Heartbreaks and Heartaches

What’s common between “The Lion King” (animation movie) and soccer? They entertain us by triggering different emotions. If that’s what you thought was common, think again. . . The movie opens with so much love and celebration. The birth of a son, the king delighted and as you are still humming the background song of celebration, you are subjected to deceit (the most hated human character) and chaos. And now do you think there is a similarity between the movie and the match that took place last night?

All of them walked out to the field, their national anthems were sung with Pride & Jubilation. And before the tune faded off your mind the Argentineans were wounded. The German’s proved that instant acceleration, exuberant handling and finesse were not just confined to their world class cars and racing drivers but also showed us that they use those facets “whenever” and “where ever” it is needed. Simba found a piece of wood to float, the Argentineans where looking for a piece(of magic I suppose) all the time!

When great teams clash, it all boils down to the sum rather than individuals. But whoever said football was a team game was probably not trained in Ajax. So it’s an individual game where each one does his business, Schweinsteiger was given the job of making sure that he walked across Messi as he tried to cut lose into the defense and Messi had to find a way past the German who did not make life easy. Like Simba, he was left to depend on his friends to enjoy life in the middle. And unfortunately not one individual could rise up as they were still on the floor trying to recover from the initial blow. At half time Simba was learning friendship, life and love while Messi was all ears to the man who’s been there and seen it all before.

And whatever was said in half time worked for the South Americans, the sum was getting bigger than the individuals but then chaos does not come with a ringtone, the counter attack was always a threat especially when you are playing against attacking full backs who support the midfielders to spread the play to the wide areas of the field. If “Muller” excelled in the midfield “Lahm” looked liked a winger with his runs from the back of the field to provide extra attacking options. Guess Maradona’s speech was good enough only to inspire them to recover from one set back and not to be prepared to push even if they got hit in the process another time, the pace of the game dropped and the possession was not any better. The game ended with another great team biting the dust in Africa.

The movie closes with a sense of satisfaction when Simba returns and the “All is well” message is echoed in the jungle. But the Argentineans must be at the airport now wondering which route to take back home or if they should head to some private island to soak the pressure and move forward.

Lion King and the match last night were both designed to entertain us for 90 minutes, nothing more and nothing less. Good fight by the Argentineans, but not good enough for the night. Dont try shadow boxing, they say the shadow always wins, its over and get over it Angel and Messi. Now that most of the favorites are out of contention, will the Germen squad make Lothar Matthaus proud or will Spaniards rise up to the occasion?

The joy of achievement is multiplied manifold when it’s denied or when they call you an underdog, go get it Spaniards! And remember what Maximus, the spainard had to say to his warriors," What we do in life echoes in eternity".

Do you give a Damn?

Freedom of speech is totally acceptable, even if it was not something you and I would not want to hear. But whats it with some people who try to be the pseudo superior.....

http://www.livemint.com/articles/2010/06/11211917/Breaking-news-I-may-not-be-an.html

I do not want to use the freedom of replying as a word to word battle - In two words - Grow Up!

Good one Priya Ramani. Are you writing your personal diary or an article for mint ? Do you get paid for this? Absurd it would be if the answer was yes. And you are surely not an Indian because respect is a big word and you dont have any for anyone(do you respect yourself atleast)! And who said you dont spit in public? Look at what you've done with the 740+ words you could have used to inform, ignite, motivate or (pleasantly) surprise people. The kind of a person you are, you'd call someone like me a loser.... thank you. Because it does not matter if someone like you called me a winner. Have a nice day!

IPL 2010 Final - So called Technical Analysis

35 balls 70 runs… it was possible. When Sachin gifted a sitter to Vijay at long off, it did not seem possible for Mumbai anymore, the crowd knew it. Chennai had moved the game to their favor by a big margin. Some similarity that seems like a coincidence or a curse: Sachin is left to fight the demons single handedly yet another time, despite putting a great effort, his team losses and a new comer named Jakati picks up his wicket like Angelo Mathews , Sohail Tanveer or Umar Gul did as new comers in the past. Tiwary paid attention to every word that Sachin had to say as he walked in, then just before the second delivery the beep of 15 minutes played in the back of his mind(or it at least seemed so) and like Ghajini Aamir/Suriya, he forgot all that was said and gave Raina(of all people) a tough catch practice. Raina does not drop any even in the middle of the night, thank God he is not Newton, he would have caught the apple before it hit his head and we would still be wondering why the cricket ball that’s hit towards the sky comes back down. Calit Mod-e would have tweeted on what percentage of share each factor holds for the cricket ball to come back to the earth and the sweet equity disclosure would have led to the firing of Vashi Farhoor from Nasa on account of diabetes that resulted from the sweetness which he ignored to record in his findings. Duminy, Rayadu, Tiwary, Nayar were all batmen (it’s not a spelling mistake) gone wrong, the bat did not do the talking and they could not save their Gotham City, Mumbai.

Fernando was kind, Abhishek was compassionate and no… this is not a love story…both waited for each other, you dont trust me do you, ITS NOT A LOVE STORY and the ball waited for none. Raina’s drop was like the US capturing Osama and releasing him on ID 4 on account of good conduct. Zaheer I guess is a man of fire, no he’s not a smoker who carries a lighter everywhere. He said if you folks drop when I bowl, I’ll drop when you bowl too. He went begging to the ground with the ball refusing to oblige to his plea, how cruel cricket is at times, it stripped him off his…. Okay let’s say “tough man image”, to be decent. And made the second standard kid who caught the chalk his teacher threw at him proud.

28 from 8 looked possible against any team other than Chennai, before Pollard got out it seemed possible against any team. But after that, if only Sukesh Imbani’s cell phone did not show network busy….. He would have called Dhoni and offered a fair deal (Mr.Money Rathnam could have made a block buster based on the life of a young cricketer who says, Baapu kehtha tha… cricket muth khelo, laykin mainay khela ek khel…). I guess Imbani is going to sue his younger brother on account of continuous abuse from the customer care, whose answers resemble an IVR, press 1 to hangup or 0 to get frustrated. And for not reactivating his account despite making his payments three times for the same bill to make sure they did not deactivate his services. In the mean time Oneal Imbani in his recent press release says that it was not personal vendetta and he was trying to reach his elder brother to let him know that he better take his puppy along with him and see if at least that network followed him inside the packed stadium .

The last ball of the 19th over saw extreme reactions from both the captains. Dhoni in the middle of all the action smiled and pointed his finger towards the sky as if he knew the answer to the question that his Head Master Sachin had asked. As Hayden took a stunning catch to dismiss Pollard, Sachin sat biting his nails inside one of the rooms (and not in the dugout) in anticipation of his name being called on the list of students who failed to clear the annual examinations at The IPL this year.

Why does Vijay play as if he was a statue waist down, why does raina get two chances and Sachin not get even one, Malinga’s bowling lacked the color, he should have dyed his hair… especially his yorker looked plain for the batsmen. . . go on find a million reasons. Chennai Super Kings WIN and that’s all that matters!

The Lion with a Bat

When the winners lose or the losers win it evokes emotions never witnessed before. Everyone is bond to it and there is so much debate over who is better than whom and predictions fill the air and we inhale it more than oxygen. Our everyday life is divided between before and after the event, between anticipation and retrospection. We are hit by the impact of what seems like a cricketing circus where each day we witness new tricks that are unveiled by the pros and the wannabes. Gimmicks and off the field drama provide enough fodder for the gossips and the infield prowess entertains the billions of fans in India and non residing Indians across the globe.

The hilt got longer, the man looks stronger and when he is out to slaughter the short ones over the top the extra swing projects the white leather into the infinite skies with a lot more ease or so it seems to me at least. He is so much in love with what he does and it’s evident when he is in the middle, on the boundary or even in the dugout. His presence equates explosive action and a knockout punch awaits the opposition which he is ready to unleash any time. The Australian Giant!

One man from an average background with not many feathers attached to his wings made his way to the centre with lots of hope and a very big heart that is hungry all the time. His will precedes his ability, his instinct supersedes talent and his grit & determination surpasses the insecurities that arise from within someone who has little to offer. When it was time to fly with the others who had a lot more feathers attached to their wings this man put all his energy into staying on course. When the others unleashed their frills and went on a swirl he just did what he had to and kept things simple through his own unorthodox approach. His book had one rule – get busy with the target and not with the strings attached to it. The Indian Mr.Cool, Captain.

Years of twisting have not weakened his wrists, the fire in his eyes shine bright as always and each move is executed with a sage like devotion. The worse the condition gets, the harder he tries and his ability to push against the odds and collect himself after getting hit hard is humungous. The Sultan of Spin from Srilanka.

It’s raining sixes when he is on the job.” Little to lose, everything to win”, is the hat he wears and his skill does help. The baggage seems to be getting bigger with the weight of responsibilities multiplying by the minute. He tries to hit and then tries to not get hit. In his home ground if it rained you can hear people say, “Rainaaaa (an expression used to ask if it was raining)????”

With some firepower in the form of youngsters and an arc angel named “ Morkel” that super kings forge their way through the battle field that has warriors like Sachin, Sehwag, Ganguly or Y Pathan and terminators like Warne, Malinga, Kumble or Harbhajan who do not make life easy in the middle. Will the mongoose win? Can Dhoni stand tall as captain and use his unorthodox means to stay on course to sail past the finish line? Will the fire burn the opposition and spin its way to success, will it rain when it’s needed the most and will the Aussi turned Madarasi kiss the infinite skies as much as he would want to? Will the “Super Kings” engrave their names on the Trophy this year? In two and a half weeks time we’ll know. Now then let me get back to the anticipation mode for the next game, let me figure out who’s wearing the orange cap, let me impatiently wait for cricinfo’s updates and also follow the batman who tweets at night about his team(that he owns) and his suppressed and not so suppressed reactions.

Have fun and let’s enjoy some big hitting, let the one who deserves to be the winner win!

- Renald

The Fate of a Fallen Hero!

I have grown up watching sports, following super stars and admiring their finesse. The adventurous part of me enjoys the thrilling moments that any sport gifts us. I was always glued to the television with at most devotion as the commentator said,” 5 runs from 3 balls to win, Robin Singh is running between the wickets as if he was chased by a Tiger(No, it’s not the golfer)”. It gives me a high when I can hardly hear John Dykes say, “Wayne Rooney uses his head well in stoppage time to score a winner against Liverpool, what a moment!”, and I’m lost in that moment of excellence.

I cannot count the number times that I have watched Mika overtake Schumi in Spa (2000 F1 Season), I still have the video. And continue to enjoy the bliss and bravery that Hakkinen exhibited, it’s even more special because he was up against the best the world has ever seen on that occasion. When Federer wept after his defeat against Nadal in the Australian Open last year, I was in remorse. The superman, who was a step away from breaking Pete’s record, had to wait until the US Open to get what he wished to conquer that day.

When Hansie Cronje intervened and clarified that Sachin was blocked by Klusner from getting into his crease and should not be declared out, my mind wrote a note that it takes a man to do the right thing even if it meant that he’d lose the battle fighting fair. When Sachin never spoke against the board despite all the criticism as a captain, I realized that it takes character to remain calm in rough weather and not lose focus. I understood this even more when I saw him let the bat do the talking when the Aussi’s were busy sledging. Shane Warne later on said, “It’s better to be friends rather than help him perform better (with our sledging)”

As I saw Mathew Hayden scoop a six, flick and whip the Royal Challengers, especially Dale Steyn all around Bangalore I was dumbfounded. Later on he said that he had to practice for months with the different conditions(specific to the IPL) in mind, was bowled at different angles and speed, I was once again forced to understand that if I had to succeed I had to work on what I wanted way ahead and success was just a derivative.

When Jordan dunked, Pete volleyed, Sachin hooked, Carlos (Roberto) scored, Marat Safin won (2005 Australian Open Against Hewitt, one of my all time favorites), Tiger birdied, Mika smiled (after his car broke down on the final lap and waved to the fans) – the kid in me was learning…. Not how to do what they did but how their controlled emotions led them to the place they were, how to hold on when letting go seemed like the only option and how passion preceded performance!

The gossip column’s make money selling another man’s personal issues or in most cases so called fabricated issues which I think is a cheap thing to be doing to make my living. I wish we published the lives of these columnists, though it would not arouse curiosity there would be some as bad as any of the celebrities & sport stars. May be even worse – who knows!

I can understand why Tiger’s sponsors dropped him, they can’t say,” Go on Be a Tiger” to promote their services or products anymore. But the media running into his kid’s school is simply not acceptable. We all look up to these sports personalities, we hold them with high regard and it’s a disappointment to all of us.

When Maradonna or Benjohnson was banned for the same reason I did not see the media twisting the story into a sensational juicy article like we get to see in today’s papers. I guess our journalists have stopped reporting, they can find alternate jobs at pixar or dreamworks to work on a script and with their stretch of imagination, I’m sure they’d make it to the Oscars.

The other things about these so called journalists is that they are choosy (we all know why) - When Arnold confessed about not just pumping iron in the gym, it did not interest the gossip journalists. When our politicians are caught in the middle of the action in 5 Star hotels, the women are arrested and the men walk free. While the G journalists are busy outside a celebrity’s house finding out who was having a cup of coffee from whose cup.

Ignore the Agassi confession, it does not matter now. He did not bother to do this when he was playing, and don’t tell me he’s a hero because he confessed. You had a responsibility being an idol to so many youngsters, you failed. Go ahead live your life, but don’t try to justify.

I want to thank the performers for the entertainment & the learning that they provided. We’ll give them the chance that we’d expect for ourselves if we failed and we’ll not intrude into another man’s personal life. It’s sad to know that the fate of a hero is written off by a pen that holds so much power and responsibility.

Wake up; we are all men and women, equal mortals. We liked them for the sport, not for their personal lives and we’ll let them correct their shortcomings. I wish if only we remember not to add insult to injury, we’ll make a better place! Michael was the Elephant Man because of the Media, Martin Bashir – I do not know if you were right about your comments when you interviewed MJ. But if you were not sure and if Michael’s second edition to your interview was true, you are such a loser (I’m sure you know if you are one)!

Looking for an excuse is twice as bad as the mistake!

Renald

Thank you my Loved Ones!

Many are exchanging(at least giving if not getting) gifts and wishes today. A day for Love, many will propose, many will win, some will not. Some will make while some will break!

We are yet to ascertain the exact reasons for this feeling. Any form of Love is blind as it defies logic and sometimes denies to accept reality. It can evoke extreme emotions that would have never crossed our minds if otherwise. It would drive us to do things we would have never done if we did not have this sensational feeling. For example - The parents of a mentally challenged kid gave their lives trying to save thier kid(The kid was saved) from their car that tipped into a river. How on earth would some one do it? Give thyself sounds great to read in novels but in reality this is how its possible.

The few things I've learnt in trying situations to keep the love alive with my dears ones:-

"The Bottle Neck" - When there is pressure from every side the mentally tough ones survive while the others break! Bottle necks get us closer to people who matter and that is when you get to know the real person which might be totally opposite from the way they behave other times. The neck and the bottle breaks when reality strikes in such a case!

"Getting it right is not getting it done my way"
I guess I personally have faced a lot of situations to understand that there are multiple roads to a destination(which are as safe as my way, sometimes even safer/better) and many ways of getting a job done. I guess we can call this "The Control Freak" syndrome, when you feel - "Oh no, thats not how its supposed to be".

"Dont cry if you can fix it"
Many times I've seen people talk at lenght about what was in stake, what their dreams were and how their heavens came crashing down instead of thinking what next?

"If you cant compromise, dont ever step into a deal, you can never make a successful one!"
Any deal is a success as long as both parties have a feeling that they have got the better side of the field.

"The past is behind, do you want to stay there?"
I use this more recently when I think of all the great times I had, the people who were around and things I've lost!

"You can either learn or blame"
In any given situation there are two mutually exclusive events - Blame or Learn. Move on with what you got to know. If the cow you owned kicked you in the face there is no point in kicking it back in the face, next time wear a helmet and let the cow kick you once more, it'll break its leg if it tries to kick you another time!

"Do you know why?"
This keeps me on the lookout for bits and pieces of the puzzle that i rearrange to find out why someone says something rather than put too much focus on what he said. We dont mean what we say in tough situations.

"If somepushes you from behind, look before you act. It might just be a friend!"
There are times when the intial frustration drives us to act or react in haste. A Man retuned home to notice some noise in the first floor of his house, his wife was out, his daughter was staying at her friends place that night and hence he knew it was someone else. Blood rushes through his veins at the speed of a concorde, he gets his gun and watchfully heads upstairs. Just when he reached the door of room upstairs he saw the door open and he fired! He could not forgive himself for the rest of his life. His daughter had returned as her friend was not keeping well!:(

"I cant be right all the time, but I can atleast try"
I'm no perfect is something all of us know and love to embrace. We put all our short comings in there and get aways saying it. You can never stop being nice!

"The only rule in love is to break if there was any"
Expectations, rules, standards all lead to disappointments!
We are what we are, if we had to change for someone then we are not what we are and its not easy being someone else.

Hope you cling on to your loved ones, they keep us going. Happy Valentines Day!

Let go and you will know that what is yours will never leave!

In Terms with Reality

Yet another year arrives with all the twists and turns that makes life worth it! The drama of 2009 is over and like a Shakespeare’s tragedy it did hurt badly towards the end of the play.
The opening was good, Mom & Dad’s birthday celebration in Blue Star. Feb unleashed sentiments with dad admitted in the hospital for over three weeks. March was testing time, the lent - successful and the regular ritual at Malayatoor was rewarding and cleansing.
(ARV)Anand is doing good in the US, hopefully will claim greater heights in the years to come! Mia and Meeshma were adorable and I miss them very badly.

Each period of the play had different individuals walking in and out. The play was set in bangalore until the climax.

Bangalore Times:

Joshi was there until June. A true friend since my Graduation days in Sri Krishna College, he has been a consistent friend and is one of my confidant’s.

“Jaishanker” alias “Thallai” made my birthdays special in 2008! The” Kolar Ride” was his highlight this year. 01.00 hrs Bangalore - 03.00hrs Kolar – 05.00 hrs Bangalore – 09.00hrs office. Night outs on a bike, I can write a book on him and his bike.

“Terror Strikes” - no, it’s not an earthquake or Mumbai terror attacks, Chaithanya Prabhu zoomed into Bangalore. The IIM Bangalore visit was worth the drive from whitefield. Sindhu was happy to welcome us every evening, okie now you think I’m a ______. Sindhu was our hangout spot in White Field where they serve authentic Andhra food.

The huddle: Tim anna organized a dinner, James anna & Tina, Sam Anna & Jasmine, Felix and Herald & I had a great time together. The poor guy who served Chinese tea could have won a marathon as he ran to the kitchen to refill the empty pot on our table every 10 minutes.(He did that for 3 hours atleast)

Harianna’s merry ride - Accent#$^!* offered him a menial job and hence moved to Sinfy where he was offered the job of warming up the already over packed bench and the meeting rooms doing nothing. Now he is placed in a place where he has a better job, my wishes!

The Farewell party was amazing, Sarovar roof top. The DJ rocked, the 5 year old kid on the dance floor was great company to dance with. Deepti, Jai Shanker and Chinmayji were the people who made it memorable and I’m sure I’ll remember them for a long long time.

The Climax

“Coimbatore Comeback – the calm before the storm”, what a place to be! No matter how far you travelled, your heart still points to the direction you came from, where your home is. Mom’s food, friends and freedom are things you cannot buy with money. Gowtham was the man who made the difference. FiFA on the X Box, badminton in Jenny’s Club, early morning walks (at 9.30 - 10) in Race Course and the infinite Scorpio drives. He was there in every bit of it and the eternal pursuit to obtain a passport. That was a movie on its own where Gowtham was the hero who helps his friend who is in need of a passport. Mr.Babu, Bangalore and Mr.Xavi – CID were major characters who helped in the happy ending.

Just when I thought I was out due to some personal setbacks, the right career choice, passport pursuit and a few other things that bothered, the play took a U-Turn. Roy mama entered the next world; I still cannot come in terms with the reality that struck me right between the eyes.

Dollar is equally tormented if not more, the damage has been from multiple sides, but as far as I know he is a man who’ll take the bull by the horns. And when pushed against the wall, some people rise and some people fall. I’m sure he is a man who will rise even if he fell a few times; he’s got what it takes. Hope he finds light at the end of the tunnel!

The Kid in his 30’s, Big B was amazing. His warmth and love is invaluable. The Pattu Mala Church was holy and divine, the surrounding and the ambience was supreme.

“The Exile “– Living the Malayali Dream. Study/don’t; work in the GULF is the mantra. I wonder if people will declare Malayalam as the National Language here in Saudi Arabia. Eloquent references:-

The Cops pull over for a routine check and out of frustration I said," what the heck" in Malayalam and was stunned when the native cops said “Poda” (Get Lost)! Thanks to the friends from Kerala who taught him that and a lot more words which cannot be published.

With great difficulty and with the help of sign language I managed to ask a man in the transport authority, the way to the online examination centre and he said “ dha avide”(in there) in a laid back voice!

In the hope of a better tomorrow the man from India continues his walk on the corniche. The curtains drop, the play ends - Happy New Year 2010!

End Credits:
Lang K7 – Ilango Kessavane(A Friend from Bally), Abhi – Abhishek Ahhirao(Saccha Dosth), M ki - Puneet Jain, Santh – Santhana Krishnan, ?(Question Mark) – Balaji G. Sketch me – Geethakrishnan, Indy – Indira , Aniyan Sir – Trans, 6 pack – Karthi, G – Geo Thomas, Mandrake – Benny George, Mooki – Hari, Suji – Sujith, Dr – Shakeer, Topa – Niresh.