Bid adieu to the 'face of cricket'..

Oh yes! It's Sunday.. - this expression might be understood in a different context for all the non-cricket fans out there but for cricket fans, sunday was special and there was this one person in particular who made sunday's special - yes, it's the little master himself. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar gave people a reason to smile in the tough times, a reason to be happy, a reason to be excited, a moment to be nervous. Watching Sachin bat, every cricket fan felt excited, tensed, happy, nervous, angry - what Sachin felt on the field, we felt off it, that's the magic the little master beheld with himself all these years.

"Everything good, eventually comes to an end" - in every sport, there comes a time when a player comes and changes the game forever - for cricket, it is and will always be Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar has given so much to the cricket and now knowing that he's just around for a mere few days until he hangs his boots - one just cant get enough of him. I'm one such person who has/will/could never get enough of Tendulkar's brilliance. I've grown up watching Tendulkar, I started watching cricket for Tendulkar and now - cricket will never be the same again.. 

Whether it be Tendulkar's innings against England, which won the match for India - after the horrific incident of 24/11 or Tendulkar's innings in Sharjah against Australia, a match which was not hit by any other storm but the storm of the little master himself. This very man made people forget their worries/tensions and gave us 'happiness' without any cost.

I've been a huge fan of the way Tendulkar has carried himself off the field. Not only has he never got into any controversy in terms of his behavior, he has always maintained his composure on the pitch too. He's the perfect example of how success should get the better out of you and not the worse. Billions of people watch Tendulkar, they watch how he carries himself and certain people in fact would try to copy what he does - this makes it so much more important for Tendulkar to lead as an example for each one of his followers, we all know how many followers he has. His persona is as such that whatever he does, becomes the - TREND. Whether it be his hair style, his french beard, his batting stance - Tendulkar's fans just want to exactly like him and why not! He's the little master - everyone would like to be him.  It has become very usual for the parents in India now to name their children 'Sachin' - this shows that he's indeed a very popular household name but who doesn't know that!

In all these years, we saw a young teenage succeeding in making a mark for himself in cricket and the most proud fact for every cricket fan is that - even at the twilight of his career, he still holds a great deal of respect among his fans and similarly he still holds a great deal of respect for his fans. We love Tendulkar not just for his cricketing skills but also for his inspiring personality and terrific way of dealing with immense success. 

Sachin Tendulkar - you gave us a reason to smile, let's give you a farewell that you remember forever and forever. Your last match against West Indies wont be judged in parameters - making runs or getting out on 0, it'll be a celebration of cricket and a adieu to the 'face of cricket'. :)

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Smart Suraksha : App that helps you stay safe

In this age of technology, applications have become a way of life. Android phones are getting popular by the passing of each day. Whether you've a good house or not, a good phone is a must. Similarly, in life, safety is a MUST. When it comes to safety, one just cannot be careless. We're always concerned of our loved ones, we may not always show it though. My parents for instance get worried whenever I'm even slightly late coming back home. That's how protective our parents are towards us.. Similarly, I get very concerned when my old grandparents go out of the house for a walk and don't return back on time, there safety is MY concern. 

Just to quote one example - once my grandmother was going to her village to meet her sisters. Along with her, there was my grandfather and my elder uncle who was carrying all of my grandparent's belongings. My grandfather has a very fast speed of walking, whereas my grandmother as she's aged, cannot walk quickly. I need not to explain you the situation at Indian railway stations, there's always so much rush that unless you're quick to walk, you'd be left behind.

In such scenario, my grandmother got left behind and both my grandfather and uncle moved ahead. Suddenly my grandmother couldn't find them and got worried. Now, a few steps ahead, both my grandfather and uncle realized that my grandmother had been left behind - they got extremely worried. My grandmother had at that time recently recovered from cancer and was extremely weak, in such situation, the tension was bound to be HIGH. My grandfather called home and let his other 3 sons know about the situation.. 

My uncle got an announcement made at the railway station for my missing grandmother, hearing this my grandmother quickly went to the railway station office and there she MET her son (my uncle) and by god's grace, she was absolutely fine.. We were very lucky that my grandmother was safe and she quickly came to the railway office. In such case though, an app like Smart Suraksha could have been of such a huge help. She could have sent a message to all of her 4 sons and to my grandfather, which would've resulted in less panic and more quick finding of my grandmother. 

I wish she had Smart Suraksha with her.

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An evening spent talking about Indian politics - who'll be the next PM of India?

If there's one topic on which we generally like to debate and discuss while we're with our family or friends - it ought to be the Indian politics. When it comes to discussing about something relevant, Indian politics is the first topic that comes to mind.. So then, it was the usual evening being spent with family and as we switched through the TV channels, we came across Modi's speech. I personally am a huge fan of Modi, of course because of his political stature but also because his personal life story truly inspires me. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, he's young, energetic, popular and has a bright future ahead. I'm a keen follower of his political speeches too and of course he belongs to the Gandhi family, under the immense pressure of representing his family, he certainly does really well. When it comes to selecting one among the two, it isn't an easy task for me.

For my family though, they've got their favorites already picked. Whereas my uncle says it'll be Rahul Gandhi's emotional speeches that's gonna hurt Modi, my father says that it's going to be Modi's track record as the CM of Gujarat and his personal life stories that makes him the most favorite candidate for the next PM of India. Along side this, my cousin couldn't resist and joined the discussion, carrying forward with my father's views. He too agreed that Modi will easily concur the elections and come out victorious, to which his sister disagreed and supported Rahul Gandhi, whom he rates very highly for his bluntness and honesty.

When it comes to discussing Indian politics, one just cannot overlook the role of the small parties that cut the vote of the other major parties, in this case it is the Congress and the BJP (2 major parties). If we talk about Delhi, the place where I reside, the AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) holds some strong chances for a upset in the upcoming Delhi elections. Not only is it expected to cut BJP's votes but might just upset the Congress and come out as the next party to rule Delhi. It's not going to be easy though. Whereas cutting votes of a party is one thing, winning people's votes and more importantly, their confidence, in such short span of time isn't an easy task but if Arvind Kejriwal's party successful does so, they'll certainly be deserving enough to rule the capital of India.

Coming back to the discussion that my family was having - I decided to be quiet and observe everyone's opinions. It was 2-2, my uncle and cousin sister supported Congress and my father and cousin brother supported the BJP, whereas my grandfather didn't talk about the next PM probable, he stayed with the Delhi elections, in which he'd be voting for the AAP. With everyone's thoughts into contention, my other cousin brother made a very unusual point. He said that I'd be going for the new option of 'right to reject' to which his own father said "what's the point, how will that be beneficial"? My cousin explained further and said that he'd rather go with this unusual option because he currently wants to vote for none of the parties, his mind might change when the elections come closer.

That's pretty much the discussion we had. Putting everyone's thought into perspective, it's quite neutral. Neither of the parties stand out, both the Congress and the BJP have got their vote banks ready but from two very different views/perspectives of the people. I'm sure the views in my family will resemble the views of many of the families in India. Coming to Delhi, the AAP is set to ruin the party of either one of the 2 major parties or perhaps both. The battle to rule India is on and the political rallies are set to be crucial to determine the faith of the political parties - it will be interesting to see how it all pans out and in the end, which party comes out victorious. :)

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Twitter and Facebook, turning into a major platform for political tactics?

#Feku and #Papu are hashtags given to 2 politicians of India, naming whom wont be appropriate but I'm sure most of us know who the 2 politcians we're talking about. When I first saw these 2 hashtags trending, I was actually very amused and at the same time, a little surprised/shocked. Seriously - a hashtag like #Feku and #Papu trending on a major social networking site? How can this be possible? Later, as it became a regularity, whenever these 2 politcians spoke at a rally, the hashtags started trending. Obviously, both these politcians belong to 2 different parties and hence, finding one or the other hashtag trending isn't a rare sight on twitter anymore.

Let's discuss about this in a much more detail - who makes these hashtags trend? If you go by the 'members of twitter' and generally active users of social networking site i.e. twitter, it is easily understood that Congress and BJP have got a whole team set up to insure for a particular #hashtag to be trending. It's honestly quite simple because every other day a contest easily trends on twitter, this for that matter, is much more serious business because at stake is the "ruler ship" of our country.

Therefore, the point rises - why go into these cheap tactics? Do political parties of other countries take the platform of social networking to go after each other! Of course not. Then why do Indian political parties believe that the median of social networking is the best platform to have a go at the opponent! Personally speaking, seeing #Feku and #Papu trend isn't a SHOCKER anymore. The social media teams set up by the 2 political parties to maneuver this task certainly does it's task to perfection but we just cannot overlook the kind of impact it has on twitter on a whole as a social networking site. What I as a young political enthusiast see it as is - in order to be successful in Indian politics, you ought to go on the verge of 'cheap political' tactics.

That's one part of it. Buying likes on facebook pages, getting fake followers on twitter, this all happens in our Indian politics. As someone whose hoping for a change in Indian politics, I'm just left with one thing to say to all the political parties - please give us some free space to apprehend our views, at least leave a platform for us to be free from cheap political tactics. We're not on social networking sites to see hashtags like #Feku or #Papu trending but instead hoping for hashtags like #ChangeIsNear trending. 

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Youth into politics- are we missing something?

The parameters set to become a politician in our country are such that if we discuss them at this very moment, there'd be 90% of us (youth) against it. It's a fact, in India you cannot get into politics if you don't have the much required 'contacts'. From the college elections onward, in order to gain something you must take the low road of bribing, giving students what they require and what not! This very point is of a major concern, instead of sincerely fighting the elections, the students standing in the elections must make their voters happy by giving them what they desire and this reaches to a very cheap point of giving them certain things that might not even be appropriate for their age..

At the young age of (19-22) years, one realizes that in order to become successful in politics, bribing perhaps is the way to go. If one starts believing in this from such young age, what do you expect them to believe when they go on to represent political parties at senior levels i.e. if they actually do.

Even if someone in our country wants to get involved in politics, let's say a normal student without any contacts would want to stand up in the college elections, do you think he/she would win? Leave apart the fact whether he/she is rich or not, standing against a student who perhaps has all the contacts required, money to bribe the voters and perhaps even ways to threaten you from not standing in the elections, this all happens, doesn't it? This is the crux of college elections and I do not want to apprehend college elections in a very polite way and take you into a 'make-believe dream world'. I don't want to criticize the whole political structure of our country but certain points must be raised that are in fact even factually correct.

The only ray of hope that the youth of this country today has is that in the near future, a drastic change might happen. We need a political party that symbolizes the sole fact that "youth is the future of tomorrow" because it really is. I'm 16 and I'd be very much interested to get into politics but the questions I ask myself often is - CAN I? I belong to a middle-class family, my family is nowhere near to politics neither am I financially rich, taking all this into consideration, in current scenario of Indian politics I'd be nothing but a "dreamer" to believe that I can actually get into Indian politics.

We must make politics reach to the youth rather than youth reaching to the politics (trying to). Youth Parliament might well be a good way forward. Why can't young students get the opportunity of raising their voices on a platform very similar to that of parliament? Isn't this a bright prospect? Youth Parliament could well turn out to be successful if the government is willing to force it into action. TV channels might even be interested to air it and if certain politicians are willing, they could be present in the youth parliament answering to the questions of the youth. Youth Parliament should first be set up in each metro city of India, having young students involved in it - students that stood up in college elections or school students who have good idea about politics and want to gain more knowledge about it/raise their voice against certain issues.. If our government does enforce this into action, we will surely be on the path towards a brighter change.. :)

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It's a historic day - it all comes down to today...

1989. This year shall forever be marked as the year, in which the world of sporting was taken with a storm, courtesy of a cricketer who stepped foot into the cricket pitch in this very year and changed it forever. By now, I'm sure, you're aware of whom I'm talking about. Yes, you're right, the Little Master it is..

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, maestro, legend, little master - different nicknames, same man. If the world "revolution" was to be used for someone, it would be for Sachin Tendulkar. Cricketer was a sport in India when Sachin stepped foot into the cricket pitch for the first time and today, when he steps foot into the cricket field for the last time (at least in limited overs), he has made cricket a religion for the cricket adherents in India and he himself, is regarded as the god of this religion.

There's another significant personality whose going to play his last match (in all formats) today. It's the wall of India, a guy whose temperament is par excellence, someone who has improved strength-to-strength in the years he's played. I'm talking about another legend of cricket, Rahul Dravid. I've always been a huge fan of the way Dravid has carried himself on the field and off it too. You would've never heard of Dravid falling prey to a controversy which would've damaged his personality or Dravid showing any signs of disrespect to the opposition, that's the greatness of this man and this is the very reason, he's so popular all throughout the cricketing world.

Several times in his career, Dravid was written off, was at one time regarded as ONLY a test cricketer, who could never succeed in ODI's. Did he/did he not? You tell me.. 10,000 runs in ODI's, the stat is itself enough to prove the point. Dravid will forever be remembered for taking up challenges and overcoming obstacles in his way and coming out glorious EVERY time. He's the perfect example of how one must be dedicated to their work because dedication always pays off..

Today marks a important day in the history of cricket. These 2 legends take on each other, for 1 last time. It's a a completely fairy-style ending, it couldn't be written better. These 2 played WITH each other for so many years but when it comes to their last outing in limited overs cricket (for Sachin) and last outing for Dravid in any format, they take on EACH other.

Dravid will be leading Rajasthan Royals and Tendulkar will be playing for Mumbai Indians. It's gonna be an epic encounter, at the end of which, any Indian cricket enthusiast is bound to be a little happy and a little sad. Whoever wins, the other side will be left disappointed. For me though, it's just about enjoying each and every moment of the match. We're never going to see these 2 legends wearing the colored jersey's again, they will never take on each other again and thereby today is THE "golden" day of cricket.

Let's not make this a Dravid vs Tendulkar final, it's unfair on both the legends. Today is the festival of cricket, in which each moment will be one to cherish. After some 20 odd years, it all comes down to today. Whether it's Rajasthan Royals or Mumbai Indian that seals the win today, I'll be cheering for the 2 maestro's, who deserve to take a bow! :) 

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India - not financially strong but at least ethically?

A country is developed or not is judged by respected bodies of the world as per the financial strength of a particular country, the health system, the educational facilities and all of which adds to the progress of that country, that's the general idea of determining a country's progress. Whereas, this is the criteria followed as per papers and general guidelines, can we overlook the basic outlook, that we must also use as a criteria to judge a country i.e. moral values and ethics?

India is a country that has never been financially strong, as per say.. We stand nowhere near USA when it comes to finance, neither are we anywhere close to our neighbor China. We do however need to take into consideration, how much we HAVE achieved post independence. I very honestly do not see finance as the main criteria to judge a country.. Whose to say how most of the people in that country work/earn money!

Frankly saying, what if a country is financially strong but morally weak? As in, most of the people do not deem with earning money in white and get influenced by black money/unfair ways of earning money. Isn't it vital to take this into consideration? Other side of the coin is, a country actually deems with ethics but is not be financially strong.. Should such countries instead be penalized for their integrity i.e. be declared as less developed or instead, such countries must be appreciated for their moral values!

It's easier said than done though, for obvious reasons. If one actually believes that highest bodies of the world would  start determining development of countries by actually going to the root case of "how money is earned" in each country, it will be a mammoth task.

I say, let's not make finance the only criteria or the MAJOR criteria for determining a country's growth. It must also be taken into consideration - work employment, underemployment, ethics/moral values, percentage of women working and on a whole - determining how the country has progressed, say in the last 10 years.. Agreed, India does not stand strong as far as finance is concerned but if we keep all the negativity aside for a second, we haven't done too bad post independence, as per development is concerned.. Our mindset has changed and we do not live with a state of mind that was fitting for "primeval times"... We have a long way to go still... But at least, I believe, we're on the right track, we just need leaders (politicians) who make the path "easier" for us, leaders who will insure and convince people to not get influenced by money because money isn't the only criteria of leading a good life, respect and moral values play equally huge roles.. 

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Self improvement - inspirational stories from Gandhi Ji

2nd of October, the birth date of the "father of nation" - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi Ji is someone who is respected for always deeming with values, living a life that was led by principles, courage, determination, non-violence. It's absolutely vital to mention here that Gandhi Ji lived a life, that did not only serve as a inspiration to people who saw him/were with him but Gandhi Ji continues to be a inspiration for even today's generation.

The president of USA, Barack Obama, has time and again said that he's a follower of Gandhi Ji's lifestyle and tries to inherent as much as he can, to his own life. That's what makes Gandhi Ji such a great person. All along his life, he kept on spreading inspiration/love and even today, his stories serve as a inspiration to each one of us.

Through this blog post, I'll take you through 3 stories that I know, which you might have not heard of.  Each story of Gandhi Ji, serves as a moral to us and apprehends the point that Gandhi ji was simply a human being par excellence. :)

1st story : Gandhi Ji was a person who believed in giving ONLY such advice's that he himself followed/could follow/would follow. There's this story that there was a person who lived nearby Sabarmati asharam, the place where Gandhi Ji spent most of his time. The person that lived nearby Sabarmati asharam, had a kid, who had the problem of eating "too much sugar". Worried about his son's problem, the man looked for a solution. He knew Gandhi Ji as a great freedom fighter, a terrific human being who always believed in helping people and so he decided to meet Gandhi Ji and ask for a solution.

The man along with his son, visited Sabarmati Asharam, to meet Gandji Ji. The man told Gandhi Ji about his son's problem and demanded a solution. Gandhi Ji told the man to come after 1 week.

The man along with his son, waited for another week... The week passed by and having high hopes, the man again along with his son, visited Gandhi Ji.

The man asked Gandhi Ji if he had found a solution, Gandhi Ji told the man to come after 1 more week.. The man was confused, so was his son but they had no other option, they had to wait another week..

Another week passed by and the man along with his son, visited Gandhi Ji again, it was 14 days now since the man had told Gandhi Ji about his son's problem for the first time.. The man asked Gandhi Ji, if he had found any solution? To which Gandhi Ji replied "yes, I've reached to a solution".. Turning to the kid, Gandhi Ji said "don't eat sugar, it's not good for you.." "Eat gur (jaggery) instead, it's a sugar substitute and will not harm your health." The man was a little surprised, he had a solution to his son's problem and was delighted but he couldn't understand why Gandhi Ji made him wait for 14 days for this solution. The man very gently asked "Gandhi Ji, you could have told this on the very first day, why did you take 14 days to tell this"? Gandhi Ji replied "I could have told this to you on the very first day but I instead told you to wait because for the last 14 days, I was trying to remove my habit of eating sugar, once I implemented the same on me, I told you to implement the same"... :)

Fantastic story, isn't it? Gandhi Ji didn't tell the man about the solution until he himself implemented the same and reached to a solution. There's so much to learn from this story, it's a fact, that Gandhi Ji was such a fantastic human being because he cared for the smallest of the problems of the people and thought about the smallest of the things.. :)

2nd story : As I mention in the first story, Gandhi Ji spent most of his time in sabarmati asharam. One day, he was drinking tea and a man crossed by... After a few steps, that very man was talking to another person, to whom he said "look at Gandhi Ji, he says that he takes care of everyone but yet, drinks a tea that is made from pure milk.. Doesn't he know that most of the people in India don't get pure milk!"... Gandhi Ji overheard this conversation but he said nothing to either of the man..

On the very next day though, Gandhi Ji stopped having tea from pure milk and instead started drinking tea made of goat's milk. For those who don't know, goat's milk is very thin, it's hardly milk, it tastes more like water mixed with milk, preparing tea from it gets "yellow" colour..

Nehru Ji stayed at Sabarmati Asharam, whenever he got time.. Congress' meeting were usually held at Sabarmati Asharam.. All the senior and junior political leaders came to sabarmati asharam for the Congress' meeting and were served tea made from goat's milk. No one liked the tea but had to drink it because Gandhi Ji did too. The simplicity of Gandji Ji amazed every person and when the Congress leaders came to know the reason behind Gandhi Ji's habit of drinking tea made from goat's milk, their respect for Gandhi Ji rose even more in their hearts.

This story again proves that Gandhi Ji wasn't someone who believed in showing off. He was someone who believed in simplicity, leading a life on which no one can raise a question. Being such a respected person in India, why would he care for a passer by's comments? But no, he did and that's why he's THE Mahatma Gandhi. :)

3rd story : In late 1930's, queen of England invited Gandji Ji to England to meet her regarding discussing political scenario of India.Gandhi Ji accepted the invitation and reached the queen's palace, wearing his typical short dhoti. The administrative people of palace objected to his dress and told him to wear a suit. Gandhi Ji refused and told them to communicate that either the queen met him in his original uniform or he has no desire to meet her. The same had been communicated to the queen and to the utter surprise of all, the queen did not make any objection and when she saw Mahatma Gandhi, she spontaneously replied "now I understand, why the millions of Indians follow you"... This is perhaps the greatest example of courage, which all of us should have and implement in our life.

These 3 stories in some way or the other, give us a slight idea as to why Gandhi Ji is so much respected. These 3 are not just stories but a way of life, if we actually deem with the values apprehended in these stories, we can drastically change our personality. There's so much to learn from Gandhi Ji, his values will be with us forever because what one leaves behind is legacy, which is a standard for everyone else.

It's absolutely fitting to pay respect to a great man like Gandhi Ji, who thought of the people, whether rich or poor. Gandhi Ji thought/cared about everyone's problems.. He deemed with helping people in the slightest of the way he could. He hid nothing, if you've read the book "my experiment with truth" you'd know this. There's no parameter to judge someone but for me, greatness is what you leave behind. If you've the least of the interest in gaining name for yourself then that's what makes you stand out from the rest and that's what made/makes Gandhi Ji a person, whose footsteps we all must follow and we all too, just like him, lead a life with ethics/morals, thinking of every person and being truthful to our self and the people around us, that's what will make us a better human being.. :)

Happy Gandhi Jayanti! :)

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