Nothing could have tasted more bitter to Sourav Ganguly than to be ditched in the IPL 4 auction mela. Having done yeoman service for Indian cricket for so many years, he did not deserve such ignominy. This is especially true when we consider players of far lesser abilities have been bought for shockingly huge bucks.
I have been a huge fan of Sourav over the past so many years, more because for his grit and determination on and off the field. Therefore, his non-selection to any of the IPL franchises does sting hard. This is especially so when we consider that he was among the top 5 run getters in last year’s edition. On the contrary, I also feel that he is no longer the proven match winner that he used to be, his hitting power has dwindled, and his captaincy skills have lost its sharpness. He is a player, who is not playing international cricket right now and hence not used to extreme pace bowling anymore.
Overall, professionally speaking, the franchise owners may have been right in not choosing him, as they have to get back some value for their money. I am not sure they were quite sure about that with Ganguly around. Emotionally speaking, Indian cricket lovers will miss a true tiger on the field, and they would never get to see such a stylish cover drive in some time to come.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Absorbing a “Phenomenon” called MARRIAGE……
Earlier, before marriage, I used to post one article a day here. Now it has become as terrible as one article a month. Additional responsibilities, it seems, has pegged me back along with a paucity of time. The process of rediscovering myself has begun already. Although this was always expected, a real-time presence of a different ball game is always intriguing and challenging. Natural instincts of candid talking and aggressive thinking which have been my strengths in my professional life suddenly have to be controlled in my personal life. It is indeed a BIG leap towards “goodness.”
However, Kuhu has been very supportive indeed which, to be brutally honest, I knew she would be. By nature, she is reticent. Flamboyance, prescience and the power of expressions and speech do not come to her very naturally, but she is slowly learning to talk clear more often. In spite of these, she absorbs most of what our new lifestyle has to offer to her. Sometimes she protests, which is natural, and so do I. Tempers fly around too, but at the end of it all, it is learning. We have slowly begun to accept and respect the likes and dislikes of each other.
I had mentioned in my earlier posts that a happy marriage is about getting integrated into each other’s lives and soul and feeling each other’s pain. We are into that process right now. Hiccups do occur every now and then but the process never stops. That is what is so scintillating. I LOVE IT!
However, Kuhu has been very supportive indeed which, to be brutally honest, I knew she would be. By nature, she is reticent. Flamboyance, prescience and the power of expressions and speech do not come to her very naturally, but she is slowly learning to talk clear more often. In spite of these, she absorbs most of what our new lifestyle has to offer to her. Sometimes she protests, which is natural, and so do I. Tempers fly around too, but at the end of it all, it is learning. We have slowly begun to accept and respect the likes and dislikes of each other.
I had mentioned in my earlier posts that a happy marriage is about getting integrated into each other’s lives and soul and feeling each other’s pain. We are into that process right now. Hiccups do occur every now and then but the process never stops. That is what is so scintillating. I LOVE IT!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Marriage over and done with….I have started unleashing again…
It has been a long sabbatical indeed from blogging. The euphoria of marriage and honeymoon has subsided. I have come back to Bangalore along with Kuhu and rejoined office. Life has taken a new turn. Not too long ago, I used to have a heap of free time for pursuing blogging, reading and social networking sites; not anymore though.
However, marital life has been very sweet for the two of us to date. We have always enjoyed each other’s company immensely in the past, and even now, things are no different. She has been flexible in adjusting herself to the completely different lifestyle that I follow here. This has made things very simple for me. I feel that I am with my best friend also, rather than with my wife alone. We roam about and laugh around like two college kids in love; the austerity of a husband-wife relationship has not set in yet, and we would never like that to happen.
It is very refreshing to see that she is expressing thoughts so candidly, which I have always wanted. It is great that I have managed to start writing again, although this would not be too frequent. I do not complain however. I want to savor God’s most precious gift with all my heart.
However, marital life has been very sweet for the two of us to date. We have always enjoyed each other’s company immensely in the past, and even now, things are no different. She has been flexible in adjusting herself to the completely different lifestyle that I follow here. This has made things very simple for me. I feel that I am with my best friend also, rather than with my wife alone. We roam about and laugh around like two college kids in love; the austerity of a husband-wife relationship has not set in yet, and we would never like that to happen.
It is very refreshing to see that she is expressing thoughts so candidly, which I have always wanted. It is great that I have managed to start writing again, although this would not be too frequent. I do not complain however. I want to savor God’s most precious gift with all my heart.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Marriage looms, but things are not as exciting…
Days just pass by like anything. It seems just a few days ago that there was about 6 weeks left for marriage. Now it is just one week. ONE WEEK ONLY! The big day looms near, but the sizzling excitement is just not there. This may be because I have not reached home yet, thus not being able to gauge the excitement and anticipation out there.
A big change is also approaching my life. Probably I am engrossed in aligning myself according to those changes that I can anticipate. Hence, I guess there is no mood for excitement. Marriage has always been a big test of character, courage, mental toughness and education, and mine would be no different.
It may also be that I have been talking to Kuhu for seven months now, hence we know quite a few things about each other. Hence, that suspense factor is not there anymore between the two of us. We have seen the best and worst of each other, and hence now, it is our obligation to fit in smoothly into each other’s lives. Probably this is an advantage in today’s age where you can speak to your would-be spouse before marriage and gauge their likes and dislikes, so that you can adjust accordingly.
Once I reach Kolkata however, I am sure the fever of the occasion would take off drastically. Scores of people thronging our apartment in Hindusthan Park would enlighten the festive spirit. Till then, it’s a wait for me. After the euphoria and the ecstasy of the event subsides and the dust settles in on the 25th of November 2010, it is fingers-crossed however!
A big change is also approaching my life. Probably I am engrossed in aligning myself according to those changes that I can anticipate. Hence, I guess there is no mood for excitement. Marriage has always been a big test of character, courage, mental toughness and education, and mine would be no different.
It may also be that I have been talking to Kuhu for seven months now, hence we know quite a few things about each other. Hence, that suspense factor is not there anymore between the two of us. We have seen the best and worst of each other, and hence now, it is our obligation to fit in smoothly into each other’s lives. Probably this is an advantage in today’s age where you can speak to your would-be spouse before marriage and gauge their likes and dislikes, so that you can adjust accordingly.
Once I reach Kolkata however, I am sure the fever of the occasion would take off drastically. Scores of people thronging our apartment in Hindusthan Park would enlighten the festive spirit. Till then, it’s a wait for me. After the euphoria and the ecstasy of the event subsides and the dust settles in on the 25th of November 2010, it is fingers-crossed however!
Asian Games 2010 has been a rude shock to us……….
The euphoria that the success of the Indian athletes created at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2010, has subsided into a rude reality of Chinese dominance in the ongoing Asian Games 2010. Just a month back, India was dreaming of becoming a sporting nation by 2015. It grabbed 100 medals in the 10-day event including 38 gold medals. They had pipped England to the second spot in the overall medal standings. The shooters, wrestlers, paddlers, boxers, archers and shuttlers were as good as unbeatable.
In Guangzhou, however things have taken a dramatic turn. China has already claimed over 100 medals in only three days of competition including 62 gold medals. That shows how far India is behind this sporting giant. Even countries like Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Hongkong are ahead of us in the medals tally right now. Our sure-shot gold mines, Gagan Narang and Abhinav Bindra, have also bowed out with a silver medal only. Although our boxers, wrestlers and Saina Nehwal are yet to start their campaigns, India will in all probability fall way short of 100 medals that they managed to achieve in CWG 2010.
Hence gentlemen, it is time that we get realistic about the capabilities of our athletes on the world stage. Bagging a handful of medals in the CWG does not prove that we can challenge China. I do not think that we can do that even in the next 20 years. It is also time for some reality check in the aftermath of a thumping CWG triumph, which was our best ever performance as a country in any multi-nation sporting event. We should start the process of grooming champions immediately. We should stop going over the board with just ONE Saina Nehwal, Abhinav Bindra and Pankaj Advani. We need hundreds of them, and that too quickly.
In Guangzhou, however things have taken a dramatic turn. China has already claimed over 100 medals in only three days of competition including 62 gold medals. That shows how far India is behind this sporting giant. Even countries like Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Hongkong are ahead of us in the medals tally right now. Our sure-shot gold mines, Gagan Narang and Abhinav Bindra, have also bowed out with a silver medal only. Although our boxers, wrestlers and Saina Nehwal are yet to start their campaigns, India will in all probability fall way short of 100 medals that they managed to achieve in CWG 2010.
Hence gentlemen, it is time that we get realistic about the capabilities of our athletes on the world stage. Bagging a handful of medals in the CWG does not prove that we can challenge China. I do not think that we can do that even in the next 20 years. It is also time for some reality check in the aftermath of a thumping CWG triumph, which was our best ever performance as a country in any multi-nation sporting event. We should start the process of grooming champions immediately. We should stop going over the board with just ONE Saina Nehwal, Abhinav Bindra and Pankaj Advani. We need hundreds of them, and that too quickly.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Oh God, please return to me my self…
“Oh God,
During the last year, I have tended to lose myself as an individual. I have lost self-control. I know that I should not be shouting at people. I know that I should not be using slangs, no matter how high the provocation might be. I know that I should not be insulting people. I know that I should be respecting people with dignity. For most of the time in my life I have followed every bit of these. Suddenly I have lost it.
As a result, my upbringing is being questioned; the education I have received is being treated with suspicion. Last week, one of my most treasured well-wishers aroused this realization that I had to be careful in the future, so that I could command respect. I started to understand the caveat and implement it accordingly, but again I seemed to have forgotten it today. I have always wanted to make my mom proud, but today I have bowed her head in shame once again.
I read the holy books. I know how you have defined DHARMA. I know how your esteemed devotes should carry themselves in life. I try but I cannot do it all the time. When I do follow your path, I gain admirations, adulations, praise, respect and success. When I stray, I gain nothing but brickbats and disrespect, harsh words and curses. When things calm down, the burden of repentance becomes unbearable. I feel like hiding myself forever. I lack the courage to even ask for forgiveness from the concerned persons.
God, you know what I am. Please help me to get back my true self, who would allow me to create my own dignity every time, and not just sometimes. Please help me to behave in a manner that befits my respect towards you, which befits my lineage to my respectable family and the venerated institutes that I have gained education from. Please help me to be tough, like I have been when you took away baba from me. Please help me to be independent, emotionally and materially, like I have been throughout my life. Please help me to remain a strong devotee of yours forever.
During the last year, I have tended to lose myself as an individual. I have lost self-control. I know that I should not be shouting at people. I know that I should not be using slangs, no matter how high the provocation might be. I know that I should not be insulting people. I know that I should be respecting people with dignity. For most of the time in my life I have followed every bit of these. Suddenly I have lost it.
As a result, my upbringing is being questioned; the education I have received is being treated with suspicion. Last week, one of my most treasured well-wishers aroused this realization that I had to be careful in the future, so that I could command respect. I started to understand the caveat and implement it accordingly, but again I seemed to have forgotten it today. I have always wanted to make my mom proud, but today I have bowed her head in shame once again.
I read the holy books. I know how you have defined DHARMA. I know how your esteemed devotes should carry themselves in life. I try but I cannot do it all the time. When I do follow your path, I gain admirations, adulations, praise, respect and success. When I stray, I gain nothing but brickbats and disrespect, harsh words and curses. When things calm down, the burden of repentance becomes unbearable. I feel like hiding myself forever. I lack the courage to even ask for forgiveness from the concerned persons.
God, you know what I am. Please help me to get back my true self, who would allow me to create my own dignity every time, and not just sometimes. Please help me to behave in a manner that befits my respect towards you, which befits my lineage to my respectable family and the venerated institutes that I have gained education from. Please help me to be tough, like I have been when you took away baba from me. Please help me to be independent, emotionally and materially, like I have been throughout my life. Please help me to remain a strong devotee of yours forever.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The joy of giving a pleasant surprise….
If there is one thing, which brings utmost happiness to anybody, then a “surprise pleasantry” certainly has to be a strong contender for that honor. It may be a gift pack, it may be a surprise party, or it may be a surprise holiday to a destination, which has not been previously disclosed to the recipient. The satisfaction that you get when they give you that million-dollar smile and the accompanying ecstasy, on getting that surprise, is beyond words.
The same ecstasy engulfs you when somebody else gives you a surprise that you have longed for. I have always enjoyed giving surprises to people but it is not often that you get an opportunity to do so. However, a few days back, I did manage to do it. The sudden burst of joy in a person adds a different dimension to happiness. It spreads to his/her family members as well, in no time.
In the tensed age that we live in right now, it is very satisfying indeed if you can contribute even a few hours of happiness to a group of people. You need not require an occasion to do so. Ultimately, life is about enjoying moments with small gifts and little smiles, isn’t it?
The same ecstasy engulfs you when somebody else gives you a surprise that you have longed for. I have always enjoyed giving surprises to people but it is not often that you get an opportunity to do so. However, a few days back, I did manage to do it. The sudden burst of joy in a person adds a different dimension to happiness. It spreads to his/her family members as well, in no time.
In the tensed age that we live in right now, it is very satisfying indeed if you can contribute even a few hours of happiness to a group of people. You need not require an occasion to do so. Ultimately, life is about enjoying moments with small gifts and little smiles, isn’t it?
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