Living Legend

                 It’s been three days and I was itching to write about it. The festival of colors ‘HOLI’ is approaching and so there is a lot of enthusiasm amongst all the people of India. Also this is the Budget season in India. The Railway and Union budget this week would lay a roadmap as to where our country and its citizens are heading in the next one year.
                 Amidst all these things, we got a very pleasant surprise and enormous happiness when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, cricket’s greatest son and arguably the greatest batsman ever, rocked the world of cricket and became the first man on the planet to score a double century in One Day International cricket.
                 It all started when Sachin hit a boundary of the third ball of the second over in his own style with a drive through mid-off at the Captain Roop Singh stadium, Gwalior. He was in a great mood and kept timing the ball extremely well throughout the innings. It was a treat to watch him bat, as it always is. But that day is was something more special. He hardly played a bad shot the entire innings and it seemed that it’s the same 16 year old boy as he was 2 decades ago. When he was on 199 and Dhoni kept hitting Steyn and company all around, virtually whole of India was on a standstill. We could not wait to see him on strike and when squeezed the ball past point in the last over of the innings the pleasure was immense. I felt as if I myself have achieved that….
                 In his cricketing career what not he has achieved, over 90 centuries in international cricket and over 30,000 runs. In addition to it records for most 100’s, 90’s, 50’s; a double century and respect of thousands of millions of cricket lovers all over the world. His only 'outstanding' dream as a cricketer probably now is to hold a ‘Cricket World Cup’. If cricket was an individual sport then this dream would have been achieved way back. Since it is not, the next year when India gets into the world cup, the little master would do whatever possible to get his hands on the world cup. If we are able to achieve that, it would be a fitting tribute to a fantastic cricketer and his contribution to Indian cricket.


Cheers
Rohit

Two States...

Already started guessing!!!!!! I wonder you have already guessed it... Yes, it is about Chetan Bhagat’s new latest novel “2 States”. I read it just yesterday. And the book touched me on various grounds.
I have read all his books but this one is surely a masterpiece. In the name of a love story, he put light on various other aspects of life and society. Firstly, he shows that how divided we are. With due respect to all my all Punjabi and South Indian brothers and sisters, he mentions that how clichéd we are and a little orthodox too. We on numerous occasions forget that we are Indians.
A few people call them very 'simple', but they aren’t. A few call them 'high class' but they aren’t. Even though called as a fiction, the author has tried to bring out quite a few colours. Entangled in the comedy and love story there are lots of emotions, almost b/w all members of a family.
Actually I am itching to summarize the book but I think it would be much better reading the complete book by yourself. Do Read the book...

Cheers,
Rohit

Socially Responsible... Oops... R we???

            I was sitting at a friend’s place and the door bell rang. My friend opened the door. A teenage boy in his school dress was standing at the door and he showed a paper of a social service organisation and was asking for donation for it. A good social service cause indeed. My friend said that he already does it, said thanks to the child and closed the door. The boy went away, obviously disappointed. My friend came back and we started smiling as if we have escaped a smashing.
            But that incident kept me thinking. Am I socially responsible? Is donating money for a social cause just enough??!! And I kept wondering......
Half of the people spend their life in doing what their parents expect from them. Half of the remaining half try to achieve what their parents could not but wished to achieve, and the remaining.., well I do not know. But that hardly matters.
            I see so many bad and unnecessary things in my society, my country. I just crib about it and try to avoid it. Why? Have we ever paid heed to try and resolve some of those and at least contribute, in whatever capacity for it? But we avoid it by saying that we have our own problems.
            A normal software engineer like me is very happy to slog in the office and when at home open my laptop to watch a movie or a downloaded thriller or a comedy program or Google about something... may be anything!!!! I say I am acquiring knowledge. Once in a while if we lend a helping hand to somebody (To cross a road and may be a seat in a bus or a train), we are on the top of the world and we assume that we are socially responsible and geeks too. Lolz....
            Well consider another point altogether more close to what we all do. We wake up every morning and read newspaper. If I ask why do we read the newspaper? A common answer would be “Jaankari Ke liye” and “to form an opinion based on that Jaankari”. But what do we do that with that opinion? NOTHING!!!! And if at all we do then the in the best possible effort we try and utilize a few learnings for our own benefit or well-being. That’s no-way incorrect but the issue is, Thats it!!!!! This is what the highly qualified and modernized, the Generation “X” does. So then who takes the onus of teaching the less privileged children and for that matter, even adults of our society?
            I believe that we could and we should do more than that. Don’t you feel so?? I am sure you do... I wish all the Social Beings have something or the other to say about this... But I am not sure how many would actually read and think about it?

Cheers,
Rohit!!!!