Not just another brick in the Wall

After a long long long sabbatical, I have resurrected quite like our man Rahul Dravid did yesterday on the first day of the first test match against Sri Lanka. A scintillating, controlled yet free-flowing knock of 177 was all that was needed for him to prove himself as the Great Wall of the Indian cricket team....yet again!

As I write the Indian innings just folded with the last 4 wickets falling just as quickly as the first four did. The time when Dravid walked in. As usual he rescued the team from what could have easily been another embarrassing moment for the outfit in this year. Not that it needed any more after the 'great' show at Hyderabad and Vadodara vs the Aussies.

As a colleague of mine puts it, 'We have a gem in the team and we don't even know it.' After years of dedicated cricket put in by him, Dravid still finds himself on the receiving end of the selectors, fans and the 'oh-lets-have-a-young-team' activists. Like we let go of Kumble and Ganguly we are, at the drop of a hat, ready to discard our prized possession who never, ever fails to disappoint. Over the last few days, with Tendulkar being the hot topic of discussion and with all kinds of poetic praises being attributed to him, not that I disagree with any of it, I would still consider Dravid as one of our most prized possession and we must do everything possible to keep him around.

We must be afraid that Dravid will collect rust if we don't let him play vs the Aussies. We must be afraid that Dravid might be furious rather than the cool character he is if we let him warm the benches. We must be afraid of the team being weak if we frustrate him into retirement like a lot of other players. We must be afraid of losing him and denying him a fitting career and the audience a charmer of the ball. *

JUMBO leaves the team Small

Another senior bids adieu as Anil Kumble, one of the most selfless, kind, all-giving, open hearted cricketer the country has ever seen, announced his retirement in the middle of the Delhi Test today.
This is the problem of our country. We are never satisfied pulling only one person down. We have to take the whole bandwagon down. First it was Ganguly and now a man who does not deserve even 5% of the criticism. One can go on to argue that he was out of form, he was not performing, Dhoni is better, he is old...blah blah blah blah....!!! You cannot take it away.
18 years of service cannot be dumped just like that. He was down and out but he always...always rose to the occasion. 12 stitches in his hands yet he took 3 wickets on the 4th day of the Delhi test, a strapped jaw and he went on to bowl like a lion, taking so many wickets and giving himself to the team.
That is what Anil Kumble has been. A team man, competitive yet restrained. He was the least controversial and the most calm man in that dressing room that we all look up to.
It is sad that we are watching such great people leave in our generation. Leaving on their own accord is one thing- where we can stand up and salute these men but leaving amongst hue and cry of pulling them down is just shameful.
Mr. Vengsarkar are you happy now?!?!? Isn't this what you wanted? You know what, it is time people started minding their own business. While Anil Kumble may have said that he is leaving as his body is giving up on him, we all know that there has been no less pressure on the man for his resignation. While Ganguly actually had the balls to stand up and say he was being harrowed by the repeated taunts and the pressure added to the resignation, Kumble will never admit it (not because he does not have the guts but because he is a bit more of a gentleman and his non controversial traits precede him) Sportsman know themselves, their lives and their careers. They know when to call it quits. They do not need help.
Anyway, a salute to Jumbo as he leaves Ferozshah Kotla, Delhi with the team and his family in his LAST ever match for India. Hats off to this tireless bowler who could bowl 50 overs at a stretch and not leave the field for a break. It is such a man who can leave his stellar career and live a wholesome proud retired life with absolutely no regrets.
We thank you Kumble for adding to our country's records as you go down in history as India's Best Bowler ever. We will miss you.
As for the cricket establishment MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS...How about a media gag for you people!! Who you planning to take down next??Dravid??? *

The King has been Dethroned!!!

He is not the Prince, he is the King,
He is not the Quitter, he is the Survivor,
He is not the Media Hog, he is the Do-er,
He is not Selfish, he is the Builder of Careers,
He is not a Cricketer, he is Cricket,
He is not just Sourav Ganguly, he is a Legend.
And today as I watch this legend hang up his boots my heart bleeds. What could potentially have been 2 more glorious years of cricket for US is now officially over!!
7th October can now be declared the saddest and the most shameful day in the history of Indian cricket. I can openly say shame on all those quarters that drove a man like Ganguly over the edge and unfortunately out of cricket. The Fab Four are now left listless and searching as one of their members has left, leaving behind the memories of what has been a remarkably entertaining, prosperous, progressive, dynamic and awe-inspiring careers. The pressure he has been mounted to over the last 2 years has only made things even more difficult for the man who gave Indian cricket a new lease of life.
The best Indian captain started off rocky in 1992 and was written off at that time. His majestic return 5 years later in Test saw him return with a bang and since then he has only proved his critics wrong. This time again after the debacle with Greg Chappel our man returned with a bang and was nick named (amongst MANY others!!!!) as the King of Comebacks....and what a return it was!
The man's fine-tuned batting, god-like play at the offside, stubborn willingness, never say die attitude made him and the Indian team the winners they are today. Can he be actually allowed to leave a sport he has given so much to, specially when he is NOT down and out. Ganguly has not lost his touch and is actually the only batsmen who managed to score anything worthwhile at the India v/s West Indies or Pakistan.
He was proud of who he was. but we were not. He believed in Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh, when we did not. He stripped his shirt at the Lords (!!!!) to tell the English 'up yours'. He squeezed the arrogance out of the Aussies (World Cup, Steve Waugh toss wait, 2001 India tour of Aus....and many more!!). He bent the rules for India's success. He elevated Indian cricket from the muck of Match-fixing!
What did we give him- NOTHING...instead pulled his career away. You know what he deserves- A chance to file a case of harassment against the entire nation (...maybe except Bengal). Our fickle mindedness and ping-pong attitude has finally 'achieved' what could have been avoided.
It is not his loss, it is our loss. We do not get to see the man who tears the opposition anymore, we do not get to see a fiery Bengali on field, we do not get to see his smiling face when he praises 'his boys', we do not get to see a proud man, we do not get to see Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid and Ganguly play together ever again. It is our loss.
I will never get over the shock and disappointment of such a sudden exit of one my idols. There will never live to be another man like him and if I can achieve even 2% of what he has I will be satisfied.
Bidding farwell to one of the best cricketers India has ever produced. *

THE VIDEO OF HIM ANNOUNCING HIS RETIREMENT
http://broadband.indiatimes.com/videoshow/3570380.cms
SOMETHING TO SUBSTANTIATE MY ACCUSATIONS
http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Tired_of_constant_humiliation_Sourav_Ganguly/articleshow/3575361.cms

SELF ACTUALISATION

Maslows hierarchy has now taken an all new meaning for me! It has moved beyond textbooks and economics and marketing and consumer behaviour. It is more than just a narrow box sitting atop a step table waiting to be taught to a marketing student..or the last paragraph the professor teaches when the students breathe a sigh of relief.
It is a new beginning for me! People attain Nirvana...Me on the other hand, the classic piece that I am, will attain SELF ACTUALISATION!!! Aaaahhh...sounds good when I just write it...waaah!!!
You know, I have realised that one (namely me..humility u see) very often survive at level three and four i.e. Social Needs and Ego Needs. You may ask what is wrong after all is the perfect order in the hierarchy...but surprise surprise we actaully survive for the benefits of OTHERS social annd ego needs. It is time to let the bird fly out of the cage...leave the baby's hand...a new beginning to errr...begin...basically MOVE ON and not for anyone else but yourself...rather in this case MYSELF!!
I have realised that you can only live for others to a certain extent after that you just start being taken for granted. And when that starts happening my dear friends you start looking out for yourself. Actually you don't but the point is you should!
That is what I HAVE TO start doing. I have to be selfish, I have to think of and for myself, I have to take care of my wants, needs and demands (Marketing paper tom!?!?!?), I have to know that I will not lose out on anything, I have to make sure I am not hurt, I have to think of being happy, I have to be the SELF in the hierarchy...I HAVE TO ATTAIN SELF ACTUALISATION!!!
Aaaaahhhhh...now that I have found the solution for myself...I will analyse it (Media RESEARCH Methodology is also tomorrow?!?!?! Yes...TWO papers...Do Not Laugh)
PROBLEMS of Self Actualisation: I am too nice!! Yes, honestly I personally believe I am really very nice which is why I have come to this state of attaining Self Actualisation. Giving up a service I have been providing for so many years is like asking an old man to leave his ancestral home. A tad bit difficult don't you think. I can't detach myself from other people and not be the way I am. *sigh* So much for the attainment
Though I am not giving up. I can try, right? I can take the first few steps. If it doesn't work I am where I am...but...If it does........... *

A journey called...1st SEMESTER!!!

It has been 87 days since we arrived on this hill. Can't believe they are already done. Well, considering 6 weeks were chopped off our semester so conveniently it's not surprising.
One day you enter and you are hit by this blast called Symbiosis. You are running around to pay the DD (which, mind you, they grabbed in a jiffy), next moment you are scrambling around in a 4x4 space shouting out for a room (which took me 5 hours). Of course you return to the 'Acad Bloc' for ANOTHER room as the room given earlier DID NOT EXIST!!! IT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!!
Thousands of problems plagued us over the next 43 days (yes, after the room debacle they had more to add) no water, fungus, no travel, more fungus, no decent food, some more fungus, bugs in the food, and some more fungus, no gym, more FUNGUS!!!! No wonder Regil has a blog dedicated to FUNGIOSIS!!! We lived through it all. We had 11 hours of classes...7 hours of assigments after that and extra curricular too...We lived...rather survived through it all!
A huge plus from all this is the friends we made. It is not very often that you get people who are at your level...But most of us were lucky enough to find them. Trust me, if it wern't for them many of us would have jumped off the nearby hill ages ago!!! (A personal thanks to all my friends...I have no idea what i would have done without you all there) C4..you guys are the best...(my own personalized class you see!!!)
Life moved on...the dreaded WARNINGS LETTERS came. Actually they actually came as a guiding light for our batch (yeah, you could see the shine from teh papers!!) The batchs unity was exhibited to one and all at the time of issueing warning letters. NOT ONCE has it been that only one person has got a WL...they were literally given out in bulk (ya ya, we got plenty. Our discipline kinda sucked!!!). Talk of discipline and no mention of our 'Disciplinarian'. AS, as he is fondly..ahem..ahem.. called. Though the less said about him, the better it is. It will be a book by itself..maybe next blog!!!
AAAHHH...how can i forget the class tests and the stupid..stupid...stupid self study tests (MANORAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!) Well....there are three categiroes of people who come out of these tests..1) OOOOHHHHHH it was goood yaar..not bad at all..i should do ok.
2) oooohhh my god..i f***d it up soooooo badly. I am gonna fail, dude!
3)eh.....whatever...it's over now....
RESULTS: EXCUSIVELY FOR CAT 2) THEY ARE THE TOPPERS (hypocrisy I tell you)
Moving on...Overdose of journo classes, lack of ADV, just right for PR but the perfect combination was achieved by AV. 'Mr. Disciplinarian' *bows*
Well, the end is here..of the semester. Quite a whirlwinding one that too. Can't imagine sooooooo much can happen in 87 DAYS!!!!!! Trust me i havn't even started yet. I wish i could go on...but this blog was suppose to be my break...which has kinda been extended! I have to study you see. 2 papers a DAY!!! YES I still cant get over it!!! :-( So until next time! *