A day under the Mother Tree!

Nothing could have prepared me for the day under the Mother tree. Nor anything could have, for the countless students of RSK, old and present , who had gathered under the beloved banyan tree for OSCAR 2011, the annual old student get-together.

It was a chance look at FB that announced to me the annual meet, that  made me cancel all the plans in chennai for the weekend and rush to Trichy.

And when I say the Mother tree(thats what one of the seniors had called it and I felt it was a very suitable name), I refer to the massive and yet welcoming banyan tree. It has stood strong and has seen the best times of our childhood. The last time I had come to the school on a holiday and I had decided to walk in to the school when everyone was present. When I walked in , I was not sure if I would get to meet any of my batch mates, there was this fear of being un-welcomed. Knowing RSK I needn’t have worried. My apprehension evaporated the moment I saw my teachers.

Time had changed the way we look, the way we think, but there are certain emotions that are evoked at the batting of an eyelid, that can transport you back in time. It reminds us of things that don’t change with time. As I walked up to one of my teachers, I was amazed at the mix of reactions she showed. For one moment there was a quizzical expression as she tried to remember me, then the look of recognition and finally the joy of seeing a loved one after a long time. I can never express in words, the flood of emotions I felt as she held my hand like a kid as she inquired my well-being. Felt too Good!

By the time I had spoken to each one of them, right from near the water tap, to the ‘Rocket’ , to the banyan tree it had become more than an hour. The sight under the banyan tree was fabulous. As the stage rocked with performers, the spectators themselves were rocking with energy – there was a show on-stage and there was another, off it. As I stood there near the stage watching the participants go up stage , I could not help thinking about the anxiety and spirit with which I had waited for all those shows right before going on stage.

A lot  had changed, students were now sitting on a chair, and instead of just the shade of the banyan tree, we had a shamiana overhead. Although it was more colorful with banners, ribbons and bunting, all I could think of, was of memories a simple tree could evoke in you. As I sat there reminiscing the past, my friend called me over and asked if we could play a game of football in the school ground. And on hearing who the opponents were I was more than game for it. The old students were gonna play the game against the current school team ( which had made it to the state tournament this year), and I was all excited.

Yes, you guessed it right, we lost the game terribly. It was an amazing game though, and I am proud that we managed 2 goals(in spite of terrible fitness ) against a top notch team which scored 6 goals to win the game. I was happy that we had scored two goals and more than that I was  proud that we had a good team of players who can carry our mantle. The dampened spirit was uplifted when one of my physical education teachers told me ‘ I did not expect you to be so fit’ (I know you wouldn’t believe it:)) . We went back to the event venue, slightly tired from the game but we were re-energized when we heard the school anthem. The decibel levels in the crowd rose to a crescendo as we reached the  words -

                                   ‘Lets sing with joy together,

                                     in voices loud and clear,

                                     We love our Alma Mater

                                    The school to us so dear.

  and went on even stronger as we finished with a high.

The only difficult part of the day was walking away from under the banyan tree, but the feeling was very strong that I was only walking away from it physically, a part of my heart still lingers around its roots.  Perhaps this is what makes life beautiful – to go back and meet a part of your heart, to go back to your roots and sense bliss.

Without doubt it was one of the best days in my life.

Thank you Teachers, you made it special for us. Not just that day, you have made every day of our lives a joy to live.

And we will never forget this ‘Heaven on Earth’.

Far Far Away

May be the creative well had dried up(in fact could not think of a proper Title) or it could just be that I did not feel like writing anything for some time now. My last post had been a long time back. So I guess I am back now.

Its been almost three months since I landed on the shores of Singapore (well I just landed at the airport, that was purely for the dramatic effect, never mind!!!) I haven’t shared much since then. For starters, Life has been frenetic.

If you are looking up in Google (bye bye dictionary )  for frenetic it reads ‘Fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way’ . Well that’s how life has been.

A new job – you know how it is, the learning, more importantly the unlearning, the flurry of manuals, process notes, the intros, the careful distance that you maintain while you talk to future team mates,  the joy of closing your first deal, the pathetic look on your first mistake, the helpless expression when someone asked you something you (obviously ) did not know. All this has been pretty interesting. Apart from that, the walks in the afternoon after lunch is something that I am loving. And in no other country you can afford to walk right past the Parliament and the Supreme court. We do that every afternoon. It’s cool, I know!

People – In a land far far away, I did not hope to make so many friends so soon. But God willing, it has been great.  Right from office to home to weekend games it has been friends all around. After Kanpur, Coimbatore and Pondicherry – in this country I am basking in the company of friends.

Look Closer.. that's me bowling!!!

Cricket – this is the highlight of my weekend. After 3 and a half years I am back into active cricket. The best part is I get to play in grounds of absolutely good standard, with the complete kit. An amazing set of team mates,  good competitive matches, the usual injuries, first going flat while bowling and then going flat (literally) after your spell.  Not having played for so long was really tough. In fact I dropped 4 catches before I held on to my first one. We have lost a couple of crucial matches ( no correlation with the dropped catches though!)  but are hoping to come back with a bang again. Maybe you could expect more blogs on cricket in the coming days with the amount of cricket that is getting played. Let me talk no more of cricket as the steam that left the ears of fellow BIM-ites has reached me and it is scorching hot.

One event I missed was the Formula One –Night race in Singapore. We got to walk on the track 2 days before the event. My God, these guys did not even have to pave it over for the race. That is the standard of the road here. The track was a mere 200 yards away from our office and the sound of vrooming engines was too tempting. Yes, we could hear them sitting at our desks. Hoping to make it to the event next year for sure.

So I guess that is it for now. Will catch up sometime soon!

Anna the Super Man!!!

As I watched Anna Hazare on television I couldn’t help but wonder if everything was alright with all of us. Reactions expected of a normal human being, when vented now are branded as super-human because most of us have forgotten how to be human. To stand up against crime and corruption is the most normal thing we should do. And sadly, I think we have learnt to live with it – alongside without any fuss.

There he was, a 73 year old man, standing for truth and the majority of Indian youth was just rejoicing the Indian victory. I too was ashamed for I was one of them. Not that we shouldn’t celebrate but the unity that most of us showed while supporting the Men in Blue was never there in fighting against corruption.

 That is until now!

I hope this new found hope turns itself on into a raging fire. A fire –  that purges the nation of spineless criminals who call themselves Leaders.  Looters would have been a better word. Maybe it will die down. Or, maybe not. The answer lies in all of us. Rather the fire!

Though I wouldn’t want to get into the nitty-gritty’s of it there was one opinion that I heard that made a lot of sense. Not allowing people with any sort of criminal record to contest elections. I think a majority won’t be able to contest in the elections if that were made a law. Its a shame that we have to choose between the lesser of evils.

Maybe it is time!

Maybe it is time to dust our collective consciousness which has gone into hibernation (a very long winter indeed!) and stand up against corruption.

And the best part is we want to fight it the Gandhian way! I am proud that I am an Indian!

Will our so called leaders make us feel proud of them? By being with us in our fight against corruption.

I doubt it.

Very much!

Finally the World Cup realises its dream…

….of being lifted by Sachin!

Yes, after its long wait of 36 years, finally it has been  lifted by the Little Master.

Well, What a match! What a moment of pride! For me it was a 15 year long wait, after seeing India crash out of the 1996 World Cup Semi-final, humiliated by the team from the island nation.

And Boy! Could revenge be sweeter!

Except for the India Vs West Indies match in Chennai where I had seen it in the stadium, I saw every other match alone in my room, and I did not get up from my favorite spot for fear of loss of another wicket or a boundary from the opposition. Call it superstition but cricket crazy fans like me would vouch that they would do anything for an Indian win. And it paid off.

It was a beautiful match with its twists and turns. I was stunned by the fielding that was on display. And then while we were lost at sea, the skipper and Gambhir steered us to the Promised Land. We played like a team and we won as a team.  Sachin might have missed his hundredth ton, but there he was grinning like a kid when the youngsters lifted him onto their shoulders. And for an ardent fan like me there is nothing like seeing that smile on his face.

And there were two outstanding comments that I heard – one , of Sanjay Manjrekar who said ‘ When Rajnikanth is here, India cant lose’ and the other of Virat Kohli who showed stunning maturity when he said “ Sachin has carried the burden of Indian cricket  for 21 years and now its time we carry him on our shoulders”.

Well said Virat –  ‘We will carry him in our heart’.

(Too) Young and in Love!!

Your Fourth standard isnt really the right age to fall in love. Spoilt Young( or young and spoilt) is what you would think! Think what you want, but no one can take away the sweet emotions that course through me when I think of it. To this day I can still remember the way she smiled. It was the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled. To this day I can remember those cat eyes. More than anything it was the way she taught us all mathematics(Never did Math well after that – Maybe she took away my ability to grasp Math when she went away ).  The sweetness with which she spoke to us was overwhelming. Never punished any of us. Never a harsh word. Never a look of disapproval. To this day I can still remember the Violet saree with big yellow polka dots on it. I can remember that she got married that year. Looking back, I  have learnt that it wasn’t love, but everytime I think of those days, I can never forget how fond I was of her. It has never failed to bring a smile (sometimes sheepish) to my face!

This is dedicated to all those who had that sweetest little crush – young, tender and innocent.

Happy Valentine’s Day!