Idea of a good life!

Every morning we at office have this habit of going for a tea just outside our office premises which is complemented by our usual office chit chat, gossiping and a dose of career centric cribbing. But yesterday I was taken aback, when during our tea outing one of my colleague asked me – ‘ So what is your idea of a good life?’ Taken aback, not just because I had to actually think through before answering but also because we hardly get into such off the track and rather philosophical discussions in officeJ.

Nevertheless, after a momentary thoughtful pause I replied back saying that ‘for me an idea of a good life would be to make a living out of something about which I am really passionate about, something that I really enjoy doing’. With a wry smile on his face, pat came my friend’s counter question, ‘So are you passionate and in love with your job here’. This time around I replied back without any thoughtful pause, ‘Of course not, with no acknowledgement or appreciation for the slogging we do here, there is hardly any motivation to actually enjoy the work’. But even before I could finish answering, my friend pounced on me asking  - So if you get your dues in terms of timely acknowledgement and appreciations for your hard work will you start enjoying your work here and get passionate about it? I replied back saying ‘may be not passionate about it but for sure I won’t be cribbing about it as much then’. This discussion ended in sometime but without a conclusive or a convincing  answer to ‘what is your idea of a good life?’.

But somehow that question got stuck in my mind, to an extent that I started to delve on it even further. So what is that I enjoy doing in life? Most certainly writing, travelling and sports would top the chart for me. So can I make a living out of it now? Some might say I am too old to start in any of these trades professionally nowJ. And to leave a reasonably settled (albeit boring) career in IT with an added responsibility of a lovely family and not to forget two fat loans to be repaid, makes it seem all  the more unviable. Unless, I opt for the treacherous path of starting from the scratch, but that again would be a big gamble and beyond practical means.

What does one do then to overcome the routine discontentment and boredom? Understandably, to make a living out of something you love doing would need a focussed effort towards it and to start that in parallel with your current job isn’t all that easy. But if we leave aside the monetary aspect and can just rekindle our love with those activities that we enjoyed pursuing earlier in our lives, it will still make us feel rejuvenated amidst most boring of routines. For instance, a session of cricket with friends on the weekends does wonder to freshen up and relive those good old childhood days. A vacation or two every year not only gives us a golden chance to explore the world around us but also keeps us in high spirits throughout the year. Spending some time off to read an interesting book reminds us on what we have been missing for all these days and forces us to rekindle this beautiful habit of reading. Though this list of priceless nothings may vary from an individual to other but the list is endless.

So the idea of having a good life starts from our own identification of things that we love to do in life. And then to spare some time off for these things from our otherwise boring and monotonous routine. But often we fail to identify what is that we love to do in life and even if we have the realization we fail to indulge in those activities. Ironically, there are very few who actually make a living out of something they love to do in life and even fewer actually indulge in something they love doing in their lives. But the idea of a happy life is not about doing something extraordinary or out of the box, it’s just about reinventing ourselves and pursuing something that we have loved doing all our life.

Life is after all  not as hard as we perceive it to be but is rather what we make out of it!

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kin…

Aam Aadmi Party - An Ordinary Party?

What a sensational debut! Of the kinds that can even leave the most successful sportsmen, musicians or actors gasp in awe, leave apart just the politicians. Nobody, quite literally nobody, would have given Arvind Kejriwal half of what he has achieved through his baby, AAP in the Delhi assembly polls. Political opponents laughed them off at every possible opportunity, media didn’t pay much attention to their on the ground histrionics and none (except one) of the exit polls projected anything substantial against them. So to achieve what they have achieved in their first outing is not only historic but brave and commendable too. Hats off Mr Kejriwal! Well done AAP!


What is even more heart warming is the fact that whatever success or popularity they have garnered is not just due to a strong anti-incumbency wave but also because a fresh bout of progressive thought process they have brought in for the common man. They have not just campaigned asking for votes but they have also gone out of their way, deployed their time, effort and money and worked for the common to make their lives better. They have not just promised freebies and big sops in their election manifesto but have also delivered some of them soon after taking charge. No wonder people have so much faith in them now, not just in Delhi but also across the nation. Everyone wants a piece of AAP infused governance in their lives and surprisingly politics isn’t a dirty word anymore. There is huge influx of people across all walks of society queuing up to join AAP with a vision to contribute towards the betterment of our nation. Such has been their impact, such has been a sense of hope they have inculcated in a common’s man mind.

But is it actually all so rosy and meritorious with AAP, as it looks? Certainly not. But then there is nothing that is picture perfect in this world and also we do have a knack of fault finding in anything and everything, howsoever good it might be. And if we compare whatever vices AAP/Kejriwal have, it would seem minuscule in comparison to other political players in the fray. Technically, they (AAP) have just started their journey and will naturally commit lot of mistakes and take at least some time before they substantially achieve any of their stated objectives. But personally I have found some of their moves post assembly poll results as shocking, not to undermine what they have achieved so far through their good work and bravado though.

At the first place, what was the hurry to form the government? The lamest excuse or explanation for that could be to avoid a re-election and save lot of public money. But I think they would have done much better or learned far more being in the opposition than actually sitting in the government. They have anyways done a great job by winning 28 seats in their first outing, they would have only become stronger had they chosen to sit in the opposition and act as a very strong and constructive opposition instead.

Secondly, why this alliance with Congress? One may say what’s wrong in allying with any party, if the overall agenda is focussed around progressive governance. But surprising, when the very basis of the formation of their party was to free the people from the shackles of so called corrupt and ineffective Congress (& BJP) leaders. Also when, AAP’s entire poll campaign revolved around abhorring the mis-deeds of Congress leaders by virtue of innumerable scams, exorbitantly high inflation and several other failures on all fronts, it seems all the more shocking. And most surprisingly when their leader (read Kejriwal) publically swore on her daughter that come what may he will never ally with Congress, it baffles one and all beyond understanding. One political defence around this could be that every politician backtracks on lot of such things post-election results. But wasn’t Mr Kejriwal supposed to be different from current breed of politicians? Wasn’t AAP supposed to be a party with a difference? I think a Congress free governance was one of the reason why a majority of voters voted for AAP. So isn’t this a cheating of a familiar sorts? Amusingly, Kejriwal went ahead and defended his alliance stating that we never went to Congress and asked for support, they came on their own and supported us. And that I believe is one of the most immature and hilarious statements he would have given in public till date.

And then a flurry of bloopers to add to it. In the lead up to the Delhi polls Kejriwal/AAP kept on emphasizing that they have enough proofs against Sheila Dikshit to frame her for corruption as soon as they come to power. But after taking charge when the leader of opposition Mr Harshvardhan asked Mr Kejriwal to take action against the former CM, Mr Kejriwal blatantly asked Mr Harshvardhan to provide him with the proofs against her and he will act on them. So where have your erstwhile proofs (that contributed in your coming to power) gone Mr Kejriwal?

A week after the oath taking ceremony, there was a press release from AAP that they will push for more reservations in colleges and government jobs. But weren’t you preaching about meritocracy all this while before coming to power? And then why this haste in providing freebies like free water and cheap electricity? Of course, it’s a welcome change for the common man but will it not impact the overall state budget or is it just to lure the people outside of Delhi towards them and increase the enrolments before the LokSabha polls through such popular antics.

On one hand their austerity moves like coming for oath ceremony by metro rail, not taking up government bungalows and vehicles, doing away with the ‘red batti’ culture is a refreshing change for the Indian politics but some of their outrageous bloopers make them look like any other political party of the past. But it hurts in their (AAP) case because as per them the very basis of their formation was to do away with such age old back flips and short sighted populism based politics.

But with AAP’s and Kejriwal’s growing popularity across the nation one thing is for sure that AAP will have a big impact in the upcoming 2014 general elections. And the biggest loser out of this AAP phenomena would be BJP, with Congress all set to enjoy this even in their downward spiral. And the way AAP has shown no reservations in allying with Congress in Delhi, don’t be surprised if we have a re-run of a Congress led government for another 5 years. And we all know what good Congress/UPA has done to our country in the last 10 years. Not that with BJP coming to power things will be all hunky dory but at least we will have some hope and may be a semblance of satisfaction that we have done our best in not repeating our mistake by re-electing the same government against whom we have been cribbing for a long time.

So if AAP & Kejriwal can stick to what they have promised through their idealist and pleasantly surprisingly refreshing manifesto and campaigning, it will not only do a lot of good to them in the longer run but more importantly, will also do a lot of favour to the people of this country. Otherwise it will remain to be Indian politics as usual.
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kin…

the boy who ruled every heart...

 Ever since I was a teenager I have dreaded the very thought of how my life would be once the little master hangs up his boots. And not surprisingly this has been the sentiment of the entire nation as well for years now. Though over last year or so he has gradually called it quits in various formats be it ODIs, IPL or CLT20 but he was still active in the topmost format and that gave the entire nation a cushion and satisfaction that we can still see our hero on the field at least in this format. But recently with his announcement of retirement from all forms of cricket the mood has started to become somber all around. Even for those who were still weighing him by the no. of runs he scores and were critical about his not so glorious form of late.

Some even termed the hoopla around his farewell series over the last few weeks as outrageous, extravagant and demotivating for other sportsman. But then did he ever ask for such a farewell himself? Or for that matter in the last 24 years did he ever asked for anything from us though vica versa isn't true rather we have been mostly very inconsiderate with regards to our expectations from him. It has been like a one way traffic which he continued obliging dutifully without a sign of grimace and with full dedication as if he has been summoned by the almighty himself to do so. So with regards to the farewell, all that has happened and will continue to happen over the next few weeks, is the nation's way of thanking him for the comfort he has provided to millions for over 2 decades, all too less but certainly very well deserved. And this was very aptly summed up by Darren Sammy too who signed off saying that “India has taught us how to treat our heroes”.

So what makes him so special and so loved all across the globe? Various people will have different opinion on this but I personally feel an honest answer to this is way beyond the numbers and statistics associated with him. This seems quite ironical to myself, as not so long back I used to argue on his superiority with many of my friends and colleagues based on the innumerable batting feats he has achieved but now I feel I was a fool to do so. This guy is way beyond the nos. And I even pity those who compare him with various other greats of the game be it Bradman, be it Lara, be it Ponting, be it Dravid or be it any other batting great. After all you can’t compare a lamp with the Sun, despite the fact that both do the same job. The impact that he has had over all of us for years is way beyond these nos., so it’s criminal to weigh him by any of these statistics. He has given us the belief, the hope and sense of pride about ourselves in the most testing times. He has allowed us to sleep with a smile just by his sheer brilliance and commitment on what he did on field. In the hindsight, what matters is not only his cricketing prowess but the way he conducted himself off the field. Despite an unprecedented success, he has remained so humble, so grounded and so polite that it’s hard to even imagine a semblance of such a balance in our lives. May be that’s the reason he is not only every cricket lovers favorite but also every mothers favorite child too. Not sure if the likes of Kohlis and Sharmas can capture our hearts in the same fashion just by the sheer weight of the runs they score.

Personally, he has been my role model ever since I was a teenager though many a times I asked myself can a cricketer also be a role model for someone who is not a professional cricketer himself. So is it more of an impulsive choice or a rather fashionable one? But soon I correlated it with what my parents have been preaching me all my life, to be a good human being, to be humble and polite in all situations, to remain focussed and dedicated in whatever I do, to respect every individual irrespective of his/her socio-economic status. Though I always found all this to be very bookish and boring to actually pay any serious credence to but thankfully indeed, my Hero has all these qualities in him, so who better than him to have as a role model for life. It’s a privilege, honor and such a joy for life to have his highness as my role model.

He has been so close to our hearts all these years that the feeling of his retirement is similar to that of someone very close leaving us forever. He has been like that integral family member for the entire nation whose successes and failures have made us happy or sad instinctively. We have cared and prayed for him in the true earnest as we do for our near and dear ones. Such has been this bond and will always continue to be so, way beyond the nos and runs associated with his name. Howsoever, we thank you Sachin it won't be enough but these beautiful memories will remain for ever. We can proudly say that we belong to the era of the great Sir Sachin Tendulkar. You truly defined the word HERO for our generation, no wonder you will be a part of my son’s bedtime stories for years and years to come.

Thanks much for the bouquet of beautiful memories and being an inspiration and role model for the rest of my life! You will be missed.

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kin…

Right to Crib Vs Right to Vote!

With the surge in no. of news channels and even larger no. of debates that take place on each of these channels, one good thing that has happened in our society today is that a larger no. of people now have a definite opinion on lot of matters of national interest. Though they might not necessarily have the most logical opinion all the time, but they have certainly become more aware of things around them. So despite all the flak that the media receives for exaggerating facts and doing an overkill on most of the news items, they certainly deserve some credit for this awareness.

Now with election season almost around the corner the most commonly debated topics revolve around the political future of our nation or who should lead (or not lead) the nation for next five years. So be it restaurants, coffee shops, office corridors or in any public transport people invariably discuss their views on the political mood of the country. And in a backdrop of poor economic state, high inflation, corruption all around the general sentiment is naturally ‘anti-government’ today. Most people talk about a change of leadership now which might probably change the fortunes of our badly battered spirits.

But recently I was appalled on two separate occasions while discussing the same with two of my good friends/colleagues. Appalled not by their choices but more so by the logics they put behind those choices. No wonder we are in such a sad state today and will probably continue to live so in  this sordid state.

On one of the occasions I was talking to one of my school friend, well-educated and  currently doing very well in his business. I casually told him that it’s high time we need a change in leadership at center, a new leadership that can bring in a fresh perspective and uplift our sagging economy. In reply he got infuriated and said boss I don't see anything wrong with the current government. Shockingly I asked him, you don’t see anything wrong with a string of scams, high inflation policy paralysis and failure on all accounts? He bluntly replied back saying  ’Dude, you are getting your salary, eating well, wearing good clothes, driving a car, what else do you want? Stay happy with what you have! I was dumb struck, I understood that very moment that there is no point arguing further as till the point educated people like my friend continue to have such a parochial way of looking at things how can we expect any kind of constructive change in the system.

On another occasion I was chatting around with one of my rather more learned and enlightened MBA friend who has very strong views on everything, including politics. I was again pressing on the same sentiments about the current state of affairs in our country and a need for change to which she retorted in a very stern manner. Her opinion was that even a change in leadership can’t do any wonders as all the parties and politicians are one and the same. I kind of agreed to this as well but I tried emphasizing on the fact that why let only one political party loot the nation for ages, why not give other parties a chance as well. Worst case, they will also come and do the same but at least we will have some satisfaction that we didn’t repeat our mistakes. To this she replied, her vote is too precious to be wasted upon such thieves and she will rather not exercise it as well. I was furious hearing this and I told her not voting means not choosing the right candidate which indirectly translates into re-electing the bad candidate. So not voting is certainly the worst thing that we do and if we don’t vote we have no right to crib, lament or preach on what could be the right course of action from a political standpoint.

So are we correct in blaming the incumbent government and politicians for the poor socioeconomic state of our country? I believe we are equal partners in this crime as well. As we are very good in exercising the‘right to crib’ on everything wrong that is going around us but when it comes to contributing towards eliminating all  these vices, we either take a back seat or we end up refraining ourselves from taking a strong logical move. Unfortunately our rural population (considered to be relatively illiterate) fares much better than the supposedly more educated urban population in terms of voter turnout. Understandably when the rural population duly exercises its ‘Right to Vote’ most of the urban population is engaged in exercising their ‘Right to Crib’. So unless we as nation collectively exercise our ‘Right to Vote’ in the most diligent and judicious manner we can’t expect our nation to be the most ideal nation by all means. And if we actually succeed in exercising that right we won’t eventually need to exercise the rather notorious ‘Right to Crib’.

I will do my bit by Voting. Will you?

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kin...

REAL MEN DON'T RAPE!

Real men don’t rape, they care and respect. How we wish this statement stood true in today’s world, it would have made our lives far more beautiful and safe. But the ever going streak of such heinous incidents exemplifies the fact that we might have graduated from the stone age to iPhone age but our carnivorous instincts are still  the same.

If the scars of December 2012 Delhi gang rape case were still afresh  the recently televised adaptation  of the incident (broadcasted on a prime time crime based television show) literally forced us to relive the horrors of the brutality that brave heart ‘Nirbhaya’ and more so her family went through or are still going through. However, due to the sensitivity of the issue the televised show depicted the overall incident in a much milder manner than what actually transpired that night  but even the milder version of the show was tough to sit through. It is un-imaginable how can people be so inhuman to pacify their carnal desires.

I have often wondered and discussed with lot of my friends that can a rapist achieve any form of sexual ecstasy, leave apart orgasm while raping an innocent victim? Practically, it’s just not possible and more so if it is a gang rape. So why do people do it, out of madness? Out of frustration? Or out of sheer arrogance that a woman has to be treated just as an object to meet their sexual desires. Though such people exist across all strata of our society but I still believe this mind-set has lot to do with illiteracy. Not just the school and degree based literacy but more to do with the morality and ethics based literacy, that emphasizes on values like respecting women and treating them at par with men on all walks of life.

To fight this  menace a strong and revamped judicial and governance system is also the need of the hour. A lot has been said about justice being served to Nirbhaya’s parents through the death penalty to the four convicted rapists. But can any kind of penalty or punishment to the convicts bring justice to the family, certainly NOT. But yes, a strong punishment can send a stern statement to such retards. Though I am not a big fan capital punishment, not because of the human right implications but I believe it translates into an easy escape route after committing horrifying crimes. So I don’t think capital punishment to those four criminals is the most justified punishment, they deserved a harsher sentencing than this rather easy exit from this rarest of rare and nastiest of nasty act. For that matter, fate of the juvenile who was most brutal of them all has been unintentionally being sealed in a rather more justified way. A majority of us feel that a 3 year sentencing on account  of his age is an easy escape for such a gory act  but I believe to lead rest of his life in the society after coming out of the jail would be the real punishment for him. So if our judicial system can pen down some tougher means to punish such criminal acts rather than handing them a death penalty, it might go on to curb such inhuman acts to some extent.

But what do we do with our esteemed politicians, religious leaders and a bevy of self-proclaimed intellectuals who shamelessly blame the rape victims themselves for such acts; Merely because they don’t dress appropriately or because they roam out in open after sunset or for the very fact that they have a boyfriend. Democracy, agreed. But such shameless and illogical statements are doing no good  to stop these shameless acts. So not only such criminals should be dealt with strictly but the noose also has to be tightened against such reckless thought leaders.

However, the most important change that needs to be brought upon is in our mind-set. We tend to ignore the instances of harassments considering them as minor or we tend to restrict ourselves from taking any action against them fearing the hassles involved in registering such complaints or that fear of ‘what will people think about me’. But unless we escalate and report harassments of even smallest  nature we can’t send a strong message against such unacceptable advances. Men need to be strong in their resolve to protect and care for  women around, acquaintances or strangers, and women need to be brave to retort and report against such illicit acts. Any indifference or inaction will only harm innocents like Nirbhaya and give strength to those cowards who shamelessly execute such crimes.

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kin...

The DEFUNCT art of Appreciating!

I have often wondered why do we refrain ourselves from appreciating, acknowledging or cherishing the smallest of gestures in life. This seems all the more surprising when we don’t even spare a thought before passing on our critical remarks on anything against our liking. One of the most probable reasons behind such an attitude could be that we take lot of things in life for granted, so we don’t feel the need to acknowledge or appreciate them.

For instance, not many husbands appreciate their wives for serving them a sumptuous meal; in all probability assuming that this is a part of their wife’s job description. Not many students feel the need to thank their teachers for all the teachings they are imparting, probably fearing that the teacher might take it offensively. Hardly any Managers take the effort to appreciate their subordinates, probably apprehending that they (subordinates) might quote these appreciations during the appraisal time and ask for a better pay hike. Not many of us feel the need of thanking the sales boy in the departmental store for helping us with our requirements, probably considering that as our birth right over the poor guy. Similarly not often we thank our maids for doing their normal chores at our houses, fearing that she might take an off the very next day or use this accolade for her advantage in the future. And so on. But just imagine, if any one of these characters does something that is not as per our expectations or likings then how quick we are to pounce on them or criticize them.

But if we relate this apathy or indifference to a scenario where we are praised for something very trivial, it’s actually very contrasting. A note of praise or an appreciating remark that comes our way from any quarter does wonders to our confidence and makes us feels buoyant about life. And this is quite natural and happens to everybody howsoever young or old, senior or junior, celebrity or commoner. We might at times feel that being a youngster praising our mom for the food she cooks for us won’t affect her; ask her how good she feels when her son or for that matter anybody else praises her for her art. She not only feels good about herself, importantly she feels wanted. Being an employee we often feel that praising ones manager would be treated as sycophancy or a note of appreciation coming from an employee much junior in post would hardly make a difference to him but ask that manager how good or complete he feels about his credentials when somebody drops a note of appreciation. Same goes for the people who serve us to make our lives comfortable, be it maids, vendors or security guards, we might not feel the need to acknowledge their services, thinking what good will it do to us. But appreciating their efforts once in a while does a world of good to their confidence and it reflects in the exuberance with which they serve you post that.

So this knack of holding ourselves back on appreciating even those gestures that we have liked is certainly not a good one. It hardly breaks a sweat in acknowledging something praise worthy, moreover the effect it has on the person you are praising is rejuvenating. After all, howsoever, accomplished and successful someone might be in his field, nobody still minds being praised. Every accolade still matters! Even a certain Amitabh Bachchan, who has been receiving accolades for years now isn’t certainly bored of such notes of appreciation and says, to this date he feels good and derives inspiration from such pleasantries and carves for more. So the effect these gestures has on our lives is surreal, it just makes our lives a little more colorful, tad more beautiful and gives us a sense of hope and pride.

It’s all about being a bit more expressive and compassionate!

PS- The same holds good for the breed of amateur writers too but it might not hold true with Wives appreciating their Husbands, that's an altogther different dynamics then:)

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kin..

Mr. Tendulkar, we are INDEBTED for life!

23rd December 2012 will always remain a remarkable day for every cricket fan across the globe. This is the day when the little master announced his retirement from ODI cricket, something which was hard to imagine can ever happen.Also, but for the last few months, 'Retirement' and 'Sachin Tendulkar' have been two words that not many have dared to use comfortably in the same sentence. Though a string of poor scores off-late made it quite inevitable but when the announcement actually happened it was quite a nerve wrecking moment for most of the cricket lovers. It has been a sorry state to see ones favorite star struggle to perform to his capacity over the last few matches but then there was always that hope that he will come back strongly and prove his mettle once again, such has been his pedigree over the last two decades. And with media continuously running stories on why Sachin Tendulkar should retire with immediate effect, backing it with all sorts of (il)logic, it was all the more discomforting. So much so that there was a constant fear while refreshing the web page of any news site that it might flash master's retirement or while tuning on to any news channel dreading the "Breaking News - Sachin Tendulkar announces retirement", flash. There were huge apprehensions on how will he do it, will he retire from both the formats in one go? Will he give us some time to adjust by announcing that XYZ series would be his last or will it be an earth shattering press conference where he will announce it with immediate effect.If it was a difficult decision for the champion to call it off from ODIs,contemplating about all such scenarios life surely has not been easy for us either. 

Though there can be a semblance of debate over the fact is he the best ever to done the whites but there is no denying the fact that he is by far the best ever to grace the ODI format. He has been the master of the shorter format by a big margin to an extent that he almost defined the way 50 overs game is played today. He has been the savior, he has been the tormentor, he has been the saving grace for Indian cricket for over two decades so much so that every Indian always took him for granted. All to an extent that each one of us expected him to score every time he came out to bat, expected him to win every game for us, all on his own. And such has been his delivery commitment that he has performed on most of these accounts and by law of averages if he has failed on some, we have treated that with such cruelty that will make even the likes of Hitler feel shy. All this because from a fan's perspective, with Tendulkar being in the equation, cricket never happened to be a team sport, it has always been about Tendulkar alone.But the humble fellow never complained, he just kept on delivering beyond his ability.

A lot has been written and will be written over the years about all the records he has broken or those unbelievable landmarks that he has scaled but his true pedigree is beyond these numbers. Though it looks herculean at this point but there surely will come a time and a batsman who will eventually break all his coveted batting records but the manner in which this man has captured our hearts and imagination over the last two decades is not only hard but almost impossible to replicate.Over the years, Tendulkar has added a sense of CALM in our lives, Tendulkar has given us HOPE in the most trying times, Tendulkar has given us SMILES to add color in our lives, Tendulkar has made us feel PROUD in the toughest of ties, Tendulkar has given us a GAME by which all Indians can proudly standby. No matter it is the cricketing season or not, no matter it is the match day or not, over the years with him around there has been a sense of security in our lives.To bear the burden of ones manager's expectations in office seems to be a daunting task, just imagine bearing the burden of over a billion people for over 20 years. The very thought gives goosebumps, leave apart fulfilling these expectations every single time. He has been an integral part of our lives to an extent that like we have dad, mom, teachers, friends, cousins playing some or the other very important role in our life so is this guy doing it for us to some extent or the other to soothe our otherwise imbalanced life. So now to think of a life without him would be like imagining a life without any of the above mentioned important actors of our lives. The void definitely would be huge and we will keep on experiencing it over the next few days, weeks, months and years to come.

Though it is tough to accept the fact that from now on we won't be able to watch him play in the Indian blues and whatever little we would see of him would be in the whites, be it test cricket or be it in the parliamentary sessions but it would certainly be injustice to lament on his retirement. As it would again be unfair on his part, his body's part and more so on his family's part. So its all the more prudent that we rejoice all the happy moments that this special lad has given us over the years and thank him as much as we can for being the comforter all this while. He will surely be missed, not only by his fans but also by his detractors as even they were more interested to know how much 'Tendulkar scored?' more than how India fared or rest of the guys performed. But probably in days and years to come this question/statement will be replaced by ' If Tendulkar would have been around, we would have won the match long back'. And the ones to say this would be you and me in the roles of grandpa's and grandma's to our cricket crazy grand children.

Thank you Sachin for all the entertainment and lifetime of memories. You have indebted us all for life!

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kin...

No sleep lost over the proposed traffic fines!

As per the latest press release on the amendment of the Motor Vehicle act,very soon talking over mobile phones while driving can lead to a fine of Rs 500 and the subsequent violations can be as high as Rs 5,000. Jumping red lights or not using seat belts and helmets may attract fines between Rs 500 and Rs 1,500. And even more dreadful,drunk driving will be graded according to alcohol levels in the blood with a punishment that can go up to a two-year jail term and Rs 5,000 fine or both.

Ideally these strict violation norms should make the mavericks of the road lose their sleep, provide a bonanza to the government in terms of high revenues and eventually reduce the chaos on the already overcrowded roads. But unfortunately, nothing of this sort will happen! One might feel a bit scared while reading about these stricter penalties for the first time but the moment you are on the road the much talked about 'common sense' will continue to vanquish. Obviously government's intent is commendable in the fact that it is serious about bringing down the accidents on the road by a big margin but quite evidently the implementation plan is very lousy.

So, even if the existing fine of Rs 100 is hiked to Rs 500, not many will think twice before trying their luck on making a quick 10 sec call while driving. Simply because they are doubly sure that even if they are caught offending, the cop on duty will let them off with the customary Rs 50 note and if the crime is griever one, a Rs 100 note or for that matter a Rs 500 note will do the trick and settle things. And unfortunately this will hold true under this new 'fine regime' as well. This is because the cop sees no incentive for himself under the revised penal code, he is by no means benifitted by this five fold increase in the penalty.

Naturally, to substantiate this commendable initiative the government should also at the same time improve their implementation approach. And the first step that needs to be taken in this regards is the fact that the cop on the street should be duly rewarded for every offender he is catching hold of. Now how to reward the cop can be an altogether different debate, for instance the cop on the duty can be marked with a straight 20%( even 10% or 30% also) cut of the actually penal income that's coming the government's way. Such incentives will at least force the cops to refrain from the corrupt ways and in turn will also force the public to follow the rules in a much stricter manner.

Another avenue where the government can invest is the improvement of technology in identifying the law breakers. This will not only reduce the human intervention and thereby corruption but will also aid in imposing these rules and consequently the hefty fines in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, where every cop is either your friend, relative or neighbor and hence lets you go just like that. So, if we have a very good technology in place, it will capture all the breaches by the click of a camera and the offender will have to go the nearest office to pay for his crime.

So a little more thinking on the government's part can make our roads a much better place to ride, drive and walk. But we the people need to think a lot more to actually contribute in minimizing this exponentially rising chaos on the roads. And it's actually very elementary! Compulsive honking can't make the traffic move faster, jumping a red light won't save you an hour, wearing a seat belt is not at all geek-ish &unfashionable and even one peg can make hell lot of difference to you and many others on the road.

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A Starstruck Nation!

Are we a star struck nation, too much in love with our favorite sportsmen, cinema personalities or for that matter artisans from any field? So much so that we go on to debate and defend our favorites stars to such extremes that it makes it feel that they are not mere stars but are our family members instead. Looking at the impractically emotional reactions that we usually exhibit which is usually supplemented by heavy statistical details, the answer to this question seems to be strong ‘YES’. Now it can be argued that it is the media that feeds us with those rather imbalanced, spiced up stories and thereby adulterates our though process. But some of the instances are so true and surreal that we can easily identify ourselves in such situations.

So when a certain Ricky Ponting scores a valiant century and his fans rejoice his ton by various means, why do all the Sachin Tendulkar fans pounce on the former group with a plethora of stats and adopt a strikingly venomous approach towards the Ponting fan base? As if, former’s ton is a direct attack on latter’s credentials. It’s beyond understanding that why do we have to bring Tendulkar into equation when Ponting has played well, even if we are die hard Tendulkar fans can’t we appreciate somebody else’s excellence on the cricketing field. This knack of corona ting a star by bashing his competitor is sheer insanity. Wish we could cherish Tendulkar’s class and Ponting’s ruthlessness in the same strideJ!

Similarly if a Shahrukh Khan flick does well at the box office, the Salman fans or for that matter Aamir fans (vica versa as well) take it as a direct attack on their heartthrob. And in retaliation ( at times even without watching the movie), they start bashing the movie in worst of the worst manners, in addition to further discounting the former’s success by emphasizing on the box office records that latter’s movie created recently. And it’s not just about Salman, SRK or Aamir most of use carry such a petulant attitude towards any of those so called rival stars. Now neither we receive a cut from those hundreds of crores that these otherwise senseless movies rake nor are we the appointed spokesperson of these stars, so exhibition of such temperamental loyalties is a bit weird. And even if we can’t appreciate the success or work of all these artists, can’t we simply abstain from such unnecessary criticisms and comparisons?

And the same dynamics are applicable to the great Federer Nadal chemistry as well. Every Federer Nadal contest is a connoisseurs’ delight and worth savoring to the fullest but for some it’s a matter of life and death. So every time Fed gets the better of Nadal, Fed fans get into the chest thumping mode and start reminding the rival Nadal contingent that Fed has ‘X’ grand slams in his kitty which Nadal can’t even dream of scaling. Nadal fans being no saints either, vehemently retaliate with their age theory which professes that Nadal has age by his side and by the time he hangs up his boots he will have double of what Fed has in his kitty. The debate continues with Fed fans mocking this argument saying that Rafa won’t survive for that long as his typical power game will burn him down pretty soon. But in true sense such senseless debates dilutes the pleasure derived from these classic ties and once again raises the same question that can’t we just relish the game rather than entering into this ugly slugfest( supporting our respective favorites)? Can’t we enjoy Fed’s class and Rafa’s belligerence at the same time?

Sadly a majority of us prioritize artists/sportsmen over their respective trades and this is where we get it all wrong. Surely howsoever big a cricketer Sachin Tendulkar may be, he can't be bigger than the game, similarly SRK or Salman can't be bigger than their trade and Federer can't super-cede the game he rules(d). So unless we stop idolizing these excellent personalities as immortals and Gods we can't enjoy their art in true sense. We will always keep on watching them perform with a fear that 'what if he fails?' and spoil the party for ourselves. So its time we evolve over our star struck egos and enjoy the trade irrespective of the artist who is at the center stage. After all it's certainly not about life and death!

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And the award goes to....Mr Politician!

It's that time of the year when the most prestigious awards in various trades are announced and presented to the much deserved artisans and sportsmen globally. So if the coveted Laureus awards have been announced for the excellence in sports, Academy awards for the excellence in movies (globally) will be announced in few weeks and our very own Filmfare awards for excellence in Hindi cinema were also announced a short while back. Though not quite sure in which category this unique breed should fall into but undoubtedly where ever they are placed, they will easily topple best of the bests. It's election time in as many as 5 states of India and this ruthless unique breed is that of our beastly POLITICIANS.

These not so gentlemen are so good in their trade that despite having fooled the people of their constituencies with their inefficient, irresponsible and corrupt ways for the last 5 years, they still have the courage to face these helpless people and lure them with a plethora of fake promises in an attempt to get elected. And some of these promises or claims are so outrageous that they can easily fetch the highest honors on any stage, any trade and any category. Lets have a look at the 5 most horrendous claims made in the recent poll campaigning -

5. The saffron party has assured the people of the largest state of the country (UP) that if they come to power they will install statues of saints like Kabir, Ravidas and other great personalities across the state. So if Maya's drama and splurging on her statues wasn't sufficient to destroy the state's fund, that could have been utilized in so many important and essential activities, yet another political party is ready to do an encore and hoping to come to power by making such promises. What a Shame! Don't know how these statues will help thousands of malnourished children in the state who are dying in dearth of proper food but the party is quite upbeat about this claim.

4. The BJP has also requested the people of UP to vote for them and has assured them that if they come to power they will build a spiritual Disneyland in Mathura Vrindavan as it will pave the way for building the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Not sure what good such a not so secular act will do to the people of the state, as in all probability a Temple, Mosque or a Church can certainly not improve the livelihood standards of the poor but again the party probably thinks that a spiritual Disneyland in the state can solve all the socio-economic problems of the state.

3. The BJP manifesto also talks about gifting a COW to every poor family in UP. They have no solution for that poor family's much important needs like electricity, sanitation, shelter etc and they are trying to lure them with this cow catch. Any idea how will they (poor) will maintain that cow overhead when are they struggling to feed themselves?

2. A leading regional party in Punjab has announced that if they come to power they will distribute free tablets (Aakash) to all the class XI & XII students. But Sir, any plans on improving the battered state of primary education in Punjab? Unfortunately no such mention or promises have been made. Probably because the class XI & XII students would turn into their potential voters much sooner!

1. And the most outrageous of them all! The Samajwadi Party has assured the people of UP that if they come to power they will ensure jobs for rape victims in the state. Can it get any worse? They could have so easily said that if they come to power they will eliminate all sorts of crime, including rape from the state. But it seems they are quite confident that they can certainly not stop such heinous acts, so lets top that untoward act with a freebie. Horrendous! It can only happen in India, rather UP!

No doubt with such shameless acts and promises on stage they can beat the best to win all the awards in the offering. But its a pity that the common man as to pick one among st these bunch of morons to dictate terms for next five years. Naturally a feeling of helplessness is bound to creep, leading to abstinence from voting. But we need to act smart and choose the best among the worst to minimize the potential damage. As unless we vote we don't have the cribbing rights for the next 5 years and thereafter Mr Politician(s) will once again sweep all the awards with those glorious (faking) performances on stage.

PS- No favoritism or anything against any particular political party as each of them is making far worse claims than the other.
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