20 Years of Sachin Magic!!

When I was a kid, I didn't see much of cricket. To watch an away series, we had to wake up real early & I hated that. So I didn't share much of my dad's enthusiasm in terms of cricket. As I grew up, the interest slowly picked up. Kapil Dev was my favorite cricketer in those days. And then Sourav Ganguly came along & I loved the grace of this guy as he effortlessly caressed bowlers through the offside. He remained my favorite till the time he retired. But all this time, I never really idolized Sachin Tendulkar. I loved it when he played, but I wasn't a Sachin fanatic, and I am not, even now.
For bowlers all over the world, this small guy with a really compact technique had become one of the most feared batsmen to bowl at. Among his several innings, my most favorite were the 100's he scored @ Sharjah against a mighty Australian side as he won the triangular tournament for India, single-handedly. He, along with Sourav Ganguly, had forged one of the most deadly opening partnerships that the cricketing world has ever seen. And I am pretty doubtful if I would ever enjoy any 2 batsmen play, the same way as I enjoyed watching the Sachin-Sourav pair. And now, as the nation celebrates 20 years of Sachin magic, I don't think words are enough to say how I feel. I could go on listing stats to show he is the best batsmen of all time, but what the hell, we all know this fact.
I have lost all interest in cricket in the past few years. The T-20s have somewhat killed the excitement I had & the IPL was perhaps the last nail in the coffin. I only follow test matches nowadays.
As more & more players have become eagerly concerned about the IPL, rather than playing for India, watching international games has become just a waste of time for me. The reason is that I do not think these so-called "YOUNG" players today play with the intensity that they should demonstrate when representing a nation of cricket fanatics.
I did not watch even a single game in the recently concluded India-Australia series. For me the series had got over even before it started (WTF, I had even predicted the final scoreline of the series correctly :P). But amongst all these things, there was just one small flame that made me sit down with amazement. I did not have the privilege to watch Sachin's innings of 175 unfold LIVE, but the highlights were enough for me to get the spark back. As he hammered the Aussies all over the park, I was watching utterly amazed at what this man could do, even after so many years.
Frankly speaking, I really felt that there was just one man playing for INDIA that day & everyday in this series. The rest were TEAM BCCI. Nothing much has changed since the 90's. Sachin still takes us near the end & all he asks for is support from the team. But rarely does the team answer back. "YOUNGISTAN" players have replaced the so-called "OLDIES" because they are supposedly more fit. These FIT players of ours do not even want to dive when there is a need to do so. All they do is smile for the camera, those shameless smiles.
People say Sachin is GOD. I beg to differ. I say, he is a mere mortal like you & me. And I believe that the GOD above created him for a reason. The reason was to give us a belief that a mere mortal is capable of great things, things that we can be in awe of. A belief that if an individual is committed, focussed & hard working, the impossible can be achieved. A belief that if we get a chance to represent our motherland at any stage, we should make it count & give it our all. Because, even today, when a bowler begins his run-up & sees a small man with an Indian flag on his helmet, he has this feeling in the back of his mind, "I am not bowling to this one man...I am bowling to an entire nation!!"
Thanks Sachin, for giving us those wonderful moments & I hope you keep giving us more in the years to come!!

Call of the Heart or Call of the Mind ?

So how should we handle relationships...by being emotional or being practical? Now, by relationships, I mean all kinds of relationships that we come across in our life since birth. Be it with our parents, family, friends or the one we love.
I, for one, believe that the decisions I take when dealing with relationships are more emotional than practical. To put it differently, I listen more to the heart than to the brain in these situations. Am I wrong in doing so?
Well,I have always felt that its the connection of the hearts that keeps these bonds intact, so for me it makes perfect sense to go with the heart. People tell me that I care a lot for the people I know, most of the times I care about them even more than I care for myself. Yes, I do.
They tell me its a bad thing. They tell me it gives pain, one that is far more difficult to endure than any kind of physical pain that one can imagine. And from what I have learnt till now, YES, it does give pain...a hell lot of pain....but should that be the reason for me to change myself?
You can call it a manufacturing defect, but the truth is that I don't want to change ME. May be it's too late for me to change. May be I have crossed that threshold where we can actually change the way we think & feel about people. But, I am not very sure if there is any such threshold. And I believe that's how its meant to be. We are not meant to be PERFECT. That is what gives flavor to our life.
And so, that is how I will remain, always trying to spread smiles among each & every person I care about & who are important to me. And for them, I will be ready to endure any kind of pain or suffering. Its worth it, because to me, the call of the HEART is more important than the call of the MIND!!

One More Round...

Wrote this down about a month ago, but never really found the courage to post it...

"It was a lonely Sunday afternoon. Nothing much happening & I was just lazing around unable to sleep. Tried watching a movie, but then decided not to. I ended up sitting on the couch and swapping channels on the tv, not particularly interested in what was being shown. To summarise, I was doing absolutely nothing & was with a BLANK mind. And then it hit me, all of a sudden.
It hit me like a speeding train & I was helpless. It was the feeling that I am going to die ALONE.
To tell the truth, I dont realise why this happened to me. May be I am out of my mind or something. But it did & it grew stronger every second. The transition of my mind from being completely blank to being occupied by this solitary thought was suffocating to say the least. A lot has been going on lately, this was probably a side effect of it.
I am not really this kind of a person. My friends tell me that I spread the humour around all the time. But very few have actually tried to understand the real person inside of me. One who is emotional and passionate. Is it a weakness? I dont really know that either, but that's how I am..and that's how I will remain.
We sometimes spend a portion of our life running after something passionately & then all of a sudden we realize that it was just a mirage. Something that didnt exist actually, but the false impression led to its pursuit. A fruitless pursuit in the end. But for me the real question is, was this pursuit worth it? Truthfully speaking, I really don't know right now. But I am still trying to figure out the answer.
Its hold on me was broken when my mom came in and asked if I wanted to have tea. But its still there, even though the effect has calmed down a bit. It is still eating away my brain slowly & gradually. And I cannot do a thing about it.
And today, whenever I've said " I am fine", the line from the movie "The Italian Job" has popped up in my mind, (Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional)
GOD help me..."

Now, about a month later, something has changed. Some part of me has died & will never return back. But I still believe that "Whatever happens, happens for the better" and this will keep me going. I am now looking at life differently and this is thanks to all the support that some people around me have provided. Its time to move ahead now, coz its not over yet...."ONE MORE ROUND"!!

The Almost Night Out & Moments of Nostalgia...

I Hate exams... I really do. My job requires me to give atleast a fixed number of certifications every year & the whole ordeal is a real pain in all the wrong places. I gave one of these today. It wasn't rocket science though. It dealt with the resellers, distributors & how they are playing a major role in shaping the discrete manufacturing supply chain in the ever evolving global environment.But its not the technology distributors that I want to talk about.

I reached home at midnight, after attending an office party. Struggling to keep awake, I started having a look at the presentation that was the key to pass the exam. "Hmm... I think I can cover this by 4:00 AM", I thought. Just 140 odd slides, plus I already had a look at them before & knew the context. Shouldn't have gone to the party though, would've given me some more time to get this over with. But then, in the fight between exams & chicken, who would be the chosen one? Naah... chicken wins..hands down!!

So,I get started. One slide after the other. But where did these dogs come from & why are they jumping in and around the pillars. Hey, wait a second...pillars, what pillars. Wake up boy...these are bar graphs. They are supposed to show the revenues generated as a result of blah blah blah. I decided to sit & turn to the WWW to keep me awake. The orkuts & facebooks of the world. Somehow I reach slide 40....huh 100 more. Okay...lets get some music going.

As the music got me started again, I couldn't help remember the final days of MBA. The last semester. The last minute glances at the pages that remained unseen for 4 months or so & the ones that would get us through the last hurdle remaining. Those late night meetings to decide what to read, what not to read, or whether to read anything altogether. The rush to get the notes before the test & the parties in "Chandaal gali" following them. Then, before I knew it, I was growing all nostalgic & browsing through some old photos, remembering some really great people & the times I've had with them. Times that changed my life forever. Times that were fun & hectic at the same time. Times that were full of life & unforgettable.We the "GHANTAS" sure had a great time together @ KGP. The bakar, sort of never ended. Now in the hectic rush of life, that spark has faded a bit. We had met each other a long time back & have never had a real get together for over a year now.But that sure doesn't take away the effect these precious people have had on my life.

I've had to go through some 'not so good' situations in my personal life in the last few months. But these memories have always brought a smile to my face even on the worst of days. And the feeling that these people will always be there when I need them is what keeps me going every single day!

I glanced at the clock & it was already 3:00 AM. Still had almost 80 more slides to go. I then started rushing through the slides & somehow got done by 5:00 AM (I am still bad at managing my time, but I sure am on the path of improvement). And Yes...I passed the test today ;)

P.S: To all the "GHANTAS"....Thank You for touching my life the way you did & giving me those delightful moments that would stay with me forever. "Babaji ki jai ho !!"

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Genre: Action

Director: Gavin Hood

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Ryan Reynolds

Wolverine has always been my favorite character from among the X-Men. A dangerous fighting machine with raw animal instincts, indestructible in every sense with retracting claws of adamantium, the character truly is a treat for every action fan. Needless to say that when I heard about this movie, I simply couldn't wait to watch it. But was the wait worth it? I still can't decide....

Efficiently choreographed stunts, good camera work & an amazingly stylish performance by Hugh Jackman. There are some awesome action sequences in the movie that are unforgettable.

But, by the time it got over, something just didnt click. I still don't understand what was missing, but it failed to hold my attention for quite a good amount of time. Has some breath-taking scenes that deserve praise, but it leaves the viewer asking for more. I kept asking...but didn't get any. May be next time!!

A decent watch for the weekend, it will get a BIG thumbs up for the action & style, but, a thumbs down for the overall cinematic experience. However, it certainly is better than the run-of-the-mill action they churn out nowadays!!

Weekend Blues !!

Aah!! Finally, after a long time, a weekend in which I don't have to work. But why am I still bored? I think I have gotten myself addicted to going to office. The feeling of having nothing to do is eating away my mind. I think I need some sort of therapy or something. I have somehow picked myself up to write these few lines....

Here's a list of things that I usually do on a weekend when I am not working:

1. Wake up @ Lunch time

2. Spend some quality time in the Gym.

3. Have Golgappas in the evening (With rainy season already in town, this activity will take a severe hit for sure)

4. Go shopping (The activity starts off aimlessly as just Window shopping. I move around without even the faintest idea of what I want to buy & end up buying something that I never thought I wanted, but still did!)

5. Lie on the couch swapping channels, not exactly sure what to watch. They all seem to be the same anyways.

6. Watch some quality, entertaining movies (And still cant coerce myself to writing some reviews).

See, thats a pretty exhaustive list. But, even With so much to do, I still feel bored. I seriously think I need a break, or maybe just a simple trip to rejuvenate my spirits. Though that doesnt seem to be coming any time soon !!

Movie Review: Ghajini (2008)

Genre: Drama, Action
Director: A.R .Murugadoss
Cast: Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal, Pradeep Rawat, Jiah Khan

It was the second most awaited film this year for me (the 1st slot had been taken by “The Dark Knight”) & it definitely was worth the wait. Based on the concept of Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece “Memento”, A.R. Murugadoss’s “GHAJINI” had all the ingredients to be a masala potboiler. Aamir khan, his most talked about 8 pack abs (you should see the no. of people flocking the gym nowadays) , Asin’s bollywood debut, remake of a superhit Tamil movie, the “Memento” link & all the hype surrounding it. These were reasons enough for people to be drawn to the theatres. No, I haven’t watched the Tamil version yet & I have watched “Memento” several times.

The movie follows the story of a telecom tycoon, Sanjay who falls in love with an aspiring model Kalpana. The depiction of their sweet love story is the hallmark of the movie. However, it wasn’t one with a happy ending, as Kalpana is killed & Sanjay is severely injured on the head. Sanjay develops a case of “Anterograde Amnesia”. He can remember things for only about 15 minutes. He sets off to find the man responsible for Kalpana’s death & the only clue he has is the last word Kalpana had whispered into his ears…. “Ghajini”. It’s a story of revenge, or should I say…RETRIBUTION.

Aamir sparkles yet again in both his avatars in the movie. He plays the gentleman tycoon with flair & does an even better job playing the killing machine who has only one thing on his mind…Revenge. You can almost feel his raw animal instincts taking over every time he fights. Asin plays the bubbly & sweet Kalpana with elan. She couldn’t have asked for a better debut & we certainly would want to see more of her. Pradeep Rawat plays Ghajini, the bad guy, & he doesn’t disappoint. Jiah Khan does a decent job in her second movie (I haven’t watched “Nishabd” & have no intentions of watching it in the future :P).

A.R.Rahman has given us some great music in 2008 & “Ghajini” is probably the best of the lot. He has experimented with the songs a lot & the results are amazing. The camera work is very good. I loved the visuals of the song “Hai Guzaarish”. It has been shot in a desert, probably to draw the analogy of Sanjay waiting for Kalpana’s response as the desert waits for rain. My favourite song however, is “Kaise Mujhe…” as it leaves a haunting feeling every time you hear it.

Overall, I found the movie very entertaining. Even though it was 3 hours long, it never felt slow or boring. Found some people complaining about the so-called “excessively gory” fight scenes in the movie. Well, the answer for them is: “People, the guy can remember things for only 15 minutes. So if he doesn’t get the bad guys knocked out in 15 minutes, he might forget that he was supposed to be hitting them in the first place. Hence the work outs and hence the fast paced & severe blows. Its simple logic…..Besides, if you think THIS is gory, puhhleeezz go & watch “Sin City” or the like”.

Yes, there are loopholes in the story, but even then, the movie definitely is good paisa vasool! Go & watch it…coz if u haven’t done that till now, u have committed a heinous crime against the institution that we call the Bollywood Masala!

P.S: I am a fan of good bollywood masala movies so it might seem a bit opinionated….but this is MY blog remember!!!