Lost Talent

I recently read a blog, which was a tribute by a man to his grandfather. The grandfather was a leg-spinner, who was extremely talented and popular in his hometown but never got enough opportunities to make it big. It reminded me of a friend, an extremely talented spinner, who could never make it big.

The name of the friend is Ariel Topno. Ok, it is indeed an unusual name. The guy is from Jharkhand. His name is not the only unusual thing about him. He played cricket and with a polio affected leg!!! Yet, Ariel was damn good!!!

I am not much of a batsman but once I faced around 20 deliveries from Ariel and could not even connect a single one. It may be argued that its just a reflection of my quality as a batsman but the fact was that Ariel had an unusual and difficult to pick bowling action. Because of his polio affected leg, his run-up and delivery stride were very different. To top it all, he had the ability to bowl leg-spinners, googly, off-spinners and wrong ones with almost the same action!!! Trust me, I am not kidding or exaggerating.

I must say that I was surprised when I came to know that Ariel was selected to play for our school team. We were in Kendriya Vidyalaya Dipatoli in Ranchi. Before that, I had never seen him bowl. To be honest, I felt that he would be a 'liability' in the field as the captain would have to 'hide' him somewhere. I did not watch the first match... a match in which Ariel bowled us to a convincing victory against a decent side. This made me curious.

I went to watch the next match. The match was against Central Academy, which had an extremely strong cricket team. Central Academy had won the Inter-School League in Ranchi a few times and they were also runner-ups on few occasions. Their batting line-up had a batsman, Deepak Lal, who had never been bowled in a cricket match. He was an extremely talented and popular batsman. In the match, Ariel took three wickets. He foxed Deepak with a googly and bowled him. After that, he took 2 more crucial wickets. We lost the match but I realized how good Ariel was. My cousin was in Central Academy and he later told me that the batsmen were all praise for Ariel.

We were knocked out of the Inter-School League in the next game, which was played against the mighty DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir (commonly known as DAV Shyamali team. DAV Shyamali has two criteria for admission. Excellence in academics and excellence in sports. I must add, their team had some 'over-aged' players. In fact there was a batsman who looked more like a coach!!! They beat us convincingly.

Kendriya Vidyalayas offer chances to students to play at the regional/zonal and national levels. Ariel was selected by our school to go and play at the regional level. He went for selections to Patna. In Patna, he was dropped without getting a chance to bowl in the nets/trials. The selectors just look at his crippled leg and told him that he cannot play. Ariel challenged the selectors to put their best batsman against him. He said that he will bowl one over and if the batsman gets out even once, they should give him a fair chance to get selected. They agreed and put the captain of the district team to play one over from Ariel. The guy was bowled thrice!!! Yet, Ariel was not given a chance and he came back to Ranchi.

In the next season, Ariel played another match against DAV Shyamali. We batted first and were 45-8 in 6 overs (the league matches were of 15 overs; 3 overs per bowler). Ariel batted decently and we managed 114 runs in the 15 overs. It was decent but not at all competitive against a strong side like DAV Shyamli. Yet, we managed to give them a strong fight. Ariel took 4 wickets in his 3 overs and gave away only few runs. One of the victims was Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the present captain of the Indian Cricket team!!! We lost the game but Ariel left a strong impression. Yet, nothing changed for him.

Over the next 2 years, I saw Ariel playing in several matches. He was a great bowler, a decent batsman and a sharp close-in fielder, The biggest issue was indeed running.

Ariel comes from a lower-middle class family. His family could not support his cricket. He could not afford to join a cricket club. He was never a good student and soon became ineligible to play for the school. His cricket reached a dead-end.

Now, he does not play cricket at all. He has a small music band. However, his infectious smile and zeal has not disappeared.

If at all the elders in his family were a little more careful and if at all the selectors at the regional level were little more accommodating.....

Request

Dear Calendar,

Can you please skip December this year? Plz Plz Plz....I want January 2012 to come asap. That is when I can meet my daughter.

Regards,

Animesh (Read: a father who is really really missing his daughter) 

Food for thought

Everyday, the lunch and dinner times bring up the question....what to eat? The complex, in which my office is located, boasts of several restaurants offering different cuisines. There is McDonalds, Subway and a pizza place. There is an Indian restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, a bakery, a BBQ place....all kinds of food. Yet the dilemma remains.



First of all, I am finding the food over here too heavy for my liking. Every meal makes me feel sleepy!!! I do not know what they put in the food out here. It does not look extremely rich or oily like the typical Indian food....yet the food over here packs a punch....a Knock-Out punch!!!


Secondly, the taste is slightly different. A lamb biryani tastes different from any lamb biryani that you will find in India. A 'thosai' (dosa) is again very different. I guess, it is the inclusion of local spices etc that is doing the trick. Not that the food tastes bad...I am yet to develop the liking for this taste.


And lastly, it is the Indian mentality of checking the costs. Till now I have been multiplying everything by 15 or 16 to check how much would this meal/drink cost in India!!! :P

I guess I will have to learn some cooking.

It could have been handled better

Companies have a right to make the decisions that are in their best interest. If my company makes a 'business' decision that goes against me, I will of course feel bad but I will accept it. After all, if I have to make a career decision for myself, I would not be considering the business interest of my employer much. Of course, I will do whatever I can do to not to hamper the business of my employer but I will not subordinate my interest, Everyone does that and so it should not be any different for the companies/employers.

My previous employer chose to close down some of its businesses. Understandable. Priorities change. However, there is a certain way one must go about to ensure a smooth transformation. You want to remove certain people but you also want to retain some people. The communication must be clear. Companies should let the people, who are in 'danger', know that things could take a wrong turn. Give them proper notice. After all, you would not like to jeopardize someone's career. If you are giving decent notice to the employees to look for options outside, no one will have a right to complain. Moreover, the policies should be same for everyone unless clearly stated earlier. If someone has a 3 months notice period, let them serve the notice period. Do not give 1 month notice to someone along with 2 months additional salary and 3 months notice to someone else. This is biasness.

More importantly, clearly communicate the people, which you would like to retain, that they are 'wanted' and there is still a place for them in the organization. Often companies fail do so. This results in causing panic. Everyone starts thinking that his/her job is in danger. People start floating their resume and leave at the first opportunity. They could have and the company could have done better had they stayed with the company. But no one will take that risk. My previous employer is a good example of that. A lot of teams were asked to leave. There was this particular team that was not given any communication. Most people outside the team felt that the team members are safe as it would have made a lot of sense for the company to retain the team. But the team members were shitting their pants. They floated their resumes and most of them suddenly left. With the current scenario, no one was interested to join the team/company and now there was no other option but to close the team!!!

It also boils down to the experience and background of the top management. In the KPO industry, you would find a lot of people with less than 10 years of experience and without proper education sitting in the top chairs. Sometimes there is a total mismatch in the education and the job profile. A hotel management graduate would be heading the HR function. A Chartered Accountant would be in-charge of a technical domain like healthcare. You are asking for trouble. I know cases wherein the HR announced to a set of employees that it would be their last day in office at their workstations!!!! You have to understand that these are sensitive issues and should be announced/discussed behind closed doors. The HR Head in this case had total irrelevant education background, had limited experience (5-6 years) and was earning a fat pay package. She did not know how to deal such situations and she did not care. It caused a panicky situation on the floor and EVERYONE started to update their resumes. It was good for the people who were eventually in danger but it was extremely bad for others as well as the company. Things could have been handled in a much better way. If only companies understand it and start investing in the right people for leadership roles.

Big Development

Big biiiiiiiiiig development today. I got my employment pass endorsed. My passport has returned to me with a 3-year employment pass in Malaysia!!! I can make multiple entries in Malaysia till 16 Oct 2014!!! It has opened a door...... Much relieved now.

Conversion Woes

My Indianness keeps kicking in. I ask the shopkeeper the price. He says "XX Ringgit". I start thinking, "16 multiplied by XX Ringgit would be........."!!! I keep converting the figures into Indian Rupee!!! I need to stop that and pretty quickly. But ya, the positive side is that soon I will learn to multiple every possible number with 15 or 16!!!

Ok, is this an ambush or do you guys work like this only???!!!?? 

Zzzzz

Everyday, it is the same story. I have lunch in one of the several restaurants in my office complex and then I start feeling sleepy!!! No matter what kind of dish I have, it happens. What are they putting in the food out here?

Wishes

I wish I was there to help you out.....and....

I wish you were here to help me out. 

Yes...No...May Be....Can't Say

Me.One: I do not think that I can stay here for long

Me.Two: C'mon you can do it, you should think positively

Me.One: May be. I may adjust over here after a while. But whats the point of staying so far away from everyone?

Me.Two: You are just being emotional and missing everyone. Think about long term...the bigger picture

Me.One: But my priorities are different

Me.Two: You have to think and care about these things as well. After all, you would not like to be left behind

Me.One: Of course, I would not like to be left behind. No one wants to be left behind. But I do not want to be the one who was not there with his family when they needed him either

Me.Two: There is no emergency, isnt it? You are just thinking negatively

Me.One: Probably right but I need my loved ones around me. Without them, I feel helpless

Me.Two: They will be with but you will have to wait

Me.One: Its not that I only want my wife and daughter over here. I want my parents over here as well

Me.Two: It can be difficult to manage things....expenses, travel, healthcare...things are costly out here

Me.One: That is the point....then is it worth it?

Me.Two: It could be worth it after a while. You can go back. You can bring them here and manage better....

Me.One: Too many uncertainties....this is what is making my life difficult

Me.Two: There would be uncertainties everywhere....but is it the uncertainties or are you just missing them too much

Me.One: I do not know

Me.Two: You need to have that clarity

Shut up you two.....I need to think out here. 

Why is that a house always looks okay and ready-to-move-in till you move-in? Now I can see flaws. Are these flaws really there and so bad? Or am I seeing them coz I do not want to stay away from 'home'. I guess things should brighten up once my wife, daughter and my parents come here.

Unpacking

Unpacking itself is a painful task.....but unpacking in a place where you really really R-E-A-L-L-Y do not want to stay is painful, frustrating and depressing. :(

Jee Shaab Jee!!!

Nepalis are fast becoming my best friends as they are the among the few with whom I can communicate in Hindi in this foreign land. There are lots of people of Indian origin but most of them are 1st, 2nd or 3rd Generation Malaysians. They do not talk in Hindi and they do not like to talk in Hindi or be called Indians. That is okay as some of them have never ever even been to India. However, Nepalis have been making me feel somewhat at home. They talk in Hindi and most of them are really nice.

I love weekdays compared to weekends!!!

Staying alone was never an issue for me. Not that I have stayed alone for any prolonged duration but I used to quite enjoy staying alone. I guess times have changed now.

I have been alone in the past 2 weeks. I go to the office and come back. In the past 2 weeks, I was staying in a guest house and there was no one to talk to. I used to spend some time chatting with my family but the time difference did not allow us to talk for longer duration. I was hoping that shifting into a house will change things as it will keep me occupied. I was clearly wrong.

A house is incomplete without the homemaker. I can do whatever I want to do in order to settle down in this house, I can try and arrange things in the best possible way that I can....yet this house will be nothing more than a guest house without Roshni.  

Shift in the new house
Check
Buy Grocery
Check
Apply for cable and broadband connection
Check (it will take 2-3 weeks)
Take USB modem and stay connected
C-H-E-C-K!!!!! Yippie!!!

Adjusting in a new place

Adjusting into a new place is never easy, especially when one has spent a long time in one location. It gets all the more difficult when the new place is in another country!!!

I miss India. Like most of us, I have also often cribbed about the state of affairs in India and how people are forced to lead a life without decent infrastructure. Well, this new place has all the infrastructure but it still comes short on something......it is not India!!!

There are several things and people that I miss; some of the more prominent ones are (not in any order);

1. Autorickshaws: The same three legged creatures that used to make driving hell back in India are being missed over here. Its not that the place does not have cabs.....but for short distances, I am not pretty comfortable taking cabs.
2. Laundry Boy: I dont remember when was the last time that I ironed my shirt in India. Over here, I do not have any choice . I am definitely going to hire a maid to end my misery but till then.....
3. Ease of finding people/ things: In India, when you need a cobbler/barber/plumber/electrician....they are all available at the next corner. Over here, you need to call them, book an appointment etc etc.
4. Parents and Wife: Of course I miss them a lot. Things would have been very simple and easy with them around.
5. Ananya: I miss my daughter the most!!! I miss hugging her and watching her smile/sleep/stare at nothing/play etc. Her absence is making my life miserable. I wish that she comes here soon.

'Aicing' on the Cake!!!

Nepali Security Guard: आप इंडिया में कहाँ से हैं? (which part of India are you फ्रॉम?)

Me: मैं रांची से हूँ, यह झारखण्ड में है (I am from Ranchi, which is in Jharkhand)

Nepali Security Guard: ???? (Clueless)

Me: हम लोग वैसे तो बिहार से हैं, लेकिन अब झारखण्ड में रहते हैं ( I am from Bihar but now we are settled in Jharkhand)

Nepali Security Guard: ओ बिहार!!! बिहार मुझे पता है. यहाँ एक और है बिहार से....बिहार के लोग वैसे तो बहुत काले होते हैं....जैसे आप काला है.....लेकिन वोह गोरा है (Oh Bihar...I know Bihar. There is a guy from Bihar over here. People from Bihar are usually very dark...like you.....but he is fair)

Me: Smile!!! (Grrrrrrr!!!! %^$%^&&%&^$%&##^&%)

This was my conversation with the security guard of my guest house in Kuala Lumpur. His name is 'Aicing'. पता तो हमेशा से था, बुरा कल ही लगा!!!

ए वक़्त ज़रा थम ज़रा थम ज़रा थम,

मेरी किस्मत ने दिया है वक़्त मेरे अपनों के साथ बड़ा कम,

मैं इस पल को खोने का गम मनाऊं, या फिर इस पल को जी भर के जी लूँ,

जाने अब मिलेगा या नहीं उनके प्यार का मौसम,

ए वक़्त ज़रा थम ज़रा थम ज़रा थम....................

Ananya goes to Collage!!!

Dilemmas

'Facebook' or 'Blogging'

'Laptop' or 'Tablet'

'DVD Player' or 'PSP'

'Career' or 'Comfort'

'3G' or 'Wi-Fi'

'Consulting' or 'Business Development'

'Pay Rent' or 'Give Notice'

'Rented House' or 'Warehouse'

'Long Term' or 'Short Term'

'Automotive' or 'Healthcare'

'Kuala Lumpur' or 'Bangalore'

Some are fairly trivial but some are not. In isolation, it would easy to answer most of them however, life is not that easy :(

Constantly being watched

How would you feel if you come to know that you are constantly being watched? I am not very comfortable with that feeling. I am a private person and do not like to share too many things regarding my life. It is not that I try and maintain secrecy about all the things I do (after all I have this blog :P) but I generally have a problem with 'being discussed'. I do not like that and I love my privacy. However, in last couple of months, I have been getting this strange and eerie feeling that I am being constantly watched. 

I have been feeling that I am staying in the Big Brother/Boss house with cameras around me as well as others in the household. There are not too many cameras.....just one. The camera relays to the world what are we doing, what is working and what is not, what are we eating, what we said, who laughed, who cried, who got angry.....EVERYTHING!!! Moreover, the camera does not always present things as it is. Often, the camera tweaks the reality either to make the viewers hear what the want to hear or to make everyone love the camera or sympathize with it!!! And as if this is not annoying enough, the camera sometimes collects viewer's opinion and suggests how should we lead our lives!!! 

Some people may question why am I being so 'paranoid' about it. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. Some people are okay with being watched/discussed.....I am not one of those people. I do not like myself and my loved ones being watched and discussed all the time. I want the camera to understand that and respect our privacy. Am I asking for too much? 

Product Review: Case Logic XNSLR 7

XNSLR 7 is the new entrant in my collection of cameras and accessories. Here is the reason why I bought it.

Problem Statement

I travel very frequently and whenever I travel, I carry at least two piece of luggage...my laptop bag and my camera bag. I cannot fit my camera and accessories in the laptop bag as I carry one SLR camera, one super zoom camera, one 70-300 lens and one 18-55 lens. Moreover, I carry a lot of other equipment like battery charger, table tripod, tripod, filter lenses etc. So, I had no option but to carry two bags. Moreover, these two bags cannot be checked-in and it is painful and uncomfortable to carry these two bags while travelling (especially on Terminal 3 on Delhi Airport). Hence, I was looking for a solution.

Solution

The solution came in the form of Case Logic's XNSLR 7. This bag allows me to carry my laptop and accessories with my entire range of cameras and accessories. In fact it has room for more and so I have filled in four hard disks, my phone charger, my PSP and its charger. Following are its positive and negative points;

Positives:

• Space: As mentioned earlier, it can accommodate a lot of camera gear and you would still find more space. To give you an idea, my bag holds a Canon 450D, a Canon S5IS, a 18-55 lens, a 70-300 lens, filter lenses (3), a battery charger, camera cleaning kit, a table tripod, a medium length tripod, filter lenses, spare batteries, a 15 inch laptop, power cord, laptop accessories bag, mouse, wireless pointer, 4 hard disks, PSP and its charger and my mobile phone charger. With all these, it is full but it definitely has more equipment than I need
• Structure: Two best things about the bag are (1) the camera cradle; (2) the zipper on the side that gives quicker access to any additional camera or lens. The camera cradle allows me to put my SLR camera without removing the 70-300 lens. I would admit that my earlier camera bag also allowed me to do the same but with this cradle, I do not have to worry about the safety of the lens and the camera. The way the cradle has been placed in the bag, it allows easy access to the camera without exposing the entire bag to the elements. The zipper on the side helps me in taking out my S5IS camera in no time. That helps in not missing out on any opportunity to click a picture
• Strength: Its early days but the bag looks pretty sturdy to me. I had looked at several options before zeroing upon this bag. The main reason I did not go ahead with those options was the strength of those bags. I was planning to load a truck load of equipment in the bag and I wanted to be doubly sure that the bag is strong enough. So far, I am happy with my decision
• Looks: This is a attribute on which the opinion can differ from person to person. I personally believe that the bag is fairly good looking
• Safety: As mentioned in one of the earlier points, one real good quality of the bag is that it offers easy access to the equipment and helps in avoiding too much exposure to the elements 

Negatives:

• Weight: The bag itself is not too heavy but after loading all the gear/equipment, it does become heavy. In my case, my laptop probably weighs a ton and that adds to the overall weight of the bag. With my equipment, the bag can be carried ONLY by strong shoulders. Though it is a negative attribute but I would like to add that I am pretty okay with the weight. After all, you cannot have everything. One has to prioritize the needs and compromise on certain aspects to accommodate the more important ones. In my case, I am okay with the weight of the bag, especially when I have both the straps on (carrying it on both shoulders)
• Price: The bag was not available in India so I had to get it from a seller who imports camera accessories from other countries. I got it through ebay and it costed me INR 9990. Now, for a bag, that is a huge sum to pay. I do have difficulty in justifying my purchase to others. However, there were no cheaper alternatives available that scored highly on my priority list of attributes. Some had space but they were not sturdy, some were sturdy but they would not have accommodated all my gear/equipment. I wanted a bag that could have accommodated my current gear as well as the gear that I am likely to go for in future. Keeping that in mind, XNSLR 7 looked the best fit. I agree that I would have loved to have a cheaper alternative. I would also agree that the bag scores less on value for money but that is not because the overall benefits are low. It is just that the money that I had to shelve out was pretty high. Overall, I am not too unhappy on the value for money aspect

Verdict: I Recommend It!!!

Anyone who is looking for a laptop cum camera bag, I would say that before selecting a bag, look at your current camera gear and also keep in mind the additional gear that you may purchase. You would not like to get into a situation in which you have invested heavily in a bag and a year down the line you find it smaller than what you need. 

I believe that except its price, XNSLR 7 offers a pretty attractive package. I would definitely recommend it. However, if you find another bag that can safely store a lot of equipment and is much cheaper, please let me know as I would love to invest in that bag!!!

Gadgets and Knee Brace

I am bed-ridden with a ligament tear on my left knee. That is what the doctor has diagnosed for now; there will be a thorough check-up after a few days. They are suspecting something far more worse but they cannot conduct the tests now since my leg is not "ready" for it. Encouraging!!!!

I will have to keep my knee in a brace for the next 3 weeks. While coming out of the hospital and before getting the brace, I was thinking that it is not going to be too bad; at least it is better than getting the leg plastered. Well, I was right but only marginally. I can take out the brace in the night but throughout the day, I have to stay in one position as the knee brace does not allow the leg to fold. I had mistaken the knee brace with something that Yuvraj Singh used to wear when he injured his knee. That thing was cool....this is not.

What is helping me in these boring times is my collection of gadgets. My bed looks like a control room with all kinds of gadgets, wires, adaptors around me. I have my laptop and data card (thus this blog post), mobile phone, a portable DVD player and tons of DVDs, a portable Sony Playstation with 6-7 games CDs, Sony Walkman, Samsung Galaxy Tab, SLR camera, a Super Zoom camera, tripod, battery chargers, adaptors, 4 hard disks, 3 pen drives and accessories/wires around me. My knee brace is killing me but my gadgets are fighting hard to save me. Till now, the gadgets are winning but it is a close contest. Two more weeks to go so you never know. 

Old Beggar

Fatima and her kids were excited and were getting ready for the movie. They did not want to get late even by a moment as such opportunities seldom came in this family.

Fatima lived with her husband Salim and their 6 children in a small village. The family had limited resources as Salim, a government school teacher, was the only earning member in the family. In the household with 8 members and meagre income, watching a movie was a big deal. Naturally, everyone was getting ready on ‘war-footing’. However, with 5 females, the party was running slightly late.

Salim had called two cycle-rickshaws. Four elder kids ran and boarded one of the rickshaws. Fatima was busy in ensuring that the house was properly locked. With every passing moment, the group was becoming increasingly anxious and agitated.

Finally, Fatima stepped out of the house, much to the delight of the advance party. Just when she was busy in locking the front door, someone came and stood near her. Fatima turned and looked at a pale-looking, old beggar. The old man looked extremely helpless. He was wearing dirty, torn and smelly cloths. He was obviously homeless and it seemed that he had not eaten in days. Yet, he had a smile on his face.

He asked in a soft voice, “kucch khane ko dengi? Do din se kucch khaye nahi hain(would you give something to eat. I have not eaten in two days)”. Fatima was really agitated and she angrily said, “arre abhi to hum sab cinema dekhne jaa rahe hain (we are all going to watch a movie)”

The old man did not show any disappointment on hearing this. He just shook his head in a manner to say he is sorry for disturbing them at a wrong time. He looked concerned that the group may miss some precious minutes of the movie because of him. He stepped back a little as if to give way to Fatima. Just when Fatima was crossing him, he managed a smile and said “hum yahin intezaar karte hain, aap log cinema dekh aaiye (I will wait here, you all go and watch the movie)”

Fatima kept walking but these words had hit her like a thunderbolt. Confused, she boarded the rickshaw. The two rickshaws started to crawl. Fatima looked at the old man, who was getting ready to lie down on the verandah. He was barely able to walk properly and was struggling to get down. Fatima kept looking at the old man till it was possible.

His words kept haunting Fatima. She closed her eyes and started to think that here is an old man who is hungry and is waiting on her doorsteps for her to return from the movie and give him something to eat!!! Would it not be cruel on her part to keep him waiting for another 3-4 hours? What has made the old man to wait on her doorsteps? After all, she gave him an agitated response. Yet he sensed that he will get something from this door. What if he cannot wait any longer and goes away to try somewhere else? Will she be able to ever overcome that guilt? What if the old man does not survive? She opened her eyes and decided that she must give the old man something to eat right away. She ordered the rickshaw-pullers to return to the house. The children could not believe their ears!!!

As soon as they reached the house, Fatima got down and went running to the old man. He was lying still. Worried, she bent and shook him. The old man opened his eyes and smiled. He asked “cinema khatam ho gaya (Is the movie over)”? Fatima smiled and said “haan, cinema khatam ho gaya (yes, the movie is over)".

Invisible Barriers

In the calmness of the night, he was lying on his bed and was waiting for the right time. The eight year old was nervous but knew that it was the right thing to do. He was sleeping in the room with his grandmother, younger sister and elder brother. He thought about his father, whom he loved a lot. His father, a merchant navy officer, was posted on a ship thousands of miles away. He thought about his father and how much he missed him. However, at this moment, it was his mother that the young boy wanted to be with.

His mother had quietly finished all the chores and had gone to bed in ‘her’ room. Her room was just few metres away but still was very far away from him. He knew that his mother is in bed but she will not be sleeping. She will be missing a husband, who is thousands of miles away and she will be missing her children, who are just few metres away. However, it was the latter that seemed farther away.

The two rooms were separated by an invisible fence. Physically, the fence was not there but everyone knew that it is there. Tonight, he was planning to jump that fence. He was planning to hug his mother and let her know that he understands her pain.

Late in the night, he raised his head to check if everyone was asleep. It was difficult to be sure but tonight, he was willing to take his chances. He got up and moved stealthily towards the door. On reaching the door, he turned around and looked at everyone. He had a smile on his face which said that ‘I am going to be free’. With this smile, he jumped the fence!!!

He knew that his freedom would be short lived. He knew that he will have to return back to his bed before dawn. He was scared of getting caught.

As expected, his mother was lying on her bed but was not sleeping. He expected that his mother will be surprised to see him but he was delighted that she was not. His mother knew that he understands her pain and for some reason, was expecting him!!! He went and lied next to his mother. She cuddled him and it felt like the best place in the world. Soon, both of them were fast asleep. He had not slept like this in several months.

The next morning, he woke up to the chirping of birds. He still had a content smile on his face. However, he soon realised that it was slightly past the usual waking time of the household. He jumped out of the bed and bolted towards the other room. It was less than 5 seconds away but it was still sufficient to draw out the best and worst case scenarios.

Best case scenarios seldom found a place in that house. To his horror, the three souls in the other room were wide awake. He did not care about two of them but it was the third one that he was really worried about. Like always, his worries were not baseless. There was a massive cloud of tension in that room. The room felt like it was full of mourners. He could almost see his dead body lying in the middle. He quietly went and sat on the corner of one of the beds.

He knew that he had broken the unwritten rules but he did not understand those rules. He did not understand why his mother ‘was expected’ to sleep all alone. Nevertheless, he knew that he had broken the protocol and was expecting the worst. His sister and brother were sitting quietly....or probably mourning his death in advance!!! They had an expression on their face that read “we will be quiet as we do not want to get sucked into this controversy”. His grandmother was sitting on the bed and was staring at an invisible point of reference above the almirah. Her right foot was shaking like the tail of a rattlesnake, which was never a very good sign.

After around 15 minutes of deathly silence in the room, he started to feel guilty. He started to feel that he has committed a heinous crime. Another couple of minutes passed. He thought that instead of waiting, it will be better if he tried to calm the brewing storm. Nervously, he asked if everything is all right. What he did not know was that he was accidently stepping on the detonator. His grandmother kick-started the meaningless interrogation by asking why did he slip away in the night? Without a pause for a potential answer, she followed it up with more questions. Do I stop you from sleeping in that room? Why did you have to make me feel like a tyrant? I do so much for you and this is how you treat me? This went on for hours.

The ‘question and question’ session ended after a few hours, thanks to a bio-break for the grandmother. The other attendees did not need one as they were already shitting their pants. The morning session was followed by ‘flashbacks’ session in the afternoon. The stories had a common theme. They all reflected how much the grandmother loved and cared for him. However, he was not really listening and ‘feeling’ the stories. His mind was still stuck on “why”. He was indeed feeling guilty but he did not know why.

After the sessions, he went to his mom, who was sitting in her room. He looked at her with a confused look in his eyes. She did not say anything much. With pain in her eyes, she just said “mat aana ab...wahin soya karo” (from now on, do not come here....sleep there only). He could never forget that confusion and the pain in his mother’s eyes.

Har ek friend zaroori hota hai!!!

During a bad phase, I reached out to all my 'friends' and noticed;

• Some went out of way to help me out
• Some heard me whenever I felt low and confused 
• Some made me feel that they would always be there
• Some were concerned yet insensitive
• Some were very insensitive and hurt me (hopefully unknowingly) with their comments
• Some had suggestions but did not do much
• Some simply ignored

Bahut kucch hai dil ki gehrai mein,

tadap jaata hai dil raat ki tanhai mein,

Yun to kehne ko dost bahut hain,

par fark hota hai saye aur parchhai mein

I am thankful to everyone and I do not have any complaints. I would like to assure each one of my friends that I would do anything within my capacity to help you out in case you ever need me. Most importantly, I would try to be a better friend.  

Ananya Ajay....aka Aanya....aka Gulli Singh

I am loving it!!!

Have spent the last one month in my hometown, Ranchi and I am loving it. It is away from the madness. Since I am staying in the cantonment, it is much more peaceful and relaxing.

Ranchi has changed a lot in the past 10 years. There are much bigger buildings, much more traffic, many more eateries but ya, the infrastructure has not improved one bit. The roads are full of potholes. It is difficult to find a single vehicle without a scratch...thanks mainly to the auto-rickshaws, two-wheelers and cycle rickshaws. But all this has not affected me much since I stay away from the main city.

Probably the only aspect that is affecting me is the constant rain and gloomy weather. The biggest issue with this is the fact that the cloths do not dry quickly. Yesterday, I pulled out a t-shirt only to find it covered with fungus!!! Soon I will find fungus on my body!!!

What I am loving is lack of schedule, home food, games of squash and table tennis, driving in the cantonment, time for blogging etc.  Above all, getting to spend time with my loved ones is the best feeling in the world. I am loving this break.

Future look of the Indian Team

The Indian team is struggling in England. We have always struggled in the english conditions however, expectations were really high this time around since we were on top of the rankings in both Tests and ODIs. That did not happen. Infact the performance of the Indian team was so dismal that it has made watching matches a pretty boring affair; something that had never happened to me in at least last 20 years.

Due to our performance in England, everyone is talking about who should be in the side and who should be omitted. I have my opinion as well. However, I am so bored with cricket now that I want to see some changes. A lot of key players are not available due to injuries and when they come back, there would be limited scope of a change in the team. Yet, we need to rethink our strategies, especially when some of the big guns are not likely to continue playing cricket to their grave. We must ensure that the big guns do not leave behind too big a void to fill. Moreover, we need to be a bit 'radical' in our approach as far as team selection is concerned for the shorter formats of the game.  

One good thing that IPL has done is that it has given visibility to a lot of players. It is a difficult format to judge someone's technique but it does help in comparing players. Following is the team that I want to see once the big guns leave the scene.

Test Side (Based on current form) 

1. Virender Sehwag
2. Gautam Gambhir
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
4. AT Rayadu
5. Ajinkya Rahane
6. Rohit Sharma (we seriously lack a genuine all-rounder for this spot)
7. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (though I do not think that he is fit to be a test batsman)
8. Harbhajan Singh (this is where the problem lies as we do not have quality spinners)
9. Zaheer Khan (we need to quickly find a replacement for him)
10. Ishant Sharma
11. S Sreesanth
12. Parthiv Patel
13. Virat Kohli
14. Rahul Sharma
15. Dhawal Kulkarni

(other probables could include Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina (deserves more opportunities), Deepak Chahar (need to see more of him though), Manish Pandey, Abhinav Mukund, Irrfan Pathan (if he rediscovers his swing), Shikhar Dhawan, Pragyan Ojha)

T-20 Side (Based on current form) 

1. Virender Sehwag
2. Robin Utthappa
3. Suresh Raina
4. Yuvraj Singh
5. Rohit Sharma
6. Yusuf Pathan
7. Mahender Singh Dhoni
8. Irrfan Pathan
9. R Ashwin
10. Zaheer Khan
11. Praveen Kumar
12. Virat Kohli
13. Manish Pandey
14. Manoj Tiwary
15. Munaf Patel

(other probables could include Gautam Gambhir, AT Rayadu, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Sharma, Iqbal Abdulla, S Arvind, Murali Vijay, Varun Aaron (need to see more of him though), Deepak Chahar (need to see more of him though), Shikhar Dhawan)

ODI Side (Based on current form)

1. Virender Sehwag
2. Gautam Gambhir
3. Virat Kohli
4. Yuvraj Singh
5. Suresh Raina
6. Yusuf Pathan
7. Mahender Singh Dhoni
8. R Ashwin
9. Zaheer Khan
10. Praveen Kumar
11. Ashish Nehra
12. Rahul Sharma
13. Ajinkya Rahane
14. Parthiv Patel
15. Ishant Sharma

(other probables could include Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Utthappa, Ravinder Jadeja, Deepak Chahar (need to see more of him though), Irrfan Pathan (only if he rediscovers his swing), Pragyan Ojha, Munaf Patel)

The Portrait of My Life

I Support DESIRE Society

I support DESIRE Society. If anyone else is interested in contributing to their initiative, please feel free to reach them.



----------------------------


Dear: ANIMESH.GARU


GREETINGS FROM DESIRE Society. This is just a confirmation note, but it comes from my heart to convey you.


Thank you for your very kind gift of Rs.XXXXX/-, which we have received on 06.09.2011. Your generosity will make an immediate difference in the lives of destitute orphan children who are suffering with deadly and incurable disease HIV/AIDS. I’m sure that your gift will enable us on providing quality health care for these unfortunate little lives.


For sure, we are going to use your gift to fund our Care & Support program. Your generosity is going to help us buy the medicines and nutrition for the children living with HIV virus. Good nutrition and timely medication, as you know, is so vital and desperate in fighting off the diseases and infections among the people who suffer with HIV virus.


You can read about this exciting initiative in our website http://www.desiresociety.org/. Thanks once again for your kindness, looking forward to hear again from you.


Note: Soon, we will be sending the original receipt along with 80G Income Tax exemption certificate to your mailing address.


Mr. K. BHEEM RAO
Donor Support Coordinator
DESIRE Society
040-64581108
Email: reachdesire@yahoo.com

Wishes for my little bundle of joy

My little princess, Ananya has been keeping me busy. She keeps sleeping most of the times and most of the remaining time is spent in the laps of her mother, grandparents, aunt and great grandmother. I do not get much time with her...I spend most of the time just looking at her but thats not too bad:) She does not smile much but whenever she does....it makes my day.

I hope she gets the sincerity of my father, the tolerance of my mother, the friendly and affectionate nature of my sister, the looks and understanding as well as systematic nature of my wife AND the best wishes of everyone. I hope she gets the best in the world.

My Little Princess....Ananya Ajay!!!

(Born on 23rd August 2011...the happiest day of my life)

I am back. It was a long gap that was caused by multiple factors. Following are the three main reasons of my prolonged absence;

1. World Cup
2. Facebook
3. My wife's pregnancy

But now I am back. I have become a father now. We are world champions now. But ya, the Facebook addiction is still going strong. 

I have always written what I genuinely believe in. However, I must admit that sometimes I have stopped myself or sugar-coated the words to avoid hurting sentiments of certain people. But now, I pledge not to mince any words. Whats the point of sharing your thoughts if you are not speaking from your heart!!! I promise to myself that if I do not be honest in sharing my true feelings, I will delete this blog and pick up an actual diary to pen my thoughts.

Ananya's First Video

Ananya's First Video....shot on 23 August 2011