KhelNayak

A True Story

2006-11-01T21:36:00.000+03:00

There are perhaps only a few who have really understood the rationale behind my career decisions. I doubt even if my parents have fully comprehended them. And looking from their perspective, I really don’t blame them either. And perhaps my story might give significant insights into the real problems (including sports of course!) of our nation. Or rather I assume so. So here goes my story, as they say, from the horse’s mouth.

A simple son of a tyrant farmer manages to graduate in science and like the typical Indian during those times migrates to a city in search of good job, good life. Manages to get a govt. job where he realizes rather late that he is being exploited. Meanwhile he gets married and soon his family increases to 4…as its said…hum do hamare do! One of the two sons happens to be yours truly. Survival becomes a real challenge: 1 room house, daily household expenses, education of the kids, his own underemployment and to boot a totally new city, new language and hardly any support from his native village. Somehow the family copes up with the challenge taking many sacrifices along the way. As an instance the kids never celebrated their birthdays and didnt have the luxury of having their own tricycles.

Fortunately (or was it unfortunately), the kids were a bit too mature for their ages. (Let me generalize the case and call myself A~). A~ was kinda reticent guy aware of all the happenings. Very early he understood the importance of studies and made it a point to excel in the same. His methods of studying (like parroting the answers) were actually not the correct ones but what mattered was securing those marks which will clear his road for admissions in good colleges and lessen the burdens on his parents. But he secretly loved sports and did manage to excel in whatever his school (which unfortunately wasn’t a convent one) could offer. He knew that his parents couldn’t afford the best of sports gears for him and he used to manage from whatever was available to him like using his dad’s torn shoes for cross country training. And approaching his parents for requesting to be sent to coaching was unthinkable for him in those circumstances.

The parents were oblivious to this. And of course their main concern was to see that their son gets to lead a comfortable life and he doesn’t encounter the kind of struggle they had to. And so sports were really never even something to be thought over of. A~ knows this and takes it in his stride. The best possible route to self-independence was undoubtedly engineering and like the thousands of students joins the bandwagon. He needs to avail of the education loan in the process. He manages to complete his graduation from one of the city’s premiere colleges and takes up the first job he gets, his only real reason for the entire engineering degree. Not very difficult to guess, the job is of a s/w engineer. The job makes it possible to repay the education loan. But of course…this really never was what he was meant for and he relentlessly pursues to break free in a field that is connected to his childhood love. So though he could not become what he really wanted to but at least he might be able to do that for other kids. And this step again comes with its own sacrifices…taking a pay cut…stepping into a new territory where there aren’t many options.

The question he is often confronted though is whether he is right in taking such drastic decisions. Shouldn’t he rather be investing his energies in seeking the riches and realizing for his parents the materialistic benefits which they can only dream of and which they had proudly boasted to their relatives? He may fulfill those too but will he run out of time? His parents don’t know what to answer when somebody asks them what their son is upto. So they fake and answer that he is doing good and earning heftily. Is he selfish in not looking beyond himself? Not easy questions to deal with. He is trying his best to do. Form your own opinion and let me know.

A true girl friend would have been really a good support in times such as these but he isn’t as lucky in this field too. Rather whatever he had at one time was actually an illusion. Life is indeed not easy sometimes.

Concept of Life

2006-05-05T08:16:00.000+03:00

Wont bore with a long philosophical post. :p
To sum up in one line....here's my concept:

"Happiness is the sole purpose of my life and i shall strive to acheive it."

Aint it simple? :)

Eventful

2006-04-22T16:42:00.000+03:00

Life has been quite eventful here in Mumbai. And its been a mixture of everything....good, bad and ugly.

Good - I forgot my travelling bag with 2 digital cameras in the local train. I realized that I had forgotten it after some 3 hours when a colleague enquired if i was going to my native place on that day (a friday). Then began the frantic quest with a faint hope of finding it back. And thanks to some noble soul who had deposited the bag with the station master that I got my bag with all my belongings intact. Of course, I had to gift some stuff to the station master but nevertheless it was one big relief especially because the cameras belonged to my friend. :)

Bad - I had to undergo sonography tests for a possible hernia. And though the results are normal(which is good news) there is some nagging pain which is a concern. :( And aah...how can i forget those embarrasing moments (more so to the female intern) where i was caught with my pants down literally! Frankly....i was not that embarrased. :D And those female interns at the hospital literally had a ball. :))

Ugly - Never thought i would be reported to a police station. Our idiotic neighbour complained to the police, that too at late night, about suspicious elements in the neighbouring flat i.e ours (I stay with two other room-mates). So the police makes a grand entry with their typical meshed van. Though the ACP was a nice person and wanted to resolve the matter then and there itself, our psycho neighbour was adamant on us being taken for an interrogation. And so we quietly obliged and were frisked to the police station along with the neighbour in the police van. Thankfully the police were helpful and didnt make much fuss. So much ado about nothing!

***

Things are a bit lull at our sports end. Though i am getting to learn a lot, I feel guilty of not working upto my full potential. Of course, many things are not to my liking but certainly, my n/w is increasing. Am contemplating my next course of action. Hopefully, some of my ideas should be realized...or rather i need to work hard enough to make them realize.

Oh...yeah...courtesy our Vice President, I could get to watch the Davis Cup tie b/w India and Pakistan at the Cricket Club of India. Leander Paes was in his full elements where he won the tie once again. I consider myself fortunate to have witnessed this tie.

Lots to write....but dont have the luxury of a s/w engineer anymore. :D Shall try my best to be regular. Stay tuned!

My first Press Conference

2006-02-23T10:04:00.000+03:00

Being an employee of the organizing company, I had the privelege of attending the press conference for the charity results of our Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2006. We had Yana Gupta and Sanjeev Kapoor as the celebrities for the same. And as expected, there was no dearth of media persons to cover the same. Shared here are some snaps taken from a yet-to-be-decided-to-be-bought Yashica 5 MP digital camera. :) Damn me for lacking the knowledge of operating the cam. :((

I had the opportunity to interact with some media persons too. (I try not to miss such especially when you have some good gals doing the reporting. :p). It was indeed heartening that i got a patient ear from some of them (especially from a DNA correspondent) regarding sports management issues in my country. Hopefully, an article would emerge probing the same in due time.

A long one due

2006-02-18T14:46:00.000+03:00

Hi all! Apologies again for the vanishing act. But I am back….though not with a great bang. Blame it all on myself – procrastination. Am working on improving myself.

I have finally landed myself in a sports management career. The prospects look good as of now. But its too early to conclude anything. Nevertheless I am happy and most importantly it keeps my hope alive. My story has been like the true alchemist type. And along with myself, it gives hope to many others who are struggling to shed their inhibitions and listen to their inner calling. I would like to emphasize that one has to be as level-headed as idealistic. I have had hours and hours of discussion on this topic and it seems difficult for some people to accept that its really possible to be practical as well as idealistic. They maintain you gotto compromise. But I have and will always differ. And I suggest you all to read BUILT TO LAST, a book which reiterates this point throughout.

Ok ok…enough of gnyaan. Coming back to the interesting world of sport, well actually….its not as rosy as it seems. And I never expected it to be either. There are n things that run in the background of any successful sporting event. There is lot of donkey work too, which is easily overlooked. My first assignment here, Standard Charatered Mumbai Marathon 2006 went off well. Yes…there are things which we can improve and we are working towards it. Overall the event was pretty well done and I had my share of catching up with Indian celebs. I was standing right there at the flag off stand handing over flag to the celebs. So I could get a close up view of Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Priya Dutt, Vinod Khanna just to name a few. And yes…did the routine handshake and thank you with some like Azharuddin, Sangeeta Bijlani. My friend, Pradeep, who was there for the event as a volunteer has a nice picutre account of the event on his blog.

In case, any of you participated in the marathon and would like to suggest us anything, I would be more than happy to get your comments. Critics might argue such events are nothing but mere money-mongering tools. Yes…it involves big money but we cant brush aside the fact that money is as much needed for sports as talent. And it requires professional approach to stage sports events, which again cannot happen without sound finance. And having such events naturally provides a platform for our own athletes as well. So may be in 10 years down the line, we might have an Indian winner as well.

Coming back to the alchemist story. Anyone staying in Mumbai will agree how tough it is to find a decent rented flat here. Luckily for me, it wasn’t much of a struggle, thanks for my friend, Girish, whose brother stays here and who was looking for room partners. Can you ask for a better timing? And though it requires me to travel in the famed(or infamed?) Mumbai locals for about 40 mins, still I consider myself immensely lucky. And oh yeah…my office is on Marine Drive, one of India’s richest roads.

And now you know….how aptly my life portrays the alchemist theme: "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true". :)

PS: Watched Rang De Basanti. Good 1st half. But a lot to be desired in the 2nd one. A separate post on that some time. And yeah.. i know...i have to update my profile too. :((

Living The Alchemist!

2006-01-01T12:50:00.000+03:00

A very happy new year to all of you! Apologies for not posting for quite a long time now. Actually i am a bit disappionted at this moment that i have lost all of my composed post which i had been working on since last 30 mins. And now am in no mood to start afresh. I had so many good things to write about. But now i dont have the time as well the luxury to sit for another hour in a net cafe. :((

Well, as the title says, i am living the alchemist! And the below quote from alchemist sums up my journey so far: "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true".

This has been particularly true in my case and in the post which i have lost now, i had carefully elaborated on this aspect. But now no use of brooding. I will write the why n how of this story some other time. Let me just add that my new year has begun with a bang and my marriage with my love - sports has been realized. The relentless pursuit has borne fruitful results and i look forward to this marriage.

Firsts

2005-11-29T09:40:00.000+03:00

Many firsts are associated with this post. Namely

My first morning post –
For someone like me, it is an achievement in itself. After a long long time, been to the office before 9 am and am challenging myself to finish the post before 9 am. :)
My first sponsorship deal –
I will be involved with Bangalore Half Marathon event. And the so-called beginner’s luck has been with me. Though the deal aint a big one, but certainly is a morale-booster and signifies a small +ve step towards my goal.
My first official sports event –
Actually this can be clubbed with the previous one. Though I was involved
with the 1st Lipton Bangalore International Marathon held on 15th May, my role was limited as a volunteer. Now I will be getting my first opportunity at sports event management and get a chance to dirty my hands. Oh yes, apparently I am paying quite a big price for that. Chucking a comfortable highly-rewarding (in terms of pay)s/w job to take up sports mgmt at a salary equivalent to a stipend at the moment. Of course, the satisfaction I gain will be priceless and I am ready for the hard grind ahead.

***
Overcoming testing times

As I had mentioned here, me and my roomies were going through testing times wrt our careers. And like true victors, we all have stood our ground and have taken our first small steps towards our dreams. So P~ too is chucking up his mainframes s/w job in an MNC and joining a small company specializing in embedded systems. After waiting for what seemed like eternity, V~ too has got his first break, again in a small embedded domain company.

And a punchline to sign off the post:

"You can take me away from the sport but you can’t take the sport away from me."

PS: Missed my 9 am deadline by 13 mins. Have to be a bit more disciplined. :(

My most important call till date

2005-11-18T12:09:00.000+03:00

Just a hour back, i received, perhaps, the most important call in my life till date. Of course, its got all to do with sports only. Can there be anything other than that in my life. :p Dont wanna dramatise the way i did it here :)

The director of a premiere sports management company called me up and evinced interest in meeting me up. Though I may not get any offer instantly but surely I can look forward for something fruitful to happen. A strong ray of hope. And thats what has kept me going on. As Laks told me while chatting, Time and Pressure - thats all what it takes.

Is this the sign of my redemption time? I beleive so. I am just ecstatic. Its the kind of feeling the caged bird in my previous post will feel when it were to see an angel coming towards its cage to set itself free.

I am at a crossroad where I have some tough decisions to be made. Well, in fact, I have already done. Hope i will realize them and then only i will post about it. And today i received a forward which had a quote that sums up my life.

Someone asked me "why do you always insist on taking the hard road?" and I
replied "why do you assume I see two roads?"

Quotable Quotes - I

2005-11-15T11:25:00.000+03:00

Very recently, on NDTV, i came across this quote by Shekhar Gupta, editor of The Indian Express, who in turn picked it up from one of his friends.

To appreciate an omlette, one doesnt have to lay an egg!

And then there is this good quote in the movie, Sarkar.

Nazdiki fayda dekhne se pehle door ka nuksan dekho!

Translated means.....before looking at short term benefits think of long term losses!

Just thought of penning these quotes here. Will keep adding as and when i come across good ones. I know this is a silly post. :) Will be coming up with a sports article with an inclination towards business side.

Disillusioned

2005-11-09T06:06:00.000+03:00

….state is what I am in for the time being. Inspite of putting in the best efforts, I still have to wait for some more time to realize my aim of getting into sports mgmt. Actually, my real struggle begins after getting there. But getting there itself is turning out to be a bigger struggle.

Life is indeed so complicated besides being beautiful, of course. :) I sometimes feel like a bird trapped in a cage flapping its wings relentlessly to soar high up in the sky. And instead of setting it free, the bird finds that even its wings are being clipped. As Laks had said…Give me Liberty or givme me death.

But therein lies the beauty of the struggle…to overcome these inhibitions and taking life head on. I know my time will come….rather I will make it come but my patience is being tested to its limits. I hope I don’t have to wait too long now.

***

The vacation to my home back in pune was a welcome break. Will post the snaps soon. Had been to Mumbai to meet yet another sports fellow. :) Chances are high of something fruitful happening. I just wish it happens soon.

Traveling by local trains within Mumbai is an experience itself. I am sure everyone who has done that will agree with me. Its simply mind-blowing: the sheer number of passengers getting in and out of the bogies, almost at the same time. And the whole transaction gets done in hardly a minute. And amidst all this, its heartening to find a young couple, standing close to each other with the boy protecting the girl from the crowd with his two hands covering her from either sides and the girl putting her hands on his shoulders, carrying on with their mushy conversations all the while. What do you call such a moment? Simply Priceless!

***

Is the recent winning streak of Indian cricket team against Sri Lanka a sign of a beginning of a new era? I tend to believe so. Best luck to Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid.

As for the English League, it was one great match on Sunday b/w Man Utd. and Chelsea. Now that we have bought a portable TV, I am not gonna miss these matches anymore. :)

Our badminton players will be going to Indonesia for training for the upcoming Thomas and Uber Cup as well as for the Common Wealth Games to be hosted in Melbourne in March 2006. Here's wishing them all the best.

Time for Bloggers to Stand Up

2005-10-27T05:27:00.000+03:00

I am sure most of you, by this time, would have heard about IIPM issue. I am indeed apologetic that I havent been able to post for quite a long time now. And especially because the person involved here in this case is someone known to me. Gaurav Sabnis is an avid quizzer and I, for one, was a great admirer. I had the privilege of attending some of his cool quizzes. The tradition of quizzing left behind by folks like him is still followed in Pune.

Anyways, let me not digress from the issue. Here it is. All what is required of you is to sign the petition and give as much publicity to it. Its a matter of our freedom of speech. Its not just about individuals v/s an insititution. Lets Stand up for our rights. My signature is No. 72.

***

Things are literally sick at personal front. The dreaded amoebic infection is back to haunt me. But i have had the experience of dealing with it. And reading Lance Armstrong's Its Not About the Bike in such times really helps. :)

***

Zee sports's efforts in promoting indian football are indeed laudable. I want to dedicate a separate post for that. Zee is currently beaming live the Federation Cup. Of course, the dish fared out will pale in comparison to something like English Premiere League. But I am happy, a start is made somewhere instead of sitting back and being an arm-critic.

One more thing to cheer about. Saina Nehwal has shocked our national champion Aparna Popat in the Asian Satellite badminton championship. As i had said earlier, do watch out this girl. She can do to badminton what sania mirza is doing to tennis in india.

And yeah, folks, wish me best luck. I have some important meetings lined up this diwali vacation. Needless to say, its sport related. :) I will be going back to pune tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Past Innings

2005-10-11T13:31:00.000+03:00

Surprise, surprise! I have been tagged by Prithi Shetty - Dew Moon Drop. I liked it because mainly its not going to be that kind of list – 7 things to do, 7 things I cant do n all that. :)
I intend to keep it the way prithi had kept. It also helps me to pause for a moment and reflect on my past innings. So here it is.

10 Years Ago

oh…those were the high school times. I was in 8th standard and had fittingly acquired the sobriquet of slogger. A boy with hardly any natural intelligence but solely relying on hard work to be amongst the toppers in the class. There was some great rivalry and the sportsmen to the core we were, we dint used to give an inch. So my name used to pop up amongst the toppers, be it sports or academics. Suddenly, from a nowhere in 7th standard, I came in the limelight.

Also this was the time when I was introduced to cross country running, courtesy our fine sports teacher. Long distance running teaches one many things in life which seem to be simple but difficult to practice – perseverance, hard work, ability to absorb pain. And that’s what I liked about cross country – the results don’t come in a flash. One has to go through the grind, overcome the steep hills and sometimes you have to do it alone. We were a bunch of runners who used to cycle to the hills in the early mornings and then go through our jogging drills. That was sheer bliss. I vividly recollect those green hills and can feel the fresh morning air.

Accomplishments were to follow, pune district champions in kho-kho, langadi (unfourtunately, there wasn’t much scope for other sports in my school :( ) and dozens of certificates.

5 Years Ago

1st year Engineernig. Never ever could pursue my dream of sports due to the circumstances prevalent then, which are pretty common in my country. So what you do? Take up a course which will assure you of a so-called ‘settled’ life. So the only motive in life for the time being – keep a first class throughout and get yourself a well-paid job – which is exactly what I did though I did goof up in my 3rd year. Oh yeah….and had my share of infatuations too. :)

1 Year Ago

Was slogging my ass out to have a serious chance to bell the CAT – Common Admission Test – for a coveted seat in IIMs. But it was a bit late. It always was going to be a case of so near yet so far and that’s how it turned out to be. No regrets though. I accepted my mistakes and revised my lessons. In hindsight, it was good because getting there would have hardly helped me achieve my ultimate objective.

Yesterday

Packing my bags for a trip to pune – almost my native place. Called up a fellow related to sports but the phone just kept ringing with no response. :( I do need a break to be alone with myself and a long long nap to freshen up my mind. The last few days haven’t been quite rosy and everyday I keep trudging along showing patience that my time will come.

I hand over the baton to

***
One important update on Indian football. Zee sports has acquired Indian football telecasting rights for the next ten years for some 500 crores Rs. I do hope this goes a long way in improving our standing in the international football arena.

BCCI Blockbuster

2005-10-01T00:48:00.000+03:00

For the past two weeks, this blockbuster has been ruling the box office in my country. The golden goose – BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has attracted actors from quite a diverse background ranging from politicos to businessmen. And ask them why are they here instead of managing their portfolios, you will get answers like – in the interest of the game and thereby the society since cricket is its integral part.

Dig a little deep and it doesn’t take a genius to understand why politicians like arun jaitley and sharad pawar are lining up for the BCCI presidentship post. Its all money, honey. And a whopping one at that. Some 6.5 Billion Rs. a year from television rights alone. (Correct me, if the figures are wrong.) And that’s what keeps them away from taking the vacant sports minister portfolio instead. Its sheer hypocrisy. Come to think of it, the richest cricket board in the world doesn’t have its own website.

The NCA (National Cricket Academy) that came up in Bangalore was due to a PIL filed by two cricket-loving lawyers. I won’t be surprised if in the immediate future, Greg Chappell, our cricket coach, resigns from the post. In fact, same had happened with former German hockey coach, Gerard Rach. He resigned complaining the hockey system is in total mess and wondered how India will regain its past glory.

But frankly speaking, I am happy for the ongoing imbroglio b/w Greg chappell and sourav ganguly. Call me sadistic since at least the other sports will get their due coverage and the media will need to find stars in other sports to fill up their sports pages. And that’s one reason why I don’t write much on cricket since there are hundreds of bloggers and newspapers where one can find the required information/gossip etc…

Professionals like me are ready to delve into sports management leaving behind their comfortable high-paying s/w careers and take Indian sports including cricket to higher levels. But does BCCI and the like want us? We all hear their tantrums of introducing professionalism n all but is anyone doing anything about it. Tell me which course I need to take, which exam I need to write. I am ready to do everything, provided I get what I deserve for my job. Yeah, I know what I am talking about seems a fantasy but as I said in my previous post, Moden Pan Vaknaar Nahi.

***
Testing Times

…. are what all of us, my room-mates and me, are going through. One of them, V~ has been stretched to his patience limits in finding a job in embedded domain. Every day starts with the hope that he may have an interview call from some company. Some days, it arrives and most it doesn’t. The other one, P~, too wants to move out from his mainframes job in an MNC to a technical one anywhere. And he is willing to take a pay-cut too. The heart is simply not there in his present job and every day, he trudges along with the hope his redemption time will arrive soon.

And do I need to say anything about myself. :)

***
But at least one thing is going fine. My gym and jog. Sometimes, I miss it in mornings but not in evenings. And I am so happy for it. And I am sure, Laks wont say this time that what’s the big deal in that. :) And here’s one pdf regarding burning and reducing calories which I found interesting. Do check it out.

***
Cinderella Man

Great watch. And to imagine that it’s a true story. Hats off to the human spirit shown by the great James J Braddock. And Russell Crowe does an amazing job portraying that character. And as usual, Renée Zellweger plays the role of a supporting partner to perfection. Am eagerly waiting for such a person in my life. Hahaha….yeah..I can notice that smile there. The boxing scenes seem pretty realistic and one can actually feel the punches delivered. But more than boxing, the movie is about the human triumph over adversity, the human spirit, the human belief and most importantly, HOPE.

Why Sports?

2005-09-17T10:35:00.000+03:00

Gone are the days when a bunch of folks used to play some game to kill time. Sports have become a serious business and are one of the parameters to measure the progress of a nation. Very often, the gold medal tally reflects the economic prosperity of the nation.

If ever there had to be an example of what sports can do to a nation, the just concluded Ashes series is one of the finest examples. You think of Brazil, you invariably think of football. Just as cricket and India are inseparable, so is Brazil and Soccer, US and Basketball.

Have a look at the celebration that ensued after the ashes victory and you understand the significance of sport. I yearn for such kind of a celebration. A celebration of which each one of the citizens feels a part of. It’s no more a question of yours and mine, but ours. Therein lies the magic of sport. Its one essential thread that binds the nation together.

I dream of the day when maybe 50/60 years down the line, my country lifts the football world cup. And I wish it just doesn’t remain a dream. I know it’s a tough ask but if we are really serious about it, the foundation has to be laid now.

For any sport to be successful, it has to have an appeal and its stars. Stars who give out their all and compel the spectators to visit the stadiums and cheer them on. Like Tendulkar for Indian cricket, Flintoff for English cricket, sania for Indian tennis, agassi for US tennis and many more...

What these icons have managed to do is kindle the dream process in the budding champs. Baichung Bhutia was once asked how does he think he will be remembered. He answered that maybe there will be others after him, who will become mega stars and earn fortunes but he will always be remembered as the one who could make Indians dream of a football career. And that will remain his legacy

What our country needs is more of such stars to kickstart a revolution. In tennis, it has already begun, thanks to Sania. And whether she makes it big or not may not be as important as what she has already done to the mindset of the tennis enthusiasts. She is one of the main reasons behind what seems to be the first ever commercially viable tennis tournament – Sunfeast Open 2005.

I very much want to be a part of such events. Just got to be a bit more patient. I know my time is coming. :)

And if we can manage to create promote such events in other disciplines too. I am certain that we will be able to unearth champs in other sports besides cricket and tennis. Keep watching this space!

PS: For some reason, i am not able to upload pics of the ashes victory celebration.

Moden Pan Vaknaar Nahi

2005-09-08T18:39:00.000+03:00

Translated in English means….Will Break But Won’t Bend. We had this marathi lesson in 8th or 9th std. Not sure. But it has got permanently inked in my memory. It was about an honest cop who is faced with the pressure to accept bribe and not perform his duties. Even the higher authorities above him wanted him to succumb to the pressure since they too were an equal party in the crime.

The internal struggle of the cop portrayed in that lesson was one of the best I have come across. I still vividly remember the lines which made reference to the 'system'. It goes like…If the bigger wheels in a clock rotate, the smaller ones have to. The smaller ones can’t oppose and if they do, they have to get crushed. The bigger wheels referred to the higher authorities and the smaller ones to our honest cop.

After going through a lot of tribulation, the cop comes up with a firm resolve: Come what may, Moden Pan Vaknaar Nahi.

These words have kind of become a part of life for me since then. They add that zing whenever the chips seem to be down for me. It gets my adrenalin rushing.

Sehar, the hindi movie, starring arshad warsi, epitomizes this particular lesson perfectly. Do watch it. Realistically shot with an unhappy ending. Nevertheless a great watch. And no surprise, that it didn’t become a hit.

***
Did the sania bubble finally burst against sharapova? Well, not so. Expected result. Nothing shocking. Yes, she has to improve a lot on her serves. But yeah…she is becoming fitter. With some rigorous practice and experience, she will surely be the player to watch. The challenge from here on is the real test. Hope she clears it. :)

And Agassi once again shows why he will be ranked amongst the greatest ever to embrace tennis. Have always revered agassi simply for the flamboyance he brings on to the court. I still remember those childhood days where we used to have friendly bets whether it will be Agassi or Sampras. Agassi will remain amongst my all-time favourites. Hope that he reaches the finals. There will be nothing like it. Agassi in his 20th appearance in the finals. The setting would be phenomenal. And then we will once again witness the magic of sport.

I have to post on the Asian Athletic championship too. Will do so in the next. Some glaring facts to ponder over.

Where is our sports minister?

2005-09-01T17:07:00.000+03:00

Its been over three months now that our union sports minister Sunil Dutt expired. And shockingly, there is none at the helm as of yet. Goes to show where sports feature in our priority lists. Here is an article from TOI probing the sad state of affairs.

Well, don’t know how much of a difference Sunil Dutt could have actually made but he certainly had noble intentions. He was the one who had specially requested for the sports and Youth Affairs portfolio to Sonia Gandhi inspite of the fact that sports features at the bottom of the fund allocation priority list. He was passionate about football and had genuine interest in raising the standard of the game. I don’t know if the same can be said about the previous MPs who were in the hot seat.

And why aren’t our honorable MP’s coming forward to step into his shoes? But let there be an election for BCCI president post and you will see all our ministers fighting for the post in the interest of serving the nation. Let some athlete win an Olympic gold and we will see the ministers honoring them with cash incentives, again in the interest of the nation. Its appalling that after sania mirza’s exploits, even the Karnataka government honored her with a cash prize though they had no role to play whatsoever in her becoming what she is. I would appreciate if the same money could be put in creating mirzas from Karnataka state itself.

Come Olympics and the same ministers will then raise their voice for more funds for athletes All of a sudden, sports becomes an issue for them to gain some brownie points in the media circles.

Yes, the corporates need to support sports. But how many will come forward in such a scenario. Well, let me keep it for another post.

**
Am glad at sania’s exploits in the us open. A good answer to all the critics who think money has gone into her head and she will end up doing only ads and movies. Our national badminton champ Anup Sridhar will be competing in the Danish Circuit. Am regularly asked if our Olympic silver medalist Major Rathore gets what he deserves. Will try to answer that in a separate post.

**
At the personal front, have once again resolved to shed some kilos. :) Its more of a test against myself. Have started on a good note. Want to keep it going. Let me see for myself how determined a person I am. :)) Already i can hear the laughter from Laks, Pills and my room-mates.

Junior state athletics meet

2005-08-29T17:58:00.000+03:00

Had been to kanteerava stadium on Saturday to check out the Karnataka state athletic meet for juniors. And yeah…things are improving. Whats needed is the impetus. Its heartening to see sponsors pooling in some moolah for junior athletics. With some good marketing, things can be improved a lot.

Well, yes, for some events there was hardly any competition. Like for the steeplechase for girls, there were only 3 starters. :) Though for the other events, there was some significant competition. Like the 100 mts for both, boys and girls. Some startling facts came to the fore. Like the u-20 record for 100 mts is 10.4 secs by mudassir and that is only 0.1 sec short of the men's national record in the name of Anil kumar. Was lucky to catch up with mudassir once again. He seemed to be quite upbeat about his sprint career. I wish he breaks the 10 sec barrier. With the right support and coaching, I am sure he can achieve that. But again, easier said than done.

One thing easily noticeable in our athletes is their lack of built. Compare Anil kumar(left) to Maurice Greene(below) and one can easily spot the difference. Check especially the lower body. Nevertheless, things are changing and we will have to be a bit patient to notice the change. Once again, I hope I get to play a part in bringing out that change. :)

The other heartening thing was the fact that there were a significant number of parents at the stadium to cheer on their children. It was my privilege to meet some of them. The next gen parents are ready to run the extra mile and do whatever they can to support their kid’s Olympic dream. Parent’s moral support does go a long way, especially in sporting careers. Ask sania. She will vouch for that. Btw, am glad that sania achieved an all-time high ranking of 42. she will certainly up that after the US Open.

Looking at these positives, I feel more pumped up that our Olympic gold will be a certainty in the coming years.

***

Again, the fourth Ashes test was a nail-biting affair and am so glad that England has come on top. The English media will now certainly like to take a dig at the aussies. Is this the beginning of the end for the Australian juggernaut?

***

At the personal front, things aren’t that fine. I got to be more determined, more disciplined. Have to maintain a strict time-table to achieve a fine balance b/w my s/w quarry job, blog, gym and reading. But yes, enjoying every moment of the struggle. Hope you too are.

Best Days of My Life??

2005-08-21T15:42:00.000+03:00

Apologies again that i couldnt post from pune. The prime reason being no net cafe near my area. So have to travel some distance to get access to the net. But frankly, i dont regret a bit since i had more interesting things to do. ;)

My First Flight Experience

....was great. Nothing extra ordinary. But yeah, was spellbound by the view one gets sitting at the window seat. One does notice the clouds sliding by. How amazing. And that feeling when the plane is soaring up just after the take off. And when the plane is taking a sharp turn in mid-air. I am sure my parents will relish such an experience. I wish spicejet had started its operations a bit ealier so that my parents could have had this opportunity. Anyways, i will surely make this happen for them in the near future.

And yeah...i was lucky to be accompanied by girls in the adjoining seats. One of them was a babe. But so sad that one was more interested in sleeping and the other was in reading a book. :( I did try (as usual) to break the ice but in vain. I can see the sadistic smile on laks face. Hey dude, just kidding!

Pune - Mumbai Expressway

It was a welcome coincidence that my close friend Dhananjay's engagement happened to be at this time. He had hired a Qualis to travel to mumbai, the place of engagement. Lady luck seemed to be with me throughout my pune trip since there was hardly any heavy rainfall. Also thanks to my buddy, Pradeep Akkunoor for lending me his Kodak digital camera. Courtesy of all these factors, I could take some snaps on the expressway(though I think photography is prohibited).

I don’t need to go to swiss alps to be one with nature. Give me an SUV, my close pals and the expressway. :) That’s more than enough for this humble soul! In fact, that’s one of my goals: buy an SUV, pack it with the people who matter to me and hit the expressway at > 140 kmph.

And if you are lucky, the weather would complement the scenic locations and you would get to view scenes like these.

The Engagement Ceremony

I am so glad for my pal Dhananjay that he finally found his soul mate. Dhanya’s story is the stuff what legends are made of. A mere para wont do justice to his story. I will reserve one separate post for that.

Again here I was lucky wrt girls! That’s expected when the bride-to-be has some dozen cousins and that too spinsters! Oh boy, didn’t I have a great time?

All in all, I just loved this vacation. Ask Pradeep. No one knows better than him. :)

***
I have so many things to write about. Don’t know how I will balance my time. The following topics are in my mind:

Dhananjay – A true champion in Life
Grand Farewell to Laks and Pills
Indian Career Conundrum
The Death of the Indian Farmer
My Life. My Passion. My Happiness.
The Things I hate about Myself

and many more!

***
If you are a sports buff and if you are not following the current Ashes series you are missing something. So much had been written about this particular rivalry and I am so glad that this series has been able to bring out the true essence of sport. I was unlucky to miss the third test match. But I did get to watch the concluding part of the second test. And boy, what a match it was. In fact, it will go down as one of the best test in the history of cricket. I jumped with joy when England pulled off the last wicket and scraped to a 2 run victory over the mighty aussies. Though I am no Brit still such emotions? You will understand that if you understand sport.

Indian hockey hit a new low when they finished 7th among 8 countries. Its going to be a mighty challenge to get Indian hockey back to where it was. I hope I get to play some part in that. Anju George too disappointed with her performance at the world championships in Helsinki. Looking forward to watch sania in action at the US Open.

Mom, i am coming!

2005-08-10T11:29:00.000+03:00

After a long long time, am going to enjoy this vacation. Am excited to go home. First time by flight. Hope to meet a nice chick at least in the plane. I have never been lucky at least in bus and train. Hope this time its different. :)

Apologies to laks and pills for being lazy enough not to write a grand farewell post. Will try to do so from pune.

This time planning to go for some outing if my fellow friends in pune make it happen. Surprise is in store for my parents. I know my dad will really love it. As usual, Mom will be more happy that her son is back. Of course, am carrying typical bangy sweets and will be getting some from pune too. laks, pills n shub: u will be missing that. :D

Short of time. Will be posting tomorrow from pune.

***

Am glad that sania has lived up to her hype and broken into top 50. Not surprised that India lost yesterday in the finals. Typical indian hara-kiri. Am heart-broken that indian u-21 voleyball team suffered two consective defeats in the world u-21 volleyball championship. They are almost out of the reckoning for a semi-final berth.

My loving cousin

2005-08-01T15:43:00.000+03:00

Had been to my native village last weekend. Wont forget this particular sojourn. Luckily, my cousin sis too had come to my mummy's native place. Its so strange that we hardly ever got any opportunity to have a close conversation with each other.

But thats how things go out in most of the indian remote places. Here, family members, themselves are never bothered about their daughter's lives. They beleive their only responsibility towards their daughter is to get her married off in some "good house" (read well-to-do family). Nobody gives a damn about her aspirations, her career interests, be it her own mom and dad.

And when some lunatic like me takes a stand, they will brand him/her as a western influence deteriorating their culture. Coming back to my conversation with my sis, we started chatting at around midnite and by the time we decided to wind up, it was 5 am in the morning. We kept discussing the general stuff like her and mine crushes n all. Then i started asking her interests in life and what does she want to do with her life.

Before, she answered my questions, she blurted out that no one ever has asked her about her aspirations. I could feel the pain in her soft voice. I mean can you imagine a well-to-do family not bothering about their own girl just coz this girl aint good at acads. Her younger sibling has been amongst the toppers in her school. And by default, she is the one who gets all the attention. But still, at least somebody ought to have taken effort to understand her. I am glad that I got this opportunity to chat up with her and got to know things which were hitherto unkown to me. She likes to draw, write stories and pen short poems.

We both always had this tacit understanding b/w each other but never really got chance to dwell into each other's lives. I am happy that at least now i got to do that. I advised her to take up some design course and start a career in that. She has promised me that she wont waste any more of her life and would follow her interests. I hope that she acheives it. For her, its more of a self-struggle. She would need lot of strength and character to face the situations which will come up when she reveals about herself to her family. Of course, i will be there to support her all the way. But finally, its her own struggle and i sincerely wish she comes out trumps. Go sis go, live your life to the fullest!

*************************************************************************************
I am sure, by this time, most of us will be aware of the devastating monsoons that lashed out mumbai. Here is one moving post by uma. Needless to say, mumbaikars are having a tough time. But as is the spirit of the city, it will bounce back to normalcy very soon. Thats something which sets out mumbai apart from any of the cities in the world.

*************************************************************************************

At the sports end, there isnt much for indian sports lovers to cheer about. Joshna lost in the finals of the world junior squash championship. Sania lost to venus williams. India lost to sri lanka in the tri-series opener. Though, its heartening to read that sania is on her way to qualify for another hard court tournament in US, the main draw of which she missed by just one spot. Hope she makes it.

A meeting that can change my life forever

2005-07-26T17:25:00.000+03:00

Yeah.....the long wait and the anticpiation associated with it is finally over. I did propose. And the result is encouraging. The date was only for around half an hour but the implications may be for life time. I am on the verge of getting married to my love. The feeling is indescribable. This is just a small step in our marriage. A marriage that knows only unadulterated love. A marriage which thrives on passion.

Its a sacred marriage which doesnt know the meaning of divorce. Thats the charm of such a relationship wherein u share unconditional love. Your soulmate doesnt need you to prove your love.

Well, u ask who is the one. Dont kill me when i say its my first step towards my marriage with my love - sports management. :p

After some 25 calls, an unnending wait, a 400/450 km sojourn in Hyderabad, a Rs. 109 ride (that lasted one and half hour) on rick, I did meet the bigshot(Director) of a sports mgmt company. I am happy that he appreciated my effort to meet him. The guy was a jolly fellow. It hardly took any time to break the ice and very soon we were chatting as friends do, discussing the indian sports market and drawing comparisons with the global sports market.

Never ever did I realize that i was talking to a fellow who has studied at MIT and delivers lectures at Wharton Univ. And thats how a director should be. I wish there were a few like him in my present company.

Though I am no big name, i recevied a royal hospitality. The place was simply superb. It was a villa kind of bungalow. An ideal setting for a sports related firm. I left the place with a feeling of satisfaction that my efforts will bear fruits soon. Though its a kind of mixed feeling that i still have to wait for some more time. :( As fun spume says, the best of things are worth the wait.

From there, i headed over to my native village. I will reserve that for the next post.

**********************************************************************************
Sports update in brief:

There is some good news for the indian sports lovers. Our girl, Joshna Chinappa, is in the finals of World Jr. Squash Championship. I wish her all the best to clear the final hurdle. And Sania too has moved up to 64 in ATP rankings following her impressive showing at Cincinnati open.

Why Me??

2005-07-19T11:17:00.000+03:00

Before u assume anything, let me state this is no crib. The question, nevertheless, raises this doubt. That's why wanted to cast away any such aspersions right away. I have got strict warnings from my colleague against posting any CRIB on my blog. :) And i will try to go by it.

Don't we all at some point or the other keep questioning ourselves this particular question when something particular goes against our wishes. It used to happen with me when i had a torturous time dealing with amoebic infection. And that too, one day prior to my engg exam. In fact, i dread amoebic infection to such an extent that if i am affected by anything other than this i always go back to those days and feel happy that this disease is better than amoebic infection. :)

I came to write about this when i read through one such post on ryze network. Coudlnt hold myself back since it is related to sports. I don't like posting fwds n all on my blog. But i am sure many of us here wont be aware of this particular Arthur Ashe incident. So here, it is.

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of CANCER. From All over the world, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed:

"Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?

To this Arthur Ashe replied:
The world over 50 Million Children start playing tennis,
5 Million Learn to play tennis,
500,000 Learn professional tennis,
50,000 Come to the circuit,
5000 Reach the grand slam,
50 reach Wimbledon,
4 to semi finals,
and only 2 to the finals

When I was holding a cup, I never asked GOD "Why me?"
And today in pain, I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"

Now, I too, will never ever question, "Why me?".
I thank anitha for posting this on ryze network.

PS: I feel ashamed that even i myself am not much aware of Arthur Ashe's story and his exploits on the court. Will make an effort to find more about him.

Also am receiving comments to highlight the solution part for our sporting woes instead of questions. Will do so in the next posts.

My Fave Topic - Billion Strong Nation and No Olympic Gold?

2005-07-16T12:53:00.000+03:00

As promised, I am here for blabbering some serious stuff. And if its sports that perk you up, then this sure is a must read for you. For a long time this topic has been a fave for GDs. And the resulting discussions are sometimes, hilarious, to say the least. What with even TOI(Times Of India for the uninitiated) floating a theory of our genes to be blamed for the sporting debacle. Hello, excuse me plz. Let me have my say too.

How many of my fellow indians are aware that even Leander Paes was a junior wimbledon champion? Ok, some may be aware of that fact. But how many of us know that PT Usha's running timing at the age of 18 was comparable to that of Marion Jones at the same age. Now does this have any relation to the question. It sure has if we try to find out why Paes and Usha couldnt acheive what their contemporaries could. Now plz dont take me wrong that both these great athletes didnt acheive anything great. I am saying in relation to their fellow contemporaries at the world stage. To lay a bit more emphasis on the point i am trying to make, let me add that Federer too was a junior wimbledon champ. The enthusiasts can google to get more info on this.

The answer aint a complicated one but yeah.....the implementation, sure is. Where is the sports structure here? Is sports a viable career option out here? It maybe, but only for a few affluent ones. And as long as it doesnt become one for the common man, i dont see how we can win gold medals consistently. Well, we may have some sania's coming in between though. Do you have an iota of knowledge how costly pursuing tennis as a career can be? Just to throw some light, i read that sania's training costs for a year mount to arnd 45/50 lakhs. Do we really have that might? Thats the kind of money it takes to create a champion apart from, of course, the commitment, determination blah blah...... But the point is u need a platform. That is one of the major reason why our folks are not aware of the other girls such as Sonal Phadke, Radhika Tulpule in indian tennis who were quite a match to sania just a few years back.

Of course, the media too is pretty irresponsible out here. Just to prove my point, you will see all the newspapers and news channles write about the sports affairs pre and post olympics. Why not take these issues at this point? Come 2008 olympics and TOI will carry out an article some 15/20 days prior to the Games about our sorry state of affairs. Why not carry out articles on Saina Nehwal, the new kid on the block, who is beleived to take the indian badminton to a new high.

And i have a grudge against our esteemed IIMs too. They often give this topic for GD. Instead, why not go a step further and start a sports mgmt course where people like me can enroll. Why not tie up with the associations and impart the necessary training to the fellow "babus" who are handling the sports and thereby dilly-dallying with the future of aspiring champs. Well, lets leave this for another post some other time.

Coming to the answer part, set the management right first. Get the right people at the right places. Give them some time for their ideas to be implemented. Of course, pay them what they deserve. People like me want to desperately get into the "system". But do we have an avenue? Can i get an assurance that i neednt worry about my economy and concentrate on my work - sports management. Sorry sorry......is it sounding more like a crib? Whom am i telling to set the things right? Its we as a nation who have a job on our hands if we are genuinely serious about our sports. If not, then please never ask why the hell cant we win a single gold when even nations unheard of, can get one. Thats the least thing u can do as a responsible indian citizen.

Well lagata....jyada ho raha hain......let me save some for the remaining posts. This is just a beginning of a series of articles to be featured right here on KhelNayak. I promise that u folks will be amongst the first ones to get a first-hand knowledge about indian sports. Wait for my next article. Do leave your comments.

Joining The Blogwagon!

2005-07-14T10:22:00.000+03:00

So there I am. One more addition to the ever increasing blogging community.
To begin with, actually, i have never maintained a diary for myself and in fact, was never enthused about folks maintaining one. Always felt a bit weird about such things. So then why this blog?

It took some time for realization to dawn that blogging is actually a great tool to reach out to the online community there. Things to expect in this blog: Anything and everything related to sports....and more so Indian sports. And to be precise sports management. Now u know why the title KhelNayak(courtesy of my delhi freind).

So expect me to blabber about the sports affairs in my country - India, right from the so-called "system" to the changes taking place to the new people who will revolutionise the sports strucutre.

As can be gauged, my writing skills need tonnes of improvement. Hopefully, with the f/b from all u folks, i will.

Thats enough, i guess, for a debut post. Let me settle on the crease and then u will find me hitting great scores out here.

Special thanks to lakshmikanth, Shub, Pilli and my other freinds who supported me in my endeavour of Blogging.