Bhool Aaye....

Zindagi ke raastein mein bahot aage nikal aaye,

School aur college ko ab hum kafi peeche chod aaye...

Paise kamane ki majboori me hum dosti ko bhool aaye,

Hum to apni zindagi ko peeche hi bhool aaye...

Manzilon ka pata nahi, bas chalte jaa rahe hain..

Girne ke baad bhi uthkar aage badhe jaa rahe hain...

Izzat kamane ki majboori me hum khushiyon ko bhool aaye,

Hum to apni zindagi ko peeche hi bhool aaye...

Vo chutti maarke ghumne jaana, vo dosto ke saath milkar aish karna..

Vo ghanto baithkar gappe maarna, har ek paise ka hisaab rakhna...

Dusro ko khush karne ki majboori me hum in palon ko bhool aaye,

Hum to apni zindagi ko peeche hi bhool aaye..

Zaruri kaamon ko karte karte kahin thak na jaayein,

Dil me adhuri khwahishein lekar kahin afsos na reh jaayein...

Zindagi ka pata nahi, aage ho na ho,

Aao dosto hamari dosti hum fir se jee aayein...

Cricket without Sachin...Unimaginable!!

I am 24, born in October 1989; Sachin Tendulkar played his first Test match in November the same year, and has been playing continuously for these 24 years. This might indicate the enormity of the occasion. Majority of India's population is less than 25 years, and for us, cricket without Sachin is unfathomable. We have never seen an Indian test cricket team without Sachin, except for the few test matches he has missed because of injuries. It will undeniably be very hard to accept that cricket can be played without him.

Most of us Indians have an opinion on anything remotely connected to cricket: from the school-going children to a bed-ridden old man, from a politician to a roadside 'paanwallah', from a CEO of a big company sitting in an air-conditioned cabin to a salesman knocking at every household. The topics of discussion vary from D/L Method, or the Hotspot Technology or the razzmatazz IPL or if Bangladesh should have been given Test status. But the foremost question on everyone's minds since the last few years has been about the impending retirement of this great.

We all knew Sachin would retire sooner or later. Quite a lot of people felt he was past his prime and he should gracefully make way for someone younger. Many people thought bidding the game goodbye after the World Cup 2011 win would have been befitting for a champion like him. But now, when the time has finally come to close the curtains on what has been an illustrious career, we can't help but feel sad that this legend will not take the cricket field anymore.

 The debate about whether Tendulkar is the greatest batsman of all time is always going to stay. Sir Don Bradman once said, "I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I felt that this player is playing with a style similar to mine, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...his compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel!" Brian Lara, the stylish left-hander, another great of this generation, can also lay claim to this throne. Sir Gary Sobers, Sir Viv Richards, Allan Border, Sunil Gavaskar, and a host of other names have all left a glorious legacy for the cricket world to cherish. Comparisons are inevitable, but we can leave the debate on who is the best of them all, for some other time.

But when you look at his statistics, you will be dumb-struck. Almost 35,000 international runs, century of centuries, 200 Test matches, first double-century in ODIs, a World Cup victory, and other several records to his name, you are bound to think where does this man get the inspiration from, to continue playing cricket for so long. Mind you, 24 years, doing the same thing can become monotonous. Yet he has given everything that he had, to this sport. He sums it up perfectly in his retirement letter, "It's hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it's all I have ever done since I was 11 years old.".

To be successful consistently at the highest level of cricket, you need to have passion, grit and determination. Sachin had that, and a lot of other things. His zeal to play was no less than any newcomer who broke into the Indian cricket team. Watching him celebrate after taking a catch would make me ponder how a guy, in his late thirties, can rejoice so much on getting a wicket, as if it was his first catch. Surreal!

But for me, what sets him apart is the way he has carried the burden of an entire nation's expectations on his shoulders. His petite frame can be misleading, but the nerve-wrecking pressure of a billion people wanting him to score a century every time he occupies the crease would have broken a lesser mortal. But not once has he complained about it. When a wicket fell, we used to say, "Koi nahi, Sachin abhi baaki hai.". When he got out, people stopped watching the remaining part of the match. All this is not exaggeration, it is reality, indeed!

He has been a role-model to an entire generation. The dedication and concentration with which he played the sport, the honesty with which he conducted himself on the ground, the passion and excitement with which he approached the game, is a lesson for all those young people who are starting with their life journeys now.

In India, the one thing that undoubtedly unites everyone is cricket,and thus it is no short of a religion here. And the God of this religion is 'Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar'. The way he has brought people of every caste, creed and class, come together is nothing short of a miracle. And instead of all this, he has never made the mistake of placing himself above the game. Humility is a very essential trait of a champion. 

I remember watching the first-ever double century in ODIs at a street corner with plenty of others, who like me, were caught unawares with what was going on at Gwalior. What a leveling sight it was! College students, shop owners, labourers, hawkers, white-collared office-goers, all standing on a footpath, waiting with bated breath, for the Little Master to get to a milestone, which no one had ever breached. And as soon as he reached there, hugs followed, people started to dance. It all seemed like a festival.

Two other innings of his that have been etched in my memory forever are the twin centuries against Australia at Sharjah, in 1998. Emotions were high, a lot was at stake. But Sachin continued playing sublime cricket, enchanting millions worldwide, and making the Aussies look at him in awe. He first managed to get us into the finals, and then single-handedly demolished the Kangaroos to achieve a victory that would everlastingly remain in the hearts of all Indians.

I don't know how much to write and what to omit, what details to mention, and what to overlook. Even a book on the maestro won't be enough. My eyes are swelling and voice is choking, and I am sure there would be many people out there like me, finding it difficult to accept that Sachin would not put his pads on again.

It doesn't really matter where he plays his last match. He is loved and respected everywhere, not just in India, but also abroad. And whatever is his last venue, he is definitely going to get a reception, no less than that of a king.

The last ball is not yet bowled. Two test matches remain, and I personally do not care if we win or lose. What I want is that Sachin plays the best cricket of his life, free-minded, relaxed and calm. Those beautiful cover drives, sixes over third man and mid-wicket, those flawless sweeps, shots straight over the bowler...one last time... Oh Sachin, you will be sorely missed!

Where are we heading?

That girl, cruelly attacked and gang-raped in Delhi, is fighting for her life. Most of the rapist bastards have been caught by the police. Calls have grown louder to set up fast-track courts to try these culprits and hang them. The government is being asked to install closed-circuit TV cameras, and implement stringent laws to curb this menace. The cops are being asked why they could not prevent this grisly crime. Everyone has started to direct its anger towards Delhi, which time and again has proved, that it is a precarious city for a woman to be in.

But is it only Delhi? Though our capital has the maximum number of reported rape cases, are the other cities more secure? Maybe, the number of such cases reported is slightly on the lower side as compared to Delhi. But that does not mean a woman would be able to roam freely wherever she wants. This act is not just a spot on Delhi; it is a black stain, a shameful act for the entire nation.

The question that arises now is how we can prevent such ghastly crimes against women. Women have been asked to not wear short or revealing or Western outfits. They say it attracts undue attention. Women have been asked to not travel late or alone. They say it makes them vulnerable. Reach home early, carry pepper spray along with you wherever you go and don’t even dare step out without a cell phone. A woman should do this and do that, so that she does not get sexually molested.

But this is not the solution. Sexual assault on a woman is not her fault. Then, why should she compromise on her way of living? As Derek O’Brien rightly said, “Rape is not a woman’s issue, it is much beyond. It is about men who stop behaving like human beings and start behaving like animals.”

Why do certain men think of women as objects of sexual desire? Why do some men think of sex as an activity that they can force upon the girls, as and when they feel the need to do so? The foremost problem is not with the government or the police department or the law enforcement agencies; it lies with the attitude of those vicious men, who think it is their right to show their masculinity by such an act of horrific violence. Rape is an intentional act of humiliation, disgrace and insult, inflicted by the so-called ‘strong’ men on women.

We live in a country where women are worshipped. Laxmi, Durga and Saraswati are revered as Goddesses. But where are we heading now? We need to build a society where every man should respect a woman, her dignity. We need to build a culture where women do not have to think twice before travelling alone anywhere in India. What we need is attitudinal change. No man can claim a right on the woman’s body, even if they are married. Men should be made to understand that any kind of sexual forcefulness is unjustifiable and unforgivable.

Our society is indeed malnourished. But can we build a better homeland with humanity as its essence? I would like to believe we can, because ‘The alternative is too brutal and inhuman to believe’.

The Fanatic Verses

It was extremely unfortunate to learn that acclaimed writer, Sir Salman Rushdie, cancelled his trip to the Jaipur Literature Festival, due to security concerns. His book, The Satanic Verses, has long been banned in our country for its alleged blasphemous contents. I have not read the book, and so am not in a position to comment whether the book really hurt Muslim sentiments or if it was just a group of fundamentalists, with their narrow-mindedness, who just need an excuse to accuse someone of profanity.

But what I certainly feel is that writing is an art form, and freedom of speech, a part of our Constitution. Banning a book to appease a section of people is regressive. I am not against Islam, or for that matter, any community. But banning a literary piece of work cannot be a part of democracy; least of all, in a country, which is slowly climbing up the steps of progress. If you have a problem with the book, don't read it. Simple. No one can be forced to read the book, and similarly, no one can be forced to not read the book, if he or she wants to.

What has made me aghast is that this Booker Prize winner is not allowed to come to his own country. We have had such incidents in the past, when the late M.F.Hussain lived his latter part of life in exile, away from his motherland. And we missed the presence of a talented painter amongst us. Though Salman has been acquitted by the courts, he fears for his life, and rightly so. The supreme ex-leader of Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, after the release of the book, had issued a fatwa that Rushdie should be killed for making a mockery of Islam, and the killer would be awarded handsomely too. Rushdie has still managed to stay alive, but a few authors who translated his book into other languages have been laid to rest. The fatwa can be taken back only by the person who issued it in the first place, and Khomeini has long been dead.

Differences of opinions are common. Getting hurt by somebody's comments is also not exceptional. Protests are fine. In fact, they are an integral part of our democracy. But threatening someone with his life is not acceptable and justifiable. No one would have the courage then to talk or write or paint what he or she feels like. We all will talk what others would not mind listening. And we call ourselves the world's largest democracy.

By not coming to India, Salman has inadvertently become the star of the festival. Even in absentia, he has been the most-talked person here. The government should have done something to assure him about his security. This has been a huge slap on the face for the administration. This is not a triumph of anyone. Pen is mightier than the sword; not in India. I don't support Salman Rushdie's book, nor am I a huge fan of his writing. But this incident has exposed our incompetent democratic nature.

So, will Rushdie forever stay under the knife of threat and not return to his place of birth? Or will the government step in and take sterner steps next time around so that such an abject incident does not happen in future? Only time will tell, but for now, this has become a matter of national shame and embarassment.

Baichung Bhutia - Indian Football's Favorite Child

Football in India does not quite create a hysteria. It is still a sport that, though followed by many on television and played by children on streets, has not been able to pick up in India. Very few football fans in India follow the I-League, India's own version of professional soccer league; although this is a better situation than a few years back, when people did not even know that India had a national team too. In came Baichung Bhutia, in the mid 1990s, and altered the face of Indian football.

India has had a glorious history in football. The decade of 1950-1960 was, unarguably the best period in our soccer history. We played in the Olympics, predominantly barefooted, and put up a spirited performance. We even managed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, though did not play due to certain reasons. We were considered the best team in Asia at that time. Later, the downhill started. Today, India is no where close to that Golden Era. But, in Baichung Bhutia, Indian football had got, what is the most important thing in any sport, a role model.

Baichung, which means 'Little Brother', hails from Sikkim, a small state in the north-eastern region of India. At 19, he scored in his very first match for India, becoming the youngest scorer for India at that time. From a sleepy hamlet in Sikkim, he rose to play for the biggest Indian clubs and also, a short stint in professional league in Europe, becoming the first Indian to do so. Not only was he an inspiration for the people of Northeast India, he managed to inspire quite a few people in this cricket-obsessed nation. 'The Sikkimese Sniper', as he was fondly called, became the face of Indian football, for the past 15 years. Yes, there were other talented players that came up in India during his time; Yes, there were some genuine strikers who too deserved a chance to play in foreign leagues. But Bhutia, had the determination and the character, to achieve something that was unheard in Indian football.

A few years back, when I saw some Indian in a talk show after the FIFA World Cup matches, I was, honestly, surprised. It was unexpected. Later on, I came to know that he is Baichung Bhutia, Indian football national team skipper. This spurred me to know more about him and more importantly, Indian football. And this is what he has done to many youngsters in this country - he has made them take notice of this sport, which is one of the biggest outdoor games abroad, but fails to make it big here.

Baichung Bhutia has played most number of matches for India, and has also captained India for a long time. He has also dabbled in dance and television, winning the reality show 'Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa'. He has played for the big Indian clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. He has also founded a club 'United Sikkim', in his native state. With Nike, he has planned to open a football academy in India, thus providing much-needed impetus to the game.

Bhutia, recently played his last match in national colors, when All India Footbal Federation (AIFF) organised a farewell match for him against German giants, FC Bayern Munich, which had top class footballers like Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez, Philip Lahm and Arjen Robben. The huge gap between the two teams notwithstanding, it was a gesture, befitting for a player of Bhutia's calibre. Though India surrendered 0-4 to the top German club, it was Bhutia who stole the show. The entire Jawaharlal Nehru stadium roared, when Bhutia had the ball. A nice swansong for Bhutia, if not the perfect one.

Maybe Bhutia's absence from the national team might not plummet the team to lower heights, but we will definitly miss the services of an athlete who raised the profile of the sport in the country, almost single-handedly. Who carries forward the legacy of Bhutia is still unknown - maybe Sunil Chettri or maybe Jeje Lalpekhlua. But, this Arjuna awardee, atleast deserves a round of applause, to have unfailingly been the torch bearer for a not-so-prominent sport in India, for the past 15 years.

Mausam - Old World Romance

Let's start with the story first. Aayat, played by Sonam Kapoor, has to leave her native Kashmir because of the insurgency there in 1992, and lands up in the beautiful Mallukot in Punjab, where she meets the hero Harvinder Singh aka Harry, played by Shahid Kapur. Their love story unfolds across the backdrop of the various tragic events, that have gripped our country over the years. The Babri Masjid demolition,  the Mumbai bomb blasts, the Kargil War, the 9/11 World Trade Center attack and the Gujarat riots, which occurred over a period of 10 years, form the background of this movie, which was shot across different countries and continents.

The movie's promos looked very appealing and the movie does not disappoint the viewers in that section. The cinematographer has successfully brought out the wonderful farmlands of Punjab on the screen. The lush greenery, the narrow lanes, and the Punjabi camaraderie are a treat to watch. The lead actors start liking each other, and their stolen glances, old romance, and the untold love are stunningly captured on the camera, and transform us into a world of slow, pure love.

The movie then moves to Scotland, and Switzerland, and America, and our very own Ahmedabad, and the director unleashes a flurry of striking visuals of these magnificent locales, but these places are unable to recreate the magic of the vast Punjab farms. A Mozart concert is unable to replace the Punjabi bhangra. And just as the storyline moves out of Punjab, the director loses the grip on the movie.

The movie has an ensemble cast comprising of veterans such as Anupam Kher and Supriya Pathak. Sonam's shy avtaar is way better than the style diva that she tries to look later on in the film. She is improving as an actress, though the credit goes to Pankaj Kapur, who makes his debut as a director, to make Sonam act. Shahid, on the other hand, is growing as an actor, and really quick. He is a treat to watch, and looks amazing in the Indian Air Force uniform. He convincingly carries off the role of a young, enjoyable Punjabi boy to a sophisticated and disciplined officer.

Starting with an entertaining appeal and breathtaking views, the movie fails to impress the audiences post the intermission. Even the war scenes and the climax aren't able to totally hold the viewers' attention. Pritam's music flows smoothly with the movie's setting and will make you feel happy. Though the movie starts with an earnest effort, it doesn't completely deliver what it promises. A lot of predictability, but the film also provides some genuinely affectionate moments.

My opinion - if you like the traditional way of romance, and the superb visuals of Punjab and Scotland, and if slow movies don't deter you, Mausam is definitely worth a watch. An anticlimax, but watchable!!

'The Tiger' Gone

It was extremely painful to hear about the demise of one of India's greatest captains, Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, fondly referred to as 'Tiger'. I have never seen him playing, but have read a lot about him and heard on the news channels, especially after this tragic incident, about how he was not just an excellent batsman, but also about how he was an astute leader of men; turning a team of cricketers, for whom a mere Test draw result was enough, into a bunch of victory seekers. This was inspiration enough for me to write an article about this endearing Tiger, who retained his aura and charisma even after his retirement.

His Test career spread over 15 years, playing 46 Tests and scoring six centuries, also captaining the side for a good eight years - all this while playing with one normal eye. A car accident, just six months before his Test debut, put his dreams for playing for the country in jeopardy. The dazzling young right-hander was left with a severely impaired right eye. But, as Pataudi himself said once in an interview to the 'Times of India', "I lost my eye. But I didn't lose sight of my ambition.". These words can be uttered only by a true champion, a confident sportsman.

He was a very fine middle order batsman, never afraid to come out of the crease and play lofted shots against the spinners. Not only this, he was a superb fielder too. Fielding, in India, was not given much importance. But Pataudi showed us how saving a few runs here and there was also an essential part of the game. But more than all of these, he was a wise captain. Pataudi was thrust into captaincy, when he was just three tests old, after the then Indian skipper Nari Contractor, got injured by a West Indian bowler delivery, that almost killed him. Pataudi, thus became the youngest ever captain in world cricket. Under him, India won their first away series ever, against New Zealand, defeating them 3-1 in 1967-68. That was a proud moment in his career, and a proud moment in India's long cricketing history.

Also, under his tutelage, the famous Indian spin quartet of Erapalli Prasanna,  Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Bhagwat Chandrashekar and Bishen Singh Bedi, honed their craft, and paved the way for future Indian successes. Fellow Test cricketer and a dear friend of Pataudi, Abbas Ali Baig says, "He was a bowler's captain. And he was always cool under pressure.". This might come as a surprise to many, since he himself was a batsman, but then, that is why he is considered as one the greatest skippers. Mihir Bose, the author of 'A History of Indian Cricket' writes, "He brought the prospect of victory, often unexpected victories, and his captaincy had an element of daring, at times maddeningly unpredictable.".

Pataudi was a rare combination of dashing looks and substance. He exuded style off the pitch too. His romance and subsequent marriage to Hindi movies' actress Sharmila Tagore, still remains one of the greatest union of glamour and sports. The last Nawab of the erstwhile Royal family of Bhopal, he had done his schooling in England and had played cricket for the Oxford, and this, made him look like an 'outsider' in the Indian scheme of things. But he ensured that this characteristic of his would never come in between his love for the game, and more importantly, love for his country.

For a short while, Pataudi also dabbled in politics, but lost heavily there. He, though, had a successful innings with the 'Sportsworld' magazine. He played his part in the Indian cricket administration, as a commitee member of IPL. He also appeared in advertisements, with his son, Saif Ali Khan, who played cricket in his early days, but followed his mother's footsteps and acted in Hindi movies. Just have a look at those ads and decide for yourself- who is the better looking star, the father or the son?

Everyone always wondered and will keep wondering, how much this great sportsperson would have attained if he had never had that accident. We are never going to get that answer, but Pataudi is always going to remain an enduring icon, an amazing inspiration for all those people, who want to make a mark in the society, without getting bogged down by life's unpredictabilities and handicaps.

We all hope for The Tiger's soul to Rest in Peace.