One Life, One Ladakh!

The moment we landed at Leh (Ladakh) and stepped outside the airplane, a harsh chilling airwave hit us. Somehow withstanding the sudden change in temperature, we followed our co-passengers in clicking the fabulous scenery around the airport area and indulged in posing for selfies with mountains in the background. Several military camps and army units greeted us as we drove out of the airport. Armed and alert army men (jawans) were patrolling the area. On way to the hotel (Gawaling International), we passed the local market and numerous tiny shops which were yet to start their business for the day. It was 8:30 in the morning, and Leh was just waking up. Few local oldies well covered in woollens were lazing around the streets. Streaming in through narrow lanes and alleys, we reached the hotel which was surrounded by mountains far away (few of them being heavily snow-capped) on all sides. Loss of breath, decreased concentration and headache had affected us by that time. Day one was dedicated for acclimatizing to the severe weather conditions, and we hit the bed viewing the picturesque hills through the glass pane.  

Next day onwards, we treated ourselves to road trips, making our way through some of the outstanding landscapes and breath-taking backdrops. Whatever we witnessed was worth clicking, and at times, it did feel that, no matter how many snaps we take, our eyes and brain often form the most valuable camera as those visuals are going to be etched in our minds forever. Hemis Gonpa and Thiksey Gonpa were spiritually elusive. The soothing silence, monks in their robes and the blissful fragrance absolutely blended for the occasion. The Buddha idol in Thiksey released vibes that would attract anyone. Shey Palace stood tall all alone and could be identified from a distance. These were not architectural gems as such, but their simplicity and neatness overwhelmed us. The Pangong Lake simply attracted us with its pristine blue water and charming scenery around. We surrendered ourselves to the never ending beauty that nature offered us and could hardly separate ourselves from a state of assumed hypnotism.     

We drove up to the Changla Pass and Khardungla Pass through some of the heavily snow infested zones. Roads were covered in snow and it was milky white everywhere. We got a chance to stop by for a brief snowball fight with mates. Nubra Valley gave us a different flavour altogether with the presence of a desert within the mountain ranges. The double-humped camel ride was indeed a fun filled affair. On our way back to Leh from Nubra Valley, we were stuck at South Pullu for almost three hours due to a ministerial visit. Meanwhile, the Indian Army men treated us with juices, rooh afza, hot halwa and chana. They mingled with us within no time and served the stuff quite passionately. It was pretty much heart-touching, and we thanked them for this initiative as well as their overall efforts to make our lives safe and secure.

The magical Magnetic Hill defying the law of gravity and pulling vehicles towards it was interesting and unbelievable. The blue and muddy water of Sindhu and Zanskar rivers meeting at the Sangam (Indus River) was worth watching again and again. The Paththar Sahib Gurudwara was another example of modesty of the Indian Army, who constructed it, and has been maintaining it till date. Lastly, it was time to visit the market. The Tibetan market is famous for its woollen clothes and tourists like us do get a chance to bargain for things. Though a bit high priced, the woollens you get here are good enough to keep away the cold. Structures minutely carved out of copper and stone are also famous and abound.

                                                    

Ladakh may be famous for its high passes, but it is a variety in itself. It is an absolute conglomerate of cultures and religions, wherein Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists live together. Though Kargil and Dras are not that far, it is hard to believe that Ladakh could be prone to terrorism or communal violence at any point in time. Its easygoing attitude and happy-go-lucky people provide assurance. It is the home to monasteries (gonpas), stupas, stone artefacts, dry fruits and woollen stuff. Each and every curve of its hills and mountains produce differently marvellous views and one is never satisfied just by clicking and capturing them. They remain recorded in our minds forever and whenever we recall those moments and views, we are transported back to a land of tranquillity and peace.                              

The MSD Factor

Post 2nd day of April, 2011, a fresh debate has been making the rounds- whether Mahendra Singh Dhoni (call him Mahi, MSD or Captain Cool) is the best cricket captain of India. That, to me, is a trivial issue to be indulged in. The explicit fact that emerges out of Team India’s Cricket World Cup triumph under his stewardship is that the man has certainly got guts to make tough calls, manoeuvre his moves and lead by example. But that does not, in any way, make him superior than the game itself or point towards his one man show during the tournament. He has constantly challenged the limits of the game and got better with progression. Winning the T20 championship (in 2007) was the real big boost MSD received. That was the initial spark needed to ignite the passion within the team, realize individual strengths, accept and work upon problem areas and focus on the ultimate objective. What followed next was an uprising in Indian cricket. The team which was heavily dependent upon senior players to do the trick got a fresh bunch of promising cricketers who started performing consistently.

8 years back, the present senior team members were part of the squad that made it to the World Cup final but got a terrible thrashing in the hands of the in-form Australian side. This time round, self belief, confidence, attitude and willpower were evident in every outing. Plus, the young guns added that extra zing that was pivotal to the success.

To start off being the captain of the side, Dhoni had the burden to continue the good work that Sourav Ganguly was doing during his tenure. There is no denying the fact that he got some of the gifted players under his belt. But it was crucial to get the best out of them. And he exactly did that. He instilled confidence in out-of-form players by giving them fair chances to showcase their talents, lent his ears to everyone’s suggestions and stuck to the basics. At times, he did experiment and took the odd chances but rode his luck to emerge with flying colours.

Team India started off as favourites for the 2011 World Cup going by the analysis of their prior series (a reasonable success rate) and also due to the fact that they were playing at home. Dhoni was under a lot of pressure because the team had to maintain its winning streak in front of the home crowd, win the cup (for the country as well as for the legendary Sachin Tendulkar) and discard the fact that the host country has never lifted the cup.


Though we won the opening match against Bangladesh, it exposed loopholes in our bowling attack. The same bowling attack almost let us down in the match against England, but fortunately it ended in a draw. Against the minnows, Ireland and Netherlands, we had batting collapses but Yuvraj Singh’s handy knocks came to the rescue. We went down to South Africa despite scoring 300-plus runs. The bowling finally clicked in the match against West Indies, and we found ourselves in the knock out stage. It was an uphill task and needed each of the playing eleven to put in his very best. It was upto Mahi to bind the team as a cohesive unit, learn from the past mistakes and back each and every member. The team peaked at the right moment and crossed hurdles one after the other. We excelled in all the departments of the game to get the better of Australia and Pakistan. In the final match against Sri Lanka, we were three wickets down for 100-odd runs chasing 275. We were in a spot of bother. An out-of-form Dhoni (best score of 38 throughout the tournament) walked into the middle promoting himself up the batting order (ahead of the inform Yuvraj Singh). He, alongwith Gautam Gambhir, scripted one of the best match winning innings of his life. The winning runs came from Dhoni’s bat, that too, a big six, and Captain Cool ended his World Cup campaign in style, on a real high note (scoring unbeaten 91 runs and being adjudged the Man of the Match). He deservingly went on to conquer the cup for us after 28 long years.

Overnight, the spotlight fell on Mahi who not only led the team from front but also showed the world that if there is determination and self belief, it is possible to do the impossible. Having said that, we must acknowledge the crucial contributions from each and every player; also we cannot overlook the vital roles played by coach Gary Kirsten, psychologist Paddy Upton and, of course, the support staff. Dhoni has never over-reacted to any situation or gone berserk when the team was cornered in tough situations. He has simply followed his instincts and deployed available resources to the optimum level. MSD has always called a spade a spade. And on that eventful night, he was no exception. He spoke his heart out- "I took a quite few decisions tonight, if we hadn't won I would have been asked quite a few questions.....That pushed me and motivated to do well. The pressure had got to me in the previous games....I had a point to prove to myself....." He certainly proved a critical point to himself that went on a long way to establish his credentials not only as an outstanding sportsman but also as an exceptional individual. Fortune does favour the brave but the pre-requisite for that is you need to have that daring temperament. Time and again, MSD has earned his fortune by dint of his courage. Whether Dhoni and his men will be able to continue this glorious run is again a debate of sorts but the name of Mahendra Singh Dhoni will certainly inspire each and everyone to emulate his way of thinking and attitude.

The Mad Rush & Aroma Of The Bazaars

As soon as the train entered the Noida City Centre station, people became impatient and hasty and quickly started forming groups. The groups were positioned according to the doors of the train. Everyone was looking to grab a seat in the peak hour rush. My friend Preetesh however informed that it was not the ‘ideal’ peak hour rush, and that I was to witness it at Rajiv Chowk. I could not make out the ‘threshold’ for the rush he referred to compared to what I was witnessing at that moment. The train stopped and the groups started jostling. The doors opened, and as it happens in non-metro Indian trains (without automatic doors), external passengers fought their way forcibly into the train without even waiting for their internal counterparts to disembark. This caused a massive hullabaloo- a mini-stampede, few slangs exchanged and some isolated quarrels. Since Preetesh, my brother and I were standing in the front row of one of the groups, we could manage to take seats. The compartment soon became pretty much crowded, and my first Delhi Metro ride kicked off in fashion. The train made its way through the flyover amidst beautiful residential colonies, numerous sectors and pockets and finally reached Rajiv Chowk where we were to change for our ultimate destination, Chawri Bazaar. We scampered our way to the exit door but had a hard time finding our way out. The same internal-external conflict was visible. Very soon we got a push from behind and discovered ourselves out of the train. The doors were about to close and hit us but we managed a close shave. Once I got out of the train, I saw numerous people rushing in different directions and jam packed escalators; as if everyone was running short of time or was desperate to catch the last train available in this world.

Up next, we had to line up for one more challenging entry into the connecting train for Chawri Bazaar. Here it seemed a bit disciplined with barricades in the platform around the doors of the stopping train and security officials cordoning off each entry point. Rajiv Chowk being one of the busiest stations and junctions was aided with these facilities. This train arrived, and people started pouring out- just like someone having overeaten was vomiting out. Again we got a thrust from the back and entered the already crowded train, struggled our way into the middle and quickly caught hold of one of the hanging danglers lest we fell down or stamped on someone’s shoes. Just a couple of stops and we reached Chawri Bazaar.

We climbed upstairs and came out of the station to find ourselves in puraani (old) Delhi— sparse lanes, traditional businesses, aged buildings, small utility shops, food stalls, roadside vendors and steady state of affairs. We boarded a three-sitter rickshaw, and made our way through those slim lanes infested with so many people and events happening here and there. I had the back view being the pillion rider facing the opposite side. There were faces at every nook and corner and something or the other taking place— someone laughing loud over his mobile phone while speaking, someone toiling hard to carry heavy merchandise boxes over his head, someone abusing his fellows, while someone simply watching the proceedings. I continuously stared at those people while our rickshaw got stuck in the middle. There was activity all around— traders selling their wares of trade, buyers weighing their options, food stall owners trying their level best to preserve the hygiene in their ‘open’ food on display, a beggar collecting alms, school children making their way back home and few policemen chatting over tobacco. I noticed a couple of monkeys in the overhead electric wire on the rampage making their way into someone’s balcony.

We got down at Jama Masjid and entered Gali Kababian— the famous lane of kabab restaurants. There were restaurants lined up one after the other, all claiming to be big shots in the field of kababs and Mughlai cuisine. However, we knew beforehand that Karim’s and Al Jawahar were the best in business when it came to Mughlai food. We decided to enter Karim’s and savor our taste buds. Established in 1913, the ancestors of the founder of Karim’s were chefs of the Mughal dynasty and were known to serve the Mughal emperors. The seating occupancy inside the restaurant just went on to prove the goodwill Karim’s possessed. We had to wait for a moment for people to finish off their meals and vacate the seats for us. A scrumptious lunch consisting of Chicken Jehangiri, Mutton Korma and Roti made the day for us. It satisfied us to the core of our hearts. Tutti frutti ice cream with freshly cut fruits on the top was the icing on the cake. By the time we finished off the ice cream, we were fully contended, on seventh heaven.

It was time to get back home and gear ourselves up for the metro rail ride. But there was no sign of fatigue within us; rather an indomitable spirit rejuvenated our minds. Some invaluable memories and unforgettable scenes formed our key takeaways from the express tour.

Perfection: The Tough Art

Perfection is an inexplicable impulse that influences anyone to push the limits, rather exceed them sometimes, and accomplish an ultimate objective that not only satisfies others (anyone affected by the performance) but also satiates the creator’s nitpicky frenzy. Being perfect in all aspects is one of the keywords for true success. 'True success' is again a flawless concept— a standard defined by perfectionists to match their performance. It is a mental milestone set to gauge the parameters of performance. Success can be any act that might have been appreciated by the end user/s of the product or service but to a perfectionist, it remains 'plain and ordinary' unless it infuses a 'feel good' factor in him/ her despite all praises, wishes and 'voluminous' adjectives. Those words and sentences seem 'fake' to perfectionists unless they get an internal signal of satisfaction from within. Unless that mental condition is fulfilled, it creeps in their minds and drives them crazy to make amends, given a second chance.

No doubt, perfecting any act calls for certain conditions. Concentration is above all. Unless one is highly focused and dwelling deep into the task at hand, the minor loopholes can not be identified and amended. These minor loopholes really count, and are the dark spots that mar one’s hard work and render it to be useless, however toiling it might have taken to carve out the same. Perfectionists sniff for such minor loopholes and plug them instantly so that no fingers are pointed down the line. Attention to detail is the next big factor that can not be overseen if anyone is eyeing to put up a flawless performance. Detailing is ensuring that not even a single aspect that contributes to true success is left out and ignored. Marshalling available resources efficiently and reviewing isolated outputs periodically during the course of performance that make up for the whole is a vital condition to perfection. Learning from mistakes is highly essential. Mistakes only reinforce our mental state and aid in perfecting our future acts. Drawing inspiration from mistakes is a virtue; once mastered, it brings out the best of performances. Enjoying the journey is a special condition— a healthy mind leads to a high class act. A fair attitude towards work sets the tone for putting the thrust to achieve something worthwhile. One’s attitude clearly displays the quality of performance put up. Call these traits, qualities or boons; these are the inherent characteristics which are embossed in perfectionists, and reflected in whatever they take up. Be it a household job, a soccer match or an official assignment.

The art of perfection, however valuable it might be, has its ill effects too. Perfecting things demands a fair amount of time. Collating stuff and work pieces, status reviews, knowledge enhancement and keeping an eye on each and every aspect of the scheme naturally eats up a lot of time. A slight off-track performance is enough to rip apart the confidence levels of a perfectionist. Under such a situation, pessimism lingers in their minds, often stressing them out. Perfectionists are sometimes believed to block their ideas and shut ears to others’ suggestions. At times, they are averse to rapid changing situations.

Perfection is not just an ingredient for success but a success in itself if followed religiously. It is crucial to realize the undercurrent of perfection and be assured of all moves. It takes guts to be perfect, and pursue it consistently.

For A Change...

Adapting to a changing situation is a big ask for anyone, and the relationship between such an ask and the age groups we are in is pretty interesting. Generally speaking, the potential for fitting oneself to any change is very strong in the younger age groups as compared to the older ones. But as in everything, we do have exceptions to this belief too.

I still remember when my father got to buy a mobile phone (that was exactly ten years after I had started using one) - he seemed so excited to use it but could hardly operate it on his own. He would switch it off, carefully place it in the carton and lock it in his cupboard. One day he asked me to help him out with it. I could not expect a 1943-born person who had used a landline phone throughout his life to handle a mobile phone with ease. So I walked him through the ‘workable’ options, i.e. making and receiving calls and sending and receiving messages. Adding new contacts was also a feature I stressed upon so that he could come out of his ‘habit’ of listing down phone numbers in a diary. But that did not seem to work smooth as far as his mobile phone ‘orientation’ was concerned. He would ask me again and again either for adding a new contact or for sending a message. I felt like the Mathematics tutor who would feel annoyed on being asked to solve the same Unitary Method problem several times. But, at the very next moment, I could place myself into my father’s shoes and understand his genuine inabilities. He was trying his level best to acclimatize to a situation wherein a sense of technology was considered to be a prerequisite. How could I expect a person who had dealt with hard bound files, stacks of papers and pens in his office to know about softwares, hardwares or Bluetooth? All I could do was ask him to concentrate as I demonstrated one more round of all the basic mobile phone applications. As of now he may not be well versed with all the features but very recently I got to receive a ‘Happy New Year’ message from his phone which made me feel ecstatic. At times, he reaches out for his diary to jot down any new phone number ‘temporarily’ unaware of the fact that he can save it in his mobile phone.

On the flipside, one my cousin brothers, a sixth standard student, often updates me regarding the new computer games available in the market, the crack codes for many games and the forthcoming technologies that are going to ‘rock’ the world. He is highly techno-savvy and a big time computer maniac. For me, he represents the modern generation aptly - Ten years down the line I can imagine him carrying an undefined TB (Terabyte) Laptop loaded with all possible computer games and softwares, uttering highly technical lingo. He is not averse to gulp and learn more in order to match his footsteps with the ever changing and dynamic environment.

The common factor in both the instances above is a ‘change’ that is driving both of them to act. One is finding it a bit difficult to adjust to the situation while the other is highly adaptive and responsive to it. Relating change to a mobile phone or technology is just an example. Change can be symbolic in terms of any imaginable thing or issue. The generation gap is a given thing, but a matured mind often blocks itself to transformations and renewal of conventional norms. As mentioned earlier, we do have exceptions to this tenet- we may notice senior citizens curbing the age-old ideas, happily accepting re-definitions and easily fitting to it, sometimes even better as compared to their younger counterparts. Our backgrounds, daily lives and habits are highly responsible in determining the extent of flexibility we can display in terms of welcoming a change. However, there are no winners or losers in this constant ‘adaptation’ game because we view life from different perspectives. Mere and sudden changes may or may not affect us. As long as we are in full control of our lives, we can overlook such changes and continue extracting more out of them.

Sachin Tendulkar: A Phenomenon

Defining Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is like attempting to collate all the supreme qualities available in any human being. The prestige this man has been able to accumulate for himself is a testimony of his caliber. His batting stance, array of shots and determination is a delight to watch for any cricket crazy person. The name of Sachin Tendulkar is said to create terror in the minds of the best of bowlers. Apart from being a world class batsman, he is capable of spinning the ball with deft, saving crucial runs and, above all, pulling the team out of danger single handedly. In a career spanning over 20 years, he holds some of the prestigious records in world cricket. He has been constantly re-defining benchmarks in the arena of cricket.

His recent achievement of scoring 200 runs for the first time in the limited over version of the game just goes to prove the fact that his appetite for runs is never ending. In the match just before that historic one, he had saved a boundary stretching and diving full length in a situation when South Africa needed 7 runs off the last 2 balls. The batsmen managed to score 3 and finally India won the match by 1 run. Whether any youngster would have dived desperately as Sachin did or not is a matter of argument, but anyone watching it would vouch for the commitment displayed by the 36-year old.

Affected by a back injury, he had to control his trademark pull and hook shots. He had to adopt some precautions and make some adjustments to his style of batting. But that, in any way, did not affect his temperament. And he only got better always keeping himself focused on delivering his best on the field. Though he had a flop stint as the captain of the team, till date he is regarded as one of the best batsman that the game has ever seen. During his slump phase (2002-2006) many had written him off questioning his strokes and techniques.

He made a strong comeback silencing his critics by putting up a consistent performance in all forms of the game. He has played some of the greatest knocks during this ‘reincarnation’ episode that is still on, and he seems determined to excel and strive for constant improvement.

Sachin Tendulkar is not about runs, records or statistics. He is a signature of success, motivation, patriotism and dedication. His attitude is something that is to be replicated by everyone. Sachin’s contribution to India or world cricket cannot be compensated by awards or prizes. The respect gained by him over the years is much more than the 50-plus Man of the Match awards that he has received. He is an extraordinary person with a down-to-earth attitude.

Ranking Sachin’s best innings is a pretty unfair and tough ask. According to me, his top five performances would be:

- Back-to-back innings of 143 and 134 scored against Australia in Sharjah (1998). The former ‘sandstorm’ knock helped India secure a place in the Finals and the latter sealed the series for India
- The recent 200 not out versus South Africa at Gwalior that ensured a series win for India
- The valiant knock of 175 against Australia in Hyderabad (Nov. 2009). Though India lost the match by 3 runs, it was one of the spirited knocks from the little master in recent times
- 136 against Pakistan in the Chennai test (1999). Pakistan won the match by 12 runs. But Sachin was the lone warrior from the Indian camp and dragged the team close to victory
- 241 not out against Australia in the Sydney test (2004) that helped India amass a mammoth 705

There are numerous quotes on Sachin Tendulkar which prove that he is in fact a class apart. Some of them are:

· “I have seen GOD, he bats at no.4 for India in Tests”- Matthew Hayden
· “I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player”- Shane Warne
· “Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours"- Michael Kasprowicz
· “I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...his compactness, technique, stroke production...it all seemed to gel!”- Sir Don Bradman
· “There are 2 kinds of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others”- Andy Flower
· “If I've to bowl to Sachin, I'll bowl with my helmet on. He hits the ball so hard”- Dennis Lillee
· “Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal”- Brain Lara
· “India’s fortune will depend upon how many runs the little champion scores. There is no doubt Tendulkar is the real thing”- Sunil Gavaskar
· “Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives”- BBC Sports

“At least with me, the match starts much, much earlier than the actual match” is what he feels for himself. Sachin’s passion for cricket has been an interesting saga so far and we hope to see more of his supreme side in the years to come. Only time will tell how many more feathers he can add to his prized cap.

A Take On Bollywood

A notorious don turns messiah for all preaching good habits such as 'Jaadu Ki Jhappi' and 'Gandhigiri'.
A determined hockey coach successfully infuses motivation and leads the women's national team to victory at an international level.
A dyslexic child is able to transform himself into a champion of sorts with the help of his mentor.
A guy wins one and all practicing his omnipotent "Aal izz well" mantra.
A person with Asperger's disorder meets the US President and finally proves the point that his 'name is Khan' and he 'is not a terrorist'.

Bollywood is definitely on a roll emanating lots of positive vibes forcing the common public to think, analyze and come out of the theatres with a takeaway that has a long lasting impact. Thanks to the new breed of script writers and directors, and the radical change in the mindsets of the conventional league. Not to forget the actors and the entire crew that teams up and toils hard to ensure the complete success. Bollywood is clearly on the road to maturity getting itself out of the age-old shell of rich girl-poor boy love stories, the unison of brothers, revenge tales and the honest cop-and-villain encounters.

The competition within the industry is clearly evident with mammoth openings, record collections and huge profit margins. The pre-release promotions, movie merchandise on sale and tie-ups of production houses with renowned brands are significant indications of the intense war for survival. Off late, the controversies are heating up the scenario to a certain level and sparking off free publicity for movies.

And, as always, competition leads to better and improved performance. The result is in this case too is pretty promising- we, as audience, are certainly enjoying the welcome change, the theatres are getting overcrowded and above all, cinema as a medium is successfully putting across messages.

Last week, a girl committed suicide for forcefully taking up engineering instead of commerce as her field of study. Before hanging herself, she had mentioned “I Quit” in the wall of her room, which resembles the suicide in one of the recently released blockbusters. Who is to be blamed for this? Part of it can be attributed to the movie. Although the movie had an overall positive impact, people are bound to pick up the negative side too finding himself/ herself in the same situation (much like the character that committed suicide in the movie).

The impact of Bollywood in our lives is so deep-rooted. This, however, does not deter the story tellers to come up with innovative scripts and experiment constantly. It is tough these days to leave the plot of a movie once you are out of the theatre. It lingers in so many minds for days, may be for years. At the end of the day, a movie is a tale told over celluloid that comes with a clear statutory warning. In no way, we are supposed to fill both of our hands with the message that is being conveyed but always take it with a pinch of salt. However and whatever, both the giver and receiver of message need to be conscientious at the same time.

Hereby wishing the new-look Bollywood all the very best ahead so that it can come up with much more path breaking performances and satisfied end users (read ‘audience’).