Gabbu Singh Diaries 3 | The nervy movie hall debut.

They say your life changes once you are married. But now when I look at it I feel even the married life was pretty much in control, it actually changed after the parenthood arrived. So it won’t be an exaggeration if I classify my life in pre Avyaan era and Only Avyaan era J. So in the pre Avyaan era where we could eat where ever we wanted without much planning and without those unwanted stares, where we could travel where ever we wished to without planning for the weather and step free access (for prams) and we could watch literally every movie that got released without planning in advance for it, life has all of a sudden become an un-ending planning workshop J. So by now we have mastered the art of (or got attuned to J) traveling and eating out to near perfection but until recently going out for a movie has been a big monkey on our backs. Not that Avyaan has ever created a havoc in the cinema hall, it’s just that we couldn’t ever muster the courage to go to one with him.

Now before I share Avyaan’s debut movie watching experience, it’s important I get comfortable. And with that I mean I formally introduce to you Mr Gabbu Singh. Now that’s what people who know him call him, hardly anyone addresses him as Avyaan but of course for his nursery folks J. Now, how he got this name is even more interesting. So when we were expecting his arrival, his mom used to watch a very irritating sop on TV where in the lead actress called her toddler as ‘Taabar’(a rajasthani way of addressing ones baby), I somehow always heard it as Dabar and found it very funny. And I used to tease her by calling our soon to be born baby as Dabar, somewhere I found Dabar as very macho and emphatic too, as it reminded me of those villains of the 70s & 80s movies J. Now once he arrived Dabar became Dabbu but then we found that as slightly un-cool, so we changed it to Gabbu, that also went well with his then demeanour. And since then it has been Gabbu, though people use other variants like Gabar, Gabban and Gabbi as well. But I call him as Gabbu Singh, I feel it goes well with how he marshals our lives J. Though, I am sure in the years to come he won’t enjoy his girlfriend’s calling him Gabbu and he will come back complaining but by then we will probably prepare ourselves with a strong explanation for it J.

So we have been pondering upon this idea of going to a movie with Gabbu Singh from a very long time. We couldn’t manage it in Pune, Delhi or London considering ourselves as unprepared for it and mainly due to a disagreement on the fact that who will come out and let go his/her movie in case he starts his own movie inside the hall. Another reason for this delay was that I was also very particular on which movie should be his first ever movie, as that’s not going to change then. So when we were at my native couple of weeks back, the opportunity presented itself when my Dad brought this idea up of watching ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ in  a recently opened multiplex in the town. I thought it to be a perfect mix as not only it would be a good debut movie for Gabbu Singh but with Mom, Dad and Bro around we will have enough hands to manage the unwarranted movie too J.

But as the show time neared it was evidently clear that nobody was keen to let me watch the movie with ease by taking Gabbu Singh’s ownership in the hall. Mom and Dad were busy discussing about the impending family function, bro was busy with his friends, Mrs was super excited for her movie date after a long time and I was super nervous thinking about the ordeal ahead. So where everyone was busy deciding on which popcorn and sandwich variants to select from, I was busy looking for places in the lounge outside where I would be keeping Gabbu Singh busy while everyone else would be glued to the movie inside the hall. As we entered our audi he was apparently very happy to see a huge screen and a bevy of people inside. His excitement while watching the trailers of the new movies before the show was a real treat to watch for. I hardly focused on them as my entire focus was on him and his moves, and I was relieved with his reactions but also had a sense of concern that this on screen razzmatazz and pace will end soon as the movie begins. To my surprise he continued to stay silent for next hour too with his focus still being on the big screen but there after he started getting restless and that in turn got his dad all the more restless. I somehow tried keeping him engaged for next 10 odd minutes but beyond that he has had enough. I got off my seat to take him out for what I have dreading for from a long time but to my good fortune it was the Intermission time as well. There was a sense of relief and achievement that half the battle has been won J.

Post interval Gabbu Singh was hardly interested in watching the movie. And I understood that the real movie for me starts now, I started showing him his nursery rhymes and pretty soon ‘Old Mac Donald had a farm..’ was buzzing in the background, embarrassingly that did invite some unwanted glares too. But even those rhymes couldn’t keep him interested for too long and he was in his full elements very soon. His mother then realized that he is sleepy and I handed him over to her so that she could make him sleep. He was asleep in next 10 minutes and that helped me settle my nerves too, though every movement he made even while sleeping got me on the edge of my seat. But thankfully there was no unwanted action from Gabbu Singh till the end of the show. And I was apparently happy that it went through without much trouble and it got managed pretty well. Though, it’s a different matter that I could hardly focus on the movie or even comment on how actually the movie was J. But never did i knew that it will be such an important parenting milestone to clock.

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Afterthought – Gabbu Singh’s mom gave me a reality check after the show, that there is no reason to be so happy about this rather uneventful movie outing as the newness of the entire setup kept him engrossed and not my impeccable managing skills. And according to her, the real fun would be in the next visit to the hall J.

Being happy is fun and rather simple!

Being happy is the most beautiful virtue in life. Howsoever, beautiful it might seem it isn’t that easy to attain true happiness. At times we find it too tough to accept and on others we are just too afraid to be a part of the change that is needed to attain that illusive bout of happiness.

But what is true happiness or the rather enigmatic art of being happy? Is it always about weighing things in terms of its monetary value or the materialistic pleasure it provides? On most occasions, YES! Who wouldn’t love buying a fancy pair of shades or an expensive jacket and flaunting it all around in anticipation of few compliments. Those really are some happy moments. But these are not the only occasions that provide you true happiness, in other words  you don’t have to lean on the materialistic and expensive modes to derives true happiness in life. Howsoever, bookish, saintly and preachy it might sound everybody can relate to it in their lives in some form or the other. I did so too very recently and was rather ecstatic with the experience.

I was in Pune last week staying with one of my very close friends, by the grace of the god both of us doing reasonably well to treat each other with a sumptuous fancy meal in any of the top most restaurants in the city. What we instead planned and executed was a trip down to one of the not so famous street side joints to relish a portion of authentic  Maharashtrian ‘Misal Pav’ delicacy. And we were so delighted, satiated and happy post that session that we are still thanking each other for that plan and still raving on the happiness that brought to both of us. I seriously doubt whether that fancy lunch in an upmarket restaurant would have had such a long lasting ‘happy’ impact on two of us.

Similarly, couple of days later when I walked down the stairs from my Nani’s apartment, I saw couple of teenagers (may be 15- 16 years old) playing cricket in the society campus. I stood there for a while watching them play, remembering my own teenage days where I used to do the same for hours with my friends and cousins. I was a bit hesitant in asking those kids about that favor but that sense of nostalgia urged me to request those guys to let me play an over or two with them, my teenage experience helped me do it in a rather friendly way. I requested them for an over with the bat and also with the ball, only in an attempt to not seem like that grumpy and irritating uncle who is only keen on batting and pushing away thereafter. In the hindsight, I am happy I shed past my hesitation and indulged in those 10 minutes of ‘surreal gali cricket experience’. It indeed was a happy moment and the one that will keep me happy for a some time.

And there are many such priceless and happy moments waiting to be explored but we resist, fearing the change that they would bring in with them. For instance, I am a big foodie (chatora, as the true connoisseurs of street side food might call) and I find it very hard to resist the temptation of feasting on anything supposedly unhealthy or junk and if you are a fitness freak as well and keep a tab on your calorie intake than it’s a real nightmare to strike a balance in this. But the real happiness is in binging on those extra samosas and kachoris without worrying about the unwanted calories and in true sense once you actually gulp them in, the pleasure that you experience from it is surreal J.

The same happy moment realization happens when you laze around with your best friends over a grand slam tennis match or a high voltage Cricket clash. Or for that matter when you park aside your four wheeler and take on the streets on a two wheeler. Happiness is in skipping an important office meeting to get on a useless discussion with your close pal. And in letting go an age old grudge with your once best friend and in many such small things that are so priceless that you can only understand by experiencing them.

After all being happy is everyone’s personal choice, only if we can learn to not attach a very heavy price tag to attain happiness.

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Gabbu Singh Diaries 2 | A tale of two lost shoes!

We all know that for ages now women’s craze for shopping is a matter of global concern. Boy friends are worried about their girlfriends obsession to shop, husbands have their wives to worry about too and women for that matter are worried about what other women they know have already shopped J. My lawful wife also has this obsession to some degree, though off late it tends more towards shopping for her beloved son. As a matter of fact our household has more clothes for Avyaan then what probably our rest of family line would have in aggregate. She says I shouldn't comment on it as she would shop whatever and howsoever she wants to for her beloved son. Yes, beloved, at times I feel if I was just half as beloved as he is I would have been a leading cloth merchant in UK J. So every time we go out, shopping for Avyaan is the only constant, all other variables are aligned based on this. So now he has a bevy of jackets and shoes that a man of any age would envy him for.

And of his humongous wardrobe he puts on something new every day and merrily goes to his nursery. Either of us drop him to his nursery on his pram which is a 15 minutes’ walk from our place. Recently, the loving mother bought him a pair of beautiful shoes (I wish they had it for my size too) which he put on the very next day and went to his nursery. Even his care taker ma’am acknowledged his lovely pair of shoes, only to make me feel all the more jealous. That evening I had an important submission and I was in back to back meetings, hence I asked my wife to bring him back home that evening. She did so but after coming back she gave me the bad news that he has dropped one of his shoes somewhere on the road and I should immediately set out towards his nursery to look for the lost pair, as she was too tired to go back. I knew the criticality of the situation and the repercussions of my not going out immediately too. But it wasn't an easy task to manage the business stakeholders and asking them for a half an hour break hours before an important submission. But her restlessness made matters alarming and I somehow negotiated for some time and  rushed out looking for the lost shoe. I was pretty confident that I will get hold of the shoe as what would someone do with a single shoe. But as I approached his nursery, I was evidently nervous as there was no trace of the shoe anywhere and she was calling me again and again but I didn't answer it as I had nothing good to share.

As I came back come empty handed, the dejection and the pale on my face was akin to what I probably had when I once flunked in my engineering exams. So by now even Delhi and Chhattisgarh were aware of this probable colossal loss, but they were all hoping that I will bring home the good news and wade off their anxiety. But I failed, failed miserably and as I delivered the bad news, a sense of sadness loomed over the Awasthi household. The only remaining hope was finding the lost shoe in his nursery next morning, but even that was not to be as the shoe was lost on the road. The house lady took some time to get in terms with this loss but that didn't deter her shopping spirits, rather only catalyzed it J. And as we were coming to terms with this incident and we were tying his shoes laces a tad more tightly the act got repeated. And this time it happened when I was taking him to the nursery in the morning. As I was dropping him, I realized he has once again done it and only one of his feet had a shoe on it. I was appalled, I asked him what do you man, how do you manage it? In his response, he just flashed a naughty smile, as if it was all pretty much planned and intentional. I couldn't stop myself from laughing but I was well aware of the nightmare to follow.

To keep a cool head and have a single minded focus on the shoe search while coming back home, I decided to not share this horrifying news with her. This time around I was pretty confident of finding the shoe as I was about to traverse the same route almost immediately. Much to my dismay the result was still the same and I was cursing the people of this country like anything. I was wondering what the hell do they do by picking up single pair of shoe! The only weird thought that was constantly crossing my mind was that somehow this shoe should be of the opposite feet of the previously lost shoe J. Not that I intended to ask Avyaan to put on two differently paired shoes but it was the only sense of good luck I was hoping from these outrageous streak of events. Unfortunately, it happened to be the same shoe but then it hardly mattered. As I shared this news with her, she was furious and a familiar sense of sorrow dawned yet again. So while Avyaan was playing in his nursery barefooted, wify was yet again busy in browsing for new pair of shoes, I was amazed with this rather uncanny streak of events and the psyche of the rag pickers of London.

As I was going to pick him up the same evening I was amazed to witness something extraordinary. Somebody had carefully placed a single shoe well beneath a traffic light post, it was the very shoe that had broken many hearts few hours back. The very moment all those rag picker thoughts faded away and my respect for the meticulous and honest people of London increased leaps and bounds J. I was raring to grab the shoe instantly but I held back waiting for the traffic light to go green, so that people waiting at the signal don’t mistake me for a white collared rag picker J. Moments later I gleefully caught hold of the shoe and instantly called up the worried mother to share this glorious news. The amazement in my voice while delivering the news was same as it would have been when I passed my engineering with Honors. The Awasthi household was once again in laughter and soon enough the joy precipitated to other familiar parts of India too J.

We don’t know how many more shoes our bwoy will successfully manage in dropping off but all I repent for at this stage is how I wish I knew this smart art of dropping my shoes at that age, I would also have had a new one every few days J.

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Love what you do or do what you love?

They say if you want to excel in life, love what you do. But how many of us actually love what we do? For that matter, how many of us actually know what they should do. Interestingly, the common answer is not many. I still remember when I was a kid I had such fancy ambitions for my grown up days. The normal ones ranged from being a movie Hero to a Cricketer and on some rather outrageous phases it also ranged from being a Terrorist (for being able to use the gun at will) to being a cashier at a bank (who can take home whatever sum he wants at will). Unfortunately, none of this happened and the ambitions transitioned to some rather boring alternatives.

Engineer or Doctor was the decision to be made, dad being a surgeon stakes were high to opt for the medico route but common sense prevailed and I smartly opted for the engineering route. Not because I was exceptional in maths but more so because I was smart enough to gauge that I don’t have the dedication and the appetite to slog for at least 10 more years to be a professional doctor J. But in this age being an engineer hardly secures you a blooming career, unless of course if you have been a high flyer all along, which not-so-surprisingly I was not. So it was again the time to be at the cross roads, MBA or MS (M Tech)? I opted for the former as I found the latter to be too technical and former as the key to the supposedly wonderful management world. So once again it was a case of opting for what not to do rather than what I should do. And where on one hand I could have been a cricketer probably playing IPL for one of the franchises, here I am not so glamorously donning the hat of a pre-sales consultant. Not that I hate what I do, but I would be lying if I say I love what I do J. But I certainly envy what few people are doing in their lives.

I envy Harsha Bhogle. I envy him for being able to make a living out of what has been his love of his life from his childhood. I wish I could sit back, relax and enjoy commentating on my favorite sport for ever and make a living out of it. He is neither a professional cricketer nor a certified sport journalist but he excels in what he is doing and is seemingly enjoying it to the core. Not discounting his hard work or his elite academic credentials, nevertheless I still envy what he does J.

I envy Taran Adarsh. How could you not envy someone who makes a living out of watching every damn movie that hits the theaters and then rates it based on his views on the movie. Agree, it takes a degree in journalism and lot of insight to be in that position to critique a piece of art. But compare your daily monotony with this rather exciting avenue, do you need anything more to envy this arrangement? Certainly not J.

I envy Sanjeev Kapoor. He comes, he cooks, he tastes and in turn teaches you on how to cook an exotic dish and earns a bomb out of it. And in cases his work day just involves critiquing  a bunch of amateur chefs on how they have cooked. Who wouldn't yearn for such a fancy life. Being a hotel management graduate or a God gifted person could be some probable arguments behind this success story but that hardly lessens the imminent envy J.

I envy Chetan Bhagat. His English is probably as good as most of us and he writes simple, no brainer stories (some rightly call them as soft porn too) that even you or me could write but his popularity and craze in the commercial Indian literary circuit  is unparalleled. And with all his books being made into Bollywood movies he is certainly among the all-time best selling Indian authors. Now people may credit his IIT-IIM academic combo as the key contributor to his success but I still envy his work life more than his academic prowess J.

I envy Arnab Goswami. He hogs the prime time limelight every night and bashes and screams over the top politicians like nobody does. He may be a laughing stock for his over the top theatrical mannerisms but who wouldn't cherish doing what he has been doing for some years now.

I envy Miss Malini. Yes, Miss Malini, the elegant Bollywood grapevine queen. How about making a career out of gossiping? I mean can there be anything more exciting than that J. Not many around mind a dose of gossip here and there, I for that matter love it day in day out, so how can you not envy someone who makes a living out of it. That’s so damn fancy J.

In hindsight, it might seem I envy all those who sit back and merrily advocate or profess gyaan in some way or the other and make a flourishing career out of it. But probably these guys would also be lamenting about their respective trade suits. How I wish there was an option to pick and choose and adapt to a career of your choice anytime in your life and seamlessly transition to another favorite career choice of yours once you are done with the previous one J. But that couldn't be a possibility, so for those like me who couldn't do what they love, love what you do is the only enforced option left J.

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P S- For now, if not for ever, if I can just don the hat of a travel junkie who does nothing but trots the globe year long and makes a living out of it, I wouldn't complain for anything else in life J.

  

Well done Team India, you have still made us all proud!

On April 2^nd 2011, when Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit that memorable six to help India clinch  their 2^nd world cup title the entire nation erupted in joy and went into a festive frenzy that continued for days. Many (including me), also claimed that now that we have seen our heroes achieve this momentous feat, there is nothing more that we want from them and even if we don’t win the world cup again for a long time we would go on to cherish and marvel over this momentous feat for the rest of our lives. But public memory is short lived and appetite for more is atrociously greedy, hence as the 2015 world cup approached the excitement and the nervousness to retain the cup turned overwhelmingly imminent.

Though, India’s dismal show in Australia both in the test series and the tri-series dampened the spirits and expectations to a good extent but promotional campaigns like ‘wontgiveitbak’ and ‘maukamauka’ did well to keep the general euphoria among the masses intact. Given the friendly format, I personally felt India would reach the Quarters but due to their not-so glorious recent form would struggle to proceed any further. In a nutshell, my expectations from team India before the world cup were not very high, not just because of our on field form but even due to the fact that we have fairly recently won the cup. And I didn't expect our team to be so good to have clinched back to back world cup trophies, some might term it as high degree of pessimism but I consider it as being realistic to what we are truly capable of doing J.

Till date, 92’ world cup happens to be my favorite world cup, although India did miserably in that edition but the memories of that edition are still fresh and edged out in my mind. Waking up early (mostly to see India tottering J), the excitement of newly introduced colored jerseys and the amazement of watching then greats in the action, well and truly made that world cup very very special. India has gone on to perform much better than that in almost all subsequent editions, barring 2007 but statistically none has been as prolific has 2015. Although, we won the trophy in 2011 but we have never been so clinical in our performances as we were this time around. 100% win record in the league stages, our bowlers bowling out the opposition every single time and an unmatched, impeccable record in the power play overs. These feats talk volumes of our rare consistent performance on the field and it shocked one and all as our performances leading up to the world cup were very contrasting. So this in all ways was a remarkable turn around and gave over a billion people a strong sense of HOPE.

Despite these string of surprises every Indian fan somewhere had that inkling that it won’t go on forever and inevitability will certainly strike sometime soon, though later the better was the unanimous hope J. In fact, I was literally praying for a loss sometime before the knock outs so that we stay in check and avoid such a debacle in the knockouts. Howsoever weird it might sound but I always had this strange feeling in mind that we are not the Australia’s of the world to lift the world cup being undefeated throughout the tournament and neither are we so strong to have won back to back world cups like the West Indies’ and Australias’ of the past. Nevertheless, I was hoping that all my negative thoughts go wrong and we go on to do the unexpected and with Dhoni around that feeling of anything is possible was ever so imminent J.

So what had to happen happened and a billion prayers and streak of superlative performance failed to take us through to our second consecutive world cup final. It was very sad to have lost the way we lost and there was an expected sense of frustration and angst against our heroes of the last 6 weeks. With electronic and social media being so very powerful and emphatic these days, people went on to indulge in high degree of Team India bashing, almost as if we have been knocked out in the first round itself without giving any fight. Given our passion and love for the game, to an extent this outrage is justifiable but burning effigies, bringing in personal lives of the cricketers and targeting the WAGs is utterly stupid. Nobody plays to lose, certainly not those who are on the field representing India, in fact nobody wants to win it more than guys donning the Indian Jersey. So if we can’t give them their due respect and support while they lose we don’t have the right to go gaga over their victories either.

All in all for me it was an engaging and an entertaining world cup that made me feel proud of my team despite its semi-final exit. The excitement and the euphoria that started building up from the 1^st match just kept on rising with every match. To top it all the maukamauka ads and following every match by waking up early in the morning and rejoicing/lamenting every moment over the whats-app with my best pals just made it all the more thrilling and memorable. A world cup win would have been the perfect icing on the cake but nevertheless for me the heroes of those six weeks continue to be the heroes despite a bad day in office in the semis.

Well done Team India, you have still made us all proud!

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London Diaries 5 | The Expected World Cup Knockout.

In the last 9 months, England have been treated to two rather unceremonious early world cup exits. The first one was in the game which is a national rage and people are as crazy about it as Indians are for Cricket, it happened in the 2014 Soccer World Cup in Brazil. And the latest one happened in the game that the English themselves founded more than a century ago and have been struggling off late to be a dominant force in the game, it happened a few days back in the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia-New Zealand.

The soccer world cup exit was the more expected one, as England Football team is hardly a threat for the tops teams in the International Circuit. The culture here is more club centric and although the fans wanted their team to do well, deep inside even they were aware that it would be too much to expect from their individual stars to pull up this heist and go beyond the Quarter Final stages. And that’s what eventually happened, the club super stars failed, so did their team and England got knocked out in the prelims. The reactions here were quite contrasting, the local newspapers butchered the team with a heavy barrage of not so pleasant words, the bookmakers were bang on in their predictions and made a killing with this early exit and the fans mourned for a bit and then moved on to focus on the upcoming Premier League. Probably the only option an ardent English fan has, as England never loses in the league and invariably one of the stars always performs J.

The early Cricket world cup exit was a little unexpected one, not that the fans were expecting the fragile English team to lift the cup but the least that was expected out of them was to do better than the teams like Bangladesh and qualify for the quarters. But that was not to be and the only wins that they could manage in their entire campaign were against Afghanistan and Scotland. No wonder the reactions on this shameful exit were quite extreme and every cricketing expert lambasted the English team for such a dismal show. Interestingly, the local newspapers don’t cover much of the English Cricket out here, Cricket not being the no.1 sport and neither are there any high expectations from the English Cricket team and so the criticism wasn't as grave as the one post the Soccer World Cup exit. However, the true connoisseurs of English Cricket certainly had some interesting reactions to this debacle.

A local friend of mine attributed this early exit to the influence of IPL and England’s reluctance in being an active participant in the cash rich T20 tournament. He believed that all those teams who have taken IPL seriously are the ones who have excelled in this world cup. Not quite sure how true or logical this analogy is but as a matter of fact when India lost to England in the test series last summer, he blamed IPL for India’s debacle too J. Probably, some English fans are more worried about the success of IPL then the failures of English Cricket team J.

Similarly, an office colleague who is always very proud of the English Sporting culture was very disappointed by this poor show. He was equally shattered after the soccer world cup exit too but then he consoled himself that time believing that the English pacers will bring back the lost glory by swinging the Cricket World Cup in England’s favor in Australia/New Zealand. Now all he had to say after this consecutive drubbing is that the hopes are high from the upcoming Rugby World Cup J. Amen! No harm in being ever so optimistic J.

Another acquaintance of mine, an ardent English Cricket Fan and a typical high headed arrogant English man brushed aside this failure professing that this is no Cricket, real Cricket is Test Cricket and our focus is entirely on regaining the Ashes later this year. I couldn't stop laughing but gathered some composure and courage and politely asked him, Sir weren't you the ones who proudly founded this sport and are yet to win the most coveted trophy of the sport even once. He didn't pay any credence to my question but a sense of frustration and dejection was all over his face.

It’s not easy to empathize with someone whose team isn't doing particularly well in a major tournament like world cup and it is all the more tough to do so when your own team is doing particularly well. But when a team is consistently faring poorly in such global tourneys and still stays arrogant in its conduct it’s hard not to enjoy their failures. Now after the world cup exit the experts and fans out here are longing for a better show from their team in the 2019 World Cup which will be hosted here in the United Kingdom. My only worry to this optimism is, given the looming threat of a curtailed World Cup from the next edition on-wards, which might feature only 10 of the best teams in the world, will England be able to qualify for the same on merit and be a part of their home World Cup J?

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An afterthought - However, the best moment for me amidst this knockout hoopla was when I asked a dejected English fan about his bet for this World Cup and his prompt reply was I N D I A ! I was myself not so sure about this being a possibility but his confident reply surely made me feel proud about my team J.

Tendulkar Vs Agassi!

No no, it’s not a man to man duel or a comparison of their sporting prowess, it’s just that in the last few weeks I happen to read the autobiographies of these two sporting legends and I couldn’t stop myself from marvelling over their contrasting personalities and careers. Tendulkar’s autobiography was an automatic reading choice for a true blue Sachin fan like me not just because of the high anticipation attached with its launch but also due to its deemed Biblical status for the hard core cricket aficionados. Agassi’s autobiography on the other hand was not a natural choice, not that I don’t admire him as much but it was mainly due to one of my best friends valued recommendation that I resorted to reading it and my love for the game of tennis just added as the right trigger. And since I read them one after the other, a comparison of personalities was imminent but the startling contrast on the same was truly interesting.

Coverage – Both the books cover the sporting lives of  these two legends right from their anecdotes of childhood on how and when they actually took the game and the way it transpired into an epic success story. In both cases it talks in length about the most important duels of their sporting lives and also covers in detail their injury battles that went on to transform their character. Tendulkar however, have mostly refrained from touching upon the rather controversial issues like match fixing, IPL and doping and has been criticized as well for this evasion, but then he has categorically stated at the start of the book that he has not spoken about certain issues ever in his career as he was never comfortable doing so. Agassi, on the other hand has been as candid as one can be, be it his own trysts with the drug, his issues with his receding hairline or his take on anything that he felt was not so clean.

Love of the game – With the amount of success both these gentlemen have achieved in their respective careers it’s probably a given that both of them would have been madly in love with their trades. Not surprisingly enough Tendulkar has at length talked about his love for the game and all the sacrifices he has made to nurture his immense love for Cricket. But surprisingly, Agassi has time and again emphasized on the fact that how much he has always hated tennis. And it was only because of his Dad’s madness that he had to forcefully spend hours and hours toiling hard to excel in this sport and eventually weave his entire life around it. Weird, but true and the way he has narrated his frustrating experiences in this regards are outstanding.

Family life – Tendulkar has all his life epitomized and idolized his parents like an ideal son, he has time and again showered his gratitude for his Dad and Mom and emphasized on how they have been instrumental in the making of his remarkable career. He has also heaped high accolades for his elder brother Ajit on how he has been his partner in all the ups and downs of his cricketing career. Further to this, he has also defined his partnership with his wife Anjali, as the best he has ever had and he is indebted to her for all the sacrifices she has made in her career to let him flourish. Agassi on the other hand hasn't been so lucky with his relationships, though he maintained a cordial relationship with his mom and other siblings but one with his Dad had always been a wretched one. He always hated his dad for his dictatorial ways and his obsession for Andre’s excellence in Tennis, however in the hindsight whatever he eventually achieved in the game should be primarily attributed to his dad’s unparliamentary ways. Agassi’s love life has also been very contrasting one, he has been a maverick here as well and has had his share of affairs, breakups and divorce unlike the rather sedate and lyrical love story of the cricketing superstar.

Discipline & Work ethics – Leave aside Cricket, you would hardly find a more disciplined individual in any walk of life than Mr Tendulkar. His work ethics and focus for his art has been exemplary and almost impeccable. Undoubtedly, whatever he has achieved in his career is not just because of his god gifted talent but more so for his hard work and discipline towards the game. Agassi, however has been very volatile and lived on extremes with regards to his discipline and focus towards his game. For some periods he has been a strict disciplinarian, with a routine sans a blemish and on some he has been so reckless that it would bring a school boy to shame. No wonder, his good spells of tennis has also been so patchy and not so consistent as Master Blaster’s performances.

Contemporary Talk – Tendulkar has been as guarded in talking about his contemporaries or other legends of the game as he has always been all his life. The only aberration to this in his book has been his rather open hearted outburst against Greg Chappell, but for it and more for the disappointment of the grapevines he has been ever so courteous and gracious. Agassi on the other hand has been an absolute delight in this regards, he has blatantly spoken about his rivalries against Becker, Courier and Sampras and has also at length spoken on how acrimonious things have been between them on some occasions. And the manner in which he has touched upon these duels is one of the highpoints of his book.

Career wise – From the achievement standpoint Tendulkar has arguably achieved all that he could have as a cricketer and probably that no other cricketer has done in the past or might do in the future. Some might say a few triple tons would have made his CV a tad more complete but even without that, his has been a near perfect story, one that people can blindly idolize without any second thoughts. Agassi’s has been a total contrast though, with his talent, had he been Tendulkar-esque in his discipline and focus he would have clocked as many slams as Federer has won or even what his better half Stefanie has won. But he lived life on his own terms and probably has no regrets about it as well. His may not be a biblical story as Tendulkar’s but his is arguably a more practically possible one for the mortals.

Reader’s recommendation – Undoubtedly, both the books are a must read for any Tendulkar or Agassi fan. Tendulkar’s is more of a textbook, written well within the boundaries of the righteousness and for a true blue fan who has followed his career very closely, it offers not much novelty from the sensationalism standpoint. Agassi’s on the other hand is a perfect mix of his on the court and off the court exploits, that even his most ardent fans might not be well aware of. His may not be a prescribed textbook stuff but surely is a 70mm blockbuster material, full of action, romance and lots of drama. I enjoyed both these books to the core, Agassi’s a tad more for obvious reasons J.

Now it’s for you to decide, what’s your preferred flavor.

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The AIB Hullaballoo!

In the last fortnight or so if there is something other than the Delhi elections, that has hogged immense limelight in the social media, then it is the All India Bakchod, AIB Roast controversy. AIB, per say is not an entirely new entity and is into existence through there hugely popular videos since 2013, much on the lines of similar social media players like Qtiyapa and The Viral Fever. However, they have all of a sudden become so controversial thanks to the AIB Knockout Roast comedy show that was held in Mumbai by the AIB team, featuring the Bollywood stars like Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Karan Johar as the protagonists and other popular Bollywood stars like Deepika Padukone, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhat, Anurag Kashyap to name a few as the key attendees.

So what is this whole concept about a Roast comedy show? Wikipedia defines it as an event in which specific individuals, a guest of honor (in this case Arjun and Ranveer), are subjected to good-nature d jokes at their expense intended to amuse the event's wider audience. This type of events are created as a mock counter to a toast. Such events are intended to honour specific individuals in a unique way. In addition to jokes and insult comedy, such events may also involve genuine praise and tributes. The implication is that the roastee is able to take the jokes in good humor and not as serious criticism or insult, and it is seen by some as a great honor to be roasted. The individual is surrounded by friends (In this case Alia, Deepika, Sonakshi, Anurag to name a few), fans, and well-wishers, who can receive some of the same treatment as well during the course of the evening. The party and presentation itself are both referred to as a "roast." The host of the event is called the "roast-master (Karan Johar in this case)". In a nutshell, anyone who is honored in such a way is said to have been "roasted."

Quite naturally, the language that was used in the AIB roast session wasn't holy and that coming from the A grade Bollywood celebs made it all the more jazzy. And when the leading ladies of the Bollywood sitting on the first row laugh out loud on these rather un-parliamentary jokes it becomes all the more eye catching. And as the videos went viral in the social media the usual miscreants popped up with vengeance to set the gravely disturbed moral orders right. Now, it is a hugely debatable issue that whether the show and the team of AIB should be banned and prosecuted in the court of law, as on one hand there is certainly a level of vulgarity attached with the content on display but then there is something known as freedom of expression and speech as well that people have every right to exercise. So who decides this thin line which acts as a balance between these two contrasting facets?

Will it be the Shiv Sena’s and BJP’s of the world, who any which way make an appearance on the Valentines and the Friendship Days of the year to safe guard the supposedly deteriorating Indian cultural values, acting as the self-anointed moral police of the nation. Or will it be the part time intellectual professors like Aamir Khan who profess being sensitive and respectful towards the society and refrain from such vulgarity. It can’t be the former as they are no more a maverick political outfit who can  indulge in such acts of hooliganism and forcefully shut things up at their own discretion, they are the ruling party at center and should act more responsibly and sensibly in dealing with such situations to cater to the interests of all the groups involved. And it can’t be the latter too as his work pieces like Ghajini, Delhi Belly etc. won’t pass his own professed vulgarity test, so it would be rather prudent for him to stay away from giving such hypocritical sermons. In fact, it would be best if we let our honorable court of law to decide what should be the permissible limit for freedom of expression and speech, keeping in mind the best interests of the society and these artists as well.

However, everyone is entitled to have an opinion, be it in favor, be it in against. I for that matter didn't enjoy the show at all, not because I am against the usage of such language or found the show too vulgar but just because I didn't find it funny enough. I would rather prefer watching movies in the genre of Gangs of Wasseypur and Satya to enjoy such crude language and humor associated with it. But that doesn't mean that I advocate a ban on such shows or groups, it’s an evolving art in our country and shouldn't be treated with a sense of unjust paranoia. And for the purists who are too concerned about such acts maligning our rich cultural heritage and ethos,  they should rather worry about the other far more vulgar and obscene videos more easily available for consumption by the masses in the social media.

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The Exotic Spanish Experience!

If you ask me to name my favorite movie, one movie that will always feature in that list would be Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD). Not just for its superlative star cast, emphatic dialogues and refreshing music but equally so for the locations where the movie was shot, SPAIN. Ever since, it has been a dream to visit this beautiful country and soak in the scenic landscape with best of your friends. So when we were planning for our next vacation sometime back in middle of December, Spain topped the list not just for the relatively convenient weather but even for the ZNMD hangover that had engrossed all of us for some time now. So Spain was zeroed in and we all were super excited to celebrate our new year in this magnificent country. With just about a week to go all the plans were finalized in a hush-hush manner and the short timeline and the looming Christmas and New Year’s break made our booking a bit too expensive, but then we were prepared to shell out that extra bit for the very thought of going to Spain J.

So as the D day approached, everyone was busy in their own way to prepare for an amazing vacation week ahead. So where I was struggling to keep my last minute leaves plans at office in check, Shalini was busy shopping for her beloved son, Avyaan’s food and clothing, Mayank, the planner in charge, was efficiently finalizing all the bookings, Harshita the chief itinerary and catering manager was giving final touches to the finer details of our vacation and our little princess, Charu was busy polishing her Spanish skills, as she was our only hope when it came to interacting with the locals out there J. However, the start of our trip wasn't that memorable, it was a chilly Saturday morning when we stepped out to board our cab for the airport and it was so windy that only after we have boarded the cab I realized that the wind has blown away my favorite Roger Federer cap L. Probably, a gush of wind from east of Spain to remind me the fact that we are going to the land of Rafael Nadal, so I better stay behaved J. To make matters worse, we got delayed to the extent that the flight had to delay its departure because of us, much to the dismay of our fellow passengers and howling flight staff.

Nevertheless, we landed on to a bright and sunny Barcelona, which was in itself a huge reprieve vis a vis a gloomy and cold London. Despite, an early and a hectic morning, we were super charged up as soon as we came out of the airport to witness a beautiful city shining bright with palm trees all across the streets with mountains on one side and not too far off, the coast on the other. It was a gentle reminder that the vacation has well and truly started J. We have booked ourselves a huge Spanish style apartment which was our luxurious abode in the heart of the city for next 2.5 days. Not that we spent a lot of time in there but whatever time we spent there was truly relaxing. For the next two days or so we explored the city in detail and experienced its rich cultural heritage, plentiful of beautiful monuments, breath taking coast line, unique food and a stark sense of pride among people where they want to be identified as Catalans and not Spaniards. We mostly explored the city on foot so it gave us a real sense of the Spanish culture and the prevalent lifestyle.

On the third day we had our plans to take our rented Car around midday and leave for our next destination, Valencia. Earlier, while we were planning for the trip there were lot of discussions around whether or not we should do a road trip, I was a bit apprehensive about the idea as it involved kids as well but then the overwhelming thought was that unless we do the road trip we won’t be able to see the real Spain. Finally, we finally agreed on taking the plunge with some confidence from our previous road trip to Wales and in the hindsight it was indeed a very good decision. Though, the shift from the usual right hand drive to left hand drive was a funny one, Mayank who proved out to be the best driver in the trip mastered the art pretty soon, however I kept banging the door with my left hand searching for the gear (as in a traditional right hand drive setup) J. It was indeed a super experience and the overall road trip of over 1500 kms made it all the more memorable. Although, the car that we hired (a brand new Volkswagen Caddy) was such a huge vehicle that it almost seemed that we were driving a bus and more often than not the person sitting at the back-most row had to literally shout his/her way to make himself/herself audible to the driver J.

Our journey to Valencia was very scenic and we reached our destination late in the evening and checked in to our apartment, which was once again a beautiful accommodation. For the next 2 days we covered the length and breadth of the city (thanks to our car), which included exploring the beautiful architectural masterpieces, pristine beaches, and buzzing city center. But our (mine and Mayank’s) main agenda of the stay here was to spend a gala time in the local Casinos and make a killing through it at least to an extent of sponsoring our trip through it. So what really happened when we actually ventured out on this mission was nothing surprising, we lost a lot, but neither of us repented doing it at allJ. It was indeed a relaxing time in Valencia and the relatively slow pace of the city added to the leisure. On the third morning we set out for Madrid, and after a rejuvenating 5 hrs drive reached the capital city well in time to celebrate the New Year’s eve.

We relaxed a bit in our hotel and drove out  for the dinner post which we had plans to embrace the New Year on the streets of Madrid. And I must confess, where all this while I was boasting highly about the Christmas and New Year’s decorations/lightings/preparations of London, Madrid was certainly a notch or two higher. The entire city was literally glittering and basking with the new year festivities and the scenes on the city center streets were truly mesmerizing and that surely made our new year very special. One unique new year tradition that we came to know out there was that the people leave there houses just before the midnight and meet at a common place and welcome the new year by eating exactly 12 grapes, as the clock strikes 12. We went on to debate on things like why grapes, why twelve and why eating on the street but yes, it was interesting indeed. The next day was spent in exploring the historic capital city and we were enchanted by the magnanimity and opulence of the metropolis. That being our last night in Spain we were out till late and treated ourselves to a sumptuous dinner and relished exploring the beautiful skyline of Madrid.

The next day we had targeted to leave for Barcelona by 4 am, as it was long 8 hour drive and with kids we didn’t want to take any chances. We did manage to execute our plans to success and by the time kids woke up we were on the outskirts of Barcelona. With our flight being at 10 in the night we almost had half a day at our disposal after returning the car, we decided to spent that day lazing around in the beach and enjoy every bit of the serenity on offer. And those last few hours on the  beach were so relaxing, comforting and memorable that we hardly felt any sense of tiredness even after that long ride back from Madrid.

As our vacation came to an end, there was evidently a sense of disappointment in everybody’s heart. There are some places that are so beautiful that you remember them for the rest of your lives and then there are some which are so memorable that you yearn to go there again and again. Spain is certainly one such place. Beautiful beaches, scenic landscapes, magnificent cities, sumptuous food and cheerful people make it one of the most preferred holiday destinations globally. In many ways it reminded me of Goa, as like Goa it may not be THE most exotic place in the world but that sense of calm, a ting of laziness and an overwhelming symphony of happiness in the air makes you instantly fall in love with it forever. This fantastic road trip would remain etched in our memories forever and those countless windmills across the large expanse of beautiful landscape would  surely get us back there, very soon.

Gracias Española!

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The Big Boss Dilemma!

If there is something that is really considered derogatory in terms of your choice of TV viewings, it is surely watching Big Boss. Although, the connoisseurs of classic test match Cricket also find following IPL derogatory but in relative terms watching Big Boss is considered to be a bigger sin. It’s almost akin to the fact that you don’t have any real class if you watch these supposedly tailored/scripted chunks of entertainment doses. So it’s hardly surprising when you find a strange sense of reluctance in some ones admittance to the fact that he/she does follow Big Boss. More often than not you end up gazing which way the wind is blowing before deciding upon the level of your involvement in that discussion J.

But the most interesting thing a midst all this is the popularity of the show despite its predictability every after year. So every year when the season begins there is a general rant that the contestants this time around aren't that good and are boring compared to the last year. Then right from the very beginning lots of new relationships are formed, ranging from brother-sister, father-daughter, sister-sister and so on. And as the show moves on there are those characteristic high decibel fights, violence led short term evictions, brewing romance, late night dim light mushy tamasha, in the loo romance, through the season cat fights, periodic doses of wild card entries and the ever so similar streak of no-brainers.

And not so interestingly even the kind of contestants that take part in the show every year are pretty much the same, so there is for sure a petulant character that stays in the show till the last week, to single handedly take care of the TRPs (read Imam, Dolly, Sambhavana et al), there is an estranged couple to keep up a parallel track going (read Rajeev Delnaz, Dimpy Rahul et al), there is invariably a couple madly in love with each other (read Anupama Aryan, Kushal Gauhar, Upen Karishma et al), there is a drama queen from the TV sops to keep up the drama quotient intact (read Urvashi, Pratyusha, Shweta, Deepshikha et al), there is a bevy of gorgeous models/unsuccessful TV actresses (read Tanisha, Minisha, Mehak, Diandra et al), a representative from the transgender community, a self-proclaimed saint cum agony aunty (read Puneet Issar, Navjot Singh Sidhu et al)and a lot many peculiar type casts. And you can pretty much predict who will do what and what will happen next to the absolute precision. But you are still never quite sure as to who was right and who was not during the week till Salman comes up and opens his card on the weekend. His charisma, his charm and his madness definitely does wonder to the entertainment quotient but in the hindsight its hilarious how the entire nation awaits his verdict on right or wrong during the week with a bated breathJ.

I for that matter brazenly follow the show with the same interest level and invite a lot of wrath for it both at home and among my friends as well. But interestingly the people who detest me for following this piece of crap are also the ones who watch it as diligently as me J. My wife for instance, hates me for supposedly hijacking the remote from 9-10 every night and curses me for my cheap taste and lack of class. But somehow that doesn't stop her from watching the show as religiously as I do and even have strong views on her favorite and not so favorite contestants J. When I counter argue as to why do you watch it when it so cheap and low class, pat comes the reply ‘do I have a choice’, the ever so obedient and accommodating Indian wife J. And the funny thing is all the anti-Big Boss lamenting usually happens either during the commercial break or when the show is not on J. Similarly, one of my close friend who is out of the country for work is so busy these days that he couldn't even call his wife back home every day nevertheless he still manages to catch every episode of the show as if it’s a part of his Job Description. Another close friend of mine laments her tale saying that even his husband is super annoyed with her mania for watching Big Boss and keeps on cursing her on all forums for this irritating choice of hers but then he is the one who sits in front of the TV set bang on time at 9 every night and tunes into Colors J.

So it won’t be wrong to say that people who crib and curse it the most are the most avid followers of the show. If you don’t watch it, its fine, there is no discussion at all. But if you watch it and still cry over it, saying its crap, cheap, class less etc. it’s the most two faced thing possible. Understandably, it’s all scripted, predictable and beyond sanity but then it’s all tailored to keep the masses involved, engaged and captivated. After all, who doesn't like watching a beautiful couple getting cosy and comfortable at prime time at the confines of your living room or for that matter two people shouting at each other at the top of their voices and throwing fists at each other. Can it get any more entertaining? If not, you always have the remote in your hand to switch over and watch something more sensible, sane and classy, as they call it J.

And as the popular adage goes, you may love it, you may hate it but you can certainly not ignore it!

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