt as if I was born to do this. Going up and down in the coral bed, watching the fish and feeling the flow of water all around me is a sensational experience. One, which I have been lucky enough to enjoy. I felt as if I am one of them, one of the thousands of fish in the water.

I was careful not to disturb the fish when I was there but I could see they were aware of my presence in the water. Sometimes they would look at me looking at them and admiring their colour and behaviour. At other times they would just ignore me and go about their business as if to say "yeah, we have seen plenty of humans like you".One particularly large fish chose to follow us around in the water. It was as if it had decided that it would see what we were up to and make sure we don't do any harm to its home. I hope I was able to prove its suspicions wrong.

I am really looking forward to more fun dives and interacting with these fish species on a regular basis. Until the next time then. Ciao.

Scuba Diving #2

2011-09-05T22:21:00.002+05:30

So I finally got my Scuba diving Open water course license last week and it was quite an experience. After the chummy and not so fun first dive, I was prepared a bit better and had lots of fluids in my system before the dive. I also took an anti-seasickness pill to keep things under control. The 4 dives over the course of 4 days were just to good to be put into words. The visibility was not of the highest quality because of the sand and the clutter in the water due to construction activities. But the atmosphere was splendid. The fish, the corals and the sparkling light filtering into the water all have to be experienced. I wish I had an under water camera to get some snaps of the beautiful under water world. Maybe, that is one thing I can invest in to enhance the diving experience.
I have met some wonderful people through this activity of mine. The saying that divers know how to have fun down under is so very true. Now I plan to explore some other waters of the world. On the list is Oman, UAE and some other spots in Asia. Hopefully will be keeping readers up to date.

Scuba Diving #1

2011-08-20T22:10:00.000+05:30

So this summer I decided to get out of my house and tackle the sun and heat and humidity of Abu Dhabi in a kickass way. I enrolled for a scuba diving lesson at a nearby PADI centre and it has been quite some experience. I had to go through some reading material and give some theory tests before entering the swimming pool with my scuba equipment for a couple of confined diving lessons. You are taught some really cool skills like underwater movement, breathing, some emergency skills too. The instructor I have is a South African and he is a very fun loving always laughing kinda guy.

After two sessions in the pool, we went to the open sea at a site called the Delta Buoy. The boat trip was about half an hour long and the weather was sultry to say the least. I was on empty stomach and felt a bit dizzy. Still I decided to dive at that site and see what happens inside the ocean. I did not want to miss my first dive for whatsoever reason. So I got my gear on and jumped in. The water was warm but visibility was very poor about 4-5 metres at best. The ocean floor was about 9-10 metres deep and once we reached the bottom there was corals and jellyfish galore. We played with a few sea urchins and swam a bit as part of our first dive. I started feeling uneasy again and at the same moment, a friend of mine even got stung by the jellyfish. We surfaced immediately and put some vinegar onto the cut. The pain receded in some time and he was okay. But I was not. The heat and the water got to me and I felt really nauseated and puked a couple of times. The instructor told me it happens with many first timers and I should not be worried about it. He gave me some meds and told me to sleep in the shade in the boat. As a result I could not go for the second dive which was in much calmer, cleaner waters. I will give it another go next week. The good thing is that it happened with me the first day and now I will be prepared for the worst both mentally and physically.

The excitement is still there and I am itching to get the certification done and do some fun dives all over the world.

Epiphany

2011-08-17T20:47:00.000+05:30

It has been a long time I have not written anything philosophical. I found this piece on the internet and thought of sharing with you.

Whenever you feel bad about something that someone has done to you, rather than blaming that person and thinking of them as being a bad person, remember that people are here just to show you a mirror,reflecting the part within you that wants to feel a certain way. You may think: why would l want to feel worthless or have someone nag at me?? Well, if you take a deep breath and think about it, you will realize that you have a habit of putting yourself down and nagging at yourself, even if you don't say it aloud, you are sending out energy and vibrations that say "I'm unworthy of love, appreciation and respect...I need to be nagged on do things...I'm not good enough".

Everyone else is just responding to these vibrations and helping you become aware of your own relationship with yourself, so that you can see this and start to change your feelings about yourself. Everyone is here to help us to recognize our own deeper beliefs about ourselves, so think of it as a favor that they do for you so that you can see what needs to be fixed within you and become more whole and complete within yourself. Once your relationship with yourself improves, it will transform all other relationships in your life.

by Zimmy Khan

What is Wrong with the Indian Cricket Team?

2011-08-12T15:41:00.000+05:30

A little more than 4 months ago, I was ecstatic at what my favourite cricket team had achieved. We had won the world cup and were the number one side in test cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India was (still is) the strongest and the richest board in the world. Our batsmen were the best, bowling better than most and even the captain was considered the coolest and smartest. In short everything was shining and success and glory was everywhere you looked. Be it ODIs, test cricket or even the T20 in which we had the most attractive domestic tournaments in the world (the IPL).
So what has changed since then? Why do I need to write a blog post about things that are wrong with this team? In the last 3 weeks this team has been humbled by an English team who have been rising steadily and improving remarkably for some time now. The way the English won the last Ashes spoke a lot about the quality of their test team. It is understandable that India are missing a few crucial performers due to injury and fatigue but that can not be taken as an excuse for a poor showing. So what is wrong with this team?
First and foremost, this Indian team is not improving in skill and quality. In my opinion every player in this team has given their best performances in the past and yes I am counting the youngsters as well. Unless they work on their technique and skill I don't see them giving a better performance in the future. Even SRT, Dravid and Laxman need to give world class performances everytime they step in or else their ageing bodies will take a toll on the team. Secondly, the team is tired at this point of time because of lack of bench strength. So many players play all the three formats throughout the year and it causes mental and physical fatigue. Change of coaching staff may also have an impact and what Duncan Fletcher will do to change that remains to be seen. Mind also goes to the fact that after so much success, have the players forgotten what it was to work hard in times of hardship? I hope not but I fear they have.

Dropped catches in the third session of the day speaks of low confidence and concentration, which you don't really associate with the Wall. Lethargic body language and hands in the pocket were so common in the field. This post should not be considered as a criticism in bad times, because we all have done that a lot. We Indians love to hack the team when they don't do well, but this is something totally different. This performance is so bad I can say for sure, I have never seen such shoddiness in my lifetime. Comments and replies are most welcome.

Tennis Remembrances

2011-05-31T21:27:00.002+05:30

While I waited for the Federer vs Monfils QF to start at French Open 2011, mind wandered to how I started watching Tennis for the first time. Monica Seles being stabbed comes to mind, so does watching an oldish Martina Navratilova playing beautiful tennis at Wimbledon. But the reason I really started watching tennis was because of Pete Sampras and his rivalry with Andre Agassi. The constant battles in every grand slam was fun to watch and I was a Sampras fan through and through. One of the main reasons I hate Federer so much is that he took the title form Sampras. I know Pete was getting old and all that but hey we all have our reasons right?

Legendary names like Henman, Courier, Ivanisevic, Hingis, Sanchez Vicario and many more came to mind. Hearty thanks to Abhinav for reminding me of the good ol' days when there was no Fedex and no Nadal. As far as the present goes I remain loyal to the spanish rockstar, Nadal. Federer is on a decline and I don't think he will be able to win a single slam this year.

Head Lice and Bands

2011-05-11T23:10:00.000+05:30

While chatting with fellow EA members from the US, UK and Australia I came upon a piece of information I was not aware about my nic name. Nits as most of my friends call me is another name for Head Lice. However, as I work in a Dutch organisation I also came to know that there is a very popular band called the Nits. Of course we in India have National Institute of Surathkal which shortens to NITS as well. In short wherever I go I am super popular.

Its amazing sometimes how if you talk to people from different countries they have different opinions and understandings of the same thing. I still love this nic and thank a certain Anshul from Chandigarh to have given me this legendary name.

Fast Five and The Rock

2011-05-06T12:53:00.001+05:30

The jabroni beating, pie eating, trail blazing, eye brow raising, the best in the present, future and past, and if ya’ll don’t like me you can kiss the people’s ass!

Fast and Furious 5 is one hell of a movie. So much so that I who usually don't have an opinion about non SRK flicks have been forced to write a blog. And its all because of one man. Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock. He and Vin Diesel are magnificent in the movie. The action is mind blowing and the charisma both of them bring to the screen is incomparable. When they were exchanging punches you couldn't decide who will come tops in the end.

But for me the movie was more about the man from Cali, the man who charmed me and my brother in our childhoods and the man who referred himself as the most electrifying man in sports and entertainment. His and HHH's was so important to us that we learnt all their moves and styles. We even had a championship belt. The rock bottom and the People's elbow were our favorite moves and we even learnt to talk trash from him. Some quotes went like "The Rock’s gonna take your monkey ass down to the corner of Know Your Role Boulevard and Jabroni Drive and check you in to the Smackdown Hotel!". Some of his more famous punchlines included:

"Finally the Rock has come back to ............. (the place where he was :D)"

"The Rock says ...................(usually something to cheer the crowd and insult HHH)"

"If you smellllllllllllll what the rock is cooking". This was also the starting of his entry music.

He was one wrestler who wasn't really interested in girls. He was the people's man and even though we knew it was scripted every time rock would land the elbow on the chest we both loved him and cheered for him.

The movie is awesome but for Rock lovers it is more than that. Go For it Today 5/5

is IPL good or bad??

2011-05-01T22:05:00.000+05:30

I would like to refer to an article written by Sanjay Manjrekar about the IPL. he said IPL gives the opportunity for ex cricketers to earn a livelihood and thus sustain their lives and those of their families. He was talking about people who find themselves like fish out of water when they are away from the cricketing field. In some ways he is right. Imagine an I-banker who is forced to work as a civil engineer after 15 years of working as a big shot in the investment world. Let's now look at the other end of the spectrum. The young players who are trying to find their feet in the world of cricket. For them IPL is a great opportunity to show their talents and make a claim for a spot at the international level.
But what about the people who are currently in the international playing XIs. What about the Malingas and the Gayles and the Dhonis and the Rainas. Everyone of those cricketers are just tired because of so much game time. At the end of the day they too want to rest and spend some time with their families. This is precisely one of the reasons why some of the international cricketers are taking voluntary retirement from their international careers.
The lure of the money is there and it creates a feeling of unprofessionalism in the players' minds. The fact that national contracts of year long do not pay any way near the month long contracts of the IPL or for that matter other lucrative leagues in Australia and WI and England. The fact that so much money sometimes brings in people with malicious ideas (read match fixing, spot fixing) into the picture. What the cricketing world does to tackle this problem will be very interesting to see in the coming years. Will we see some more Lalit Modis and Suresh Kalmadis or whether the bad time for cricket and IPL is behind us.

How different are weddings?

2011-04-30T19:06:00.000+05:30

I never thought I would be blogging about a wedding especially after the Royal wedding itself. This blog thankfully has nothing to do with the Will-Kate show in England. This is about the way weddings are conducted in different countries across the world. Now why did I think I should write about? Actually in my office of about 500 people, an astonishing 25 countries are represented and people of some nationalities have a little more to say than the others. Hence I was sitting with a Pakistani and a Dutch and somehow we started to discuss our customs and traditions and all those womany stuff which I never thought I would discuss during office hours.

The Pakistani guy had recently attended a family wedding and was sharing his pictures with us. while seeing the pics the Dutch guy was amazed at the colorful dresses and backgrounds and the jewelry and 1000 dishes for the guests. He commented that it looks like a village fair and quietly asked "what would such a procession cost?" At that we tried explaining to the Dutch guy about the reasons and importance of such color and what great value it holds for people from India and Pakistan. The dutch guy then told me what I already knew about how weddings are done in the West. Both the girl and the boy leave home after 18 and have to fend on their own. When they think its time to marry they inform all their relatives of the date, time and venue and lo! the wedding is done.

If we were to compare the weddings of commoners in India/Pakistan and UK/USA apart from the color and the noise and the celebrations the cost would be a big difference as well. Of course India being such a big country there are vast differences geographically and culturally in the magnitude and the way weddings are done. North Indians (where I come from) are famous for big shot weddings with a lot of dancing, jewelry, fancy dresses, fireworks, lot of dowry (I don't support it) and plenty of egos involved. In the south and eastern India the color and the flavor is the same if not more but the amount of money involved is not as much.

With the wedding season hitting its peak in India I do have a lots of wedding invitations lined up. Also some of my dearest friends and cousins will be marrying in the coming 2-3 years. It was really interesting to have such a discussion in the places I least expected. I hope I get to attend some European or American wedding as well. Do share your experiences.

The Hangover

2010-02-27T04:23:00.000+05:30

Its been more than two days now since Sachin made 200 but I am still not over it. Have seen his batting highlights about 15 times and read around 50 blogs/articles on the innings. Have been discussing the innings and the entire career of the little champion with any and everyone who is interested to talk about it. I dunno if I have gone mad or what but this elation and jubilation does not seem to end. People have written about him getting a Bharat Ratna, honouring him with knighthood, compared him to Sir Don and the rest, but all this is nothing. If anything all these awards will attain a whole new definition if these were given to Sachin. I mean how would another Ian Botham or a Gary Sobers even think of being called "Sir" after SRT is knighted? Would it not be unfair to the rest of the world to be compared to the legendary maestro of Indian cricket.

All this feels like a very long and pleasing hangover, when every little thought is filled of those off drives, those flicks on the leg side off yorker length balls and that subdued "I know I have done it" reaction along with scenes of people dancing with joy and cursing Dhoni at the same time.

I just wonder what goes on in his mind. He knows everything about people's expectations which started even when he was in his teens. He knows everything about how people react to his scores. He knows what bowler will bowl which ball to him. He also knows that by scoring that double ton he has probably (and I use this word because it is Sachin we are talking about) surpassed all levels of individual brilliance that are there to achieve in this great game. For people like me who have grown watching him bat and breaking records, it was a matter of time when something like this happened. Yes, we were a bit impatient in the late 90s when we thought our hero was at his peak (like all mortals are in their 20s) and would lead our country to glory. Maybe then he was just learning about his own game and saving his best for a very special chapter in this magical journey. Or maybe he really is an incarnation of Vishnu and has his own way of showing his "Leela". Whatever it is, I am waiting and so is the entire country. God or not, the weight of expectations just increased a thousand times on Sachin's shoulders, but don't worry HE knows it as well.

200 Not Out

2010-02-24T23:24:00.000+05:30

After 39 odd years of limited overs cricket this record has finally been shattered. People have tried to accomplish it in the past. Saeed Anwar and Charles Coventry (who really??) came so close but gave it away. Brain Lara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shahid Afridi, Viv Richards, and many many more "attacking" batsmen have been considered as people who could one day breach the 200 run barrier. But they were not able to. Either they lacked the skill or the desire will never be known. 24th February 2010, the day when this landmark was taken down by none other than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

He who is called as the GOD by his followers, he who has graced the game of cricket for more than 20 years and he who has been told to retire from the game by quite a few (if not all) "pundits" of the game. So what is it that our dear GOD has and the others lack. The answer is simple, he is not human. If it were humanly possible it would have been done already. It is not really about the skill and the temperament and the strength but really something else. I find it hard to put it into words at this moment. yes people may one day get as many runs as he has got in this game, yes people may one day score as many 100s but no one can ever even think of being compared to this little champion or come close to getting such adulation from the followers of the game. No other individual has and ever will drive a billion (if not more) people crazy with every stroke. No other cricketer can claim to bring cheer on so many faces all with a flick of the wrist. People stop whatever they are doing just to refresh a website to find the outcome of each and every ball he plays. People say Sir Donald Bradman was the greatest and that his comparing Sachin to himself was a compliment for Sachin. I wonder what if right now Sir Don was thinking "Ha!! what a fool I was to think I batted like him".

Critics want him to step down, fans want him to play. I just wonder what he wants to do next. I just wonder if he does win the WC next year what will he do next. I just wonder...

When is the New Year?

2009-12-29T20:23:00.001+05:30

So I was gone for a month from the blogspot but I am back. This time the festive atmosphere has brought a new and crazy idea into my mind. When should I celebrate the new year?

The question is simple and valid. for the past 22 years I had celebrated new year's eve (NYE) at 23:59 IST, but here in Abu Dhabi the clocks have shifted by 1.5 hours and I am in a fix. Should I celebrate according to the law of the land and disturb my yearly cycle by 1.5 hours or should I celebrate all alone at my usual time and end up feeling stupid and weird? This is a very tricky situation as the first option would mean I would be backstabbing all the happy memories of the past 22 years. I would be separated from my friends and my family and break that invisible heavenly connection and who knows what would happen as a result of all that. The second option would be embarrassing to say the least as I would be raising a toast and embracing 2010 with full enthusiasm while people will think I have gone crazy. Suggestions are invited especially from experienced NRIs.

and before I forget a very happy and prosperous new year to all.

How tolerant are we??

2009-11-26T11:11:00.004+05:30

I was there. In the city of Bombay, forgetting all about my placements, end semester exams and my parents' anniversary. I witnessed the city come to an abrupt standstill at the hands of terrorists like never before. Heroes were lost and not for the first time. The turmoil lasted for 4 days some would say but for many across India and Bombay it still continues. My point however is not "What happened on 26/11?", but "How was it different?". Agreed the magnitude and method was very different, but how WE handled it was much the same. Blame games, sacking of useless politicians and then their reappointment, money being wasted to keep the main accused alive and once again getting manipulated by Pakistan are things that have happened every time. So why is 26/11 any different?

It forced me to think how tolerant are we? How much can we take? Why do people still live in India after all this? Why does everyone who has an opportunity to run away from the country doesn't go? Some would say everything is the same everywhere. Terrorism is everywhere, true, but in other places your leaders do everything in their power to bring the guilty to justice. Some of you would say, that western countries are racists and look at all Asians with a look of suspicion. I remember during my Europe trip my passport was checked at least 3 times on every train and every cop looked at me like a piece of filth. But in my opinion, this life is still better than no life. Moreover, if they didn't look at US like this, they would be terrorized just the same. It is only people looking like you and me who make bombs and blow them too.

Maybe because I am in a different country, maybe it is the 26/11 thing getting to me, but I am feeling a lot more safe here in UAE. I maybe wrong but I havent really heard of many terrorist strikes outside India/Pakistan. Leaves me wondering how much do we Indians can tolerate.

Shukran Allah

2009-11-22T20:42:00.003+05:30

This blog post is dedicated to people preparing for placements and endsems back in India. I wish to thank GOD for giving them me and giving me them. Do well junta and make me proud like I made you proud 1 year back :) God Bless you all.

Some updates from my new life in the middle east:

Food: Mixture of Arabic, Irani, Pakistani, India, Filipino, Chinese and Continental.
Accommodation: Pretty cool, quite literally. Thanks to the pleasantly weird weather, I have to sometimes increase the temperature of the AC.
Work: Getting interesting to say the least.
Football: 2 matches, 3 goals, 2 assists. I don't think anyone can stop me from playing for the company's team :)
Cricket: Can get interesting. Inter Consultancy cup matches take place at the Abu Dhabi International Cricket Ground. However, practice matches are held outside the ground on a cemented pitch where the outfield is sandy. The ball doesn't bounce at all so it is quite horrible to say the least.
Company: As I said before pretty awesome people to hang out with. Played pool and saw Kurbaan. Only 7 working days in the next 2 weeks so should be plenty of fun :)

How old am I??

2009-11-16T20:45:00.003+05:30

In India:
Some arbit fellow (SAF): hello how do you do?
IITian: I am good thanks.
SAF: So what are you doing?
IITian: I am working for an MNC in AbuDhabi.
SAF: wow. How old are you?
IITian: I am 22, am a fresh graduate from IIT.
SAF: nice nice. You IITians are the cream of the country. You must be so proud. Your parents must be so proud.....blah blah blah blah for 20 mins....ends with.... Are you people from the ET??

In UAE:
SAF: hello how do you do?
IITian: I am good thanks.
SAF: So what are you doing?
IITian: I am working for an MNC here in AbuDhabi.
SAF: What?? how old are you?
IITian: I am 22, am a fresh graduate from IIT.
SAF: (shocked, after 5 seconds). Why are you here? Didn't you get a job in India? Did you not study well at college? Do you have some relatives here? Whom do you stay with? It is very important for you to do......blah blah blah blah blah.....

This has happened with me at least 20 times till now, both in India and Abu Dhabi.

20 years of Sachin Tendulkar

2009-11-13T21:00:00.008+05:30

There is so much that has already been said about Sachin and his 20 years in international cricket that anything I blog will be redundant. People have and will talk about the world record he shared with kambli, the last ball over in hero cup '94, the swashbuckling 1996 WC, the desert storm of Sharjah '98, the broken back innings of Chennai '99, the melodious flowing dominating 2003 WC, the latest centuries in Sydney, Chennai and Hyderabad, the Everest of runs in all forms of cricket and the eventuality of him hanging his boots. But nevertheless here is my tribute to my hero and undoubtedly the best cricketer of all times.

What we often forget is that he is a normal human being. He has his family and may need some peaceful privacy in life. Its like in the movie "The Truman Show". He has been constantly observed, loved, criticized, praised, worshiped since he was 14. And how well he has taken the pressure. Just to give an example of the pressure he faced at that time: He was presented batting pads by the world's leading test run scorer and told by many legends of the game that he would play for India. He was sent letters inked in blood saying please don't retire because of the back injury. When Sachin bats trains have been known to stop minutes just to let everyone on board catch up on the action. When he made 15000 runs in ODI cricket the sensex rose to a new high. Every match he plays in the TRP fall down drastically when he gets out.

It will be stupid to say he doesnt realize how much we love him. Of all the people he will know the most how his countrymen have risen and fallen with each of his innings and with each twist and turn of his life and career. We all thank GOD like he does, after reaching a 50/100 or a major landmark. We all wept with him when he lost his father and dedicated the next 100 to him. We all dance with joy at his every dive, every catch, every run he scores. He might just hit one four and get out but for us it is all worth it.

I think the only demon he has left to fight is retirement. And he will fight it with his own style, just like he has been fighting his own demons for the past 20 years. I am not sure if anyone can thank him enough for his contribution to sports in general but Knighthood for Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is the least that should be done.

Thank GOD its Thursday !!!

2009-11-10T20:12:00.004+05:30

I have been dying to write a piece with this title since I came to know that I will be working on Sundays for some time to come. But now that I have started it I don't quite understand what is so special about working on a Sunday. So what you might miss some F1 races and some early starting EPL matches because of office but that's about it. On the plus side you don't have to go through the monday morning blues and you already are having fun on the weekend when the entire world is just waiting for it. So I think its a positive thing.

So, I landed in UAE after 2 days of sleepless turmoil and in the midst of thick fog. I didn't know whether I was dreaming or flying when I came out of the airplane at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. The temperature was about 20 degrees and I was shivering to say the least. The city is awesome to start off. Huge multistory buildings, infinite luxurious taxis, rich people around you all the time, Indian restaurants and shops at every corner and the most important thing is people do know Hindi (or maybe it's Urdu) here. The office is nice and the people around me are too good. I met 4 IITB guys and all are typical IITB junta, I just had to mention that I am from the UK wing and I was accepted. It seems Muchhi-Dopa-Sagu-Khan-Shanty-Anni-Kunnu are internationally famous these days.

After 1 full year I will have the opportunity to wear those thick leather gloves again and stand behind the sticks to keep wickets. Apart from cricket, inter-company football tourneys also occur and the center forward in me is getting excited again. I do miss some people back in India. I have their pics on my comp and on my table here. Don't know if all the feelings are reciprocated but I guess in life you can't get everything you want. To end on a brighter note, some more guys are coming from IITB and after that there is no stopping this gang of chilled out Indians in a chilled out place.

We’re all the same people, yaar

2009-11-03T17:22:00.006+05:30

While watching the Pakistan vs New Zealand cricket match taking place in Abu Dhabi, I was wondering what people of Pakistan think about the situation there country is in. Daily suicide attacks killing hundreds of civilians means no cricket can be played in Pakistan because no country thinks it is safe enough to tour. The situation has definitely worsened after the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked some months ago. I wonder why people agree (or should I say don't hesitate as much) in touring India and Sri Lanka where the terror threat is still there, even if not as pronounced as it is in Pakistan. Is it because of the mindset of people of the respective countries or is it because of the very different history of the two countries?

History: Post 1947 Pakistan attached itself to the US and became a toy in the hands of the US authorities. On the other hand India did not align itself to any of the cold-warring countries and headed the Non-Alignment-Moment. It was because of this approach that both countries progressed so differently in the years following independence. Pakistan was constantly used as a playground by the US for keeping watch on erstwhile USSR and Afgan rebels and Chinese development. India on the other hand developed independent trade policies and laid the foundation for an economic superpower.

People: The difference of mindset in people is evident from the fact that Indians value and respect heroes from all religions and cultures. In India a Dilip Kumar can change his name to A.R. Rehman at the age of 21 and still be worshiped. In India Sampooran Singh Kalra changes his name to Gulzar so as to not lose himself in blind religious prejudice and fanaticism, and then go on to be the most successful and praised individual in his field. Rehman, Gulzar and another muslin Resool Pookutty won oscars early this year and the entire country went mad. I cannot remember any such incident in the history of Pakistan. In fact Yousuf Yohanna concerted to Islam and became Mohammad Yousuf.

We Indians define ourselves by nationality, they define themselves by religion. We often hear that people from India and Pakistan are the same in every sense just separated by a border. Both countries and people have similar lifestyle, similar tastes, similar perspective about things. But really??

Acknowledgments: "Counterpoint" by Vir Sanghvi (must read, though some opinions are very harsh and might be unacceptable to many)

32 Beautiful Moments

2009-10-31T23:39:00.009+05:30

So the day started and players came out to warm up. The maestro came and the crowd erupted. He carried two bats under his arm, some would say a child carried two toys, some would say a warrior carried two swords. Each catch he took, each ball he fielded and each time he rolled his arm during the hour long warm up it was as if the crowd was already getting their money's worth.

And then it was time to field. Ponting opened the innings, powerplays happened and there were 15 men on the field; my eyes were set on Sachin and Sachin alone. To be frank I don't know when I will see him in action live again.

He fielded at short midwicket and tried the underarm back flick (azar style) to run out watson. On realizing what he had done, he sheepishly looked at Sehwag and giggled as if to say "Am I not allowed to have fun".
Whenever he went to the boundary and about 1000 people went mad.
During the drinks break, all the foster girls came to him first and offered him a drink.
Bhajji got angry at everybody who misfielded and always looked at Sachin as if to say "kuchh to sikhao inko "

And then he batted... 32 beautiful runs to say the least. The square cut for four, the flick of the hips for four, the square drive and the cover drive, that ever so sweet sound only one bat in the history of cricket can produce (and I could hear it even from the third tier). But alas like all good things it ended. One bad judgement and it was over. Maybe it was the appetizer before the big one at Mohali.

The fact that I left the stadium soon after Sachin got out, makes me think what I will do once he retires. Maybe then people in my life won't get jealous of him.

You will never walk alone

2009-10-30T13:37:00.004+05:30

Yesterday I had a dream. I was walking alone, wondering why I am so alone always. I was wondering what I did to deserve this, to be left alone in each and every step of my life. I wanted some answers so I turned to GOD. Here is what happened.

Me: Dear GOD, why am I always so lonely?
GOD: Why do you say so dear? Just close your eyes and look around you.

I did. I saw a pair of footsteps behind me.

GOD: See. I am always with you. Wherever you go, wherever you are and in whatever you do. Don't worry you will never walk alone.

I was calmed. I walked on peacefully. But then after a moment I realized I was standing on the edge of a raging river. I looked around again, hopeful. But alas, there were no two sets of footprints, only one, mine. I started to panic. I asked GOD "where are you? You said you will always be with me".

GOD: Son, I am always there with you. I am carrying you on my shoulders and will help you cross this troublesome river. Those footprints aren't yours, they are mine. Don't worry you will never walk alone.

2 states

2009-10-28T12:47:00.004+05:30

Being an IITian it was very difficult for me to like Chetan Bhagat's earlier books. Maybe that was the reason I did not complete "5 point someone", took weeks to complete "One night at the call centre" and gave "The 3 mistakes of my life" a total miss. So when I got "2 states" as a birthday gift I could not help but show a little frustration. Only because this book was about 250 pages and that I had some really pressing issues which I did not want to think about, I buckled up and started the book mainly as a distraction from my worldly troubles. I thought "how bad can a real life story about a love marriage be".

Well to say the least it was awesome, totally awesome. Every page has that subtle humour which you will appreciate if you belong to a punjabi family or if you are pissed off easily by south indians. Some would call the book racist, but I think Bhagat has made fun of both the states without actually making anyone mad. Punjabis are projected as outgoing, happy chaps but too concerned about their image in the society. Tamilians are projected as down to earth people with such a simple lifestyle that they tend to get boring most of the time. For me the highlight of the book was the troubled father son relationship and how they come around in the end. Another good thing about the book is that at no place does it talk about IITians being Gods or superhumans.

Give it a read, you will definitely smile a lot (if you manage to get the humour) and if you really connect you might shed a tear or two.

Things I will miss and won't

2009-10-25T23:13:00.002+05:30

As I prepare to leave India, I can't help but jot down things which I will and will not miss in Abu Dhabi

Things I will miss for sure:

Having someone who cares for you and whom you want to care for, near you and reachable all the time
Watching cricket matches live at Kotla and Wankhede
Homemade kheer, halwa and rajmachawal
Gossiping with college friends about college friends
Standing up for the national anthem before movies in cinemas
Comparing Delhi with Bombay and concluding that both are cooler than Chennai and Calcutta combined

Things I will not miss for sure:

Crazy noisy traffic in Delhi, Bombay, Chennai and for that matter every bloody road
Sad bureaucracy (read corruption) in every aspect of life
Sick mentality of Indian men to overpower Indian women by hook or by crook
Stupid family values which make children hide things from their own parents
Even more stupid family values which make sure you are surrounded by relaitves when you want to be alone
Friends who show care but don't really care about your existence
People looking at you after you have told them you are from IIT as if you told them you are from ET

Love is Life

2009-10-24T13:01:00.003+05:30

Wrote poetry after ages. Was afraid people might find it funny and childish but someone told me it was good. So posting it here.

Love is revelation, Love is jubilation

If you find true love, your life becomes a celebration.

You want to ride the wind and soak in the rains,

You don’t care about lack of sleep or ever-lasting pains.

Priorities change, thoughts and ideas transform

Your friends think you’ve gone bonkers; it’s as if you are reborn.

It’s a time when nothing goes wrong, and life is bliss

Only if it was so easy, soon something is amiss

There is no time for that cricket match, or that late night poker game

You can’t go for parties anymore; your friends will never be the same

The fights begin, make you wonder is this what you wanted?

Where is the happiness? Why are you always haunted?

Wanting to end it, you try real hard

To take hold of your life, and get even more jarred.

You wonder if all the effort is worth a nickel or dime

And the answer is affirmative within no time

How can you let go the smile you would die for

That giggle that twinkle that soul so pure.

You fight with yourself, trying to sort things out

And only when it’s meant to be, will things work out.

Understanding, care, adjustment all comes with time,

It’s a mutual thing, my joys are yours, your pains are mine.

Slowly and steadily everything falls into place

You find a source of motivation, strength and solace.

Friends tease you but I’d say whatever!

There’s great joy in that too, you’ve found someone forever.

I wish everyone could find their true loves

Find their little angels or cute white doves

Ulta Pulta Ek Samaan

2009-09-17T21:32:00.007+05:30

A sad attempt at making a few ambigrams :D Do give feedback. Also suggest more words that you would want me to kill my time with :P

Sachin vs Bradman

2009-09-07T22:50:00.004+05:30

Those who know me know that I am a Sachin Tendulkar fan and a very big one. There is no doubt in my mind that Tendulkar is the greatest batsmen ever. But there are a few people who think Sir Donald Bradman was the greatest of all time. I would like to disagree. Here is a small comparison. Please tell me what you think of it.

Pressure: Sachin plays every innings under huge pressure. 1 billion people expect him to perform in each and every match, be it against the Aussies or Bangladesh. To perform consistently for 20 years is no joke!!! Bradman never had such pressure during his whole career apart from maybe the Bodyline series and in his last innings against England. Just look what pressure did to him. His average, which was usually over 100 in most series, came down to just 52 in Bodyline and he couldn't score 4 runs in his last innings with the whole world watching.

Number of Matches: Bradman played 52 tests in 20 years whereas Sachin has played 159 tests in the same period. Back then the players easily got 8-10 days of gap in between 2 tests. In one year only 4-5 tests were played and to add to it there were NO ODIs. Nowadays there are so many matches and Sachin has played all of them since his debut in 1989. It is only recently that he has started to take breaks from ODI series but he still plays all the test matches for India.

Position of Batting: Bradman usually came at no.3 or no.4 and mostly when the score were 176/1 or 217/2 No pressure!! Sachin usually came at no.4 and mostly when India had lost both the openers and the scoreboard looked like 20/2!!! In ODIs Sachin opens and has the pressure of laying the foundation and setting the trend for the innings.

Opposition: Bradman played mostly against England and he got used to that bowling. So he scored over 5000 runs against them with an average of around 92. He played one series against each of the minnows of that time (India, South Africa and West Indies) and scored heavily against them. He never played in Indian sub-continent against Indian spinners. Moreover, excluding Larwood, Bradman never played any quality bowlers. Whereas, Sachin played against the likes of Ambrose-Walsh-Bishop, Wasim-Waqar-Akhtar, Warne-McGrath-Lee-Gilespie, Donald-Pollock-Steyn and Vaas-Murali-Mendis. His overseas record is as good as his home record. Also the standard of fielding is far better than it was in that time!

Style of Cricket: In the times Bradman played, cricket was not limited to 5 days and so there was no pressure on teams to enforce a result. So a player could play for as long as he wanted and didn’t want to get out. We all know if Sachin decides this no one can get him out, remember the 241* against Australia in 2004, in which he curbed off side stroke play because the ball was swinging. If Tendulkar had played in the era of Bradman, he would easily have an average above 100.

Time: The greatest teacher ever

2009-09-05T20:40:00.006+05:30

The syllable gu means shadows
The syllable ru, he who disperses them,
Because of the power to disperse darkness
the guru is thus named.

– Advayataraka Upanishad 14—18, verse 5

This post is a tribute to all my teachers who have directly or indirectly influenced me. These include my parents, my grandparents, my friends, my educators, my idols, my heroes and last but not the least, people whom I dislike. But I have realized that each second in your life teaches you something or the other. For instance:

Standing on a local train station teaches you about the daily struggles people have to go through in a day.
Visiting the hospital to visit a doctor for a minor headache teaches you the extent of suffering present in the world.
A visit to an airport terminal teaches you how people long to be with their loved ones.

On this day let us not forget about those small incidents which teach us a lot of things, which our teachers or elders will never be able to teach us. These things are only taught by one thing and that is TIME. I wonder how many of us realize this and value this.

The Fairer Sex

2009-09-02T19:48:00.007+05:30

I am sorry I ever wrote this post. I am deleting this post on public demand. I apologise for my remarks. They were totally uncalled for. I do not understand anything that goes on with girls inside college campuses, primarily because I have never cared enough to find out about it. So, if possible Please forgive me.

Losing My Religion

2009-08-20T22:10:00.005+05:30

Finally I have overcome some terrible and some not so terrible setbacks and have dug deep into the pool of creativity to write this blog on my favorite topic ever: CRICKET. With the success of T20 I have had many debates with cricket haters about the longevity of test and one day cricket as we know them today. There is no doubt about the fact that T20 is more attractive and test cricket is not so. But people (like myself) who love the sledging and planning of a test match, the joy of a hattrick or a double century and that last ball finish after a 7 hour see saw match will beg to differ. I brought this point mainly as this is the hottest point of discussion about cricket at this point of time. In my opinion everybody has a right to watch whatever he likes and we cannot force anything.

To put it differently, many of us don't really like the test/ODI scene today because there are no HEROES playing now. For many of us cricket began in November 1989. Pictures of what went before are too hazy. I remember Imran Khan lifting the World Cup but don't recall what I was doing then. So I can't connect Pakistan's World Cup win to my own life.

Sachin Tendulkar spoilt us. He commanded that we sit in front of the television sets. He ensured we got late with homework, he took care of our lunch-break discussions. Some of us naive schoolboys even thought we would achieve similar feats when we were 16. We got to 16 and continued to struggle with homework. Then came Kumble and the two undertook a teenager-pampering mission not seen in India before. Tendlya walked on water, Jumbo parted seas. When we thought we had seen everything, they reversed roles - Tendlya bowled a nerve-wracking last over, Jumbo played a match winning hand with the bat. One fine day at Lord's we got a glimpse of two new saviors: Delicate Timing and Immaculate Technique. Suddenly my group of eight friends was split into two camps. You were either with Ganguly or Dravid. When we played cricket on the streets, we had a number of choices. Left-handers were thrilled, defensive batsmen were happy, extravagant stroke-makers were delighted, the short boys didn't need to feel left out anymore, spectacles became cool, and freaky bowling actions were no more laughed at.

But alas, every good thing has got to go. With half of the fab four already retired and the geeky Jumbo hanging his boots one of my friends from school told me "Our childhood is ending," and in some way he was probably spot on. Tendulkar's retirement may mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but for a generation of 20-30-year-olds it will mark the end of the first part of their lives. Switching on the television the day after will be a serious challenge.

Acknowledgement: Losing My religion by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan.

Rain Rain Go Away

2009-07-29T13:20:00.007+05:30

For starters let me tell you that the above picture is not of a swimming pool near NH8 but it is an underpass that goes to NH8. This is the condition of most of the low lying areas in some major cities of the country and that too at a time when monsoon is at an all time low and there is water shortage everywhere. Waterlogged roads, cracks in buildings/pillars, traffic jams due to broken pavements are all a common sight in our nation's capital city. Add to this crazy drivers, careless civic authorities and poor infrastructure. What you get is thousands of innocent people wondering whether they actually have any control over their own lives.

The nursery rhyme "Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day, Little Johny Wants to Play" is so true in this scenario. But while we recite this cute rhyme from our childhoods, we must wonder are we the only ones singing it at present. I mean have we ever heard of any other country getting drowning just after a day's rainfall. I guess even countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh have a better infrastructure. We can't just blame our laziness or our enormous population or our "chalta hai attitude" for all this. So whom should we blame? Government (as usual) or ourselves??? Or should we wait till we are stuck in a traffic jam when we can't afford to wait a second or till our own house's wall crumbles due to poor construction or a metro line falls when we are travelling on it? Should we wait for something to happen before we think about whom to blame and what to do?

Think about it.

2 Accidents in 10 days...

2009-07-27T16:39:00.004+05:30

I have always believed in destiny and fate. But never thought I would have to cite examples from my own life in order to illustrate the huge role played in our life by these "saintly devils". Before I begin my tales let me tell you the extent of my belief in destiny. I think that everything that you do and will do is pre-decided at some place. So, it was decided that I will go to IITB, that I will end up in Abhu Dabhi and that I will have some wonderful people as my very good friends. Also it was decided that I will have these really scary accidents but nothing will happen to me.

The first happened when I was on my way to Nainital with Swapnil. We were in a volvo and it was raining cats and dogs. Somewhere in the middle of the night the air conditioning stopped working and I had a feeling that the trip was doomed. Then as if to prove me right, a tree fell in front of the bus while it was going at about 90kmph. The (in)experienced driver swerved sharply and ended up in putting the rear wheels of the bus off the road into wet mud. the front wheels were barely touching the road surface at that moment. All the windows were misted so we had no idea about the vulnerable position of our bus and were at peace. All that changed once we got down in pouring rain and saw it with our eyes. Ditching the bus and thanking our fate, we got another bus and reached Nainital.

I had just about forgotten the volvo incident when I got reminded again about the enormous power of fate. I went to Gurgaon to meet Ramdas who works there and we had planned to enjoy at one of the thousands of malls there. But it was not to be. Just as we stepped out of his apartment and went a 100m, my six year old kinetic Nova slipped on an empty road and sent both of us flying. Luckily we got the most minor of injuries and only the rear view mirrors of the scooter were broken. Ramdas stated the obvious to me when he said "Imagine what would have happened if we were on a main road with traffic..."

A few days ago someone told me that Libra people are very lucky and they need not go to any astrologer to find out about their life and future. These incidents have reinforced my belief into fate and destiny. I wonder if some of you have had some similar experienced and agree/disagree with some of my views. You would wonder why I am writing a blog about all this. That's because I take it positively and treat it like getting some very costly thing at very little price.

The Naked Dance

2009-07-17T01:25:00.009+05:30

Being someone who really liked Roadies and KBC I was looking forward to the recent reality shows that have created such a flutter everywhere. I had to write a piece on it as it gave an easy topic for my embryonic blog, one on which I could rant on and on and on. But I do not intend to inflict any such calamity on any of my readers (if there are any at all). What I do intend to do is to highlight the stark contrast in these shows.

They portray very different parts of our society. In one place there is the open, outgoing and dare I say a very shameless part of the society who is not scared to bare it all in order to get a "simple life" in the form of a household, a husband and typical Indian family. On the other hand we have the ordinary, shy and dare I say a quite naive part of the society who for a bit of fame and glamour/money do not realize that they are being pulled into their own deep pit of shit.

I know you people will ask me the the first thing that why do I watch these shows. Well, have you read the story of the king who was fooled into wearing invisible clothes. Everybody laughed at him. Similarly, these shows bring laughter in my life because the only thing I see them doing on TV is a naked dance.

श्री गणेशाय नमः

2009-07-17T00:18:00.000+05:30

After much forcing and blackmailing by a lazy blogger I have eventually accepted the fact that I am too jobless to not have a blog of my own. I have no idea what I am going to write in it and what it will do for my "public image" but nevertheless here we go. Lets just hope I am able to do justice to this endeavor. Philosophical posts on cricket, football, movies, TV shows and life in general can be expected.

Truly i don't quite understand why people write blogs. I mean they do have friends and relatives to share their thoughts with. Still they rant along on the net with views and perceptions forcing it on strangers and stumblers and people trying to kill their useless time. I think when we say "Life is fast nowadays" we mean that we have to read the something in a newspaper, then watch it on telly, then read some 15-20 (or maybe more) blogs on the topic and finally write one of your own such that it gets the most hits.

I could go on and on about why i don't like blogging and stuff... but since I am writing one, it would defeat the purpose totally. Ciao and I won't mind at all if you don't care to comment (I never comment :P).