This is my time !

The title might just sound arrogant but yes that's what it is ... It's just my time ...
I am so much thrilled and excited with such a crucial addition to my life of Miss Vaibhavi Vilas Rahalkar. I am so much delighted with the way the decision about my life partner has been arrived. I have got everything what i had thought about my life partner in her.

And most importantly she is from Indore. I swear that I had expressed this great desire about my wife being from Indore long long back to my good friend Pavan while I was in Bangalore. And why Indore then ? Well after lot of thought and education I had a feeling that Marathi culture outside Maharashtra is best preserved in Indore. Yes, to a good extent it's there in Baroda,Gwalior,Hyderabad and Jabalpur but in Indore it's lot more. Well obviously, girl being from Indore was not a criteria for choice. It was kind of wishlist.

Also I had thoughtfully prepared what we used to have in 10th and 12th, "Ekvis Apekshit". 15 questions to the girl before i finalize on her and 6 to myself. And after qualifying with flying colours in both of these exams it's rollicking time. And yes, always wanted to give full opportunity to the girl to choose me and it indeed worked very well.

Honestly, for few days I just couldn't believe that all this is happening to me. With mundane life for the last 5/5.5 years with the focus on career, personal life was pretty dry. Just the couple of annual family associations with parents and close relatives. So kind of felt that, life is not flowing but has stagnated. But with this happening it's moving with F1's face and pretty difficult to maintain pace with it.

After quite a lot of interaction with her I am extremely happy to find out that it just matches to the 'T' with my expectations. All in all very much overwhelmed with this outcome Everything now looks so much charming and colorful. And the thrill is so analogous with the jump Adam Gilchrist makes after a stumping.

And yes song of the moment has to be :
"Dekha jo tujhe yaar Dil mein baji guitar .."
"Arre Arre main to gaya re ... dil bhi gaya re .."

Sensational, Stupendous, Scintillating ....

A Year, A Suitcase and A Table down the drain !

Won't you have a lump in your throat when in retrospect you see a year of your life gone to complete waste, some personal favourite stuff gone missing never to appear and a table you always enjoyed to work on gone forever. All this loss for absolutely nothing , just nothing.
This boiling of emotions and it's overflow is exactly what Othello goes through after he kills Desdemona and realizes the truth.

I think the worst thing in life is to trust somebody unconditionally. People are ready to sacrifice anything and everything for some sake but it hurts deep when people sabotage your sacrifices. But then, not being a Gandhian in my case people have to pay a hefty price .. I must admit here that if a victim of such type can forgive the culprit then he is just "GREAT". It will certainly take a long time for me to become that "GREAT".

And what's my punishment to such people ? Well simply, wrath for rest of the life. Infact complete banishment for some of those. Getting forgived has become too cheap these days. People claim that it's their mistake but when you see some matured people doing such things then definately it's not a mistake but a criminal act.

One thing anyone cannot revert is time. And it's such an emotional gammut to see you doing something else in history than what you actually did. The progression of your life hits a road block, for some they backtrace and for some they are in a state of helter skelter. If you are a happy go lucky kind of person then it's a lot easier to take such happenings in your stride. But if you are quite calculative , of a planner kind, then it's very difficult to come to terms.

Well, getting slaughtered for no mistake is such a depressing thing that it can just about change the course of your life. When you devote for the people you love and they backstab you it's such a hard thing to digest. And the biggest problem lies in mixing different contexts like say your personal and professional lives. Life is so much better when you keep them apart but as soon as they start intersecting it becomes very difficult. But yes there are instances when you need to mix them and i think personal life takes precedence here. And imagine when you get sabotaged in your personal life then how badly you are hit. You just have to pay dearly.

It's a very bitter feeling and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It's as if the Spiderman I shot, when the rope Car and "MJ" moves down the 2 glasses of Spiderman. Salvage man ... Save your dreams ...

So to relate very closely with such a situation one needs to find the most depressing of the songs.
Here are a few which has helped me a lot :
1. " Yaad na jaye beete dino ki ... jake na aaye jo din ...." - *****
2. "Raha gardisho mein hardam .. mere ishq ka sitara ...." - *****
3. "Toote hue khwabone humko yeh sikhaya hain ...." - *****

So after enough pondering on such issues you must be feeling how saddist is this fellow. Yes i am very very disappointed but not out. There is just one way and that is to move ON ...

Again some songs of hope :
1. " Nazarana bheja kisine pyaar ka ....hain diwana jo bas tere ....." - Thanks a lot to Rajesh Roshan for this beauty.
2. " Tum jo mil gaye ho to yeh lagata hain ... ki jahan ... mil gaya ... " - RafiSaab at his best ...

Nothing is perfect and Life has started to paint it's colour on my Life's drawing board ...

A Sunday well spent !

The other sunday i really had a ball in my house. As usual got a bit late for it being a Sunday and switched on the TV. Now Star One has become a favourite and hence just rolled over it. And so much to my desire found the Laughter Champions going on. I thought it might be for an hour or so but it was for the whole day , in and out. I was indeed thrilled for had got a chance to see some of the missed moments.

And then after that, episode after episode i was bursting in laughter. It was some kind of laughter boughts. I knew that my day is made and it was really exhilarating to watch the talent this country has. Ten episodes from which they selected 12 candidates for the semis and again cut those to half for the finals. Sidhu ( through i feel he is a quite overboard) with his superb "kahavate" and Suman with his usual regal really captivated the judges chairs and they were very fair in their assesment.

To my liking all the ones whom i liked were in for the next round. Raju Srivastava,Ahsaan Quereshi,Sunil Pal and Navin Prabhakar but felt bad for the one from Rajkot. Now see the impact, i really don't remember his name but the contents ( incoming chalu hain , outgoing is blocked. Alag alag ringtones baj rahe hain ...). The other whom i liked but failed for the finals was Deepak Raja.

But let me recount some of the most memorable performances of these performers.
1. Sunil Pal : Verrappan capturing Madhuri ( Nasser Shah : kisi ko is tarah se pakad lana yeh Gunaah hain ..., Suneil Shetty : Ayehhhh ... Verrappan , Johny Lever : Tu Verrappan hain, kitni gandi shakal and finally Irrfan Khan : "Bhaiyya kya lagaya yeh .. and after seeing Gun : Are yaar tumne to marneka program bana liya. Bhaiyya hum to yahan kaam mangne aaye the ... )
2. Raju Srivastava : He impressed me the most really with his variety and his items :
a: Visiting places with Bill Clinton (Umm.. hmm... Nice arrangement)
b. Daku attacking village ( Buddhe tujhe to main nahi chodunga .. mera naam Gajodhar Pandey hain par log pyar se mujhe Sunita bulate hain)
c. And one of the best was about shaadi of the sister.He just reflected great emotions over there.
3. Ahaasn Quereshi : Very unique style of his own and very classy i felt. His potshots were very deep rooted and not so simplistic to understand. His outstanding item was the "Jabalpur-Nagpur bus journey".
4. Bhagwant Mann : I very very much liked the Punjabi and Haryanvi mix of his presentation.His item on the Policeman's recuitment process was very very funny.
5. Parag Kansara : "Tashrif ko Dil" says all about him. Very compulsive thinker of things i suppose. But very innovative in the process.
6. Pehchaan Kon : Navin Prabhakar. This introduction fits well. Really amazing in the sequence but didn't had good variety.

And some top notch stuff was , Deepak Raja's parody in the PagalKhana. Really superb performance.

And amongst visitiors , the small kid was tremendous. (Bipasha Basu in the mandir ..... )

Johny Lever just glimpsed us about why is one of the best comedians in the business.
And story told by Rajpal Yadav just manifested the fact that some uncut diamonds have got lucky to get chiselled by the cutter to perefection.

Big thanks to Star One to bring forth such amazing talent that this great country has.

Whip of fresh air in life !

Recently, i got an opportunity to make my second international travel. And the destination was Montreal, Canada. When the name struck, two things from the back of my mind came forth: 1. Nadia Comaceni's first perfect 10 & 2. Quebec's struggle to separate out from Canada.
So the journey was quite ardous since the flight was going to be a very long one.Went to Mumbai first and the by BA to London.I was very lucky to get a transit Visa in UK ( after 7/7 and me posing a french beard). I went outside along with my colleague who already had his program chalked out.So we went to his friend in a suburb named Milton Kenyes. I must say i was extremely impressed with London and UK.Tradition just oozes out, old taxies and many other things.

So after this good break we proceeded ahead to Montreal. Weather in Montreal was just perfect.Good sunshine and no rains.We were put up in downtown by mistake though(booking of the hotel was messed a bit) and hence everyday we commuted to the office by taxi....Hotel was really good ... and the evenings were also very nice since being in downtown.The week went fine ... and then the weekend. So on saturday we went out ... to the old port ... Took a 2 hours cruise in the river and the feel was exhilarating .... That was what we did on saturday as my colleague was to proceed on his return journey. He again had a stoppage of 2 days in London in which he covered, Mecca of Cricket and WIMBLEDON.

On sunday i changed my hotel close to the office. Had the first view of a Limousine but i repent that before i could take a pic it vanished.Then on monday ( it was a holiday there) got in touch with an Indian fella ( from the office we had visited). He was really enthusiastic and took me out. So we first went to the Olympic stadium.I was just lurking to get a snap of Nadia and i finally got it. From there on we went to the Casino .. but just like jokers.I was amazed with the amount of gamble that happens there. 12 floors .. all full ... pokers of different types .. machines, cards, roundtable ...And then my desi fella sprung a surprise ... by taking me to the F1 circuit. In a splash we arrived there and it was like a dream come true. It's a really nostalgic felling because when, what we follow we see in reality ... And so snaps were taken to make it a memoir....So that day was again great.

Then the next week started ... work and work ... and everyting went well During this week one day we went to another suburb and what was one more dream was fulfilled.Had a very long view of "Ferrari & Maserati" showrooms... Gorgeous it was .. Class it was People say and they say seriously "If i get this lady i won't want a wife".. Again i had a saturday in hand as my flight was on the sat night .. So again my indian fella joined me ... and took me on a trek .. Mount Royal ... Beautiful it was ... through the woods ... lots of green .. and then atop. Great view of montreal was captured ... it was really good .... So then my return journey kicked off ... and it was really cumbersome ... There was no good break in London ... But the big thing that riled me was the view of my fav aussies falling apart. I saw those pictures during my both journeys at the Heathrow... (4th & 5th tests).

Thus ended ... what i would really say a fantastic trip ... Everything was good ... And yes .. like i always wished to be someone like "International Cavalier" hope this is just the begining.

Tour Diary - Vaastu Visit - I

In this edition i want to capture the moments i had during the recent more than a week long visit to mumbai and pune, the occassion being the "vaastu pujan" of my new house. Here i will take stock of my visit starting bangalore - reaching mumbai - reaching pune.Pune story will be in next edition.
So i started for mumbai(rather kalyan) on 27th May with Udyan.I had gearerd up for the gruelling journey and indeed for dying for it to start.The travel was not so OK, since our S1 coach was a picture of a General compartment since our coach being first to the General coach, it was thumped like anything. Imagine my seat number to be 3. "Dushkalat teravva mahina". I reahced Kalyan on 28th at 7.00 PM. Instead of going home i decided to wait at the station for the big party to arrive from Nasik. They all have reached there for a Maha puja of the Lalingkar's household at "Saptashrungi". In between i being a "petu" went outside and had a bite of "Khadak" Paav bhaaji ...
Then i joined them at platform 5 and we headed for the house.
The program for mumbai was already chalked out. Next day i.e 29th it was Mumbai darshan. Since one of my aunt dropped out from Nasik i took that position.It was a very good programme from the travels.Crisp, short but a lot faster. At times it was like joining the 200m race. The highlight of the program being the "Nehru Planetorium" show, "boating in sea" and "houses of filmstar". I really wonder how hit would Dev Anand had been , since my father and uncle were "trupta" to see his house. That's why , it's "Evergreen Dev". So all in all the day was great. But since life being a balance, i lost my mobile functionality of the slaty waters of juhu beach and it went dead.
Next day was slated only for children, as they headed to Essel World. I already had decided against it as i wanted to leave for Pune. So in the morning, after the baccha party went i with my father and kaka went to prachi's place to invite her inlaws and then headed to Pune via Dadar. It was a boring journey as there was quarrel of the driver at the start. At around 6.00 i reached pune and called pushkar who came to collect me and we headed to Prasad's house. In between rain caught us and i alone went to prasad's place. I had to take charge of atleast a bike since it was needed to local travel. I had plans to see my house that evening as that was to be my debut there but as it was raining heavily i stayed back.
So tuesday morning i strated for my house ......

A thing of pride !

Bhartiya Rail ...... the most spread enterprise around the world . It covers so many thousands of kilometers and infact is the lifeline of India. Statistically they say that every day the railways carried some 1.5 crore people which is the population of say Australia. And forget the goods transport which would be equally the same in number.
From my childhood i had been in awe of the railways. My father used to take me to the railway station every sunday when i between 4-7 to see the Howrah Express . Such was my fascination that i had remembered the stoppages of Gitanjali Exp between Bombay and Howrah. And everything about this liking got fulfilled since my house is just 250 meters from the railway track. Visting the railway line in the evening has been some of the best moments. Putting a coin on the rail so that the train runs over it and one gets to see the "chaplela" coin.
Also i have been very fulfilled since i travelled with the railways to so many parts of India, meter guage,broad guage and narrow guage. Travelling to Khandwa by meter guage is such a beautiful journey.
In my late teens i started another type of journey which is "Up-Down" or commuting as is the name. Going to college some 100kms away every monday and returning every saturday made me a regular traveller. How economical it was to travel like that ....... And railways can offer one of the cheapest fares if you travel by a "Passenger". Imagine Rs.14 for a 100km journey and mind you it was done in just 3 hrs ... not so slow ... huh..
Travelling in mumbai in the local trains gave me some more joy. The ethos of the travel is just fabulous. The frequency of the trains, the different routes, different types of trains all is very captivating. Another journey that i relish is travelling through the ghats. Mostly i have travelled in the Kasara and Khandala ghats. It's truly majestic to be there.
And above all i enjoy travelling II class sleeper. It's such a common place environment with lots of people and importantly interactive people unlike in the AC. Well i do admit that travelling in summer in II class gives lot of problems but otherwise it's the best travel.
All in all the railways has been a big part of my life. My adulation for them grows each day. So many trains, so many routes to manage, complex time tables of the trains but they are doing a very good job i feel. And now with the outstanding reservation system in place ..... i think it has made travel a lot easy ....

Kudos to Railways ....

Chuck man ! It's a rule now !

The recent hearing of the ICC about the chucking rule has left many of the people from cricketing fraternity in the lurch. It's indeed a very disappointing outcome and ICC has really cold shouldered the whole issue instead of digging it deep.

Clearly i see a lot of trouble with this which is enlisted as follows :
1. It will be very difficult for the umpires to judge a chucker in a match situation wherein no hitech components will be there.
2. Bowlers can easily change their actions during scrutiny and during the actual match scenario.
3. No way a bend of 13,14,15 degress can be a legal delivery... it can be a throw also ...
4. How can teenagers be scrutinized at smaller cricketing centers where there are no hitech facilities.
5. How can old coaching methods be used , beacause a suspect may still continue hoping that he is below 15 degress.

It is going to make things very very difficult. Controversies would be much more in times to come.

I think the calling of Muralitharan started it all. My personal view is that , Murlitharan's action is not correct and may be that can be attributed to his shoulder deformity. But onc cannot allow somebody to bend the cricketing rules for the sake of deformity. Even at times i think Lee and Akhtar also ocassionally change their actions , for a express delivery.

All the powers about calling should be given to the umpires. They are the best judge because they see the bowler very closely and in match situation. Instead of reporting , umpire should be asked to call a bowler thus removing the biomechanics. Also, a committe of umpires should be formed to visualise the bowler in match situation to scrutinize the things.

The reason i am stressing on the visual test is that, this degress theory have "proved" that genuine bowlers like Lillee, Holding, Imran and Dev have been chuckers. Now it's a big no no ... instead i would like to point out that people like Griffith,Meckif were sidelined and certainly they didn't have correct bowling actions. Again it was a visual test that called them chuckers.

ICC is bending to pressures from some of the member countries since the people under scrutiny have been a lot successful. But i am sure there are lot of people who in private would admit about the legality of the suspect bowlers.

With such attitude, ICC is killing cricket and it would be very dangerous because it would cause lots of problems. So please don't do like that. Have an umpires panel and give them the total power. I feel it's the best foot forward else in future cricket would loose it's charm for the sake of few.

I am a Man now !

Recent visit back home was a great eye opener. I was there to attend the marraiage ceremony of my cousin sister (mama chi mulgi). I just couldn't believe it that she is getting married. All my childhood had been in her company as she is just six months younger to me. We had spent nearly 15 years together as everyday after school i was at my grandmother's place.
We played a lot together, fought a lot, slapped each other, shared gossips, riled each other for names and what not. We had such a time , that we will cherish for a long time. And for the company we had my younger sister, her younger sister and other brothers and sisters.
And i was aghast to see her getting married. Indeed the cruel time does fly. Seeing her getting married indeed made me realised that i am a man now. Even after graduation , joining companies, swapping companies i looked myself as a kid but now things are serious as it seems. And talks during the wedding were that "Sameer che kevva karta lagna ? ". And pretty obvious i felt as the time is coming closer.
But why does man want time to stop. I feel because, he has spent the best time and doesn't want to come out of it. In my case , i felt the same. 25 years of my life had been made beautiful by may parents, "Maaibai"(my aaji), uncles and aunts, bros and sis and ofcourse friends. Now since i can't go back, i want to make the next 25 equally good. And hope i get a life partner who will make that sure.
Life is indeed great but suddenly i am feeling that the time is not running but sprinting. Now i have very less time to fulfill my so many wishes. Somewhere everyone wants the time to stop, isn't it ?
My mind is very much turbulent with emotions and feelings which i cannot express.
And the great puzzle is there , "What's life ?, Why i am here ? Who am i ?", right questions at right time ? or too early... i am not a psycho please......
But otherwise i know one thing for sure that i am a MAN !

Appreciation - Damien Martyn in 2004 !

If there happens to be a feeling of spirit in the surrounding especially on a cricket field then the right candidate who seems to have such a characterisitic has to be Damien Martyn.When he is at the crease one hardly feeld he is out there. Such is his silent, sedate and serene presence.
Martyn has had a very topsy turvy career so far and recently ( 2 years back ) he has established himself in the star studded Aussie lineup. This has been possible only after the farewell to the junior Waugh. But then such turns has been deserving ones for his indifferent form and performances. He was almost crucified for one reckless shot against the Proteas way back in 1994 which cost the aussies the test. He was kept out of the side for fairly long time. The middle order was quite packed with the Waughs at 4&5 and Blewett and Punter grabbing the 3 & 6. Later Blewett was out of favour and it was then filled by Langer and untill Langer himself moved up at the top to fill in for Slater there was hadly any chance for Martyn. So around 2002, when Mark Waugh was dumped Martyn started to get regular look in. Obviously there was no doubt in his ability but a question mark remained on his temperament.
But the selectors persisted with him even after he started poorly but slowly he started to bloom. His class was quite evident with the offside strokes and the ease at which he played those. Also the fact that he was a better spin player along with Hayden in the side gave him a solid look at the crucial no.4 spot. Even the likes of Ponting and Langer have been found wanting against quality spin.
He played well in SA and NZ around 2002-2003 in both the versions and ofcourse extremly well against the Lankans. He got those crucial centuries in the emerald island which helped the Aussies thrash the Lankans 3-0. And later in the year came the much hyped 'Final Frontier' tour. The fact that the aussies were ready to stay the wicket, show patience was their secret when they changed 35 year old history. Indeed , 2001 team was far superior but their all out strategy was their undoing. But here the epitome of this new strategy was best displayed by Martyn. His knock in Chennai was something for which one gives a certificate. It was like a pure traditional test knowck. Concentration, shot selection, patience everything was perfect about it.This innings really stamped his profile for being a class player.
On the home soil he has been a decent and consistent performer. His contribution is indeed huge for the aussie juggernaut which is still rolling.
Also, he has been an excellent fielder especially in the outfield and very determined character. More than anything though he has become the mainstay of their batting with slide for Hayden and Ponting patchy at times. He turned out as the 2nd highest rungetter in 2004 and seems that will continue his good work for another 2-3 seasons.
And ofcourse he must have exorcised the ghosts of failures for himself more than for the Aussie team with tremendous showing in India.

Working against a Wall !!!

What do you think is the best test of motivation ? In my view , simulate a situation for someone to perform his duties when it's been made crystal clear to him that he is not going to achieve what he expects the most out of that particular exercise. And therein one can judge how much motivated one can be.
Life has been a lot easier for people who work as professionals who has numerous alternatives when things don't turn up the way they would like.But i really wonder what happens with sports-person in this kind of situation. If they get disappointed can they change in the same manner ?
I have a few examples to quote...One being Padmakar Shivalkar, a great spinner who couldn't play for India but has tons of wicktes in the domestic circuit. One would always feel that he deserved to play for India but a shade better spinner in Bishen Bedi kept him out. But then this was a very pure and rational comparision for the choice and not malicious as in some companies.So from where did he gain so much of motivation to carry on ? Same is the case with Rajinder Goel..... who had a very very brief stint.
I feel that it's not always the professional or calculated thinking but a very emmotional one. Sometimes people get emmottionally attached to their task and hence that keeps them going.
Also, i see people like Narendra Hirwani and Venkatpathy Raju who are in the same league.
People sometimes feel that they are the chosen ones to be a sucker like that but then to motivate oneself from that rut takes a huge heart.

Tea ! A great ingredient of Life !!!

Tea, "aey Chai garam" is the constant hearing when one enroute to my native place in Maharashtra or for that matter on every route i have travelled , such is the universal appeal of this item. As for me i am always game to have a sip of it and in a day 4 times gulping of the same is quite mandatory for me.
I am amazed that in Bangalore where i am right now, i have no problem to have it.I was quite apprehensive when i first moved here but i am very happy the way it has came across. Everywhere the quality is not good so myslef and my friend have marked certain locations wherein we get it just that right.

At my native or in Maharashtra, there are different versions the most famous being the "baadshahi", it simply means that the tea is prepared with more milk. Also adding "Ilaichi' and "Aala" (sorry i don't remenmber their Hinglish names) to tea makes it even much much better.
Certainly we don't buy that English style of drinking the black tea. Tell you really it's very harsh on my taste buds. Sometimes, tea is accompanied not with buscuits and breads but with "chapati(poli)" and it certainly tastes better if the chapati is "shili".

And there is absolutely no timing for tea. Right from the assembling of a group for the birth of a new born to the death of someone people are game for tea just may be to relieve the stress. I find it just a great traditional way when people in a group move to a "tapri" for a "cutting" chai. I am very thrilled at this majestic sight.

Also there is no limit to the quantity of the same.Whenever we are on board to Akola my dear friend consumes nearly 8-10 cups of tea in just 24 hrs. I am just behing him with 5-6. Even at home another great sight is when somebody refuses tea or it is prepared in more quantity it invariably goes to my father's cup.

It's really a fantastic component of my life and of many others. Just when i complete this i will be heading for this only.

The Other Side !!!!

I am writing this because i have never been on this side. The other side here means that knowing throughly what a software is doing. I have mostly worked on the application level and hence many a times the way of working has been like a trial and error.Ofcourse one has to go by this way about say unknown API but a very logical and rational thinking makes one a very smart worker.

I feel that people can imagine a lot about what happens with their certain action in the code. How the background thing will work. The can very well visualise the entire process. I have come across lot many such people and their thoughts and knowledge certainly makes me wonder if they are the ones who invented C,C++ or Java for that matter.

I am slowly and steadily following such approach and yes, this certainly improves one's skills to a greater extend. But there is no doubt that such guys are very selfmade and very focussed on their job.

Being a UI worker i have believed what i see.... hence the background things i haven't really worried about. But things are changing for the better and the feel is very satisfying.

Would like to continue in the same vein.... always....

!!!

Expletives ....... Aai Ga !!!

Expletives are really the instant reaction one gives during different kinds of situation.One can witness these during different types of emmtional state of mind... joy ,,, sorrow,,, etc.....
I remember a lot of these i came across from varying fields.....
"Chaila" is the one expressed in case of a disappointment or when one has to pull someone down if he is getting over the board.
Sachin Tendulkar calls "Chumma Shot" whenever he plays a very satisfying or delightful stroke. Once a commentor aghast looking at a stroke he played when the delivery was really fabulous said.... " Oh !! He connected well ............".
Nayan Mongia behind the stumps always a chatter used to say..... "Aai Ga.......... very much a Marathi thing to express something closely missed"
"Ghanta" is a retort one gives when has to reject someones's comments.
Otherwise Bombay's typical comments are " Chal Paka Mat, Dimak ka dahi mat kar,,,, aey bhendi.." and like those,, tapori style.
Amongst my friends ... to deride someones use of words like "Jhamparpangya,,, Santar Solya..... have brought laughters alot"
In the office , i hear my colleagues saying "There you go" , "That the way......" "Correct !! Correct!!".

So it's always like that the ears are ready to hear something new....

What say ? Mamu!!!

Uninhibited Approach ------------ >

This is my take on the manner in which one does something. It simply means going flat out in the task one takes at hand. I really like people who have such an approach. They are so free flowing and exhilarating that it becomes a joy to be in their company.
One such personality is my mother. She is a such a fascinating personality that she talk in no uncertain terms. Very caring and systematic but very very free..... I have seen lot my people who are quite clumsy,crooked and mean.... Such attributes rubs a lot on their personality and when it comes to communications they flatter a lot.
Looking at the sporting arena, i find Tendulkar and Kapil Dev a lot in this category. Their approach to their criket is really like this only. When they are on the field they are totally into it. Also, their very positive character transforms into their game....... A lot of players i have see like that, namely Miller,Sobers,Viv Richards, Gilchrist, Inzy...... Such a thing cannot be said about Gavaskar,Boycott,Waugh though great players in every sense, because their approach looks quite calculated.
Such approach thrills the viewer and the flamboyance it brings to these personalties just about creates a great enthusiasm in the public eye.

I really love such characters and also would like to learn from such an approach.

Over the top !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These days i came across lots of people with an over the top attitude. And quite rightly most of it is quite a nonsense stuff. I am very much disappointed with the people since modesty is one thing that is fast vanishing from their character. Blowing any achievement out of proportions is the rule of the times it seems. But disastrous side effect it makes is on the focus of the person and also introduces the element of bias and politics.

From my personal experience i have seen people marketing their work beyond limits. Well it good that you want to make people aware of your deeds but ranking that with incorrect numbers is just not the way. One has to be modest while doing this. They will create such a fuss about their work that one wonders if it's the best which quitely is not the case.

But this attitude has crept in today's generation because of the competition and also due to the fact that when this thing runs anywhere it runs top-bottom. If people at the heml of an hierarchy are this way then it's natural that, downstream things will be like that.

But as i said , this makes the focus shift since the mind gets concentrated on other things and the quest for excellence loses. Also, this makes people a lot biased since when they give an ear to somethig they want to hear and analyse things in the same biased manner which certianly is a loosing proposition.

But may be that's the way of life now. But i am inspired by people's person like... G.R.Vishwanath and Mohinder Amarnath whom i consider and worship as idols for this quality of being fair, clean and MODEST. It may not give you power and money but it certianly gives you mental peace....

Cricket Allrounders !! I adore them ..........

I always wonder that to cross the line between a loss and a defeat how much of a difference an allrounder can make. If you are a great bowler ( taking example of Courtney Walsh.....) but hardly can hold a bat then when the team needs you to score say even 10 runs , they usually flatter. In such a situation what a difference an allrounder can make.
But in test cricket , one always thinks of a genuine allrounder and not just the bits and pieces players as present in the oneday format. When i think of this, 3 names flash my mind more often than not.
Keith Miller, the australian great was on such. He batted at no.5 in the line up who is thought of a balancer of the innings and used to open the bowling with Lindwall. What a huge contribution towards the team. In the same bearth is Sir Gary Sobers who marvelled at no.6 for most of the carrer, though batted from 1-6 and also opened the bowling and came later to bowl chinamen. But he didn't always opened the bowling and was not tha mainstay of the bowling machine. But he is the no.1 in my list , more because of his fielding , especially in the slips. And the third one i admire the most is our very own Vinoo Mankad. A batsmen who had batted from no.1 to 11 in the tests and was a very shrewd left arm bowler. He was a genius so to say and who so much contributed to the team.
These apart , though the 4 greats of the 80's were great allrounders still they were more of bowler - batsmen and i doubt if they could hold the place on one skill barring Kapil Dev , at times.
These days i would admire only Chris Cairns and Jacques Kallis in the same berth and now Anderw Flintoff has also established his claim as a genuine allrounder.

But , this genre of cricketiers is really extraordinary and hard to find. They are always busy during the match and physically their job is very much taxing. Hence i have a real high regard for them...

Bharat Ratna please .........

Today is the 75th birthday of Lata Mangeshkar. Wishing her warm regards and a very long life.
Well, certainly there are no words to express her achievements and dedication to her work. Her's had been an outstanding career and a great contribution to the Indian music.

Imagine more than 50 years of melodious voice for the people ........ This feat is just awesome.
She has sang complete range of songs, from classical to sensual ( just one though ,, "Aaa.... jane ja....). She has bagged nearly every awards that they give and MP govt. started an award on her name.

I am also grateful that she has always voiced against the wrong that are happening , like the music piracy and remixes. I vividly remember one photograph of her , closing her ears with distress and the text was, "Fed up of remixes...." or something like that.

I mean the deeds are so huge that i feel it asks for a Bharat Ratna for sure.. My only grudge is that it should be given rightaway.Usually what we people do is recognise someone once that person is no more. Also, if Nelson Mandela can be given it then it is just mandatory that it be given to her and many more.

Hope it will happen soon.......

Once again , let's celebrate the voice ,,,, "Aaj phir jine ki tamanna hain ................................"

Home Sweet Home !

I went through a emmotional stutter recently when i was back home for a few days.
It's such a great time to spend with the family that i just can't express the same in words.
The talk,the food,the ambience all is very very beautiful.

I must admit that such a great atmosphere makes me not to leave the house, at times for even
close friends. May be my mind just weighs things diferrently.

And to top that all, this time i had the company of my maternal uncles along with their families.
Hence it's just a hurrah time.
We played the typical hide and sick game with my teen brothers and sisters and it was just so much of fun.
Then i had to treat them for some Pav Bhaji, Pani Puri and Ice Creams. But tell you very openly, the money one pays is much less than the satisfaction and happiness one gets with it.
Also, followed was a big pani puri eatery at home marshalled by one of my Mama.
It was just pure fun.

But alas ! the days were very less and had to get back to work.

Always, i tell you always , i get upset with the running of the time.
May be a pessimist outlook but i really fell that these golden times should have no ending.

September, the season of change .............

Well, September is turning out to be a month when a big change happens in my life.
Last year i left my first company in Sep and joined the one i am leaving now. Hope the
next Sep doesn't bring a change like this but something of a different sort, may be a
romantic one .......
Last one year has been a of mixed nature but towards the later half the experience had
been horrendous and horrifying and is now ending on a bitter note. I used to be quite upset
during this phase as things didn't work out for me , thanks to some nice people at the
workplace. There was anger and frustration and literally my mind sought some avenge which
best finds analogy with an alleged statement made by Jeff Thomson ( Thomson is a ferocious
fast bowler of the 70's ) which goes like " I want to see the batsman on field with blood flowing.
If i can't get him bowled then would like to knock him out to the pavilion. Either way is fine by me".
But thank GOD, I got my solution in the nick of time and didn't have to suffer any further agony.
I needed to take the decision of change simply because, i want to be the master of my own destiny and won't follow some false Godfather's. So things are rolling as they should have been and i am on an upswing. But certainly, one never forgets the treatment meted out as it becomes histiry for that individual. And looking at the scheme of things here, i was not surprised with the way i was treated in my last few days. They simply hit the nadir point with such an act. And the most disappointing part of all this is that , one is never the culprit , his only fault remains that he showed modesty and honesty, which certainly are good virtues, at a wrong place. Also, there is never a win-win situation since someone always keeps paying for someone else, i mean with someone's loss only somebody gains.
But that's that, and it's a hurrah time and no looking back in the pits. I am sure i have a bright future ahead but i wonder if i will be able to forgive such acts beacuse they really made a lasting impression.

Being a Cynosure !

I have always got excited to notice that, during an assembly of people some or the other from it is always the cynosure of everyone's eyes.

The best and highly rated in this regard has to be Amitabh Bachchan across the world. His presense just about creates so much of hysteria and commotion that one's attention definately turns to him. Everything that he does gets noticed and does find space in the tabloids. His style, his smile, his looks and what not does find a mention.

Amongst others from different fields i see , that Aishwarya Rai is the crowd puller now, Geoffrey Boycott is another chap who will always be the one drawing attention. Similarly all of the pop stars also get a similar reaction from the public and who can forget how David Beckham sweeps everyone of their feets with his ever new look now and then.

But what it really takes to be like that i am unable to fathom. Does it comes naturally, are these some of the gifted qualities of a person or one can mould oneself with antics , not necessarily overboard, to get such an attention.

Well, whatever it is , such people do enjoy a very different public eye .... isn't it ???