tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67782305481818399502024-03-13T14:02:26.796-07:00Travelling Times"If the mind is to emerge unscathed from this relentless struggle with the unforeseen, two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead."
~ Carl von Clausewitz.Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-21149147937568241392019-01-04T17:23:00.002-08:002020-04-22T22:09:42.847-07:00You will be missed!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">“He was like some tragic figure in Greek mythology whose offenses against the gods had caused them to design for him this exquisite torture: you must desperately need to see what you cannot bear to see.” </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">― </span><span class="authorOrTitle" style="font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Michael Lewis, </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"></span><span id="quote_book_link_6581525" style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">Moneyball</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Over the years, I've passionately followed numerous sports. In my childhood, it was Football, Tennis & Formula 1. And I had an unequivocal ally in my brother, although our choices on teams & players bordered on extreme ends of the spectrum. It was a never ending saga with Agassi vs Sampras, Sachin vs Ganguly, Brazil vs Argentina and a few others. We even played a few rounds of Ashes every evening in our backyard.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">For most part, my extended family doesn't appreciate sport apart from world cups when everyone in India seems to have an opinion anyways. The exception being Venumama.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Venumama was my grandmother's sister's second son (my mom typically explains 6 degrees of separation in one breath). The first time I met him was in Al Ain in 1990. The most significant thing to happen that day was losing my helium filled balloon to the desert sky. I was 6 years old and no one explained the properties of Helium in a Balloon. My first memory of him was the way he snored at night. There ends the diary of a wimpy kid.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">The next time that I met him was in the late 90's. I was in my teens and had opinions on sport. Actually about everything. Our embarrassing cricket tours to Australia & overseas in general, Agassi & Steffi Graff. The original Ronaldo (the Brazilian one) and what happened in that night in Paris. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Over the years, our conversations would always revolve around sport. Not the weather, not about political afflictions, just plain, good old sports. And I was awestruck by Venumama's knowledge on every game. He would tell me about the Indian tours to Windies in the 80s. About Gavaskar, Richards and Vengsarkar. Weaving stories about the glorious spin quartet, Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrashekar and Venkataraghavan. In an instant, we could switch over to tennis and talk about Ivanisevic's booming serve or Krajicek's Wimbledon title in 1996. He could hold his own with accurate stats from every game, tour and championship.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">But beyond that, he could appreciate a Sachin Tendulkar straight drive. And that separates the real fan from everyone else. The ability to dissect a single moment from a game and talk about it. To remember it over the years.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">I knew little about him apart from what I had heard about his life. About a lot of things that didn't go as per the norm. And maybe I should have asked about what was happening in his life when Kapil Dev was lifting our first World cup in Lord's in 1983. I did not. Perhaps I can imagine a man in worker overalls listening to every word that came out of a handheld radio.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">The last few times that I met him, he was fighting a losing battle against cancer. And yet, we would talk about the new look Indian batting line-up with Dhoni & Kohli. Federer vs Nadal. Even through the pain, his eyes would light up as he spoke about the glorious days of Indian cricket. Sachin Tendulkar standing tall on the back foot punching Brett Lee through covers on a cold December morning.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">It was amazing to watch India trump Australia over the last 3 tests in their own game. The Indian pace attack battering the batsmen with short pitched bowling, and our batsmen grinding the bowling to the ground in the hot Australian summer. I don't know if he watched any of the games. I don't know much anyways.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><i>“...So please, be tolerant of those who describe a sporting moment as their best ever. We do not lack imagination, nor have we had sad and barren lives; it is just that real life is paler, duller, and contains less potential for unexpected delirium.” - Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">P.S: This is a tribute to my mother's first cousin, Venumama who died earlier today. Someday I hope to continue the conversation on sport.</span></div>
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Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-5475381226976748042018-05-03T10:49:00.001-07:002020-04-22T22:11:37.303-07:00The Fall of Icarus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I build a team, and we compensate by creating a style of play, by creating a culture at the club because the boy comes in at 16 or 17 and when they go out they have a supplement of soul, of love for the club, because they have been educated together."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">6 years back, I wrote </span><a href="https://skv1984.blogspot.com/2012/07/indomitable-spirit.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">this post</a>. And there's a specific reason why I chose to publish this one before the game tonight against Athletico Madrid, because the outcome doesn't change anything. Arsenal might go on to win the Europa League and it might be a fairytale exit for man who has toiled hard for 22 years. Or, we might flounder and reason that it's best to see Wenger go. For a man who has repeatedly been judged, tarnished and humiliated by fans, ex-players and the British media, spare a thought. He's not superman in a puffer jacket, just an honest man who tried his best to protect the club he loves. And if his walking away is the solution to all problems, so be it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In today's world, Honesty and Integrity are overrated virtues. Everyone has a twitter handle and an opinion on what the team composition should look like, what formation should be used and which players should be dropped based on a couple of games. It's interesting though that most ex-players choose the easy way out to Punditry rather than contributing towards the development of young players in their clubs. Arsene is different because he doesn't single out players and their performances after a horrific defeat. It's a team game and even with individual mistakes, the entire team contributes to it in some form or another. In previous generations, the manager would have walked up to the player, asked him to man up and build a character. The current generation is different, and is weighed down by the expectations of a social media profile. Not to concur that they are brittle, but a young player may never recover from a public scathing over a mistake. I agree there are business interests and careers involved, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">but it's just a game after all, and the larger purpose of sport is to entertain, not admonish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The average tenure of a manager in all the English leagues combined is 1.66 years as per stats published at the end of last season (<a href="http://www.leaguemanagers.com/documents/55/LMA_End_of_Season_Report_and_Statistics_2016-17.pdf" target="_blank">Link</a>). The premier league is slightly higher at 2.68 but with Wenger's exit that metric will drastically come down. If Wenger is replaced by Luis Enrique, the Premier League might have the best managers in the world with Pep, Klopp and Mourinho leading the pack. But that does not impact the quality of the England National team and that's the area that the English FA should focus on; bring English players to the forefront and build a world cup winning team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For me, Arsenal is Arsene because that's the only way I've known the club. Arsene changed the way the game was played in the Premier League and developed a philosophy that paved the way for many other pioneers including Ranieri's Leicester City. Icarus will always be chastised for flying close to the sun and falling to his death, but he should be given credit for innovating and trying to fly like a bird. Thank you Icarus!</span></div>
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To all the Arsenal lovers take care of the values of the club<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;" />Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/merci-arsene#kHi1O12QCQKUAxfS.99</span></div>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"Arsène made Arsenal what they are today, and the fans understand it perfectly. If he was to leave tomorrow, he would do it with his head up, not by the back door." -</i></span></span><span style="background-image: none; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a class="extiw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pir%C3%A8s" style="background-image: none;" title="w:Robert Pirès">Robert Pirès</a></i></span></div>
Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-44980156685683363822015-08-20T21:57:00.001-07:002020-04-22T22:12:35.470-07:00Stop and Proceed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep on walking.” - Michael King</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This post
has been on the backburner for over 6 weeks now and the drought has no correlation
with my current location, 14,305 Kms (8,888 mi, can’t disappoint my negligible
reader base in the US of A) away from home. 9 months; this length of time has never
been more significant in my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-shOgveuvSQ0/VdapY6ArynI/AAAAAAAALQY/_p_iCEobCLg/s1600/baby-walking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-shOgveuvSQ0/VdapY6ArynI/AAAAAAAALQY/_p_iCEobCLg/s320/baby-walking.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do we
remember our childhoods? Yes, to a certain degree. I remember most parts of my
life since the time I was 3. Not every single day, but the significant aspects
of it. But do we remember how we learnt to walk, to run and perhaps, to jump?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I remember my first race. I
had to run to one end, put my cap on, run back and pick up my bag, and finally
run to the finish line. I even remember my prize, a disposable Kodak camera. As
I stood on top of the pedestal, I felt light. Over the years, my parents would
joke that the wind helped me get to the finish line quicker than everyone else.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In an instant, walking seemed
slow to me. I would always sprint to my destination, be it at school, home and
years later, at work. On a treadmill, I could barely walk for 30 seconds before
sprinting for 90 seconds and stepping down. My contribution to the annual
athletic meets would be towards the 100m, 200m and Long Jump. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I played Cricket, my
biggest asset would be running between the wickets. My focus would be on cheeky
singles that would infuriate most close-in fielders. On the outfield, I would
sprint towards every airborne ball within 20m of me. Later on, when I
transitioned to playing Football (Soccer, for my ignorant reader base), I loved
to play on the wings or as a forward. My attempts to play defence would always
end up sour, since I would chase the ball to the other end of the field and would
choose to catch my breath before a sprint back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif;">Last
year, on the verge of my 30<sup>th</sup> birthday, I pompously sprinted with a few
youngsters (most of them in their late teens and early twenties) and beat them
to the finish line. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">In Greek mythology, there is a story of Icarus. In order to escape from captivity, Icarus and his father built wings and used them to fly out. The new found belief encouraged him to fly higher till a point where the sun melted the wax on the wings and he came crashing down.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">And then, one day it happened. It didn’t slow me
down, it brought me to a standstill.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For anyone associated with
sport, injuries are a part of their life. But an ACL tear is the worst. The
ligament is a central part of the knee and provides strength & stability to
our entire body. When the Doctor recommended surgery, I felt a false sense of
relief. I started to believe that the surgery would cure my ailment and I would
be up and running.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next 45 days were among
the worst in my life. I was bedridden for most part of the day and my brief trips
outside would be on crutches. At times, I imagined ants looking over their
shoulder to watch me painfully cover small distances. 20 steps would wear me
out and the frustration would unsettle me. Most times, my mom would hand feed
me, since it would practically save the trouble of an additional trip to the bathroom.
I would go through the exercise regime every two hours to get me out of my
struggle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AtrLf8I4x64/VdapZbyDFUI/AAAAAAAALQc/_aAwc0Nrg6U/s1600/Benefits-of-Walking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AtrLf8I4x64/VdapZbyDFUI/AAAAAAAALQc/_aAwc0Nrg6U/s200/Benefits-of-Walking.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">0-60- Eternity<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is where I pause and
ponder. How did we learn to walk?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I injured my knee, my
first instinct was to get back on my feet. As I stood up, my knee buckled
under my weight. That memory instilled a fear that it might happen again. In theory, getting
rid of my crutches was quite simple. But I no longer remembered how
to walk. I had to take baby steps like infants with the dread that I might
fall. I held on to walls, friends, sometimes clutching thin air with every step forward. My biggest fear had become my worst nightmare.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If only, I could possibly unlock the learning from childhood when I learnt to run, it would all be so easy. How did I develop the stride, the balance and the strength to catapult forward?</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a__BdpaGpL0/VdaslfVtqDI/AAAAAAAALQk/xEHwYFvQATc/s1600/images.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a__BdpaGpL0/VdaslfVtqDI/AAAAAAAALQk/xEHwYFvQATc/s1600/images.png" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over the last 9 months, I have progressed to light jogging for a few yards before fear catches up with me. I miss running against the wind and the adrenaline rush after a spring. I no longer feel light and my wings have been nipped. But, more than everything else, it's the acknowledgement that life has eventually slowed me down.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"We're all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the children's game, we just don't... don't know when that's gonna be. Some of us are told at eighteen, some of us are told at forty, but we're all told." ~ Moneyball, 2011</span></i></div>
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Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-81831633617366156932014-11-28T07:09:00.000-08:002014-11-28T07:19:46.301-08:00The Weekenders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As my phone display flickers for a moment, the banner
notifies the first of many messages that find their way into my Whatsapp.
Neither the likes of forwarded messages nor brain-wrecking “IAS” questions.
Surprisingly, it’s the roll-call of group members preparing for a weekly rendezvous
at a sparsely populated ground. 6 am is never too early for the Weekenders.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In the summer of 2013, I felt unfit for the first time in
my entire life. I had enrolled for a 5k run and left it mid-way, huffing and
puffing. Since my wedding in late 2011, I had been cruising on the path of
gluttony with no barriers holding me back. My waistline seemed to enjoy this
unprecedented stroke of prosperity and a youthful exuberance seemed to give way
to middle-aged maturity. On one of my weekend travails supporting Arsenal, I
ran into this group of passionate youngsters (well, a large majority of them)
who called themselves Bangalore Gunners. Together, we cheered and jeered
Arsenal and their opponents over the course of 90 minutes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Soccer
isn't very social. Plus, if you don't like someone on the other team, you can
do something about it.” ~ Mia Hamm</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A week later, my beleaguered efforts to
exercise found a cue; the Bangalore Gunners met every Saturday & Sunday to
play football at a nearby school ground. I dusted the old soccer studs, wore my
favourite jersey at dawn-break and made my way to the location. Sport doesn’t
need introduction and the group of football players graciously invited me to
join the game. A large chunk of them were college students in their early
twenties and the rest of us made the numbers.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Over the last 18 months (in football-ing
terms, three transfer seasons), this fraternity has been part of my everyday
life. The Whatsapp group remains active through day & night (especially
Champions League nights) and we discuss, debate, mock and jest various
happenings in the world of football. Although majority of us support Arsenal,
we do have representatives of ManWho, ManShitty & Chelshit in our ranks.
Pre-game and post-game discussions are held at length and every player/manager
across European leagues is put to sword.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As Friday evenings come to a close, the
million dollar question arises.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Who’s in for tomorrow and (most
importantly) who has the ball?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The responses come through the night and
based on numbers we decide to go ahead or forfeit the game. As the sun seeps through the trees, we complete our stretches and kick the ball around. The better weeks
have at least 25-30 players while the scarce weeks might result in 8-10. Like
Robin Hood and his Merry men, our uncompromising motto remained, “the more, the
merrier.” The games last for at least a couple of hours and are highly
competitive. At the end of the game, we meet at the nearby juice shop to fill our thirst and lighten our spirits. The single takeaway from playing with this lot has been about enjoying the game. It’s never been about victory or defeat. Just beautiful
football.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Our friendship has been held taut by a
single bond, the love of the game. A few of the players have been the best that
I’ve ever seen in my entire life and it’s been a great experience to learn from
them. It’s quite a pity that the talent pool available in India goes untapped
since there is no concrete future for skilled youngsters who play the game.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3 weeks back, with my travel imminent, I
went out to play expecting it to be my last outing for a while. I could have
never been more right in my life. With a lobbed ball dipping towards me, I
lifted my knee to receive it. As my foot touched the ground, I felt my knee
give way to a horrifying pop. I knew it was something bad, but the extent of damage
wasn’t clear then. A couple of days later, the doctor’s prognosis unearthed my
deepest fears. A Grade III ACL </span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
anterior cruciate ligament is an important, internal, stabilizer of the knee
joint, restraining hyperextension. It is injured when its biomechanical limits
are exceeded (over stretched), often with a hyperextension mechanism</i></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">).
In short, my chances of ever playing football are remote, bordering on
unlikely. It would be wise to divert my attention to equally challenging sports
such as chess and carom.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I replayed the fateful moment a thousand
times over in my head while everyone chastised me for being ignorant to the perils
of physical sport. But I never regret the fact that it was football, over the
last year, that brought a youthful spring in my step, turning back time. I had
felt myself grow lighter and younger in the company of the weekenders. The cast of colourful characters </span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Zaba, Suharez, LCB, Periods & Bondage (the last two remain unverified on wikipedia) and a lot others </span>will remain engulfed in my memory every time I see a group of kids playing football.</span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It's a Friday and as this post comes to life, the group
comes alive.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Another weekend, another dawn.</span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iSB4ZNdpkRs/VHiPw9rQSnI/AAAAAAAAIG0/lN7LQUVAvHs/s1600/Weekenders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iSB4ZNdpkRs/VHiPw9rQSnI/AAAAAAAAIG0/lN7LQUVAvHs/s1600/Weekenders.jpg" height="71" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">“but the world is one great web, and a man dare
not touch a single strand lest of all the others"</span></i> </div>
<br /></div>
Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-71488282160238489412014-04-20T00:31:00.001-07:002020-04-22T22:22:16.060-07:00What has God Wrought?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“Evolution teaches
us the original purpose of language was to ritualize men's threats and curses,
his spells to compel the gods; communication came later.” – Gene Wolfe</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">This
post has been on the backburner for a really long time (9 months to be precise)
and is the result of a series of events triggered over time. Quite unfortunate
that Mr. Mandela & Messrs Khushwant Singh lost their patience waiting for
me to publish this one. And as the last few icons of my generation fade away, I
can only be thankful for being part of a special timeline in the evolution of
mankind. From television to telepresence, the intensity &acceptance of
change has been unbelievable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the
midst of last week, my cousin sent me three text messages in the space of 60
seconds (At 160 characters, the Short message service is so long). Each message
contained not more than a couple of words. And I wondered, if communication is
still a premium service shackled by cost & time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">On July
14, 2013, I witnessed two important aspects of my life fade away. My
grandmother, who’s always been a large source of inspiration, passed away. Within
5 minutes, I received the communication in various forms. A call, few texts and
Whatsapp messages. Ironically, 14<sup>th</sup> July 2013 marked the end of the
telegram service in India. A service that had accounted for large scale
communications over the last 163 years shrunk into oblivion. One that
represented a lot more value than any tweet can possibly ever hold. My dad
still recounts that moment from Oct 16, 1981 receiving the telegram when my
brother was born.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">As a
kid, I loved writing letters. I would write to my grandmother and friends who
had left Oman to continue their schooling in Kerala. The letters would be long,
descriptive accounts of our lives over a few months. Instinctive, yet measured
those sheets held our friendships together. Through the year, posting greeting
cards to friends & relatives on account of birthdays, anniversaries & festivals
ensured the relationships were warm and consistent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We
didn’t have a telephone in our house till March ’98. And I remember the first
time it rang. A long distance call to inform us that one of my close relatives
had passed away. A few months later, my cousin called me when Brazil lost to
France in the World Cup Finals. Every call held a special significance and was
made with an eye on the clock. As the second hand closed in on the minute,
there would be hurried activity around to ensure that we didn’t exceed the cost
for the calls.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I
received my first cell phone in 2003. Incoming calls had just been made free in
India and text messaging packages were introduced. The coverage was so poor in
our area that the phone spent most of its time next to the window and every
waft of wind would bring a text message. Since the monthly quota for text
messages were limited, we learned to use them wisely and make the most of it.
But yet, I always typed out the entire text (grammar and punctuation included)
to make it sound personalized.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I had
a whiff of the internet in the late 90’s tracking scores on cricinfo and
communicating over email on msn. But the true impact came half a decade later
with the advent of Gmail & Orkut. It opened avenues to connect with people
from our past who had drifted away. A sense of excitement prevailed in hearing
from the people who had had significant roles in our formative years. Emails
were considered as replacement for letters in every sense. A response wasn’t
always guaranteed since many of us couldn’t get to checking mails on a constant
basis. I remember one funny incident where a friend had requested for another
one’s address to send out a wedding invite. The marriage was done and dusted by
a few months before the information came through.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I owned
my first smart phone in 2008 (Nokia N82), one that supported 2G data
transmission. I no longer had to wait for windy days to transmit or receive
messages but nevertheless the online chat options were delayed. It introduced
me to Google, a couple of strokes from a wealth of knowledge at my finger tips.
Call rates dropped drastically and we ensured that we called our friends and
spoke to them for hours together. Our favorite activity included waking up
friends after drinking binges in the early hours of weekends and public
holidays. The size of cell phones shrunk considerably and I eyed every new
model with a sense of awe & excitement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The applications
for chatting were limited and weren’t exactly instant messaging. In our
courting period, my wife and I spent an entire night chatting with each other
over one of these apps. We would send a message and then wait for eternity to
get a response. The sentences were long and measured in order to get as much
information through as much possible. It probably transformed our relationship
in more than one dimension.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Time
flew by and methods of communication have improved vastly. I wake up and
realize that there are 100 unread messages from various contacts. Most of these
messages are forwarded quotes & jokes. Hardly a few are personal and
consequential. We have access to every single person who has touched our life,
briefly or broadly. And unsurprisingly, most of the relationships seem to have
waned with the bursts of constant & overloaded information. Sometimes, at a
rate where important news gets overshadowed by large volumes of trivial data. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I am literally
confused between communicating over Whatsapp, Skype or Viber with people across
barriers of distance and time. Unsure, whether my message gets across in its
completeness & intended form. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes
wondering if we can retrace to those days were communication was so limited, yet
so meaningful. Those letters that narrated a story over the blink-and-you-miss
Whatsapp messages. We are not far from the day when a virtual embodiment appears
in front of us to enable better communication.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 143.25pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“When
language is used without true significance, it loses its purpose as a means of
communication and becomes an end in itself.” – Karl Jaspers</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 143.25pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">P.S - What has God Wrought was the first telegram sent out by Samuel Morse </span></i></div>
</div>
Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-33066344787023021442013-05-19T02:02:00.003-07:002013-05-19T02:02:52.973-07:00Death - The greatest leveller<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations,
places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been a couple of months since my last post, and there have been a few additions to our life over this period. Our Figo and my new Nokia Lumia 720 grab the headlines. With every new phone (with a different OS), the first challenge is<i> </i>in identifying the relevant apps. And, that's where WeChat came into my life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.wechat.com/img/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="WeChat - The new way to connect" border="0" height="80" src="http://www.wechat.com/img/logo.png" width="215" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In our busy day-to-day lives, we miss a lot of calls from friends and relatives. We haven't moved to the voice-mail era yet (surprisingly, with our ability to ape Western cultures for anything ranging from accent to toilet paper). And most of the times, the message goes across to the other person as feigning ignorance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">WeChat gives us an option to leave a voice message, and sometimes that can make a lot of difference to our relationships.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the other features in WeChat is to "drift bottle". We can send out a message and wait for someone to pick it up. And someone did pick up. So I repeated the exercise five times, and then added them all to a group chat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.wechat.com/img/features/49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img class="img" height="200" src="http://www.wechat.com/img/features/38.png" width="141" /><img class="img" height="200" src="http://www.wechat.com/img/features/39.png" width="141" /><img class="img" height="200" src="http://www.wechat.com/img/features/49.png" width="141" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Skv: Hi Folks! I hope everyone's happy with their lives.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first person who picked the bottle,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AMF: Hi Skv.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Hi. Thank you for responding to my message. Who are you?</i></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AMF: (child laughs). I am Marie.</i></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Hi Marie, I'm trying to add a few more people to this conversation. Give me a minute.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>(KDC) Second Person: "Smells like Teen Spirit"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>(AE) Third Person: "Life Doesn't end here"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>(</b><b><b>Wessel Johannes) </b>Fourth Person: "How do you start over once you have betrayed a nation's trust?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>(HL) Fifth Person: "And I thought my jokes were bad."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>(Livestrong) Sixth Person: "It's not about the bike"</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(What's with the stereo-typed status messages?)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: So let's have a quick round of introductions. I am Sajeesh and enjoy reading and watching movies.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AMF: Wow, movies. They never let us see any.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HL: It's a funny world we live in. Speaking of which, do you know how I got these scars? </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Eh.. thanks for interrupting. I love sports especially cricket and soccer.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AE: Yeah. So nice to sit back on your couch and support your favourite football team.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Wessel Johannes: ....Cricket, Or Rugby. That's more like it.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Hey. I started this chat. Will someone let me complete? Actually I'm done. Who wants to go next?.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>KDC: "Come
As you are, As you were, As I want you to be.. As a friend..."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: The Rockstar is in the house. Can we stop the music and get to know about you? </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>KDC: My name is Kurt Cobain..</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: ..And I'm Amitabh Bachan. Stop spooking me. This chat is only for people who are alive.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AMF: I'm Annelies Marie Frank</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AE: .. Andres Escobar</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Wessel Johannes: They know me as Hansie Cronje..</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(the chills return)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Stop right here. It's getting a little out of control. (I can feel my heart beat like a tom-tom)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HL: Ah-ta-ta-ta! Let's not *blow* this out of proportion</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>KDC: It's better to burn out than fade away..</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HL: Don't talk like one of them. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To
them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when
they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals,
their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble.
They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When
the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each
other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve. </i></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: And you are the joker, I guess.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HL: Very poor choice of words...I was Heath Ledger and I will remain as the Joker...</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Hmm.. I seriously didn't figure that I could chat with anyone, at least not with dead people.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Livestrong: Well that makes two of us. I'm Lance Armstrong.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Yeah, the guy who started livestrong and then made his "arm strong" with dope. I should have realised when you said "It's not about the bike."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Livestrong: Eh.. Er.. Hm..</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Let the rest of them talk.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AE: They called me the Gentleman of Football. And then put a bullet through my head. For scoring an own-goal. We Colombians are passionate about everything. Football, ma..</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Stop. With my wide-spread audience, someone might scan my blog for a confession. I wouldn't even need to score an own-goal..</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AMF: At least my story is out for the world to read and sympathise. I wanted to grow up and be a journalist. I wanted to live my life, see the world...</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: (wiping a tear on its way out) It's not in the number of years that you live, it's the impact that you make. "The diary of a young girl" has been an inspiring tale for a few generations now.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AMF: That was really kind of you. Thank you so much. The smiley helped.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HL: Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything
becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about
chaos? It's fair.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Alright, where's the hunk from "10 things I hate about you?"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HL: </i><i>Hey! Don't say shit like that to me. People can hear you</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: And what do the two tainted superstars in this crowd have to say? Hansie - We loved you, respected you for being one of the greatest South Africans. And "et tu Hansie?"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Wessel Johannes: I lost everything that I had worked towards, a glorious career, captaining my</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> country and the respect of a nation. It was a mistake and it never let me get back to my life.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Hmm.. I understand. It wasn't your fault. We all have our moments where we sign up with the devil.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Livestrong: "Two things scare me. The first is getting hurt. But that's not nearly as scary as the second, which is losing."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: So you cheated? You were the idol of many young men and women, including me.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Livestrong: I am sorry, The riskiest thing we can do is get greedy. And I got greedy at winning.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: I guess it's part of being the rat race. When life becomes all about being the best, we forget our principles and do anything to stay at the top. But there's something that people can never take away from you...</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AMF: Don't worry Lance, It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals,
because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep
them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are
really good at heart.
</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: For a 15-year old, you are really awesome.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AMF: :)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: I will still treasure my first livestrong band. It opened the avenues of hope, belief and strength. To never give up when life is against you. I can forgive you too.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(missing the music)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: So does it still smell like teen spirit?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>KDC: I must be one of those narcissists who only appreciate things when
they're gone. I'm too sensitive. I need to be slightly numb in order to
regain the enthusiasm I once had as a child.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Well, I was introduced to Nirvana only a few years back. But your story fascinated me. Why do you give it up when everything was going so well for you?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>KDC: </i><i>I have it good, very good, and I'm grateful, but since the age of seven,
I've become hateful towards all humans in general. Only because it
seems so easy for people to get along and have empathy. Only because I
love and feel sorry for people too much I guess.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Yeah, that tends to happen. Fame is a vapour, and the higher we climb the fall gets deeper.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Before this conversation ends, I want to know everyone's take on death.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AE: Death makes us immortal because our contribution towards society remains forever. The Andrés Escobar Project was founded to help disadvantaged kids learn to play football rather than remain on the streets.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AMF: There was only one thing that I ever wanted from my life,"I wish to go on living even after my death." And that has come true.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Hansie Cronje: "I realized I made a big mistake and if I could have it over again, I would do it so much differently." In another life, another place, another person.</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">HL: </span>(a line from Brokeback Mountain) "Bottom line is... we're around each other an'... this thing, it grabs
hold of us again... at the wrong place... at the wrong time... and we're
dead."</i><br />
<i>KDC: "If you die you're completely happy and your soul somewhere lives on. I'm not afraid of dying. Total peace after death, becoming someone else is the best hope I've got."</i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Livestrong: There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say: 'Enough is enough.'</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Skv: Hmm. My take on it? Death is a great leveller. It keeps us alive even after we leave this world.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<b>AMF leaves the chat</b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">KDC leaves the chat</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">AE leaves the chat</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hansie Cronje leaves the chat</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">HL leaves the chat</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Livestrong leaves the chat</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This post is an entry to the Indiblogger "We chat with anyone" contest. Check <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/WeChatIndia?feature=chclk" target="_blank">here</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/WeChatIndia?feature=chclk" target="_blank"></a> for more details.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>P.S: I have used real-life quotations and don't intend to hurt the sentiments of anyone related to these characters.</i></span></div>
</div>
Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-23039785731314789612013-03-08T13:21:00.000-08:002013-03-08T13:21:41.513-08:00La Femme<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.”
―<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;">Virginia Wolf</span></span></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRyzvpdOMw67ZAsAMMV1rMVtClJMz-oeoFaP7B9_DhgaDMgSJGe1g" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRyzvpdOMw67ZAsAMMV1rMVtClJMz-oeoFaP7B9_DhgaDMgSJGe1g" data-sz="f" height="320" name="dmJcdg0jXvN4xM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRyzvpdOMw67ZAsAMMV1rMVtClJMz-oeoFaP7B9_DhgaDMgSJGe1g" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">33% reservation. 1 day in the
year. When God proposed the creation of women, probably this was the best deal
he offered them. And it would be injustice to deny them adulation on their
special day. So here’s a tribute to the special ones in my life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>“…the designation of a wife in India, of the
Hindu wife, is higher and grander than that of an Empress. She is called Devi” ―
Virchand Raghavji Gandhi</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marriage is a convenient
compromise for men. We continue to expect our laundry cleaned and ironed, hot
meals served at the table (apart from the occasional breakfast in bed) and the
remote control resting in our palm. Probably this is my one opportunity to
thank my lovely wife, Sneha for bearing with me on all of the above.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We do have our occasional
disagreements, but it helps our bond grow stronger as a husband and wife. Sneha
has been an integral part of my life over the last 4 years, and a pillar of support.
On the outside, our personalities are like chalk and cheese. But as a pair, we
share all the love, happiness and romance in each other's company and feel
contented with this relationship. We're perfect for each other and I always
know and trust that one person loves me above everything else. To the central
woman in my life, I love you.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>“But there's a story behind everything. How a
picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are
simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your
stories is always your mother's story, because hers is where yours begin.” - Mitch
Albom</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My mother is one of the nicest
people I’ve met in my life. Perhaps all mothers are like that. Their whole life
is about everyone else, barring themselves.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sometimes I try to put myself in
her shoes, and think from her perspective. At 18, she was a trained classical
dancer and wanted to make a career out of it. Eventually it remained a dream,
and she has spent the major part of the last three decades taking care of her
family and the house. And I have always considered myself as one of those lucky
children of my generation who had the good fortune of a mother who stayed at
home and took good care of us.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My mother will forever remain in
my life as an embodiment of strength and sacrifice. I have no foresight on
where my future lies, but my responsibilities as a son will be fulfilled till
the end. If there’s one wish in my life, it’s to be born again as your son.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>“When every door closes, a window is bound to
open.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I think
of characters in fairy tales, they all seem to be so distant and unrelated.
Except one, the fairy godmother in Cinderella. Because I have always put a face
to it, of someone I know and revere.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Friend, Guide, Idol – Padma has
been that and more over the last 7 years of my life. She has played an
important part in molding my professional life emphasizing on the importance of
ethics and values. On the personal front, she has always lent an ear to my
troubles, providing solutions to most problems. In today’s corporate world, where
greed and ambition have superseded humanitarian values, Padma is an angel. My
fairy godmother.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
"Pooh?" he whispered.</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"Yes, Piglet?"</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"Nothing," said Piglet, taking
Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have had
my share of friends over the last 28 years. But if I had to choose one for whom
I would take a bullet, it would be a daunting task. Yet, even when I write
this, only one person comes to my mind. A person who has been there for a long
time now and still hasn’t left my side.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’ve known
Sangi since she was 2, and we’ve been close buddies since then. The best part
of our friendship is the fact that we have never had a fight, absolutely none (at
least none that I can recall). And I do know that through the years, I’ve
teased, tortured and tested her patience to the hilt, and still got away with
it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a friend, Sangeetha (rather Doctor Sangeetha) always understood my life and we didn't have to go through the routine of providing excuses or explanations. Apart from the fact that she never missed a call (even
at 4 am), and always had the patience to hear me out. But over the years, there
have been times when I feel that I never appreciated her enough.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So here
goes. For as long as I’ve known you, you have been my best buddy and one of the
best women that I’ve ever known.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.”
</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are
many others who have played their part in my life. Cameos that have touched and
transformed my life for the better. But, above all of them stand these four
women.<span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s true, and about time that we
acknowledge it, Behind every successful man,
there are many women.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Happy Women’s Day 2013.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div>
Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-37329983289775668992012-12-17T23:36:00.003-08:002012-12-17T23:36:33.579-08:00Guns n Roses<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“You have to know your enemy,
Alfred. I'd never use one, but even I can appreciate the attraction of a gun.
The heft. The sleekness. The cool steel. The precision. And the power. The
power to change lives, history. The power of God.” – Bruce Wayne, The Dark
Knight</i></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/SamuelColt.jpg/225px-SamuelColt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="138" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Restless in his grave. Samuel Colt.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The world (for now) seems like a
highly magnified version of Angry Birds. All the guns, explosives and bad
piggies (or at least touting them as bad) are part of a well-scripted frame;
and we have enough birds to sling and cause damage. My immature viewpoint may
ruffle a few orthodox feathers who estimate the happenings of the world as the
road to Armageddon (it is a new movie that stars Bruce Willis, who ends up
fighting humans for survival). For once, the people of the world are united in
their relentless stride towards murdering, molesting and pilfering their own kith
and kin. I hope this post goes on-line before the dreaded 21.12.12, when the weather
forecast will be “cloudy with a chance of fiery meatballs*.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">[* - The number and type of
meatballs depend on your sins. Read offer document carefully before making
investments.]</span></b> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After intending no pun in the earlier
lines, let me come back to a review of the world in 2012. I can only think of
uprisings, the European debt-crisis, gun-shooting incidents, the summer Olympics,
the fall of a doping Icarus (Llivestrong), corruption and anti-corruption facades,
a royal prank that went horribly wrong, and the hanging of India’s VIP
prisoner, Ajmal Kasab (though I still find it hard to believe).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">People in glass houses are not
supposed to throw stones, for the fear of breaking our own houses with
misplaced stones. But, it makes sense for me to do a round-up of India before I
vehemently cross the oceans to take on the global cops. I would like to begin
my vote of thanks by congratulating our movie directors who take on daring
subjects and risk their life to promote the happenings in rural (and urban
India) vis-à-vis Gangs of Wasseypur. It has spurred our youth to rape and kill
at will (sounds rhyming, the earlier effects of poetry haven’t weaned off yet).
We let our guns (and manhood) do all the talking. We molest womenfolk in
public, private, on-camera and flaunt it as a flag of our masculinity.
Surprisingly, there is always an aide or a group that is involved (except in
cases where toddlers are involved). Can our legislators distract themselves
from the economy and concentrate on the shambles that’s disrupting the harmony
in the country? Do we look like some isolated country in the west-coast of
Africa or a state run by a fanatic dictator? For heaven’s sake, we are the
world’s biggest (self-proclaimed) “DEMOCRACY.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope Mr. AK is on the Talaash
for next season’s themes on spirituality, talking to ghosts and genre of movies
joining the 100 Cr movie club. Ironically in this current situation, I can be
jailed for storing beef or posting this blog, but might get let off for using guns
or raping some hapless women. Period. 65 years of progress, India is truly
shining.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me board the ship to the
United States of Ambiguity. There are two instances that have repeatedly
happened out there. High-profile cyclones (which have been part of the annual
calendar for the past couple of years) and shooting sprees (spread majorly
across educational institutions and malls). Why do assailants always target
schools? For the one single reason that it shoots them into stardom. The fact
that out there that everything is eventually transformed into irrelevant stats.
The number of points Kobe Bryant scores, number of days before Kardashian
marries and divorces someone, number of people killed in a shooting spree, number of people affected
by a cyclone. Always providing the impetus for someone else to better the
previous record (except for the acts of God). Is it really hard to
implement a faultless mechanism that’ll resolve these issues, or will someone
sue the government for not being given the chance to shoot others?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whom do we blame? The gun-slinging
assailant who walks into a building shooting from his hips, murmuring “<i>Hasta
la vista, baby”</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">; the media who
elaborately scripted the thesis of previous incidents thereby promoting the villains
into cult status; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>our fragile mental structure
that crumbles in the face of adversity or the hatred that makes us wish that we
shoot the villains. I can’t change the world (~<i>I'm only a man in a silly red
sheet, Digging for kryptonite on this one way street~</i>), but at least I can take
a resolve to keep myself sane and hope the educated masses to follow suit.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Without sounding corny, let me reiterate the message that I see when I
walk into the office every day. Report a hazard before it becomes an accident.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“In every country where independence has taken the place of liberty,
the first desire of a manly heart is to possess a weapon which at once renders
him capable of defence or attack, and, by rendering its owner fearsome, makes
him feared.” ― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">P.S: Some jokes can kill. RIP Jacintha Saldanha</span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.google.co.in/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.photographyblogger.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/821923683_b782943621.jpg&sa=X&ei=ExzQUPj7KIyPrgeWoYDoDA&ved=0CAoQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNHayPnEJv8GA79UBhSGqMCzsMeKBw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" id="il_fi" src="http://www.google.co.in/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.photographyblogger.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/821923683_b782943621.jpg&sa=X&ei=ExzQUPj7KIyPrgeWoYDoDA&ved=0CAoQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNHayPnEJv8GA79UBhSGqMCzsMeKBw" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-71557718113601502392012-10-10T13:09:00.001-07:002012-10-10T13:09:54.095-07:00Try-wind-rum Lodge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em>Disclaimer: I don’t qualify as a critic, for movies or books (by any stretch of imagination) primarily for two reasons.</em></div>
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<em><br /></em></div>
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<em>1. I do not take a neutral stand for my likes/ dislikes (rather than terming them good or bad), preferring the good old binary method.</em></div>
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<em>2. I am not an expert on either books or movies. I watch movies for entertainment and read books to improve my language.</em></div>
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<em><br /></em></div>
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<em>Any views mentioned on this blog are totally personal and not meant to question or demean the work of the artist. </em></div>
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“The rain fell alike upon the just and upon the unjust, and for nothing was there a why and a wherefore.” – The Rain</div>
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I love watching movies. I watch movies across various genres, in various languages; English, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil (specific to actors/directors and with sub-titles). In this post, I have decided to stick to my roots, and talk about Malayalam movies over the last couple of decades.</div>
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In the early 90’s, most Malayalam movies were of primarily two categories; movies with lead actors portraying angry young men in family dramas and secondly, typical Priyadarshan brainless comedies (currently chartbusters in the Bollywood arena). The success of both genres was overall high, strong storylines encompassed with subtle scripts and original jokes.</div>
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In the dawn of the new millennium, the ageing heroes of Mollywood (inspired by Marvel Comics & Rajanikanth) grew from ordinary to super-heroes. The actors generally survived 3 hours of rampant villains, and goons were sent flying across the screen every other minute. Moreover, each movie had its fill of song-and-dance sequences. You could stay rest assured that the hero would get his girl at the end of the movie. On the other hand, our B-grade industry picked up speed and served up the fantasies for most male mallu adolescents.</div>
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As time went by, the sparsely populated cinema halls provided an opportunity to discover new realms. Younger directors, schooled in the technicalities of film-making stepped in to experiment with vibrant scripts. The change was immediate, and welcomed by the famishing movie buffs. Like a whiff of fresh air, movies with daring scripts (Chappa Kurishu, 22 fk, etc.) engrossed viewers and held them to their seats. Mollywood found its way into multiplexes across metros and became a weekly fixture for new releases. The web of age-old movie making rules were broken and the experiments continued its foray into new, unseen dimensions. But over the last year, the exceptions have ended up creating new rules.</div>
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Let me elaborate. The new set of films had provided a glimpse of our future societal environment. It had surprised and prickled our emotions. But, familiarity breeds contempt (at least in my viewpoint). The subject of the movies was centered on a lifestyle influenced by the West. Extra-marital affairs, divorcees, womanizers – the central protagonist’s role was similar. Disturbingly, the content of some of these movies provided viewers with a license to accept the storylines as part of our culture, and future. Vulgarity and abusive language allowed spectators a shot of adrenaline and multiplexes drowned in the thunderous applause. Somewhere down the line, in an effort to maximize creativity, we had overstepped the lines of balance.</div>
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Trivandrum Lodge is one of latest entrants in this genre. While some critics have termed the movie as “Different, bold, well-scripted, well-directed and with good performances," I could only describe the movie as repulsive. It starts with a conversation between two “modern” women who describe their relationships. One finds her “epitomy” (guess she meant epitome) in an uneducated, filthy rich husband while the second is out to “fornicate with independence” after her recent split. Moving on, we come across the two lead male protagonists. The former, a desperate and dumb (yet smart) sexaholic plays “Man Friday” to the leading lady (Miss Fornication) while the latter, a widower - believes in the essence of love, and yet commends on his mother’s ability to handle multiple extra-marital affairs (while explaining to his dad, who transforms from an idealist to an opportunist over a few scenes) as business deals. Add another couple of testosterone charged males, a prostitute, a pimp, and also a blooming love story between two children who romance like teens. Not to miss out on the beep that sounds after every abusive word has been heard.</div>
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Perhaps, this is true after all and happens behind every closed door. But, with due respect to our culture and upbringing, I find it hard to digest and accept this as our society today. I might be living in a state of denial as the secluded frog in the well, but we could really use better themes to portray in our movies.</div>
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Thanks!</div>
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A humble request from a movie buff.</div>
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<em>“Conscience is the guardian in the individual of the rules which the community has evolved for its own preservation.” – Somerset Maugham</em></div>
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Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-42586677509467349102012-10-08T23:05:00.002-07:002020-04-22T22:29:46.874-07:00Dog Gone Days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">“FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD.”</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzUhNgoQDpo/UHO9rOsIaYI/AAAAAAAAHVI/NwKND7E4hsA/s1600/Matador.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzUhNgoQDpo/UHO9rOsIaYI/AAAAAAAAHVI/NwKND7E4hsA/s320/Matador.jpg" width="281" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Matador moved gracefully, clothed in red. He watched the bull
line-up the target and charge towards him. All of a sudden, a haze seemed to
settle in. The bull started to shrink and its ominous horns seemed to dissolve
into incisive canines. The Matador seemingly followed suit, transforming into a
biker (on a red bike adorning a red helmet – just like me). As the mist
cleared, realization hit me (rather bit me) as the bull (now a street dog) leapt
at my ankle and sunk its teeth in my flesh (Readers, ignore the slight exaggeration).
Like a streak of lightning, the pain registered in my head and a Wikipedia page
seemed to open (in a slow browser) titled “Rabies.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Friends, fellow victims and dear “Animal activists.” Is this the way
the world is supposed to end (as per the Mayan calendar)? Where Animals
overthrow humans in the race to survival? No offence meant but I just finished
reading George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” and the effects haven’t worn off yet. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Why do dogs chase harmless motorists? Here’s a snapshot from some
expert website.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>“Some car chasers are just
answering the instinctive call to the hunt: Anything that moves can serve as
prey. Others may be acting on territorial instincts, driving away (no pun
intended) the motorized intruder from their turf. Still others -- usually
herding breeds or mutts with strong herding instincts -- are trying to get
those wayward cars back into the "flock." Basically, any dog will be
inclined to give chase to a moving object -- a tossed stick or ball, a passing
cat or squirrel</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">And why did I get bitten? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">My answer: Perhaps, it wasn’t one of my luckier days.</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Personal half of the World: You must have done something to the dog; in
this life or previous lives. (sighs)</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Professional half of the world: The dog might have figured that you are
part of the HR team. (bellows)</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">So, what do you do when a dog (especially a stray one) bites? Wash the
wound with water and soap for 20 minutes (imagine that, simply
washing a wound for 20 minutes). Get to the nearest hospital and check out the array
of injections available (a menu could help with the various rates). And
depending on the doctor’s discretion, start the dose of injections. I am not
getting into the medical aspects of it, but rest assured – a lot of money can
get spent based on the dog’s discretion.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">It doesn’t end there. No alcohol for the duration of the vaccines (each
one hurts more than the previous one) and blood donation is prohibited for a
year after the vaccination is completed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Throughout the trauma, one thought repeatedly made its way into my
head. Every day we read about dogs that maul babies and children to death. And we can't move our little finger to stop the menace of stray and rabid dogs. For the record, I totally hate that lady who is an Indian politician, animal rights
activist, environmentalist, former model and widow & daughter-in-law of a
former Indian Prime Minister who should have all these stray dogs for company.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g4jz3Pr_RLU/UHO-SSllgMI/AAAAAAAAHVQ/o_NwKQqsN30/s1600/rabies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g4jz3Pr_RLU/UHO-SSllgMI/AAAAAAAAHVQ/o_NwKQqsN30/s320/rabies.jpg" width="290" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"ALL ANIMALS ARE
EQUAL, BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS." - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Animal
Farm</span></i></span></span></span></div>
</div>
Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-71884606322244944332012-07-26T21:47:00.001-07:002020-04-22T22:30:01.529-07:00Bubble Theory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CKPu0DevOMQ/UBIc0bY7XWI/AAAAAAAAHUQ/C1rCUZgZxzw/s1600/288133_10150888874076160_2116484664_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CKPu0DevOMQ/UBIc0bY7XWI/AAAAAAAAHUQ/C1rCUZgZxzw/s400/288133_10150888874076160_2116484664_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Everyone seemingly has a past & present, but only some are fortunate to have a future." - Skv</i></div>
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Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-87287791586995253052012-07-18T12:35:00.001-07:002020-04-22T22:30:38.383-07:00Educated, but Unemployed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em>“Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.” - Will Durant</em></div>
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I have pondered over this subject for the last few years without reaching a rational conclusion. Surely, the educated peoples of the world are the architects of the future. On the other hand, traditional methods of teaching are unable to hold the fort against a rapidly evolving realm. Let me digress. My manager (a proven professional) lamented on the inefficiencies of fresh graduates. The raison d'être of the theory was strongly (and controversially) backed by the propaganda that tutors (at these colleges) were guilty of being ignorant to corporate norms, and specifically quoting that “lecturers would remain lecturers for the rest of their lives.” A recent introspection by a KPMG consultant seemed to justify the above statement.<br />
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It is clearly debatable on the lines of our “tried and tested” mode of education. Professors and lecturers have always been highly regarded in our society for various reasons. The most important thing being that they were the “cream of the crop” on the education ladder. Inarguably, teaching is a highly noble profession, and the stalwarts ensure an important contribution to society. But where are we losing it?</div>
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<em>“Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading.” - G. M. Trevelyan</em></div>
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Reiterating Mohit Chandra’s article (An Open Letter to India’s Graduating Classes), the issues with our system have been there forever. Our culture demands unthinking compliance with the orthodoxies set in concrete by our elders (I, for my part, have posed far too many uncomfortable questions to my elders – with due respect). Eventually, the latter part of our collegial education cannot reset the habituation that society had done in our incubation.</div>
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Moreover, we have an educational system that has a fixation with process rather than significance, and theoretical explanations over practical insights. We condemn and discourage “thinking out of the box” as riotous. I recently read an article that humorously defamed our communication skills. Our regional languages are important, and every student has to learn his native language. But, we are not China yet and cannot rid English from our diet. I’ve been warned by relatives (thankfully, my parents didn’t think on the same lines) that reading an “English novel” or watching an “English movie” would corrupt my mind.</div>
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At the deep end of the rat-race, academics are of highest priority. Students are undermined on the basis of a few test scores and the bigger lessons of attitude and ethics are compromised. Recently, Ernst and Young asked executives all over the world if they would pay a bribe to retain business. Globally, 15% of surveyed executives said they would. But in India, 28% said they were ready to bribe for business (India performed worst).</div>
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The headline in today’s newspaper was surprising, but honestly not unexpected. One-tenth of our graduates are unemployed (specifically 9.4% of our graduates & 10% of our post-graduates).</div>
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<em>In India, the illiterate are the poorest, and the poorest simply cannot afford to be unemployed, so they do some work, even if they are under-employed, explains a new research.</em></div>
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When faced with a proposition of being unemployed at the end of my incomplete engineering degree, my choices were limited. To get a job; be financially-independent or rue my failures. It meant working shifts, and compromising on watching movies or partying in the evenings, so be it. And I managed to build a career out of it. Eventually the work that I do has no correlation with my four-year engineering degree. The parameters are stipulated; Good communication skills (I sometimes wonder if my language has waned over a period of time), reasoning ability, and a boisterous defiance. The one notable thing with over-qualified folk is that the employment options are narrowed down to a drizzle. A batch mate of mine who couldn’t beat the amazon of examinations decided to start his own firm, and has been highly successful at it (he has started his own web designing/development firm; surprisingly the university didn’t deem him fit for similar academic subjects).</div>
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It was highly hilarious to read about the person who had outrageously bamboozled two major corporations over a 5-year stint with forged documents, and worked himself a hefty pay-check. Eventually he did get caught (after marital discord - hell hath no fury like a woman scorned) but the bigger point is that he would have never been hired for these companies otherwise. Talent wasted due to an incorrigible scholastic labyrinth. Education is important, but it shouldn't be restricted to glorious academics. There has always been some other incorporated values that get you further in life. And you can always look so far as a Steve Jobs or Bill Gates to prove that theory right.</div>
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<em>“No man who worships education has got the best out of education... Without a gentle contempt for education no man's education is complete.” - Gilbert K. Chesterton</em></div>
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Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-49624108106794537262012-07-08T20:55:00.001-07:002020-04-22T22:31:03.501-07:00The Indomitable Spirit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em>"I believe a big club must have the ambition to win with style ... You know, there is a famous saying, that the only way to deal with your life is to transform it into art, every minute of your life. Football is an art, like dancing is an art – but only when it's well done does it become an art. If you see me painting, that is not an art. If you see my wife painting, that is art." ~ Arsene Wenger</em></div>
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When Wenger arrived at Arsenal in the autumn of 1996 as one of the first foreign managers in the English game, he was, inevitably, received with suspicion and bewilderment. Who was this Frenchman with the German name, from the contested eastern borderlands of Alsace, and what was he doing at Arsenal of all places?</div>
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Today, He is the club's longest serving manager and most successful, winning eleven major honours since 1996. Wenger also has the enviable record of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League in every season (full) since his arrival. In short, he has never fallen short of a top-four finish since ’96. And yet, at the beginning of every season, his critics bay for his blood.</div>
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For the first part of his tenure at Arsenal, he built a foundation on defensive strategies. Arsenal won enough trophies, and the manager rightly invested in the youth team (to an extent that some former players termed it “child trafficking”). With younger players coming through, the formation changed to an attacking setup. Over the last couple of years, Arsenal’s style of football has seen a transformation. They are dependent on their pacy wingers, and play direct football. On the negative side, their defensive mechanism has failed them in the past few seasons and they have conceded far too many goals. But, alike the Brazilian team of the past, the ultimate motive in football is to score more goals than your opponent. Although their mainstay players have their headed towards greener pastures, Wenger has managed to rebuild the team at the beginning of every season and drive them towards challenging the better teams in the league.</div>
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At the beginning of last season, most Gooners (Arsenal fans including yours truly) were devastated. Two of our iconic stars (Fabregas and Nasri) had decided to move on to better clubs. But, at the end of the season when we finished above Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool (all of them had spent a sizeable amount of money), Wenger proved everyone wrong. He gave the fans the belief that great teams were not built only on the capability of their stars. It was a summation of the team’s efforts. And if the superstars left, someone else would step up to fill their shoes. Eventually, the show must go on.</div>
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A survey in 2007 found that Wenger was the only Premier League manager to have made a profit on transfers, and Wenger made an average profit of £4.4 million per season on transfers, far more than any other club. In 1997, he bought Anelka from PSG for a paltry 500,000 pounds and sold him two years later for 23 million pounds. It gave Wenger the money to buy three others: Henry, Pirès, and Wiltord (all of them played significant roles for Arsenal).</div>
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Wenger’s philosophy has been simple. No player is bigger than the club (a reason why Arsenal’s wage structure has always been concrete). Wenger has always backed his players, be it injury, criticism or off-color displays. And most importantly, it isn’t the price tag of a player that worries Wenger, rather the value for money that’s linked to that player.</div>
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Wenger speaks good English, with a slightly comical accent, has a degree in economics (evident from the way he makes purchases in the transfer market) from Strasbourg University, and, with his interest in sports science, nutrition and physiotherapy, has progressive ideas on how a modern football club should be run and how its players should eat, train and rest. In this age of Moneyball (the film by the same name could have portrayed Wenger for all reason), where billionaires from the Arab nations and the Eastern-Bloc have invested in football teams, Wenger is an old-fashioned tyrannosaurus. His methods might not go well with the new teams of football (the Manchester City’s and Chelsea’s of the world) who prefer to spend at least 100 million pounds every season to win something half the worth. As a manager, (in my view) only Sir Alex is on par with Wenger for building teams and retaining the legacy of their respective clubs.</div>
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The essential mystery that surrounds Wenger - the enigmatic and fascination of him - is heightened by his refusal to play the media game or embrace celebrity. While he is always available for press conferences, he never gives long interviews or speaks candidly about personal matters or issues outside football. This is a shame because it means we shall never know him as he really is. Nor is Wenger popular among his fellow managers, who complain about his aloofness. Alex Ferguson once spoke with irritation of how Wenger would never join him for a post-match drink, a cherished tradition at Old Trafford. Yet he is adored by his players, to whom he is unstintingly loyal, never criticising them in public. Arsène Wenger has effected a glorious revolution in England, showing the footballing community not only how the game can and should be played, but also how young men of different races, religions and nationalities can work together harmoniously to create a moral example and vision of the cosmopolitan good life.</div>
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<em>“At a young age winning is not the most important thing... the important thing is to develop creative and skilled players with good confidence.” – Arsene Wenger.</em></div>
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P.S – RVP’s departure was always on the cards. For a player who occupied the treatment table for the majority of his stay at Arsenal (most part of his first 6 seasons), and had a reputed in-disciplinary record at the beginning of his career; he has only Wenger to thank for turning his fortunes around. But, Arsene has had the last laugh. Having spent only 2.75 million pounds to buy RVP, he is going to sell him for at least 10 times that amount.</div>
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Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-12151642949859593342012-07-02T09:55:00.001-07:002012-07-02T09:55:20.373-07:00The Olympic Dream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div align="center" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
“It
isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your
shoe.” - Ali</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
Atlanta – ’96. Termed “the
celebration of the century,” we Indians had a reason to celebrate; our first,
and only medal, after 16 long years (first individual medal after 40-odd years)
at the Olympics. For the 12-year old in me, it was the time to pin-up India’s
new poster boy on the wall (accompanying the quartet of Sachin, Agassi, Jordan
and Maradona).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhk3zIzCLOM/T_HQqFUBAfI/AAAAAAAAHTY/D34XYHt-_5k/s1600/paes-bhupathi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhk3zIzCLOM/T_HQqFUBAfI/AAAAAAAAHTY/D34XYHt-_5k/s200/paes-bhupathi.jpg" width="174" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></span>
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<br /></div>
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Over the next 6 years, the
combined force of Paes and Bhupathi inscribed India’s name in the global Tennis
community. They faltered at the quarter-finals of Sydney 2000, and narrowly
missed-out on a bronze medal four years later in Athens. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>But the nation held its hope, and millions of
Indians pumped fists and celebrated at every point won.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<i><span></span>“They played so well as a team that it
prompted the then top Australian doubles pair of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Woodforde" title="Mark Woodforde"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Mark
Woodforde</span></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Woodbridge" title="Todd Woodbridge"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Todd Woodbridge</span></a> (known as the Woodies) to
predict that Bhupathi and Paes would take their place in tennis doubles after
they left the scene.”</i>
[courtesy wiki]</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
By 2008 though, it was a plain
formality. The chest-thumping, high-adrenaline duo of the past was merely going
through the motions on court. Off-court, they the rift widened between the pair
as they won trophies with separate partners at major slams. With a fresh coat
of paint, the images disappeared from my wall. The image of Abhinav Bindra
winning the gold medal in Beijing flourished as Indian tennis wilted at the
whims and fancies of two super-egos.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
Their record as a team is
enviable, a career record of 303-103 and the Davis Cup record of longest
winning streak in doubles, with 23 straight wins.
Though their personal playing styles are like chalk and cheese, the dynamism of
Paes and consistency of Mahesh have allowed them to build their forte.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Mahesh deciding to partner Bopanna for
the upcoming games, the AITA were in quandary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And when they intervened, the fiasco has been broadcast as a national
shame. A despicable Sania and a clueless Vishnuvardhan added further chaos to the mess.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
In 2011, when the pair decided
to re-unite on the ATP circuit after 9 years, an Elton John song propagated
through the back of my head, “the candle in the wind.” And, even though they lost
in the finals of the Australian open, sparks of the previous magic reignited
from their wands. But it was too good, and quick to be true. From bad to worse,
the saga continued till the point of annihilating a world-class team for the
2012 Olympics.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span></span>Is it fame that empowers the stars of our
country to consider themselves invincible and above the nation’s interests? Or,
infantile reservations that clutter the thoughts of these superstars? Both of
them are at the dusk-end of their careers and the path they chose might not
necessarily reciprocate the achievements of the last decade. But, if they
choose to join hands for one last time, it might provide hope of a long-lost
dream, an Olympic dream.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
“My responsibility is getting
all my players playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on
the back.” ~ Unknown.</div>
</div>Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-33637573283875857562012-06-23T00:46:00.001-07:002020-04-22T22:31:56.598-07:00Truth; Be Damned<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Female foeticide is such a big social issue in India that India's Oprah is a guy."</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>[courtesy Kintan Brahmbatt, a FB friend]</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GpEgaZwUxJM/T-VeV0Yp66I/AAAAAAAAHTM/VHdHE3m57kI/s1600/Lies.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GpEgaZwUxJM/T-VeV0Yp66I/AAAAAAAAHTM/VHdHE3m57kI/s400/Lies.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Are we bored with our lives? Do we need to turn on the television to tell us where we're headed, whether North or South? And lastly, which is the biggest problem that we face in our everyday lives; ignorance, lies or inaction?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
I appreciate Aamir's "honest" efforts to highlight and eradicate the perils faced by the "common man". A show that reaches out to the masses through various channels on a Sunday morning; Perfect timing for the "common man" to finish his brunch, check his facebook account (comment/like/share) and tune in to watch "Truth alone prevails." I have watched a couple of episodes, and my wife has filled me with the details of the rest. Honestly, I do enjoy the songs at the end but nothing more to it. I have never watched the Oprah Winfrey Show either, but I hold that lady and her show in high esteem (I can hear the murmurs of American television being more prominent than our desi ones). Only because her life has seen the facets of darkness that would put fiction to shame.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Aamir Khan is a great actor, and we applaud his ability to "be different" and create movies that reach out to the masses; a dyslexic child (Taare Zameen Par), the idiosyncrasy of our orthodox education framework (3 Idiots), and the voice of youth against corruption (Rang De Basanti). Perhaps, our admiration has reached to the limit where we shout, pump our fists and have an adrenaline rush seeing Aamir's bash the bad guys. I wonder if we ever discussed Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan as much as we discuss AK's efforts on screen. The former didn't have a TRP rating, only a 21-gun salute and he was forgotten (apart from the occasional updates on fb).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
There is no other country in the world that enjoys movies and the life of their superstars as much as India does (probably Americans as well). And at times, we tend to look at the reel life rather than real life for motivation. Our personal life stories are drawn on the lines of a KKHH or DDLJ. So when our superstars step down to the common man's mantle, it's their screen image that's portrayed in our minds; How Sanjay Dutt became the epitome of Gandhian principles after a couple of <strike>Lage raho</strike> Munnabhai movies is food for thought.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
I do understand that I'm going overboard with my criticism, but a look at the financial structuring of this program seemed to back me. The sponsorship deal of this series is "only" 24.99 crore (Dhobi Ghat was made at a measly budget of 10 cr) and a 10-second advertising slot costs 10 lakh. The show's producers include Aamir and Kiran. And Aamir (supposedly) charges Rs. 3 crore for each episode (wiki). I understand that it requires funding for a such a high-scale television program, but isn't it supposed to be a service for the public? Whose coffers are getting filled?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
I didn't watch the episode pertaining to medical malpractices but I could feel the hurt within a few medical practitioners whom I know. For a life saved, they get a "thank you" and for one lost, hospitals are demolished and doctors, assaulted. Didn't we outsource the life-death scenario to God? So why sacrifice the poor doctors? Doctors are only professionals like Engineers. The hours spent in saving lives contributes to the service they offer, not the living they make out of it. And about selling generic medicines as brands, isn't everything related to making money? Don't our nation's <strike>politicians</strike> flag-bearers do the same?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
After the first episode, I felt elated. I imagined this to be the change that our society deserved. But the surrealistic feeling came to an early demise on Monday morning when I read the papers. And it worsened over the week. Because nothing changed. The feeling was similar to the one after I watched a movie, eventually high hopes and lost causes.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Truth alone triumphs; not falsehood.<br />
Through truth the divine path is spread out by which<br />
the sages whose desires have been completely fulfilled,</span><br />
reach where that supreme treasure of Truth resides."</i></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Go ahead, Aamir. As you termed it, "this is only a baby step" to making changes. We will wait till the day you take upon the really up-scale bad guys. No one should be spared, be it high-profile politicians, industrialists, sportsmen or media. And then we'll stand up and salute the actor who likes doing things differently. And yeah, Mrs. Ambani can as well let out her $1 billion house to the victims of all these atrocities. Practice what you preach, life is beyond IPL and films. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Lets play truth or dare<br />
Or just dare because<br />
Nobody tells the truth anymore"<br />
- One Tree Hill</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
P.S: Critics would comment that this article is an act of hypocrisy. I'm neither paid 3cr for publishing this blog nor bothered about increasing blog traffic. <i><br />
</i></div></div>Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-41024864169642998142012-06-17T02:57:00.000-07:002020-04-22T22:33:03.180-07:00& Found..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9kOxkarfEeE/T92YwWsWovI/AAAAAAAAHTA/zT821TtHCVA/s1600/starry-night-over-the-rhone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9kOxkarfEeE/T92YwWsWovI/AAAAAAAAHTA/zT821TtHCVA/s1600/starry-night-over-the-rhone.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
August 15th 2006. Some days in our lives remain etched in memories. This was one of those days. We had returned from a trip that signaled the end of our student lives (at least for most of us). I was with two of my closest friends when our final semester results got published. Both of them were celebrating the fact that the tip of the Engineering iceberg had been conquered. And one of them had just landed a job with Infosys. I stood in a corner, shrinking away from their limelight as reality served me a knock-out punch. While India celebrated it's 59th year of Independence, I was shackled by the chains of incompetence and misfortune.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again." ~Flavia Weedn</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the midst of my miseries, I interviewed for a BPO job. I cleared the first four rounds, but stumbled at the final block. It sunk me deeper into the black hole that existed, but also gave me a slight glimmer of hope. I wasn't capable of clearing my exams, but I could surely find myself a job. And that's where it all started. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Someone once said, "when you reach the end of the rope, tie a knot and hang on to it till you find solid ground." I did just that; I hung in longer than I ever did before. A friend of mine planned to travel 150 kms to attend an interview, and wanted me to join him. I pondered over it for a couple of days before deciding to go ahead with it (thanks to my dad who convinced me it would work out). I remember entering the room for my first round of interviews (after clearing a written test). The gentleman posed a simple proposition. Three different puzzles; If I could clear them, I would be through to the next round. And the rest as they say is history. I cleared a dozen puzzles before being offered the job. Over the next year, I made my journey to clear my exams and finally graduate as an engineer.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i><i>It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. ~Edmund Hillary</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today life has come a full-circle. I finally stopped living in the halo of my abilities and slogged my back-side off for the last six years. I've understood and reiterated that there's no substitute for hard-work & perseverance. For an audience, pulling a rabbit out of a hat looks simple, but only the magician understands the practice to make it happen. Our abilities get us to certain places, but to sustain we need to take our chances and break-our-backs with the rest of the world, at times out-do them.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Whenever I come across an obstacle or a realm of darkness, I remind myself that the beacon of light is not far-away. And as Robert Frost wrote,</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Two roads diverged in a wood, And I</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>I took the one less travelled by,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>And that has made all the difference.</i>"</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*<span style="font-size: medium;">- The End -*</span>-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*</div>
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Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-20825152608438840382012-06-16T00:52:00.001-07:002020-04-22T22:32:45.130-07:00Lost & Found<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"I--I hardly know, sir, just at present-- at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then." - Alice in Wonderland</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nMB4RutkzF0/T9w0zfjh_lI/AAAAAAAAHS0/5k2TaWrWSSE/s1600/pottery-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nMB4RutkzF0/T9w0zfjh_lI/AAAAAAAAHS0/5k2TaWrWSSE/s200/pottery-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After a long hiatus, I'm (presumably) back.<i> </i>To be honest, it started feeling a little weird without the comforts of this blog. There are a few reasons (we always have something or the other) that have kept me in the wilderness. Firstly, a new job has forced me to spend more time at work and the commute is longer as well. Secondly (and most importantly), I don't have access to my blog at work (with due respect to my previous employers :D). So when I feel like blogging, I don't feel the surge of creativity. And when I get into the mood (usually while riding the bike), I can't pen it down. Finally, when push came to shove, I donned my headphones, added my favourite songs to the playlist and started.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." ~ Jack London</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So what do I write about?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
a. My new job encompassed in the garden of Eden</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
b. The tale of my cellphone usage (Addict to allergic)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
c. A new Indian president, rising inflation costs, a swooning GDP or the damned petrol hikes.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
d. None of the above.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I decided to get on a time machine and travel back to the past </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<i>“Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.”</i></div>
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The idea is far-fetched, but I felt that it would make sense to screen a movie on my blog. So, sit back, relax and watch the screen flicker as the reel is on the move.</div>
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<img border="0" height="332" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WZumwR8p8go/T09vCj6gzlI/AAAAAAAAGUk/zx8RwCOgK_s/s400/FAILED.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<i>(1984 - Present</i>)</div>
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Do I like the letter "F"? Yes, when it stands for Football, Friendships & F**K (I meant Facebook, though the number of stars weren't matching). It makes me uneasy when it stands for Fail, Failed & Failure.</div>
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I was 7, and forgot my part in a play when my teacher termed me a failure. I caught up with stage fright, and it took me almost half-a-dozen years to get my confidence back. In my 6th grade, an F was introduced to my scorecard for the first time (in Malayalam - straight-faced, Humbug!). I never took a liking to Malayalam after that, and within a year moved it out of my languages (I took a second English, most called it "Special" English, I termed it "Additional English"). When I reached 11th grade, I misinterpreted the exam timetable for the internals and studied Physics for the Chemistry exam. The exam was a disaster, and another "F" adorned my grades (Quite surprisingly, I failed the Physics exam as well). In the sidelines, I gave up TT (my all-time favourite sport) after breaking a TT table.</div>
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During the first year of Engineering, I couldn't comprehend with Electrical Engineering and gave up studying the subject. It wasn't surprising when most of the class failed in EE, but my Chemistry followed suit (let's admit, it was never part of my platter, that organic, inorganic crap). As the tears dried, I decided that it would have to be "Faimuse es qot en oktiom" (without realising it meant "failure was not an option").</div>
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It didn't take a lot of einsteinesque efforts for people to term me a failure. My college principal spoke to my parents and conveyed the fact that I was among the bottom ten of the college. And sinking in the trauma of supplementary exams, I actually wondered if I was a failure.<br />
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*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-<span style="font-size: large;">Intermission</span>-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*<br />
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Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-4352457517497923922012-02-21T02:40:00.000-08:002020-04-22T22:39:00.386-07:00LA NATURA E L'ARTE DI DIO<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>"I love to think of nature as having unlimited broadcasting stations, through which God speaks to us every day, every hour and every moment of our lives, if we will only tune in and remain so."</i></div>
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<i> </i>7 AM. 7 AM. 7 AM.<i> (the Android phone screeches). </i>Why did I install this application that tells me the time? I roll off the bed (literally), rub my eyes and walk to the front door. The newspaper is out there, and so is a packet of milk.</div>
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"Sneha, make some tea." I spread the newspaper on the floor and commence reading from the sports page. I hate politics (which covers most of the front page), and don't have a keen sense for business or gossip (without taking potshots at leading dailies). And then, my mind wanders (lonely as a cloud, that floats on high over vales & hills - dedicated to Wordsworth).</div>
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<i>(Kowsalya supraja Rama poorva sandhya pravaarthathe</i><i>...)</i></div>
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6 AM. I don't need an alarm to wake me up. The radio awakens me with a soothing effect. I sit up and hear out "Suprabhatam" (I get a red underline that suggests I misspelled the word, and further suggests Mahabharata as the right spelling!!!). I brush, bathe and dress before sitting at the table for breakfast. The time is 6.50 (I didn't wear a watch in those days) as the regional news starts on the radio. I step out of the house and watch the dawning sun displace the darkness.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xrg-aTaKZdU/TDvFEvuHCiI/AAAAAAAAD44/idyjeuQ-1Ck/s1600/28072008328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xrg-aTaKZdU/TDvFEvuHCiI/AAAAAAAAD44/idyjeuQ-1Ck/s200/28072008328.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TZeMbhr9wGc/TDvE6ajkD1I/AAAAAAAAD4w/2WLpK5STvug/s1600/27072008324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TZeMbhr9wGc/TDvE6ajkD1I/AAAAAAAAD4w/2WLpK5STvug/s200/27072008324.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xrg-aTaKZdU/TDvFEvuHCiI/AAAAAAAAD44/idyjeuQ-1Ck/s1600/28072008328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xrg-aTaKZdU/TDvFEvuHCiI/AAAAAAAAD44/idyjeuQ-1Ck/s200/28072008328.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WIay1pHLLKc/TDvE9-_T5aI/AAAAAAAAD40/e24DeQ1RN8U/s1600/27072008325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WIay1pHLLKc/TDvE9-_T5aI/AAAAAAAAD40/e24DeQ1RN8U/s200/27072008325.jpg" width="200" /></a> It takes me about ten minutes to get past the fields, and to the bus stop. I can't afford to be late because if I miss the bus it would take another hour before the next one comes along. Adjacent to the bus-stop, there's a Mosque (Islamic prayer house) & a tea stall (we Mallus can't travel long without stopping for chai). Most of the elderly clerics find their way to the tea-stall after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fajr" target="_blank">Fajr</a> and sip steaming sulaimanis as they discuss world events. A few of them are well-acquainted with my uncle (he is a local panchayat member) and exchange pleasantries when I run into them. Those five minutes keep me well-informed, even better than reading "Bangalore Mirror." The bus appears, and I'm on my way. Like every other day.</div>
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Sunday Morning (8 AM).<br />
Brushed my teeth. Check.<br />
Logged into Facebook. Check.<br />
Commented on someone's status. Check.<br />
Had breakfast. Check.<br />
Watch a movie, have lunch. Check.<br />
It's only 2. How do I kill the rest of the time?<br />
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Sunday (6 AM) - 10 years back.<br />
We (my brother & I) tiptoe to the door. The door slightly groans as we pull it open. We step out and pull it shut. And then we run. Did I brush my teeth? Would it really matter? Because I'm out to play cricket, not act in a toothpaste commercial. It's almost noon when we get back. Hunger & fatigue are not on our minds, at least till the time we return.<br />
Initially, our cricket kit included a rubber ball and the bough (not past tense of bark :P) of a coconut tree. <br />
Stumps were three well-cut stems of a fledgling bamboo tree. Our pitch was a gravel-base and the ground was in the middle of a coconut grove. Apart from the opposition fielders, we had to comprehend with the coconut fielders in order to score runs. Our game would resort to Messrs Duckworth & Lewis method as soon as we lost the ball. If the matches were played in the evening, we would play out till darkness encompassed our "stadium".<br />
After lunch, we would sit down and play cards or chess under the Mango tree. During summer vacation, the trees would bear in-numerous mangoes which generally made up for dessert (we had 6 trees, all of which bore different types of mangoes). We would slice the ripe mango and dip it in a mixture of salt & red chilli powder. My mother would cut the mango while we drooled, waiting for the biggest piece. As the sun headed west, we would head out to the paddy fields for a game of soccer. April generally meant that the fields were barren and appeared as our Old Trafford. The game would last even after dusk set in (till the time we could kick the ball or the opponents feet). We would make our way back to the house through the rear entry after washing up near the well. Bruises & wounds would be hidden from mom's observant eyes. A quick dinner and a good night's sleep would keep us fresh for the next week.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0TaM6Rnzl1o/TDvFgYa73XI/AAAAAAAAD5Y/GA0NR8aRxis/s1600/130720101370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0TaM6Rnzl1o/TDvFgYa73XI/AAAAAAAAD5Y/GA0NR8aRxis/s200/130720101370.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4luwX3GiXO4/TDrVIIRG0RI/AAAAAAAAD4M/Sb0ag-2ohTo/s1600/300420101297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4luwX3GiXO4/TDrVIIRG0RI/AAAAAAAAD4M/Sb0ag-2ohTo/s200/300420101297.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-phzyYgv-RMM/TDrNLl7pGxI/AAAAAAAAD3o/m4qEITnA8Fo/s1600/110720101350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-phzyYgv-RMM/TDrNLl7pGxI/AAAAAAAAD3o/m4qEITnA8Fo/s200/110720101350.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gj_Ueo-h2VM/TDrUQ3vArdI/AAAAAAAAD3o/DjFc7Ntls-c/s1600/260420101279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gj_Ueo-h2VM/TDrUQ3vArdI/AAAAAAAAD3o/DjFc7Ntls-c/s200/260420101279.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yY-lYNnHwAU/TDvFa0EjlsI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/7gysWkCpfI0/s1600/130720101365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yY-lYNnHwAU/TDvFa0EjlsI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/7gysWkCpfI0/s200/130720101365.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
What are the advantages of growing up with nature? For a long time, I didn't know what pollution meant. The air was fresh and clean, and we remained devoid of allergies. It was always cooler under the trees than inside the house in summer. Air-conditioning literally meant "conditioned by natural air." We cultivated our own vegetables, rice & poultry. A Healthy way of living.<br />
I remember one specific incident from my childhood. I had gone on a trip to Chennai to visit my father's relatives. The house was adjacent to a Mango Grove and the ripe fruits tempted me. We stood on the terrace and threw stones at the mangoes. A couple of them fell on the other side of the wall and in a flash we jumped over the wall to retrieve them. The very next moment, I felt a hand on my arm. An old lady was talking to me in an unfathomable language. She dragged me to the house and rang the bell. My dad and his uncle quickly came out and negotiated with the hag. She wanted 50 Rs for the two mangoes and got away with it. After living close to nature all my life, I had imagined mangoes to be free of cost.<br />
Most kids of our age had never seen a television set. They had seen more of real life than reel life. Babies grew up seeing crows & sparrows, and listening to frogs croaking during monsoon. They grew up touching flowers & leaves, and playing with the mud.<br />
Today's kids grow up with cellphones, laptops & game consoles. A bee might scare the wits out of them & walking without a pair of <a href="http://www.crocs.com/" target="_blank">crocs</a> is totally unheard of. It would take a lot of convincing to muddy their feet and taste the sweet nectar from the banana tree. The sting of the bee hurts, but makes up for an experience. I hope that my kids get a similar chance in life to grow up in nature's lap. Far, far away from the madding crowd.<br />
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<i>Where the bee sucks, there suck I:<br />
In a cowslip's bell I lie;<br />
There I couch when owls do cry.<br />
On the bat's back I do fly<br />
After summer merrily.<br />
Merrily, merrily shall I live now<br />
Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.<br />
- The Tempest</i><br />
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<i>P.S: This post is an entry for "The Kissan 100% Real Blogger Contest." #Get Real</i></div>
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Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-8496383862573584722012-02-11T00:29:00.000-08:002012-02-11T00:29:07.330-08:00Growing Young<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span class="body">"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten."</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RFrKkuMRI5o/TzYmapKeRKI/AAAAAAAAGUE/xGqUIiRn-Nk/s1600/growing-up-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RFrKkuMRI5o/TzYmapKeRKI/AAAAAAAAGUE/xGqUIiRn-Nk/s320/growing-up-copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="body"> We did a play in high-school about an adolescent who returns to school 20 years after he graduated. The theme of the play was simple, the guy felt that he had been cheated of a proper education and wanted his tuition fees reimbursed. A set of funny sequences follow, he meets up with each his teachers and they put him through tests. The teachers work on proving him wrong by asking silly questions (How long did the 30 year old war last?) and the student tries to outsmart them (he answers 7 years). The tutor eventually proves that his answer was right.</span></div>
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<span class="body"> At the end of the final rehearsal, we were informed that the play could not be performed due to a restriction from the Ministry of Education (Sultanate of Oman). They felt that it would portray education in bad light, and make a mockery of it. When the tears subsided, I felt he was right. The traditional gurukul system would remain in our midst and teachers would always be held in high esteem. Unfortunately, I've been proven wrong over the past couple of years.</span></div>
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<span class="body"> A couple of days back, I was shocked to read the headlines in the newspaper. A teacher was brutally stabbed during school hours by a student. The student was irate after the teacher reprimanded him harshly for his low grades (wonder how many I would have killed).</span> I tried to put myself in the student's shoes. And I couldn't. The student had carried a knife for 3 days, waiting for an opportunity. That is cold-blooded murder and it sends shivers down my spine. Are parents keeping track of their wards? Or do their responsibilities end with paying the tuition fees?</div>
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I decided to read further into the evolution of behavioural trends in children. I have seen this at close quarters with the way my cousins deal with my nephews/nieces. The disgusting rat race has reached a point where we expect kids to mature overnight. Higher responsibilities are placed on them, and therefore higher incentives to motivate them. In short, a higher cliff, and a deeper fall. Parents feel that the teachers in schools aren't competent enough, and express it in front of their children. Let's admit it, the standard of teaching in schools are dropping but the attention at home is falling at a higher pace. We are bothered about the knowledge & information that our wards gain without stressing on cultural & social values. We do not differentiate good & bad, right & wrong as long as they are at the top of their game.</div>
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I was reading an article by Alison Gopnik, a professor in Psychology at UCLA. She points out that "If you think of the teenage brain as a car, today's adolescents acquire
an accelerator a long time before they can steer and brake." Read further <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577181351486558984.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V1lVH6bl4sU/TzYmcBQBTvI/AAAAAAAAGUM/-JSVXoyZWRM/s1600/RV-AF827B_TEENC_DV_20120127193902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V1lVH6bl4sU/TzYmcBQBTvI/AAAAAAAAGUM/-JSVXoyZWRM/s200/RV-AF827B_TEENC_DV_20120127193902.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you think of the teenage brain as a car, today's adolescents acquire
an accelerator a long time before they can steer and brake.</td></tr>
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We might keep blaming the education system till the cows come home, but unless we step forth and make those changes in our household, let's not expect changes. My mom has always been a house-wife. I didn't expect her to teach me Physics or Maths. But, she thought me that cheating & stealing were punishable, Honesty would pay us in the long run & Integrity would get us respect. Karma was above everything else, and we would reap the rewards of our actions alone. It might have left me struggling with the Fourier series or Laws of Thermodynamics, but who cares? My morals are intact, I ponder whether my actions are right or wrong before stabbing someone twice in the neck, once in the stomach and thrice in the chest.</div>
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<i></i><i>"We are taught you must blame your parents, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change."</i></div>
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P.S: When today's parents provide memory pills to their children rather than a glass of milk, I consider myself lucky to be part of the earlier generation.</div>
</div>Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-78208351440032358592012-02-10T02:30:00.000-08:002012-02-10T02:30:54.900-08:00Blood Positive<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”</span> ~ Winston Churchill</i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xJNwi_MU2WI/TzSh9SRwNoI/AAAAAAAAGT8/cSCkCZ29Yxs/s1600/buddy_blood_drop1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xJNwi_MU2WI/TzSh9SRwNoI/AAAAAAAAGT8/cSCkCZ29Yxs/s200/buddy_blood_drop1.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>
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<i> August 2010, (A lazy Saturday afternoon): </i>My room-mates were planning the evening's itinerary. Our Saturday's schedule generally included late lunch followed by a couple of beers and probably a couple* of pegs<i> </i>(*couple is a relative term)<i>. </i><a href="http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=out%20of%20the%20blue%20aakash%20chopra&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCgQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FOOTBTHEBOOK&ei=Frg0T9OaMcTlrAfvorC2Cw&usg=AFQjCNGHd6O5CQNAqNgoVTwYUlPEI9agWg&cad=rja" target="_blank">Out of the blue</a> (no disrespect to Aakash Chopra), a friend called up. They urgently required A+ve blood for an acquaintance who met with an accident. They were finding it hard to get donors without traces of alcohol in their blood. Possibly, the aftermath of a Friday night.</div>
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We reached the hospital within the next 20 minutes. Along with my friend, there were a couple others who had come over to donate blood. They were in need of 12 packets of blood, a sizable amount. We got our weight & blood pressure checked, filled up a couple of forms and donated our share of blood. Next morning we were informed that the patient had survived a 4-hour surgery on her left hand. A packet of juice & a couple of biscuits followed by a good night's sleep helped us in regaining the donated blood.</div>
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<i>Feb 2012</i>, <i>(Monday Morning Blues): </i>I hate Mondays. They remind me that weekends are too short. And I prefer to be left alone on Monday morning. I was at my grumpiest best when I received a call from Jayadeva Heart Hospital. They wanted blood, and were on the lookout for donors. I asked my colleague to drop me off at the Hospital and walked into the emergency section. A lady was scheduled for a bypass surgery and required blood. I donated my share and prayed for the lady's quick recovery.</div>
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Thanks to Aditi, I donated blood every 6 months. Initially, I was highly apprehensive about donating blood. But, after reading about it I felt that it would help a lot of people in need. Since then, I have been part of regular blood bank activities for the last 4-5 years. I felt really happy after donating blood on those two specific instances since I contributed my part in saving a life.<br />
Over these years, I've come across a lot of people who are hesitant to donate blood. They feel that it might take something away from them. A lot of people expect to be paid for donating blood without obliging to the greater cause of serving humanity. In one strange case, A father refused to accept donors who were working in the IT field (he presumed that all software engineers smoke cigarettes & drink alcohol often). All this is a consequence of misinformation.<br />
Here's a few facts about blood donation:<br />
1. Any healthy person between the age of 20 & 50 can donate blood as
long as they have no traces of alcohol, steroids, medicines in their
blood (ideally 48-72 hours should pass).<br />
2. Donating is relatively safe, but some donors have bruising where the needle is inserted or may feel faint.<br />
3. Potential donors are evaluated for anything that might make their blood unsafe to use.<br />
4. The donated blood is regenerated within 24-48 hours in the body.<br />
Blood donation is a great way to serve society. Saving lives doesn't necessarily mean that we need to wear a cape and tag ourselves as super-heroes. Spread the word, donate blood!<br />
</div>
<i> “`We be of one blood, thou and I..." - Rudyard Kipling</i><br />
<br />
<span class="sqq"></span><br />
<span class="sqq"><a class="sqq" href="http://thinkexist.com/quotation/-we_be_of_one_blood-thou_and_i-mowgli_answered---/257144.html"></a></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="sqq">P.S: A 7-month old baby wanted O -ve blood in Jayadeva. Donors, please contact the emergency section of the hospital.</span></div>
</div>
</div>Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-54159167197248397052012-02-06T04:56:00.002-08:002020-04-22T22:43:50.352-07:00The sound of silence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em>"I'm a man of many words, and choose to remain that way." - Skv<br />
</em></div>
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Friday was hectic. Really tiring. Having spent over 6 hours of my day
in meetings, conference calls & training sessions, I was left with a
throat as dry as the Sahara (not the one that deserted the BCCI). I had
to catch the train home, so there wasn't any time to cater to my
throat's demands of hot water with honey, ginger & lemon juice (ah, a
shade of brandy would set the thing on fire!).</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">
My post is not about grand-ma's recipe for cocktails. I wish to
reflect on the nuances of our senses (the poems are getting me to rhyme
in prose as well). We ideally have 5 senses (the 6th exists in Bollywood
& 7th in Kollywood only); sight, touch, hearing, smell & taste.
I highly value & appreciate the efficient working of these senses.
But, I have always held a greater preference towards speech. I could
imagine (<b><u>disclaimer: imagination has no limits</u></b>) surviving without one of the other senses, but speech will always be of the highest priority. Let me explain why.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">
As a kid, my dad constantly remarked, "Son, if it weren't for your
sharp tongue, a crow would have swooped down and taken you off the
ground (this is what happens to kids who refuse to eat vegetables)." As i
grew up, my vocal prowess held me in good stead. In fact, it was the
only thing that allowed me to get into this profession (read <a href="http://skv1984.blogspot.in/2012/01/youre-hired.html" target="_blank">Recruitment</a>). Over the years, I have found it extremely hard to sit quiet for more than a couple of minutes.</div>
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In recruitment, I spent the first 4 years bending my 'B's and rolling
my 'R's. As my confidence picked up, it reflected in the other facets of
my life as well. Speech became my major option for a livelihood.
Frustrated people who couldn't withstand the chatter proposed an
alternate profession in law. On the sports field, I couldn't keep the
sledging far from my game. And, the volume in the bathroom just got
higher with my kolaveris.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">
All this has been about me. Coming back to Friday. I survived two
Meru breakdowns to reach the railway station ahead of time. I wanted to
move away from the noisy crowds centered near the busy, tea stalls and
so headed towards a pair of empty seats at the far end of the platform.
A group of 5 seemed to be right at my tail and I felt bothered. For the
next few minutes, I hardly heard a whisper and so turned around to
check on them. I held my breath as I watched them converse with the
grace of a ballet. Their arms moved in symphony, drawing imaginary
castles in the air. A thousand words were spoken, yet none were heard. I
tried to keep my breathing down for the fear of intruding their world.
Their eyes moved in tandem with their flailing limbs as each one
narrated his part of the story.</div>
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Like artists drawing strokes on the canvas, alike an orchestrated
symphony, the aura drew me closer. If they had turned, they'd have
mistaken me for eavesdropping their conversation. They were in another
planet, oblivious to commotion surrounding them. For a moment, I tried
convincing myself that a group were playing dumb charades. But, it
didn't hold. An initial wave of sympathy was overlapped by one of
respect and due admiration. We, who have all our abilities intact are
disabled in every phase of our life. We do not push ourselves to achieve
beyond the norms expected of us. As the train trudged towards the
station, the group disbanded. And I stood still, lost for words.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<em> “Do not speak unless you can improve the silence”</em></div>
</div>
Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-82688786967519608052012-02-03T01:44:00.000-08:002012-02-03T01:44:40.332-08:00Paradise of Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i> </i><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9VFbjIeXI0w/Tyurgmv02DI/AAAAAAAAGT0/vFPWfVqBTRI/s1600/paradise-love-made-romantic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9VFbjIeXI0w/Tyurgmv02DI/AAAAAAAAGT0/vFPWfVqBTRI/s320/paradise-love-made-romantic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i> Amidst vast deserts lies an oasis,<br />Among the deepest oceans there exists Islands,<br />In the depth of my heart lies your soul.<br />An image, a gesture, the complete you.<br />In the fortress of my domain,<br />Your shadow develops silently,<br />As a boulder rolls over a meagre pebble,<br />That clings on to the edge of a cliff.<br />Our love becomes eternal and divine,<br />When our souls solely combine.<br />Do not deceive, do not betray,<br />For I am an incomplete being;<br />Without the fulfilment of your love.<br />These plaintive verses will never equal,<br />The harmony of love in me for you.<br />Always disclose the truths,<br />The unbiased, impartial and formidable truths.<br />My benevolence that prevails over you,<br />Is like a memorabilia presented to the sky,<br />A twinkling star that wholly resembles you,<br />An unfinished destiny, an undecided fate.<br /> - Skv</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>P.S: This was the first poem that I wrote, and so holds a special place in my heart. I wrote it in the Physics Lab (I can imagine Newton turning in his grave)!</i></div>
</div>Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-70773541480210413212012-02-02T02:30:00.000-08:002012-02-02T02:33:26.777-08:00As we part<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">“The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest.”</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> I've hit a block. On the contrary, it would seem highly pretentious to term it as "Writer's Block." The dearth of topics are not confounding me, rather I do have a long list of topics (including an unfinished novel) that needs dedicated attention, but finding time to write is the primary concern. So, I've found an alternative. I'll introduce my collection of poems to this blog (been a decade since most of them were penned) over the next couple of weeks while the new posts get created.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Re9pjf2Ao2Q/Typle3QuzMI/AAAAAAAAGTs/gOuBUupiaso/s1600/Parting_Ways_by_Yarns.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Re9pjf2Ao2Q/Typle3QuzMI/AAAAAAAAGTs/gOuBUupiaso/s320/Parting_Ways_by_Yarns.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">As we part</span></i></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><br />In my darkest hour, Devoid of thoughts,<br />A touch on my shoulder, that reassuring smile,<br />Brightening the journey ahead,<br />"Its not over yet", you said;<br />"At the end of the day, you'll be at your goal."<br /><br />I moved along, slowily but steadily,<br />Growing from strength to strength,<br />Crafting a path of fame,<br />All because of you my friend.<br /><br />Now when the end is in sight,<br />You're bidding good bye.<br />Parting is inevitable, reunion a distant hope.<br />But when the truth settles in,<br />A voice in my heart will whisper,<br />"Its not over yet, </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i> At the end of the day, you'll be at your goal......."</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i> - Skv.</i></span></div>
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</div>Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-80600661403004272752012-01-25T01:56:00.000-08:002012-02-02T01:03:26.976-08:00You're Hired!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”</i></div>
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I am a 27-year old Engineering graduate from Kerala. I was born in Kerala but spent my childhood in the Middle-East, (to be specific) in Oman. I did my Engineering from Kerala in Electronics & Telecommunications. I started my career with Aditi Technologies as a technical recruiter. Over the past 6 years, I've been moving up the ladder and currently work as a Recruitment Manager for Avvas Infotech, a newbie in the consulting industry. My strengths include strong communication skills (written & spoken English), an aptitude for technology and consider recruitment as an art. As an individual, I used to blow off a very short fuse but I have managed to mellow down over the last couple of years at the professional front.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_gHRCl27yuA/Tx_RpJn--bI/AAAAAAAAGTg/VKKsWxhcGVw/s1600/another-great-interview.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_gHRCl27yuA/Tx_RpJn--bI/AAAAAAAAGTg/VKKsWxhcGVw/s320/another-great-interview.gif" width="320" /></a> My hobbies include Reading books, watching English movies and following the EPL. I've been an athlete, cricketer and footballer for most part of my life. I have been active on my blog for the last few months and love listening to songs from the latest Hindi & Tamil movies.</div>
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I could answer further questions about myself, my work or anything that is mentioned on my resume. And that's the least I expect from those who interview with me. I have interviewed at least 200 people over the last 3 years and my ratio is a miserly 1:15. Most of these people were interviewed to work with me, and there are certain benchmarks that have been set.</div>
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1. Communication: I expect the person to understand my question, and I would love to understand their answers as well. MTI is acceptable, but that doesn't imply that the conversation is rendered as a song-and-dance sequence. Moreover, spelling mistakes on the resume is a red flag. I had someone who wrote "Good dessision maker", "hared worker" & "proffessional."</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-echc9gtMs5I/Tx_PMAoLGgI/AAAAAAAAGSg/OXWL7JVs8lE/s1600/interview-strengths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-echc9gtMs5I/Tx_PMAoLGgI/AAAAAAAAGSg/OXWL7JVs8lE/s200/interview-strengths.jpg" width="200" /></a>2. Tell me about yourself: I am hard-working, dedicated and a quick-learner. At one point of time, everyone I interviewed (10 in a day) were quick-learners, hard-working and dedicated. I don't expect my team to work for 12 hours, rather I'd prefer smart workers who can manage their time well. When people come up and say they are dedicated, I ask them if they were dedicated to their studies. Since they couldn't muster enough dedication for that, it would be unlikely with work as well. I would love to ask the quick learners to try Euclidean Geometry for starters. Other common strengths include go-getters and never-say-die attitude. I give random puzzles to the latter, and they say it's not solvable within 2 minutes.</div>
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3. Weaknesses: I appreciate people who actually know their weaknesses. Some of them walk into the room stating they don't have any, some others state that they wouldn't want to reveal it (right out of the HR gospels). Nobody is perfect is what one person told me.</div>
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4. Dress to the occasion: The freedom to choose their clothing doesn't mean that a pair of low-waist jeans and un-buttoned shirt forms the attire. Add to it an unshaven face and unruly, long hair. I'll ensure that the security doesn't let you in.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AJI0_6rqN2A/Tx_PYQDJV2I/AAAAAAAAGTY/axQ_obUD94o/s1600/interview1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AJI0_6rqN2A/Tx_PYQDJV2I/AAAAAAAAGTY/axQ_obUD94o/s1600/interview1.jpg" /></a><br />
5. Attitude: I love people with attitude. As long as it stays beyond the first 10 minutes. If you manage to stay in the room for 10 minutes.<br />
6. Honesty: 'The best part about being truthful is that you don't have to remember what you said." It might sound irritating for a genuine candidate but the best way for any interviewer is to ask the same questions twice during the interview. </div>
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7. Career plans: A candidate with an MBA in HR and loves recruitment (claims so);</div>
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Me: Where do you see yourself 1 year from now?<br />Candidate: HR Manager</div>
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Me: Great, and 3 years from now?</div>
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C: Businessman.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">
Me: Sighs.<br />
8. Hobbies: Please do not copy paste this part of the resume from someone else. It's a humble request. I've spoken to candidates who claim reading as their major hobby. It's fine, even I like books. But, if you've read one book (5-point someone because my friend forced me to read it) in the last 5 years, mention it in achievements. Expect the interviewer to ask questions about the last book that you've read or the movie you've watched. I had one person tell me 5 hobbies. None of them were on the resume (he had no clue about the actual ones mentioned in the resume as if to suggest that I had put it up for him).</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hm9zHUdbypk/Tx_PP_TnbjI/AAAAAAAAGSo/RI4wxhPo7aA/s1600/interview5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hm9zHUdbypk/Tx_PP_TnbjI/AAAAAAAAGSo/RI4wxhPo7aA/s200/interview5.jpg" width="175" /></a>9. Reasons for change: Better growth. Totally understandable. Better work environment. True. But, not at the rate of 4 companies/year. Exponential growth is only in boardroom meetings, not career prospects.</div>
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10: Resume: A resume can tell you a lot of things about a person. And looking at it again while a person speaks about himself will tell you everything else that's left out. Prepare a concise, personalized resume. Moreover, ask about the job and how you would fit in the scheme of things.</div>
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11: Salary expectations: One wrong answer and one wrong question. Wrong Answer: Company standards. Your compensation is directly proportional to your ability, current salary & expectations. Think about your realistic expectations before attending the interview. Wrong Question: How much will you pay for this job? Read the above once again.</div>
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Any Questions?</div>
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<br /></div>
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I don't hire people based on their academics (few could have fared worse than me), family background, caste, creed or religion. There are 3 parameters that I try to gauge over the 20-minute period that I spend with them. Communication skill (as mentioned above), Attitude & Basics of recruitment (for freshers I would prefer some sort of creativity). I also check whether their nature would fit the work environment (I've had an unpleasant experience in the past). A great recruiter needs to reach out to the masses and the ideal candidate would love talking to people. Lastly, I let people know why they are hired or rejected from the company's perspective.</div>
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</div>Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778230548181839950.post-42011415512391287172012-01-20T05:34:00.001-08:002012-02-02T01:03:40.748-08:00Romancing the language<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"<i>I know such English that I will leave the British behind. You see sir, I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English, I can run English, because English is such a funny language. Bhairo becomes Byron because their minds are very narrow. In the year 1929 when India was playing Australia at the Melbourne stadium Vijay Hazare and Vijay Merchant were at the crease. Vijay Merchant told Vijay Hazare. look Vijay Hazare Sir , this is a very prestigious match and we must consider it very prestigiously. We must take this into consideration, the consideration that this is an important match and ultimately this consideration must end in a run. In the year 1979 when Pakistan was playing against India at the Wankhede stadium Wasim Raja and Wasim Bari were at the crease and they took the same consideration. Wasim Raja told Wasim Bari, look Wasim Bari, we must consider this consideration and considering that this is an important match we must put this consideration into action and ultimately score a run. And both of them considered the consideration and ran and both of them got out."</i></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">
<i> </i>I'm bad with languages. Considering the consideration that I don't have the aptitude to add further languages into my armoury doesn't imply that I'm bad in English. Which further implies that I can only tick English in application forms which request for languages known, spoken, read & written. I can speak Malayalam & Hindi, but expecting me to script those fonts would be a harrowing experience, for the readers.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RZjpqIUOFD8/Txlr_mXyttI/AAAAAAAAGSA/cYwpgh9ZqiY/s1600/alphabet-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RZjpqIUOFD8/Txlr_mXyttI/AAAAAAAAGSA/cYwpgh9ZqiY/s320/alphabet-2.png" width="223" /></a> Our story wasn't love at first sight. I would read countless books and hardly bother about the language. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was an equal to Enid Blyton, and Hardy Boys shared the same shelf with Ivanhoe. The stories were my trapdoor to the world of imagination, and English was just another subject at school. When I moved to high school though, the first page of a long romance unfolded. I replaced Malayalam (my mother tongue) with an additional paper of English. Spelling buzzed a new interest and I would spent hours together in getting mine right. Over the next couple of years, I bagged every prize on offer at school competitions for English. Debates, essay writing, spelling-bee - English was a fascination. </div>
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When my dad realised my new-found love, he called in for re-inforcements. Half-a-dozen books were shipped from India. Within the lot, two of the books stood out. The complete collection of Charles Dickens & William Shakespeare.</div>
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Good books are like wine. Initially, we desist the taste. But the more we drink the more we appreciate its value. The books that I read suddenly got thicker. Reading changed gears from a hobby to an obsession. My craving for literature would have put most junkies to shame.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IJP-wikOVNc/TxlsD8ihJII/AAAAAAAAGSQ/P9TXdema0YA/s1600/importance+of+english+language.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IJP-wikOVNc/TxlsD8ihJII/AAAAAAAAGSQ/P9TXdema0YA/s320/importance+of+english+language.jpg" width="320" /></a> And then my world turned on its head. We decided to settle in Kerala. Initially though, it seemed a pleasant change, the green environment replacing mounds of sand. To keep in tune with the surroundings I managed to beg/borrow a few books, mainly Sydney Sheldon & Robin Cook from a hapless cousin. But as time went by, I started feeling suffocated. I was swept into the dark realms of glorified Manglish. My English medium school renounced English speaking students and my peers mocked my accent. I wasn't willing to jump on the bandwagon yet. They could seal my mouth, but I was at liberty to write my thoughts. Over the next 5 years, my spoken English took a beating while my writing skills upped several notches.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hE61SRUQD0o/TxlsClhr5hI/AAAAAAAAGSI/uXIn15Bykzk/s1600/english.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hE61SRUQD0o/TxlsClhr5hI/AAAAAAAAGSI/uXIn15Bykzk/s1600/english.jpg" /></a> I started with poetry, spending hours at the Physics & chemistry labs rendering pen to paper. It would eventually be deemed boring, but I had made a start. I stressed on two things. I wouldn't compromise on spelling mistakes and would never resort to using abbreviations in my writing. This helped on greatly when I started writing professional e-mails to clients. I would write precise, personalized emails and Americans loved it. I spent hours in polishing my accent, and with time it recovered the long-lost shine.</div>
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Like any other romantic story, mine has had its share of peaks & trenches (notable trenches included <strike>blood-baths</strike> slight disagreements with my English teachers). I could never differentiate between past-participle and present-continous. I could read through paragraphs, plot the mistakes and correct it. But, I would never be able to explain the corrections. Over time, my English gradually progressed from a classical act to a commercial one. My romance had evolved according to Darwin's theory; Survival of the fittest.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<i>"I am not an artist, really not even a writer; I am a poet. One of my friends said about me that I think all sorrows can be borne if you put them into a poem or tell a story about them, and perhaps this is not entirely untrue. To me, the explanation of life seems to be its melody, its pattern. And I feel in life such an infinite, truly inconceivable fantasy..."</i></div>
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P.S: I know such English that I will leave the British behind.....</div>
</div>Travelling Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15426306823469066737noreply@blogger.com5