As we celebrate Lord Krishna’s birth today, let’s remember how he embodies contradictions with such grace and ease. The Krishna of the Gita is wise, serious, and profound, while the Krishna of the Bhagavatam is playful, joyful, and free-spirited. Though these sides may seem contradictory, Krishna shows us the beauty of embracing all facets of life in harmony.
Let’s celebrate Lord Krishna by embracing our own nuances and uniqueness, and finding balance within them.
Visited the Boeing Factory in Seattle on 14th May, 2018 with Maahir, Shourya and Purvi.
Boeing started in 1916, in Seattle
The Boeing factory where they produce the commercial passenger aircrafts is the largest closed enclosure in the world – the factory shed is 98 acres, the size of 75 football fields.
At this factory they produce, the 747, 767, 777 and the 787. The factory has a production capacity of 170 aircrafts a year; one 747 every month, and 14 nos of 787s each month. They could produce more, if the engines, which are manufactured by GE and Rolls-Royce are delivered to them faster.
How do they number the different models. Say – 747
The first 7 stands for the series of commercial passenger aircrafts. The 6 series is for Defence aircrafts, the 5 series for Helicopters, the 1 series for Propeller Aircrafts.
The second digit, 4, stands for the model no. As of now, the latest model no. is 8, that corresponds to the 787
The third digit is 7… Why? Just because it sounds cool.
For the 787, and the 777, they also have 787-7, 787-8, 787-9, and likewise, passenger capacity increasing in the ascending order.
The 747 is the largest aircraft, capable of accommodating up to 600 passengers. It’s made up of an aluminum body. The wings hold up to 80,000 liters of fuel, giving it a non stop flying time of 14 hours.
The 787, also called as the DreamLiner, is manufactured using a carbon composite fibre, which is lighter than aluminum and stronger than steel. This carbon composite fibre, is more than 50% of the aircraft weight.
One 787 can be turned around each day. The components of the 787, are manufactured from countries around the globe, and brought to the Seattle factory, using an aircraft which is called as the DreamLifter. Boeing has 4 DreamLifters.
The beauty about how they build the 787, is that everything comes to the factory is modules, which get assembled in to the aircraft is quick time.
The 777, is still under testing and has not been delivered to any customer as yet, but Boeing still has many orders and many aircrafts under production. They follow, lean manufacturing techniques, while building this aircraft, which is made up of Aluminum body, and composite fibre. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in 2020.
Once the aircraft is manufactured, Boeing generally does just one internal test flight, before inviting the customer to take one, before the aircraft is delivered.
A 747, is typical sold at USD 400 million, without the engines. Engines cost extra.
Watch this video of how the aircrafts are manufactured at the Boeing factory
Run by my side;
Live in my heartbeat;
Give strength to my steps.
As the cold surrounds;
As the wind pushes me;
I know you surround me.
As the sun warms me;
As the rain cleanses me;
I know you are touching me.
Challenging me, loving me;
And so I give you this run.
Thank you for watching my stride.
“We are here to play, not to bully,” called out the soccer club team owner, as he pulled out Maahir from the Somaiya Soccer Championship game, just minutes after the kick-off. Maahir and one of his team mates, made some disparaging statements to an opposition team player, during play. This was the second game for the afternoon. The first game was comprehensively won, 3-0, by Maahir’s team, Soccer Cubs. An hour later, they lost the second, 0-10.
Maahir’s Team – The Soccer Cubs, after winning the first game 3-0
Maahir was amongst the best player in his team. In the winning game, he fired the ball like a bullet, from the mid-field, right into the nets. There was little that the goal keeper could do, as he watched the ball sail over his head. An outstanding goal, orchestrated by the coach instructing from the side lines, superbly executed by the player. This proud moment for the parents was soon to be overshadowed by the act of indiscipline. Maahir had to sit out through the second game, even as his team players requested the team owner to get him back on the field.
That afternoon we played the role of parent-coach, Purvi and I had a serious conversation with our 10 year old. It was good to see him quickly understand what he had done wrong. He realized the price his team had to pay for losing one of their best players. One mistake – and he was out of the team.
Sports can be a great teacher, for those who are willing to learn. Exactly a week later, we re-lived and added to the lessons learned on the field, as we watched the Aamir Khan starrer, Dangal. It was easy for the children to pick on the lessons of discipline and hard work (daily 5 a.m. training regime for Geeta and Babita), giving up on what you like (food cravings), being prepared to do whatever it takes (short hair-cut for the girls, non-vegetarian diet), serious and hard preparations (school girls competing against the big boys), fighting back from failure, perseverance, and more. The hard part was for us, the parents, to realize that there was plenty in it for us to learn as well. Every parent needs to play the role of a parent-coach like Mahavir Singh Phogat for his Geeta and Babita,
It is imperative for parents to share with children the importance of setting goals at an early age – so long as children understand their importance and are willing to work towards their realization. Maahir wrote his first goal when he was 5, and Shourya drew it up when he was 2.
A loving parent will always face the dilemma of being a taskmaster coach. That said, it is absolutely, necessary for the parent-coach to enforce strict discipline while maintaining an extremely nurturing atmosphere for the children. As a coach, always demand the best preparation and the maximum effort. But when your child experiences failure, teach him that it is not the end of the world. If he loses, tell him that he was just outscored on the day. Hold him by his hand, talk to him and prepare him for his next challenge. Personally, I have been fortunate and blessed to have parents who’ve always maintained the balance.
A parent-coach should instill the importance of hard work, and repeated practice, in pursuit of excellence. He has to raise the bar every time they enter into the arena. “You have to apply yourself each day to becoming a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better,” said the famous basket ball coach, John Wooden. In the game that he was pulled out, Maahir had lost his opportunity to become better that day. It is important to teach children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning
A parent-coach needs to be on the sidelines during the game – to guide, correct, cheer and inspire. It makes a big difference. I recall Maahir telling me after a drawn game that I missed out on, “Papa, if you would had been around, I would have definitely scored a goal and our team would have won.” Likewise, I am happy to have Dad around at the workplace – it has made the difference to my life and career.
And finally, a parent coach should share honest and constructive feedback. As Carlos Dweck writes in her book, Mindset, “Praise should deal, not with the child’s personality attributes, but for their efforts and achievements. Children should be appreciated not for their intelligence and talents, but for the efforts, hard work, practice, persistence, and other growth oriented processes.” Words of encouragement and praise should to be carefully timed and chosen. In the film, the father holds on to golden words “Shabash”, in praise of his daughter until she has won an International Gold Medal.
A parent-coach needs to commit undivided time and attention to the children, because, it’s not about coaching them for a game or a sport, or making them good players. It’s about preparing them for life and making them good human beings.
“The IPL is not just about cricket. There are a lot of things happening around it. The players must be smart about it. They have to respect the body, give it some time to recover because it’s not just about playing. There have been day-night matches, then parties, and then early morning flights too. All this, including the travel, takes a toll.” That’s what M.S.Dhoni said in justification, after India’s disastrous performance at the T20 World Cup in 2010.
The same captain led the Chennai Super Kings to the IPL T20 win less than three weeks before the ouster of Team India from the World Cup. And going by his theory, whatever happened during the IPL was what caused the World Cup disaster. These words coming from “Captain Cool” are no more than an excuse for failure.
This story is not about Team India’s failure at the T20 World Cup in West Indies. It is about learning to deal with failure, the way the real champions do.
Failure, like death, is inevitable. As J.K.Rowling told the Harvard graduating class, “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.” Failure comes to all. What’s important is how you decide to deal with it.
John Wooden, the famous basketball coach says, you aren’t a failure until you start to blame. What he means is that you can still be in the process of learning from your mistakes until you begin denying them. That’s where the problems begin. As human beings, we always find excuses for not succeeding. We often lay a blame on someone else or something that was responsible for our failure. And so do some champions. After all they are human beings, too.
The legendary tennis player John McEnroe often tried to repair his self-esteem after losing by assigning blame or making excuses. Going by his own judgment it was never his fault – it was always the outside forces. One time he lost a match because he had fever. Another time he had a backache. Sometimes he was victim of expectations, other times it was because of the tabloids. One loss was because he ate too close to the match. He lost some games because it was cold. He lost others because he could not cope up with the heat. Sometimes he was under-trained, at other times he was over-trained. His most painful loss was to Even Lendl in the 1984 French Open. Why did he lose after leading 2 sets to nil? According to McEnroe, it wasn’t his fault. An NBC cameraman had taken off his headset and a noise started coming from the side of the court.
The problem with McEnroe was that he did not accept his failure. Worse still, he refused to learn from failures. He did not thrive on challenges; when the going got tough, he often folded. As a result, by his own admission he did not fulfill his potential. After his playing days he confessed that his on-court temper tantrums were only a cover for not playing well. Instead of finding the real reasons for losing, he made excuses. Rather than getting the basics right and practicing hard, he relied purely on natural talent. He was the number one player in the world for four years – but he was a champion who did not know how to deal with failure.
On the other hand, Michael Jordan is a great example about success through failure. In a commercial for Nike – famous for its failure-defying tagline “Just Do It” – Jordan says, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot, and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life – and that is why I succeeded.”
Michael Jordan wasn’t a natural talent. He was cut from the high school varsity team. He worked hard to get back. He left his home at six in the morning to get in some hours of practice before school. Then at the University of North Carolina, he worked on what he thought were his weaknesses – his defensive game, his ball handling and shooting skills. Once, after his team lost the last game of the season, Jordan went back to the court and practiced his shots for hours – he had started his preparations for the next year. He is probably one of the hardest working athletes in the history of sport. Only once did he take it easy. It was the year he returned to the Bulls after his stint in baseball. The Bulls were eliminated in the play-offs. Jordan learned his lesson, “You can’t leave and think you can come back and dominate this game. I will be physically and mentally prepared from now on.” For the next three years, the Chicago Bulls won the NBA title. With Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships. “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying,” said Michael Jordan.
Tiger Woods commented in the 2006 Buick interview: “It’s just experience. I’ve put myself in so many different scenarios and have been successful and have failed, and I’ve had to learn from both. Why did I fail? Well, because of this. Why did I succeed? Well, because of this. You have to analyse, you have to be critical, and you have to understand that you have to take hard looks at yourself. Over the years I’ve done that, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been able to keep progressing through the years. Trust me, it’s not always easy, but my father has always harped on me, always be honest with yourself, true to yourself, look yourself in the mirror and be honest. Some days are tougher than others. When you know you’ve absolutely messed up, you have to admit it and move on and learn and apply. And I’ve done that.”
This is something which the Indian cricket team could make note of. The team didn’t train after either of the first two defeats in the Super-8’s games. “What do we gain in a day’s practice? We thought it would be better to take some time off and turn up fresh for the games,” argued Dhoni. I have a lot of respect for the man who brought us the first T20 World Cup and I wish that rather than blaming the IPL for the World Cup failure he could have analyzed the real reasons for the failure, graciously accepted the mistakes and took some lessons from it.
Sports can be a great teacher. These lessons are not just for the Indian cricket team. They are for all of us. We have to learn to deal with our failures. Failures are not always bad. A failure is a pit-stop on the journey to success. Failure is feedback. Failure shows what doesn’t work. Failure tells us that something needs to be fixed. Failure has a positive power. It teaches us that we learn, we can survive, go on, and discover talents previously hidden. Most importantly – failure humbles. It reminds us that we are not supermen but human beings who will some day fall to ground. Failure is so painful that it almost guarantees that we won’t make the same mistakes again. When we fail, we are at the bottom. We have nothing more to lose. The only place to go is up. The golfer Bobby Jones said, “I never learned anything from a match I won.” He respected defeat and he profited from it.
The only problem is that we as human beings perceive failure as an identity. That’s because, “I failed to…” is perceived as “I am a failure”. As a result, most people fear failure. Failure is not an identity; it is only a judgment about an event. What matters is how we cope with failure. It’s important to be able to forget the pain of failure while retaining the lessons from it.
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall,” – Confucius
This note dates back to Oct 1998. I had written this for the monthly bulletin of Gharda Chemicals, where I worked from Oct 1998 to May 2000. The article was rated as the best contribution that month “The Organization and its People”.
The topic seemed to be pretty difficult until the realization that we are talking about you, me and the chap who sits next to our work place. We are talking about the GHARDA FAMILY, the family each one of us belongs to. To know the family we need to know the people, the members of the family, their behavior and their habits. The following is a sincere attempt to list out, based on detailed observations, the different personalities you come across in an organisation.
Let us start on a positive note and talk about the SUPERMAN. He seems to be capable of doing everything. Impossible is a word that does not exist in his dictionary. He always reaches the right place at the right time. People always search for him in times of trouble, for his ability to set things right, to make things happen. There is place for him everywhere. He inspires, he motivates and he reminds you of Sachin Tendulkar because you know there is always hope as long as he is there (batting or bowling). He is the greatest asset to the organization, a treasure.
Our Organization Leaders -Dad & Bharat Uncle
But let me caution you for you will always come across men who talk about their super human abilities. For one, they will give you an impression that nothing will work in their absence. And the other, they keep boasting of their achievements. Remember talkers need not necessarily be doers.
How often have you said “Kaun kehata hai ke Hitler mar gaya?” (Who says Hitler is dead?)
After all you see him every day, right in front of you. Are yaar, tumhare us wale boss ki baat kar raha hoon. (My dear friend, I am referring to your boss) When he talks you better listen or else you’ve had it. He always seems to follow you, especially so when you’re trying to get away from him. You are never spared, not even in your dreams, a hyperbole perhaps, but by now I guess you know what we are talking about. You love to hate him, don’t you?
Don’t ponder too much on Hitler. Now just close your eyes and think of the young chap who just joined the organization. “Why does he ask so many questions? Especially those stupid ones,” is what you often wonder. He certainly does it (I know it because I do it too) for he is always in a hurry to know things. He’s young, enthusiastic (and what not) and you like the way he addresses you as SIR. This fellow is the future of the organization, so please lend him a helping hand.
Then there is the DRONACHARYA. This wonderful teacher never fails to inspire you, for he sees in you his ARJUN, his blue-eyed boy. The generous master gifts you all his knowledge and shares his experience but not without his GURU-DAKSHINA. He expects commitment, sincerity, honesty and dedication, a small fee by any standards. But it often appears that the Dronacharyas and the Arjuns are extinct species. Instead you have people who would always teach you all the wrong things and GOD only knows why.
Though unfortunate, an organization also has its share of the infectious lot. They have a corrupting influence on the organization. They lack enthusiasm, motivation, willingness to work and all this has a very high coefficient of induction. Keep away from them. They can be deadlier than the deadliest of viruses.
Besides the above there are several other people. There is this old guy who has seen it all. He always has a serious look on his face and one never hears him talk (his gray hair does the talking). But all he needs is a slightest of the stimulus and he will narrate to you stories of those who came and those who went and why he was still there (I admire his patience). Then there is the naughty guy and his practical jokes, the quiet fellow and the big talker, the ever smiling bubbly guy, the pretty woman (inspiration to many), the big lady (daily newspaper of the organization) and many more.
The organization needs all of you. After all, VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE.
This note dates back to Oct 1998. I had written this for the monthly bulletin of Gharda Chemicals, where I worked from Oct 1998 to May 2000. The article was rated as the best contribution that month.
After Gharda Chemicals, I moved on to our business, founded by Dad and Bharat Uncle in 1980.
“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
“Paaka paisa lagaya lagta hai. Bahut haara ho ga” (Looks like he’s bet money. Must have lost a fortune). These comments were directed to yours truly, on completion of the India – South Africa world cup 2011 league game. I was watching the cricket match at a kid’s birthday party at the Moti Mahal restaurant in Bandra, Mumbai.
Besides me there were about ten other fathers, and around twenty-five mothers who accompanied their kids to Harsh’s birthday party. There was plenty to do for the kids – magic show, games, tatoo, face painting, and DJ. The game host took care to the kids, freeing up moms to catch up on their gossip, talk about their most recent designer wear and jewelry purchases and discuss the latest on TV reality shows. Of what I overheard, MTV Roadies was the number one favorite along with Emotional Atyachaar, Love Lock-Up and Maa Exchange. “I love the show where children get different parents”, said a mom blessed with two sons. I wondered why? Papas too were having a great time – watching cricket and enjoying their drink. I too decided to have my share of fun at the party. Right through the game, I was confident that India would win. I cheered my country with shouts that were echoed by the rest at the party, “India…. In..diya…India….In..diya”. The face painting artist made a joker for me, Maahir and Shourya loved it as did the rest at the party. Meanwhile, the balance of the match kept shifting like a see-saw. The game was heading to be a cliff hanger.
Before we complete the story of the birthday party, the cricket match, the opening remarks and my reply, there are a few stories that I wish to share with my fellow Indians.
As I turn back in time and try to remember my first cricketing memory, the scenes of 1983 World cup victory comes to mind. Late evening, on 25th June my chacha (uncle) told me that India had won the cricket World cup. I only realized the significance of the event when the local Irani restaurant gave away free ‘Pav’ (Indian Bread), courtesy, Kapil Dev and his team. The captain’s catch to dismiss Viv Richards in the final was the turning point. His knock of 175 against Zimbabwe, after the top order had collapsed to 17 for 5 is the other lasting memory of that tournament. India became the first team, other than the West Indies to win the world cup. A 10-year old kid watching the game dreamt of winning the world cup for his team some day – it inspired him to take up playing the game.
I too, became an ardent cricket follower like the rest of my family. My papa, three uncles and I would get up at 4:30 am to watch India play in the Benson & Hedges cup, 1985. Atam uncle would make tea for all of us. Until then, I had never seen any of the men in my family enter the kitchen. We would all be glued to our 12 channel, Sony color TV, tuned into Doordarshan, the one and only channel then. The wake-ups paid dividends; India won the Benson & Hedges Cup. Ravi Shastri won the “Champion of Champions” title and an Audi Car which could accommodate 11 Indians – inside and outside. My cousin was born that year – I named him Ravi – his last name is Jashnani.
A year later, it was time for Pakistan to square off their loss to India in the B&H cup finals. With four runs to get of the last ball, the wily Javed Miandad hit Chetan Sharma’s full toss delivery for a six. India lost. That evening, I cried. India cried. The loss rankled for a long time as India found it difficult to beat Pakistan in Sharjah thereafter. Some say it was by design.
The victories of 1983 and 1985 changed the course of cricket in India forever. But it was in 1989 that India and the cricketing world were gifted without doubt with the greatest cricketer of all time. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar made his debut against Pakistan, aged just 16.
Two memories stand out from that tour of Pakistan. The young boy was hit by a nasty bouncer by the intimidating Waqar Younis in the final test at Sialkot. His nose was bleeding, but he continued to bat and denied any medical assistance. Second, his batting assault on the great leg spinner Abdul Qadir. He had earlier hit the young leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed for a couple of sixes. Qadir then came up to him and said, “Bachchon ko kyon mar rahe ho? Hamein bhi maar dikhao” (“Why are you only hitting the kid? Hit me too.”). The little wonder immediately obliged – hitting Qadir for 28 runs in one over (including four sixes). Sachin’s treatment of Abdul Qadir in that game is part of folklore now.
Indian cricket went through a transition in the early nineties, with the old guard calling it a day. Mohammad Azharuddin was the new captain. The 1992 world cup in Australia, Sachin’s first, marked the inset of pinch-hitters. New Zealand under the leadership of Martin Crowe experimented with Mark Greatbatch at the top of the batting order. Dipak Patel, the off-spinner would open the bowling. Jonty Rhodes’ “superman” run out of Inzamam-ul-Haq gave a whole new dimension to fielding. New Zealand were amongst the favorites to win the tournament, until Inzamam single handedly beat them in the semi-finals. Pakistan won that world cup under the leadership of the charismatic Imran Khan. The tournament was quite a disastrous one for India. Their poor performance saw them at No 7 in the final standings with only Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe below them.
Then in 1993, India hosted the 5 nation Hero Cup. In the semi-finals, South Africa needed just six runs to win with one over remaining. Ajit Wadekar, the Indian coach then recalls, “As I remember it, Kapil was a bit, just a bit mind you, reluctant to bowl. Sachin grabbed the ball”. He conceded only three. It was the magical victory which drove the entire nation crazy that night. The Cricket Association of Bengal sent champagne bottles to the Indian dressing room. They were sent back with reasoning that this was just the semi-final. The victory in finals against West Indies would be remembered for Anil Kumble’s magical spell of 6 wickets for 12 runs.
Tendulkar was told to open the batting at Auckland against New Zealand in 1994. It was the day of Holi – and the master blaster showed his true colors. He went on to make 82 runs off 49 balls. The same year he scored his first century in his 79th one day game.
The 1996 world cup saw the world cup returning to India after the 1987 Reliance world cup. Sri Lanka & Pakistan were co-hosts. Being the home side, India were one of the favorites to win the tournament. They beat Pakistan in the quarter finals, a match that shall be remembered for Jadeja’s onslaught in the slog overs and the spat between Venkatesh Prasad and Aamir Sohail, which the former won. In the semi-finals, Sri Lanka batting first scored a competitive 251. At 98-1, India looked well on course to making to the final. But once Sachin was dismissed, India suddenly crumbled to 120/8. The crowd erupted in anger and disrupted proceedings. The game had to be handed over to the Sri Lankans. The sight of Vinod Kambli walking back to the pavilion with tears in his eyes was one of the sorriest sights ever witnessed in Indian cricket. Tendulkar scored 523 runs in the tournament, but he would still have to wait for another world cup.
For me personally, Sachin’s most memorable innings was against Australia in the semi-final of the Coca-Cola Cup at Sharjah, in 1998. India, batting second, had two targets: 285 to win the match, 254 to qualify for the finals. Sachin single-handedly challenged the Aussies with his masterful batting; the Gods decided to watch the game and arrived at the Sharjah stadium with the desert storm. The little genius paid them his respects. He blasted a brilliant 143 from 131 balls. India lost the game, but made it to the finals. The Gods showered blessings on their favorite son, they knew his job was only half done. Birthday boy Sachin Tendulkar repeated his class act again with his 15th One-day century to take India to a spectacular title win over Australia. After being defeated, Steve Waugh, the Australian captain then said, “It was one of the greatest innings I have ever seen. There is no shame being beaten by such a great player, Sachin is perhaps only next to the Don’.”
Not many remember Tendulkar’s cracking innings of 140 against minnows Kenya in the 1999 world cup. But one thing that certainly comes to mind is how the master batsman inspired India to victory just three days after his father’s death. Yet, India failed to make it to the semi-finals.
The beginning of the new millennium was not very auspicious for the Indian cricket team. The match fixing scandals engulfed big names like Kapil Dev, Ajay Jadeja, Ajay Sharma and Mohammad Azharuddin. “You can not fix a match until and unless Sachin Tendulkar is out.” This what a bookmaker said to CBI officers during the interrogation of match fixing scandal in 2000. The great man did not let his country down.
The year 2003, was probably India’s best chance to regain the world cup glory of 1983. The team did exceptionally well until the finals. The tournament shall be remembered for Sachin’s astounding innings of 98 against Pakistan. Struck down by a shooting pain in his left leg and batting with a runner, Sachin took on the Pakistan quicks, crunching 12 boundaries and a six in a 75-ball stay that even by his own high standards, he considers amongst his best one-day innings. Sadly though, it all fell apart against Australia in the finals. Sachin was the losing hero of the world cup, the Man of the Tournament
In the 2007 world cup in West Indies, India was knocked out in the group stage.
By 2010, the master had amassed both the highest number of runs and the maximum tons in Tests and one-dayers alike. If devout worshippers had any reason to quibble, it was that there was no one record-shattering innings to match Brain Lara’s test score of 400. The humble man himself may have not talked about it, but deep within he had a target. A staggering 2,961 matches and almost 39 years after the first ODI was played the little legend finally became the first cricketer to score 200 in a one-dayer, propelled by a record 25 fours in one knock. As has become customary after every achievement, Sachin looked at the heavens, remembered his father and thanked God. After the 200th run, the gaze upwards was longer than usual. At the receiving end, were the South Africans.
Coming back to the birthday party and the India – South Africa league game, the Proteas required fourteen runs of the last over, with 4 wickets to spare. Most men at the party hall thought that Harbhajan should bowl. Dhoni decided otherwise and handed over the ball to Ashish Nehra. All that the bowler had to do was bowl sensibly – just as Tendulkar did, 18 years ago. That was not to happen – and it took the South Africans just four balls – 4,6,2,4 to get to the target. South Africa didn’t win – India lost.
There was pin drop silence in the stadium – the expressions of those watching the game said the story. The party too went quiet. The song “All is Well” was turned off, kids stopped dancing, mummys stopped gossiping and daddies continued to drink (late into the night). Words fail to describe the disappointment and anguish of all those who just a few hours earlier applauded Sachin’s outstanding batting and his 99th international hundred, only to betrayed by the team’s mediocre batting and bowling. “How can a team lose 9 wickets for 29 runs? This match is fixed”, said some one at the party.
The 10 year old kid was now 37, still watching; this time, from the third man boundary. He did not cry, nor did he show any emotion. The great sportsman shook hands with the winning team and left the field with his head down. Not that he is not human, or does not have any emotions. In the 22 years, that he has been around, he has learned to live with failures – his excellence being undone by the mediocrity of his own men, time and again. “Without mediocrity, there is not value for excellence”, an unfortunate, but a true statement made by my dear friend Aniket Gore.
We all know about his shoulder surgery, his niggling knee injury, the ankle pain, the tennis elbow, but still expect him to win it for us, when there are ten others in the team.
As he walks out to the cricket field, shouldering the expectations of a billion people – he leaves all the pain behind, somewhere that you and me shall never find out. He’s buried it deep within – so deep – that he and he alone can feel it.
This is his sixth world cup – and probably his last. He’s done everything that he could have done to fulfill his childhood dream – he came back strong from his father’s death, battled injuries, has been playing non – stop for 22 years and has single handedly lifted to moods of this entire nation umpteen number of times.
It’s time for his team to rise to the occasion and make sure that they win the cup for his country and the billion countrymen whose hopes rest on his shoulders. Win the cup for Sachin – and relieve him from the buried pain and emotions. Because when he is gone, there will never be another Sachin who can be like him.
The joker who cheered for India till the last ball almost cried when he heard, “Paaka paisa lagaya lagta hai. Bahut haara ho ga”. This is his reply to all those mediocre people who don’t realize that if there is one thing that binds all Indians after the national flag, it is an emblem called, ‘Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar’.
I have seen God. He opens the batting for India in ODI. Take a bow to the master.
Chak De India !
23rd March, 2011
P.S. – This article was written on the eve of India-Australia world cup quarter – final. We beat the Aussies. The little man once again played his part. The team stood by him.
South Africa lost to New Zealand in the Quarter Finals. They “choked” again. I wished they won – so that India could beat them in the Finals – It’s always nice to have the last word.
New Zealand lost to Sri Lanka in the semi-final. India beat Pakistan in the second semi-final at Mohali. Tendlya scored 85 and was the man of the match. Dhoni and his men were outstanding.
On the night of April 2, 2011, Sachin’s dream came true – he conquered the last frontier. The team rose to the occasion – the captain lead from the front. They gifted him the World Cup – India celebrated. This time, the ten others hosted the party for the little master. The young Virat Kohli who carried the little master on his shoulders during the victory celebrations at the Wankhede stadium summed it up, “He has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years so it’s time we carried him on our shoulders”.
Maahir’s Team – The Soccer Cubs, after winning the first game 3-0
“The IPL is not just about cricket. There are a lot of things happening around it. The players must be smart about it. They have to respect the body, give it some time to recover because it’s not just about playing. There have been day-night matches, then parties, and then early morning flights too. All this, including the travel, takes a toll.” That’s what M.S.Dhoni said in justification, after India’s disastrous performance at the T20 World Cup in 2010.
