Fighting death

I have already wet my eyes even before writing this blog.

 

One of our colleagues in office, Alfred was told by the doctors that he will have only 5 more months to live.

 

Alfred is young at heart and soul type of person. He is young, intelligent and loved by all. He has a beautiful wife and small cute little kids. He is suffering from cancer. Initially he was told that he would be cured by the much painful chemotherapy treatment which he was undergoing. Today he went to hospital for initial discussion with the Oncologist just to discover that he has only 5 months more to live. He does not believe in it. He firmly believes that there is more to life because he just feels better.

 

Few months back, he was totally a man full of life and enthusiasm and now a sudden change of fate has drowned the hopes to depth. It is all in the hands of God, when He roars no one says anything.

 

Then too, I would pray for to the Almighty that Alfred gets more on life and wish that doctors are wrong in predicting his expiry and may he live longer to fulfill all his dreams and support his family. And I really want this magic to happen to him.

 

God bless you Alfred. May you live longer.

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ICC World Twenty20 England '09 exclusively on YAHOO! CRICKET

People in India, I admire the most - Sachin Tendulkar

“Commit all your crimes when HE is playing. Because even God is watching.”

 

I would probably commit an injustice to myself if I had not begun to this series without God. Every new and good things are to be started with the name of God is what we follow as a ritual here in India. Less of a ritual and more of a respect here. Yes, God here means Sachin Tendulkar.

 

I am not going to write in something extra-ordinary or something which is special or unknown to anyone. Because He is a kind of genre which is known by almost everyone in India, and why in India itself, over the entire world (well at least the cricket playing nations). Having completed 20 years in International Cricket, He is no doubt a legend to all of us. People’s love knows no bounds when it comes to Him, such is His aura.

 

Ever heard of Tendulkar fixed in news except the Ferrari incident? NO. And BTW Ferrari incident was something which was not His fault.

Ever heard of Tendulkar being banned or disqualified for matches due to indecent behavior? NO.

You name a negative thing and Tendulkar won’t be even besides it. Extremely clean and charismatic character, a boy with King Midas feature. He turned every moment in cricket into gold for His fans. We Indians are so sensitive about cricket, it being our religion. Even if we know at the bottom of our hearts that India is going to lose a match for sure, we have this unprecedented ray of hope shining from nowhere beneath us just because God is still on crease. He might not make India win it, but then too we have faith in His magic. Such is his caliber. Much like the ‘jadoo ka chirag’. And how many us switch off their TVs when He is no more on the ground? I do that. Personally I prefer football over cricket (50 overs), but when Sachin is batting, I can shed anything to see Him bat.

 

A short heighted man with ruffled hairstyle, extremely calm and composed body language, guided with pads and helmet and an MRF run scoring machine in His hands -  He is totally a disaster for the opponents. After 20 years of playing world class cricket, almost all the top notch bowlers know His weakness in batting and can articulate a strategy to get His wicket in the initial overs of the match. But then too, no one dare to under-look or ignore His stature. They have got to get a strategy even if He is ill or injured. He is that feared a batsmen. Extremely talented, playing almost every shot in the definition of cricket dictionary and not only playing, mastering it even, this little (I mean only the height) guy is a bazooka. If He grooves well, He is unstoppable by any force or means. The beauty of cricket and batting can be seen with His style of batting. He gives cricket that earning edge over all games. He is the sole to Indian cricket era.

 

I wonder what would happen to matches after Tendulkar retires. I know, I am being a lot more sentimental as there are many guys like MSD, YS, RS, ZK, etc. But Sachin is Sachin. No one can blend the taste of cricket so beautifully as done by the God. No controversies, no counter verbal acts. He makes every other person respect Him just with the help of his bat.

 

To coin in a great incident over here, sometime last year, during Challenger’s trophy, in some practice match, Sreesanth was bowling to Sachin. After 3 balls from him which Sachin could not play, he got air off his head. So he walked towards Tendulkar after the 3^rd ball and patted His butt in arrogance. To this, very obviously Sachin did not utter even a word. On the 4^th ball He hit him for a huge six like a slap on a face, approached him and said, ‘Don’t ever come near to me’. After this, Sreesanth got embedded on his mind for ever that he messed up with the wrong guy. He makes others respect him just with his bat. No words, no gestures, no dialogs, no complaints, it is just His bat and one tight slap on the bowler’s face.

 

How can we forget about Sharjah Cup 1998. He tormented the Aussie attack and Warne commented that he dreamt of Tendulkar every night hitting him huge over the ropes. Sachin is extremely polite as a person. He is dreadly only when he bats. He is unstoppable. And better not to mess with Him. He is a kind of player to hit you big by calling for it. It’s not a gamble my friend. Its serious business.

 

There are plenty of occasions when Sachin has scored a century and India has lost the matches. Infact, according to the statistics more than half of the time India has lost the matches while Sachin scoring a ton. And there are plenty of occasions when he wasn’t in a good form to the delight of the opponents. And then I would say

 

“Form is temporary, but class is permanent.”

 

BBC once quoted on Him, “Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives”

 

Glenn McGrath on Sachin, “The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility - all make for a one-in-a-billion individual”

Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sachin, “India me aap Prime Minister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte ho.. Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli tak nahi utha Sakte..”

And this one is the best: Matthew Hayden on Sachin, “I HAVE SEEN GOD, HE BATS AT NO.4 FOR INDIA”

With almost every record to his name, countless fans, boundless runs, great achievements, success at his doorstep, the only thing I dream about is that, India should win this world cup with Sachin playing in it. Even Sachin has commented desires on the same; He has never won a world cup for India. This would be the best possible end to and awesome era of cricket and the highest mark on his career.

 

We wish you all the best and we all love you Sachin.

Puppet !!

Ever ended up with piles of things at the same time? It is indeed a deadlier feeling. No, I am not talking about loads of work or chores to do. I am talking about responsibilities.

Having a job shifted to Mumbai compelled me to go for looking a home which I can call my own. And believe me buying an apartment is the hardest and the most complex thing in the world next to rocket science.

After roaming places and tasting all the dust and sweat, you finally get an apartment. But then it pinches your pocket. Because, when you decide a budget for something, it always fall short of about 8-10%. You decide to buy a car and fix your budget up to 4 lacs. But unfortunately you like a car which is priced at around 5 lacs. Same is with buying an apartment. So you plan up all the investments, look for all the FDs and funds and somehow adjust feeling the punch in your own self. Once you are into that tension (here, being into a tension means virtually being out of tension), you are pushed for getting married for being over an age of 27-28 yrs. Then another herculean task arises in front of you. And mind that, you are working hard in offices till late hours. So even that is not a cooler life as you would think of.

This race of life is just so that you probably think, that once you are done with these major things in life, you can live your age hood much peacefully. But in most of the cases, this is not the case. Because, human needs are unlimited. You grow, your salary grows, so does your needs. And the vicious circle of matrix called life continues.

Then once you get married, life changes drastically. And I am not going to highlight that part here, as there can ne n number of situations and protocols for n number of people. Hence, the wheel of life goes on and on till it gets worn out.

And then probably, when you are old enough to run or get up without support you just think about the race of life, just to find that life always wins in all the scenarios. And you were just a mere puppet which life used to play along.

Money has no memory..... Experience has....

You will never know what the total cost of your education was, but for a lifetime you will recall and relive the memories of schools and colleges. Few years from now, you will forget the amount you paid to settle the hospitalization bill, but will ever cherish having saved your mother's life or the life you get to live with the just born. You won't remember the cost of your honeymoon, but to the last breath remember the experiences of the bliss of togetherness. Money has no memory.  Experience has…..

Good times and bad times, times of prosperity and times of poverty, times when the future looked so secure and times when you didn't know from where the tomorrow will come. Life has been in one way or the other a roller-coaster ride for everyone. Beyond all that abundance and beyond all that deprivation, what remains is the memory of experiences. Sometimes the wallet was full. Sometimes even the pocket was empty. There was enough and you still had reasons to frown. There wasn't enough and you still had reasons to smile. Today, you can look back with tears of gratitude for all the times you had laughed together, and also look back with a smile at all the times you cried alone. All in all, life filled you with experiences to create a history of your own self, and you alone can remember them all.

The first time you balanced yourself on your cycle without support.
The first time she said 'yes' and it was two years since you proposed.
The first cry, the first steps, the first word, the first kiss. All of your child.
The first gift you bought for your parents and the first gift your daughter gave you.
The first award, the first public appreciation, the first stage performance
And the list is endless. Experiences……………..with timeless memory.

No denying that anything that's material cost money, but the fact remains the cost of the experience will be forgotten, but the experience never.

So, what if it's economic recession? Let it be, but let there not be a recession to the quality of your life. You can still take your parents, if not on a pilgrimage, at least to the local temple. You can still play with your children, if not on an international holiday, at least in the local park. It doesn't cost money to lie down or to take a loved one onto your lap. Nice time to train the employees, create leadership availability and be ready for the wonderful times when they arrive. Hey! Aspects like your health, knowledge development and spiritual growth are not economy dependent.

Time will pass. Economy will revive. Currency will soon be in current. And in all this, I don't want you to look back and realize you did nothing but stayed in gloom. Recession can make you lose out on money. Let it not make you lose out on experiences. If you are not happy with what you have, no matter how much more you have, you will still not be happy.

Coz money has no memory, but experience has…..

PS: This story was forwarded via email. Its actual source is unknown.

Child Labour

And we call ourselves a developing nation!

When we witness the very brutal scene of child labor and do nothing. I don’t know about others, but my one and only concern about being a socialist is being against child labor. Back in school, I always read that illiteracy is the root cause of all evils. So true. Small chaps in around almost every corner of the country are compelled to face these brutal and inhumane deeds which we are not even aware of all our lives.

They are forced to work at tea stall, garment shops, dump yards, etc, for little or no wages. And they work for as many as 10-12 hrs a day. For all the amount of time when we (IT professionals) are on bench and enjoying an online Sudoku or a nice sip of coffee in an air conditioned office, these little innocent children of God are facing the most brutal and adverse conditions of their lives.

And you know what the worst part is? No one gives a f**k about it. It has been legally banned to hire a child and to practice child labor. But who the f**k cares about rules and laws in India?

These young kids, who should probably be given at least an un-torn piece of clothing and minimal education to make them wise are rubbing their fates at work we can’t even imagine. They are molding iron in hot furnaces in extremely hazardous conditions, serving tea to utter bast**ds, cleaning cars and buses in garages and doing all the shitty work they are not supposed to do, and that without or minimal wages.

I find many forces responsible for that one child’s fate. First and foremost are their parents. When you can’t raise your child why the f**k do you give birth to them. Just because you can , doesn’t mean you should create babies and then leave them at stations and roads and ask them to beg or leave them without any clothing, shelter and food wandering all the places.

Then, why is the government in place. To make laws and to strictly follow these laws and punish those who don’t. Such is their simple job. But such a cheap character is portrayed by so called politicians now a days, that they are in-efficient to solve such ground reality harshness. What is the use of all the nuclear deals and oil allies and all the billions of dollars in projects when you can’t eradicate a small bug in the system?

Most of the problems threatening India today are due to lack of awareness. Media can go to utter bullshit things to create hype of all the unwanted and shitty facts (?) but they won’t go and create awareness of such grave scenarios like child labor or raising literacy. Why are all responsible people so f**king careless about their responsibilities? No doubt, every other Indian utters a word that ‘India ka kuch nahi ho sakta’. I somewhat agree to these workforces now. Because, a common man is helpless (?) and an extra-ordinary man is too way beyond of all these concerns.

Cricketers and film stars who drive India crazy by their style quotient have so much to their credibility to give it back to the society. But they are no humans, coz they don’t know how to give back. And so is their morale - low and tweak. Hats off to Sachin Tendular who recently announced that he will be sponsoring the education of 200 poor children. These are men of honor. I bow to such people. And believe me, whatever I can do for such concerns, I will do.

It is high time that educated and knowledgeable people like us, take the responsibility of driving our society in particular and India in general to a successful path. We just can’t rely on the government for solving all the problems faced my mankind. We just can’t completely rely on God to do all the justice. Coz He helps only those who help themselves.

Aspire a feeling of help towards other, to those who are less fortunate, to those who struggle their lives just for one meal a day, to those who are physically challenged, to those who, unfortunately, belong to the under privileged societies. For, even they are human. And the war is not (or rather should not be) against humanity.

Lets inculcate a feeling of humanity within us. Lets plan to heal the world. For then, we can at least heal one life.