Humko Yaad Nahin Karna

kabhi humko fir ab na wapis bulana,
kabhi yeh naam apni zuban pe na lana.

na tum yaad karna, woh hasna hasana,
rulaya tha jab tumko woh bhool jana,
jo tohfe diye the, unhen fek dena,
jo angoothi di thi, use tod dena.

tasveer koi meri tum jo dekho,
yeh na sochna ki main khush hun, khafa hun,
woh ankhen meri tum na lag jana padhne,
ki kya sapna dekha hoga unhone.

jo fir koi ayega is zindagi mein,
tumhe woh hasane ki koshish karega,
to has dena tum bhi apni hi us ada se,
dil kitna bhi rone ki mannat karega.

yeh jeewan ka khela hai, apna karam hai,
jo aya hai aaj, use kal badh hai jana.
na tum bandh sakte ho mutthi mein apni
yeh thandi ret sa hai guzra zamaana.

bas ek aarzoo hai, yeh jaate jaate,
sada apne ko hothon ko muskurahat se sajana,
kitni bhi akeli ho raaten, kitna sunsaan din ho,
jo bhi ho, humko tum yaad nahin karna.

Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai...

Always be positive. English version to follow soon. :)

kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai,
ki duniya kutti na hoti to kya hota.
kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai,
ki ismein dukh dard na hota to kya hota.

gar na deta koi dhoka kabhi humko,
to phir kaise kisi pe bharosa aata?
tanhayee ka alam hi na hota to kya phir,
milan ki haseen rut ko hum mana pate?

kabhi jashna manana bhi aata kya humen,
jab kabhi akele jaam uthaya na hota?
kisi ke marne pe roye na hote hum to,
kisi ke jeene pe kya muskura pate?

ke gar raat na hoti to phir kya hota
kya phir subah ki lali ki sarahna hoti?
yeh ansuon ka sailab na aata to kya,
kisi ke seene se lagne mein maza aata?

kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai,
yeh to kudarat ka niyam hai ki jeete hi rahe,
andheron se joojhen, unhi se ladte rahe,
mauka mile to haske aage badhte rahe.
laden, thaken, giren aur fir se laden,
aur jeet ka swaad chakhne ko mile.

kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai
ki duniya kutti na hoti to kya hota.

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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??

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?

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

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

 

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?

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??

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

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??

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

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.