Another 15th August... (From the Tricolour's view)

I wait for the day I can flutter like I did in 47,
When you banished your rulers and discovered yourself again

My mind goes out to the sacrifices made by young and old,
You remember them in memorials and books, but your hearts are so cold

Aren't you tired of faking that all is going well,
It pains me each time your dignity, you are ready to sell

You hide behind excuses of corruption and suffering,
Why don't you see it is all your own doing

My heart burns each time I see a division on caste, creed or language
Unity in Diversity seems like a load of garbage

You don't understand the what a wonderful gift you inherit,
'Tryst with Destiny' was a price paid by many, how easily you forget?

You can sit all night blaming people who take your decisions
Aren't you the one who put them in their position?

Yet you won't get up to fight the wrong you are bearing,
You turn your eyes away instead of caring

Wake up my beloved from your slumber of lies,
Unite my children, you're family cries

I will never stop hoping like I hoped then,
A better nation you can be, you must realize this within

I wait for the day I can flutter like I did in 47,
I wait for the time when you look at me and say 'Truly my India is on earth a Heaven'

Hey Mr.Nice Guy

Hey Mr.Nice Guy how's it going today?
Are the people still stepping on you as they walk on their way

Hey Mr.Nice guy why are you still silent?
When the people show you dreams and break them in an instant

Hey Mr.Nice Guy why do you lend a helping hand?
When there's no one ready to beside you stand

Hey Mr.Nice Guy why do you always smile?
I know you're been hiding things now for a while

Hey Mr.Nice Guy why don't you take the easy way out?
It's hard to do the right thing, you ought to know that now

Hey Mr.Nice Guy how long can you persist?
You have to breakdown, evil's temptations are too strong to resist

Hey Mr.Nice Guy what's the point in being you?
When you hear 'You're too nice', you know their scared of you

Hey Mr.Nice Guy, you have to stop sometime
Don't try to be the lone hero cos Nice guys finish last all the time
No one can match a nice guy so he's pushed to the last all the time

Nostalgia

It was a wonderful time and the memories are in the sack,
We may have come a long way now, but I'll give any anything to go back

Every picture comes to life when I try to remember the story,
Its like a movie in your head, one which is never boring

The journey started from hostel with CS and took us to the duplex which was shady,
Still the bedrooms were empty and everyone slept in front of the TV

Then the coming together living face to face,
Bearing each other idiosyncrasies, we never got phased

Some searched for love and journeyed city to city,
It was totally worth it for sure, but definitely there was pity

Then some moved abroad and others followed suit,
Some are still trying and some just ask for a bottle to loot

Some are now married, some with kids,
Some are still single and looking for the other bit

The bonding was great and some of the kicking made people cry,
The stories are now legends and the laughter brings tears by

It was a wonderful time and the memories are in the sack,
We may have come a long way now, but I'll give any anything to go back
We may have come a long way now, but I'll give any anything to go back

For once Team India did it for Sachin ...

Image Link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/131000/131020.jpg

... and not the other way round. It was a strange moment for someone who grew up in the 90's watching the Little Master win games single-handed, and when he didn't countless debates "Why did he hit that shot?", "For once he should stop playing for records", "It is Sachin's fault that we lost" In fact when he snicked it to Sangakarra I shuddered to think what would happen. Surely, not 2003 again.

Flashback to 2003: For all the master's work in taking India to the finals, it was he who was blamed for not getting the job done. How could he take it for so many years? How can he be so humble after endearing abuse from so many people, his own people. In fact, I sometimes thought he didn't deserve India. I think he must have cried that day, just as he had during his epic 136 against Pakistan at Chennai in '99 and countless other occasions. I know I did.

Apr 2nd, 2011: Something brilliant is happening. Gambhir and Kohli are taking the fight to Srilanka. As Kohli cut Dilshan to the boundary, I thought to myself just maybe this is the day. Next ball, Dilshan takes blinder of a catch. Oops, I jinxed it. Step up the leader of the next generation or should I say the face of new India calm, composed as if this was just another cricket match. That six of Kulasekara will be played back and again many a time in the future. As he hit it, surely you heard billions of Indians across the globe celebrating. Oh well, they were just my speakers on high volume in the quiet city of Richmond. But, the feeling was so overwhelming. Yuvi and Dhoni celebrating on the pitch. Gary Kirsten (you beauty) pumping his fists, 4 years of hard work paying off. Then you see a small jubiliant man ... no wait ... a 37 year old kid rushing towards the scene. Mahi! he hugs, Yuvi! who hides him in an enormous bear hug. 20 years carrying the burden of the team on his shoulders, hiding tears from the press conferences. No more he says! I'm crying tears of joy. Definitely true, I know because I did too.

The dawn of a new future, a new India. A team which does not need Sachin to win them matches. A team in Sachin can just entertain and trust that his teammates have the "bottle" to finish the game off. All his 20 years of toil, hardwork, determination rewarded by 14 other men who watched him and idolised him growing up. Is there anything more he could ask for?

Just another face in the crowd

Just another face in the crowd both she and I,
Yet, we smiled at each other one wonders why.

She was quite different, the way she looked,
But I got a clue the moment she spoke.

I thought maybe this was fate's little game,
To set me up with a beautiful dame.

We spoke for a while about home and life,
About what we wish for and our strife.

We exchanged our numbers and then we said good bye,
I wonder if I should have waited, instead of letting her slip by.

Now we're just another face in the crowd, both she and I,
I dropped a message to her and I don't know if she will reply.

Looking for Eric - a true fan movie

*SPOILER ALERT: TOOK THE LIBERTY OF INCLUDING DIALOGUES SINCE MOST OF YOU WOULDN'T WATCH IT :)*





There were two reasons for going to lengths at searching the download for this movie and watching it.
- First, it featured one of my heroes Cantona
- Second, it was about a football fanatic. Something I strongly relate to

The beauty of this movie is not so much as potraying Cantona as a superstar. (which it does in one of its dialogues:
Eric Bishop: It's sometimes hard to imagine that you are still a man
Eric Cantona: I am not a man ..... I AM CANTONA)
But, more so about trying to understand how the common man tries to get through his daily problems and difficulties by trying to emulate the people he admires/ worships. How a simple moment of brilliance or magic can take your breath away and make you forget your problems atleast for sometime.
(Again potrayed beautifully where Bishop is trying to understand what it Cantona's most sweetest moment.
EB: Remember Sunderland, Ah that was a beauty Magnifique
It was like a ballet, a dance. Kept me going for months that goal.
It sort of fills you up so much that you just forget the rest of the shit in your life. Just for a few hours)
This is true for any kind of fan:
A movie fan who thrills in the masterpieces the director provides,
A book you may have liked and can keep reading it more than once.

Yet, the movie also potrays how hard our superstars have to work to keep their fans happy, to drive themselves forward they strive for that something special which will keep them in the fan's hearts
(EB: Must have been amazing though.
60,000 people watching ya. Cheering. Chanting your name
EC: Scary? yeah!
EB: You? Scared?!
EC: Scared it might stop
I loved to surprise the crowd.
Every time in every game, I tried to offer them a gift.
.
.
Further discussion on which was Cantona's sweetest moments, EB keeps listing the goals and finally says:
EB: Alright sweetest moment ever?
EC: It wasn't a goal
EB: It has to be a goal.
EC: It was a pass.
EB: Ah god! To Irwin against Spurs.
EC: *Describes the pass leading to the goal* He took it in his stride and my heart soared
EB: A gift?!
EC: Yeah! Like an offering to the great god of football.
)

It's a true fan movie which completely captures the emotions of the fans for whom football isn't just a game. It's a religion. For whom going to a game means saving a week's wages sometime. For someone like me it's a dream to go there. Like a pilgrimage.

Definitely a must watch for a Man United fan. I would still go far as to say keeping your loyalties aside and watching it as a neutral will give you some joy.

The most defining dialouge of the movie is realated to Bishop's own personal problems, but is summed up by Cantona:
The sweetest vengeance is to forgive

I'll leave you guys with one of the few Cantona songs in the movie:
What a friend we have in Jesus,
He's our saviour from afar,
What a friend we have in Jesus,
And his name is Cantonaa!!

OOH AAH! CANTONA!!

"The Lost" Diaries - 1

When I flew out of India for the first time in my life on 4th Aug 2010 lot of my assumptions were thrown out of the window.
Firstly, nowhere in the world is my name pronounced correctly.
Secondly, whoever said Americans do not spit on the road did not have the privelege to witness what i did this evening.
Russel Peters was telling the truth about Italians using sign language for WTF :D (I had an Italian for company from Munich to Newark ... friendly guy named David)
The smallest size of coffee/tea is not our good old "cutting chai" back home.
It's hot in the East Coast at this time of the year!!

As soon as I landed at my final destination at Richmond apart from being tired (damn the 35-40 hours connecting flights) I was taught a good lesson immediately. A security guy asked me if I needed help which I politely refused. But, he kept insisting, so I was like ok. When he loaded the bags in the taxi he was there standing, I was like uh oh! what have I done! Thanks to Strabucks (where BTW the smallest cup of coffee you get is called "Tall") I had change to give him 5 bucks.
So, lesson number 1: "Nothing is free in life. Even if you didn't ask for it in the first place."

Cab ride was good. Afe (the driver) was scared of lightnings and well you guessed it ... when I landed there was a thunderstorm. He kept telling me he was scared and kept praying to Jesus. Well, I just flew through those storms ... Imagine if Afe was in the plane!!

Work is challenging and good here, luckily the CRM team folks are awesome and helpful. I can only say there's never a dull moment here. *Grinning*

Adjusting to life in Pardes. It's very expensive here(who said you could save here) and no local transport .... believe me Pune public transport is much much better. So, that means I gotta get a license here and quick. Hope that goes well. Bought a new camera so till the enthu is there I'll be clicking snaps here and posting on facebook.
That's pretty much it for this time .... Got an offshore call in an hour now :D

Take care and be safe
Marwin