From your dearest grandson..

Last Saturday, I was jolted awake from my sleep early in the morning with the sudden news that my grandpa (thatha) had fallen down and injured himself badly for the second time in as many weeks. This time the fall had rendered him unconscious and I rushed to his house in Besant Nagar at 6 AM. Neighbors had helped him out and he was on bed with a doctor attending to a deep gash in his head. My grandma (paati) was near him and me, my mom and my dad were all keeping a close eye. An ambulance was summoned and we had Thatha admitted to the nearest hospital in our area. I waited outside the emergency area where we got the good news that he had returned to consciousness and was able to recognize people and things. There was further good news when the scans revealed that no major internal injuries were found. After a 3 hour check up, Thatha was shifted to his room where he lay half awake, weak and unable to speak. After a short while he was served some food and when he was taking rest, I decided to drive back home and take a quick nap.

On my way back home and once inside the house, I just lay silently as 20 years of memories locked in the deepest parts of my mind came rushing through. Every little thing about my time with Thatha and their lovely house in Besant Nagar came flashing through like a movie. The minutest of details and the conversations all came back to life. I really curse myself sometimes for having this ability to remember events and conversations in such graphic and vivid style. In moments like this one, it made me uncontrollably emotional as I realized that here was a 90 year old man, my very dear Delhi Thatha as I called him, who was now reduced to a shadow of his former self - the Thatha I knew from 15-20 years back. The scenes running through made me cry in the solitude of my room and I felt that I should let this happen - let the emotion take over.

My earliest memories of 'Delhi' Thatha - its a name that I gave him because he lived in Delhi from the time I knew, were from 1987. It was the year when my mom had come down to Chennai for a hernia operation and I was staying at my grandparents place in Delhi's Sheik Sarai locality. They took such great care of me and doted me with so much love and affection that when my mom came back to Delhi after the operation I was asking her who she was. Its a story that is retold even today when we all get together in the family and talk about the Delhi days. After that my dad got a transfer to Chennai in the summer of 1988 and it was followed by the retirement of Delhi Thatha from his long and distinguished service in 1989 after which he also came down to his house in Chennai, Besant Nagar. It was a moment of great joy for me since they were my 'preferred' grandparents and I was their 'pet' grandson. I was thrilled and elated upon their arrival and I clearly remember bugging and pestering my mom to take me to their house the moment they arrived from Delhi.

My next most unforgettable memory of Delhi Thatha was his fiat Premier Padmini car that I would get into at the least given opportunity and go for a drive. Thatha was an outstanding driver with an enormous level of concentration. And I would sit in his front seat and silently observe the way he used to drive so skillfully. I would never forget the car because in 1989 when my other grandpa (dad's father) passed away, it was Delhi Thatha who broke the news to me and my brother. He told us that something had taken place and we would no longer be seeing 'Madras' Thatha (the name because he had lived in Madras ever since I knew). I did not understand what he meant and I clearly remember sitting in the Fiat car on the way to the flat asking him a zillion questions about what happened to the other Thatha. Over the next day, as Madras Thatha's funeral was being conducted, I realized the enormity of what had happened and developed high fever and severe vomitting. It was 'Delhi' Thatha who carried me on his then broad shoulders as I was sobbing uncontrollably and took me in his arms and cajoled me for hours on end. Whenever I looked back at this incident, the one thing that struck me was the mental fortitude and strength that he possessed. Madras Thatha also happened to be his close friend for many many years at the Presidency College in Chennai. The way he handled and kept his emotions to himself during the course of such a loss astounded me then and even now.

Delhi Thatha is a man of principles. I can safely say that he has never spoken a lie ever and is the most principled man that I have ever come across. I have heard tales of his work ethic and unflinching commitment to his job from my mom. He would never take a single day off from work in spite of all the threats from the dakus of the Chambal Valley and report to work at the construction site of the government irrigation dam. Such a thing was unheard of but that was Thatha. He could be strong as a mountain in the gravest of times. He is also a very devout person. He is an expert at Vedas and I remember the volumes of texts and cassettes at his table, the notes that he used to so diligently take in his post retirement life which he devoted to the study of the Vedas and Upanishads.

The one thing that we both love is cricket. Back in the 1990's, Thatha was one of the first few people to have cable televison at their homes. This meant all the cricket matches anywhere in the world were beamed live in your living room. Whenever there was a match, he knew that his dearest grandson would come dashing down well in advance before the first ball was bowled. He knew it was me at the door and would immediately have my favorite chair ready. We watched so many matches together, in particular the summer tournaments that happened in Sharjah, Singapore and the tournaments in Toronto. In fact, in the later years when I started watching cricket matches with my friends in school and college, my mom used to tell me that Delhi Thatha would call once in a while and ask if I was coming over to see the match. I just wish I could watch one more game of cricket fully with him - am not sure if he will ever be strong enough to do that actually.

The summer holidays through the early 1990's were all spent at my Thatha's house. As soon as I finished my last exam, I would pack my bags and head off straight to his house. I would never ask my mom or dad - it was almost a given that the summer would be spent in Thatha's house. I used to stay there for the entire 3 months and play endlessly with my bunch of friends in and around the flats. Cricket, Scotland Yard, Cards, Chess, Video games, cars .. the list is endless. We were a bunch of 10 kids who used to spend the entire summer at one flat or the other playing all through the day until 8 in the evening. My Thatha and Paati would entertain each and every one of my friends and they all loved the care and affection that they showered with. Even yesterday, when my long time friend came calling on me, he did not forget to ask me how Delhi Thatha and Paati were. Such was the impression they left on our minds.

The other most amazing thing that happened every year was their gift to me on my birthday. They would unfailingly come home and see me first thing on my birthday and give me an envelope which said 'To Chi. Kalyan' on his 'n th birthday' - "with love Delhi Thatha and Delhi Paati". Paati would give me my favorite Caramilk chocolates and Ravalgon toffees that I used to share with Thatha and not Paati because she was diabetic. As I type this, I realized that this used to happen every year up until 2008 - a reflection of the fact that their health has steadily deteriorated since then. As I grew up and started spending a lot of time with my friends in school and college, the visits to my Thatha and Paati reduced gradually. The number of times that I used to talk to them or see them became very few and somewhere along the way I got all busy and my visits to their house would be for Diwali, New Year, Saraswathi Pooja or some other occasion when mom's family got together. Why it was like this, I will never have an answer but I guess its just that I was growing up into an adult and there were so many things that occupied my mind. But every time they used to come home or I used to visit them, I could see the longing in their eyes, the deep joy and the affection they would shower on me when they saw me.

In the last 2 years a lot has changed. They are no longer able to move out of their house on their own. They are unable to travel anywhere or take care of themselves like they used to. Thatha's knees which were always a source of trouble for him gave away completely. Paati's diabetes which she fought gamely for over 30 years is now winning the battle against her. Thatha's memory which used to be razor sharp and alert to everything that each one of us were doing has started to fail him. Their hearing prowess has declined alarmingly and they are much smaller and shriveled than the images in my mind from 10 years ago. What remains though is the will power and the desire to live and take joy in the happiness of the people around them. This is the greatest lesson that I have ever learnt from my Thatha and Paati. Their ability to participate and involve themselves in all the things happening around them, their practical & pragmatic ways, their open mindedness and the spirit of life that they embodied are some of the pearls of wisdom that they have passed on to me in their own inimitable way.

My 90 year old Delhi Thatha has seen so much of life and all its ups and downs. As he continues to fight and carry on the spirit that is so quintessential to him, I pray that he and Paati are able to sustain the reserves of their will power and indomitable strength to bless their pet grandson 's wedding. I cannot write anymore because I am truly overcome by a wave of emotion from the memories of the last 20 years that have offered me a lesson on how to live life. Its something that I will carry through the rest of the time that I live.

A Moment of Pure Joy

Its taken me a few months to get back here to this space and write about something. That is how my blogging has been - I feel the urge to pen down something when its a moment of significance. These last few hours have been exactly that. When people close to you succeed in life and get what they truly desire, it makes you feel happy and contented. This is a moment when I will rejoice in the success of my very close friend.

Rahul's been my buddy, friend, colleague, machi, mokkai... call it what you want. We have spent the last 4.5 years in a particular place and so much has transpired in that time that when you look back its quite amazing indeed. We've had our fair share of ups and downs in life - personally & professionally, but have stood by each other in times of desperation and celebrated together in times of joy. There have been some things that Rahul truly wanted and one of the foremost on that list was his dream of doing an MBA at one of the top ranked institutions in the world. I have literally seen his efforts take shape over the last 3 years. What started as a hesitant step 3 years ago has transformed into a confident leap now. There have been many disappointments, anguishes and failures along the way but the one quality I truly admire about my friend is the totality of his effort. Although I rate him as the one of the most innately pessimistic people around (we have lots of arguments on this & I always win - even now), he never puts a half step towards something. The sincerity in his approach has always been outstanding and that has ultimately brought him this moment of triumph.

As I got the news from him tonight at about 11:30 PM, my joy knew no bounds. Suddenly a routine day had been completely brightened up. I knew I was sounding excited, my voice levels became higher and folks around me realized I wanted to jump around the place. It was a fantastic feeling. Through my dinner I could not stop myself from messaging him and congratulating him on his success. I went back to my workstation, wrapped up my tasks and got on to the phone for a detailed conversation with my buddy. I could sense the excitement in his voice, the anticipation for the future, the zillion things running through his head, the sheer optimism and the bubbling enthusiasm. I told him that it was a ground breaking moment in his life and he should revel in the glory of it because such moments come far and few between in a lifetime. Many people might be wondering whats so special about an offer of admission for an MBA - but trust me this one is ultra special. As a close friend, I know precisely what it has taken for Rahul to get here and that's what makes it such a nice moment to savour.

In the next one year, Rahul will be going through a tough, intensive course that will extract every sinew of effort in him. He will be primed, ready and armed to take on the world at the end of this one year. Watch out for him - this guy is a bundle of energy and an epitome of limitless possibilities. I for one will always be hoping for the very best in whatever he chooses to do in life. This victory for him is in many ways a victory for me and my favorite word - HOPE. Cheers dude - will always be around to bug you :)

The Unfulfilled Dreams of a Legend

Its probably sheer coincidence that I picked this day to write about India's greatest beacon of hope in the last 20 years. Another epic was scripted yesterday, the entire nation waltzed to the tune of its favorite son. Together we hoped and together we cringed in the pain of defeat. This is the story of Sachin Tendulkar - the Little Master who has tirelessly tried for 2 decades to realize the hopes and dreams of this cricket crazy country. This is in Sachin's honor - a tribute to what he has achieved and a logical run down of those countless near misses when a nation cried in agony along with him.

Writing about Sachin is quite a daunting task purely because the man's achievements are enormous. My cricket watching days and Sachin's playing career have run in parallel. Like any cricket buff, I have followed the fortunes of our team religiously and faithfully for many, many years now. My family and friends pretty much know that in all these years, I have been one of Sachin's strongest critics. Its quite strange because secretly I have admired and prayed for his success but he has never been on my list of favorite cricketers. Maybe because I have always had a liking for the less talented, less gifted players who went on to become giants in the game - the likes of Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid and Wasim Akram. Those were my List A cricketers for their passion, extreme hard work and mental fortitude. They achieved more than what they were destined for purely by dint of their supreme commitment and the one factor that made me go gaga over them was their ability to cross the finish line. This has been the one major point that I have always used whenever an impromptu debate springs up on who is better - Sachin or Lara or Ponting.

Being a critique of Sachin, its quite important for me to do my homework properly, else my fellow cricket crazy fanatics would shred me apart for finding faults in their hero. First, a look at Sachin's Test Match near misses and failures. In all the below instances its also true that other batsmen in the Indian team were at fault as well. But somehow the general feeling is that Tendulkar with his god gifted talent and genius should have taken it on him to see the team through.

- 1997, India vs West Indies, Barbados: One of the most horrendous performances as a team. With the 5 match series played on dead pitches the Barbados track was the only hope for a result. An uneven pitch ensured that both teams struggled to find the runs and on the final day India had to make a modest 120 for a series clinching victory. Sachin batted poorly against the pace attack led by Walsh and seeing him struggle on the minefield sent panic waves through the rest of the Indian batting. A collapse ensued and Sachin's men were all out for a paltry 81. Tendulkar was a master of conditions and had he stayed at the wicket and shown the other guys how to negotiate the attack and the wicket, a series victory in the Carribean was there for the taking.

- 1999, India vs Pakistan, Chennai : Who can ever forget this game. A classic test match that see sawed either way all through till the very end. On the last day with India needing a 250+ score (271) it all seemed lost as the top order comprising Dravid, Ganguly and Azhar fell quickly. Sachin carried on in determined fashion slowly eating away at the score in the company of Nayan Mongia. With about 60 odd runs to get Mongia played the most horrendous shot to a Wasim Akram delivery that swung things in Pakistan's favor. But as Akram later pointed they knew that until Tendulkar was around India were always ahead. Sachin's back started giving away and under extreme pain after a colossal century with just 16 runs to get, the master played a reckless shot against Saqlain. The back pain had restricted Sachin's movements and the shot was definitely ill timed. Pakistan saw the opening and applied immense pressure on India's tail who were shell shocked by Sachin's dismissal and meekly surrendered the game to Pakistan. Sachin was seen in tears and in pain in the dressing room. The anguish kept him away from the presentation ceremony and the victory lap by Akram's men must have pierced his heart. India shared the pain and cherished the heroic knock.

- 2003, India vs Australia, Sydney : A poor run all through the series meant that Sachin had to stand up and deliver in the country that loved to watch him play. He cut out all the risk elements in his game and the first 150 runs were all scored off bad deliveries on the leg side. India was on the threshold of a possible series victory on Australian soil. Batting first we scored 705 but consumed far too much time in the game. Most of it was due to Sachin's slow progress and this hurt on the final day when India did not have enough time or overs in the game with 7 Aussie wickets down. When the occasion demanded an attacking, aggressive innings to seal the deal for India, Tendulkar played safe and so did his team.

- 2006, India vs England, Mumbai: India were 1-0 up in the series with the final match at Mumbai. From the outset India were on the backfoot as they went in with 5 bowlers and a batsman short. The decision hurt on the final day as India were up chasing a score of 300 plus. With Sehwag & Dravid gone early, Sachin had to steer his team to the safety of a draw to ensure a series victory. Instead of dominating against a novice spinner like Shaun Udal, Sachin gave him too much respect and went into his shell. When the frustration got to him and he tried to clear Udal out of the ground he ended up spooning a simple catch. Udal went on to pick up another 4 wickets as the Indian batsmen suddenly found his deliveries unplayable. Again an opportunity to play a match saving knock was missed and the struggles against a modest Udal sent shock waves through the rest of the batting.

- 2007, India vs South Africa, Cape Town: The 3 test series was tied 1-1 and the Cape Town wicket was a pure subcontinental track. Jaffer and Karthik played beautifully on Day 1 and India were in a mighty strong position dictating the game in their 2nd innings as they looked set to post a big target for the Africans. Enter Sachin Tendulkar at the fall of the 2nd wicket. And what followed was a 2 hour crawl where the big daddies of Indian batting, Sachin & Dravid, went into a completely defensive mould. Runs came in trickles and the legends made it seem like there were demons in the pitch. When Sachin eventually tried a forcing shot it did not work and as was the case in Barbados his struggles filled the rest of the batsmen with negative thoughts about the wicket. India set a below par score of 211 for the Proteas to chase and they hunted it down with ease. A series victory in South Africa had gone abegging and the turning point was the 2 hour crawl from Sachin before tea on the 4th day. When he could have taken the game away he frittered the opportunity.

From a test match perspective those are the 5 that readily come to mind. Two of them were about setting up totals, two others were targets being chased down and the final one was a match saving situation. The important thing here is the value of Tendulkar's wicket for the opposition. And the manner in which he went about his innings had a big say on the temperament of the rest of the batting line up. Such is the genius and class of Tendulkar that the others in the team look up to him for answers. If he plays in an attacking mode, very often the rest of the batting sees that as an indication to go on the rampage. His psyching of both his own mates and the opposition bowlers and fielders means that his wicket is probably the most prized one in international cricket. No wonder you see young fast bowlers howling and celebrating in merriment when they happen to pick up his wicket. Sachin's failures in those big games meant that India did not finish up with the result they wanted. Over a period of time this has hurt even the man himself who once acknowledged his lack of success in 4th innings of test matches on a television interview .

In India, people forget the test matches as soon as our team notches up a few victories in the one day game or more recently T20 games. Cant blame our people though, Sachin is the master of the one day game with 45 centuries and over 91 fifties to his name in 400 odd games. A staggering record that will probably stand for ever since it will take another player beginning his career at the age of 16 and going on till 36 to surpass this mountain of a record. Sachin has played some blinders at the top of the batting line up ever since he was sent to open the batting in NZ back in 1994. Terrific match winning innings have blown the opposition away and I have watched almost all of his 87 international hundreds. Tendulkar''s magic in the ODI game is to set up winning totals while batting first. This he has done with great aplomb and has been near flawless. The toughest part in the ODI game is to chase tall scores and to chase them down in big, pressure games. On this count here are a few of the near misses that come to mind...

- 1996, India vs Australia, World Cup, Mumbai: A fantastic knock from Mark Waugh and some poor bowling by India resulted in a target of 250 plus, a tough proposition in the ODI game back then. India's reply began in disastrous fashion with Azhar, Jadeja and Kambli all going down cheaply. Sachin blasted his way through to 90 exquisite runs in real quick time. The Aussies were getting a pasting at the hands of the Little Master. Just the perfect time to shift gears and enter into accumulation mode considering that the rest of the batting was very very feeble. No Yuvraj and Dhoni in those days. A sudden rush of blood made Sachin go down the wicket and he was stumped off a wide delivery from Mark Waugh. Credit to Waugh for luring our genius into that false stroke. But the match turned on its head as Australia clawed their back and put pressure on the rest of the line up. With no Sachin around to trouble them with sixes and fours, the bowlers found their length again and India went down by 16 runs.

- 2003, India vs Australia, World Cup Final, Johanessburg: An eminently forgettable day for all Indian fans. I was so upset at the end of the first half that I tore down all the posters in my room that I had carefully collected for 10 years. Imagine Sachin's disappointment at the end of the game when he was declared Man of the Series. India bowled shabbily, stung by the enormity of the occasion and ended up giving 359 runs. When it was our turn to bat all eyes were on Sachin to guide the chase and boy he really did shock us with that ill timed pull off a perfect McGrath delivery. 350 to get and Sachin Tendulkar was out of the equation. Done deal, match sealed - the rest of the game was just a mere formality and India went down again to Australia who have hurt us quite badly in the ODI game. Big match was when our big player needed to fire and our little master knew he had let the country down.

- 2004, India vs Pakistan, Karachi: Again a 300 plus score and a master class from Sachin. 141 he scored in double quick time and took India to the brink of victory. From that stage on Sachin just needed to guide Yuvraj & Kaif to take us home. Instead he chose to dominate and was dismissed against the run of play. India crumbled after his dismissal, a malaise by now that everyone was familiar with. Get Sachin out and the rest will follow him to the pavilion. A heart breaking loss by just 13 runs. A distraught Sachin, was visibly upset with his colleagues for not putting one past the old rival. India eventually won that away series on the back of a Laxman classic at Lahore.

- 2009, India vs Australia, Hyderabad: This was the innings of a lifetime from our maestro. The knock that made me sit and write this piece. A classic in every sense of the word. Chasing 351, Sachin's 175 took India to within 18 runs of victory. Just 18 required from 19 balls and a cheeky shot was unnecessarily attempted. Misbah ul Haq's failed attempt should have been in the minds of all Indians when Sachin's feeble shot found the hands of an Aussie fielder. Tragedy had struck. His other mates were panic stricken and did the wierdest things possible as India handed victory to Australia. As I watched Tendulkar speak at the presentation, my heart went out to him. I could see the pain written all over his face. Even after 20 years in the game he had'nt mastered the final hurdle. The funny thing is he still has chances up his sleeve but they are running out pretty quickly.

Bu no means do all the above examples cast a shadow over the number of brilliant innings that he has played. The 155 in the Madras Test against his favorite opponents Australia, the 95 in the World Cup game against Pakistan, the twin typhoons in Sharjah in 1998, the classic unbeaten century down under to help India win the CB series in 2008, the 100 against England in the 4th innings of the Madras test and the 195 at Headingley to help India win a famous match in 2002 are just a few of the most sublime knocks from our very own champion. Somehow even after 88 international centuries and over 29000 runs there is still a sense of incompleteness in Sachin's CV of achievements. As an ardent follower of the game and as a Sachin critique cum fan, I thought I should list them down...

1. Test series victory in Australia. Maybe that chance is gone. 2008 was an opportunity missed
2. Test series victory in South Africa. India will have that chance next year against a tough SA unit
3. Match winning century in a major cup final. He did that in the CB series in 2008. Expecting such encores.
4. Match winning century in the 4th innings of a test match. This also has a tick. England in Chennai, 2008. Expecting a few more before he winds down his test career.
   

The biggest of them all - A WORLD CUP VICTORY. This is Sachin's unfulfilled dream. He came close to it in 2003 but its been six years now and his final chance seems like the 2011 World Cup in India. In front of his home crowd, Tendulkar will be charged up and a major challenge will be to keep himself fit till then. At 36 he is still playing his best cricket and churning out some outstanding knocks. His contemporary batting giant in this era, Ricky Ponting has 3 world cup titles and how dearly Sachin would exchange a few of his batting records for one of those World Cup medals. It remains his most cherished dream and its also the dream of a billion cricket fans in India. To see him go out on a high with a World Cup in his hands would be the most fitting tribute that the current generation of Indian cricketers can give him. He dreamed of it in 1983 when he saw Kapil's men lift the title and today we share that dream with him. Our Little Master deserves it and even his staunchest critic will wish and pray secretly that he achieves that laurel. Among those will be me, praying that India's Kohinoor, the jewel in our crown, the one man after Gandhi who unites a whole nation together, realizes his boyhood dream.

The World is a small place indeed!!!!

Every day that we spend in our lives is filled with so many little stories, nice feel good moments and a few difficult ones. All these together in their many different layers is what our daily life is all about. A lot of times I wish I had one of these really nice high end phones through which I could do instant blogging and pen down my thoughts, just to make sure I did'nt  lose the joy of capturing that fleeting moment. It was one such wonderfully scripted moment last week that has made me sit down, recollect and write this piece. This little incident from last week has done me a huge favour and has served as a great reminder to the sweet surprises that life always has in store for us. Read on..

Ever since I came back from my trip to the US in September last year, I have found it very difficult to accept a certain fact regarding which I would'nt elaborate further. Too many random thoughts and a sense of failure have bogged me down from getting myself fully involved with the people and activities around me. My daily life started following a rather depressing pattern where I would converse very little with folks at home, head straight to work, spend long hours at my desk, drive home in the dead of the night and sit awake till an ungodly hour thinking about why something very simple and true that I wanted did not happen. With every passing day, the frustration and the feeling of anger towards everything around me increased. It was in these tough times that I started finding some joy during my late night drive back home. 

Am a big music lover and its almost impossible for me to drive my car without listening to some quality music. I have a lot of numbers downloaded and burnt on to discs that I hear frequently. Radio has never been an option for me, but one night while driving back my CD system in the car had a snag and the same song kept on playing in loop. Of course thats a pretty bugging thing to be happening, so I switched over to the FM stations. The only station whose frequency I readily recollected was Radio Mirchi's 98.3. It was about 11:20 odd in the night I guess and I heard this very sweet and cheerful voice that I found catchy for some reason or the other. The voice had a little thread of familiarity to it but it was such a momentary thought that I just let it skip through. The show was called Kadhala Kadhala and the RJ went by the name of Dr.Love. 

It was interesting to hear her talk about all the little things that people in love faced very often. Her primary job, apart from playing songs was to act as a counsellor for couples who faced minor squabbles in their relationship and needed someone to talk to. She also varied the mood of the program everyday. If one day was about counselling, the next day she would play matchmaker and the next day interview a celebrity guest.  As I kept hearing her everyday, I realized that she was extremely good at what she was doing and I sure developed a genuine liking for the show and the way it was being conducted. It almost became a habit for me to get in my car and quickly tune into her show. In between all the songs and ads on the show I would probably hear about 10 mins of her by the time I reached home. 

Once I got back home it was back to the usual surfing on the internet and being all by myself. It was during one such night that I felt this instinct within me that said - 'There is definitely something remarkably familiar about Dr.Love's voice'. I had no clue what it was though. Could'nt recollect any friend or person I had met who had actually gone on and become an RJ. So I just thought it was something I felt because I was listening to her daily for 4 months. The next night when I got online, the first thing that I searched on Google was Radio Mirchi Chennai. Something told me to go figure out who she was and I wanted an answer to that mystery hidden somewhere in my brain. I got through to the website pretty comfortably and it had this flash content on it that showed you a few seconds of each RJ and the show they hosted on air.

One of the faces that I recognised from the first few, was Siva -  the Chennai 28 hero. I had asbsolutely no idea that the guy was an RJ on Mirchi. Then it was Dr.Love and boy in one small second it all came right in front of my eyes. One whole bunch of memories from my days as a kid came rushing through. I instantly recognised her face and her name as well. She had never revealed her name on air during the show but it was'nt a mystery to me any longer. This was ShivShankari, the girl I knew from my school days in St.John's Besant Nagar. I was like wow!!!! It all made sense to me, that hunch that I heard her voice before. I was honestly very surprised how I could remember someone from 15 years ago by their voice. To me it was absolutely astounding. 

My memories of Shivshankari were all about dance. She and her friend had a great interest in it from very early on in school and their talent was there for all to see. Even when she was just in her grade 6, she peformed solo during the 10th year celebration of the school. It was a marvellous performance that just blew me away. It sure did leave a big impact on me, since it was the first thought that came to mind when I saw her picture. I also recollected having talked to her but those memories were very vague. After finding her on the Radio Mirchi site, my next task was to get in touch with her and tell her about all of this. The only option for me was to look into Orkut. I thought maybe she had a profile or a community or something that could give me some leads. It was just a shot in the dark.

But well well, I was lucky again. I first found a community for her and then I actually figured out that she was one of the members. Her profile had her picture, but I was'nt sure if it was really her. So I checked her scrapbook and I found the usual scraps from listeners. It was then that I noticed this mutual friend connection that Orkut offers. I had my classmate from school, Anu on it and thats when I realized that this was surely a genuine profile. I decided to leave Shiv a scrap, narrating in about 5-6 lines a short version of this story. Of course, I had no idea if she remembered me, since I was this quiet, shy guy back in the school days.

In about 3 days, Shiv responded to my scrap and to me it was such a great surprise. Not only did she remember me but she also told me about a hilarious conversation that we had from our grade 5 days. We had shared a bench back then and she told me how I had told her the story of my name(Kalyanaraman - shortened to Kalyan). I had also told her not to tell other folks in class fearing they would start pulling my leg big time. I was totally stunned that she actually still had that fresh in mind. It kind of made sense to me why her voice seemed so familiar - I probably shared a bench with her for an entire year. Her reply told me she was very excited about the whole thing. One of the requests I had made to her in my scrap was to narrate the story of how I found her on air if she found it equally intriguing.

The following Monday, I tuned in to her show just at the stroke of 11 with an air of expectancy. And again I was spot on. She spoke about it beautifully in her own inimitable style. Talked about how excited she was at finding an old friend and commended me for readily getting in touch with her. She also urged her listeners to go ahead and reach out to their long lost friends from school. At the end of it, she called out my name and then played out a song. It was one of the best moments that I can truly think of. I looked back at the whole sequence of events and it was quite miraculous. It was a very genuine moment of happiness for me. To be able to recognize a friend from 15 years ago through a radio show and then get in touch was a remarkable thing indeed.

Since that event happened about 2 weeks back, we have exchanged a couple of emails and have promised to catch up sometime considering we live in the same part of the city. Our work keeps us pretty much busy but we sure will stay in touch. The big lesson for me from the whole thing was that the most repeated cliche 'The world is a small place'  is indeed very true. Whoever came up with that phrase was a real genius and he must have felt exactly the same way as I did when he said that. Life is about surprises and you never know when the next one is around the corner. The key thing is to take great joy from these little moments. This one was fantastic and am surely gonna treasure this for a long, long time.

Jumbo the Giant

When Anil Kumble decided to hang up his boots last evening, it brought a lump to my throat. I had followed his career all through those 18 wonderful years and it was exceedingly hard to beleive that the next time India play a test match, Jumbo wont be gliding down the wicket in search of his next victim. He was the shining light through 2 decades for Indian cricket and he was bang on target when he pointed out that Indian cricket was in much better shape when he was leaving than when he started out.

So what's so legendary about Anil, many may ask? So I decided to dedicate this piece in his honor. Anil's career has been in parallel with the Fab 4 and I know every miniscule detail of what they achieved and could have achieved in the great arena called 'Test Match Cricket' - a true mirror image of life's experiences encapsulated into 5 days.

Kumble made his debut in the year 1990. Thats when I was starting to understand what cricket was. My brother, 5 years elder to me knew much more obviously and was a major cricket buff (left to his choice, he still is). Thats how I started watching the game on TV. It was during one such TV broadcast of the 1992 South Africa series that I had the first glimpse of Anil Kumble. By then, having watched a full cricket world cup my understanding of the game for a 9 year old was first-class. Kumble was this bespectacaled, tall, wiry young man who would bound in with a jump in his action and produce deliveries that spat off the track with bounce and pace. They called him a leg-spinner but he looked more like a medium pacer who had a surprise faster delivery. Of course he was much better than that, as his records show. He was this fastish leg spinner from Bangalore in the Chandra mould, definitely influenced at some point in his young mind by that man with the freakish arm. In one test in Johanessburg Kumble scythed through the Proteas and brought get joy and cheer to the Indian fan for whom nothing had gone right through the series. That was the first impression that put Kumble into the reckoning as India's top spinner. 

It was a bleak time for Indian spin. After the famous quartet of the 70's many a spinner promised but never lasted long. Sivaramakrishan, Maninder, Hirwani all shone through briefly but lacked the single minded intensity and discipline. Someone had to emerge from the shadows and take up the mantle. Thats when Kumble with his unorthodox action and technique came through the ranks. His South African performance made him a surety for the 1993 home series against England, a landmark series in the history of Indian cricket.

His performance through that series against Gooch's men on red dustbowl pitches evoked awe from all those who saw him. He was literally unplayable. Top-spin, flipper, sharp bounce, sudden pace it was all there on view as the English batsmen were totally confounded in his web. It was the first whitewash they sufferd in India and it set the tone for most of the 90's under Azhar's leadership. Dusty tracks would be prepared and the captain would unleash Kumble on the hapless visitors after piling a moutain of runs with the help of another wonder boy named Sachin. Kumbles stock grew but the constant bowling on Indian pitches meant he was'nt expanding his repertoire as a bowler of international class. It was around the same time that Shane Warne had started his wizardry across different pitches and conditions all over the world. Kumble knew he would have to learn how to bowl on pitches abroad for India to win matches overseas. But before that transformation eventually happened in 2003, came a marquee moment in his career

Feb 1999, a cold wintry afternoon at the Kotla in Delhi. Pakistan well in pursuit of their target of 410. Kumble bounds in and picks up his first wicket. 9 more would follow in lightining quick succession and people gasped at what they saw. Kumble truly became a national icon after that performance when he annihilated the Pakistanis. It was a superlative performance that the Smiling Assasin would always cherish. Following this the expectations and the spotlight on his career grew immensely. A shoulder injury at this key moment in his career was most unfortunate. But when we look back today, it probably was the most impotant turning point in Indian Cricket's renaissance in the post Azhar era.

2001 - India faced the mighty Australians at home, a series every one expected the Indians to lose 3-0. After all with 16 wins on the trot there was no way an Indian team sans Kumble(hand in sling) could even think of challenging the Aussie juggernaut. The first test in Mumbai that ended in 3 days just showed how true the predictions were. Kumble silently worked with a young Harbhajan in the time between Wankhede and Eden, providing him ample advice and suggestions on how to unsettle the Aussies and the lines to bowl. What followed at Eden was sheer drama. A Bhajji hat-trick, a follow on, a double delight from VVS and a fighting century from Dravid all made sure the 5th day would be one that changed Indian cricket forever. The victory that day fuelled a surge whose drive can be felt to this day, 7 years down the line. Kumble the giant had played his part and the Aussies would sure acknowledge that.

Having missed such an important series and with Harbhajan suddenly pipping him to become the No.1 spinner, Kumble had to diversify and come back in a new avtaar that would make him the match winner again. To his credit he did this in fantastic style after the 2003 series down under. Before that came a most poignant moment in the Caribbean in 2002, when after he had missed India's victory in Port of Spain (with Ganguly the captain choosing Harbhajan over him), he came out with a fractured jaw to take the wicket of Brian Lara. Its a moment that will forever be associated with Kumble. He knew he would not be able to take any further part in that series, but that did not stop this man. David Shepherd who was umpiring in that match knew he had seen something out of the ordinary and immediately acknowledged it with a pat on the back. 

The following year India's ODI team continued their amazing vein of form in the last 24 months to carry them through to the finals of the World Cup in South Africa. As Sourav's men were stunned by the enormity of the occassion on that day one could'nt help but think what a difference Kumble's experience would have made to that bowling line up. He sat there in the pavilion hiding his extreme disappointment behind the shades as he was left out of the final 11 in favor of Harbhajan. India lost by a huge margin and Sourav's inept handling of Anil the champion will always evoke many a strong criticism at his captaincy.

But Kumble, ever the lion hearted team man would respond in terrific fashion later that year. As Harbhajan headed back home from Austraila due to a heel injury, Kumble got that break he so desperately wanted. Coming into the Adelaide test, he spun the game India's way on the 2nd morning and with it the whole momentum of the series as India went one up in the series. Kumble the complete bowler had finally arrived. At the SCG in Steve Waugh's farewell test, he single handedly took India to the brink of a series victory in Australia. Waugh's heroics and some poor keeping from Parthiv saved the day for the Aussies, but Kumble had made his statement loud and clear. He was well and truly back as India's No.1 spinner.

What followed was amazing success in Pakistan and then at home against the Aussies in 2004 and then West Indies under Dravid's captaincy in 2006. In the home series against England in 2005 he capturd his 500th wicket becoming the first Indian ever to get to that landmark. His batting improved as well when he slammed India's only century all through the 4 tests in the Oval in 2007 during the series victory. 

Following that tour Dravid resigned abruptly and the only shoulders broad enough to take up the burden of captaincy were those of Anil's. He took on the responsibilty at a very crucial juncture with Dhoni still in the grooming phase. The tour of Australia last year showed what a vital decision it was. The saga at the SCG was handled with amazing maturity and it was around Kumble the rock, that this team found the will and determination to put it across the Aussies at their fortress in Perth. It was truly one of the greatest moments in the careers of the Fab 5. Beating the Kangaroos at their mighty den was a dream come true. India had challenged them and shown to the world that they were on the way up. The tour also saw Kumble reaching the 600 wicket landmark -  a gigantic performance. 

Kumble has called it day at the perfect time. In Dhoni, India have found a vibrant, energetic leader who has caried on the mantle beautifully and showed it by beating the world champions 2-0 last month at home. The spin cupboard looks good as well with Mishra and Chawla competing for a spot. The old warrior knew his team was in a great shape for the future battles ahead. His choice of retiring at his beloved Kotla was spot on. It was the home away from home for him. 

Not only have Kumble's on field performances been spectacular but his behaviour off the field was exemplary all through such a long career. Never one to lose his cool or temper, he was a standout for the gentlemans spirit that the game embodies. Anil Kumble is one legend who will truly inspire many young cricketers. A role model and a great ambassador for the game, his example will be extremely hard to follow.  Those boots are mighty huge to fill, thats the legendary story of Jumbo's career - one that I have thoroughly enjoyed recollecting as I wrote this. 

The People Around Us

Every time I get back to blogging, the first thought that crosses my mind is why don't I use this forum more regularly. There is so much to talk about and tell the world but many times what we really tell people is mostly irrelevant and unimportant stuff.

Its been a strange kind of week this one. First up, I was horribly tied down to work. Eight hours at the workplace followed by a training which went on till an ungodly time every day. That in itself meant I was having a rather irritable 7 days. Add to this all the diplomacy that goes with folks at work. Sometimes its such a big turn-off, when you have to smile for the most horrible jokes or go for lunches and dinners that you would rather avoid. But then everything has a reason. I would rather tolerate or more precisely smile ignorantly in a formatted way and keep my slate clean rather than antagonise anyone. Its the way we all work, everywhere, everytime. Its fun as well when I sit and reflect about it in the middle of the night as I am doing right now. Brings a smile to my face.

This week was also funny because I caught up with some pretty old friends of mine from school time. Felt good for sure getting to know what each guy is upto in life. Been a good 8 years since I passed out of school, so most of the folks are either married or busy in some way or the other like I myself have been. Some of the folks its so good to talk to after so long. You don't wanna stop the conversation and there is so much that needs to be updated on either end. But some others, you would regret having pinged them. The fact that you did then forces you to indulge in a rather annoying conversation for sometime, the usual bullshit which goes like "Hows life? Where you these days? Hows the weather?". At the end of it you go like, "Gimme a break!!!", and then say something like "Dude, I gotta crash now" or "Hey I'll catch you some other time". Both parties are happy at the end of it. No pinging for another 8 years probably :-).

So that was essentially what the first 5 days were like. Then came Friday, the day we all wait for so desperately right from Monday morning!!! But hey I was attending a course. So Friday evening becomes night and then mid night and am still stuck to my work station. Finally class ends (was a good one though) and I have some relief in the form of a really nice chat with the one who matters most to me. So right in the dead of the night I drive back home with dogs chasing down my bike in every other dark road on the way. Thankfully the cops din't do their usual round of "Stop, show papers" routine. So I finally wound up a rather hectic week of work and woke up to a lazy Saturday morning.

Saturday was good, met a close friend of mine after a long long time. Truly unfair, that too when we stay about 5 minutes away from each others place. So a visit to the pristine beach after ages, some usual eye popping and dirty discussion meant things haven't really changed at all. And then when the legs got really tired of walking around, we promised to catch up more regularly.

Really amazing when you think about the fact that for most part of every week you are actually spending time with and talking to people who hardly matter. The good ones and the precious ones who do are invariably as busy as you yourself. More time and more chats and more phone conversations with the important ones, is what we all would ideally like. But without the other dumbos and their boring jokes & statements, we would be left with little spice and banter when we catch up with the people we like. So considering all that, am pretty much happy to have all these 'Special' people around me for 12X5 of week. Thanks guys, Cheers to you, my weekends are damn good :-)

Kalli is back !!!!!!!

Yepp, you read it right. Am back after a very long hiatus - 5 months to be precise. Blame it all on that dumb, drab and boring World Cup we had in April. So depresssing it was that I could not get myself to sit and write a worthwhile piece after that. But then, thats history now and I will certainly keep blogging at least for another 2 months and 10 days. Hehehe, my blogs are always cryptic so I leave it your imagination.

I must admit that its Big 'P', my buddy from college days who's been the reason i have started again. Go and check out his blog http://bikebloke.blogspot.com/. Leave out the poems though if you want to save yourself, hehe, just skip straight ahead to the last few posts. So what meaningful stuff do I sit and write about at 00:22 hrs. Something that comes to mind straightaway is that I have'nt been out of Chennai all through this year. That makes it 8 months and 3 days in this very same place. That's something which is indeed very strange for me. Normally I make it a point to go out on a trip or a tour every year, but these last 8 months have been so full of activity its been impossible to step out of Chennai. I must say its been a very productive year as far as acquisitons go and also on the personal front :-) . So, before I digress into those unnecessary details for which you folks don't have the privileges, let me tell you that this blog's about travel and adventure. So all you travel weary oldies don't you dare venture any further.

Ever since Prazee(Big P) suggested the idea of a trip to Manali and Leh, I decided that these next 2 months am gonna dedicate to my spirit of adventure and a natural love for travelling that hasn't quite borne fruition. But then at the age of 24, with my best years yet to come (Wow i liked that line) its not too late at all. So for starters we've decided to take my monster bike, my sexy black Pulsar 180 and scorch away to Pondicherry. Just a small matter of 300 kms along the beaches on the wonderful East Coast Road.

Planning has already begun and there will be a blog about it for sure after we return. Right now its about getting the bike in perfect condition for a 600 kms drive. So will have to shrug off my basic trait - laziness and get the monster serviced nice and tight for our drive. Its quite exciting the prospect of driving all the way along ECR, lots of photo ops on the cards and nice weather too at this of the year. Have biked my way through a maximum of 70-90 kms away from Thiruvanmiyur so far, but never got the chance to go further. And with Prazee around its always gonna be an adventure, rewind to Munnar/Chalakudy days :-).

And hey, its gonna be fun for sure.. right now very very sleepy..zzzzz...apologies for a quick finish to this one... lots more I wanna write but then am getting into a nice sexy dream, so that will surely take precedence over the blog. More about travel after the Pondy trip. Keep checking out this space, lots more every day on more debatable and unconventional stuff. For now though am in a hurry, slipping into a nice, lovely ... Wow byeeeee!!!!