Jaago India Jaago

“Is desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta!” mulls the quartet in ‘Rang De Basanti’ before being countered by the young IAF fighter. He depicts one who still has faith in the country and more so has the courage and zeal to take on the zillions of cynics who dot the expanse of the country. I would choose to alienate myself from the cynic chunk and relate myself to the other lot. Even as the doomsday sayers have outnumbered me by much, that doesn’t deter me in the vision I see for my motherland. I say “My Motherland” and not “Our Motherland” for I believe this country doesn’t belong to the losers who have resigned their fate in the hands of few jokers whom we choose to call “politicians”.

Any kind of catastrophe striking my country and I find people around me going gung-ho blaming the politicians. I order (not request, because these people allow themselves to be dominated by others) don’t blame the politician, blame me for this mess. Blame me for I am the one, who failed in choosing the right law-maker. Blame me because I have failed in mobilizing people to choose their representative with a rational mind. Having said this, I have another thing to add to it “I might have failed, but I am not a failure”. If I have the power to bestow them as law-makers, I can very well show them their rightful place.

My inaction has got this country to this stage and I can’t afford it to deteriorate further and let the country go to dogs. I have had enough and it’s high time I put my foot down and say “Enough is enough”! I am the change I want to see and it’s going to dawn very soon. For if you want to see the change sooner all you got to do is, share my vision for the country, join my mission for the country. The transformation of the country into a better place is inevitable and I am here to see that it happens. Just that it’s going so be much sooner if all the ‘I’s turn into ‘We’.

Lastly have just one thing to say,

Ab bhi jiska khoon na khoula khoon nahi wo paani hai,
jo des ke kaam na aaye woh bekaar jawani hai

AlviDa da

Because when you announced your retirement, you said "Hopefully we will end up on a winning note". We did.
Because you were the only guy referred to as the royal Prince and the high-street bully "Dada" at the same time.
Because when you scored that classic debut century at Lord's, some thought you will be a one-knock wonder. At Trent Bridge, you stunned them all again with a double barrel.
Because when you played those heavenly cover drives, Rahul Dravid said, "There is only God and then Sourav Ganguly on the off-side". Maybe even the Almighty would have just moved to mid-on.
Because you took over as captain when match-fixing clouds hung over, but you made the right bets for the team.
Because with Sachin Tendulkar, you made ODI opening a treat for Indians, and a nightmare for the opposition. It was left right, left right, alright.
Because when Andrew Flintoff ran naked chest on national display at Wankhede, you lost your shirt.
Because when the Oz threatened you with chin music, you played hip-hop with them at Brisbane hitting a majestic hundred.
Because you never quite understood the logic and rationale behind being dropped even after scoring 10,000 runs plus in ODIs and in good nick. You are not good at reading whodunits.
Because they burnt your effigies and hurled stones at your team in 2003, and then you led India to the finals of the World Cup in South Africa.
Because you discovered youngsters, groomed, encouraged and inspired Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Irfan and MSD to become our future heroes.
Because you suffered the humiliation from Greg Chappell and several critics with humility, dignity and grace.
Because you proved that the word "age" is not a four-letter word.
Because when axed, you concealed your hurt and disappointment, went and played local tournaments and sneaked back into the team. Then Johannesburg happened. Your fairy-tale return had happened.
Because you have redefined the word comeback. And grit. And determination. And fighting spirit. And leadership. And many unmentioned superlatives.
Because MSD seems to have taken the leadership baton from you, for the good of Indian cricket.
Because you never traded your self-respect, and when they dropped you for the Irani Cup, you said---Enough!
Because you taught Indians to fight back, not turn around in defeat.
Because even 7,000 Test runs and 10,000 ODI runs is sometimes insufficient to measure your heroics for Indian cricket.
Because the 2001 series win against Australia marked a historic victory in one of the greatest series ever. You were India's captain.
Because if it exasperated Steve Waugh, you let him wait for the toss.
Because hopefully, we will still see you in black shining armour, Prince, for the KKR in IPL next year.
Because on the Lord's balcony, we discovered that you were not six-abs-pack.
Because at Nagpur this time, you had the last laugh, and India, the last hurrah. The final frontier is recaptured.
Because you did a Pepsi ad for your team, even as you stood silently alone in Kolkota.
Because you will not be ever seen in whites again. Scoring runs, bowling those deceptive medium pacers. And perhaps, even misfielding.
Because your fans will borrow from a new TV ad, and say "We miss you so much, it hurts".
Because it is time to let you go home to your family, and friends.
Because now you can watch colleagues like Sachin and VVS and Ishant on the television like all of us.
Because tomorrow morning you will join Gavaskar, Vishwanath, Bedi and Srikanth as a "former" player. An ex.
Because you can now perhaps play football as well at Eden Gardens.
Because it's time to say good-bye.
Because you did us proud.
Because you never gave up.
Because if you don't deserve the salutations from us all Indians, who do.
(Original Article by Sanjay Jha on IBNLive.com)

Your Time Starts Now!



I had researched and organised the content for the quiz. This quiz was hosted as part of the monthly quizzing activity for the SEQC people. The QuizMaster???? Yours Truly. :)
For further details, do visit www.seqc.blogspot.com

The Simian Way

My self-imposed sabbatical had given me good time off from the hectic grilling of the professional life. I had been seeking a break from the usual nitty-gritty of my office to devote time to seemingly more important tasks in my life. And thanks to my large-hearted manager I was able in getting a long leave sanctioned for myself.

So I spent or rather invested large pie of my time studying for some upcoming competitive exams; and a lesser share of time towards other stuff like instilling some life in my blog with new posts as you might have observed by now. So my routine had been more like study, study, study with short breaks sprinkled in between. These breaks ranged from grabbing a quick bite to quench my appetite to grabbing some news bite mostly to check whether the stock market bears have found the abyss (unfortunately I got disappointed each time to see the bears reigning). And there are times when I just shut slam and stacked my books and off I went outdoor to loosen myself. One such time I was just swinging on the swing in our veranda wherein I got to observe something that drove me to the next post of mine.

As I was swinging like a child, I happen to see a pack of monkeys who had just arrived in our yard/garden and were reigning mayhem. Not that it was the first time the apes had come calling on us; just that this time I seem to strike a rare analogy between them and something more ghastly that has been plaguing our country. As I observed they moved in packs from tree to tree, eating less destroying much more. As they hopped from one branch to another they didn’t seem to spare any of the trees especially fruit-bearing; relishing on the spread of the nature. This destruction is very much visible to us and so much more painful. Not that they can’t be tackled but for the self-professed protectors of the apian clan in form of the animal activists they do escape the wrath time and again. The reason they put forth is that these apes are very much like us. Indeed, these monkeys are very much like humans but alas they aren’t humans;

And this brings me to the analogy that I see in them with the serious acts of terrorism that has been plaguing our country throughout its expanse. And the name that takes centre-stage in such terrorist activities is that of SIMI. The human-like non-humans have been busy decimating the face of our motherland with their destructive acts. What ends they intend to achieve through the destructive means has remained oblivious to me till date. These destructive organizations had been carrying out attacks on the innocent population time and again. And the regularity with which they have been striking seems to me that their appetite is showing no signs of quenching. Rather they aren’t interested in satisfying gastro-intestinal craving or any other craving they might be harboring deep within themselves. All they want and desire is destruction of the normal flow of human life. Just like the apes, they are interested in causing harm and destruction all throughout the expanse. As the general public try to find rationale behinds these terrorism; still exists there defendants of these terrorists who like to portray the compassionate angle of viewing at them. Their arguments doesn’t differ much from the animal activists in that they want to see at these destructive forces are someone amongst us and someone like us. But, alas they aren’t.

Yes, I can’t and won’t like to deny that we evolved from the apes. But the similarity ends there for we have evolved and they haven’t. And this is good enough a reason as per me to use different yardstick for either. For these the terrorist outfits should be dealt with tougher manners, something befitting the tag of ‘the law of the jungle’ for they shall understand only that. For a simple reason that, they don’t differ from the apes in much way… so much so that their collective pronoun too sounds so very identical… SIMIan way.