NOBODY CALLS HIM SRT, HE IS SIMPLY SACHIN!

Millions of pages, photographs and terabytes of info have been made on him. This ‘Little Master’ has almost all the records of the game of Cricket in his name. Actually the nickname originally belonged to his favorite and revered elder, Sunil (Sunny) Gavaskar and Sunny must be ruing to have lost the exclusive title. One feels that the title ‘little master’ should have stayed with Gavaskar and he could have been  appropriately called as Master Blaster.

Sachin is his first name. Sachin comes from Sachchai and Truth is the English of Sachchai. Yes, there is a lot of truth in his batting and he had been truthful mostly (barring the intrigue of  ‘monkey gate’, of course). Independent India’s motto is ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (truth alone prevails) and in Sachin, the entire nation of 1.2 billion people (a little more than one sixth of the Planets’ population)  wants to see only the truth. And, truth is God. Whichever way you look at it, Sachin is God.

In the terabytes of folklore written about him, all his records are highlighted and one sees no point in reiterating it. Actually everyone knows his records. So what is that one could write about him? May be things that ‘aam’ people do not know about him?…….

Sachin is a Maharashtrian Brahmin. In India’s cast hierarchy, Brahmins do represent the God. Many of his illustrious predecessors are Brahmins. Gavsakar, Solkar, Wadekar, Vengsrakar are some names that immediately come to mind. In a deeply caste infested country of India, it is the Brahmins who were the upper most and in cricket too, the brahminical supremacy continued, only to be changed by the backward class boys who are now entering into it from the interior cities such as Ranchi, Saurashtra, Meerut etc. The winds of change is happening, indeed!

Not sure how many people know that Sachin is ambidextrous. Both hands of Sachin are equally powerful. And that shows in his master piece shots and his ability to carry a heavier cricket bat with élan.

Sachin’s wife Anjali Tendulkar, nee Mehta is a full 6 years senior to him. And that’s interesting. A country that predominantly goes by arranged marriages, it is almost always that the bridegroom would be senior to the bride by an average of 5 to 6 years. Here it is revers! While Anjali may find it difficult to catch up with him as the couple moves into the plus side of life, one should remember that  God is eternal, for his age could be as old as the age of the universe. Surely Sachin carries  wisdom much higher than his actual age and she carries a persona that looks much younger to her actual age. Good for them!

Sachin isn’t a great leader but he is a great motivator. His leadership skills as captain did not result in any major wins for India. Had he continued the captaincy, cricket would have lost Sachin much earlier. Wisdom prevailed with the selectors and they preserved him by taking away his additional stressful responsibility. Mind you, with players coming from as diverse a background of unrelated languages, cultures and values systems, it is never easy to lead Team India.

Had he been a transformational leader, with his popularity and his new found position as the Member of India Parliament, he could have easily cleaned up the dirty stables of BCCI, when the opportunity came up recently. He never tried, actually he just didn’t bother. One truly wonders, why didn’t you Sachin?........

Sachin is a thoughtful, peaceful guy who respects the power. He is orthodox in his thoughts of Cricket being a Gentlemen’s game. He wouldn’t like its decorum to be lost but at the same time, he accepts the variations that time brings to the game (Test to ODI to 20/20). He brings peace wherever he goes. He always spoke with a language of respect and you wouldn’t find a humble cricketer like Sachin, comparing his tall achievements.

Such is the popularity of the game in India, almost all of the Indian cricketers openly or discreetly had experienced the Casanova phase. Though one had heard some, no one would believe any negative stories about him. He is Sachin and Sachin is Truth and Character. He can’t do any wrong. Let it stay that way. Good for all……

In the modern game of Cricket, it is simply not possible to have a player stay on to play 200 test matches in his lifetime (you add the ODIs and other form of matches into it see how staggering could it be). It isn’t that easy to break his records and also the record of his longevity in the game. Players like Ricky Ponting tried, but to no success. So it looks that the records on his name are going to stay, most probably forever. Though there are talks in hush of pretenders like Virat Kohli, one must admit the impossibility of anyone coming near. Look at it, a long standing player like Chanderpaul of Windies, at the age of 39, is playing only his 150^th test match!

Mumbai is the most happening place of India. One of the most populous cities in the world! The financial capital of the country. Surprisingly Mumbai is where dreams are made too. The Bollywood, the single largest move-making town in the world, in which the Kumars, the Kapurs, The Bachchans, The khans and the hordes of dream girls and Villains and  vamps and what not; live it out in pomp and show. And in this city was born a brahmin boy, four decades back. He had the talent, the discipline, the hard work, the focus, the character and above all, the morale. And probably that’s why he never got called as SRT, but SIMPLY SACHIN!

Adios, Sachin! May you live in interesting times!

LIFECYCLE

Transient, the trivia

Day in and day out

In living, working, procreating

Feeling, seeing, experiencing
Pain, pleasure, fear
Wakeful state view

Rest, sleep, dream

Prelude to unconsciousness
Rapid eyes, abstract views
Tremble in fear or roar of laughter
If you wake up, just to
Ambivalence uncertain
 
Deep slumber thereafter
Of nothingness, real dark
Of uninterrupted peace
No fear, no feeling
Safe, devoid of senses, except
An unconscious working body

Wake back to trivia

From unknown to known
Safety to danger
Of tumultuous world
A big stage, the playground
You are back to act, play

In time, you  grow

Into your inabilities
Know the futile worth
Of your creations and you
A short life in planet’s long endurance
Realizing maya – the illusion

Bhaja govindam, bhaja govindam

Govindam bhaja, Mooddhamate

WHAT FREEDOM?

When

The Leaders of masses

And dealers of its hope

Plunder and loot the nation

To add on to existing riches

 

When

Businessmen, the creators of wealth

Than distributing 

Aggregate much more of it

Through corrupt illegal means

 

When

Bureaucrat hands over, in servitude

The governance and the control

To selfish, clever, goon leaders

For a promotion or  small favors

 

When

Judiciary indulge in activism

With unreigned  power  backed by

Byzantine archaic complex laws

For one-upmanship, whether right or wrong

 

When

Media house sells its soul

To corporates and politicos

As paid news and advertorials

In lieu of wealth and power

 

When

Currency depreciate, investment evaporate

Growth and jobs stunt

Inclusivity is only a lip service

And the Country is coming to halt

 

When

Quality, innovation, leadership

Knowledge, integrity

Do not come to the fore

And truth turns into casualty

 

When

Aggression, arrogance

Muscle power, money, nepotism

Prevail and influence the mind

With no going back to the values

 

Then my son,

On this Independence day

How do I explain freedom

As a state of mind of no inhibition

And a privilege to live, to love, to aspire

To excel, to grow and to fulfill your hope?

THERE IS HOPE FROM THE NEW POPE

1.2 Billion Catholic Christians from across the  globe can rejoice now ,for they have a new pope, Pope Francis, formerly, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina, however of Italian origin. It is almost 1400 years that a Pope came from outside Europe. The 266^th Pope of Vatican who is 76 years old has not been in the contention and had his return ticket booked to come back to Argentina for leading Easter mass. It is also a fact that the newspapers predicted more chances for Cardinals from Italy, US and Brazil. So for all devout Christians, Pope Francis, actually is a surprise package.

But as more news started coming out, it turns out that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was destined to be the Pope. In the last election of Pope, where the German Cardinal Ratzinger went on to become the Head of Vatican, as Pope Benedict the 16^th, the little muse tells that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio ran close to him and eventually prayed to the congregation of Cardinals then that his name be taken away from the contest. It is also a fact that when he turned 75 he had offered to resign from Cardinal’s post and the Papa had rejected his offer. In a way, one could call him a reluctant Pope.

Francis Pope came into priesthood little late but rose in the hierarchy very fast.  There is another specialty about him as he came from the Jesuit order which is normally overlooked when selection of Pope happens. He was truly committed to serve the poor and had shunned the Cardinal’s palace in Argentina to stay in an ordinary house and he took public transport to travel.  No wonder when he was elected to be the Pope, he took the name of Francis, taken from St. Francis of Assisi, the Saint who always worked for the poor and the downtrodden. Some year’s back, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio made history by washing the leg of 14 HIV patients in, prior to the Easter celebrations.

There are many things unique to Francis pope. During his childhood, due to health reasons, one of his lungs was removed and our Pope therefore is one lunged.  Francis Pope is a person of great humour. During the first dinner after he was elected as the Pope, he is said to quipped to the Cardinals, “Now that you had made the mistake of electing me, you must bear the brunt”!

In his approach to Christianity, Francis Pope is said to be a conservative. During the times when he was priest and Bishop, he was against Gay marriage and abortion. There is school of thought in Argentina that he did not fight for the lives of the young radicals who were disappearing from Argentina when the Military was ruling Argentina. He also said not to have high relations with the current Argentinean President, Christina. Argentina being a devout Christian country; however that would now turn out to be the problem of Argentinean President and not his.

It is generally believed that Pope Benedict the 16^th could not do much as the Pope due to the intense flux that the Catholics the world was undergoing. Though he had cited health reasons to abdicate the throne, this disillusionment also was said to be the reason for the former Pope to step down, something that happened after 600 years of Pope-dom.

Everyone believes that Papacy is in transition. With the world order undergoing rapid changes, and with people wanting inclusivity in all walks of life, it should be the endeavor of the new pope to concentrate his efforts for the upliftment of the poor. This is one message that the Francis Pope had already taken to heart. His initial announcements to the world had been “Church for the Poor” and therein lay the hope.

I am not a Christian and I am empathetic to all religions. I would like to highlight a comment of my wife when I opened the newspaper that day morning that carried the news of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio becoming the Pope.  Looking up at his foolscap photo on the vernacular daily, she instantaneously said, “What a saintly looking person”! That is something I readily concurred. Here is a Pope who in every sense is very saintly.  For someone who requests when meeting people “pray for me”, now he has responsibility of praying and working for one sixth of the world population. And that indeed is a tremendous responsibility for the first pope from Latin America

.

By the way, what will happen to Mr. Francis Pope, an investment banker of Toronto, Canada and Dr Francis Pope, an Atmospheric Scientist from Birmingham University, UK? Someone had taken their name away. It won’t be life as usual for them. Looking at their business cards, eyebrows will get raised from now on and that is something these two gentlemen have to live with, though it would be a pleasant experience for both.

OSCAR PISTORIUS - ANOTHER IDOL FALLS

Another idol bites dust! I had already written about similar cases, taking examples of Tiger wood and Lance Armstrong. From the very pinnacle of popularity they tumbled down, due to their own deeds. Reasons, it is women, fame or wealth, what else?



Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius, a double below knee amputee, shot to fame by participating in the World Athletics Championships in 2011, a meet meant for able bodied athletes. He competed in the 400 meters sprint and the 4 × 400 meters relay event and won silver in the relay event for South Africa. A year later, though an amputee, he made history by taking part in the Summer Olympics in London in the year 2012.



He became the darling of the masses, a persona who displayed the highest of endurance to overcome a big physical weakness, win over it to lead the life of a normal person and compete with fully able bodied individuals at the highest levels. Nations and Associations honoured him. Companies sponsored him and made him the brand ambassador. He won the love of the beautiful Ms. Reeva Steenkamp, a model cum TV artiste and together they showed the perfect picture of a couple in deep love. Everyone thought of it as eternal and joyously wished them the very best.
And then what happens?


On the early morning of Valentine’s Day this year, he shoots his sweetheart down to death. He was arrested and taken to prison. While he wants to portray the mishap as accidental, there is the public prosecutor clamoring over him with argument that it is indeed a premeditated murder. What is right? We cannot tell now but time will …...


However I have this uncanny feeling in my gut that Pistorius killed her. Do I have reasons for the argument? Very little, I know……


My theory is based on this understanding of watching top glamorous people, those who hit the roof with adulation and popularity. Suddenly they believe that they could do anything and whatever they are doing is right. They feel that they are justified in doing anything. Even if they do a wrong, they internalize that people will condone it. They completely live in a make believe world, an ivory tower, being fed with only things they like, hearing only good things that they want to hear. Actually they lose the balance and truly go nuts.


Pistorius’s case cannot be any different. The biggest challenge of a human is the ability to be balanced at the time of being in the pinnacle of glory.  Very low percentage of people had overcome it and led normal lives. For a majority, it is the summit, then do an absolutely wrong thing and tumble down to the abyss of bad fame, to be forgotten, forever.



What will happen to Pistorius?  Will he be able to crawl out of the deep gorge that he had fallen? Will people help him to come back to lead a normal life? Will he be able to compete in international athletic events and win prices? What will be his future?



Yes, my guess is as good as yours…………………..

ELEPHANTS & THE FESTIVAL SEASON

By the last quarter of every year, the festivals in temples and churches in Kerala start and it goes on for the next 6 months. With tens of thousands of temples and churches around in Kerala, we see very high level of ostentatious rituals in these places that necessarily include ‘ghoshayatras (processions)’ and ‘talapolis’ around the place of worship. The inhabitants of these places celebrate in style, both individually and collectively. Kith and kin of these people employed at different places in the country and the world, takes vacation to participate in these endeavors. Year on year, the size and substance of this practice is only going up. More money, more programs, more sponsorship and more entertainments happen every year. Many a time, it also becomes a show of strength between families or “karakkars (local inhabitants)” and big time rivalries germinate during festivals too.

Whereas in churches the usage of elephants in procession is minimal, it is in Hindu temples that we see such acts in abundance. During the procession, the idol is taken out for ‘nadukanal (city dasrshan)’ or for people to do the ritual of “parrayidil”. The God’s effigy is taken out on the top of the tuskers and it is such a pitiable site to see the dressed up elephant being taken out with all the drums, bugles and noises around it. Please do understand that these are indeed hot, humid and dusty times and it is truly irritating for this big animal to undergo such hardships, which actually could be termed as torture. No wonder, the animal rebels and lately, every day we hear of mishaps happening due to the irritated misbehavior of the tuskers.  Another major case is the display multitudes of fully dressed up (Nettippattom, Alavattom & Venchamaram) elephants inside temple premises, standing for the whole night with so much local instruments blaring around them, with huge fireworks in the background and with thousands of people staring at it at close vicinity. What is to be noted is that these animals are not allowed to rest for close to six months as they are being taken from one festival to another every day, being punished by mahouts when they fail to obey instructions. The sleeplessness, fatigue, irritation, punishment and noise cause them to break loose the chains and run amok.  Being a huge animal, normally people cannot stand to face its wrath and thus many a death happen due to the goring by elephants or due the stampede that happen as a result.

The funny thing is that in spite such continuous mishaps; there is no attempt from the authorities to clamp down the elephant processions. Even PETA or the ‘Society for Prevention of Cruelty against Animals’ keeps their mouth shut. Politicians are afraid that if such a regulation happens, it is the loss massive vote bank for them as the people feel their right to celebration is taken away. Even if there are court orders as a result of public interest litigation, authorities shy away from implementing the same. The result is that so much of money gets wasted on these rituals and so much of deaths and accidents happen every year. The world moves on, unperturbed…..

It is high time that the government banned the usage of elephants in temple festivals and public processions. By doing so, we are really helping to stop the torturing of animals. Even the Gods whom we are trying to please by doing such rituals will not like to see the sufferings of these mute animals. Will the Gods be less impressed if their idols are taken in a vehicle instead of elephants? By the way, our Scriptures, Holy books, Puranas, Vedas and Upanishads do not site any instance of tuskers being used in temple processions. Yes, elephants were used in war, rightly so but not for carrying effigies and idols. We need to look at these things rationally not emotionally or religiously and decide to do away with rituals and practices that put so much of hardships to these silently suffering creatures.