Sunday, September 09, 2007

There comes a time when castles fall...


The most illustrious phase of the flame is when it shines intensely before it’s end. Seeing Sachin at the Oval on Wednesday reminded me of this flame. With slight tears of joy in my eyes, and hands applauding for every masterly stroke of his, I watched the master rip the English attack apart in what would in all probability be his last tour to the birthplace of the beautiful game. And, in every second of his innings which lasted for more than 90 minutes, he took us all back to the glorious 1990’s. I was reminded of the days when people in the arena fled back home when the wicket that mattered the most was done troubling the scorers.

But now, the scenario was different. He was 10+ yrs older, his fitness wasn’t quite what it used to be, and the Indian lower order wasn’t as ‘mutt’ like as it was before. Thanks to Uthappa and his brilliance, we coasted home with 2 balls to spare. But, ecstasy among Indian fans was momentary as the death rattle began to take wings around the world. I couldn’t take it! I know people would counter this post of mine with all the imaginable and unimaginable crap of theirs. The first among them being the ‘anti-Tendu’ maniacs who have already told me this:

“Dude…he earns billions…and what do you get by crying for him. Go get a life dude!”

But, imagine one thing guys. He was someone whom the entire generation of mine has grown watching. And, to watch an Indian batting line-up without that name is a big change that demands some time to adapt.

For people who keep passing ill comments about him… it is high time you started to reiterate your thoughts. Try imagining yourself in his shoes, walking out to the middle in a crucial ODI encounter. Every time you walk into the middle, there is gonna be 1 billion hearts pounding at the rate of knots. If you were dismissed, 50% of the hopes are gonna go down, (was 90% in the 90’s) and the effect of the loss is going to linger in the mind of every ardent Indian cricket fan for the next 2 days. And visualize the same thing happening on a constant basis for 18 continuous years! Doesn’t life sound like HELL??!!

Present news on his retirement have been put aside as rubbish, but it is time the fans started to realize that the real day is not far off. It has to happen sooner or later, and this piece of claimed garbage serves as an eye opener for all the cricket lovers. Sachin’s life with the bat has metamorphosed from no support to little support and finally with good support from his teammates. And for people who claim Sachin hasn’t won enough games for India, it is time you started adding more logic to your thoughts.

Sachin has/is/will be the GOD of the game, and replacing him will not happen for decades. It is tough to imagine watching a game without him….but there comes a time when every castle falls…

Thursday, June 07, 2007

RELIGION- Belief or Misbelief?

The announcement on the speaker came out. A dull husky female voice said...

“It is safe to use all portable electronic items. However, cell phones are not permitted to be used in this aircraft”

I turned on my IPOD and let the music take over my mind.

“The journey home…Is never too long…Your heart arrives before the train….” sung Akaash from Bombay Dreams. The situation was pretty appropriate, and I had a lot to smile about. I was visiting West Virginia for the very first time in 8 months after I had relocated to Texas. It was indeed a special feeling! In some ways, I would consider West Virginia my 2nd home. :)

And fittingly to spoil my party, the battery in my IPOD died.

“Damn it!!” I howled within myself.

Furiously, I opened my laptop. I turned on the highlights of the ODI between India and Bangladesh. I was perplexed by some of the weirdest shots in cricket, courtesy Mr.M.S.Dhoni. I never gave a damn about the person sitting next to me, but was rather irritated when he kept staring at the screen of my laptop. 40 more mins…and my laptop also died. Two more hours and I was forced to keep staring at the clouds outside the window! I felt frustrated. The only thing I really enjoy about flying is the momentary spurts of turbulence. I simply love the feeling when the flight sorta jolts up and down.

Just when I though I would close my eyes to take a nap, this Afro-American dude seated next to me started a conversation. He somewhat carried an 80’s look which seemed pretty weird.

“So, you from Mexico?”

“OH NO!! Not again!”

I really thought I needed to get rid of my goatee. Quite a few ppl claimed that it induced the Mexican look in me.

“No Sir…am from India. Live in Houston these days” I sternly replied.

I was in no mood for a conversation. Just wanted to get this introduction done before I could rest. But this guy had different plans.

“Oh India….I have been there before. I have been to South India. I love the people”

This certainly stirred me up. After having a short talk about his experiences in India, I was curious on what was his purpose of being in India. He certainly didn’t seem to be a businessman.

“So…if you don’t mind…can I know what you were doing in India?”

“We went on a missionary service trip. Even right now I’m returning back home after doing mission service in El Salvador”.

WOW…I thought. Even though I try to dedicate some time towards the development of my nation and help the needy, I’m keener on strengthening my career and earning money. And when I meet such individuals who are committed towards the welfare of mankind, I sure do feel guilty.

“Oh yea…even I have a friend in West Virginia who wants to do missionary service in Africa someday” I replied.

From a conversation that started as a formal introduction, it slowly drifted into becoming a religious proclamation. I do believe in religion, but I never have and would take sides with a particular religion. I see it as a tool/path in imparting discipline and regimenting a person’s life. And, if people are gonna use it as the basis/guideline in formulating the greater choices of their lives…I would call that utter stupidity. Plus, people who talk big about their religion are the ones who expose two-facedness. Let me quote 2 examples of double standards in Hinduism.

1.) People worship cows as ‘Lord Kamadhenu’. And every year in South India, we celebrate ‘Maatu Pongal’ in order to pay respect to the cows. And, the very next day, the same people go to the restaurant and have ‘Beef Roast’ for dinner. LOL! So….does that mean that cows are no longer holy?? Ballz!

2.) Brahmins are usually raised vegetarian. But, some of them want to taste the delicacies beyond the greenery (its human desire and I totally acknowledge the fact.). However, some of them decide to turn vegetarian just on auspicious days according to the Hindu calendar. They spurt out saying “I’m abstaining from eating meat to respect god today.” So…does this mean that they don’t respect god on other days?? Crazy!!!

These were 2 examples of hypocrisy of ppl in the Hindu religion. There are people in other religions that do the same, but I’ll confine this writeup to Hinduism alone. So getting back to this dude in the flight, I was convinced he was a weirdo with one hr. still to fly. He was a good man…but seemed screwed up in his head. The description of his personal experiences gave me 2 options to select:

(i) He was high due to excess cough syrup/marijuana
(ii) He was really insane

After managing to stay up with most of his BS, I was finally beginning to yawn!!

So suddenly he says:

“Son I wanna tell u something!”

The Sir just degraded to SON now! And I am like…OK…wat now!!

“I am separated from my wife”.

I just confirmed that he is a maniac.

“Ok…now why did u tell me that?”

“I could see from ur face that ur a good soul”

K…that does it….he is more than a maniac!!

“Do u believe in Jesus Christ”

“I don’t believe in Jesus Christ…but I believe in God”

“Do u believe in the death of Jesus Christ?”

“From what I have read…yes I do!”

The last thing I would want do here is to talk abt Mary Magdalene, Templar knights and all of that..

“Do u believe he is the son of god?”

“I don’t believe he is a son of god…but I do believe he is God”

“No he is not god…he is just a son of god!”

He sure was getting on my nerves. So I decided it was time to backlash

“Ok…good…so tell me this…if he is the son of god, then why do u worship Christ? Why don’t u worship whomever u believe is god?”

For which I don’t get an answer! He still doesn’t wanna stop…looked like he was digging his own grave.

“Do u believe you can reach god”

“Sure I can”

“You can reach god only through Christ and he himself said that”

This statement really aroused the devil inside me. With raised eyebrows and the first arrogant/evil look of the day…

“So…does that mean that the people who worship other religions and dedicate themselves entirely to god are fools?”

I was convinced that he was shitting bricks in his pants. He didn’t look too happy after I had said this.

“I’m not a person who believes in life after death. But, do u really think that you can reach god just because of that fact that you believe in a particular religion and worship ur god? And if at all I believe in life after death….I believe in this….life is all about your actions. And ur deeds are the ones that determine ur Karma. So, it is not whether ur a Christian, Muslim or a Hindu….its about what you do and how you think”

And that pretty much said it all. He didn’t open his mouth. He said he wanted to pray with me before I left. I didn’t refuse. The flight descended as he took my hand and prayed the usual way he does. I bid goodbye as he picked his belongings. I was certain that I had made a point for him to think about. Well, some of us have to treat people as ‘PEOPLE’, instead of classifying them as Christians, Muslims, Hindus etc...I did not mean to offend any of the Christians in the post, but just wanted to convey a general message that I have been yearning to do for a long time. I respect Christ and the Bible as much as what u guys do…

Friday, March 09, 2007

Awesome Cricket Critics!!!!

I started following cricket commentary in the site www.cricbuzz.com for the past few days. And, in addition to the commentary, I found the chat by the users in the site extremely funny. A few examples:

When Bangaldesh defeated NZ in the warmup game, the BGD supporters got too cocky...so an Indian supporter comes up with this:

Bangladesh is a lamb that is being fattened, and when it plays India, it will be Bakrit!
LOL

When Ramesh Poward was into the attack:

Red Goggles guy into the attack

When Sreesanth bowled pathetically in an ODI:

Sreesanth doesnt know to bowl, he knows only to dance. Tell him to join a cabaret.

When Kumble was hit for 10 runs in his first over in the warmp up game against Netherlands:

Poor Ramesh Powar. Must be wearing his red goggles and watching Kumble getting hit all around the place back home.

When Imran Nazir got out quickly against Canada:

Imran Nazir gone. Looks like he was in a hurry to watch the India vs Netherlands game.

When Aaamir Sohail was talking crap about the Indian team:

Ask Aamir Sohail to talk to Venkatesh Prasad.

When Sehwag got out:

Sehwag has lost both his hair and his game

When Agarkar bowled poorly against SA:

South Africa is playing with 12 guys today. Aggy is also playing for them.

Looking at the pictures of the Paki players after the fire scare in the hotel:

Look at the Pakistani guys sitting. They look like a bunch of guys sitting outside the tea shop.

When Windies were reeling against the Indians in the Warm up game:

The pitch is controlled by a magnet. Chappel is controlling the magnet

During the same game:

West Indies youth have made up their minds to move to Basketball and Soccer. No more Cricket

When Sehwag dropped the catch:

The Potato Sehwag dropped the catch.

Aamir getting damaged again:

Aaamir Sohail's commentary is so boring like waiting to go for school

Now it's all the Paki commentators getting it toegther:

Listening to the Pakistani commentators sounds like hearing dialogues from a comedy movie.

These are just a few examples. And I bet they are tooo good. Go to cricbuzz.com and follow the chat session next to the commentary window for more fun. Enjoy!

Thursday, March 01, 2007

You've got to find what you love

One of the most inspiring speeches ever delivered. This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005 at Stanford University. Is a little old....but I though I need to share it with people who still hadn't read it. Here u go:
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

I'll walk alone



Recently, I read through a post in one of my bud’s blog. Instead of finishing with a smile as I usually do, I was rather shocked when I was done reading. Well, I am one such an individual who believes in restricting the radius of my ‘Circle of Trust (COT)’. And taking into account the fact of my friend not having considered me in his COT…was a bitter astonishment. One of my ex-roomies ‘Mr. A’ always used to warn/pick me harshly about the company with which I mingled and extended my trust to. I used to discard all his comments away….but today, I am forced to rethink!

After encountering so many happy and crappy experiences in life….I framed one theory which I always keep telling some people when I felt they took the wrong road. My theory is something like this:

“Value you give…is the value you get”

….and this proved right at all times.

I can quote an example….I knew this guy who came from a very knowledgeable and a highly respectable family. He was/is a very nice guy by heart (even though he gets cranky at times….LOL...J/k). And, he didn’t quite know the value and respect that one owed towards money. On one fine day….I felt he wasn’t doing justice towards the money he had and so, I went to him and put forth my theory. He gave me a glare and used some unparliamentary words ultimately telling me to ‘**** off’. I gave a smile and said ‘Money is god’ before going away. And, after two years….he calls me back saying that he owes more that $5000 because of his carelessness, and also adds that he walks 2 miles from college to home to save on his commutation charges.

And to my surprise, I read John Wright saying something similar to my theory when I read his book 2 days before. He was talking about Virender Sehwag getting too haughty and egoistic about his dominance in ODI cricket that took him as far as getting him selected in the World XI side in 2004. In that season, he made an open statement to the press…saying…

“If I can bat for the full 50 overs in a game, I sure can cross 200 runs easily”…

And what followed was 2 years of ODI cricket with just 2-3 fifty’s and getting dropped from the side for the recently concluded West Indian home series! And looking at this, Wright rightly said that…

“If you give a piss towards Cricket, Cricket will give its piss at you!”

But…reading at my bud’s post had completely proven my theory wrong. I totally valued my friend, spent all the fun part of life with him…considered him higher than most part of my family members….but today….all I get is a cold shoulder. Expectations and assumptions are my greatest weaknesses. And this is just one more of the defeats that I face due to my stupid expectations. My friend used to say that ‘Girls are the toughest beings to understand’…but I just wanna rephrase that and say…’Friends are the toughest beings to understand’.

When I watched ‘Goodwill Hunting’ a few days before yet again, I was once again touched by Robin Williams’ dialogue when he talks about ‘true loss’. He says ‘true loss’ is experienced only when u lose something that you love more than yourself. And any day, I would accept this statement with my hands tied down! A few days before, I was telling one of my friends on the phone about the value of people. I said,

“ It aint about ego, it aint about money…..its all about people…and the people whom you value the most…”.

So….to sum up…..by combining what I had said…and what Williams had said…I only feel my hands are more than empty now! My theory was proved wrong, the radius of my COT is further narrowed down and I have experienced true loss. Solitude was always my best companion…and so will it always be….

“ I’ll walk alone….” :)

The art of batsmanship

When I was reading this fine piece of cricketing literature last week, I found an interesting topic that I wanted to share with the world. This was the legendary English batsman Colin Cowdrey's tips to be a good batsman(assuming the batsman is right-handed). Here they are:


  • Build a sound framework: stance, grip, head.

  • The first key to batting is the head position

  • The stance must be totally relaxed, a leopard waiting to pounce

  • The grip should be left hand tight, right hand light(fingers only)

  • The head should be erect and still without being stiff and tense.

  • The second key to batting is the left shoulder which must lead and take the head to the ball.

  • The third key to batting is that the left forearm must control the stroke.

  • The back-lift must be stricly controlled and grooved.

  • The batsman should have strict rules for starting an innings which should be practised under pressure.

  • The eyes must be glued on to the ball until the point of the strike.

  • Concentrate on two levels: the next ball and the bigger picture.

  • Shot selection must be disciplined and based on pre-planning.

  • The batsman must be immune to distractions, which require a thick skin and the ability to neutralise the opposition by wither freezing them out or with a smile.

  • Build one brick a time: take the singles.

  • Bat in pairs.

  • Keep it simple.

When I started playing leather ball cricket around 15-16 years ago, what I missed was a coach who could provide me the tips listed above. If at all I did, I would have become a much better batsman than what I am. So, if you guys know any youngster who is looking promising, pass these tips without fail...

Monday, February 05, 2007

C'mon India


My XI for the world cup:

1.) Sourav Ganguly
2.) Sachin Tendulkar
3.) Rahul Dravid
4.) Yuvraj Singh
5.) Virendra Sehwag
6.) Mahendra Singh Dhoni
7.) Irfan Pathan
8.) Ajit Agarkar
9.) Zaheer Khan
10.) Anil Kumble
11.) Harbhajan Singh

12th man: Dinesh Karthik

With the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ rising up like a phoenix from the ashes, the slot for the first opener is indubitably cemented. He has a new stance, looking to play straighter and is facing the short ball with more confidence and with much ease. The only hurdle for him to gain his lost redemption is to counter the likes of the fast and furious Aussies.

The living god has performed healthily at the middle order in the last few outings. But I strongly believe that he should be opening the innings for India in the Caribbean. He could bat at any position in the order…but considering that he is the best player that we have at the moment, it would be a wiser option if he were offered the entire 50 overs to bat. And if he gets going….u know what to expect!!!!! The openers who have been tried out in the recent games haven’t been consistently successful, and I wouldn’t risk any of them for a major tournament like the World cup.

Dravid and Yuvraj perfectly fill up the voids in the # 3 and # 4 spots. Two class acts that have all the shots in the book.

Sehwag’s selection might be debatable. But, as I said earlier, a major tournament like the world cup isn’t the time for any experimentation. Experience would be the key and the timely break for Sehwag promises to do a world of good for his batting and fitness. And, with Sourav back, it would not be a great choice to let Sehwag open the innings.

Dhoni has been outstanding with the bat and the gloves in the recent past. Unless things turn upside down, I wouldn’t let anyone grab that spot.

Irfan has been good with the bat for sometime now. But, the primary purpose of his selection is to bowl 10 overs. Recent games have exposed his bowling incapabilities and have brought his confidence levels to rock bottom. But, have a look at the seamers in the bench for national contention.
· Sreesanth: A very good Test bowler. But his Economy rate and success levels in the shorter version of the game have sucked!

· VRV Singh: Raw pace. No rhythm and lacks the refinement of a quality fast bowler.

· RP Singh: Good bowler. But, the team has made blunders in making him sit out when toning his line/length was much required. Not a wise decision to make him take the field directly in the Carib.

· Munaf Patel: More of a military medium pacer. Also brittle and lacks the fitness required for a long serving quickie.

· Joginder Sharma: No comments!!!!


Irfan needs to regain his mojo very soon. And a month before the WC can do wonders to his confidence. Irfan with the in-form Zaheer alongside Agarkar will form a deadly pace attack that can clatter the opposition.

We are fortunate to have 2 of the best and most experienced spinners in the world. On their day, both Anil and Bhajji can run through the opposition with their vicious deliveries.

It’s pretty unfortunate that a wonderful batsman like Dinesh Karthik would have to sit out as the 12th man. But, exclusively playing Karthik as a batsman would require one of the major batter’s in our lineup to fail wretchedly. The person, who comes somewhere close to trade the 12th man spot with Karthik based on present form, is Sehwag. Otherwise, I wouldn’t listen to people who are strongly against playing 2 keepers. Karthik is good enough cricketer who can retain his place in the team due to his batting abilities alone. Considering other options its best we stick to Karthik.

Overall, we have a team capable of producing the best. With some magic, I believe we guys can do it.

LET’S GO BOYS!!!!!

Friday, January 12, 2007

The gift of vision

It was around 11:30 AM today morning. I was trying to get to my car dealer and get a few formalities done before lunch. Oh yeah…it was Friday, and some people must have decided to take off early from office I thought. The traffic was bustling in the road adjacent to my workplace. I was pretty frustrated for having waited at the lights for a pretty long time now. Just then, this woman caught my attention. No… she didn’t have long hair, she didn’t have bright blue eyes and neither was she stunning. (This was just for people who would have let their mind’s eye flow the instant I mentioned the phrase ‘woman’).This woman looked lost.

“Is she crazy? She shouldn’t be walking on this road which doesn’t have a sidewalk”, I said to myself. I could only see her from the back.

The road she was walking on was right next to the I-610 ramp. I have never seen anyone walking on this road before. Right before I could make any further comments….she turned around. A cold pulse ran across my spine. I didn’t feel really good. The woman was ‘blind’. She was really struggling to find her way with her stick. She moved back and forth between a patch of lawn and the parking lot of a company on the same road. It was hardly 2-3 mins before I could tolerate seeing this.

With some apprehension, I pulled my car into the parking lot and advanced towards this woman.

“Excuse me Maam, can I help you”, I asked.

I don’t think she quite understood what I asked or wasn’t sure if I were talking to her. I went closer and asked her the same question again.

“I’m trying to get to Westheimer, I think I got off the wrong stop”, she replied. She sounded fretful.

She looked like she had Mexican roots, but spoke very good English. She was completely unaided. I wondered how the bus driver could be so careless. Westheimer was nearly 2 miles from the place we were right now. I thought I could offer her a ride, but it would be a real discomfiture if she denied my offer. And considering how creepy some of the people in the society are, I wouldn’t be really surprised if she did repudiate my offer.

Looking for a couple of minutes, I couldn’t resist my willingness to help the stranded woman.

“I’m on my way by Westheimer, I could drop you if u want to”, I offered.

I could see the relief on her face. She gleefully accepted my offer as I took her by hand helped her into my car. I wanted to be very careful in mincing my words when I drove her to the place in Westheimer. The only thing I had in mind was to make sure that I didn't made her uneasy by talking about something related to her vision. 2 miles was just a 5 minute distance as soon as I was able to pass the lights. We didn’t talk much before I dropped her off, but I learnt from her that someone she knew worked in Westheimer. I somewhat was induced with a mixed feeling. On one hand, I was sorry on how helpless and stranded some blind people can get. On the other hand, I felt good having helped her. And when I was riding back to the office after getting my errands done, I was lost in thought imagining a day out in the city, with both my eyes blinded by a black cloth.

I earnestly salute the people who decide to take on the world despite their physical limitations. HATS OFF!