There used to be a time even in the late 1990s, when 8-9 bengali (mind you…not just players playing in Bengal) players used to take the field for India in an international match. Now there are hardly a couple. Bengal has not won the coveted Santosh Trophy crown for the last 10 years even with non-resident players.
If you are a die-hard fan of “Calcutta Maidan”, have you ever wondered why aren’t players like Krishanu Dey, Bikash Panji, Subroto Bhattacharya, Manoranjan Bhattacharya, Basudeb Mondal, Sudip Chatterjee and Sisir Ghosh, just to name a few, being produced today? I am not hoping for players of the calibre of PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami, Sukumar Samajpati, Subhash Bhowmick and Arun Ghosh who used to win Asian Games medals for India, would set their foot on a soccer field again. However, I can expect the situation to be as good as the 1990s at least!!!
As far as I understand, there may be quite a few reasons for this. The average middle class Bengali these days is not persistent and persevering enough to take a tough body contact sport like football as a career. An increasing number of teenagers in the age of 10-12 are suffering from malnutrition, especially in rural Bengal,and hence are not physically strong enough to take up this sport. World football has advanced in technique, style and infrastructure, by leaps and bounds, but India, thanks to its lacklustre, dogmatic and amateur administration, has failed to generate enough interest in this wonderful sport, for youngsters to even consider a career in football.
We are getting caught in a vicious circle. Young Bengalis are not taking up football, therefore, we do not get enough Bengali players even in East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, and hence the crowd and the general public is losing interest even more alarmingly in the sport which used to be the life-blood of the middle class Bengali, which leads to more apathy and people not taking up the sport. There have been quite a few good initiatives by the Tata Football Academy of sending school teams to foreign countries to toughen them up, but for some reason or the other, the sport has really died off in the state.
Regions like Goa, Maharashtra and Kerala along with Punjab and Manipur, who were sitting ducks at the hands of Bengal, even till the end of the last millennium, have consistently flogged us in state-level tournaments as well as in club football. Really wish the situation to ameliorate some day in the near future….but alas!! That may not turn out to be the case!!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Being Alone…..but not lonely…
Sometimes I get a feeling that staying alone is not as bad as people make it out to be. After passing out of IIT Delhi in 2007, I shifted to Bangalore for my first job. Prior to this I had never stayed absolutely alone, and was thoroughly excited at the prospect of doing so. However, after having stayed alone for 3 years now, I have come to realize that staying alone is not all that rosy after all.
If you do not have a group of people around you with whom you can share your thoughts, then even the most staid of personalities will find it very difficult to stay alone. That is why it is of utmost importance to keep yourself busy every time when your are staying alone – read novels, cook, meditate, watch movies, sing, listen to music, play outdoor sports, blog or chat on the net. Buy a nice TV for yourself, get a desktop, sleep on a cosy bed and learn some tasty cuisines to pamper yourself. This way you may be alone but you will never be lonely. Another distinct drawback while staying alone is when you do fall sick and have to visit the doctor yourself and get the medicines for yourself. That can be quite a painful experience. Fortunately I have not fallen sick too many times during these 3 years.
Having said all that, I would also say, that staying alone gives you ultimate freedom in life. You can chill out with friends for as long as you want to, eat and cook whatever you want to as there would be nobody to question you, and enjoy as much personal space for yourself as you can think of. It also makes you a very good financial manager. You know exactly how much you earn, how much you have to pay for rent, electricity bills, telephone bills and food expenses. You would not waste a dime on unnecessary lavishness. You also realise that it is the person who hangs in there, with all the ranting of the landlord, the unwashed clothes, the rotten tomatoes and the lonely nights with only the fan to give you company, who actually finds the answers to all the questions that life has to offer. You would learn to wash and iron your shirts on time, because there is no mom to listen to your tantrums, you would keep your house clean and dirt free and instil a sense of discipline for yourself and of course have an opportunity to reflect upon yourself at the fag end of the day.
Life is the best teacher that anybody that can get and one can only realise that when he is alone. It reduces dependency on others and you would have the confidence to take on life by the scruff of its neck. The essence of living alone is not freedom but the responsibility that it brings to the table along with the confidence to own one’s self.
If you do not have a group of people around you with whom you can share your thoughts, then even the most staid of personalities will find it very difficult to stay alone. That is why it is of utmost importance to keep yourself busy every time when your are staying alone – read novels, cook, meditate, watch movies, sing, listen to music, play outdoor sports, blog or chat on the net. Buy a nice TV for yourself, get a desktop, sleep on a cosy bed and learn some tasty cuisines to pamper yourself. This way you may be alone but you will never be lonely. Another distinct drawback while staying alone is when you do fall sick and have to visit the doctor yourself and get the medicines for yourself. That can be quite a painful experience. Fortunately I have not fallen sick too many times during these 3 years.
Having said all that, I would also say, that staying alone gives you ultimate freedom in life. You can chill out with friends for as long as you want to, eat and cook whatever you want to as there would be nobody to question you, and enjoy as much personal space for yourself as you can think of. It also makes you a very good financial manager. You know exactly how much you earn, how much you have to pay for rent, electricity bills, telephone bills and food expenses. You would not waste a dime on unnecessary lavishness. You also realise that it is the person who hangs in there, with all the ranting of the landlord, the unwashed clothes, the rotten tomatoes and the lonely nights with only the fan to give you company, who actually finds the answers to all the questions that life has to offer. You would learn to wash and iron your shirts on time, because there is no mom to listen to your tantrums, you would keep your house clean and dirt free and instil a sense of discipline for yourself and of course have an opportunity to reflect upon yourself at the fag end of the day.
Life is the best teacher that anybody that can get and one can only realise that when he is alone. It reduces dependency on others and you would have the confidence to take on life by the scruff of its neck. The essence of living alone is not freedom but the responsibility that it brings to the table along with the confidence to own one’s self.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Blame not the schools alone for student suicides….
Over the last fortnight, a lot has been written about the suicide of a La Martinere student named Rouvanjit Rawla. The word is that the kid ended his life because the principal of the school caned him for playing prankster inside the classroom. On the one hand I express my sympathies and condolences to the Rawla family, but at the same time I have my reservations of holding the school responsible entirely for this unfortunate chain of events.
Are the children of today, who are so intelligent so as to use mobile phones from the age of 4 and computers from the age of 6, who are so mature so as to give workable solutions for some problems to their parents from the age of 10-12, so hyper-sensitive and insecure themselves that even a cane can drive them to suicide? How do they know at the tender age of 14 (which was Rouvanjit’s age when he killed himself) how a suicide is committed? Is it their over-intelligence that is acting as a boomerang? I totally agree with the point that caning and beating up children is an archaic institution in itself, inflicting permanent physical damage on the tender child in the name of morality is absolute vandalism, but shouldn’t students of this era also understand the purpose behind all this? Are they so imbecile mentally to do that? I do not think so.
I have also studied in Don Bosco Park Circus. Let me tell you, that no school of the stature of La Martinere and Don Bosco would even think of inviting the ignominy that a suicide of its student would bring along. We are not talking about 4th grade suburban schools here where the teachers themselves do not have a college degree and hence treat their students like slaves. We are talking about a school which has consistently churned out champions year after year and made our city and nation proud.
I fully empathize with the Rawla family and accept the fact that their son will never come back. Their fulmination of emotions is totally justified. However, the lesson to be learnt from this, especially for parents who still have their sons going to school is, to teach them to receive rebuke and scolding constructively, so that they can rectify their mistakes and evolve as a stronger individual. Do not hold the school responsible if your son is mentally so feeble that he cannot even take the pain of a 5-second caning. Otherwise, they will never be battle-hardened to face the more demanding struggles that life would offer them - when they join college and eventually when they step into the ruthless corporate environment.
Are the children of today, who are so intelligent so as to use mobile phones from the age of 4 and computers from the age of 6, who are so mature so as to give workable solutions for some problems to their parents from the age of 10-12, so hyper-sensitive and insecure themselves that even a cane can drive them to suicide? How do they know at the tender age of 14 (which was Rouvanjit’s age when he killed himself) how a suicide is committed? Is it their over-intelligence that is acting as a boomerang? I totally agree with the point that caning and beating up children is an archaic institution in itself, inflicting permanent physical damage on the tender child in the name of morality is absolute vandalism, but shouldn’t students of this era also understand the purpose behind all this? Are they so imbecile mentally to do that? I do not think so.
I have also studied in Don Bosco Park Circus. Let me tell you, that no school of the stature of La Martinere and Don Bosco would even think of inviting the ignominy that a suicide of its student would bring along. We are not talking about 4th grade suburban schools here where the teachers themselves do not have a college degree and hence treat their students like slaves. We are talking about a school which has consistently churned out champions year after year and made our city and nation proud.
I fully empathize with the Rawla family and accept the fact that their son will never come back. Their fulmination of emotions is totally justified. However, the lesson to be learnt from this, especially for parents who still have their sons going to school is, to teach them to receive rebuke and scolding constructively, so that they can rectify their mistakes and evolve as a stronger individual. Do not hold the school responsible if your son is mentally so feeble that he cannot even take the pain of a 5-second caning. Otherwise, they will never be battle-hardened to face the more demanding struggles that life would offer them - when they join college and eventually when they step into the ruthless corporate environment.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Young Bengalis do not appreciate Tagore’s works enough…..
Rabindranath Tagore – the greatest Bengali of all time, one of the greatest Indians of all time, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in 1913 and of course the most versatile creative genius that the world has seen after Leonardo Da Vinci. These are only a few drops of an ocean of adjectives that describe Tagore. In the 1890s he changed the face of Bengali literature with his non-esoteric creations, which was never the case with his illustrious predecessors like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Michael Madhusudan Dutta. As a Bengali myself, I can proudly say that as a composer of songs, he was the best ever and had no equal, even in the west, and I know of Hugo Wolf and Schubert. His short stories were amongst the best ever written and appealed to millions starting from the rich to the impecunious. The Sotheby auction in London, a month ago, emphasizes the fact that his paintings were also extremely precious.
Unfortunately however, and disgracefully so, Bengalis of my generation do not appreciate an iota of his genius. If you pick a sample of 100 Bengalis between ages 20-30, I am dead confident that only a handful (if at all) will say that their favourite brand of music is Tagore songs, or their favourite novel is that written by Tagore. Since my college days, I have met a lot of people who have simply renounced his works. Shakespeare’s plays, George Harrison’s music, Milton, Shelley and Wordsworth’s poems seem to have a greater impact on young convent educated English-speaking Bengalis. Each of the individuals I mentioned is a genius in their own right but this lukewarm response towards someone who is our own is hardly appreciated.
Being an ardent follower of Tagore myself, I strongly iterate that people who are born Bengalis enjoy two distinct advantages over their non-Bengali counterparts – they can listen to Tagore songs and they can watch and understand Satyajit Ray movies. They should never let this opportunity go at any cost to understand these great men of our motherland who command unlimited veneration even from the rest of the world. Parents should instill in their offspring, the passion for Tagore and all his works; otherwise youngsters would lose, in more ways than one, the privilege of being a Bengali.
Unfortunately however, and disgracefully so, Bengalis of my generation do not appreciate an iota of his genius. If you pick a sample of 100 Bengalis between ages 20-30, I am dead confident that only a handful (if at all) will say that their favourite brand of music is Tagore songs, or their favourite novel is that written by Tagore. Since my college days, I have met a lot of people who have simply renounced his works. Shakespeare’s plays, George Harrison’s music, Milton, Shelley and Wordsworth’s poems seem to have a greater impact on young convent educated English-speaking Bengalis. Each of the individuals I mentioned is a genius in their own right but this lukewarm response towards someone who is our own is hardly appreciated.
Being an ardent follower of Tagore myself, I strongly iterate that people who are born Bengalis enjoy two distinct advantages over their non-Bengali counterparts – they can listen to Tagore songs and they can watch and understand Satyajit Ray movies. They should never let this opportunity go at any cost to understand these great men of our motherland who command unlimited veneration even from the rest of the world. Parents should instill in their offspring, the passion for Tagore and all his works; otherwise youngsters would lose, in more ways than one, the privilege of being a Bengali.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Baba……I Miss you…
Last Sunday on the 20th of June 2010, Father’s Day was celebrated across the world. It was also just another day of my life when I had a feeling of emptiness engulfing me. Dad (I used to call him Baba) must also have felt my state of mind from his heavenly abode, to which he travelled on that dreaded December morning in 2008.
He was just so special. I used to get fascinated by his ebullience that came so naturally to him – having an exceptional sense of humour, having the rarest of abilities to make people comfortable the first time they met him and of course being friendly and understanding towards anybody he met. The love that he showered on us was just something special. Since 2005, I have been living outside Kolkata and the pampering I received from baba whenever I used to get home was something I used to die for. Sons usually get more affection from their moms, but baba just snatched that right from my mom.
He was also the best son-in-law that I have ever seen. He used to treat his in-laws as his own family members and believe me, the love and respect that he commanded from them was just out of this world. I am also engaged to Kuhu right now, and I truly wish that baba would be here with me today and advise me on how I can do the same with my prospective in-laws. I am sure however that I can’t beat my dad in this aspect. Another aspect where I cant even think of equalling baba is singing. He had an extremely mellifluous voice and charmed one and all with his expressive rendition of Tagore songs. It was a treat when he started singing. I wish God had given me that kind of voice.
He also used to be a great badminton player of his era, winning innumerable state level championships and representing Bengal in the National level tournaments. He started playing at the age of 6, started winning tournaments from the age of 10, and continued that winning streak till he stopped playing at 51, in 1999. We have two large showcases at our home in Kolkata which are totally dedicated to baba’s trophies collected over a period of almost 40 years.
Today he is no longer amongst us. A deadly cerebral stroke took him away into endless sleep on December 27, 2008 and that is the biggest loss that I have faced in my life. However I visualize his smiling face every moment, which motivates me to strive for excellence every time and make him proud. I really wish that from somewhere up in the dark sky, he would shine bright like a star and enlighten my life with all his blessings and love. Really miss you a lot Baba…………..
He was just so special. I used to get fascinated by his ebullience that came so naturally to him – having an exceptional sense of humour, having the rarest of abilities to make people comfortable the first time they met him and of course being friendly and understanding towards anybody he met. The love that he showered on us was just something special. Since 2005, I have been living outside Kolkata and the pampering I received from baba whenever I used to get home was something I used to die for. Sons usually get more affection from their moms, but baba just snatched that right from my mom.
He was also the best son-in-law that I have ever seen. He used to treat his in-laws as his own family members and believe me, the love and respect that he commanded from them was just out of this world. I am also engaged to Kuhu right now, and I truly wish that baba would be here with me today and advise me on how I can do the same with my prospective in-laws. I am sure however that I can’t beat my dad in this aspect. Another aspect where I cant even think of equalling baba is singing. He had an extremely mellifluous voice and charmed one and all with his expressive rendition of Tagore songs. It was a treat when he started singing. I wish God had given me that kind of voice.
He also used to be a great badminton player of his era, winning innumerable state level championships and representing Bengal in the National level tournaments. He started playing at the age of 6, started winning tournaments from the age of 10, and continued that winning streak till he stopped playing at 51, in 1999. We have two large showcases at our home in Kolkata which are totally dedicated to baba’s trophies collected over a period of almost 40 years.
Today he is no longer amongst us. A deadly cerebral stroke took him away into endless sleep on December 27, 2008 and that is the biggest loss that I have faced in my life. However I visualize his smiling face every moment, which motivates me to strive for excellence every time and make him proud. I really wish that from somewhere up in the dark sky, he would shine bright like a star and enlighten my life with all his blessings and love. Really miss you a lot Baba…………..
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Start reading the Bhagwad Gita at 18 !!!!!
Raft against the waves of all troubles that life throws at you by reading and understanding the Bhagwad Gita. The Gita teaches you the greatness of little things, to work unattached without expecting the fruit of action. In today’s world of intense competition, jealousy and mental depression especially among youth, this approach to life brings highest bliss and freedom. But hey, neither am I being excessively spiritual out here nor am I asking young guys to live a life of restraint and abstinence without any enjoyment. You can still be your modern self, go to a pub, flirt around, and crack black jokes with friends, but believe me you will be at peace with yourself and the world. Belief in God, spiritualism and idol worship is usually seen as a forte of the old and weak but the greatness and the potency of the Gita can best be realized when you are stepping into adulthood, when you still have a career to develop, when you still have relationships to build and break, and when you still have to tolerate peers who are getting a higher salary than you. You inherit the capability to distinguish between good and evil, to be gracious and positive even in defeat, to be humble in victory, to have the fortitude to come back from adversities and most importantly to be inclined to do well to others. All attributes that I have mentioned are such rare qualities in today’s modern world that you would be regarded as someone special and the Gita would help you to achieve that goal. I started reading the Gita when I was 23, so I was 5 years late but it better to be late than never. So shed all hesitation, don’t bother about the odd giggle and joke that people start throwing when a young man suddenly starts becoming a “Bhakta”, and start reading the grandest poetic verse that the world has seen.
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