Happy Birthday Phillip Hughes

When I started this blog, it was something about cricket that I had written which I wanted to share with the world. Over time, amongst various topics, cricket still remained an integral aspect upon which I could write freely, without any inhibitions, be it the love for Rahul Dravid or the retirement of the 3 Indian batting legends. But never did I imagine a time when I would regret the cause that would prompt me to write. Today is one such time, one such moment. Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died a tragic death on Thursday after being hit by a bouncer during a cricket match. He was just 25. Had he been alive, he would have turned 26 today. 

I didn’t follow his career very closely, nor was I a big fan of him, but the sheer shock of the fact overcomes you when you come to know of such a tragedy. It is like someone telling you that the person you met an hour ago just died in an accident. You just can’t believe it. The fact that he had his entire life ahead of him makes this bereavement even more profound. Hughes was somebody’s son, somebody’s brother, and a friend of many. But when the tragic news came out, the entire world shed tears for him. The Australian National flag blew at half mast at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the domestic cricket tournament was abandoned, and the practice match against the visiting Indian team was cancelled. Because there was no way the players could focus on the game. Yes, Phillip would have wanted the game to move on, but those he has left behind cannot do so unless they give him one final farewell. “Mourning first, cricket later” is the thought on everyone’s mind right now.

I have always believed that no matter how close you are to someone, the pain you feel upon someone’s demise is nothing as compared to that felt by the deceased’s family. Everyone will come, share their grief and then eventually leave. It’s the family that has to begin a different life all together. The Hughes family has shown great resolve over the last few days, and the world stands united with them in these tough times.

What makes the reality more painful is the freakish, rare nature of the injury that caused Phillip’s death. Till date, only 100 such cases have come across and only one of them resulted from a cricket ball. Our hearts also go out to Sean Abbott, the bowler who bowled that fateful delivery. It was no fault of his, he was just doing his job and no one can imagine what all must be going through his mind at the moment. That is why it’s great to see the support that is flowing in from all ends for him and I really wish that he continues to play cricket, and we all would want to see him on the field soon, whenever he is comfortable.

In a few days time, we all will gradually forget about this incident and get back to our daily lives and for cricket fans, boundaries and wickets will once again become a reason to cheer. But for now, cricket is poorer. It has lost someone special. Someone whose best was yet to come. He was 63* when he was hit, and will forever remain immortal that way in our memories, 63 NOT OUT. His #64 ODI jersey has been retired, the funeral will take place on 3^rd December in his hometown, the #putoutyourbat social campaign has already spread across all spheres and condolences are coming in from all corners.

It’s painful when we miss someone who has left us, but it’s even more painful to realise that the person would never come back. Today, the cricketing world finds itself in that situation. Surely, the game would move on, the players would move on, the lives would go on.... but until then, let’s grieve the loss that we have to endure, let’s remember the man whose success hadn’t reached its pinnacle. Not yet. The player #408 to represent Australia in tests had a tremendous start to his career. Yes there were highs and lows but no one would question his potential and the promising future he had in store for him. It was a pleasure to have seen you play. 

He was just 25. Had he been alive, he would have turned 26 today. 

Happy Birthday Phil.

Rest in Peace.

Honestly Yours

They say honesty is the best policy. But some policies are not always implemented, are they? There are times when we wish to say something but end up saying something all together different because of one/all of the following reasons: 

We don’t wish to sound RUDE.

We respect our SANSKAARS.

We don’t want the other person to get HURT or OFFENDED. 

While waiting at the airport a few days back and listening to the announcements being made for passengers to board the plane, I wondered what would these announcers be actually feeling from inside while saying the same lines, over and over again with utmost humbleness...

So, while the announcer called out the name of some Raj Sharma 4 times with utmost respect, requesting him to board the particular flight, I wonder how he would be actually feeling from inside...

“Listen Raj Sharma, I was supposed to go for lunch twenty minutes back but thanks to you, I’m still sitting here. This is neither your ancestors’ airlines nor a private jet of yours. So you either get yourself up here or wait for the next flight, which by the way is not before sixteen hours from now. And if you don’t turn up after this announcement as well, I will make sure your baggage gets lost. Thank You.”

I wonder if announcements are made like this at airports, passengers will turn up 4 hours before the scheduled flight!

Delhi Metro has been the National Capital’s lifeline for over a decade now and those who have travelled via Metro will know the announcements made at every station by heart.

Personally, I still haven’t yet figured out why the announcements in English are always made by the lady while the ones in Hindi are done by her male counterpart. Either the lady isn’t good with Hindi or the uncle hasn’t mastered the English language yet.

Anyways, so at every station they announce the name of the station and which way the doors will open. Imagine, if these announcements were done manually, maybe there would come a point where the voice says....

“Next station is.......... Rajiv___ WAIT-FOR-IT____ Chowk, Rajiv Chowk!! You know which way the doors will open so I won’t be wasting my time on that. I also won’t bother with the different routes that are available from here, just ask some random person, bhara pada hai station logon se. There’s also no point of telling you to mind the gap because you people hardly listen. Make sure your pockets are safe, stations like these are like internal exams for the pick pockets. Adios. “

Same goes for our dear operating systems when we are downloading/copying/installing something. Last week I was downloading a movie and at one point it showed 2 years 37 weeks 20 days to go. What it really wanted to tell me was that the dongle had disconnected. The following image also aptly describes my point here. What if while downloading something, this message appeared... 

Lastly how can I leave out the customer care services? We all know the first thing they say is “#@!*^%$#@!#%$&*^*^%$#@$$$#@#@#%^*@ How May I Help You?”

Then there are times when the caller is required to change some settings manually and the person explains (politely) what is to be done. What if they actually want to say...

“Sir phone nahi samajh nahi aata to lete kyu ho? Simple sa chotu sa Nokia lelo. Kyu technology ke peeche pade ho?? Aakhri baar bol ra hu, samajh aaya to theek nahi to main ‘aawaz nahi aa rahi’ keh ke phone rakh dunga.”

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.”

I wonder what will honesty for honesty make the world.

So I will end this post here. You are free to write some words of appreciation in the comments below, or you can be utterly HONEST!!

Adios.

Until next time...

Take Care :)

D - 140: First Pit Stop

Amitabh Bachchan always mentions the day before every post he shares on the social media. So I decided to imbibe that habit, for once, in this blog as well. So there goes the logic behind D – 140. I’ve spent 20 weeks so far during my stay on the hill here in Pune and have one more day before I go on my way home, for the semester break that is, I’ve not given up on my MBA quest!! Anyways, before I boarded the flight to Pune 20 weeks ago, I promised myself that I won’t come back empty handed (figuratively). Keeping all the heavy, jargonised learnings at rest for the moment, following are the experiences that stood out for me and will accompany the luggage to Delhi, besides my LIVE appearance. Read on: 

• Shift in Time Zones: Those who know me well will agree to the fact of me being the proverbial owl, in the sense that I usually do most of my work after midnight and prefer not to wake up unless I feel hungry. And mind you, for 21 years now, I had been living a life sans breakfast. Come to Pune, and the tables turned on me.
  In a nutshell, I used to wake up at 7:30 in the morning (almost every day), and feel hungry by 8:00 itself. Add to that, I began following the conventional 3 meals a day routine, much to the shock of my parents. But as they say, old habits die hard. While studying for the exams, I reverted to my Batman avatar and when a frog accidently came to my room at 3 last night, I was awake to welcome him, and not sleeping. We both watched Ship of Theseus for a while before I decided it was time for him to go.

• Class Duration: I was a big fan of my school authorities when they decided to reduce the class duration by ten minutes for one period everyday, providing a much needed relief from the 40 minutes odd classes we used to have seven times a day.  I went to college and there I found out each class was for 55 minutes, and that too depended upon the lecturer’s choice to leave or continue teaching. And then came MBA and voila, 90 minutes it is, 5 times a day.
  But contrary to popular opinion (here popular opinion refers to the opinion of.....myself) I did quite well and thrived through them, a 93% attendance is a testimony to that.

• Laundry: The one advantage, besides others, of having working parents is that you learn to manage the home on your own. So for almost a decade, I had perfected the art of using and maintaining most of the appliances like the gas stove, television, computer, cooler , A/C and washing machine. So at times, while my mom thought I would be BUSY sleeping till noon, which was true more often than not, I would be doing my laundry so as to reduce some of her burden (aah.. aadarsh beta).
  Welcome to hostel life, and I am reaping the benefits of the same, not to mention that infact now I do it without a washing machine. Just to pile up the bragging theme of this point, as I type this, 2 bedsheets are up for drying outside.

• “City”: I remember during primary school days there would often be stories about villagers going to the town to earn a living and all that. Here amidst the picturesque campus atop the hill, those stories seem to resurrect themselves in the sense that for people here, Pune comprises two parts – the campus and everything else- “city”. People here go to the “city” for work, for partying, for shopping and to add to the village-town analogy of the school book stories, often there are people asking those who are going to city to get something for  them, much like how some of the villagers would rely upon the town goer to get something for them as well. Not to mention the fact that there are scheduled buses which make the to and fro city trips convenient for all of us.

• Cycles: The first mode of transport I encountered upon my arrival here was a golf-cart. As time progressed I came to know that they were the inherent cab like service here and most of the hill dwellers had to use the environment friendly 2 wheeler – the bicycle. There were plenty of them when you didn’t need them, and none when you did. But jokes apart, cycling around the campus during the evenings (because I was too lazy for an early morning ride) was indeed refreshing and was the one thing I looked forward to doing whenever we had an early finish.
  For now, it's time to go back to those familiar busy roads and honking vehicles. 

• The Social Network: Once the initial flurry of facebook friend requests had subsided, it was the other “professional” social media that gained prominence – LinkedIn. Facebook profiles gave way to their LinkedIn versions, friend requests became “invitations to connect” and friends became connections. I also created a LinkedIn account and the site continues to tell me by how much percentage my ranking has changed over the past few weeks, at times making me feel like a share listed on the stock market.
  On a serious note (which are anyways very few on this blog), do create a LinkedIn profile, it will help you in the professional world.

•  Lastly... it wouldn’t be fair to end this post without mentioning the people I have met here. There is abundance of talent, loads of warmth and plethora of relationships, all these make life on the hill really worth living. I’ll be looking forward to coming back here in a few weeks, and I am sure so do the rest of my peers. It's a Symbiosis family up here. 
  
  
  
  
  

We all head home now, for our first pit stop in this MBA journey, to get rejuvenated and spoiled once again before we pursue the next phase of our lives here on the hill.  

So that's it with this much delayed post (yes, I was busy studying for the exams!!). Next post I write will come to you from New Delhi next week, and until then...

Take Care..

And a Very Happy Diwali to all of you :) :)

New Lessons Learnt.. beta Version :D

Do you people remember the post I wrote in December last year in which I mentioned the 20 lessons of my life? NO?? How can you forget? Those were words of wisdom from this 20 year old guy then. Any ways you can read it again here, I won’t feel bad!! 

So, today’s post is basically the updated version of that post. During the last 9 months or so, or to put it in some technical terms, during the first two & a half quarters of 2014, I learnt some new lessons. So here’s the beta list for you’ll to read, reflect and applaud ;). Beta because these are only eleven, I’ll come up with the entire list as and when I come across new experiences. 

So here we go:

1. Your first step is not your last, so don’t be afraid of falling.
   


2. Don’t try becoming someone you’re not. Chances are, you might end up becoming someone you don’t like.
   


3. The essence of life comes from the number of people in your heart, not in your phonebook.
   


4. Knowing where you want to be is only half the problem solved. Getting there is the other half.


5. It doesn’t matter what others say about you as long as those “others” don’t matter to you.
   


6. You are as good as your last performance.
   


7. Compliments are honest when they are made behind your back, criticism is when it’s made to your face.
   


8. If you feel like missing something, it’s because you’ve known what that something is.
   


9. (This one’s scientifically derived, based on experience..) LOVE that lasts for a week is called ATTRACTION.
   


10. People like it when you’re with them during their happy times. But they remember it if you were with them during their bad times. 


11. Winning people's hearts might be easy, winning their trust is not. 

Honestly, I don’t know how many of you could relate to the above points. If you did, then you're not alone, if you didn't, you just spent 7-8 minutes reading something someone learnt from life, and thus, you got your copy of LIFE 101, beta version though :)

Until next time..

Take Care.. :)

The People You Talk To...

There are over 6 billion people in this world. In my life so far, I’ve met a few of them, very very few to be honest. But still, when I talk to people, I get to know about them. When I don’t talk to people, I get to know even more about them. So in this post I intend to talk about people we meet in life, more precisely, the people we talk to. Chalo fir, isshtart karte hain... 

The Nodding Types: You say the earth is round, they nod in affirmation. You say Sachin Tendulkar is the best cricketer ever, they nod. You say Rakhi Sawant is a great actress, they nod AGAIN. So basically, they are just like those punching bags, whatever you say, they just give the same expression. Also, in addition to the tilting of their heads, they add the “yes I understand”  expression called “hmmmm..”   

The Hainnnn?? Types: You tell them a secret or a gossip and they are like “hainnn, really??” Once you open that box of secrets, they are no longer interested in listening to whatever thing you wanted to talk about, all they want is those dug deep from the ground revelations about something, someone, anything and anyone. 

The Psychiatrist Types: You come to them with a problem, and then come again and again. These people just have some aura about them that makes you want to share your problems. They listen, they advise, they support and most importantly, they reply to your late night messages of “Hey, you there?” Bechaare, sant log. 

The 360^o Types: These are the people who have no idea as to what you’re talking about. So they move their head left, right, centre, up and down, north and south... basically everywhere, just so that they get a slight hint of what supernatural stuff you’re talking about. Talk to an Arts student about Quantum Physics & String Theory, and you will see what I’m talking about. Not to mention, these people often carry the expressions same as that of a toddler, when you play peek a boo with them. 

The “Dekh Aisa Hai” Types: These people are the descendants of those who first said something about that glass being half empty and all that. You tell them A & B are not nice people, they will say “Dekh aisa hai, har koi X & Y jaisa nahi hota.” You talk about the difficulty in coping with studies and they say “Dekh yar aisa hai, do your best and leave the rest.” You sob about your girlfriend leaving you, they say “Dekh aisa hai, wo tere liy sahi thi hi nahi..” 

The Hackers Types: They start listening to you, gradually start talking about their own life and before you know it, they are the ones who are talking while you end up lending your ears to them. So basically, they just hack your conversation and change it into their own.

Note: This type is usually found in group conversations. 

The “Be Right Back” Types: They are the ones who happen to recall some important work that cannot be done without their benign presence. So while you’re still in the early stages of reciting your “Meri Awaaz Suno” stories, they just get that message, call or ping that makes them say, “hey, sorry but  there’s this really important thing that I’ve to go & handle, be right back.” Usually, they are never back, and whenever they are, they get that all important call from the US President again.

The Time Killers Types: These are often the best persons to talk to, or so it seems. They will listen with all their attention, give their honest feedback and be really empathetic. Turns out, they were just doing so to kill their time. The moment they find something more interesting, you are left into oblivion. 

The Khatam Karo Types: These are the ones who are paying fr their bad deeds done in previous lives. They wonder why you chose only them to talk to among the abaadi se bhari jagah, and just wish that whatever crap you're talking about gets over ASAP. You may not realize this, but you yourself may end up in  this kind of situation.

I’m sure there are various other types of people you talk to. Give in your suggestions and we will publish a research paper on it. So think about those people you encounter everyday, and I’ll be right back, just got a Candy Crush request from Mr. Narendra Modi!!

Until next time...

Take Care :)

Worth The Wait...

As I came back to my hostel room the other night after dinner, I sat on the bed and felt, “Yar, Ghar Ki Yaad Aa Rahi Hai.” Remember  how I mentioned about “curiously waiting for the day I start to feel homesick..”?, I felt a slight inclination of it that day. The next day when I went to the city and was sitting inside the bus, seeing the busy roads, traffic jam, high buildings.. again Delhi came to mind. For 3 long years during my under-graduation , I used to mostly travel by bus. So those days got refreshed again. For the next few days, some of the home memories continued to occupy my mind- the people, food, room, TV, pet, leisure, roads, places..... 

I knew I wasn’t homesick, but I also knew that for the first time in over 12 weeks in Pune, I was missing that Delhi feel. Initially, it was like I came as a bird willing to go places, but for the past few days, I was like a bird who would go places only when needed. First time away from home, I knew this would happen someday, but happily enough, I still strive to stay here because there have been instances which just made my diary of memories, if I ever compile one. My parents often ask me “So all good na? You have the course of your choice now, how’s it?” I always reply that they shouldn’t expect a eureka moment every other day, this was like any other B-School but pertained to what I was interested in. So while I haven’t really broken any academic records so far, there have been those moments every now and then that give me the satisfaction and happiness nothing else can. It’s during those moments that I say to myself,
“Yes! You’re good enough.”

This day, two months from now, I will be sitting back home in Delhi. I’m waiting for that day, but not longing for it. Have you heard of the word “utopia”? It means a perfect world. I’m looking to create my own utopian world- one where I stay on the hill to work towards achieving what I set out to, and then returning home, to the place where I came from. That world is still a work in progress, just like the picture on the right. 

Till the time it that perfect feeling is achieved, the wish to go back home is definitely worth the wait.
As for you'll, the wait is till next Sunday when I share a new post.

Until Next Time...
Take Care :)

The Real Friendship...

When I started writing this blog, it was purely out of my interest in writing. I didn’t think one day I would have a bundle of posts such that I could refer the readers to a previous one. But I can do that today!!
So, Happy Friendship Day to all of you reading this post, and as I mentioned above, here’s what I wrote on Friendship Day last year, albeit on a different platform, while I was an intern. Yes, I am not someone who just sits at home and writes, I am a pretty useful resource! 

Anyways, I’m hoping you must have wished all your near and dear ones by now, or are enjoying with them right now. Either ways, it implies you pretty much had a nice day. You know, when I was in primary school, there were these sessions where we were told how to make friends, and why making new friends was good for us, although as the years went by, the same teachers were adamant on separating the friends because they, to quote one such teacher, “ hampered the decorum of the class!!” Hampered & decorum?? We had no idea what these words meant back then. Anyways, when we had our pre-induction classes here before the inception of the MBA program, a key element of these activities was to get to know each other, make friends. Some of my fellow batch-mates also stated that their objective for the first few days would be to make new friends, get to know people. Fair enough. All of us have made our friends now, formed groups and all that. Naturally speaking, this is what happens everywhere. You meet new people, interact with some of them and become friends with few of them.   

You know what’s the best thing about friendship?
Its unconditional and doesn’t have a screening process!!
I became friends with you because I like your company, you befriended someone else because you liked theirs’. Simple. The problem starts when you start analyzing. I have seen people wanting to be a part of so called group because they are perceived as "cool". And in doing that, they tend to ignore the friends they already have. No two persons on this planet are the same, even if they are humshakals, no two persons have the same habits, irrespective of how close they are. Honestly, the essence of friendship is not that your friends are like you, rather its about the fact that they like you, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Its upto you to decide where you wish to go, to the ones who like you for who you are or the ones you want to be liked by for what you could possibly become. Make the right choice, and I’m sure you won’t rely on the 1^st Sunday of August to wish someone a Happy Friendship Day, rather you’ll celebrate it every single day. 

Now that I read this post again, it feels more like a lesson from Panchtantra Ki Kahaniyaan, but anyways, as I have always said, I write because I like doing so and not so that others like what I write.
Ahaan, I applied the above friendship principle to this blog as well, seems like pursuing MBA is showing its results!!

Before I end, here’s wishing you’ll a very happy friendship day.

Until next time

Take care :)

Welcome To A New Place...

Its been almost two months now for me in this new city, Pune. While travelling across the length of this country from Delhi to Maharashtra, I was really curious to find out as to how and when would I feel homesick? I had heard many accounts of people not being able to adjust to a new system, new place and returning back within a month, or even worse, half-way during their course. I knew I wasn’t going to go that way, I also hoped I wouldn’t be missing home too badly during the initial days and post senti #homesick status updates on Facebook, considering the fact that this was going to be my first long stay outside of Delhi. Thankfully, I’ve scored 2 on 2 in this regard. 

I wonder if the feeling of homesickness originates from the realization that you’re in a completely new place, surrounded by new people, outside your comfort zone? Honestly, interacting with different people here wasn’t the first thing that defined Pune for me, all of them (well almost) spoke either Hindi or English, which was the case back in Delhi as well, so it didn’t feel much different. There were some other instances which made me dawn upon the realization that I was in a totally new place. Read on: 

• What was different was when at 8 o’ clock in the morning I got hold of the newspaper and there in small font was written “Pune Edition”. For all these years, I was used to seeing New Delhi in that place. As I read on, I wondered why local events pertaining to Mumbai were there on the first page, and then I had to tell myself again, “Dude, you are in Maharashtra now, you won’t read about any major happening in West Delhi here.” Gradually I got the hang of it and along with it also the numerous advertisements of stores located across Pune, just like they used to be across Delhi sometime back.
  Welcome to a new place.
  
  
• As I bought a new sim here and called for activation, I was greeted with a pre-recorded voice in Marathi, the local language here. I pressed the 2-3 keys to set my preferred language to English and proceed with the activation procedure, but eventually, I got through to a customer care representative who spoke in Marathi!! Why ask me then my choice of language?? Anyways, because I knew what all things they ask at times like this, I just tried to focus on one word I could understand, naam, nagar, proof...and eventually got my sim activated in Marathi!!
  Welcome to a new place.
  
  
• As I went to the city on weekends, the roads, the shops, the people looked pretty much the same. This could well be some place in Delhi, but then I gazed at the vehicles around and then I read the number plate,  “MH....”, and that’s when I realized I wouldn’t get to see that “DL” prefix too often here.
  Welcome to a new place. 
  
  
• In Delhi, while commuting from home to college and back, I came across people who would ask me for help regarding the place, addresses, bus routes and all, and then they would either say that they are coming to Delhi for the first time or after a long time.
  I would then at times ask, “ Where are you from?”
  Here, when the cleaning staff came for house-keeping during the first week, and as we interacted a little, one of them asked me two questions...
  1) Tumcha gaon kuthla?
  2) Tu Marathi bolto ka?
  The former reads “Where are you from?” while the latter means “Do you speak Marathi?” Nobody would ask me this back in Delhi, here it was pretty understandable that they did.
  Welcome to a new place.

I've got used to the above now, and its not been that much of a problem. As for the future, I don't know how this city will treat me. So far, its been pretty welcoming. I'm not missing my home that badly as yet, and I hope this city will take care of it.
Here’s to more good times... at this new place.

Until next time...

Take Care :)

That Splash of Water...

I loved playing cricket as a kid, still do, but don’t get that much time now. While playing, its pretty usual to get injured. The same was the case with me, I’m sure it was the same with you’ll, that is if and when you played a sport, and by that I mean an outdoor sport, because I don’t expect you to get injured while playing snakes & ladders! Whenever I got a bruise, I didn’t really care for some medication, just a splash of water on it and I was good to go. Its not that the splash of water had some healing powers or something, but it just felt better. There were also times, when we had a good time playing and thereafter there was this pipe in the park with the hose and we would have a Holi like time with the water. It’s not that we needed that water, but we just had some good time. The water was the same both times, when I got injured and when we wanted to have some fun, but there was still a lot of difference in the two situations. In the first one, I desperately needed water, while in the latter, I just had it available. 

Now you must be wondering where am I going with this story, so let me just get to the point. In life, we all are like that splash of water only for the ones around us. Think about it, there must be times when others enjoy your company when they are having a good time. Also, there must be times when they would need your help or support just like we needed that splash of water in case of an injury. You might be an integral part of your friends’ celebrations, and its good if you are, but more than that, what’s important is that you should be there for them when they need you. They might not always say that, that’s for you to figure out. If you were to create a yardstick for your performance as a friend, just make sure you are there for the special ones in your life during tough times, when they might need you most. Being with them during their happy times comes much after that. Why? Because its the easiest thing to do. 

When we have a function, we call all our long-lost relatives from anywhere and everywhere, but when we need someone’s help or support, we don’t go to all of them, do we? We just approach the trusted, close ones, perhaps, that too, a bit hesitatingly at first. Make sure you are there for people when they might need someone, for they have all the company when they are celebrating. They might not recognize it, perhaps, not thank you for it, but they will surely remember it. 

And what does that give you? Just try it once. Your heart will tell you. 

If you can do this, you surely are a good friend. If you can’t, its never too late to start...

“Be that splash of water that can help soothe a wound,
and rest assured, like all things in life, that too will come around...”

Until next time
Take Care :)

Are You in the ICU??

Have I made the wrong choice? 

Maybe I shouldn’t have tried this in the first place.

What was I thinking?

Oh God, what have I done??

The above lines don’t represent an epiphany; rather they are the expression of doubt by a friend of mine on her choice of clothes she had just bought from the mall. This was a few years back. 

Why have I brought this topic up now? 

Good Question. Read on and you’ll find out.

Knowing her, she must have spent hours shopping “diligently”, tried everything twice, almost taught a crash course to other customers on “how to bargain”, and asserted herself as the regular customer of the shop even though she had been there for the first time. Now let me switch to another friend of mine. He did a thorough research on the best colleges in Delhi for under-grad course in Commerce, prepared an entire checklist, pros & cons analysis, eventually made a choice, and now 10 months and 12 days later, is questioning his choice of college. He is getting good grades, hasn’t got a “back” yet, is a member of a few societies, and to top it all, has a girlfriend! Still, somehow he manages to be cynical of his choice every other day. 

What do you make of the above two accounts? Maybe you think how silly they are being or maybe, you can somehow relate to them in some sense. If you fall in the latter category, I can understand your point, because I have been in those places, and being there, I can also say that, my friend, you’re in the ICU, if you question your choices vehemently, after making them. I found a line in a movie I watched sometime back to be really true, it was “We are nothing but the sum total of our experiences.” You replace the last word with choices, and it still makes great sense. We humans have a tendency to ponder a lot before making crucial decisions, and question our choice after making that decision. Yes, you should think, that’s why God gave you brain (or so he must have thought), but when you over-think, you do nothing other than straining that little thing in your head. 

I wasn’t really having too high expectations from my impending college life, and the cut-offs made sure I wasn’t going to be a part of the so called “On-Campus” colleges under Delhi University. I got admission in some other “Off-Campus” college instead, did think about migrating two semesters later but then stopped thinking and began enjoying the life away from the campus. And now when I look back, I’m happy with the years that I spent there and don’t have any regrets. Now in an MBA college, I see some of my fellows thinking on the same lines, and that’s why I know what’s going in their mind, and that’s why I think their mind is in the ICU. 

Yes, everyone wants the best for themselves, but remember, only a small fraction get the best, the rest make the best of themselves from what they have. I have a small question for you all. Did you enjoy your school years? Hoping that you say yes, now ask yourself another question. Did you make a decision regarding the choice of school? No, but you came out enriched, having made many friends, and the memories bring back a smile on your face. So when a decision you had no say in turned out so good for you, think about how good a decision which is based on your choice can do for you. And it applies to everything. Be it as trivial as choice of clothes to be bought from a mall or as important as deciding upon a MBA college. So what if some choices don't turn out the way we expected? Learn and move on. That's life. While running, you don’t keep turning back to see how far you’ve come, because you know you have to look ahead for that. Life is like that only. If we keep looking back after every choice we make, our mind may well need some INTENSIVE CARE. Hopefully, we won’t let that happen.

Until next time...
Take Care :)

The Tryst With The Hill...

Ever since I entered IXth grade, I’ve been hearing one same line again and again,
“Bas, yeh 2 saal ache se padh lo, fir life set hai.” But those 2 years are yet to finish. So, on 2^nd of June this year, I stepped into the next phase of these “2 years”. This time it’s for the tag that somehow increases your rate in the matrimonial market- an MBA degree. But thankfully, all the bournvita  I’ve had over the years has had a good impact on my brain and I know why am I here and what I want to achieve from the next two years (rest assured, sprucing up of my marriage profile would be the last reason for being here). But insights into my choice of college and field of profession some other time, today I’ll share with you’ll my 3 weeks so far on the hill. 

Before you begin wondering about the word “hill”, let me throw some light on my whereabouts. 

My home has shifted from New Delhi to Pune, Symbiosis International University has succeeded the University of Delhi, the under-grad years at S.G.G.S.C.C have paved the way for post-grad years at S.I.M.C, Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication and lastly, from a happy late sleeper-late bloomer, I have now become an exponent of the “not so early to bed, but still early to rise” theory. The exact place I’m perched on at the moment is a hill in Lavale, and as the cab driver told me, it’s pronounced LOVE-Ley. A campus on the hill somewhat aptly takes care of that feeling of being away from home, and to add to that, a picturesque view, good people and surprisingly good mess food (at times) have made my stay so far one like the KFC tag line.... “So Good”. 

In Pune, the first person with whom I had a reasonable interaction was the auto driver who drove me through the city and up the hill. Coming to a new place, I had all kinds of plausible scenarios in my mind...

1.     He would grossly overcharge me and take me through a long route.
2.     He would take me to some remote place with the intention of kidnapping me.
3.     He would take me to the wrong place all together.

But thankfully, some negotiation took care of the first point, the GPS on my mobile took charge of the 2^nd one and his confidence took care of the third point. While I mentioned it to him that though we had agreed upon a fare, he was over-charging me seeing that I was from a different city, he kept insisting that “aise cheezein Delhi me hoti hongi” and that he was charging the reasonable amount only. It was almost an hour drive from the airport to the campus, so we had many other things to discuss. The weather, the rains, the people, his life, my life and my wife... yes, he did ask me if I was married or if I had a girlfriend. Kaafi jaldi frank ho gaye, nahi?? He mentioned about how he came to Lavale  to see the shooting of the movie Bodyguard and showed me his pictures with Salman Khan as well, followed by a small jig on the title track of the same movie. In between I was looking at all that was passing by, the roads, the people, the sign boards (most of which were in Marathi).

So I finally reached the campus in the afternoon, checked in the hostel, entered my room and dozed off, only to wake up in the evening. The days that followed included interactions with my fellow batch-mates, induction sessions, documents verification, daily classes, weekend trips to the city and last but definitely not the least, the realization that I had the typical Dilliwala accent, or so I was told. 

So, in ways more than one, the hill has been pretty welcoming. I’ll share more as I experience... 

Tune in next Sunday, for I hope to share the next post then.

Until next time we meet
Take Care :)

Dominate Those 3 Letters...

Few days back I was supposed to meet a friend in the evening. I was running late and when I finally reached there, I could see him sulking. Maybe he had been waiting for quite some time. I went up to him and before I could say anything, he showed me his Instagram page on his phone. I couldn’t understand and asked him “Kya Karu Main Iska??” 

He then told me about a friend whom he had started following a week back, but she didn’t follow him back. The fact that she had uploaded her pictures during that week implied she had been active. Again, I had no idea as to why he was telling me this, and asked him again, “Kya Karu Mai Fir?” 

He talked about the arrogance of that girl and said, “If she doesn’t care to follow me back, why should I?”, and clicked the UNFOLLOW option. So that is why he was sulking, because a girl hadn’t followed him on Instagram, and I was thinking it was because I was late. So the girl saved me in a way!! 

I wonder then, whether these sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram really test us? If things like how many friends you have, how many likes you get or how many followers you have weren’t enough already, these have begun to play on our egos as well, like my dear friend above. 

So, today’s post is about that 3 letter word, EGO. Each one of us has it, some just manage it better than others. Long time back, during a bus journey, I heard two guys talking about liking each other’s photos on Facebook, just so that they can make some third person feel small!! Really??  I really can’t comprehend how the quantum of popularity on social networking sites can worry one to such an extent.

So what if the other person didn’t follow you back?
So what if you liked someone’s picture and they didn’t like yours’?
So what if you message someone regularly but they don’t always respond? 

If you did all these just to get the same reciprocated, I really doubt your intentions (imagine me making that wide eyed emoticon in Whatsapp right now!!) Learn to get over your ego, stay happy, because it won’t affect others but will sink you only down. Imagine if after every post I wrote here, I kept monitoring the statistics every second to see how well it has been received? I would really get paranoid. It does make me happy when I get appreciated for my work but at the same time, its fine if some of the posts don’t resonate that well with the readers. Why fret over it? 

Even in life, this ego of yours ’can affect you badly than what you can imagine. So get over it. Call or message that friend you have been wanting to talk to, it doesn’t really matter whether you take the initiative or they. Say what you want to, do what you feel like, express yourself like how you are and don’t worry about the consequences. It doesn’t matter how many Facebook friends you have or how many followers you have, and whether or not those you follow choose to reciprocate it or not. Get over that ego and don’t place yourself in that inferiority complex. KUCH NAA HONA USSE!! 

You know what, many a times when I share the link to my blog, no one reads it. But on the other hand, someone puts up a link of cat playing the piano and everyone watches it and people flood it with likes ad comments. 

Now you tell me, what should I do in such a situation, sulk over it or be cool with it?
I know what I would do. Do you? 

Since the first week of December last year, I have tried to share my thoughts with you all through this blog almost every week and the response has been really gratifying for me.Well, I am taking a sort of break from writing now. I have my final semester exams coming up and then I will be entering a new phase of life, in a new place, around new people, among new situations. Let me get settled with all the changes happening in my life  and I promise to meet you all here again, sometime in June perhaps. 

So, in a sense, this post is the season finale of THE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION. I will come up with newer experiences to share with you all and hope to get the same kind of response you all have been giving me so far, if not better. And I promise you, I won’t sulk if you don’t. I will instead go and see the video of a cat ringing the doorbell, if nothing else!!

So until next time we meet...
Take Care and Stay Happy :)

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY...

Back in school, during the morning assembly, there used to be a sort of ritual, where each day, one student was asked to share a “THOUGHT FOR THE DAY”. Nobody paid much attention to it, of course. Now when I see around, those thoughtful one liners are either someone’s Facebook or Whatsapp status, or a caption for their pictures posted on social networking sites! Talking about thoughts, there are movies which have some killer one liners, or thoughtful dialogues which we all go gaga about. 

So today, I am sharing with you all some of the best lines I can remember from some Indian movies, which are very much, in a sense, applicable to our very own lives as well. Lest they don’t work, I’ve also mentioned the speaker and the movie, so you can see that on Youtube!! (No Thanks please!!)

So, this week’s post is basically your old school time “thought for the day”, but with a slight twist. 

• "I’m not a writer. Writers delve deep into the ocean of thought and bring out gems. I just shared my experience." 
  (Amitabh Bachchan, Baghban) 

A student, an employee, an entrepreneur, a family person or anything else..... No matter who you are or what you do, each one of you is a writer, and you are scripting the very best movie, that being your life.

With each day that passes, with every experience you have, by virtue of every lesson that you learn, you are indeed writing the story of your life and keeping it going. So make sure, when it’s your turn to finally look back upon your life, you have a riveting story to read!! 

• "Even Spider Man has to take risks, I’m just a Salesman." 
  (Ranbir Kapoor, Rocket Singh) 

Don’t be afraid of taking risks in life, they are a part and parcel of life. Whether it’s the girl/boy you like, or the career you want to pursue, or any decision you have to take for that matter, there will always be some risk. Go ahead and take the leap, or you will always be left regretting. (I am not saying GO OUT AND SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY IN A CASINO!!!!) 

Just for the record, I told the girl I liked how I felt about her, have opted for something different than the conventional careers  I had on offer and most recently, tasted the dish I never liked in appearance!! And here I’m, happily writing about it for you all to read, so it can’t be that bad, can it?

So go ahead, and take that plunge. 

• "Say it when it comes from the Heart." 
  (Hrithik Roshan, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara) 

It’s not just about saying, but everything you do in life. Do it from the heart. There’s no point doing something which doesn’t interest you, or saying things which you don’t believe in, but say nonetheless just so that you can be perceived as cool among your friends. Stay true, and listen to your heart 

• "Small things do happen in Big Cities everyday, Senorita." 
  (Shahrukh Khan, Dilwale Dulhanyia Le Jaayenge) 

Don’t keep fretting over trivial issues in your life. Many a times, we do nothing other than over complicating simple things, and worrying over the pettiest of matters. I know that, because I have done that for quite a while!! But seriously, try and keep a calm attitude, instead of pressing the panic button every time something peculiar happens. 

• "Strive for Excellence, Success will automatically follow you."
  (Amir Khan, 3 Idiots) 

Well that’s pretty self explanatory, isn’t it? Don’t just go through the motions; rather try to be the best version of yourself at everything you do. The rest will be taken care of. 

• "When you really want something, the whole universe conspires to make sure you get it." 
  (Shahrukh Khan, Om Shanti Om) 

This is for both, the lover boys out there as well as the ambitious ones. Keep working hard, stay true and diligent, persevere.... and rest as they say.... is destiny. 

Well, I can’t think of other classic lines at the moment which can be adapted to our everyday lives, do let me know if anything comes to your mind. But before I go... here’s one more (and the last) thought for the day: 

“You can’t rewrite your life. But you can always add a new chapter to it.” 

(Puneet Bajaj, The Artistic Expression)

Until next time

Take Care :)

Thank You For The Memories...

21st July’2011.

That was the day when I first stepped into my college as its student. Contrary to what I had often seen in movies and heard stories of, I wasn’t really expecting the next three years to be the turning point of any sort in my life. Honestly, I was happy that I had managed to secure admission in some college and was, quite simply put, looking forward to the experience that was on offer. 

That moment, that time has passed and now I’m in that position where I can actually look back and reflect on the experiences that I’ve had in the college with arguably the longest acronym- S.G.G.S.C.C!! 

These three years in college didn’t play a very pivotal role in my life, but were in some sense, catalyst nonetheless.  It was during this period only that I developed a keen interest in video editing, took forward my interest in writing to a more prominent scale, started this blog, did internships and more recently, decided upon a career choice. All these things pertain to my self only. But one more thing I did achieve were a few rewarding friendships. Few, because I haven’t really been the most social guy out there, and rewarding, because despite that, I am grateful for the bonds that I’ve formed. 

Well, this post isn’t a memoir of my college life, but rather an open letter, a sincere thanks to all those who were a part of it. Like I said in my earlier post, I don’t know if and for how long the relationships I have today will last, but I would cherish them always, and tender them while they last. I remember, when I was first admitted into nursery school, an offer for friendship would begin with “Mere Friend Banoge?”.... Obviously, we don’t say things like that as we grow older, relationships just happen.
For me, they happened over the course of the daily to and fro bus journeys, first encounters, some weird meetings, casual interactions, the time spent on the tennis court, subject assignments, project works, canteen hangouts, internals, seating arrangements, poor jokes and a lot more. I’m sure that like me, my college mates and my peers would have similar stories to recount, some maybe more interesting, some perhaps more expansive. 

Yes, we all will walk out with the degree in our hands and a percentage on the marksheet, but what we will remember these past three years would be for the people we met. I will not prepare a list of all the persons I met during the course of this journey, because that wouldn’t be fair. Rather, I would thank all my fellow college mates for the role they have played in my life, no matter how small.
(Now that I read the above lines again, they seem more like a thank you speech at an awards ceremony!!) 

I have found some friends who I would like to keep for life, while there are also some with whom the interaction hasn’t been that profound, but trust me, somewhere down the line, its been a pleasure to have met all of you. And if I can say that on the basis of some fleeting encounters, just imagine the kind of place you would have carved in the hearts of your dear ones. 

A farewell, a practical and the final exams are all that await us... and that would be the end of these three years. I’m sure you all must have had a great time. I did, and for that, I would thank you all. 

I don’t know what the equation would be between us a few years from now, but I leave with pleasant memories in my heart, and so shall you....Cheers  

Until next time we meet...

Take Care and God Bless :)

Forever and After?? Time Will Tell

The college session here in Delhi is about to end. At most a week or two more and then the students would go on preparatory leave. Although this happens every year, the reason behind me mentioning it here is that this year, I am also a part of the term students mentioned above. 

It seemed like a new beginning three years back, when I (and many others) finished school and stepped into college life. Three years hence, its déjà vu. Quite naturally, the prime feelings that emanate from such happenings pertain to emotions. Emotions, that evolve by virtue of the friendships we form, the bonds that we establish with each other, the attachment we have with the institution we join. Quite honestly, I don’t really feel the kind of attachment with my college that I had for my school. Maybe these three years cannot match those twelve years. But that’s just me, I’m sure many would have fallen in love deeply with their independent lives post school, it’s understandable. Now that I look back, I haven’t made many friends here in college, but that’s strictly from a quantitative view, quality wise, I guess I have met those few people that I would like to keep for life.

Going over the last sentence above again, my attention hovers on these three words: “friends”, “for” and “life”. These were the same words that we heard and said at the time of bidding goodbye to school. Surely, we say these words sincerely... “We will stay in touch”, “Friends forever” and so forth, but down the line, some of the friends do go a little distant, while some come even closer. It’s not that we deliberately lose touch with them, but perhaps, somewhere, somehow our priorities change and while a part of our erstwhile life fits in, others just lag behind. But that being said, there are some relationships which don’t loosen their grip with time, rather they get stronger, be it simple friendship or deeper affairs. Interactions with some begin to remain confined to social networking, while others transcend the so called boundary walls of comfort.

Looking back, I feel that the friends I made in the last two years of school have been the ones closest to me. There’s this one friend with whom I make it a point to meet every weekend, well almost. There’s one who is busy with his life as well but we do keep a tab on the happenings in each others’ life. Then again, there is one whom I befriended in class Vth, tortured him, still do at times, but I can truly call him a friend for life. There was this girl I met in Class XIth, and bonded so well during those two years, that she’s still pretty much a part of my life. I want to write about some of the others as well, college mates as well, but will save that topic for another day. 

I’m sure you all must have friends like those mentioned above, many more perhaps. Similarly, there must be those with whom you tend to drift apart and the only communication with them is on birthdays, New Year and other festivals. 

So, like I have been saying all along, we live life, make friends on the way, some go right till the last station, while some de-board before that. But all of them who become a part of this journey mean special to us, in some way for sure and make the journey called "LIFE" worth it.

Before I finish, here’s a message for all those friends of mine...

To those who have been with me on my journey so far, THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE.
To those who will enter my life in the future, WELCOME ABOARD. 

Until next time
Take Care :)

HELLO... KAUN BOL RAHA HAI????

23^rd March was my birthday...........

Okay, you can wish me even now, I won’t mind. After all, its not a FIRST COME FIRST SERVE type of wish.What did you say just right now???
 “HAPPY  BELATED BIRTHDAY”??
Well, thank you so much. :)

Anyways, I am writing this post not because I want you readers to wish me (well, I do want that), but to talk about an experience I’m sure you would relate to. So, the thing is, I have roughly 70-80 contacts in my phonebook, which I think is too much. So I was hoping that whoever calls or messages to wish me, mujhe pata hoga wo kaun hai. But still, there were many calls I received that were from unknown numbers!! HADD HAI MALAB! If you want to wish me, call from the number I have saved with me na, dusro ke phone kyu use karte ho? So, it was like those audio rounds in music reality shows where I had to guess the person from their voice, and let me tell you, I did quite a good job! Though there were 2-3 instances when I got a call from an unknown number and had the following conversation with the person at the other end of the phone:

THEY: Hey, Happy Birthday!!

ME: Thank You!!
THEY: Did You recognize me?
ME: No.

After that, there was a series of “GUESS TO KARO”, “PEHCHAANO”, “I WAS HOPING YOU WOULD RECOGNIZE MY VOICE” type of games. These instances reminded me of the golden old days of the landline phone, when there was no caller ID and I had a whole list of relatives calling one day or the other. The telephone ring sounded so exciting that I would often rush towards the phone to pick it up. And then there were these dooooorr ke rishteddar, you know long lost relatives who I had no idea about.
I was a very reserved, shy kid back then, so I found it irriating when I had no idea as to who the other person was and still had to chat with them, many a times just so that I could tell my parents who had called after all. 

A maternal aunt of mine, my mother’s cousin, used to call almost every weekend to talk to my mom, you know... to catch up. So earlier when I used to pick up the phone, she would say, “Hello Beta. Mummy ko phone dena.”, I would shout out loudly..... “MUMMMYYYYYYYY.... PHONE HAIIII AAPKAAA!!” This continued for a few years. But then I got jawaan, and was no longer that kid with the soft voice. That baritone in my voice was apparent. So one day the aunt called. I picked up the phone, said hello and she said rightaway, “JEEJA JI Namaste. Didi Hain?”
I could die laughing that very moment, but somehow I kept the firm voice intact and replied, “Namaste. Haan bulaata hoon."

I still literally LOL whenever I think of that instance. There have been other times when unknown numbers or wrong numbers have turned out to be really funny. Once I got a call from someone, shouting as to why the pizza hadn’t reached him yet. At first I told him he had dialled the wrong number. Few minutes later he called again, and this time I also said angrily, “Wait. Its on the way!!”

Then of course there are these calls from matrimony sites. My sister’s name was registered at one of those matrimony centres where you submit your marriage profile and get to look at others' as well. So we often got calls from the interested families telling us about their son. We in our family used to talk seriously then. Later, roughly 2-3 weeks after my sister had got married, we got a call again. Have a look at the conversation I once had with one such interested party:

LADY: Hello, I got this number from that matrimony centre.
ME: Okay. So I guess you are looking for a girl for your son?
LADY: Yes.
ME: Oh, the girl you’re looking for here has gotten married by the way.
LADY: Oh. Ok.
(I could imagine seeing her make the sad smiley face :(, so I decided to cheer her up.)
ME: Anyways, do you have a younger daughter also?
LADY: Yes. 10 year old. Why?
ME: Never Mind!!
_____DISCONNECTED______

So my first attempt at trying my luck went down the drain. Few days back, I did get a call from a matrimony site asking "Sir, Kya Aap Rishta Dhund Rahe Hain?".
So, you never know ;)

Anyways, I am looking at the word limit of this post and it seems to be getting too much. So I will leave it here.

And before I go, remember my birthday next year then. No Gifts Please.

Until next time
Take Care :)  

And New It Shall Remain... Perhaps!!

Last week, I bought my subject books for this semester.

The words in the above sentence are pretty significant. Firstly, this semester is my last one, and after that, hopefully, I will be a graduate. Secondly, I bought my subject books for the first time during the course of my 3 year graduation, the reason being that I felt why should I buy books when they won’t be required after 2-3 months? So, I made most of the Rs. 370 my college charged me with at the time of admission under the head “Library Fees”. I got books issued on my card, sometimes even on others’ cards. I passed 5 semesters like this, BUT....... had to buy the books this time because for some reason the college authorities feel that the final year students will run away with their books! Honestly, I would better run away with a girl rather than a book called “Investment Management-Theory & Practices”! 

Chalo koi nahi, today I finally took a book out to study for the impending internals, but I JUST COULDN’T DO IT. The book looked so new, I thought why spoil it with my hands by studying. Right?  

Well, this has been my habit for long. I treat my new acquisitions and purchases so sincerely that I don’t want to tarnish their novelty by using them. Though some days later I lose all the interest and treat them as if I have had them for long. Let me give you some examples: 

• When I bought my new spectacles, I diligently kept them in their case, cleaning them with the cloth and with the special liquid especially meant for lenses. "New Lenses, I Should Keep Them New" was my motto.  A week later, I threw them here and there, trying to see how correct was the optician when he said “These are glass lenses, treat with caution.” All that cleaning was done way with, and the case meant for keeping the specs is now home to some stationery items.
  But till date, the glasses have not broken!! 

• When I finally bought my new cell, the SAMSUNG Smartphone, I strived to keep it new forever and ever. "SUCH A GOOD PHONE, IT DESERVES CARE" was my motto this time. I used to constantly wipe the screen with that same cloth meant for cleaning spectacle lenses! Few days later, while I was listening to music on my phone, which was comfortably perched on my bed, I jumped on to the bed and as my great great uncle Newton’s law states “Every Action Has A Reaction”, my phone jumped off the bed, infact underneath the bed!
  As I got hold of a torch to locate it under the bed, I found it at the corner, where it wasn’t easy to reach by any means. The situation now was that, my phone was lying beneath the bed, at the same time playing the songs on my playlist. It was fine as long as the music was PARENTS FRIENDLY; it became a little tough to handle when Mr. Yo Yo Honey Singh’s songs started!! So much for my resolve to care for my phone! But it’s been over a year now, its working fine, I have accidentally dropped it also many a times, but CRACK NAHI AAYA!! That’s what you call LOYALTY.

I can give numerous examples like this, but... why bother typing so much? Let’s save this topic for some other day then. Meanwhile, I will go and try to dishonour the beauty of my newly purchased books by studying them. Wish Me Luck :)

Until Next Time
Take Care :)

REDEMPTION...

Last week I talked about the experiences the KKR team shared in the 4 part documentary “LIVING WITH KKR”, and how some of them I could relate to. If you missed it, you can read it here also. In hindsight, may be some of those reading the post might have felt the same feelings at some point in their life. Or maybe, some found the topic boring because it was cricket centric. But hey, I felt really strongly about writing this, so bear with me, varna.... jaane do.

Like I said, KKR bounced back, Sachin Tendulkar bounced back, and on some level, I did too. This week on the blog is about bouncing back, about life coming full circle, for them, for him, for me, and maybe for you as well.

The first three years in the IPL were tumultuous for the Knight Riders. The management, comprising Jay Mehta, Shahrukh and Juhi Chawla felt that maybe they weren’t doing justice to the role expected of them, so they appointed a CEO to manage the team, and decided not to interfere in the decision making process, thereby restricting their role to only supporting the team in the stadiums and outside. When they decided to make a fresh start in the run up to the IVth season, one audacious decision they took was to not have Sourav Ganguly in the team. The decision was obviously taken from a professional point of view, but it had emotional repercussions, like the case in India usually is. The people of Kolkata shouted out loud, “No Ganguly, No KKR”, they decided to boycott their own team. The team management knew this would happen, and took this in their stride.

“We were the only team which had lost home support”, Shahrukh said. They were now focused on doing well on the field and earning the love of the people of Kolkata again. And so they did, in the 5^th season. Led by Gautam Gambhir, the team played exemplary cricket and went on to defeat the favourites, Chennai Super Kings in the final, at their home ground. The love, the cheer, the support was back now. The critics turned into admirers. People changed yet again, this time for the better. KKR had bounced back from adversities. This was their time now.


Sachin Tendulkar continued to play for India at a time when almost the entire nation, the entire cricket fraternity felt that he should retire.  He worked as diligently as before, worked on his mistakes and chose to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to those who criticized him.

From the latter half of 2008 onwards, the old Sachin was making his way back in. He batted a 100 times better than the past, was stitching a string of centuries. The people who were questioning his abilities were once again cheering for him. He was impeccable in the World Cup in 2011, finally managed to get hold of the silver ware that had been eluding him for 28 years. Come 2013, he decided to bid adieu to cricket.

Where did he play his last test match? At Mumbai. His home ground. The very place where he had been booed seven years ago. Now, everyone was behind him. Every run of his was loudly cheered. And we all know how much the crowd loved his farewell speech, there were tears, tears of love. Sachin Tendulkar once again felt at home.
Here too ,the people changed, for the better.


Now, as far as I’m concerned, I guess I grew wiser with the years. I began to lower my expectations from the people around me, as a result of which I wasn’t as dumbstruck and annoyed when some hurting things happened, as used to be the case earlier.
People did change, for me too. I came across nicer ones, patched up with valued ones, let go some of them and developed new, honest relationships with some as well. People I hardly knew once are very close to my heart now. While there were also some who were close to me at one time, but gradually parted ways. Overall, all’s good in the hood. Hopefully!

And here I am, writing all this just because I saw a show and I could relate to it.

Lastly, a big thanks to all you readers who have read this blog at one point or the other. It’s because of you  that THE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION has crossed the 2K mark.
Thank you, and keep the support coming... :)

Until next time...
Take Care :)