June Begins

Today, its the start of the 6th month of year 2011. So we are almost getting close to the "mid point" in an year, before the countdown to the end begins and a fresh year will appear.

It has been pretty good 5 months of 2011, from personal perspective but extremely quiet & uneventful from the work perspective. The team has been constantly undergoing reorganizations, priorities are confusing as ever and no one knows how to size up this year. I will term this as a "lost" year, even though six months are remaining, but I have little hopes for things to turn around and chaos to be replaced with order of any sorts. It has given some opportunity to think back and understand where the life is heading and if I am able to achieve the milestones set for myself over the years. More on that some other day..

Recently I started playing cricket after a gap of 4-5 years, with a group of fellow Indians in here. Getting back to the field and enjoying my game as always, makes me feel so good, so full of energy & happiness. This is one sport which I have really played most regularly all through my childhood & adult life, so reunion is just amazing. And I am also surprising myself, as I have been able to retain my skill levels and perform pretty well eve though I haven't played for over four years now. So all the more sweet...

A Month Passed by

So dear readers, it is exactly a month, since I last found time to get back here. I can blame it on so many things going at home, work back home in India, but I rather extend my humble apology than explain the reasons.

World is a changed place in these 30 days, jumping from one to the other "breaking news". Within a matter of 48 crazy hours, we saw a royal wedding, with Prince Charles & Ms Kate Middleton tying knots in a "pomp & show" put together by the British ( who else ! ) media & people and killing of Osama bin Laden by American troops.

News channels, new media et all went crazy for a Friday morning ( afternoon here ) wedding. Smallest of the things associated with the wedding got prime time coverage and it seemed nothing else mattered for that day. Every news channel had experts discussing wedding dress, rings, hats, cars & carpets...  for it didn't matter if people were getting killed in war torn countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or The Japanese still shaken with the triple strike or anything else than the wedding. Everything had to wait for the royal wedding. It was a nice & happy event though, so welcomed by many. Not every time you switch on News and you see two happy love birds , newly wed, kissing & waiving to thousands from the royal balcony full of smiles. This event brought together people of every shade, shape & region - everyone full of happiness & joy.

Less than 48 hours of that happy news, another came up which divided world apart all over again. US agencies brought to the end the 11 year old chase of Osama Bin Laden, in a late night Navy Seals operations in the military town of Abottabad, Pakistan. They shot dead the target and left with his mortal remains, within 40 mins, without even the knowledge of Pakistani Army & authorities ( almost like a jailbreak operation ). It caused huge celebrations in the US, on a Sunday night. People spilled over streets, gathered outside Ground Zero, white House and elsewhere and chanted USA, Justice & Victory slogans. President Obama addressed the country & the world and said "Justice has been done".  On the other side of the globe, where sunshine broke in with the news, in places like Pakistan, people where saddened, some embarrassed and others angry on the US invasion of Pakistani soverngnity. The Pakistani government kept changing their statements - from relief to joy to concern over the whole operations. The reactions from the various global communities were clearly divided and it means the peace is far away. It would be an important milestone in the American War against Terror - but will it be the end of it, I don't think so.

I truly believe : Fighting for Peace is like Fucking for Virginity. Peace can never be restored by war. As war creates suppression, overpowers one versus other and thus creates more violence. But I don't think many people who matter, agree with this thought process. Gandhi once showed the world how to achieve goals with non-violence & peace - but then he was hardly a commercial success. He didn't care where the oil was and who is gonna control it. He truly cared about people, society & its well being.

Near home, in Singapore, I witnessed the first parliamentary elections in my presence. It was a short but intense political exercise, spanning almost 2.5 weeks. With a single party dominating the politics of this island nation for almost 50 years, I always read that there is not much "political-action" here & "elections are a mere formality". I saw something very different. People had strong opinions on almost everything. People participated in the process, held rallies and held the current government accountable for its performance so far. Much like any other democracy, there were allegations & counter allegations, there were senior leaders who pulled their weight behind issues and while the new ones gained weight as campaigns progressed. But the end result was very much expected - PAP returned to power, although with a largest opposition - 6 seats lost out of 84 contested. The younger generation in Singapore found their voice & purpose in the whole process and lead the whole debate to the next levels. Very similar to other civilised democratic society where change is always lead by youth.. it was good to witness all those elements of commonality with other mature democracies like India.

With a promise that I will be back soon ( definitely before June !  ). Stay tuned.. 

Weekend – Eat, sleep & play.

Over the years, weekend seem to have grown in significance. I don’t recall, when we were growing up in India in 80s, weekend was a thing of any special mention. We used to have 5, 6 days of school, with Saturday’s usually only up to noon. I have seen my parents & family elders working 6 days a week, with short Saturdays. There was no such fuss to wait for the weekend for any special activity. We played almost every day, met all of friends in school or in the Mohalla every day and have fun all the 7 days of the week. Sundays was only special as we could go out in the morning to visit our relatives, sleep a little longer than usual and play all the much more in the evening. I remember how my mother used to convince us to wrap up the day early as “tomorrow” ( Monday ) was a school day and how we must complete our full night sleep. The full rest in the night would ensure that we are bright & at our best in the school next day. Nights beyond 9 pm was almost inconceivable. Yes Saturday nights we used to watch movie on TV or go out for a movie if there is some Amitabh ( or similar hit ) starrer was released.


However, now weekends are a BIG deal. We crib, wait & look forward to weekends over the 5 days. Then they come & we have plans fixed for weekends way ahead in time, which parties to go, where to eat, whom to meet and what not. Then the weekends come & before you realize they are “off” in a jiffy. Then the wait for the next weekend starts. It seems we live 5 days, waiting for these 2 days to happen and keep everything on hold in between. It’s a terrible way to live, if you honestly ask me, but then it is the “in” thing. This is the influence of western culture which goes beyond the language, dressing, food choices, etc. The best shows, parties, events, sports, movies are all scheduled between Friday night & Sunday night. As if the rest of the week doesn’t matter. It never crosses our mind how much we can do in those 5 days, which are allocated as “work only”. No one asks you in office on a Tuesday or Wednesday –“ What did you do yesterday evening”. However, everyone has this first question on the Monday morning “ How was your weekend”, “Did you go out”, etc. or starting Thursday the questions start “ What’s the plan for the weekend”, “Whom are you meeting over the weekend” ? Come on.. this obsessive compulsion over 2 days of the week is just too much to take.


But as average human beings, who get influenced by their society ( read surroundings ) more than their own wit, we all tend to believe. Life is all Merry on those two days of the week & remaining days are just there because GOD had to fill something between two Saturdays. People hold their kids birthday parties for the weekend, marriages & anniversaries for the weekend & what not. So it is like this, its Tuesday & it’s my birthday, but I will only celebrate it on coming Saturday. No real joy on the actual date of birth, because it is a weekday this year – wow ! Life in pat used to be simple, we celebrated days as they come on naturally and need not hold tears & smiles for when we have “time” for them i.e. weekends.


What it also does is we keeping everything on hold for the weekends, they are jam packed. I feel more tired on a weekend that a week day – so much to do, so much to catch up than a normal day. It is no longer fun, but becomes hard work to go through the 2 days of weekend. If I miss to do something over the weekend, it has to then wait for a full week – be it visit to hair saloon, grocery store or friends.


Among all these I had a nice lazy last weekend. Didn’t do much, watched some old movies, played a lot with my son and more importantly got the time to sleep in the afternoons -- that’s how a weekend should be !

One man’s crusade & nation's support : Anna Hazare & the Lokpal bill

The India was still getting out of the hangover from the WC win & also getting prepared for the upcoming IPL T20 championship season 4 – players were still talking to media. Almost every day, some big shot sports journalist or a small time writer, all of them were hailing Dhoni as the best captain ever or queuing up with the fans to bestowed Bharat Ratna to Sachin or simply following each player as they returned to their home towns welcomed with garlands, music & fanfare after winning the world cup. Happiness, cheer & “togetherness” was in air – a proud week for India & Indians all over.


In the midst of this fanfare & celebrations, all of a sudden a news came out that well known ( but not as well as Sachin or Dhoni ! ) Gandhian Anna Hazare is planning to go on fast until death @ Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. His main demand was to set up a process which will lead into the timely implementation of the Lokpal Bill, which like many other great initiatives was lying in cold storage as it would limit the level of corruption among the ministers / politicians ( read kill their sources of income ). The political leaders of India are “superfast” to act when it comes to increasing their own salaries & benefits as MP / MLAs, there is no confusion & the entire bill is passed unanimously in both the parliaments within matter of days, with no resistance from anyone. However when it comes to socially relevant acts like – Women’s reservation, Education, Healthcare or Anti-Corruption they just unanimously agree to debate things and halt proceedings. Especially the “anti-corruption” or rather “corruption” in the whole socio-political system has come on the fore front with recent series of scams around Telecom 2 –G, Land & Air transport scams and so on.

So when Anna Hazare tried to force the issue, like always, government tried to belittle his efforts & put things on the back burner. But this 78 year old man, who has been raising this issue for Anti-Corruption Laws for a while, felt cornered and did exactly what Gandhiji would have done when he was fighting the battle of independence against British. He decided to go on fast until death or his demands were met & almost instantly whole nation stopped, paused & turned around with him. From the cricket frenzy to social uplifting – rarely you will ever see such a dramatic shift in public mood. People rallied around Anna, from almost all circles & quarters of India and abroad. From Jalandhar, Bhopal, Bangalore, Patna, Guwahati, London, Tokyo, Newark, Lucknow.. people were leading out candle light marches, holding peaceful rallies against government and standing in unison with Anna. Anna brought them together and after 4 days of negotiations, fasts, protests government fell in line and agreed to set up the timeline & process around implementing Lokpal Bill.

In my living memory, this has been the first ever successful demonstration of non-political, non-violent Gandhian principle abiding protest. There was no political force behind this, no ulterior motive to gain votes or topple governments but just a very honest & direct cause. People of India realized this quickly and rallied behind Anna tirelessly. This was also the “digital” protest – with Twitters & Facebook bringing in opinions from one & sundry. They shaped the mood the Indian middle class & they marched forward – it was tough for any government to counter this let alone the democratically elected Indian Central Government. Many things went correct in this movement, which is still not over, but has achieved a major initial victory & created a momentum – it was truly people’s uprising & power display in the most peaceful ways. Almost all the speakers from various forums which sprung on each nukkad or field in small / medium towns in India spoke about the corruption in politicians & social life and struck a chord with the Janta immediately. They didn’t discuss individuals, as that would polarize & divide people, but the cause - The level of corruption & the way it is being “tolerated” was the enemy not “who is corrupt”.

Thanks to Anna – he has demonstrated & perhaps awaken a generation to Gandhian principles. We only read in history books & heard that they worked wonders during the Indian battle of independence, but here it was on display. Felt immensely proud with the overall maturity & grace with which the whole India handled this whole movement – so unlike some other countries where things turned violent, personal & gross when a revolution was underway. India came out strong from the whole movement & I am hopeful this is just the beginning of a long battle with corruption in the society at all levels.

1. Pritish Nandy's summary of Anna & movement : http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/extraordinaryissue/entry/phew-that-was-some-week

2. India Against Corruption - Facebook Page : http://www.facebook.com/IndiACor

3. Wiki Pedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Against_Corruption

Indian Wins Cricket World Cup - after 28 years

What a week !


It has been almost a week of unbelievable events ( happy ones ! ) and I am still in some state of shock & awe. Indian cricket team took those three big steps from Quarter Final to Finals and lift the ICC cricket world cup after 28 years. This once in 4 year bonanza was first won by Indian team in 1983 & I clearly don’t remember much about it. Most of the team members of the current squad were either not born back then or were toddlers at best.


M S Dhoni & his boys did the magic in Wankedhe Stadium, Mumbai on 2nd April ( Sat’day night ) & the whole country erupted with joy. It was dad’s birthday & he called me right after the match saying he got his present from Indian team ! The biggest part on the face of the earth was kicked off with the winning shot from Dhoni’s bat ( a six, what else ) & suddenly Indian were mad with unlimited joy. It took good 2 days for this to sink in & I kept reading about the win, the stories behind preparations, the magic moments again & again to make sure we did win this World Cup.


Not that it was a big surprise, given the strength of the team & their recent performances ( India has been the No1 Test team for over 2 years now ) – they were firm favorites, but the fact that some better equipped Indian teams missed the trophy in previous world cups made it that much more gratifying. India also on the way to win the world cup, smashed some of the myths or set the “firsts” like


- 1st team to win the WC as hosts.

- Chased down the highest target in WC finals successfully.

- Sri Lanka lost the match despite Mahela’s century ( never happened earlier ).

- India actually defeated each defending WC champion in the process ( West Indies, Australia, Pakistan & Sri Lanka ).

There were some terrific performances on the field and mostly everyone contributed. However Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvraj ( Man of the series ) & Zaheer ( highest wicket taker ) stood out. Man who really stood out & combined this group of greats was Dhoni himself. He has since been adjudged as Best Captain ever, Best Current Captain in World, etc. He has been offered honors from various universities & Indian Army / Air force. All of them well deserved, he has been a huge influence in the way the team performed. While Ganguly started this process and installed self-belief among the Indian players, Dhoni has taken it to the next level. In a matter of little over 3 years, he has won India the T-20 world cup, Asia cup, Series against Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand & England. India moved to Test No1 team ranking under his leadership ( though lot of credit goes to previous captains / payers who contributed to it immensely) & now the WORLD CUP is back in India after 28 years.

The thing which really impressed me was Dhoni’s humility & respect for previous generation of players. He gave lot of credit to contributions made by giants like Sachin, Kumble, Dravid & Ganguly in the present Indian team’s success – that was awesome. It is always easy to forget the past when you are heady with present success, however he has his feet firmly on the ground, & that is good news for Indian cricket team.

This WC also meant end of road for some giants from other countries like Ricky Ponting, Greame Smith, Kumar Sangakara ( all three retired as captains for their respective nations ), Muthaih Muralidharan ( Legendary Sri Lankan spinner, retired from the game ) & so on..

Among all these good byes, one that will hurt Indians most is Gary Kirsten – the Indian Coach. He completed his 3 years contract with Indian team & was very instrumental in all the success the team achieved. He built relationships with each Indian player & positively influenced the technical aspects of the game. He brought in new ideas and nurtured the team like no one else – great man, great contribution & will always be remembered for his smile & quiet but strong persona. Many thanks Gary for all you have done for Indian cricket – it has been wonderful association.
So now world cup is over & so life will take a normal course ( hopefully ). Some links / videos & photographs from the memories of the victory – Enjoy !

Final moments from Final & Celebrations  :

Link to Harsha Bhogle's Summary for Final WC ( best as always )  -
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/509308.html?genre=42
 
Gallery ( from Cricinfo ) - http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/gallery/509243.html
 
Final Match's Scorecard - http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/engine/current/match/433606.html
 

Daily Commute - over a decade

Since wife started working, we have settled down in a pretty fixed routine, very similar to our daily routine a decade back. Btw, before I proceed, she started working after a gap of almost 6 years, all this time nurturing our son and making sure his first steps in life are full of love, attention and security. He has been shaping up good and now is mostly away for the entire day busy in his chores – I guess as time passes, his time spent outside home will increase, till eventually he will leave the nest for creating his own world. So she had some time on hand now, decided to plunge back in the corporate world & luckily found something of her choice and passion.

We start our day together, all three of us leave home almost at the same time. We see off our son at his school bus and then drive around the jungle of city traffic for good 30 - 40 min, before we reach our respective offices. These 30-40 minutes are OUR time together, locked into the car in the middle of never ending queue of cars & between red & green lights – sounds so romantic . We catch up on all & sundry, exchange office gossip, project talks, discuss relatives, sports and what not – perfect time. Then again in the evening, I pick her up from her office and we get our 30-40 min together in the car, way back home. I just love spending these moments together – almost like someone has left you on an island ( which Singapore is incidentally ! ) and you are the only two people left on the face of earth.


This exactly used to be the “time” we spent together ~ 12 years back, when we were still dating & just started working fresh from MBA campus. Then we used to ride on my bike & spend daily morning & evening time commuting to office / home together. I love to see her face fresh in morning, meander around together in the city traffic to respective offices and then again meet her up after a day’s work. It just made my mornings & evenings so pleasant, irrespective of what happened during the day ( there are good & bad days in office, really ). Some of our biggest conflicts, biggest decisions and resolutions were made during these daily commutes together. Vehicles changes, cities changed, countries changed, jobs changed, hair color changing, years passed by but this is one thing which is still as exciting for both of us as it was 12 years back – May the charm last forever.


On a side note, I am spending lot of time these days to understand one of my favorite fruits – APPLE, which has now turned as the leader for the “iGeneration”. Last year, I read Steve Jobs autobiography, his second coming - iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business and lot of related material. More I read & understand about Apple / Jobs, more I am sucked into it. I will find time to share that in coming entries, meanwhile, take a look at compilation of multiple PC vs. Mac TV Ads aired in US over the years :
Apple MAC guy vs PC guy :

Before I close, pray for an Indian victory – they are playing Australia in the Cricket World Cup 2011 Q-Finals – match starting in 7 hours. I am hoping we win this & then meet Pakistan in the semi-finals ( who defeated West Indies yesterday ) – that will be some match. Keeping fingers crossed… some nail biting times ahead today. Wish India good luck.

Getting back

So trying to restart this blog after almost 15 months. Its always man proposes & GOD disposes. Call me lazy, lack of commitment, too busy to catch up, whatever - but yes I have not been able to update this blog for a very long time, so deserve all the eggs on the face. I will try & improve on my regularity and hence a fresh beginning today.

Some highlights from last 15 months, lot more settled feeling in Singapore. Wife started working here & son is growing up fast ( that doesn't mean I am growing old -- NO ). Both mine & her parents came down once since then for few weeks - always a welcome change. I did couple of trips to home, did some wordily stuff - meeting with the chachas, mamas & who not.. AS always  :-).

Lost my grandmother in July 2010, last of my grand parents, so almost end of a generation for me. I was very close to her & couldn't resist flying down to India to get one last glimpse of her - in ten years of international living my first ever urgent home trip, completely unplanned, bought tickets at the airport 2 hrs before departure. Lucky I could make it in time though. Very sad period, but it was also relieving as she had some tough last months, so as we say, what happened was for her good. She had an extremely fulfilling life, with kids, work & social responsibilities - she excelled in every aspect. sometime deep down in myself, I think I draw lot of confidence from her. A young widow, with 4 kids to grow ( eldest being my mom 12 years old then ) in a society which hardly gives woman a chance -- she over achieved in every aspect. May GOD bless her soul, I know she is still around me as I was always the "eldest" and favorite grandchild of hers...countless memories of unlimited love & care that only grandparents can provide.

But then as the cliche goes - Life goes on, we need to move beyond the losses.

Some other good things -- my Facebook, Twitter accounts have grown since then. Lot more virtual friends & lot more sharing ( is that a good thing ? don't know ). So a victim of emerging social media, another thing which we will adapt to and our kids will be born with. Adding to a long list of things - Internet, mobile phone, 24 hrs TV, Email, Smartphone, Tablets ( iPads !), Software, iBanking, Cheap cars / homes, Loans / EMI... list goes on..