Journey...

It’s kind of interesting that how many times people end up doing certain things while they are trying to cope up with completely irrelevant different things. This piece of writing by yours truly is another such brick in the wall. Its 0255 according to my laptop and I am not sleepy, and this is not new, this is a gift that I have earned by religiously putting in at least 12 hours of sleep through the daytime for the last 7 days.

What I wanted to write today was how life surprises you, how it evades you in its bid to keep you alive. How it makes you believe that you badly need something or you really want to end up in some place; but contrary to your expectations; when you actually achieve it that feeling doesn’t last long enough. You wish that it stays with you forever and you are always able to cherish it, which it does but still, layers of new ambitions, new memories get piled up on that glint in your eye, the pink on your cheek gets lost somewhere between the grey inside your head and of course the grey outside it.

But then somewhere in between reality strikes; and those who are not too busy either scampering to offices or making long calls to their loved ones; slowly understand that Life is not about the destination but the journey itself. It is not about who scored the winning runs but about how he battled within, it is not about whether you scored a 99%ile but about how happy you were when someone made tea for you while you were awake studying. It is these little feelings that life is constructed from and comprised of; and if while scampering for the top we ignore the pebbles that we cross by we might end up missing a lot.

And one can understand these things only when they have the time to reflect, to stand back and take a look at what’s going on around them. The power of observation becomes very important. I feel it is absolutely necessary not to do anything for some days, from time to time, it brings you closer to yourself. It reignites the flames within, it brings the joys of life back, it rekindles the child in you and it gives you the second wind. I; my dear friend am going through such times, and let me tell you one thing, I am happy. I feel happy. I don’t know what organization am I going to work with, I don’t even know if I am ready or not, but still I am not worried, I know this feeling will help me get the best out of me. I feel now, that as a person I know myself better, I know what makes me happy or what I wish for. This phase has helped me realign myself; it makes me feel that I have grown within. Most importantly I have learned to leave the balls outside the off stump alone, and that I think is very important in life.

This article might have started somewhere and ended up somewhere completely different, but it doesn’t matter; but didn’t I tell you already “It is always about the journey not the destination”.

--
Nisarg Mehta
Happily Unmarried

Amaltas 12

Total Recall

They are doing the rounds

In number abound,

I am caught with my feet off the ground

Dumbstruck, Dumbfound(ed).

  They are thoughts 

And thoughts galore,

who leave me hapless

Like RD of Royal Bangalore.

Dont know why or what?

All I know is that I am in a RUT.

Like a whirlpool it sucks me in

Thoughtful helpless me, How can I win?

I live like a vegetable and get up late

Signifying there is nuthing on my plate,

There was a time when I was quick

A la Shaun Tait,

Today I aint even a trundler

Who plays in the Ranji Plate.

Still all was not lost

As people smiled on my nuggets,

But now even those 

Are crying buckets.

Suffocated,

Flabbergasted,

Frustrated,

Yupp once I too was jolly,

Today I feel like Neil Mckenzie

who cant even score of a half volley.

When relations hurt

Be it friends Love or Brothers

The heart crashes

like the Great fall of Lehmann Brothers.

I am heading nowhere and the heart cries

"MUMMY...."

I guess I am that merchant of emotions

whose luck has sold him 'A real dummy'.

Who is writing this?

This cant be me,

For I make people smile

And fill them with glee.

And i recall a 

Strapped Jumbo

Majestic Marshall

and Ballistic Biff,

They would not have succeeded

had they wondered IF.....

This piece has kinda helped me stitch

Has taken me back to my mark, out of this ditch

Right Arm Over here I come,

Cuz I like to see Blood on the pitch.

AAaaaaiiii kyoooooo???? as in I.Q.

Welcome to a different kinda post from urs truly.(SAM will get mad at this but urs is so easier to write than yours...and it saves u from the hassle whether its yours or your's or yours'.....aila..that makes a Verbal CAT question).

This is an interactive post.....and is INSPIRED from what u people call a tag.(Dont worry it isnt as bad as GHAJINI.......)

Was browsing through TV channels today and borrowed the idea from there.

So here we go......

Answer these questions and post ur( sorry again partner...) comments.....

1. Why is a round Pizza kept in a square box?

2. Why is the boxing Ring a square?

3. Why does 'Car'go travel by ship, while 'Ship'ments go by Car?

4. Why does the bride marry the groom while the Best Man looks on?

5. What do you mean by 'Loo' lagna?

Reply as quickly as possible......keep your entries coming thick and fast as the winner gets a date with"patna ke presleys' DEv-D fame...enjoy!!!

Chori ka tag. A la Pritam.

Ab kya karein Sakshi...mera to kuch dil hi aisa hai.

Aur jin bhai-behen log ko is ke baare me maalum ni hai wo 

kripaya in sawaalon k jawaab apne comments mein likhein aur post karein.

Sam Nix Sakshi tumhare liye compulsory hai

Mote aur shikha ke liye mandatory hai

Baaqi sab ke liye zaroori hai

 
1. Who are you?
2. Are we friends?
3.Something I have and you want?
4.Give me a nick name and explain why you picked it.
5.Describe me in one word.
6.What was your first impression of me?
7.Do you still think that way about me now?
8.What reminds you of me?
9.If you could ever give me one thing, what would it be?
10.How well do you know me?
11.How do you see me in the future?
12. Something you wanted to tell me but couldn't.
13.Are you going to put this on your blog to see what I say about you?

She's the Man !

Time : 02:37 IST
1300 hrs in LA.
She stands outside the BRITISH consulate and looks heavenwards. She has just realised that that the POMS dont entertain transit VISA requests in person and the only way to get one is through post.And that too takes 15 working days(and they call Us bureaucratic). She talks to me in a bit of disgust, not because of her present state of disarray, but because I am speaking a little softly(you ought to do it at 2 in the night u see...one has got family that normally sleeps at this time). And i say" Dont worry dear it will be alright", and she smiles ,albeit dry but she still has the courage to smile.

I never thought I would be making a public admiration of her qualities in this way but cannot help it. You have got to give to her. Still going strong and blowing strong.

For those who donot know here's the summary of her ordeal with UMMREEKA. On the very moment she landed foot in phoenix, in Uncle SAM's land her hand baggage got stolen. It had each and every piece of paper , the snobbish upperclass refers to as Documents. Be it marksheets,certificates,currency, Passport, immigration or VISA, she lost it all. Still she stood strong, a little big lady 22 yrs old , she kept her nerve. Then the usual drill of police station-embassy-consulate followed, to no avail. And if you people thought that the American cops are super smart and quick, You are WRONG !! They follow every bollywood movie very closely i guess as all they said was"Cant help it"

She moved on. There was some triumph though, she got a duplicate passport issued.(although it took time but Indians were the only people who issued her some kinda certificate). The Uneversity too The ASU did their bit. Then everybody else on the campus landed up with campus jobs that paid. Hers didnt. She aint got no VISA u see. All requests and pleas met with no answers but pleasantly wrapped NOs. She still worked for no pay.

She had to make a decision MEXICO or INDIA. Where she needed to go to get her VISA reissued. Mexico was the cheaper option but too huge a risk to take alone. Too many formalities and too little assurance. She decided to wait till the term end and booked a flight to her homeland where she can come relax and most importantly get her VISA done.
Late nights, arduos assignments, nerve wrecking sessions, blood sucking seminars, all done and over with. She puffed a sigh of relief, maybe she had jumped the gun.

The story had a little twist in the tale. She wasnt allowed to board the flight to INDIA from LA(which is far far away from arizona), as she did not have a transit VISA for UK nor a US visa, u see the flight had to halt at London airport so she needed to have either of the two. STUCK is the word.
Again pleading and requesting time.
"Can i get another flight via some other country?"- sorry ma'am Virgin atlantic flies only via the UK.
"Can i get some other airline atleast?"- Sorry ma'm but your ticket is valid for VA only
"AirIndia can help atleast i guess?"- Ahh sorry again ma'm AI does not fly from LA anymore.
They made her ticket into an open ticket atleast. And i thank them for that.
Now she is in LA. Has two options. 1. apply for a british transit VISA via an agent(if the agent thinks the documents are sufficient ie.(cost 150US$)
2. Get her ticket cancelled(if that is possible, cost 200 US$) and get another ticket via some third world country like us that create no fuss about BLOODY transit VISAs.

She still has the courage.
She still has the guts to fight it out.
She still has the smile.
She has it all.
P.S. its ironical that terrorists, can enter our country when they want, how they want, and our own innocent citizens have to go through such hell due to an unfortunate incident.aint it.
DUZNT THE PASSPORT COUNT FOR ANYTHING??
AN INDIAN CANT GET BACK WITHOUT BEING .....ahh leave it i aint getting emotional.
I know for a fact that she will be here. Soon and she will still carry that smile...oh sorry Giggle with her.
Keep going dear I am with you. And so is GOD.
Hell yeah! You are the MAN.
And dats the bottomline cuz the great one said so.

Good old days....

It's been 5 days since returned from bundi..my hometown....and the feeling just hasnt sunk in. I refuse to believe that i am back here and have to make decisions that will; in some manner or the other; shape my career. I'm missing the huge Chaubara, where i once used to fight for the spot right in front of the cooler; the humongous Darikhana, where the sounds of the plastic ball bouncing all day, can still be heard. The Paranda(place where matkas are kept), where i once slammed the brass lutiya straight into Bhuvan's (my uncle 2 yrs elder to me) forehead. The terrace still beckons me, for i used to play there for hours the only breaks being for lunch and tea..literally(well test cricket u see). As i think of it now...we really were freaks..saurabh bhaiya and me.....little 10-12 year olds playing bare feet in the searing heat of the summers in temperatures that once got to 50 degrees(Its true..its true). And then all the flak followed as i fell ill(was bound to happen..playing in high temperatures) Still cant figure out why it was always me of all the kids who fell to the viral trap of the Loo(the wind).

Another major YAAD of the town is its small li'l Galiyaan...full of trash . Where to get ahead u need to get every single human out of the way.(:P) And when u honk the horn at sumone instead of giving u the desired side..the person will turn around and look at u in dismay , probably saying..'who me??....u want me to get out of way??..really???"...well thats a sight in itself mind u...and adds to the various heritage sights the town has got.






This time me, saurabh bhaiya(my bua's son, my idol) sneha(his sister) and iti, were back again after what....7 long years. We had five full days(duznt seem much but we've grown up u see)....no more garmi ki chhuttiyaan stuff. It was a sense of deja-vu....remembering the good old days.




Saurabh bhaiya reminisced of our last holiday 7 yrs ago..of how the local league preponed its final so that both of us cud play in it. after all the side had reached the finals just coz of US. And how pathetically funny it was that two of us..in our mid teens...were bowling in the finals sharing a pair of slippers!!(he used it while bowling as i stood at slip and vice versa)..fact was we had a train to catch at 1730 and it was 1600 already...so we just bowled our speell and went off.

If that wasnt enough try thinking two young lads playing on the terrace full blooded 30 overs one day internationals....(each one represented a team....full 30 overs and 11 men)..whats more we even imitated the styles of cricketers we were portraying....like the high backlft of aamir sohail or the clasped hands of javagal srinath.....havnt seen such cricket crazy kids in the current generations.

Then there was the Mishri mawa......we used to love it...it is a sweet u wud be familiar with if u belong to some rural folklore. Its made up of milk and is like fresh milk cake..white in colour. In old times it was a must for us daily...whatever money we got 25 p or 50 p( dont be too surprised we got enuf of it in that amount for both of us to suffice). Everytime i pass by a sweet shop in bundi it reminds me of those days.

This time there was a difference though. Bhaiya wasnt available after 11 in the night and before 8 in the morning. Reason??? anyone??? coz this time bhabhi was around. On her first trip of Bundi. Bhaiya got married this year in february....that i did not get to attend his marriage is one of my life's biggest tragedies...that amounts to another post though. So this was an uncanny feeling but i had grown up too...so dint hurt much.

then there is NUNU..my cousin(sneha)...we share the chemistries of all the laboratories of the world combined...she's a sweetheart and i love her so soo much.....this time we chatted to the fullest.....from whatever time we started to whatever time we slept in night..we were together...all the time...oh i so miss her.
Then there is the omnipresecnt Motusingh(iti)...she is always there..smiling...frowning..taunting...loving...understanding....caring..what not doing....she's my kid. no more adjectives please..i m her brother afterall.


this time though the cricket dint happen daily...though we managed to play on one of the evenings..it was bhai dooj and sonu and sintu had also arrived from kota(these two are also my father's cousins..my uncles and childhood friends).....all 4 of us played and loved it..it wasnt fancy 30 over games..just 3 sets of 3 overs a man...but the satisfaction was gigantic.
More so because i won 2 out of the 3 sets....got all them out at least once..there wer trademark drives from sintu...some frustrated heaves from sonu.....typical eye soothing defence and attack from bhaiya....and flair and power as usual from urs truly.
i even got 3-4 dismissals caught behind or in the slip cordon...Majaa aa gaya!!!


But as all good things must come to an end..diwali ended....with that ended 7 days of vacations that bhaiya and bhabhi had eked out.....Pa had to report back to work...so we parted. Bua and family left for ahmedabad and we for jaipur the same day.
Back in jaipur it was back to the usual questions..how to go about for CAT??? 15 days left.....To join or not to join INFOSYS? 24 nov beckons......what to do what not to? other exams..interview centres...ACCENTURE....alternative carrers..and what not....



When I left bundi..it hurt..not that it duznt at other times..but this time it was different...and it hurt more...cuz nobody cried...afterall We had grown up.

ROCK ONN.....DADA

"Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamarey dil mein hai, dekhna hai zor kitna baazu-e-qatil mein hai" This is what sums up DADA...a rebel. Yes a rebel he was who lived by the sword and perished by it too.
First of all let me make it clear that i was never an ardent Ganguly fan; and always belonged to the Dravid clan(media persons.... breaking news); but thats the greatness of the man, The pedigree to draw praise even from his critiques.
Defiance thy name is Sourav Ganguly. This 19 year old first came onto scene when he defied all notions and refused to carry drinks during his first ODI series(1991-92 Australia tour of India). He was not to be seen for the next 4 years until he defied all odds and struck a magnificient 130 against England at lord's on debut.(Rahul Dravid made 95 then playing the best man..as always) Although he was never seen as a test match great that moment redefined the definition of India and laid foundation of The Great Indian Middle Order.



His real test came when this young lad with pencil mustache was thrust into the captaincy role following the match fixing saga in 2000. Everybody thought that he wasn't ready and shudn't even be in the reckoning, but he defied the inevitable; again; to lead a young Indian side into the finals of the ICC Knockout cup 2000.
At that time he was the best ODI batsmen in the business and most times outscored his opening partner Sachin Tendulkar.
Under him India won some and lost some but what India learnt under him was to look into the eyes of the world and say" I wont lie down for the count; beat me if u can".
The most telling tale of his bravado was when Australia toured India in 2001, what was deemed as Final Frontier by the Australian media. But dada was up to it, he challenged the aussies at their own game. "Trash talkin", "Sledging" or "Mental Disintegration" as Steve Waugh called it. This is how he welcomed the No.1 test team with 15 consecutive test wins under their belt; "Australians may be the no.1 test team but they havent won here, last time they toured in 98' they lost, before that too in 96' they lost". And by his own admission this got onto Steve Waugh's nerves, then and there. To stomp onto a Lion's bare foot and stand your own ground is no mean feat. Dada did it and excelled at it too. That made him the captain India always wanted.
He was the one who always rooted for youngsters being infused into the team, and played mentor to the core of Indian team of now; Zaheer khan, yuvraj singh, harbhajan singh and virendra sehwag; who bloomed under his support. India always has had the class, the flair, the talent; he gave us the confidence to stand up and ba counted. Coz dats what he has done all his life.
His most astonishing feat is his knack of surprising even his ardent supporters. Arun Lal former India opener and cricket expert said recently"When he was dropped from the Indian team after the chappell saga, even i dint expect him to come back, but the way he played in South africa he surprised everyboby me included"
And sourav must have said to himself OOPS! I did it again.
There were many controversies in his career too, right from the start to the ego clash with greg chappell, an uncomfortable stint under once deputy Rahul dravid, differences with Sachin, and talk of his selfish batting; but thats not what we are going to talk about here.Visibly the pain has now risen too high for him. After being overlooked from the Irani trophy side he has decided to call it a day. He has not been in the reckoning for the one day side for quite some time now; for reasons best known to selectors. I also wanted him to retire but when he is now, it has left a bad taste in my mouth. This certainly isnt the way his end was meant to come.

The most successful test captain India has ever seen, The prince of calcutta, the God of the off side; watever we may call him has finally hung up his boots. He taught India how to be fighters and winners. He is a youth icon for sure; whom we must look upto. Dada deserves a ROYAL FAREWELL may he get one.

Lets pray he plays with the same death defying audacity in his last series and bows out on a high.
ROCK ONN ....DADA.
We will miss you.
And thats the bottomline cuz the great one said so.