Head meets the mind

I started writing somthing else, but deviated to writing this piece of dialogue between head and heart which I have managed to complete.

Happy reading!

Here is a little going back to the basics : When god created man, she ( just to ensure I don sound chauvinistic) said to him "May you have a mind, which is the most powerful thing that anyone can have. With this, you can do anything you desire. However, there is a catch to it - this mind you will have is so powerful and innocent both at the same time that it will keep doing and following things without even knowing what it is up to. It will be more than happy to be occupied all the time but will find it extremely difficult to remain idle. It is going to be impossible for you to live peacefully only with the mind. So, I am giving you a head.

This head of yours is also extremely powerful but not as powerful as your mind. Your success in life or how peaceful you live depends on how skillfully you use both. In addition to this, I will give you a body inside which I will put both these for you to experience worldly pleasures." He said this.. oops sorry she said this dropped man on planet earth.

Man fell down, got up, got fascinated by the power of mind, went about using it and experienced happiness. He pushed the mind further and found more happiness. This made him feel overjoyed. He was absolutely fascinated by the power of mind and what he could do with it. He wasn't content with what he had. So, he wanted to take away what others had too. He trained his body and mind to overpower others and get what they had too so that he had more that will make him feel happier.

The brain warned his mind "This is enough. Just because you can, you cannot exploit others. You have enough to be happy. So, leave others' things to themselves and be happy with what you have."

The mind got angry and said "Who the hell are you to tell me. You are not as powerful as I am. I will do what I want to. Stop me if you can."

"Chill...Don't get so angry. I never said I am more powerful than you. I only said, exploiting others and becoming happy in the process is very temproary and I foresee a disaster happening to you and the body that you control to you if you keep doing it." The brain completed.

"Shut up.. you powerless piece of s***. I am anyway going to do what I want to do. Better be by my side to experience happiness. If not, even the god who created you can't make you happy.. ha ha ha..." The mind roared with confidence.

The brain succumbed to the sheer power of the mind and hence could not stop it. The mind set out for a journey in a attempt to be more happy but ended up creating the opposite. Man's mind became miserable, the body weak and the spirit dull as a result of not using the mind and head in tandem per what god said.

Something went wrong somewhere.. Isn't it? Rewinding a little bit, God gave man a mind, a head and a body and explained him how to use each to live happily and dropped him on planet earth. Man fell down... "Cut......" the director of this write up shouts.. "Continue.." he continues.. after after falling down, he never actually got up! End of story...

"Excuse me Mr. Director.. This is my creation, I want to add a finishing touch." God said.

"Oops.. sorry God.. please go ahead.." The director said.

God became happy, adjusted her make up, and asked the director "Am I looking good?"
( Women will be women)

"Of course yes." The director replied.

God turned her face towards the camera and said "I told you no.. now see what you've done!"
( Even an Indian god is capable of killing the English language.. lol...)

Judgement & Classification of relationships may be the cure!

Life hinges of relationships, a wide variety of them in fact. Everyone of us have different levels of relationships we have do deal and maintain day in and day out. On the personal front we have ones ranging from parents, grand parents, siblings, spouse to cousins, aunts & uncles and friends. On the work front we have those ranging from cubicle-mates, team-mates, colleagues, people we report to, people who report to us, acquaintances and few friends too. We have many more relationships at the social level too.

It would not be an understatement to say that one, few or all these relationships decide how we live our lives. Now, let me start doing justice to the title of this write up.

The success of a relationship depends of whether the person who we are in a relationship with has been properly classified under the category we put him/her in. It is not uncommon to see two people getting along really well as friends but end up becoming a bad pair. Equally common is to see two people get along very well as acquaintances and the relationship becomes screwed up when they become friends. This list is endless irrespective of which sphere of life we are in.

And at the end of it we think "Shit.. if only I had left things at the previous level, things would have been much better!" This, I call is the typical result of improper judgement & classification of relationships. Things work out between two people only at a certain level and not necessarily at every possible level and it is this knack that decides whether a person is successful at handling relationships or not.

I am of the opinion that, this judgement as to which level of relationship to be with whom that is the cure for all the troubles arising around maintaining relationships.

Running tracker

S.no Run When Timing

1. Hyd 1ok run Nov. 2007 50 mins

2. Hyd half marathon Nov. 2008 2 hrs 30 mins

3. Half marathon Sept. 2009 2 hrs 28 mins

4. Hyd 10k run Nov. 2009 52 mins

The Hyd 10 k run - Chaotic organizing!

Though I haven't been in the best of shapes recently due to skipping training sessions for playing cricket and writing, I was in a decent enough form to compete for the first time in a long distance running event. The good news was that, more than 100 people signed up from Google, which meant we got a corporate registration. This also meant I would compete only against men from other corporates.

Having completed the 10 k run in 50 mins way back in Nov 2007 coupled with my redeemed passion for running after that, I knew I had fair chance of making it to the top 5 under the 'corporate men' category. With this confidence I headed to Necklace road with Shyam in time

( in fact ahead of time per Indian standards.)

We were all instructed to get near the stage inside the ground so that the run could commence. I was pretty happy on getting there with only few hundreds in front of me and I thought it was my day with destiny to make to the winner's list. The usual cine-stars came, spoke and got thunderous ovations for whatever they spoke.

After a couple of minutes, the MC asked everyone to get ready for the race and called upon some celebrity to flag off the race. He flagged off and no one ran. I was looking around and re-confirmed that no one ran. After a minute or so, the MC instructed everyone to head via their nearest gate to start running. Apparently, when the celebrity flagged off, people started from starting point on the road. This starting point on the road was about 200 mts from the stage and given the per sq.km density at that point in time, about 2-4k people would have been there between the stage and the starting point.

How am I supposed to know this, when clearly instructed half an hour before "Please come into the ground near the stage so that we can start off the race.?" I had to literally wrestle with so many people rushing from all sides and jump over a wall to get to the starting point at the earliest. By then there were so many hundreds converging from all directions. I for a moment wondered whether it was the 10 K run or a street wrestling event.

This pissed me off to say the least. It did much more harm than just pissing me off. There were so many people ahead of me walking at the most relaxed pace they ever could and the only thing I could do was to jog few meters, walk few meters, push few people, get pushed by many more, bump into strangers and then apologize and do everything else but run.

This continued for more than a km by which I decided, there is no way I could make a top 5 finish. The crowd cleared up after some time, I gradually picked up pace and kept the rhythm going until 9 kms after which I switched gears to finish strongly at 52 mins. ( I thought I had it in me to come with a 45-46 min finish) If only there were clear instructions as to the exact point where the race started, thing would have been different.

Shit happens!

Speak it out people!

I have been friends with Jacqueline for close to 2 years now. But, because of our busy work lives, assumptions we made about each other, the fights that arose because of this, we demoted the friendship to an acquaintanceship . But one day it struck me how stupid it was from our sides to not sort out our differences and continue maintaining a cold relationship despite the fact that we were very good friends in the making.

It took the effort of a mutual friend to tell us that we had to speak out things to re-discover the friendship. It just took close to twenty minutes of talking for us to get back on track. And hence, the miracle happened.

I am very happy that we are close to becoming the friends we were a couple of years ago. So, the moral of the story is "speak it out people!"

Review of Chetan's latest book - 2 states

Chetan Bhagat's latest book - 2 states is something that I have been waiting anxiously to read since the news of it being published became public.

Humour is Chetan's strength and he maximizes his strength throughout. If it is the typical Indian setting & the romance between two students of IIM's that makes us relate ourselves to the story and start reading the book, it is the brilliant use of wit that makes us finish reading the 270 odd pages.

The 'IIM - A' canteen is where the two central characters of the book - Krish and Ananya ( both of them students) meet each other and become friends. While Krish goes for the beauty of the girl to start socializing (with better reasons than socializing at the back of his mind,) Ananya is driven by the for the 'safe guy feeling' to socialize with him (may be even she had similar thoughts,) typically how guys and girls start becoming friends!

Ananya throws attitude at him at the beginning accusing him of trying to flirt with her (because of the confidence or rather over- confidence that she gets with over a dozen guys proposing her within the first couple of weeks in the campus, reminding us of one of those many girls we come across in our daily lives who roam around with their heads held high for the wrong reasons and throw this attitude even if they get the attention of half an eye ball! ) But, he stands his ground and maintains his self ego and more importantly self respect.

With the numerical problem solving abilities that Krish carries with him as a result of being an IIT ian, he becomes the ready made choice for Ananya to look up to. They get together and meet more often than normal classmates with 'studies' being the binding force. As the author rightly puts it, 'put a guy and a girl in a room and fill it with boring text books, sparks are sure to fly!'

Sparks fly and graduate to become fireworks with time as Ananya moves in to Krish's room. Something keeps them going for the next couple of years in IIM - may be the warmth of a companion while living away from home or the fact that they could work (study) in tandem - because of the organizing skills of Ananya and the math skills of Krish or simply the sex. They do not commit until the last few days in IIM.

Apparently by an introspective talk with god and a feeling of guilt, Krish proposes Ananya in a very dramatic way on the day on campus placements in front of representatives from HLL - where Ananya finally lands a job. Our hero Krish gets a job with Citibank as he was able to convince the employers of finding a match between his skill set and the company's objectives and opts for Chennai as that is where his damsel's family lives and also gets posted.

Krish as expected finds it difficult to get adjusted to living in the land of Tamils initially. But, once he gets his eye in (oops sorry.. cricket lingo) does a good job of adapting and wooing Ananya's family (which is a part of their plan to get married with the consent of their respective families.)

The couple then go to Punjab to execute the second phase of their plan (Ananya making Krish's family like her.) She finds the going even more difficult as according to Krish's mom, marriage is an arrangement where one finds the most appropriate price to sell one's son with considerable weight age given to the number of letters that follow his name and the prevailing market rates.

After a few days of her staying with his family, Krish takes Ananya along with him to one of his niece's weddings where Ananya's smartness comes to the fore. A combination of mis-communication and over-expectation of dowry leaves the groom's family feel cheated and the bride's family helpless. This situation brings the marriage to a standstill and only a miracle could make it happen. Through her sheer boldness and persuasive skills she convinces the groom that it is not a big deal and ensures the marriage ends with smiles on every one's face. Needless to say she immediately becomes the darling of the kith and kin of Krish's family!

Usually in movies and books written in the Indian context, only the 'Hero' gets to do such acts but the author showing the 'Heroine' making the impossible possible is commendable. This is a representation of the changing face of India were the physically stronger sex is finally appreciative of what the emotionally stronger sex can do and their impact in all spheres of life.

But, how can an Indian marriage get over so smoothly without any drama? Both the families develop a hatred towards each other when they meet. This grows into draconian proportions and leads to the break up of the couple. The usual sleeplessness, improper nutrition and beard growing rituals haunt Krish and takes him to heights like needing counseling and medication.

This is when the story takes a cinematic twist as Krish's father steps up (who otherwise has a 'I don care what happens to anyone's life other than mine,') travels all the way to Chennai and sorts out the difference between the two families with his speaking skills. This part is quite un-believable!

Re-bonding happens, the sick, unhealthy Punjabi chap turns into a handsome hunk and marries the always beautiful Ananya with the consent of both the families. The author's patriotic finishing touch that speaks about stuff like 'how does it matter whether we are from two different states, we are after all people of the same nation' makes one stand up in attention and sing 'Jana gana mana....!' which I think is a fitting tribute to a book that is a representation of an India where state borders are diminishing and the country as a whole is better unified than what it was a couple of decades back.

Why do we dream of what we do?

This article I am writing is not about what we consciously dream of but of what our subconscious speaks to us through our dreams.

We speak different things to different people. To some people we speak our minds but to most we apply a filter and speak out only those things that are appropriate and those that would not create any confusion or problem. But deep beneath, not actually that deep. Just take away the filter or simply get a lil drunk, when the filter will vanish and what comes out will only be what we mean.
It is not uncommon to hear people speak about philosophy or about people who really love when they are drunk. Both these aren't acceptable to be spoken straight forward per the so called 'Societal norms' as people just cannot accept reality and pure love.

Well as usual I have deviated from my topic. But, the last para kinda sets the context for the topic of this write up which is 'what do we dream of? or what does the subconscious speak to us?

It is really interesting to note the kinda stuff we dream about. I can vouch for a fact that all that we dream about are things that we thought about at some point in time or the other but for the damned 'societal norms' or for the heck of being in the good books of others kept it to ourselves.

All these societal norms and other fallacies like that apply only to the world outside. The world inside is simple, beautiful and true. The subconscious speaks to the mind about things that it thought but did not let out or experience for some reason or the other.

Our dreams can vary from a scary experience like seeing a loved one dead to a beautiful experience like dating the hottest chic on the ramp to an indulging one like flying in a personal aero plane above the Alps. Such is the audacity of the sub-conscious. It doesn't care about how you feel on being communicated through a dream about something that you can cannot accept that easily. It just let's out things that are put in.

You put anything in your mind, it comes out through some form or other other. And, if it doesn't come out, it remains there troubling you for a life time. In my next article or probably some other article I will cover more about two more philosophical & psychological topics that were briefly hinted through the course of this write up. They are :

1. 'What goes in come out' and it's universal applicability.
2. 'The world is scared to accept things as they are.


Have a good sunday!

Difference between being alone and being left out

The people who think they are left out are the ones that are the weakest. How can some one be left out? I totally agree to what is being said and proved around the notion 'man is a social animal.' But, one can never be left out. Everyone has so much to discover from within themselves, so much to speak to their mind, so much more conversation that that their higher sense has to make to the mind.

When you turn your mind inwards you understand what all your mind says and does. You see and realize and some point in time that the mind goes behind everything gives sensual pleasure be it money, things and women. In this bargain it fails to differentiate between what is necessary and what is luxury, what is good and what is bad, what is true and what is false and most importantly what is temporary and what is permanent.

All this the higher sense within us understands but the mind which dominates us diverts us from this and rules the roost. Guess I am deviating from the topic. Let me speak more about the difference between being alone and being left out.

Ya... so what I mean to say is very simple. There are more than one being within yourself. There are actually three within you. One is the real you -'the soul,' the second is the one with which you connect with other things and beings in this world - 'the mind' and the third is the frame within which the first two are contained, I mean 'the body.' The brain is another entity too. And if you are a 'feel' person there is 'the heart' too.

Going by this there are at least three beings that everyone has. Interacting with any of these is a lot of fun and a rewarding experience. When this is the case, someone can be alone, but how can they ever feel left out? Ya.. they may not be surrounded by people but they have themselves to spend time with.

Spending time alone is also a great thing to do. It shows you things that you have never seen before and let's you feel things that you have never felt before. If at this point in time you have come to a conclusion that I hit my head against a boulder and blabbering stuff, or I am drunk or I have simply lost it, please feel free to reach out to me and I will be happy to share my excitement around this topic with you.

Remaining unaffected by how people perceive you

Everyone of us wake up in the morning go about doing our chores, dress up well, socialize etc. If you notice carefully, there is one thing that is common in all what we do and say. It is how people perceive you for what you are and your actions.

Thinking about it in further more detail, we would be alarmed to discover the effect of people's perception about us have on us. If we get a lot of compliments from others about us, that drastically improves our mood for the day. If we hear lot of derogatory remarks from others about us, that spoils our mood for the day.

The question to be answered is, why on earth does the comment of some one else be it positive or negative have an effect on you. Psychologically speaking, any mood is a state of our own mind and not about what people think about you. But, the exact opposite seems to be happening in every one's life.

I am not trying to advocate rudeness in behavior or encouraging everyone to be a loner. Of course, it is important to be amongst people and that is precisely why it is said 'man is a social animal.' However, a social animal need not be an animal that is a slave to the society.

Everything that happens in this world is not because of what others do to you or what others do not do to you. It is because of how to you take things. This is precisely what teachers of ancient karate tried to preach. The enemy to be conquered is not your opponent. The real enemy is within you.

Taking cue from this and applying it to our daily lives, we can pretty much understand that it is we who decide how happy we are, how sad we are, how handsome/beautiful we look and how well we live our lives. It is not the perceptions of people that decide it.

When we start getting into the habit of thinking primarily about what people will think, how they will perceive you, you will end up living a life without having done anything that you wanted to do and not even earning a good reputation from people. Because, irrespective of what you do people will still rack their brains to find out something wrong in to speak about partly because most people are so jobless and partly to satisfy their self ego. Self ego is satisfied when one feels better about himself/herself in comparison to the others. When the find fault in you, they feel faultless at least relatively faultless and that gives them a false sense of self-confidence by which they feel good.

Feeling young and happy

The whole world is running on it's toes for god knows what. But at the end of the day retire in the drawing rooms of their respective homes with a bag full of money, room full of luxuries and a mind full of sadness.

I am sure each and everyone of us would have been nothing but happy all through our childhood and early teens for that matter until late teens. But, by the early twenties is when the worry factor starts to creep in. Logically speaking early twenties is when everyone should start feeling more happy because, all the material pleasure we only dreamt of suddenly appears in front of our eyes. This is primarily because of the fact that we get to work and draw good if not huge salaries.

But here is the catch. If happiness ( at least how we picturized it in late teens) is bought by money why aren't we happy with more money. This let's us face off with a truth of life that happiness is not bought by money.

One way of feeling happy is by feeling young. By feeling young, I mean enjoying every single moment of life and doing what gives us happiness. As a kid, even a short cycle ride would make me feel out of the world. When a grew up little more, travelling pillion on my Dad's scooter gave me happiness. As I grew up little more, travelling by a car gave me happiness and two wheeler rides no more excited me.

I am now employed and travel to work in an air-conditioned car every day but it doesn't bring me even 1/10th of the happiness that I the same used to give me a decade back. It is the same car, in fact a better one, same luxury in fact way better luxury but things aren't the same. Logically speaking my happiness should have increased. But, it has decreased.

The problem is not with the type of the car I travel or the luxury it has to offer but in my mind. Or rather the way I have groomed my mind. I have groomed my mind in a way to not happy with what is around but to dream of higher levels of material happiness. By saying this, I do not intend to say dreaming big is bad. What I am only saying is, dreaming big about things like what I can do as a person, how much I can love people around me, how well I can develop my skill set etc.. is what is required and not dreams like, I would own a car when I am 25, I would own a house when I am 30, own a bunglow when I am 40 etc.

Here again I would like to draw a parallel to cricket. And Sachin in specific. In the center of all the fame, money and records is a man who has very simple rules by which he lives life. Even now when you ask Sachin what keeps him going, his reply would be "As a kid, I dreamt of playing cricket for my country. I am happy I get to do this. "

What a simple but effective reply. 20 years of playing international cricket is no mean achievement and too playing for a country like India where there is enormous pressure from the media and the public. But it takes one great head on that tiny frame he has to keep it going year after year.

This is the reason he still enjoys his game and that enjoyment in turn leads to him playing extra-ordinarily even today. If only he had changed his focus from enjoying cricket to much attractive but temporary targets like being the highest run scorer, being the most famous cricketer, being the richest sportsman etc, he would have lost his way. May be he would have achieved all these but would have sure lost his head.

But here is the man standing at less than 5 1/2 feet still achieving things that most cricketers can only dream of and still leading a peaceful, happy and successful life. Now, you would have understood that, the thing that keeps him going is the passion for the game.

And I am sure he retires every day to his drawing room with a bag full of money, house full of luxury and a mind full of happiness.

Happiness in fact lies in following what you are passionate about and everything else follows. Actually even if nothing else follows it doesn't really matter because you are happy anyway and that is essentially why everyone is alive!

Hyderabad half marathon

The lack of training in the past two weeks coupled with the lack of sleep the night before the marathon saw my performance dip. ( Though I clocked exactly the same time - 2 hr 30 mins I did the last time I ran the half marathon on the 30th November, 2008, I would call it a dip performance because of the training I did in since then!) Anyway, no great regrets. It was still a success in a way because I always believed in a good sleep absolutely important the day before running a marathon.

But this time around, despite sleeping only for 3.5 hrs as opposed to the 8.5 hrs I do normally, I was still able to complete the run with a decent timing. I am not very sure about how lack of sleep affects performance physically the next day. But, lack of sleep usually psyches me out - in the sense I get mentally defeated even before the beginning of the race coz of lack of sleep. But, this time around, it was a test for my mental strength and I should say I managed to put up a decent show!

When even poverty can be a boon!

Did you know the secret of Haile Gebrselassie- the greatest long distance runner ever is? You would be surprised to know that, it is poverty! Born as one of ten children in Asella, Arsi Province, Ethiopia and growing up as a child on a farm he used to run ten kilometres to school every morning, and the same back every evening not because he wanted to but because, he did not have a choice. This led to a distinctive running posture, with his left arm crooked as if still holding his schoolbooks. But, those years of hardship is the reason for what he is now!

One for mom!

It was around 8.30 in the night when I went to Sandarshini for dinner, had dinner and when I walked out, the rain started gaining momentum...I decided to get wet in the rain and reach home rather than waiting coz it looked like the rain gods were bent on going on and on. As I started walking, I found something that made me look twice, and go back in time and more than that inspire me to write this:

A young lady was carrying her kid and covered him with her saree to protect him from the rain. I loved it. I've always loved every act of my mom, especially ultra-sweet ones like these.

It is among the very few relationships where one does something for another even if it means to forego something and not even have the faintest thought of getting anything back - anything at all!

I am a believer in relativity. The beauty or importance of a person is best understood in a relative context. One understands the real importance of 'mom' only after getting to experience other kinds of relationships. The following quote by George Carlin about 'our times' throws ample light on superficial relationships that have become the order of the day! (I find it apt to quote this now, again because of relativity.)

" These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete..."

And the following video is for all those who love their mom!

On Wimbledon Men's Final 2009 and Federer compared with the likes of Nadal

What a classic! I just wonder what keeps champions going even after achieving almost every other thing and getting to a stage where they are a class apart from the crowd. Federer has nothing to prove to anyone in the world arena and to himself as he has won a slam everywhere and prior to this year's Wimbledon he jointly held the record for the most number of slams with big P. But, when one sees his scamper for every single point, it was as if he had never won a match before in life, leave alone a tournament or a grand slam. Such was the level of commitment, concentration and attitude he showed on court.

I wish I could have this commitment and enthusiasm about what I do in life. It is just amazing to note "What on earth keeps him going even after achieving so many feats?"

Due praise to Roddick .. I love the way he plays and he is a champion too. But sadly he is playing tennis in the same era as the great Federer. That is one of the reasons why he has been sidelined. A parallel can be drawn to the likes of Rahul Dravid and say Saurav Ganguly. They are gifted players too and have achieved a lot in the international arena. But, sadly again they happen to play Cricket in the era of the god of cricket - Sachin!

If only it had not been for such greats who dominate their area of specialization, so many other players would have risen to much higher glory!

Another point I wanted to write was about his composure and maturity. Being a sportsman myself, I understand the emotions attached with sports. Every point earned means a lot and I am in awe as to how he conceals his emotions, even when it means so much to him. With the placid reaction on his face throughout the match, he can pass of as a monk.. May be that is what is called as maturity...!

Compare this to the likes of Nadal, where there is loud and strong expression of emotions so many times throughout the match or the extreme case of Marat Safin who has broken a record number of rackets just to let out his emotions. N and M are kids in the block when compared to the great Federer who has been there done that and knows when to celebrate and when not to. I do agree N brings a lot more energy to the court, but to the purists of the game in specific and sports in general it is Federer who rules! Drawing another parallel to cricket, it is like the comparison of T20 to test cricket. The T20 version appeals to all the newbies of cricket for it's flashy nature, energy on the field and the pace at which the game moves. But, the real test for any player is test cricket. Similarly, N appeals to all those who want to see an energy packed match, with sound, emotions and action. But, the real champion is Federer!

Preparing for the Mumbai full marathon 2010

I some how want to complete the Mumbai full marathon in 2010. Though I kinda got a start and practice regularly, I get bored with running at times and take a break here and there for a week or two. The challenge to meet here is to keep myself motivated with the focus on the distant goal and keep practising regularly. Hope fully I ll make it. I have to man... I was able to complete the Hyderabad half marathon in November, 2008 with a timing of 2 hr 30 mins.. This was the first time I had run for such a long time at a stretch.. When I can do that with literally no practice at all, I think the stage is all set to upgrade myself to complete the full marathon considering the 14 months time until Jan 17th, 2010 - the date of the event. Let's see.. fingers crossed.. I somehow want to make this happen.. May be I should stick strongly to my Sunday early morning long runs.. that will help me maintain the discipline and keep me in shape and focus for the Big event!

And now the long forgotten ligament tear on my right ankle keeps showing it's ugly head every now and then to keep me away from training and take my focus away. However, I get to exercise atleast the upper body and core on such days. But, let's see how long this is going to continue.

And I finally registered for the mega event! What a feeling it is to register for Asia's biggest marathon. Hopefully I will be able to complete it on January, 2010

Is money taking away the sheen from test cricket?

We have been seeing a lot of test matches being played on flat tracks off late. Take for example the 2 nd test played between India and New Zealand. It was a very flat pitch which played a pivotal role in India ensuring a draw. Quoting Vettori " This pitch would have lasted another 5-6 days. It was so flat.' Why does New Zealand do this when the whole world knows that the only chance it beating India is on a fast track.

Cricket administrators have an unhealthy obsession these days about making matches last five days. Television pays for cricket and TV bosses want every commercial break they can get. But if it starts in the way of producing interesting cricket, it would be self-defeating. Such cricket will only turn people away from Tests. There have been too many pitches like this in the last couple of months. It’s killing Test cricket.

How fast can I run?

It is a really surprising to discover how fast you can train your body..! The human body is 'the' machine that yields dividends proportionate to the efforts you put in, in a very short period of time.

A new look at cricket

Cricket as a game has always enthused me ( like every other Indian kid.) However, the way I ve started watching this game has changed drastically. Game of course is a representation of true life on a field! I was reading an article by Sunny Gavaskar and what he said about cricket applies perfectly to life. Here he goes " I have always believed that technique has never been a huge part of sport. Temperament is your No. 1 thing. You could have the best technique in the world, but if your temperament is bad, you'll be nowhere. While if the temperament is good and you don't have great technique, you will be able to do well. You have the ability inside you which makes you hang in there, makes you go on. That's what separates the men from the boys."

Latest passion - running

The latest journey I have embarked upon is running. It gives a great sense of joy when you slowly jog when the sun has just started it's journey towards the west as there are hardly any vehicles plying on the road, there is a chillness in the air, it is the only time of the day when you feel fresher with every progressive step. An early morning jog is definitely more than a physical exercise. It is a time when your mind is free and all by itself!

I was discussing whether I will be able to complete the 42 km full marathon to an experienced peer and what he said, put all my fears about me completing it to rest. Just concentrate on the next immediate step you have to take and that will take care of the rest. How true!

This holds good not only for running but for life itself. With an air of uncertainty looming large around us, the only thing we have control over is the action next in line and if we put our heart and soul to it and see to it, it is done in the best possible manner, it is all done! What this does amongst the other things is to reduce the burden of future and helps us put our best into the job in hand.