Let it go! Let it come!

Drop the last year in to silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank god that it can go! 2013, an year which can go. It had to go.

It did start on a positive note. Well, everything new does. But the year was bad. 'Tough' would be a better word. It had everything in it to be called one of the worst years of my life so far. It was imperfect. It can go. It had to go.

But, there is never the lack of a silver lining in any cloud. And for that matter in the darkest of clouds the silver lining shined brightest and for that I am thankful. I am humbled. For the friends. For the family. For those who heard my lamentations, for those who tolerated my nonsense, for those who prayed for me, for those who stood by me, and above all for those who loved me. I am thankful. The places I lived changed, not the people nor their support. They were my silver lining.

New year! New hopes! Looking forward to a close friends wedding, to vintage travels, to many days of laughter, to new opportunities, to many many many stories and indulgences, to the deep changes happening in the country, to many new books, to lovely new music, to many new write ups here, and to the challenges of the exams. Let it come!

Life, in between the "Let it go's" and "Let it come's" is beautiful. isn't it?

 

But for them, the world is a worse place!

It was humbling! Truly humbling. Life had not been good to them. At least that is what I had thought before. But when I saw them dancing and having fun, I think I am made to eat my words. I mean, my thoughts.

Elwin centre for the mentally retarded is a school I had known for years now. My best friend's dad is the principal for years and we are family friends ever since I remember. So it is easy to know the school well. I had been to the campus many times, played with the mentally challenged children on so many occasions but this has not stuck me before.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the Christmas programme of the mentally challenged children of the school. A good friend wanted to take snaps and so I went to the very front of the auditorium and sat there with the other kids witnessing the cultural programme.

The kids I sat with were all excited to see their friends come on to the stage. You can see that on their faces that they wanted good for them. They were happy, plain and simple! There were no remorse, glaring mistakes were not jeered at, no booing, no whistling, no 'boys VS girls' competition, no gang fights. Through out the programme, I watched their faces. Both the ones on the stage and those off it. The smile did not go away. The excitement never wavered. The happiness was there right through!

Suddenly it sparked on me. The purity of the happiness I had lost along the way. The excitement in me wavered. Hatred has become a part of me; Competition has taken away the sheen of pure love. But all of them I saw, in those tiny deformed faces.

May be, I had thought the world would have been a better place without them! Yes, I mean it. But then, truly I am made to believe that the world is in fact a better place. But for them, the purity of love and happiness is all but lost.

Yes! It is humbling; humbling to know that the kids I met yesterday were way ahead of me in their lives for they know not anything but love.

 

The family that made the difference!

He was Mumbai's brightest star; The next big thing happening to mumbai after the little master Sunil Gavaskar;Was often called the Vivian Richards of mumbai! It was on his stumps that the famed coach Ramakant Achrekar had placed a coin first - a sign in Mumbai cricket circles that you were the chosen one.No,No, you are wrong! He is not the now 'former' great Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. He is one Mr. Gurav Anil.

When the entire country was celebrating Sachin, Gurav was lying down far far away from the Wankhede.The smell of cheap alcohol rests around him, as do years of pain in his wild, staring glazed eyes. Where did it all go wrong? Some 25 years back his biggest fans were Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. Sadly now, even his children don't talk to him. 

When Sachin in his farewell speech mentioned every single member of his family as the backbone of his success, Gurav was almost cursing his family. Ironically his brother was also named Ajit! Remember Ajit Tendulkar?

Ajit, Gurav's brother fell in to bad company and police were behind the entire Gurav family from then on. Life, took the wrong turn once his younger brother became the target of the police. Finally to distance himself from police he had to move away from his place! And sadly away from cricket. 

May be 'Gurrrrraaaaaav Gurraav' would have been a chant as well! Another cricketing hero could have won Bharat Ratna; could have become the cynosure of all eyes; It did not happen that way. And one major difference between Sachin and Gurav was the influence that institution called 'family' had on the two individuals.

I don't deny that there were other differences. It is said Gurav failed to score in an important match when the selectors were watching. He did not have the temperament to fight on. And there were many other factors as well. 

Yet, of course yet with a capital 'Y' it was the FAMILY, the real difference.

Sachinism! Thank you sachin!

I didn't want to write this. I told my dad I'm not going to write on sachin. There are literally hundreds of them writting and I didn't  want to repeat the cliche, "Thank you sachin"! But then, as always I decided to go with the flow than resist it.

Well, to me the greatest thing sachin has done to this country is to bring the smile back. After a hard days labour, after wrestling poverty and hunger, after muddling through chaotic traffic, the average Indian needed him to bring that sanity, bring that smile.And he did exactly that, for 24 long years.

The Hindus loved him as much as the Muslims did; The poor, the rich, the upper caste, the lowest of castes, the army men, the Bollywood stars, the prime ministers, the rickshaw wallahs! The sad reality of a divided India did not matter when sachin was at the crease. And again I say he brought them all smiles! Happiness!

I agree, the farewell went overboard; He overstayed his stay; there were other important things than a cricketer farewell. But then, what is life without a little joy and happiness? May be it is just a sport, may be cricket is taken too seriously in this country; yes, he is not god and failed so many times; yet if there was one man who had brought so much to this country then he deserves it all.

There was a saying "India slept well, when sachin scored a century!" And for that I salute him! And for that I repeat the cliche! "Thank you sachin". 

In tough times!

It was last Wednesday when that deadly news came. The biggest tragedy my life has seen since it originated. Shook me, it did. Well, life's realities are some times bitter. But then, in the darkest of nights the lights shine bright. And the last few days have been days like that. It is dark and gloomy, but small lights, lights showing the next few steps have been ever present. There is HIS magnificent Grace which I will have to write about here someday; But today I want to write about one other light which is keeping us going, through these tough times.

Friendships! Often been taken for granted; In these dark ages the saying goes, that friends come and go with the wind. When the wind is not blowing and the dark days are showing its face, it is often said the friends will no longer be seen. I don't believe it anymore. Exceptions are there, but they are only exceptions.

The friends have kept us going. The phone calls, the innumerable messages, the prayers, the visits have been humbling. Overwhelming would be a better word. A friend booked me tickets, a friend put me on to the plane, another picked me up in the airport, one cried with me, one stayed with us, one cooked for us, and the list is big. Mine, My brothers, my fathers, my moms, my aunts, my uncles, my sisters and it goes on.

Of course family has been the back bone. The extended family has been amazing. And so for me there is no difference between the family and the friends. It has been one big entity. One big family.

Thank you all people. You all have kept us going. Thank you so much

Legends and Longevity - The capital 'L'

It was tense in the centre. The atmosphere was electric. India playing Pakistan. He was young, confident, considered one of the best at the local level. One shot and he will be the toast of the nation.

Hrishikesh Kanitkar had his moments of glory. A swept four in those tense moments against the arch rivals made him a hero. The nation celebrated him. But,sadly life stopped there for him. The average man knew him as a one game wonder. May be even a one four wonder!

As a nation we are self congratulatory. One singular achievement denotes 50 years of progress. But sadly it will be forgotten in the evening. That was the tragedy of the Kanitkars. The next generation will not know them. And that is what make Sachin and Dravid the legends they are.

Of course yes, they had their individual moments of glory. In fact they had too many of them. Dravid had bailed the team on 'God knows how many times', and Sachin had been a permanent feature ever since I knew what television was. That is what separates the men from the boys. That word Longevity. That is what makes them the legends.

When Sachin and Dravid went in to the ground today for one last time in coloured clothing, life stood still for a moment. For a moment, I had a lump in my throat. I know life will move on. And the Samsons of the next generation will become bigger heroes.

But surely, legends live long. In the record books, In our memories and more importantly in our hearts.

How I wish life could be like this for eternity!

So here am I taking a break from life itself! Hell no. I am not quitting. Just taken a break. Plain and simple. Between the rigorous civil service preparation phase to the 'God knows what next' phase. So I don't do anything basically. Just sit and read some thing or blog some times.

It was a typical Friday morning. My friend U messaged saying that he is planning a two day road trip to the outskirts of Pune where he and his wife make their home. I felt envious. I told him, I will try to spoil his trip by telling his wife D (My college mate and a good friend as well) that driving alone is dangerous. This was supposed to be their first trip driving by themselves. The next moment I found myself calling D. D was her usual self. She believes her husband upside down. Though her feminine instinct said the opposite, she will never refuse her husband driving her on a road trip. Yet, she also said "Sam, you should be here! What are you doing there?"

That last statement set the ball rolling. I called my brother to ask whether he can sponsor a trip and got an immediate affirmative. Five hours from that moment I landed in Pune. All this happened without my friends knowledge. D had arranged for a cab to pick me up from airport and there I was in front of my surprised and excited friend the very same evening. Another friend of D joined us that night and here we are, four of us ready for a two day road trip.

The first day we went to a brilliant lush green plateau. The climate was the definition of what we call 'awesome'. The yellow flowers made me go 'awwwww'! The lake on both the sides of the plateau made breath taking view. The silence was defeaning. Life! After taking some snaps we went to a water fall. Two huge water falls just beyond a deep valley make you feel small. 'Wow' would be an understatement. I know I'm going too far, but can't help it. We also went up the waterfalls and were able to take some scintillating pictures in the river about to fall. Then the return back was as much fun as was the going.

The second day was the surprise. D said she had booked for water Rappelling. Never in my mind I imagined what I will end up doing in the next few hours. Around 20 of us were taken to the top of a huge water falls. 150 feel fall is what I consider huge. So we are on the top of the water fall after some walk. Now comes the activity Rappelling. We are to tie ropes around the body and will have to climb down the steep mountain along with the water fall. Oh! what fun it was. Just the purity of adventure. Adventure in its highest form. Suddenly I found myself tied to a rock, climbing down 150 feet clinging on to a rope.The 10 craziest minutes of my life. I even posed for a picture mid way in the air! By the time I got down, my shoes got torn. And I had to walk back, almost a kilometre on four legs in the deepest of jungle along a gentle stream. Huh! I am short of adjectives here. After all four of us finished our turn to come down, we went around taking snaps again in that serene environment. Serenity personified!

Well, It has to end some where. Two of the best days of my life. Full of fun, full of laughter. A Beautiful couple, a nice friend and a kind brother is all it takes to make life exciting. I am back in business. Business of deciding what next. Reality! But, How I wish life could be like this for eternity.


                                                      Just beyond the water fall! Four of us

There I am! Rapelling!