A for Apple = Steve Jobs
If a toddler knows that A stands for Apple, anyone who is remotely interested in technology would know that Apple stands for Steve Jobs. I was upset to hear the news of the demise of Steve Jobs, an entrepreneur who I have always admired. Jobs was brilliant,dynamic and passionate. Unlike all of us, though he started off with his two friends to manually make a computer, he skipped his studies and in his youthful days left everything behind and venture out into the unknown, traveling to as far as India, possibly to find peace. Find peace, he certainly did not. But he realised probably that he was wasting his time and returned. Thank God for that. His brilliance was in his ability to take off from where he left off, before he set out for travel. His ability to build Apple into an icon by the sheer force of his inventions and dynamism cannot be extolled enough. His fight with John Sculley, who had brought into the company and who eventually threw him out of Apple remains one of the most controversial stories. His passion to build his Company was established when the Board recalled him. He has built the Company to be the most recognisable and talked about brand in today's dynamic world of ever-changing technology. His commitment to his company was all the more appreciated when he resigned from his position when his health was failing (unlike our evergreen politicians) . There are fewer people in the world today like him. You will be missed sorely, Steve, not only in Apple but in the world which are bereft of leaders like you. God Bless.
Shri Krishna
As a kid, I used to enjoy reading Amar Chitra Kathas, the pictorial story books, an idea of the late Uncle Pai. It used to carry us to a world of our own, whether it is a mythological story or that pertaining to our freedom fighters or to a historical figure. As kids, we used to save our pocket monies to buy books and enjoy reading them at leisure. One of my favourite books used to be of Krishna. I have always been fascinated by Krishna. His mischievous childhood, His calmness and confidence as he grew up, His love for all and yet being devoid of attachment, His detachment for seeking power and yet the power that He retained over everyone, His ability to fulfil his promises even to his foes, His astute strategy were all qualities that I loved in Him. Recently, I relived the stories of Krishna in K.M.Munshi's seven volumes of Krishnavatara. I, like Swami Vivekananda, have wrested with the idea ( as I grew older and faced with life's troubles), if Krishna really existed. However, again like our Young national hero, I agree that Krishna as a character is the most influential character in our history. Every facet of His life is a lesson to be learnt and every teaching of His, especially His lectures on life to Arjuna in the battle of Kurukshetra, is indeed one which has stood the test of time and is relevant even today. Believing in Him has made my life easier to live and I believe He is the manifestation of the Universe's energy through which we were all created. It is a wonder that despite He being adored by a large section of people during the era in which He lived and He being called the avatar of the ultimate God, there were so many who were against Him. As Swami Vivekananda drew parallel to how Krishna was similar to Jesus in their birth, in the way we treated them and how they lived, one wonders why we did not spare even God in our prejudices. No wonder, we dont live and let live peacefully with fellow humans and other living creatures, who are equally entitled to live on this beautiful earth. Those who believe in Him would realize the true meaning of work is worship and become more tolerant. Jai Shri Krishna!
Victory to Democracy... Thanks to Anna Hazare
I am delighted. Our Country's democratic process has won. The parliament bows down to the wishes of the People. Anna Hazare has shown the way... a peaceful method, listening to the people and a selfless motive can work wonders. When Shilpa and I walked from Bandra to Juhu last Sunday, I was proud to see the huge number of people that had turned out. It was heartening to note that we as the people have peacefully expressed our disenchantment at the way the elected members have been functioning and have forced them to accept our wishes. It is important that We now conduct ourselves in a manner that is representative of the Jan Lok Pal. That we ourselves are beyond corruption and do not get tempted. This day will be a great day ... atleast in my memory.
Azad Maidan and Anna Hazare
I watched various TV channels over the last couple of days covering the Government's bungled up strategy and debates on Anna Hazare and the movement. The debates ranged from calling this a middle class movement (as if corruption does not affect the upper class and lower class - i wonder who coined this) and to the ridiculous -( on reputed channel had invited a so called thinker who considered this to be a upper class movement without thinking about the Dalits. Really, how we all like to argue and debate besides the core point. Whilst I appreciate the media for the coverage of this movement, some times it can really be ridiculous). So it was a relief when we (my wife, a cousin and a close friend) all decided to make a trip to Azad Maidan to express solidarity to the movement against corruption. It was exhilarating to see so many people, young and old alike coming to the ground to show their support. Mayank Gandhi explained what the Jan Lokpal Bill is all about and how it is different from the Bill passed by the Government. It was extremely informative and we realised that it is a movement that requires all the support that everyone can give. It is an opportunity to prove to any Government that they cannot take the People for granted. I dont know if there is any way to convey our thanks to Anna and his team and to all people who are fighting for a Corruption free India.
I have always wondered the reason or purpose behind my existence on earth. Why have I come to this world? As human beings, with the most complicated machine (body) and soul (I believe it exists and is different from the brain/mind ), I thought or still think, that we did not just "happen to be alive" or "get evolved from micro-organisms" according to the Big Bang. I will not debate on Darwin's theory, atleast for now. When I was a kid, I used to think that life is all about being successful. What according to me was success was simple....I had to be famous and loved by all. The way I loved to see Dennis Lillee, Pascoe, Bob Willis and Imran khan bowling in their prime. I was fired by Kapil as India's first genuine all rounder. I was taken in by Sunil Gavaskar's batting and thought he was the greatest cricketer. I thought the Big B was such a superb actor and loved to watch each one of his movies. I thought Pele was the greatest footballer on the surface of the earth. I thought Indira Gandhi was the most powerful person in the country. I thought Kishore Kumar was such a fabulous entertainer. I thought Mr Bhattacharjee, our physics teacher was the most knowledgeable person. Everytime I saw each one of them, I wanted to be as famous as they were. What I wanted to do in life, however changed everytime I found a new idol, whether a cricketer, a footballer, an actor/singer or a politician. Things changed as I grew up and started working. I worked hard in all my jobs and thought some of my bosses were perfect and knowledgeable. I wanted to know everything which they knew and more. I thought success was being knowledgeable or all knowing and being a leader. So I tried to be involved in everything. I became a leader and a boss. But strangely I did not feel successful. I had a wonderful team everytime and they helped me do better. But I realised over a period, that I was not exactly a great leader. I continously endeavour to improve but have a long way to go to be perfect and strong as leaders as supposed to be. At the right side of forty, I am still not sure if I am successful as my definition of success changed. I have realised that you dont run after success, you do your job well and leave it at that. Then, Maybe you will be successful, maybe you will not (does that remind you of the lyrics of Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann?). Maybe what Lord Krishna in Mahabharata said is after all true. You have the right to work and not to its fruits. Which brings me back to the original question. Why are we here on the earth? To Work? For what? To survive? I read numerous Books...each has its theory. I liked for instance Neale Donald Walsch's "Conversations with God", which conveys that you need to enjoy each day as it brings with it an experience. That is the purpose... to Experience. Because you dont need anything. You are here to experience. Is it true? So is successful living all about experiencing the best of everything that you do and that comes to you? I am still mulling over it.
D(H)ONE IT!!!!!! We Won the World Cup!
Hitting a six of the 2nd ball of the penultimate over of the World cup finals was how Dhoni steered the Men in Blue to Victory. And what a victory it was! We Won the World Cup!..... that was how each and everyone of us across the country greeted each other. People roared with approval, ecstasy, relief and sheer joy! What a night it was.
At the beginning it looked like things have gone wrong. The Lankans won the toss and elected to Bat. Then I heard Sreesanth was picked as a part of the team, replacing the injured Nehra. My heart sank. I wondered, did my favourite captain make a drastic mistake?. Why not Ashwin?... asked my friends (and so did the whole nation). Even Pathan would have been a better choice my heart said. But then hearing Sourav Ganguly backing up Dhoni, I consoled myself. Maybe Dhoni was right to have a third seamer. When Zaheer bowled a great first spell my heart lifted.... and then Sree screwed it up. It looked as if Dhoni realised his mistake. He strategically split the spells of Sree between the fall of wickets and ultimately called on Sachin and Virat to fill in the shortfall (leading to one of my friends joking that Raina and sehwag would come in after that). Mahela proved to be the class of player that he is known for, played a wonderful innings for the Lankans. It was an ominous sign, a century by a player in the world cup finals has never been in the losing side, the team batting first has won 60% of the time, Lankans scored better on a head to head over India, it was Muthiah Murlitharan's last World cup and the Lankans made a strong score of 275 hitting even Zahir in the last few overs.
I believed that GOD (Sachin) will be our saviour and that both he and Sehwag would give us a good start. My heart sank when Sehwag was out second ball to the fearful Malinga. Sachin looked confident and I again I believed that he would win it for us. And then the dreadful happened. He made his usual mistake of playing an away delivery, and the ball taking an outside edge was lapped away eagerly by the Lankan captain. The Lankans almost did a victory lap led by Malinga. I gave up and even walked away from the TV at home. Not for long fortunately. I wanted our team to fight it out. It was not the loss, my heart argued. It is how we fight that is important. So back I was, willing the team to play its best. I am sure every Indian prayed yesterday night. Gambhir's strokes and Virat's confidence, raised my hopes. When Virat left and Dhoni come in instead of Yuvi, strangely, I was relieved. I had a feeling that Dhoni was determined to make amends and he can play a captain's knock. And then, I argued to myself, even if he fails, atleast Yuvi would know that it rests on its shoulders. The way Yuvi has shouldered his responsibility, I felt he will not let us down. We still had Raina after that.
And what a match it turned out to be. Dhoni proved to be a phenomenal leader, his ability to soak in the pressure, maintain composure and stay till the very end, proved his mettle as India's best captain ever.
We won the Cup! I was proud of the team when Yuvi announced that they did for Sachin. Yes, the Great Master deserved this. He has been consistent over the last 21 years. But what made me feel proud was that this team did it on the shoulders of Gautam, Virat, Raina, Zaheer , Yuvi and Dhoni all of whom contributed at critical junctures. The shoulders of Raina and Virat as they picked up Sachin are the ones on whom the nation would expect that the team's prestige carries on. If I had carried a doubt asking the question, after Sachin, who next, the team proved me wrong. We have many talents. With India winning the world cup, the frenzy and interest in the game would increase. The pressure would increase multifold but so would talents. Let us hope cricket does not go the hockey way and we retain this magic in the years to come.
The feeling of happiness is great. What more could one ask for. If strangers can hug themselves after this and have a mutual feeling of love, one realises the importance of sports and arts in maintaining peace within and between nations. We need more champions across all fields. With Team India fulfilling the dream of the nation, one starts believing in one's hopes again. Maybe we will yet see a non corrupt political party leading the country. Dream on. Congratulations Team India and MSD.
At the beginning it looked like things have gone wrong. The Lankans won the toss and elected to Bat. Then I heard Sreesanth was picked as a part of the team, replacing the injured Nehra. My heart sank. I wondered, did my favourite captain make a drastic mistake?. Why not Ashwin?... asked my friends (and so did the whole nation). Even Pathan would have been a better choice my heart said. But then hearing Sourav Ganguly backing up Dhoni, I consoled myself. Maybe Dhoni was right to have a third seamer. When Zaheer bowled a great first spell my heart lifted.... and then Sree screwed it up. It looked as if Dhoni realised his mistake. He strategically split the spells of Sree between the fall of wickets and ultimately called on Sachin and Virat to fill in the shortfall (leading to one of my friends joking that Raina and sehwag would come in after that). Mahela proved to be the class of player that he is known for, played a wonderful innings for the Lankans. It was an ominous sign, a century by a player in the world cup finals has never been in the losing side, the team batting first has won 60% of the time, Lankans scored better on a head to head over India, it was Muthiah Murlitharan's last World cup and the Lankans made a strong score of 275 hitting even Zahir in the last few overs.
I believed that GOD (Sachin) will be our saviour and that both he and Sehwag would give us a good start. My heart sank when Sehwag was out second ball to the fearful Malinga. Sachin looked confident and I again I believed that he would win it for us. And then the dreadful happened. He made his usual mistake of playing an away delivery, and the ball taking an outside edge was lapped away eagerly by the Lankan captain. The Lankans almost did a victory lap led by Malinga. I gave up and even walked away from the TV at home. Not for long fortunately. I wanted our team to fight it out. It was not the loss, my heart argued. It is how we fight that is important. So back I was, willing the team to play its best. I am sure every Indian prayed yesterday night. Gambhir's strokes and Virat's confidence, raised my hopes. When Virat left and Dhoni come in instead of Yuvi, strangely, I was relieved. I had a feeling that Dhoni was determined to make amends and he can play a captain's knock. And then, I argued to myself, even if he fails, atleast Yuvi would know that it rests on its shoulders. The way Yuvi has shouldered his responsibility, I felt he will not let us down. We still had Raina after that.
And what a match it turned out to be. Dhoni proved to be a phenomenal leader, his ability to soak in the pressure, maintain composure and stay till the very end, proved his mettle as India's best captain ever.
We won the Cup! I was proud of the team when Yuvi announced that they did for Sachin. Yes, the Great Master deserved this. He has been consistent over the last 21 years. But what made me feel proud was that this team did it on the shoulders of Gautam, Virat, Raina, Zaheer , Yuvi and Dhoni all of whom contributed at critical junctures. The shoulders of Raina and Virat as they picked up Sachin are the ones on whom the nation would expect that the team's prestige carries on. If I had carried a doubt asking the question, after Sachin, who next, the team proved me wrong. We have many talents. With India winning the world cup, the frenzy and interest in the game would increase. The pressure would increase multifold but so would talents. Let us hope cricket does not go the hockey way and we retain this magic in the years to come.
The feeling of happiness is great. What more could one ask for. If strangers can hug themselves after this and have a mutual feeling of love, one realises the importance of sports and arts in maintaining peace within and between nations. We need more champions across all fields. With Team India fulfilling the dream of the nation, one starts believing in one's hopes again. Maybe we will yet see a non corrupt political party leading the country. Dream on. Congratulations Team India and MSD.
The Final Countdown
The world cup cricket final is just a few minutes away. There is a deep sense of unity amongst all as India as a nation almost wills its team to win the World cup. I remember the time when we won the World Cup 1983, it was unbelievable. We did not think our boys had the capability to win. It was considered a fluke to even have reached the finals. But the euphoria that set in after we won was incredible. Since then the expectations on the team has been high. In today's time, the money, fame and pressure is compounded multiple fold. Inspite of the same, we expect our team to win. I am one amongst the many who not only wishes that the team win, but also that Sachin hits his 100th ton. HE alone has been a source of joy for us and I think winning the world cup would be a fitting tribute to this Great Master. All the best Team INDIA, You have the backing of the country as a whole. You can and shall win the World Cup. Cheers
The day India Crumbled!
I was not exactly in the best of moods yesterday. It was a bad day for the Indian sports. Saina Nehwal lost her match in her bid to win the All England Championship and the Indian Cricket team lost miserably to the Proteas. What was irritating and disappointing was the manner in which we lost after the GOD of cricket hit another masterly and exquisite ton (his 99th) and together with Sehwag steered the score to 128 for none in just 15 overs. The fact that the team crumbled in the last ten crucial overs to score just 29 speaks volumes about the skills of the much touted and so called strong batting line up. In a population of c 1 bn (the final census figures are yet to be published but I am sure we must have bet China on that count at least), I wonder if there is anyone to replace Sachin once he retires from the cricketing field (I shudder to think about that day). My son, argues that I am cynical and that the team tried its best. Whilst I mulled over his argument, I realised what irritated me about the loss is the attitude of the team vis-a-vis the Master. The focus that Sachin played is displayed every time he comes to play. Over the past twenty years, he is given all that he has to the country and we are proud of him. The rest of the team (barring a few - I have a soft corner for Dhoni and Sehwag) seemed to play to the gallery rather than the country. I was irritated that the team did not respect the efforts put in by Sachin to take the score higher. Our inability to last the full fifty overs (and this is the second time in this World cup so far) shows that we have no great hunger to fight. Yes, I acknowledge that playing in front of crowd of tens of thousands is no easy feat, but then the team has been chosen to represent the country after playing so many matches and is expected to handle pressure. Our bowlers have been ineffective to bowl out the opposition. If they continue to play like this, we do not deserve to be in the last four let alone win the world cup. Let the best team win!.
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