Some of my most tranquil hours in life have come during those long rain-storms, which confined me to the house for the afternoon and the most part of the forenoon as well. Almost drifting away in the seemingly endless pelter of the rains and ending it all in a long evening where there was enough time for my thoughts to unfold. I still remember those incessant rains which Vizag used to receive. Barring those times when there was a deluge, I would half-heartedly perch myself on my first floor house balcony. Half-heartedly because, though I would have loved to waltz the rains I thoroughly enjoyed the security of my house. There is used to spend seemingly endless hours admiring the droplets of water, in my own sweet world – where I was never alone.
People would be tempted to ask me why I did that. Wasn't I alone? Being a small kid wouldn't I have preferred the company of men and other kids?
I would be inclined to answer in the negative. How exactly do you define company or proximity? What is this space which separates me from the others? Does being near bring two minds together? If we don't need a mind to be together then what bonding are we talking about? Two minds can be together even if they are afar.
Can we,instead of the long gossips with the society have our own thoughts to cheer us? I'd be considered a loner if I say that I find it wholesome to be alone for the greater part of my time. There is no better companion to us than “Solitude”. Aren't we more lonely when we go out and move out among men. I am alone when I think or do my work. Solitude is not measured by the miles of space that intersperse a man and his fellows. We meet at very short intervals and not acquire any new value from each other. Does the value of a man lie in his skin – that we need to touch him, feel him, see him?
Silence, they say is an feeling in which many great things fathom themselves. Solitude – I'd say is more so a state of the mind. It shows how much a man is at peace with himself and with his surroundings. And we rarely manage to achieve that except with Death.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Monday, April 24, 2006
A Question of Time
I had no time, I was a little busy today”.
This is an oft stated premise which we give a family member, a friend or a dear one. Now, is this really true? How much time is really enough for us? Not twenty-four hours?
I remember a line from a movie I saw a very long time ago in which the protagonist tells a girl - “Time hota nahin hai,nikalna padtha hai”. Now for the folks who thought that was Greek let me tell you it is not. That's a quote from a Hindi movie and it meant - we never have time, we have to make it. Well, at least that's what I got from it!!.
So then what does it convey. We'll never find time for everything and everyone. It is absolutely impossible. Life has become very contemporary. The people we move with, the kind of work we associate with are becoming the most important part of our lives. To explain our failure to keep up with the rest of our things, we have one good reason. A lack of time.
And that is no understatement. We really don't. Change is constant. We have to run to keep pace with the world which is running amok. In the midst of all this we don't have enough time to stop and stare. Are we handling things as we ought to? Am looking for answers.
Do we care to return an old friend's note? Even our own family members seem to be against us once we are married. We don't tend to think with them anymore. We do not realize the importance of people in our lives. There'll be cases where our rejection might lead them to not come back to us again. We always to realize the importance of something only after we lose it. Should we be doing it with people too? Can't we make a little bit of time today to write to a friend, call a parent. And not just for the sake of making the call. Can you make the call to inquire how your mom is doing, how's she doing with all the work, whether she needs any help at all. If you can start doing this i believe you would have made some time and no more will you say you were too busy.
Everybody lives only twenty four hours a day. Skip a few minutes of the unnecessary gossip we have everyday, lose ten minutes of your sleep and wake up early, think a little bit less about ourselves. It's not going to do any harm to us. It'll tell somebody that you have not forgotten them. That you still care about them. And when they ask you how come you are not busy maybe you could even tell them - “Time hota nahin hai,nikalna padtha hai”!!.
This is an oft stated premise which we give a family member, a friend or a dear one. Now, is this really true? How much time is really enough for us? Not twenty-four hours?
I remember a line from a movie I saw a very long time ago in which the protagonist tells a girl - “Time hota nahin hai,nikalna padtha hai”. Now for the folks who thought that was Greek let me tell you it is not. That's a quote from a Hindi movie and it meant - we never have time, we have to make it. Well, at least that's what I got from it!!.
So then what does it convey. We'll never find time for everything and everyone. It is absolutely impossible. Life has become very contemporary. The people we move with, the kind of work we associate with are becoming the most important part of our lives. To explain our failure to keep up with the rest of our things, we have one good reason. A lack of time.
And that is no understatement. We really don't. Change is constant. We have to run to keep pace with the world which is running amok. In the midst of all this we don't have enough time to stop and stare. Are we handling things as we ought to? Am looking for answers.
Do we care to return an old friend's note? Even our own family members seem to be against us once we are married. We don't tend to think with them anymore. We do not realize the importance of people in our lives. There'll be cases where our rejection might lead them to not come back to us again. We always to realize the importance of something only after we lose it. Should we be doing it with people too? Can't we make a little bit of time today to write to a friend, call a parent. And not just for the sake of making the call. Can you make the call to inquire how your mom is doing, how's she doing with all the work, whether she needs any help at all. If you can start doing this i believe you would have made some time and no more will you say you were too busy.
Everybody lives only twenty four hours a day. Skip a few minutes of the unnecessary gossip we have everyday, lose ten minutes of your sleep and wake up early, think a little bit less about ourselves. It's not going to do any harm to us. It'll tell somebody that you have not forgotten them. That you still care about them. And when they ask you how come you are not busy maybe you could even tell them - “Time hota nahin hai,nikalna padtha hai”!!.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Kipling's "If"
It must have been a pretty inconsequential afternoon in high school when my teacher read out to us Rudyard Kipling's “If”. I was an eight grade student and the poem perhaps hit me out of my afternoon siesta. I don't complain at all because it is a pointer for personal integrity, behavior and self-development(Naah, I can't write these – I pulled these words out of somewhere). But believe me folks, the poem has made a big impression on my life and here I am to write my kind of tribute to it.
As a prelude to writing up this piece I read up some stuff on Kipling. You would be interested to know that he was born in India. But the beauty and poise of “If” is a stark contrast to Kipling's personal life. It was believed that he was sent away by his parents, abused by his foster mother and a failure at school. He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1907. So much for history.
The premise of the poem is so wonderful that I think it would be worthwhile to put it here, right in my blog. And what better tribute can I pay than put the poem right in here.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
I don't know in which situation Kipling might have written this poem. But to me it feels like that of a father talking to his son. Not because of the last line folks, but because of the message it carries.
If you have a poll on what the best lines are, than what would be mine? That's tough. Each couple of lines would outdo the other. But if i am asked to pick my best lines they would be the very last. "If you can fill the unforgiving minute.....you'll be a Man, my son!". Don't ask me why – it has more than a punch to it!!.
As a prelude to writing up this piece I read up some stuff on Kipling. You would be interested to know that he was born in India. But the beauty and poise of “If” is a stark contrast to Kipling's personal life. It was believed that he was sent away by his parents, abused by his foster mother and a failure at school. He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1907. So much for history.
The premise of the poem is so wonderful that I think it would be worthwhile to put it here, right in my blog. And what better tribute can I pay than put the poem right in here.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
I don't know in which situation Kipling might have written this poem. But to me it feels like that of a father talking to his son. Not because of the last line folks, but because of the message it carries.
If you have a poll on what the best lines are, than what would be mine? That's tough. Each couple of lines would outdo the other. But if i am asked to pick my best lines they would be the very last. "If you can fill the unforgiving minute.....you'll be a Man, my son!". Don't ask me why – it has more than a punch to it!!.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Inspiring Generations
Indian cricket and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar have been synonymous for the past 16 years. Is there a reason to believe that all that is on the wane? Multiple injuries haven't helped, nor have the failures which one should say is becoming more frequent. Is he at a premium in the side? Am not a cricket expert, but let's try and dissect this premise – from a cricketing side, from a fan's side and above all India's side.
Exciting talent, a captain who is fast improving and a side that is winning – that's Indian cricket this season. There are many stars who have become the flavor of the people, who are slowly going to be getting more endorsements, and become more famous. Where does Sachin stand amongst all this? I would take you back to the third one-day international against Pakistan at Lahore this season. I wouldn't go into stats, but India had a big total to chase. Having lost two quick wickets, it was time for Sachin and Dravid to steer India out of trouble. And boy did they.
But here's where you'll find and interesting paradox. Dravid is a giant amongst contemporary batsmen. The most technically correct, and the most consistent. And here's where I would like to put all the talk about “Tendulkar's end” to rest. India walked into seaming conditions,with the Pakistan opening bowlers making good use of it.Dravid, played, missed and looked all at sea.Sachin's knock was a lesson in batting,of perfect coordination,of letting go the good deliveries.For 35 overs it was a master teaching the cricket world on batting against the seaming ball.It's always been a pleasure watching Sachin decimate bowling attacks.But watching Sachin leave,was for me the stamp of his genius.He swerved,missed a few but kept the bowlers at bay.But never did he compromise on the scoring.And Dravid, all the while looked like a duck lost in a pond.I am by no means belittling his contribution to the important partnership,or his skill.It was a day where he looked second best to genius.And you have to accept that.
The signature straight drive,the seering pull shot,the exquisite cover drive and the cheeky paddle past the keeper are still at their very best.
Even after 16 years of cricket which drains the very best people of their competitive juices, you'll still find that childish enthusiasm whenever he gets a bowl, the same intensity when he comes to bat and the same athleticism on the field.He still pulls his weight in the cricket team,be it with his performance or with the way he guides the youngsters.It was one of the saddest days in Indian cricket when some in the crowd(at Mumbai's Wankhede,3rd test against England) booed Sachin after he got out in the second innings.
Sachin is again out on an injury break.Let us consider the worst and suppose Sachin never plays a test match for India again.In such a case Wankhede would have been his farewell match and what a farewell did we give to him.I know a few rotten oranges don't spoil the basket but is this the way we treat one of our beloved sons? I'm sorry, but we spoilt a few pages of our history here.We surely haven't seen the last of him.Lahore is a good enough example for me.India would have lost the match that day had it not been for his innings.
He is a shining example for sublime batsmanship, and a statesman cricketer.Let's hope the light keeps shining.
Exciting talent, a captain who is fast improving and a side that is winning – that's Indian cricket this season. There are many stars who have become the flavor of the people, who are slowly going to be getting more endorsements, and become more famous. Where does Sachin stand amongst all this? I would take you back to the third one-day international against Pakistan at Lahore this season. I wouldn't go into stats, but India had a big total to chase. Having lost two quick wickets, it was time for Sachin and Dravid to steer India out of trouble. And boy did they.
But here's where you'll find and interesting paradox. Dravid is a giant amongst contemporary batsmen. The most technically correct, and the most consistent. And here's where I would like to put all the talk about “Tendulkar's end” to rest. India walked into seaming conditions,with the Pakistan opening bowlers making good use of it.Dravid, played, missed and looked all at sea.Sachin's knock was a lesson in batting,of perfect coordination,of letting go the good deliveries.For 35 overs it was a master teaching the cricket world on batting against the seaming ball.It's always been a pleasure watching Sachin decimate bowling attacks.But watching Sachin leave,was for me the stamp of his genius.He swerved,missed a few but kept the bowlers at bay.But never did he compromise on the scoring.And Dravid, all the while looked like a duck lost in a pond.I am by no means belittling his contribution to the important partnership,or his skill.It was a day where he looked second best to genius.And you have to accept that.
The signature straight drive,the seering pull shot,the exquisite cover drive and the cheeky paddle past the keeper are still at their very best.
Even after 16 years of cricket which drains the very best people of their competitive juices, you'll still find that childish enthusiasm whenever he gets a bowl, the same intensity when he comes to bat and the same athleticism on the field.He still pulls his weight in the cricket team,be it with his performance or with the way he guides the youngsters.It was one of the saddest days in Indian cricket when some in the crowd(at Mumbai's Wankhede,3rd test against England) booed Sachin after he got out in the second innings.
Sachin is again out on an injury break.Let us consider the worst and suppose Sachin never plays a test match for India again.In such a case Wankhede would have been his farewell match and what a farewell did we give to him.I know a few rotten oranges don't spoil the basket but is this the way we treat one of our beloved sons? I'm sorry, but we spoilt a few pages of our history here.We surely haven't seen the last of him.Lahore is a good enough example for me.India would have lost the match that day had it not been for his innings.
He is a shining example for sublime batsmanship, and a statesman cricketer.Let's hope the light keeps shining.
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