A fan's apology to Roger Federer

Dear Roger,

I write this after you lost to Andy Murray, for the first time in a slam. The doom merchants would start with their "he is over" theories again, till you make them look stupid one more time but that's not the reason why I am writing this.

I am writing this to say "I am sorry" from the bottom of my heart for ever doubting you in the years from 2010 Australian Open till 2012 Wimbledon when you did not win a slam.
This stretch was difficult for us fans so I can't even think about how tough it must have been for you. From our standpoint, it was about fighting with the rest of the tennis fan world about why you should still keep playing and how you could still be the best and win slams again but it was difficult to make our case. Until I realized where I was wrong.

I forgot why I, like millions in the world, love you so much. It's not because you have won a lot, or because you dominated the game like no other but because you made tennis look beautiful to watch. Its because you did things with your racquet, appropriately called the "magic wand" a lot of times, that no one else could. Its because the way you carried yourself on court like a man who feels privileged to play a game that he, just like us, loves so much. 

I guess in that phase of disappointment and waiting I should have listened to you more. I needed you to tell me, in one of your recent interviews, why you play the game. 
This is what you said and I don't think anyone can phrase this better:

"Sometimes you're just happy playing. Some people, some media, unfortunately, don't understand that it's okay just to play tennis and enjoy it. They always think you have to win everything, it always needs to be a success story, and if it's not, obviously, what is the point? Maybe you have to go back and think, Why have I started playing tennis? Because I just like it. It's actually sort of a dream hobby that became somewhat of a job. Some people just don't get that, ever."

As a fan of the sport, largely due to you, I understand this. I no longer care about what the media, so-called experts, cynics and rest of the world has to say about you, the state of your game, when you should retire and so on. I am just privileged to watch you play this game you love so much. No person is bigger than the game and so, new guys will come forward to take your place at the top of charts but I will try to watch you play as much as possible, as long as you wish to do so. Reason? well, one of them is this link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sihhsshBQ9U
I fear it might be decades before I see something like that again after you are gone. Its easy to know why legends like Rod Laver feel you remind them of the game as they played it, the game of touch and beauty, not a game of power and stamina that it has become today. 

With the latest defeat, tongues will be wagging about your "fitness" and how Murray outlasted you. They will be saying how the young guns are catching up with you. What I saw in the last 2 weeks though is a 31 year old guy teaching the young guns of tennis some lessons, just like you did last year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEn-jUY2TpU 

What I saw in the quarterfinal and semifinal is even more impressive. I saw a guy who has achieved almost everything there is to achieve, still fighting with guys 5-6 years younger to him, who are playing in their prime and still managing to beat them or make it incredibly hard for them to win. Will these "stars" of today be as good as you are at 31-32? I highly doubt that. That I feel will be a BIG part of your outstanding legacy. We knew the Roger Federer who, in his prime, would blow apart the opposition. But we see a new Roger Federer now. The one who's past his prime and is still fighting with the younger generation and still beating them. The World No 1 ranking regained last year was a testament to the "new Federer" and that will speak volumes about the career of Roger Federer. I, like my fellow fans, am as proud of this Roger as I ever was.

So, dear Roger, just keep playing the game, as long as you want to. I have no doubt that no one can make a better decision than you about when to stop. As a fan, I respect your decision and every minute of watching you play will be a treasure for us. 

Once again "I am sorry" for ever doubting you and forgetting the reason why I watch you play. I am at peace now. The media and experts can sell the "best era" argument as much as they want by telling us how the other guys are now better returners, how they are fitter, faster and stronger and what not. What they cannot sell is the unparalleled noise in the stadiums when you enter, the ATP fan favorite awards year after year and the magic you keep creating every day on court. The others will have to earn that.

To sign off, here's a video that is ample proof of speed, agility, athleticism and return quality against one of the top servers of your era. If the so called "better players" can do that today, I'll take my hat off.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z9MXo3Bq-I

Tendlya, Jammy and the death of the Golden era

Sachin Tendulkar retired from One day cricket....is that the last straw in my love with the game that once occupied a big chunk of my life?

I am from the "eat cricket, drink cricket, sleep cricket" generation in India. That was the only sport that occupied our lives when we were kids. We not only knew all stats and figures but we emulated the stars in our own ways.....Azhar's stance, Kapil's bowling action....heck, even applying cold cream on our faces like Craig Mcdermott and Alan Donald.

It surprises me that I no longer watch the game as much as I used to and have moved to watching more Tennis. During my vacation in India, I watched cricket again for some time and wasn't hooked onto it like the earlier days, and then I found why.

Its not just about IPL or the T20. Its about what IPL/T20 has made today's Indian players to be. No matter how much they try to show they have personality, today's average Indian player is DULL !!! In his mannerisms, in his game, in his overall attitude. Gone are the days when Dravid answered Alan Donald's verbal abuse by hitting him for sixes.....today's Indian player abuses back. Nothing wrong with being a fiery character, as long as that reflects in your game too. But its more about making the noise and less about action. 

The reason why the Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and Kumble generation was a golden era of Indian cricket was because each one of them had more personality than today's entire team combined and they didn't have to "showcase" it. These guys stood tall against the might of Australian team which today's team can only dream about and they did it in style. They gelled as a team, respected each other's achievements and brought the best out of each other. Unlike today when Ajinkya Rahane's wham-bam sixes make Gambhir feel insecure and forces him to slog, only to lose his wicket in the process. That is a sorry sight to watch for a fan.

The golden era was about character. Tendulkar cried and didn't even come to accept his man of the match award versus Pakistan where he played an "almost" match winning innings despite severe back pain on an unplayable Chennai pitch. Reason? Rest of the team wasn't man enough to make the remaining 11 runs when he got out and we lost the match as a result. He blamed himself. Today, Sehwag doesn't even look apologetic when he's too comfy in slips to bend down for a half chance. Dravid reprimanded himself for getting out even after an hundred because he didn't play a shot well and shadow practiced it on his way back to pavilion. Today's batsman like Rahane feels its about "enjoying himself" when he loses his wicket to a rash shot and his place isn't even guaranteed in the team yet.

How can you not blame IPL and the overdose of cricket? There is easy money to be made without much focus on technique, grit or patience. The standard of our test team is laughable and I am surprised with the growing noise about senior player's retirement. Failed for couple of series and we force Dravid, Laxman to retire. Sachin's retirement is a national obsession. But where are the replacements? 

Supposedly Virat Kohli is one of the replacement. But he gets out chasing deliveries way outside offstump on subcontinent pitches. What is he going to do in England and Australia? We blame Sachin for his bad patch but even during his bad patch, he tries hard and makes one fifty. But we are ready to ignore someone like Gambhir who, even after being in good form, throws away his wicket time and again even after getting set. Why shouldn't he be dropped before Sachin? Just because he's younger?

The real strength of character is seen during a player's bad form, not his good form. Character is what is missing in bucket loads from today's players and that is impacting everything else, including technique. When Yuvraj Singh is taking more wickets in matches than regular spinners, you know something is terribly wrong. Lot of talk about Ashwin and his "mystery ball" but learn to be a proper offspinner first, dude !!! If you are bowling each and every delivery to contain runs, like you do in your T20, how are you going to take wickets? Did you learn anything from Shane Warne while he was available for IPL? If not, possibly the only positive thing about IPL has been wasted.

Maybe I want to stay nostalgic and am finding it difficult to come out of my love for the golden era but there is reason why it was the "golden" era. I didn't love Tendlya just because he smashed the legendary Warne to pieces but because he prepared meticulously before the series on how to tackle him. I didn't have Dravid's resolute looking photo of "Tomorrow is mine" in my wallet just for the beauty of his cover drive but because he demonstrated it time and again against the mighty Australians. They let their bat and ball do the talking on the field and talk it did, loud and clear. They didn't have to use curse words and chest thumping to show how "cool" they are. 

Have I given up on the game I once idolized? Maybe, until guys with "character" are seen again on field. There will be very few privileged ones who will be able to say "I learned from the little master or The Wall" but while they are playing, lets hope the young guns of India learn lot more than just technique from these pillars of Indian cricket's golden era.

Phir bhi Dil hai Hindustani

I am back home in India for vacation.....after almost 2 years.

Now that I think of it, I don't know how or why I couldn't and didn't come back sooner. But now that this time has passed, my Indo-american friends in US warned me about this visit, mainly from the "shock value" perspective.

"So much has changed", everyone said "You will feel the difference. Especially since you now have the comfort of the lifestyle here in the US for 2 years. You say you want to go back eventually but the longer you stay in US, more difficult it would be for you to go back"

The subject under discussion are my so-called "long term plans", whether I'd want to go through the Green (Card) Channel or return back to the motherland after my quota of years on H1 visa expires in a few years. It's something I have thought about recently, mainly as a result of such strong feedback from my friends and acquaintances. When they travel back home, they say, they are happy that they don't need to go through the daily grind of life existent here which is virtually absent in the US. In US, click of a button and most of your work is done. You have a nice car, well defined hours of work, not much headache with traffic (is most cases) and so on. Most importantly, you are "safe". Maybe I'd feel the same way I thought, afterall it's not incorrect. 

First step on the airport in Mumbai tells me that I was foolish to even think of it as a possibility. Actually, it was full of all the things I am supposed to be scared of now. I was stepping out of a crowded airport terminal bus into 35 degrees Celsius , taking in the rich carbon dioxide air from the bus exhaust which also indicated that my sinus trouble was back after the 2 year hiatus. In a nutshell, it had all the makings of a moment that would help me decide - to run away. Instead, I just found myself smiling.

I was home, it outweighed everything else....and it's not just about that particular moment or just being happy to see my family after such extended period of time. It's about who I am, who I have always been for close to 25 years of my life. How does my 2 year stay in another country change that? All I can say is I have had a good fortune to live part of my life in another country and it's a good experience. But that's all it can be, an experience. Not the beginning of a new life. Not for me.

I find it a little hard to digest what we are so bothered about after all. Isn't this what we grew up in? What has changed exactly?  I question the very attitude that makes us believe that we belong in a foreign land after couple years of stay and then mention our own country as something of a "third party" which gave us close to 20 odd years (in most cases) that included an opportunity to travel to a foreign country in the first place. 

No sir, you don't really belong in US just because you know the latest scores in the American Football league or because you watch the Jay Leno or some other show every night (different things may be applicable in other countries). I am sure some people are exceptions but mostly, this comes across as a little desperate attempt to fit in someplace when you know deep down your heart that you don't belong here. 

I fail to understand the necessity to lose your individuality and become a foreign national. The changed accent, for example, gets on my nerves. Unless you are taught in a foreign school from a very young age, I don't understand the need to change the way you speak. In my experience, americans in particular, don't care about it as long as you communicate well. They are surprisingly good at understanding different accents and respecting them. In fact, one of my old managers in a US company had asked one of my friends why he speaks in a different accent when he's in a client call and a different one when he's speaking with his friends. Why such an obsessive need to become one of them?

I am not going to advocate love for your country here nor do I intend to write this as a patriotic call to return to your country. Each one makes his/her own choice. I have highest respect for people who genuinely try to understand the culture of another country without losing their individuality and just treat it as a learning experience for them which they can use for their future. 

But I just want to question this whole attitude of phirang-ism that has been spreading like crazy in the past few years. 

I don't understand how you are an american if every other meal you eat out is Indian.

I don't understand how you can pretend that you enjoy Holi or Diwali as much as you did in India.

I don't understand how your own comfort and safety trumps over the ability to see your family as and when you want.

I don't understand why you smile politely at strangers if they are US citizens and give a condescending look to fellow Indians.

I don't understand how your green card processing can be your lifeline.

I have spent most of the day travelling on a "bumpy" road, constantly twitching in my seat at the thought of a possible crash that our driver was going to cause any moment. Tomorrow I might have to travel to my bank, possibly a specific branch, just to activate my ATM and debit card. I understand it's going to be a little tough as I've lost "touch" a little bit. But I cannot pretend that my life in the last 2 years has suddenly made these things a BIG headache for me when millions like me do this and more everyday without a fuss.

I have made my "long term" choice. I will head back after my vacation but this is where I'll return. To hell with convenience, safety and comfort.....bring on the good old "daily grind"

Wanted to name this "Indian at heart" but I am sure you understand what made me change it.

My little "Secret"

Does “The Secret” really work?

If you don’t know what “The Secret” is, it’s basically the law of attraction. Your thoughts having a power more potent than you can imagine, your thoughts influence your destiny and all that. I know what you are thinking “it sounds good to hear but is it really practical?”

I don’t know. 

I read the popular book “The Secret” very recently and being a daydreamer at heart, it appealed to me. Maybe because I was brought up to think only good thoughts, never wish bad on anyone and not even say bad things like death aloud. What I was taught was "What you say comes back to you so always say good things". Although part of it is the superstitions, I feel there is some logic in what has been passed around over centuries.

My intent today is not to go into the details of it, read “The Secret” if you want and decide for yourself which side of the fence you want to be on. For now, I will just narrate something funny in my job life that I feel is related to this.

My job comes with an additional responsibility to be IT production on-call for a week, every 1 to 2 months. If something goes wrong in the daily business process (production as we call it) , I need to be ready to get up in the middle of night and help fix it. There are 6-7 of us who share this responsibility and we are especially scared over a month-end, that’s when things typically go wrong more.

I am fairly new to this, and so far I have got the responsibility twice, including the dreaded "month-end" week once. But nothing went wrong. The just the other day, I heard one of my fellow “burden-carriers” complain about “things going horribly wrong” whenever he has the on-call mobile. This got me thinking again. I remembered he called me few days back to say that he cannot login to our system. He wanted me to check if I could since I was his secondary that week and to make sure the problem was not specific to his login. The funny thing is, nothing had gone wrong till that time. He just wanted to make sure he was ready IF ANYTHING WENT WRONG.

It really surprised me because I almost tend to forget I have the mobile with me for the week, forget about “being ready”. I don’t even think of something going wrong during the night. He does. I don’t know why he does that. Funnily enough, something went wrong the same night, 3 times. Once again I heard him saying to someone how he has a rotten luck with these things. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was creating a vicious circle for himself by saying this again and again.

Cut to today. I am in training so cannot check my email etc. One of the new processes I recently implemented has failed, someone calls me during the training. It’s a small process, not much can go wrong with it so I tell the guy who called me “Its not critical, I will take care of it in my next training break”. I am not worried since I know the process is not too complex. Funnily enough, they are not able to resolve it till late in the day. 

After my training, I log in to see how it went and it’s still failed.  As I look into it, I realize something is wrong in server environment, its not specific to my process. It’s a bigger issue. Right people get involved on time and fix it. The failure, that I was not much worried about, not only took care of my process but helped prevent a major catastrophe for tonight’s production run, which no one would have known, if not for this failure.

Now, this might be coincidence and not the “magic” of my positive thoughts. But I choose to believe it and since it was fixed in time I believe everything will just go smoothly tonight. 

Guess I don’t have to tell you I am the primary on-call for this week ;)

 

I need to start writing

दिसामाजी काही तरी ते लिहावे 
प्रसंगी अखंडीत वाचीत जावे 
  
In my native Marathi language, this means "Write something everyday, and just keep reading as and when you can". Old proverbs in our language carry volumes of wisdom in the briefest of verses and I feel this is one of them. 

Although today's social media provides us with avenues to write what we want, it has got saturated real fast. I have not used twitter yet but then I never had the art to state it in brief (pun not intended).

My thoughts are random (hence the blog name), on varied subjects and mostly non-coherent. Facebook isn't a right medium to express those, which is something I should have known much earlier.

So here I am, to share those random ramblings in my mind, put my thoughts, feelings and opinions out there .....and also absorb what else is out there, to broaden my own horizons.

I know I am definitely a reader, have always been one. But a writer? Maybe, maybe not. I will only know once I start writing...

As of now, I just know I am liking it and I have at least opened an avenue for my thoughts so as and when I feel or think strongly about something, it will not just stay in my mind ...

Until Later....