Ciao Dada!

YESTERDAY when I switched-on my TV set in the evening, the very words that were flashed as Breaking News made my heart sink. The words were- "Dada announces retirement". Many may argue that of late he is not in his best of forms or has not put on enough score on the board or even cynically, he has not taken enough wickets. But we cannot forget those glorious moments and years of aggressiveness, brilliance, tit-for-tat ness and great leadership, can we? That era has come to an end with no pomp and regality that it deserves.

The first word that comes to our minds when I take Sourav Ganguly’s name is 'Aggressive', and rightfully so. Who can forget his chest baring and shirt swirling act on the corridors of The Lords. Do not tell me that your adrenalin did not rush then. He took over the reins of the team when it was bugged with the biggest of the crisis. The team morale and confidence were denigrated like never before. The unity, though is just too much to be expected of any sub-continental team, was at its lowest extreme. The board and the country demanded stars. This is precisely the condition that any new captain would not like to begin with.

But Ganguly surprised everyone by delivering stars indeed. The eleven members of the team, who were facing eleven different directions, finally looked like a team. It was the leadership of Ganguly that had turned the team upside down for good. The team spirit during Ganguly’s tenure as captain was the spike in the trace of Indian Cricket. We need to appreciate the "Bengal Tiger” for his aggression on the field. Never ever had anyone seen an Indian captain look eye-in-eye with the annoying Aussies. The "Prince" taught a lesson or two from their own syllabus to them. He always stood by his teammates in the hour of need.

As far as his accomplishment as a cricketer goes, he is a member of 10000-runs-club. He is the second fastest to get there. He formed the most devastating opening pair in the world cricket ever with Sachin Tendulkar. His off-side shots are a vista. As Rahul Dravid rightly puts it- "On off-side, first there is God and then there is Saurav Ganguly". He has many records under his belt. The record partnerships with Rahul and Sachin, second highest number of centuries in ODI, his career in bowling, he being the most successful Indian captain ever are some more of his epithets.

So over years we have developed an emotive bonding with him. We have felt of him to be a member of our own families. We have adored and seen him with awe. He is the player who strikes the cord of our hearts. This "Tiger" has called it the day. All the very best for all that you dream to do after retirement. Ciao Dada!

Grateful Institutions- Infosys

Hitherto in my life I am grateful to quite a few institutions. The reason being they have made enough impact as to be grateful to them. The list of such institutions begin with my primary school and end at the present workplace. They have exposed me to knowledge, both curricular and otherwise, which have caused an impeccable impetus. In here, I want to discuss one such aspect of one such institutions.

My previous company- Infosys offered me with tools to leverage myself as a person. The tenure there tried instilling in me with qualities of gentlemanship. It can be as simple as to use handles to operate glass doors, using footpaths, respecting others personal space etc. They have simply left an imprint on my colleagues and me. There were many official and self-made teams which conducted plethora of competitions. These were targeted at increasing the competency of the employees and I believe they served their purpose well. There were some teams, belonging to a different genre, that associated themselves for a social cause. One such team was- Rural Reach. This dealt with educating the children from rustic regions. Veritably, I was associated with the group and was involved in one such expedition. The programme was in a Kannada Medium School in a hamlet near Mysore. Adjunct to theoretical teaching, we offered them with hands-on session. There is sense of satisfaction in seeing the glimmer in the eyes of the trots after huing their names in a word document with red and emboldening it. There is more to it, you feel that you are just not complaining about the country's predicaments, but also doing your bit however small. I do not feel that one should be a 'highly qualified' to share ones knowledge.

As Ms. Sudha Murty, a well known face in the realm, says it has brought me closer to the reality. Taking a leaf out of this programme, my friends and I have conceived a team by the name- Parinati which tries to take computer and IT related knowledge to less previledged places. The team, I dream, should grow into an institution and should enter my list of Grateful-Institutions!

Mysore and Me

The term ‘first’ is always special. The first school that you attended, the first teacher who taught you, the first time you wrote all the 24 alphabets correctly, the first time you topped your class and the first time when the most gorgeous girl of you college smiled at you. They are the things that remain with you as your most cherished moments of your life till your last breath. And also there is something nice in becoming independent. It brings you the feeling that you are different as a human being and that enhances your self-confidence. You come out of your dependence on your parents. But I believe that you can call yourself independent only if you are financially independent. The city of Mysore holds that distinction of making me independent for the first time. It is the city that saw me first as a professional.
I really don’t want to describe what Mysore is famous for and what sight seeing places this region accommodates. This I believe you can read in any travel-guide. But this is a piece where I want to describe my connection with the city.
I have already told that I came here to take up my first job. When I reached this town, frankly there was nothing sort of love-at-first-sight. I had come here after finishing my engineering in Bangalore. It’s quite difficult for a guy who has spent considerable time in Bangalore to adapt to a pensioners paradise like Mysore. The first thing that was deafening was the silence on the roads and streets. I felt as though I have landed somewhere only by my hard-luck. In short I had not come to Mysore with a great spirit. Somewhere down in my heart I felt I deserved better. I was frustrated at everything visible and otherwise. But I feel human-being has got limitation to imagination, and I am no exception. I had not even a speck of hint that this very city with bring about a different meaning to my life itself.
The foremost thing that made fall in love with the city was it being non-expensive. The salary that I was drawing would not have been a great deal in Bangalore, but here in Mysore I was leading a life king size. I can say without a second thought that those were a days of life time. It seemed so that I had all the time in the world to do whatever I want to. My employer too had contributed in more than one ways for this. Those Friday snacks at push-carts near Discount World, the evening walk from there to my room, the calmness everywhere made me think that I was already retired. One of the things that I loved was the snacks at our company’s food- courts. Those bhajis, dosas, pav-bhajis makes my mouth watery even now. The chai and biscuits at a tea-stall near my room were something that I long for even now.
I am in spirit an introvert. But interestingly the number of friends I made here exceeds the number that I made in my entire life. It was just as common as sun rising in the east that my friends and I undertook quite a few trips to some fine places nearby. Last but not the least, this place quenched my thirst for books. Thanks to my employer who had a well furnished library, I was able to read some of the outstanding books. They have tried in making me just, wise and overall have increased my understanding. Books have been my best friends from then on.
Thanks Mysore for all that you have given me. I owe a lot to you!