Posts Tagged ‘test’
Tests of Life
I don’t remember the yaksha tale completely. But there were a set of questions to be answered to attain something. Clearing hurdles and attaining the goal has been a common thread all through our texts.
Some akin it to the way life is. It takes tests at times and what you achieve next depends on the how you perform. Such periods of life lets you understand the reality of a lot of charades. The real face as we can call it.
It’s very important not just to sail through such tests but also remember the period. Who decided to stand by you and who deserted you. It helps not only to gain perspective but also lets you an insight for the future.
Life is short if you make it fun. Life is long if you make it sad. For myself I would choose to keep fun and not let myself be bogged down. If people choose to stand by me, it would be good; if they decide otherwise, even better.
Some people say, after hard work comes the comfort. They might be wrong. There might be further hardships. My view is, even if there are further hardships, I would atleast be trained better to handle them.
Bitter Sweet
I said it’s time to go,
She said to me don’t,
It took time to grow,
I so wish it won’t.
Longing for something,
So much inside,
Not quite able to get,
Did a terrible fight.
It feels away is close,
Gives you perspective,
Something we both chose,
Emotions eruptive.
Better not to hold back,
Let tears flow,
Life always bounce back,
Darkness void by glow.
He tests the strength,
Of the bond between,
To make us sure,
If we are indeed keen.
So let’s go with it,
And check back with time,
If us for real,
Of just passing dime.
So much wither away,
Hope we do not,
Let’s survive test of time,
Win the battle tersely fought.
Cricket and my Grandpa
A: “Sachin plays for himself. I better, he stops playing”
B: “Hey! What are you saying? He is a great match winner”
A: “But don’t you think he is old enough to be pensioned?”
B: “He is still scoring tons. Isn’t he?”
A: “He is past his prime”
B: “Yeah with average of 50 during last year! I think your mind is sub-prime”
A: “Go to hell”
B: “You go to hell”
…
…
A: “Coffee?”
B: “Ok.”
This is what a cricket discussion in India sounds like. A general discussion suddenly gets focused on Sachin and from no where rival gangs sprout up. Pro and anti Sachin sentiments start flaring. Swear words and curses are thrown all around. Then there is truce. This cycle repeats itself day after day.
My earliest encounters with cricket date back to my Grandfather. He was a great cricket enthusiast and even greater Sachin basher. I reckon he lost a bet or two coz of Sachin and he remained pissed off with him forever. “Out ho gaya. Yeh bhi nahin socha ki mausa ji ke paise lage hain”, I remember him mumbling when Sachin got out stumped while chasing against NZ. Above statement is a classical example of raw humor of the oldies. It relates the player who got out to my grandmothers family. So the loss is blamed squarely on the player and my poor old grandmother. I tell you, these oldies can be quite cruel sometimes. The trick lies in not being over smart with them.
He was not a fan of what we call the purest form, the Gavaskar style of cricket. He adored Windies team of 70-80’s. “Lala, kaalon ka aakhiri khiladi bhi aata tha toh chakka maarata hua aata tha” (Even their last player started off with a six). The only Indian player of old about whom I heard anything positive from him was Kris Srikkanth. “Jab who ballebaaji karta tha toh bazaar soone ho jaate the” (Streets got deserted when he came on to bat). For all those who say that oldies preferred Tests to ODIs here’s the last salvo. “Are yeh paanch din ka khel humse nahin dekha jaata. Ghanton baithe raho, ek bhi chowka chakka nahin lagta” (Not a single boundary is hit for hours).
From the current era Jayasurya and Afridi (Afriki for him) were his favorites. Indian team was the most unreliable team as far as he was concerned. “Are inka koi bharosa nahin. Lanka ke khilaaf 200 kuch banana the, saala aaya raam gaya raam shuru ho gaya, aur sab ke sab 78 run pe simat gaye. Mausaji ka nuksaan ho gaya”.
I think T20 would have been the best format for him. Sadly it was during his last years that T20 got popular. It would have been wonderful to watch IPL with him. However he took off even before season one.
Regardless of what people are saying nowadays, I can never lose interest in and ODI game. I have grown up with it. It’s like a ritual to me. And of course it has memories of my grandpa. I remember one of his favorite quotes. Whenever Azhar played well, he used to say, “Captaan hai koi naayi ka launda thode hi hai” (He is not a commoner, he is the captain after all). So it goes for the ODIs.
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