Let us play the game of life in highest of the spirits

Life is beautiful, bountiful and jaunty-full. It has more and more in store which leaves more and more simplistic thoughts in the mind. Most importantly, life is a playground where players perform, win or lose, fall or rise, exalt or sadden – but no matter what, players play. That’s perhaps a very simple connotation of “Gita” in my words which is very closely connected to my earlier post. Indeed, I urge everyone to play, play and play. There will be moments of agony, there will be moments of dejection, there will be feelings of non-acceptance, there will be crave for the ultimate contentment – believe me, either of these or some other worries will always be there for this is human. I am not sure how one would or rather one should react in these situations. May be, music is one thread which most of us tend to resort to in distress, strain and loneliness. Here, I present some beautiful Hindi songs of all time which take the soul to a new level and make the life so meaningful:

1. Kisi ki muskurahato pe
2. Jina yaha marna yaha
3. Musafir hoon yaaro
4. Zindagi kaisi hai paheli
5. Diye jalte hai
6. Ek pyaar ka nagma hai
7. Ek din bik jayega
8. Sach mere yaar hai
9. Ruk jaana nahi tu kahi
10. Main zindagi ka saath nibhaata

Commonwealth Games 2010 - Feeling of pride!

Today is a Sunday and indeed, what a relief! It has been crazy travels past four weeks for me. I got a chance to visit Pune, Chennai, Madurai, Tuticorin and Tirunelveli during this time – all for work. Hence, very little time to write anything and do some sightseeing. But, all is well that ends well. Though there are some pending items on the agenda, I am hoping for less travels in the near future.

I had a wonderful time following the commonwealth games. What a games for Indian contingent! I felt proud to watch my countrymen perform with such passion and determination. What gives more pleasure is that we eventually pulled it off as hosts. I would really question the role that the media played in the whole episode. Even on the day of closing ceremony, media could not have done a worse job of running a prime time program which least relished the success of we as a nation and of our athletes and players and instead invited few lesser known celebrities to pinpoint the individual behind the controversies surrounding the games. A young writer (who himself has been part of a controversy off late) went on air saying it was 10 days party. Yes, I was also disheartened to see the way the finale was projected as the platform of taking credits for a good show by a few of our own politicians. Yes, there is more than reasonable chance of money laundering at all the layers. In our system, it has always been there. But, for God sake, let investigating agencies do their work. Let us not take a single bit of appreciation and accolades away from people who have made us proud. It has been so disappointing to see the deteriorating quality of sensation that has been created in the name of news. Yet, there are a few good journalists like Vikram Chandra who invited many of our athletes to organize an interaction with general people.

Having said this, the games did offer some of the great memories that will itch in the mind forever. Few of those are:

Gagan Narang’s smiling face with four golds.
Unassuming reaction of Deepika Kumari on winning the gold.
Focus of Rahul Banerjee and Dola Banerjee as they got ready to shoot the arrow.
Geeta Rani, Alka Tomar and Anita Kumari fetching gold in women’s wrestling.
Composed and calm Sushil Kumar well supported by a full house and Rahul Gandhi.
Clean sweep by our ladies in discus throw. Oh, what a moment!
Hat-trick of golds by our boxers.
Women’s relay team – the noise of the entire JN Stadium is still echoing.
Jubilant Sharath Kamal and Jwala Gutta on final day of the games.
Ashish Kumar giving India its first gymnastics medal.
And one that was most assuring of all – The great Saina winning the most important gold. I was so fortunate to see all her matches after round of 32.

Have you seen the God at work? I have seen - many a times.

One of my colleagues exclaimed “he is master once again proved!” I thought that is there anything left to be proven? Is there any form of greatness on earth that eludes one of these legends? Can anything get bigger than this gentleman in this crazy cricket loving country? Absolutely no, no ways! This person needs no introduction and keeps on redefining the definition of greatness. Yet another milestone and the same gesture, off goes the helmet and up goes the eyes, one could sense immense tranquility around his proximity and the batsman on the other end could feel infinite level of assuredness on the crease. Few months ago, I read a collection of tributes paid to our master blaster by several contemporaries, greats of the game, journalists and few more. Here is what has been said over the years:

"We did not lose to a team called 'India' ... we lost to a man called Sachin." - Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)

"Commit all your sins when Sachin is batting.They will go unnoticed cause even the GOD is watching." - A hoarding in England

There are 2 kinds of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others. - Andy Flower

"I have seen god, he bats at no.4 for India " - Mathew Hayden

"Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it." - Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight

"Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job." - Yaseer Hameed in Pakistani Newspaper

"To Sachin, the man we all want to be" - Andrew Symonds wrote on an Aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin

“Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives." - BBC on Sachin

"Tujhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?" - Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch in 2003 World Cup

Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal. - Brian Charles Lara

"The more I see of him the more confused I'm getting to which is his best knock." - M. L. Jaisimha

"The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility - all make for a one-in-a-billion individual" - Glenn McGrath

"I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play." - AT

Question: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shah Rukh Khan: There was a big party where stars from bollywood and cricket were invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching Amitabh Bachhan. Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a grab of the GENIUS!! - Shah Rukh Khan in an interview.

"India me aap Prime Minister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte hain... Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli nahi utha Sakte..."- Navjot Singh Sidhu on TV

"He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also." - Waqar Younis

Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world. I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting I told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and I know a way to pin Sachin. And I delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delivery outside the off stump. And I shouted catch. To my astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin. His reflex time is the best I have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec. To get his wicket better not prepare. At least you won’t regret if he hits you for boundaries. - Allan Donald

"On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!!" - Peter Rebouck - Aussie journalist

"Cricket was not there in ancient ages, otherwise Cricket would be the God's game, and Sachin be the 11th incarnation in India." - Hari Patnaik

"Sachin cannot cheat. He is to cricket what (Mahatma) Gandhiji was to politics. It's clear discrimination. " - NKP Salve, former Union Minister when Sachin was accused of ball tempering

"Even my father's name is Sachin Tendulkar." - Sachin Tendulkar's daughter, Sara, tells her class her father's name after the teacher informs them of a Restaurant of the same name in Mumbai

Oh Calcutta – the memories bring joy, joy and joy!

The City of Joy is more than special to the boy (wonder if I would fall in that bracket now) in many ways. Imperious views of the city, timeless sweetness of food and people, pride of having a resemblance to London, infinite charm of festival fun, adda with friends – Oh Calcutta! To top this all, the vibration that goes inside lungs and heart with every breath makes one feel ‘the soul of the city.’ Yes – I have yet to feel that kind of connection anywhere else in the world. An amazing pace is internalized within you once you set out to do something. An unprecedented serenity awaits you as you return from work.

I suppose I am the same shy and reticent boy somewhere deep inside even today. But for an outsider like me, it was a greatest learning of them all just being in the city for most of his student life. Watching the beauty of life very closely, understanding the ways to overcome obstacles on the path, meeting great people and making great friends for a lifetime – I could not have asked for more.

I could not have asked for more, indeed!

Amidst this beautiful journey, I happened to bump into a very very special person in the dying days of the year 2002 in Bhawanipore area. Never could I imagine where this meeting would lead to. Never could I witness purest form of friendship on earth. When I was right up there on the escalator, there was incessant push from all quarters. When I was down and dusted, almost about to give up everything for anything; this very special person showed me the way, this very person provided much needed cushion and this very person made me rejuvenate myself to pass most important hurdle. It has been almost eight years since then. To my delight, the love and the friendship between Hum-Tum grow every day, every hour and every minute. Seldom did I think how all those teenager’s dreams would converge to one relationship.

Oh Calcutta – thank you for everything! There is a part of yours that will never leave me, there is this part of yours in me that will never leave me!

A tiny step towards the biggest cause

When I started “the ride to the City of Joy” few weeks back, I expected it to get over by end of August. However, I resisted from doing so because of my immeasurable love for poetic verses and hence I tried to pen down few “कविताये” also in between. As I geared up to write something this evening, several memories of Calcutta kept coming to my mind. However, at the end I decided to defer it for some more time and write about something that is fresher in mind and powerful in intent.

My colleagues were interested to do something on the social front for quite some time now. But, none of us were able to break through towards this cause till Yesterday. Thanks to one of my cousin-cum-friend – Prem, who is actively involved with NGO activities for upliftment of underprivileged children since his MBA days. I spoke to him about the interest our group had and we managed to organize a small workshop at "Bal Shikha Kendra" run under the flagship of "LEU Foundation" yesterday in the first half.

After several round of conversations, seven of us managed to reach the school on Saturday morning for this activity. There is this small "basti" in sector 53 which is flanked by tall buildings from all sides. Many of the high salary paid associates living in these buildings would not have slightest of the hint that approx. 4000 people are living in this "basti" in not so hygienic conditions. It was startling to note that over 1000 kids live here bereft of higher education and prosperous future. As briefed by Prem in the kick-off discussion, this school was set up some 18 months ago to help them prepare for admission into primary schools based on their age group and readiness. In fact, they have managed to push 78 such kids into mainstream education system through government schools in nearby localities. We did a tour of school with him after the debrief. The entire structure is made of wood and tarpaulins with a wooden fence to protect the school against invasion of cows, dogs and pigs. There are two classes and two whole time teachers who control the operations. There are about 100 odd kids who come to the school on a consistent basis.

After the tour, we were asked to conduct a survey in the "basti" on the health awareness. We marched inside the "basti" and began the survey filling the questionnaire given to us. Few common problems surfaced in the process were related to usage of untreated water in the households, absence of toilets in the area and ambiguity about importance of education for children. All the volunteers did their best to cover as many families as possible. All of us did a fair job and came back to school after half an hour.

Next activity was to clear the grass away from the school yard. Though we did not have automatic lawnmower to do this, we took the job very seriously and started clearing the grass with manual tools such as hoe and spade. About half of the grass was removed from the school area within 20 minutes. Since we were planned to do other activities, we had to stop at this stage. They are in process of constructing the third classroom and the floor level has to be equal so that it is comfortable for the kids. Hence, we were supposed to carry soil bags from outside the school premises and fill the floor of the class with the soil. The added advantage of this activity was that the level of soil at the gate of the school could also be reduced substantially as heaps of hard soils made the entry uneasy. This seemed relatively easy to do initially but turned out to be a sweating exercise as we carried those bags several times. We continued for another 35 minutes before settling down with kids.

Then, we spent some time with kids who were eagerly waiting for the biggest event of the day – “The Magic Show”. We had arranged for a magician to do some tricks and entertain the kids. All the kids were so upbeat about this and turned silent like obedient students at the instructions of their teachers. The magic show began and all of us dispersed among the kids during the show. It was really fun to see them interact with magician wittily and intelligently. Some of the tricks were really breathtaking. After the show was over, we distributed drawing books, crayons and fruits to the kids. All the kids were so cute and disciplined that I could just remember my school days. It was such a wonderful experience that I can hardly think of anything else एवें now.

This was indeed a tiny step towards a noble cause which in no way is comparable to what can be done to uplift the awareness and progress of poor people in our society. Although a very tiny step but worth a heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers and members of this foundation, as these are a tiny steps which once collectively undertaken at a larger level possess the ability to reform the entire society. Thanks to all of you – LEU founders and Members for giving us the opportunity to be a part of reform we all would love to see!

P.S. – Here is a link to few of the photographs that were taken during the event.

Tryst with Earthquake

Had a shocking experience of earthquake one hour ago in Gurgaon area... entire consciousness went for a toss and tremors jolted the mind. 20 seconds of oscillation - felt like never before. Horrifying experience! Hope everything is alright in other part of the affected area.

God Bless Everyone!!!