The monk who played cricket

Almost three weeks have elapsed since my only Hero Rahul Sharad Dravid called it a day, but I have not been able to gather my thoughts and write a tribute for him. They say that when the heart is heavy words are few; nothing can be more apt to describe the state of my mind.

It is amazing how a person can impact your life, without actually ever having met you. Maybe there are connections beyond the realm of discovered knowledge. From the debut at Lords to his last game at Adelaide Oval, Rahul Dravid held me captivated. Like a firefly to a fire, I sucked on to every run he scored, every catch he held, every word he uttered. No individual has made an impact on my life like this man; a man I have looked up to since my awkward teenage days.

Rahul Dravid, to me, is the greatest batsman to have played the game. I have not seen Sir Don Bradman; and have very faint recollection of seeing Sir Viv Richards and Sunil Gavaskar play; but it really does not matter. But, it would be wrong, on my part, to call him the greatest batsman; he is, in fact, the greatest cricketer to have played the game. For cricket is a team game; a player’s performance is as good as the teams; it does not matter how many centuries you score, what matters at the end of the day is that the team is winning. No individual has made an impact to the team’s cause more than this person.

Rahul Dravid’s runs, catches, partnerships and centuries are facts to be recorded and discussed by the cricket historians and critics; unfortunately I am neither. But to celebrate his career I would like to mention my favourite Rahul Dravid innings-The 148, which he scored against Allan Donald and Co on a bouncy Johannesburg pitch, in 1997, will forever remain etched in my memory. It is that innings which defined my relationship with this man; incidentally it was his first test match hundred. Thereafter, Dravid scored many a hundreds; I remember waking up at unearthly hours to watch him score his amazing hundreds in New Zealand, the epic knock at Kolkata, the Adelaide double hundred and his hundreds in England were always special. Rahul Dravid did not score hundreds alone; he made priceless thirties, fifties and eighties which often go uncounted. But beyond his personal milestones, his biggest contribution was to the team cause. More often than not, a good innings from him would ensure India an advantageous position. Most of India’s contemporary greats have flourished because of this man; Tendulkar’s hundreds, Kumble’s wickets and Ganguly’s wins, were often made possible because of Rahul Dravid.

Cricketers, these days, earn a lot of money; with India’s economy on the upswing, they lead glamorous lives matched only by the Bollywood brigade. What separates Rahul Dravid from the rest is the respect that he earned. No matter how much you are willing to spend, respect can’t be bought, it has to be earned. No cricketer in world cricket is loved and respected more by his contemporaries, than this man. Integrity, honour, respect, discipline are old school qualities, which have little value among today’s generation. But these are values which epitomises Rahul Dravid. A self effacing, selfless individual who never got his due credit, Rahul went about his business with minimum fuss and maximum effort.  A self confessed creature of routine, Rahul Dravid lived the life of a monk. It is not surprising therefore that his batting is a zen-like experience; it’s an oasis of calm in the cacophony of modern day cricket. Nothing is more relaxing and peaceful than watching Rahul Dravid bat.

An emotional state of mind is very often not conducive to flowing prose; very often words and sentences come out in splutters because the heart and mind are not working in tandem. Words can never do justice to the feelings that I have for this man. They say cricket would be poorer for his absence; it indeed will be. More than anything else, the values that he brought along with him to the cricket field will be sorely missed. I am privileged to have witnessed Rahul Dravid play this game and I will continue to follow him, because in some incomprehensible way he has become my guiding light.

A Congress of Vandals

Assam has just witnessed the elections of the state youth congress; an election which raised many eyebrows. This election was a demonstration of all the negative aspects of the electoral process;if there was an award for mismanagement in elections, this youth congress election would win unchallenged in all departments.
Infighting and ego-clashes, among party workers and leaders  are nothing new, but the kind of ugly behavior demonstrated by the so called future of Assam politics is shocking and appalling; disgusting would be the word.In the lead up to the elections, Guwahati's streets and walls were defaced by rampant and illegal sticking of posters and banners of the candidates The GMC preferred to turn a blind eye to this show of strength by the ruling party.
On D-Day, Assam literally burned from Dhubri to Dibrugarh; incidents of violence reported from most districts. The television was filled with visuals of the rampaging congress workers, shoving and manhandling policemen and destroying public property. Although the audio was muted, the profanities screamed out from the screen. The scant regard for the law enforcers are a reflection of the mindset of these misguided youths; for them power and money can buy anything, including the law. Little wonder that common people don't feel safe anymore; if the protectors are subject to such humiliation and abuse, what chance do normal people have?
The insensitive reactions of the senior congress leaders only reaffirm my view that the Congress has lost all  moral compunctions. There was no sincere attempt made to reign in the errant workers; if anything the party leaders tried to defend the indefensible, making a mockery of public sentiments.
The government misused its administrative machinery, by engaging its officials in holding these elections. One fails to understand how public servants were used to conduct the internal elections of a political party.
Power corrupts, absolute power absolutely; the youth congress elections was just a manifestation of this age old saying. The elections were a vulgar demonstration of power and pelf by the congress leaders and workers alike; a dangerous precedent for the political scenario of Assam.

Family Affairs

It’s all in the family as far as the Gandhi’s are concerned. It is said that a family that dines together stays together; in this case it’s the family that campaigns together stays together-Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka literally painting UP red. And to add a bit of spice, they were joined by Robert Vadra.
Rahul Gandhi took the campaign in UP elections as a personal battle; his USP being that he visits a few villages, has a cup of tea at some farmers house; and more often than not, there is a news crew nearby to capture him take that sip! It is easy to do that when you are Rahul Gandhi;the carefully careless look, the quintessential white kurta-pyajama and sneakers, the thoughtful visage- the picture of a concerned politician. Rahul Gandhi, presumably is educated(though there are some controversies regarding his actual educational qualifications); nonetheless he is educated enough to be able to read and write, has travelled extensively on public money in and out of the country and has been sufficiently exposed to the advances of modern day world. So lack of exposure and illiteracy cannot be the excuse; then what is the reason for the political rhetoric unleashed by him-from day one his campaign has been regressive to say the least; from OBC’s to Muslim votes; from cheap theatrics and redundant speeches, Rahul Gandhi has tried it all. The congress sees in him a future prime minister; not a very pleasant thought.
Priyanka Gandhi’s entry in the final stages of campaign, was heralded by many as winning move; some news channels compared her with Indira Gandhi and her charisma was the talking point of many a news hour debate; appalling I say! The icing on the cake was the grand entry of Robert Vadra, aka Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law. He made his political ambitions clear in no uncertain terms, announcing his arrival in style in a bike rally. The poor officer who stopped his rally, for exceeding permissible number of bikes, got transferred. Who says Hindi films are cliché? It happens every day, in plain sight, for everone to see.
I have no personal vendetta against Rahul Gandhi or his family. What I detest is the condescending tones of their speehces; what I abhor is the way they talk about public money as their own pocket money and what apalls me is the mindless reverance of them by a section of the media.

Fit India!

Ever since Hrithik Roshan flexed his inexplicably huge biceps in Kaho Naa Pyar Hai and Salman Khan ripped of his shirt to croon Oh Oh Jaane Jaana, fitness and bodybuilding has taken an altogether new dimension in India. Gone are the days of the neighbourhood akharas or clubs; gyms today, are swank, electronic wonderlands; for a guy growing up in the nineties, most of the equipment seems straight out of a Hollywood sci-fi movie. The health and fitness industry has been revolutionised and it is growing at an amazing rate.
If you thought girls are under constant scrutiny to get that barbie doll figure, men are not spared either; there is this sudden rush to get a six pac. For the uninitiated, a six pac is a well developed set of abdominal muscles, often referred to as abs. A six pac abs is no yardstick to judge a man's fitness or health levels; it only indicates a very low body fat percentage. But then conventional wisdom is not always based on facts.
The fitness revolution is a welcome step; who would argue that working out and exercising daily is bad? Regular weight training combined with cardio, besides giving you a great body will surely keep your body's intricate machinery running in perfect order. Studies show that regular exercise for at least 30 minutes three times a week, can bring noticeable positive changes in overall health levels and can also act as a prophylaxis for many of the chronic diseases plaguing modern day men, including but not limited to, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, alzheimers and osteoarthritis.
It is heartening to see, people keen to work out and get into a healthy lifestyle. Baba Ramdev has lacs of followers and almost an equal number of detractors; but you have to give the man credit for getting thousands of people to practise Yoga regularly. It is a common sight today, to see the elderly get up early in the morning and start the day with the pranayam. Ramdev has revolutionised one generation of citizens of this country and it is praiseworthy.
In India most gyms do not have qualified or trained instructors; A large part of the B and C cateogry towns combined with the vast rural india is devoid of professional instructors. Subsequently, youngsters often start wrong; the wrong exercises, the wrong diet and of course the wrong form. Indian schools and colleges pay little or no attention to physical or gym education.In the rush to get that ripped hard look, gullible teenagers and young adults take to using synthetic substances or steroids; a myopic and dangerous trend.
Rome was not built in a day. Building a hard, ripped body takes years of dedication and hard work.There are no shortcuts to success; no product can give you a perfect physique; the quality of your work out, your diet and the genes that you inherited, will determine the kind of body that you will build.
Exercising and weight training is an excellent lifestyle choice; for people like us it was a passion and now a profession; what needs to be understood is that you got to climb the stairs one at a time; if you try to rush there is a great possibility of tumbling; and take it from me there are no lifts in this climb!

Breaking News

News is a major industry in India with more than 70,000 newspapers and nearly 100 news channels; Add to that hundreds of weekly news magazines and you have the foundation for a thriving and buzzing industry. But does the quality match the quantity? I am afraid not. For most part news channels and papers dish out subjective opinions in the name of news; ethics are at an all time low with "paid news" being the norm rather than the exception.
Electronic news is a relatively newer medium; till most part of the Nineties, Doordarshan's was the only news aired on television; a generation grew up watching a stoic looking Salma Sultan reading out the evening news. Today, news is more of a view; often of the owner of the channel. Sensationalism is the key; "sansani" being an all time TRP favourite. Debates are on prime time slots, and for most news aficionados, most of the political spokespersons have become extended family. Some channels are blatantly pro-government while some are dangerously opposed; very few trod the neutral ground. Barring a handful, vernacular and Hindi news channels are more like parodies; painfully ignorant,loud and substandard.
One may argue, that the viewer is the king and if these channels are running and earning ad revenues, there must be a market for them. That, for me, is the worrying factor. You can get away with sensationalism, when you are ACP Pradyumna(from CID, one of the longest running serials in Indian Tele History) because it is fiction and clearly mentioned so in the titles; but news comes in the guise of authenticity. There are people who take it on face value;opinions are formed, based on the whims of a corrupt, self centred and opportunistic individual and not on facts.
In Assam, the situation is worse. We have almost a dozen news channels battling for mindspace in a relatively small area. The result - a mad rush to grab eyeballs at any cost. Competition is good for the consumer; very often companies offer better quality at cheaper rates to out-do the competetion. Unfortunately, for people of Assam, the same cannot be said about news channels. For most part, production quality is tacky, news readers unpolished and news fabricated and frivolous. In the name of news, we are being dished out thrash. It is injurious to health. There are exceptions,but few and far between. A handful of journalists are trying to stay true to their profession,but very often their voices are muffled in the cacophony around them.
The apalling standards of news channels may be attributed to a paucity of funds or the lack of intent. Running a news channel is a costly affair; in order to meet costs, most news channels are hiring people, as reporters, who have little or no knowledge of journalistic ethics. In some cases, where revenue is not the issue,the intent is malicious. Some have become mouthpieces of the government; it is excruciating to watch the ridiculous stories, and mindless and biased debates.
This is a dangerous phenemenon. We are creating a generation of journalists, if one can call them that, who have the wrong foundations; not a promising sign for a democracy. Television has become a powerful medium of communication,with a wide reach. Journalists are the watchdogs of society; the vigilante. The adage, "the pen is mightier than the sword" holds true even today, although in modern day the pen has been replaced by the keyboard. Journalists have the power to change; they can be the harbingers of positive change in society. We need honest people in journalism and media today; we need people who will remain true to their ethics and ideals, and not get swayed by materialistic or political pressure. We do not need "breaking news", we need trustworthy news.

Corruption

Anna Hazare and the Lok Pal movement, has galvanised the nation on the matter of corruption, in a hitherto unseen manner. The debate is still on whether a strong Jan Lok Pal Bill is good enough to eradicate corruption from this country. If I may dare say so, it seems highly unlikely at this juncture. Corruption has been ingrained in the Indian psyche; like it or not, it's very difficult to curb this menace. Corruption, today, is all pervasive phenemenon cutting across boundaries of caste,religion, gender,profession,sector or region.


I believe that corruption has flourished because, we as a society, have accepted it. We applaud an acquaintance, the moment he gets a good posting(read good table); not because the pay check at the end of the month is handsome, but because of the potential of "sa-paani khoros" that can be earned from it. Trust me, its no longer about "sa-paani"; it is a seven course meal at a five star restaurant at the least! Success, in our society, is measured by the amount of money that can be earned, through honest or dishonest means; the length of the car or size of the diamond on your wife's finger.


Nothing dampens the heart more, than when you see the corrupt flourish and the honest struggle. Honest people exist in this society. But as a young person growing up in this enviornment, what path do you choose. Looking around,you will be tempted to believe that dishonesty pays. From bureaucrats, to businessmen, politicians to clerks, its all the same- a few IT raids only enhance your reputation, and without a few cases against your name, life does not seem exciting enough. Its easy to get lost in this delirious haze of corruption.


As an honest citizen of this country, what is expected of me? I feel that the country needs my honesty. As I said earlier, it is not easy. It is easy to succumb, so easy to give in; peer pressure, growing expenses, and a depreciating rupeee don't help at all. In this regards a few lines of Meatloaf come to the mind-"No matter, what they tell you; No matter what they do;No matter what they teach you, What you believe is true". It basically sums up the way I approach life. I believe that we are all answerable to only one thing- our Conscience; it does not matter what religion, sect or creed you belong to. I have talked with honest people from different strata of society. They may have a multitude of problems; but they are all inherently happy and at peace with themselves; there is a glint in their eyes and a swell in their chest when they talk about how they have struggled and survived against the odds. If the success of a man is to be measured in terms of happiness, contentment and peace, an honest man wins hands down,everytime.


Corruption can be rooted out by honesty. No law can prevent it, for no law can touch our Conscience. A strong anti-corruption law will obviously be a deterrent; but the change has to come from within. We, as a society, must awaken. Mahatma Gandhi based a major part of his freedom movement on the principle of non co-operation.Let us imagine, that we boycott the corrupt people in our neighbourhood; we refuse to pay the additional Rs.100/- to get the LPG cylinder and cook on wood fire for a change; we ask for a bill every time we shop; we pay our taxes honestly. Parents need to instill the value of honesty; its not only about marks in term end examinations-its about how you get them. Exam times are always stressful; but fortunately for me they were never a cause of anxiety. My mother, a teacher herself, used to tell me only one thing - fail if you will, but do not cheat. Period. So I never bothered about the results. I tried my best and left it upto the examiner to judge my performance. By no means a brilliant student, I am satisfied with what I have achieved; for I know that it is my hard work and not some one else's.
It is the little things in our day to day lives that count. We do not need to go out on the streets and burn effigies; we do not need to call bandhs or slap politicians. All we need is to be true and honest to ourselves. Is it that difficult?

The Divine Paan

“Khaike paan Banaraswala, khulijai bandh akal ka taala “, the immortal lines of Kishore Kumar which literally translates into-A paan from Benares (Varanasi) can unlock the locked mind.Hmm how true!! Though, if you ask any Guwahatian, a mitha patti paan from Pandit would also do the trick. Paan often used as a breath freshener, digestive aid or to welcome guests in many parts of the India and Asia, is a betel leaf wrapped with areca-nuts and a variety of condiments and spices, and sometimes tobacco.
By no means, a health food, the paan definitely is a soul food. A true connoisseur of Paan has his own idea of the perfect paan; everyone has their unique combination of ingredients; The paan and nuts are moreorless staple along with lime-the additives can include but not limited to katha, cardamom, clove, dried coconut, saunf;India invented toppings way ahead of Baskin Robbins and Pizza Hut!
Any good paan shop will have its own set of loyal customers; the owner is an artist in his own right; And like any true artist, his creation is made unique with his peculiar touch of hand and eclectic mix of ingredients. Only the loyalist will be able to appreciate that incomparable pleasure, bordering on ecstasy which comes from consuming that paan.
Well by now you must have guessed that I am a paan lover. As a tribute to this magnificent creation, I have made a humble attempt to compare it with Divinity.
Lord Buddha,The Enlightened one-the peace of chewing that perfect paan. Aah! Make no mistake. Only a true lover of paan can tell you the tranquillity and peace that comes with the chewing of it.
Lord Ganesha,Vighan Vinashak (the remover of obstacles)-If you have a file that needs to be passed at a government office, try offering a paan. And behold the magic of the paan! The non moving file now flies off from table to table and all your problems disappear! Sheer magic isn’t it?
Lord Brahma,The Creator- Countless immaculate creations in the form of music, art and literature and even revolutions have been sparked by the paan. History tells us that the most fertile minds have made their remarkable creations, catalysed by the paan.
Lord Shiva, The Destroyer - a casual glance across any street, bus stand, office or railway station will give enough evidence about the destructive properties of the paan. Really, India won’t have the same charm, without the pan stains. After all, we all love a bit of colour in our lives, don’t we?