100...and still counting!

The stadium is fully packed. Yet there’s a complete lull. All eyes are on one man. He strikes one more run. And yes! He has done it again. Crowd is blessing him. He looks up and praises god. Batsman has done it again. Once again, he scored a century.

The place I am staying is a lonely remote place. There is no crowd to cheer for me. The best man is alone. No one except the best man himself keeps the track of his aggregate score. Yes! Today is a very special day for me. It’s my century day.

This blog is about two different but correlated lives of the batsman and a best man.
Batsman is the king of cricket world.
And the best man is me.

I would like to compare the feelings of these two personalities on their century score/day.

Let’s go back to the stadium. The closing ceremony has started. All girls want to meet the batsman. All cameras are zoomed towards batsman’s face. He was waiting for this day. He is delighted. He expresses his feelings. He wants to talk to his thousands of friends. He wants to score more centuries. He is energized by the sound of the thousands of his fans. When he comes back to his country, he is showered with the greetings "WELCOME HOME"

But scene is way far different at my place. Best man is not aware of any plan about the closing ceremony. Best man wants time to search for a girl. Best man uses his own mobile camera to look for the wrinkle on his own face. Best man has changed his attitude and nature. Best man has a different feeling. He does not know how to react. He wants some body to talk with him. The best man is eagerly waiting for one command. He wants to "GO HOME".

Being a FROG!

Swimming is enjoyed the most, when one does not know how to swim. I had a chance to experience this in the steel city of JSW Steel, Vidyanagar, located in Toranagallu. How can any gujju bhai miss the chance of using a “Not to pay for” swimming pool facility? Only investment one needs to do is to buy the swimming clothes. Pool timing is divided to give equal slots to all genders (fortunately, we have only two!) and children. I went there and checked the time table on the entry wall of the pool. My category was allotted “Male: 7 pm to 10 pm”.
I reached the venue at around 7:30 in the evening. It was a great experience to enter the open area centered with about 4m by 12m rectangular pool. This was supposed to be my home for next 1-2 hours. I went to change my attire. I entered the “Boys only” room and started changing. All boys were jealous of my slim and appealing muscular body. Two even fainted. (Last two statements are hyperbolic and are used to describe the glancing scene in a superlative sense!)
I was ready to enjoy the nature’s most precious gift. Water was waiting for me. I walked towards the pool and was stared by all amphibians already settled inside the water. The situation was similar to one in the discovery documentaries. When an unknown hippo enters a new territory, it generally has to overcome the suspicious glances of existing hippos. Fortunately, I could find a skating shaped floater and managed to pierce the surface tension of the water.Wow.I was standing in 3fts deep water! Actually the pool is slanted and gives you a choice from the depth of 3 ft to 3 m.
Soon I lined up with other new “Wanna be Hippos” in one corner. I was more than happy. Surprises came after one another. One can take the help of trainers to learn….”Simply free of cost!” Our first task was to hold the breath, get in, stay there and come out. We were told to do this 10 times continuously. At first, it looked like committing a suicide and repeating it ten times. But, I wanted to learn swimming. And I overcame the first hurdle. (Actually, I could not think of losing out this “FREE TO ALL” facility!).Next task was to paddle in the water. This task looks easy and one can easily do that enthusiastically (Actual trouble starts at night when your thighs yell at you!).
In every boring corporate seminar, management inspires new trainees by saying “We push you in the water and you learn as much as you want.” Now, I got the real meaning of this statement. Actually, it feels nice to stay in the pool just to chill out like a crocodile and keep watching other amphibians that swim like sharks.
After five such dramatic sessions, I could swim up to 2-2.5m in one breathe and without any support. Everyday new learners come and now I stare them from the other side of hippo groups. At last, I would like to reiterate “Swimming is enjoyed the most, when one does not know how to swim”

Attending a Mallu Wedding......

Imagine transferring water from one lack to the other without any vessel or any other equipment. Eating in a mallu wedding is as simple as that. Try having paisam(like gujju kheer) and rasam(boiled water with added spices)without a spoon. These are some of the experiences I got after attending the first mallu wedding on 6th June, 2010.

The wedding venue was in the outskirt of Bellary district (7 hrs drive from Bangalore).
An arrangement was made to cool the 40+deg temperature by the series of fans running just because they were switched ON and were supposed to run. The couple was bombarded with about tons of rice. The only funny part of the marriage was throwing the handful of rice towards the stage (which ultimately showered on respectable elderly front seaters).

Lunch started by noon and was in typical pangat style(series of tables and chairs arranged for dinning).We were waiting for banana leafs but fortunately got the paper plates soon filled by spicy coconut curry(chutney) and pumpkin syrup(none of us touched it till the end!).We then were served with Mysore pak and Jalebi(The only things liked by my gujju stomach).Then remaining place in the plate was filled ENTIRELY by rice. If you are the person who avoids the white rice, don’t worry. For a change you can get yellow rice. Whatever choice you make, you are complimented by Sambar.

The person sitting next to me was a typical local south Indian man. The consumption of rice by that man in a day would be equivalent to a weekly rice appetite of an average young gujju bhai. We were shown lunch finishing flag by the entry of bundi ladoos.It looked like the rice loving society had kidnapped the Punjabi hot seller Roti-Sabji combination. And that’s the reason why a Punjabi man would strive for food in the lower part of Indian geography.

Anyways, such experiences are life long memories and are useful for understanding the diversity of India. In future, in case you get a chance to attend such an event, don’t miss to go for the Rice plate.

Value yourself

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special - Don't ever forget it!

પ્રેમાળ પતિ

ક્લબમાં બાવન પાનાંની રમત જોરદાર જામી છે ત્યાં ટેબલ પર પડેલા એક મોબાઈલની રીંગ વાગે છે. રમતમાં મશગુલ એવો એક અઠંગ ખેલાડી ફોન લેવા માટે સ્પિકર ફોન ચાલુ કરીને હાથમાં પત્તાં રમાડતાં વાત શરુ કરે છે…

ખેલાડી - “એલાવ…”

સામે છેડે - “વ્હાલા, તું ક્લબમાં છો?”

ખેલાડી - “હા”

સામે છેડે - “હું અહીં મૉલમાં ખરીદી કરવા આવી છું અને મને જરી ભરતથી ભરેલી સાડી ગમી ગઈ છે, રૂ. ૫,૦૦૦ કહે છે લઈ લઉં?”

ખેલાડી - “લઈ લે ને, વહાલી, એમાં પુછવાનું હોય કાંઈ?”

સામે છેડે - “ઝવેરીનો ફોન આવ્યો તો, તેની પાસે નવી ડિઝાઈનના ડાયમંડસેટ આવ્યા છે, પસંદ પડે તો એકાદ લઈ લઉં?”

ખેલાડી -”શું રેંજમાં છે?”

સામે છેડે - “લાખ સવા લાખ સુધી થઈ જશે…”

ખેલાડી - “તારી ખુશી માટે સવા લાખ મંજુર છે.”

સામે છેડે - “ગાડીની ડિસ્કાઉન્ટ ઓફરનો આજે છેલ્લો દિવસ છે મારા માટે…”

ખેલાડી - ‘વ્હાલી આજે હું બહુ ખુશ છું, તેને જોઇતો મોડલ આજે જ નોંધાવી દેજે, કિંમતની ચિંતા ન કરતી”

સામે છેડે - સારું, રાતે વહેલા ઘરે આવજો, આઈ લવ યુ.”

ખેલાડી - “આઈ લવ યુ ટુ!”

ફોન મૂકાઈ ગયો, બધા ખેલાડી રમત છોડી તેની સામે જોઈ રહ્યા હતા અને વિચારતા હતા કે વાહ! આને ખરો પતિ કહેવાય! ત્યાં તેણે સ્મિત સાથે બધાને પૂછ્યું - “આ કોનો મોબાઈલ છે?”

Lage Raho Gujju Bhai

Patel is a Gujju-bhai. Patel was bragging to his boss one day,' You know, I know everyone there is to know. Just name someone, anyone, and I know them.'

Tired of his boasting, his boss called his bluff, 'OK, Patel how about Tom Cruise?'
'Sure, yes, Tom and I are old friends, and I can prove it.' So Patel and his boss fly out to Hollywood and knock on Tom Cruise's door, and sure enough, Tom Cruise shouts, 'Patel! Great to see you. You and your friend come right in and join me for lunch!' Although impressed, Patel's boss is still skeptical.

After they leave Cruise's house, he tells Patel that he thinks Patel's knowing Cruise was just lucky. 'No, no, just name anyone else,' Patel says.
'President Bush,' his boss quickly retorts.
'Yes,' Patel says, 'I know him, let's fly out to Washington.' And off they go. At the White House, Bush spots Patel on the tour and motions him and his boss over, saying, 'Patel , what a surprise, I was just on my way to a meeting, but you and your friend come on in and let's have a cup of coffee first and catch up.'

Well, the boss is much shaken by now, but still not totally convinced. After they leave the White House grounds, he expresses his doubts to Patel who again implores him to name anyone else.

'The Pope,' his boss replies.
'Sure!' says Patel . 'My folks use to live in Germany, and I've known the Pope a long time.'

So off they fly to Rome. Patel and his boss are assembled with the masses in Vatican Square when Patel says,'This will never work. I can't catch the Pope's eye among all these people. Tell you what, I know all the guards so let me just go upstairs and I'll come out on the balcony with the Pope.' And he disappears into the crowd headed toward the Vatican.

Sure enough, half an hour later Patel emerges with the Pope on the balcony. But by the time Patel returns, he finds that his boss has had a heart attack and is surrounded by paramedics.

Working his way to his boss' side, Patel asks him, 'What happened?'
His boss looks up and says, 'I was doing fine until you and the Pope came out on the balcony and the man next to me said, who's that man on the balcony with Patel?

The Window

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Moral of the story:
The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.

-The great story by Unknown Author