Mungerilal ke Haseen Sapney.....

A couple of days back, Boss called me in his usual inimitable style to his cabin with a single word line - "Aaao"! I went to his cabin not knowing what to expect. He asked me about the status on a particular deal. I said I was not fully aware. He frowned and called my senior. She was busy doing something on her computer and was not picking up. And then he cracked one of his comical habitual one liners ' "Look at madam! She is busy in her own world. Mungerilal ke haseen sapney"! I chuckled.

Suddenly boss started talking about some holiday. And I went on my own little holiday. To the Himalayas. Beautiful snow capped peaks all around. Me walking amidst dense oak and conifer forests with a few of my closest friends. And along with a special someone. Aah! What a wonderful feeling. But suddenly there was some disturbance around me. Boss was screaming something. " I want a daily status update on this. Without fail. The guillotine is on our necks!" Welcome to reality, I said to myself.

Still thinking about the holiday, I went to my seat with a smile. I got down to preparing a status update. Just then, there was an email from a friend. A die hard Manchester United fan. Who started taunting that this year too Arsenal wont win anything. :| I again drifted off.. Arsenal is just 6 points behind. Man U still has to play Arsenal and Chelsea. If they loose, then we can still win this. All is not lost. And I imagined Fabregas lifting the Premier League trophy and a proud Wenger smiling benevolently. And Wenger saying that his philosophy of grooming young talent has finally paid off. And me sending a fitting reply to my Man U friend...... I smiled. Ok. Prepare the status update fast! The guillotine is on our necks! A lot of us are prone to day dreaming. Escape into those flights of fantasy. Escape from a routine, monotonous life around you which brings a smile on your lips and gives you something to talk about at the end of the day. I think these flights of fancy are perfectly all right as long as we do not get too serious and not get too stuck up on it. I think its a way for some of us to deal with the situation around you. A sort of a break which can leave u refreshed. But yeah you have to be careful not too get too immersed in it at the cost of immediate pressing issues! Otherwise, the guillotine...!

The phone rang. A friend invited me to his wedding reception. Marriage. So many friends around me are getting married. When will I.. I began to wonder..........

Deja Vu conversations

"Whats new?"

"ummmm....ummm..nothing much..same old..office..home routine".."You tell me, whats happening with you?"

"same here! work, and then some more work!"

"hmm..ok. Aur kya besides work?"

"Nothing much, yaar".."Tu bata.."

"Nothing much really"

"Hmm ok..Gtg..Talk to you later!"

"Ok..Cya. Take care"

"U too Tc!"

The first step

First day of MBA life. The chief guest is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. You listen in awe as he delivers an inspiring speech. Everyone gives a standing ovation as he finishes his talk. And then he says, "I am now open to questions". Suddenly there is visible discomfort as people start looking at each other as if asking "Who will be the first to ask"? And finally one person rises up and puts forth his question. There is a visible relief everywhere and then the flood of questions begins ranging from the banal to the really interesting.

Asking a question to a CEO? What's the big deal you might ask. But for a lot of people, myself included, it is significant. It always is about who takes the first step. Even if it is as simple as asking a question, however silly, to a CEO who is already open to questions. But there are so many incidents in life, more serious, more difficult, where we are afraid to take the first step. Like choosing an unconventional career path. Like standing up for values you believe in even when the majority is against you. Like fighting against bias and injustice which may be happening around you in your workplace, college or school.

Why should I do it? Why does not someone else do it? Even if I do this, there is no hope because no one will ever believe that this is right. We are like this only. We won't change. What will others think? They will think I am mad. No one will ever support me. Isn't it too idealistic? I ought to be practical maybe? And hundreds of other related questions.

And that is why the deeds of Anna Hazare are so significant and praise worthy. We were tired of hearing about the never ending scams. We were all tired of the corruption around us. Most of us cursed the corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, police and all and sundry. But yet, most of us did nothing about it. Read about it in the papers, ranted, cursed and carried on with our lives. Apna desh aisa hi hai. Kuch nai kar sakte. 100 mein se ninyanve beimaan, par phir bhi mera bharat mahaan.

It took a small step by Anna Hazare to change our outlook. And channel our frustrations for the right cause. It made us believe that yes, change is possible if you have the courage of conviction and are fearless enough to pursue it till the end, whatever the consequences. It is difficult for most people to take such a bold step when we have thousands of things to worry and care about in our day to day lives. But we are more than happy to support the right person who is bold enough to take the first step.

The fact that the government has given in is a great victory for Anna Hazare and for the all people who supported the cause. A moment to remember and feel inspired about. As a friend put it, perhaps the greatest day in our democracy? Perhaps it is. All I now wish is for is for the implementation to be as effective, fair and transparent as the Jan Lokpal bill promises. But this is no small achievement, and a first step in the right direction

Thank you, Anna Hazare!

Anna Hazare's deeds remind me of a poem by C.P.Cavafy, a Greek poet, even though the poem was written in a different context.

"Just to be on the first step

should make you happy and proud.

To have come this far is no small achievement:

what you have done is a glorious thing.

Even this first step

is a long way above the ordinary world.

To stand on this step

you must be in your own right

a member of the city of ideas.

And it is a hard, unusual thing

to be enrolled as a citizen of that city.

Its councils are full of Legislators

no charlatan can fool.

To have come this far is no small achievement:

what you have done already is a glorious thing."

Random Numbers

Some say that statistics are cold and hard. Do not reveal the entire truth. However sometimes, statistics can express emotions and feelings which words just can't. When a certain moment comes, and you don't know what to say, sometimes the numbers just have to the talking.

0 - Virender Sehwag won't like this. A duck in the final of the World cup. But as Ravi Shastri aptly put it as Sehwag ran to collect the winner's medal even as he was calling out R.Ashwin's name, Sehwag had to open this particular post. The most entertaining and electrifying batsman in India, he played his part in a moment in the final i am not likely to forget - Forcing the umpire to lower his arm in order to reverse his no-ball decision when Sreesanth was bowling and the childish grin on his face afterwards. Typical Sehwag and symbolizes the way he bats. Happy -go-lucky and without a care in the world. Priceless moment.
1 (billion) - The population of India before the World cup began. 1 billion hopes. 1 billion aspirations. 1 billion prayers.
6 (87,92,96,99,03,07) - 6 world cups post 1983. 6 world cups of shattered hopes.
2 - 2nd April. The day when India won it's 2nd World Cup
27 (years) - My age
28 (years) - The agonizingly long wait
37 (years), 343 (days) - The age of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. We had to win it for this man. We owed it to him for what he has given to us. I need not add anything more.
31 (runs), 2 (wickets) - The Indian scorecard chasing 275. In a world cup final. Sehwag and Sachin back in the dressing room. That sinking feeling again which has happened in the previous 6 world cups. But...
83 (runs) - The Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli jugalbandi. Which steadied the innings. And made us believe that we will not crumble under pressure like all those years ago.
91 (runs) - of the most valuable, calm, cool, chanceless, under pressure runs I have seen a batsman accumulate in a long long time. M.S.Dhoni. I had my doubts when he came in ahead of Yuvraj. But, Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man! Respect.
362 (runs), 15 (wickets), 4 (Man of the Match awards) - Just a few months back, he was written off. Ridiculed for being overweight . Accused of lacking focus and motivation. His place in the team questioned. And then winning the Man of the Tournament award. Yuvraj Singh. Redemption.
1000 (times) - Goosebumps. Multiplied by 1000. The moment when Sachin was lifted on young shoulders and carried around the Wankhede. Unforgettable.
10000 (times) - Goosebumps. And a big lump in the throat. The moment when Virat Kohli made THE statement. "For 21 years, he has carried the hopes of a nation on his shoulders. It is time we carried him on ours."
1.2 (billion) - The population of India after the world cup ended post census. 1.2 billion hopes and aspirations fulfilled. 1.2 billion prayers answered.
Infinite - Joy. Happiness. Tears. Evident on the faces of millions as the party spilled over onto the streets of the country.

Statistics. Numbers. Cold and Hard. But sometimes they can indeed express more than words. When a certain moment comes. A moment like this. When India, a nation starved of sporting achievements, wins the Cricket World Cup.

Yes! We just did it!