Celebrating Godliness

Sachin Tendulkar - a name that evokes a gamut of emotions. He's not just any man, not even SUPERMAN; he's GOD that we talk about. He's GOD that we've seen and heard. He's GOD that we love dearly. He's GOD in a religion, which knows no communal frenzy. He's the undisputed GOD - the 'God Of Cricket'.

To any genuine cricket lover, whether Indian or not, Sachin Tendulkar has meant a celebration of cricket. His impeccable craftsmanship on the cricketing pitch has been a sheer delight to watch, with every innings turning out to be an exhibition of sorts. His undying passion for the game has remained constant, while two decades whizzed by. When he started out, India was just 'a' team studded with stars, who showed occasional brilliance. 20 years on, India is a world-beater. And in this transition, no man has played a bigger role than Sachin Tendulkar.

A prodigy then, a genius now, Sachin carries the expectations of a billion, every time he crosses the boundary line. He brings ecstasy with a century and heartbreak with a dismissal! He drives a cricket-crazy nation to levels of eccentricity. He defines the concept of hero-worship. He is the master, he is the blaster, he is the brand! He is the UNPARALLELED!

Every Indian has his/her special memories of Sachin, what I call 'Sachin Moments' - his batting, his partnerships, his match-winning knocks, his dismissals and more! For someone like me, who's grown up on cricket during the 90s, Sachin Tendulkar is an integral part of cricketing folklore. Here are some of my 'Sachin Moments', which I hold close to my heart:

* 1994 Ind-WI - Home series against the Windies, Sachin scored a brilliant 179 at Nagpur, which remained his highest test-score for many years.

* 1996 World Cup - Sachin top-scored with 523 runs in that edition of the World Cup. One innings that is etched in my memory is the 137 he got against Sri Lanka at Feroze Shah Kotla, Delhi. I remember Dad telling me, 'If he gets out, India's out too! " India lost, but Sachin won many hearts.

*1997 Ind-SA - A scintillating 169 in the Capetown Test, and a delightful partnership with Azhar (who also scored a hundred in the match). Sachin tore the SA bowling apart, smashing zinc-coated Allan Donald to all parts of the ground. One of the best knocks of his career!

*1998 Ind-Aus - The Aussies came to conquer India, and Sachin fought like a true champion. His unbeaten 155 in Chennai and 177 in Bangalore not only ensured India's win in the series, but also gave the Aussies a trailer of what was to follow at Sharjah.

*1998 Sharjah Cup - It has been touted as the 'Sharjah Sandstorm'. Fans have simply cherished the storm down the ages. Australia was at the receiving end again. Sachin scored a brilliant 142 in the last league game, that took India to the final, followed by a spell-binding 134 in the final that won India the tournament. Shane Warne confessed after the innings that he would have nightmares of Sachin coming down the track and lifting him to the stands. Sachin was awarded a sexy, Neptune blue 'Opel Astra' for winning the Man-of-the-Series award. (How I longed for a ride in Sachin's car!)

*1999 Ind-Pak - When it's Pakistan, emotions overflow! I had sobbed uncontrollably after Sachin got out for 136 in Chennai, when India needed just 20 runs for victory. India lost by 12 runs to Pakistan. But once again, Sachin was a class apart!

*1999 World Cup (England) - Unbeaten 140 against Kenya at Bristol. It was an emotional match. Sachin's father had passed away, he came back to India mid-way into the tournament. India (without Sachin) lost miserably against Zimbabwe. Sachin's mother famously quoted, "The country needs you". He came back, played a gem of an innings and made the entire nation weep when he raised his bat after scoring 100!

*1999 Ind-NZ - 217 at Ahmedabad, his first double-hundred in Tests. India was waiting for it! A great knock and a fantastic partnership with Sourav Ganguly (who scored 125)

*2001 Ind-SA - 155 at Bloemfontein, after India was 5 wickets down for some 40 odd runs. It was Virender Sehwag's debut Test. Sachin shared an awesome century partnership with Sehwag (who went on to score 105)

*2002 Ind-Eng - Batting first on a green, damp, seaming wicket at Leeds, on a dull, chilly, windy morning, India scored 628. The first instance, when the 'Big Three' of Indian cricket (Sachin, Sourav, Rahul) had scored hundreds in the same innings. Sachin scored 193, with effortless ease! India won its first Test outside the sub-continent in almost 3 decades.

*2003 World Cup (Ind-Pak) - 98 at Centurion. This is the only non-hundred innings I've listed. But it's more than all the centuries that Sachin has scored in all forms of the game. This 98 was marked by flawless batting, utter disdain for Pakistan bowlers and that defining image - smacking Shoaib Akhtar over point for a six.

*2003 World Cup Final (Ind-Aus) - This was a moment of absolute dejection and disappointment. At Johannesburg, India was chasing an improbable 360 to win the Cup after 20 years. Sachin scored 4. That 4 was a drive of Glen Mcgrath, and the very next ball he was caught & bowled by the lanky pacer. Sachin went and the Cup went too!

*2004 Ind-Pak - In the first test at Multan, it was Virender Sehwag all the way, scoring the first triple hundred by any Indian. Quite fittingly, Sachin was at the other end batting with Sehwag when he reached the landmark. Sachin scored an unbeaten 194, a fabulous innings again, curtailed by an incomprehensible declaration by acting captain Rahul Dravid.

*2005 Ind-SL - Feroze Shah Kotla Delhi, a hot, dusty afternoon. Sachin scores 109, his 35th hundred making him the highest century-getter in Tests, surpassing the great Sunil Gavaskar. The expression on his face after reaching the milestone is vividly etched in every Indian's mind. The jubilation that followed was something special.

*2008 Ind-Aus - VB Test Series, Sachin scored back-to-back hundreds at Sydney (154*) and Adelaide (153). A display of exquisite batsmanship!

*2009 Ind-Aus - 175 at Hyderabad. This was a gift Sachin gave to the nation on his 20th year of cricket. India lost, but who cared?? This was the Sachin of old. This was Sachin Unplugged, the one who we called 'Master Blaster'. This was God batting!

Eminent cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle once wrote that "The greatness of a sportsman lies in his longevity". Considering that as a parameter, Sachin is truly great. He has done the nation proud on innumerable occasions. Some more to follow...

To sum up in the famous words of Tony Greig, "There is God, then there is Sachin Tendulkar and then there is daylight."

SACHIN TENDULKAR - A NATION SALUTES YOU!

Bad, Bad, World!

Listless and languid is man

Wrapped in shackles of a tumultuous past

Breaking free ain't that easy

Jolts one's existence, a jolt that does last!

Where recollections are crucifixions

Where afterthoughts reign and perplexity rules

Where negativity stinks and multiplies

Where dreams are unaffordable luxuries

Where countless eyes have no vision

Where a melange of voices go unheard

Where souls are parched and peace extinct

Where all roads lead to a tangled mess

There lies the bastard world

Which man calls home,

That rapes him off happiness

To render him forlorn!

Merriment @ Workfront

Anyone would second me when I say that, it feels great to be acknowledged for hard work. And it really, did feel amazing on Friday when I was handed a token of appreciation at work.

It's only been 4 months that I've been working. In spite of the long hours of traveling and the resulting fatigue, I've pretty much enjoyed the 4 working months. It' is constructive involvement is how I would put it. The atmosphere's fun, people are cool, I can immerse myself into my task, I can laugh aloud and forget the not-so-pleasant things of my life. In a nutshell, it's been a great experience so far.

Friday was a day of appreciation, which many firms do as a part of their motivational exercises. Some of my fellow workers were acknowledged as well. My "Quick Growth" in the company was awarded. There was warmth and applause. My overwhelming mannerisms were imitated in good humor, before my name was announced. It was pleasing embarrassment (for want of a more apt expression) I was handed a Shopper's Stop Gift Voucher and my heart leaped with joy! I have plenty of shopping to do, with the festive season knocking at the door, and now I have more reasons to shop! :)

I believe, people should be self-motivated and completely committed to their work (whatever that might be) To top that, endeavors like these, can really motivate you further and egg you on for better output.

In the end, it just felt superb and was a sweet closure to another week at work!

Arty Times

I was always fond of painting, drawing, sketching, coloring and all other activities that fall in the same zone. It all began with scribbling and doodling on chairs, tables, whitewashed walls, floors and so on, in our house in Calcutta. Those incomprehensible sketches, intricately designed alphabets, flashy, colorful cartoons weren't acknowledged by many. Reason: That wasn't art, that was untidiness in the house caused by a toddler. In fact, they were a cause of irritation to my mother as well as our domestic maid. But those little things, sort of, defined my childhood. That was my idea of fun!

To me, art knew no logic. And my 'art' cared little about the canvas. I pretty much turned everything into a canvas - from the walls and floors to cups and plates to desks and chairs to clothes and much more. Art is spontaneous, it knows no boundaries. It should flow, wherever it wants! An artist's freedom is in his art. It is his voice, his heart, his soul! No worldly element should curb his freedom or suppress his voice! (No mother or maid should be telling a child, where he should draw and where he shouldn't)

Every man is an artist in some way or the other. One need not be a Michelangelo or an MF Hussain to express through art. Any one can derive pleasure out of this beautiful medium of expression. And so have I!

After a gap of almost 4 years, I took up the brush and played with colors. Once again on an unconventional canvas, this time a white plastic plate, that lay deserted in some corner of the kitchen! I felt immensely contented! It was relieving, it was relaxing, it was soothing!
Here's what I created and named it "The Lost Face"

The Lost Face

I didn't care if it made sense to the world. It made sense to me. The juxtaposition of colors, the overlapping shapes and brushstrokes, the patches of white etc etc were all spontaneous. Not a bit was planned, not a bit was measured. I let my brush flow, and along with it my suppressed emotions too!

I started with red then green, huge stretches of green.. some more of red and black.. a bit of blue in it and again green.. A crooked facial outline started to take shape.. I added scary, dark green eyes to it.. a hazy nose became visible...I colored and colored more.. The face was lost in the colorful mess!

This face can be yours, mine, his, her, or any one's, who's out in an ugly, messy world - a world that deshapes your soul, a world that exhausts you, a world that snatches your pleasure, a world that rapes you off peace and happiness and a world that does much more...

To all those "lost faces" of the world, I dedicate my 'plate-painting'...

She...

Still stood the sky, murmured the sea
And blended in the horizon with the turquoise sky,
She sat on the shore misty eyed,
Counting the vagaries of life.

Crashing waves hammered her heart
It bled, it froze; but not she rose
Gently she moved to kiss the sand,
And immersed herself in blithe bygones.

Love was harsh; bruised was she,
Tales of her pangs stay untold
Serenity resides in her now, as
She finds love in sun, sand and sea!

'Bangali' Birthday Platter

Take a close look at the photograph. This is something very personal and may seem crazy to blog about, but nevertheless I choose to be crazy and happily so! It's little, it's cute, it's touching and most importantly, it's special! It's what I call the 'Bangali' Birthday Platter! Read on...

Birthdays happen every year, so does this activity. For Bengalis, they say it's a custom for the mother, to cook certain items and place it in new utensils for her daughter/son. The first food grain that you have in the morning is from this platter that your mother gives.
Along with the food, is placed on the table, the "aashirvaad ki thaali", that contains some incense sticks, a "diya", some auspicious thing known as "dhaan-dubbyo" (in Bengali) and token amount of cash (which you are not supposed to spend, as it's "shagun"). After the elaborate procedure of "aashirvaad" by parents and other elders in the family, you start plunging on the platter, but in a definite order and manner. (described later in the post)

The platter above consists of the following items:

The plate has rice, that has been meticulously placed, not an inch of it is scattered. I never managed to discover how it is done with such artistic precision.
Next, the dark green chunk is something called as "palong shaak" in Bengali, that is palak leaves that we all eat in different forms (e.g. in palak paneer)

In the little bowls, forming a semi-arc around the plate, are some of my favorite items, and each one of them are hugely popular Bengali dishes.

Here they go (from left to right):

Bowl 1: This has 2 pieces of fried "rohu" fish, known as "rui machh bhaja" in Bengali. One of the most common river water fishes that is ate by Calcuttans and loved immensely. It can be cooked in a variety of ways. Frying it is one of the most common practices. Tastes delicious!

Bowl 2: This has "masoor dal" cooked with tomato and onion. Again, variety of recipes are in vogue for this very popular dal, but the one above, is my "mom's special"! Plain rice and masoor dal is competition to all the delicacies of the world.

Bowl 3: This one contains what tastes like heaven. "Aloo bhaja" is what it is called in Bengali. Thin potato slices are deep fried and served hot! To be eaten with a dal ideally, or with rice dripping with "shudhh ghee". Usually, in other parts of India, potato isn't consumed in this form. It's a Bong special. Very unhealthy, but very yummy!

Bowl 4: No Bong platter is complete without a sweet. We were born with sugar-stuffed mouths! This bowl contains "payesh", which is known as "kheer" in most parts of northern and western India and "payesam" in south India. Cooked in a typically Bengali way, with jaggery (khejur gur), rice, and milk, it tastes awesome! Invariably prepared by mothers on their children's birthday. Considered auspicious!

Before you binge on anything else, for all the "ghoti Bangalis" (the Calcutta Bengalis) there's an order to be followed. You are supposed to take little rice, little palong shaak and little payesh and eat them together, THRICE; then proceed to the normal course of eating.
I still don't know why this is done, have tried to know may times, but yet to be enlightened. All generations seem to trace it back to some tale, which interestingly no one has known in their generation!

P.S:- This particular platter was served to me on my 21st birthday, and I, quite usually, enjoyed it thoroughly! Awaiting my next birthday...