An Emotional Goodbye to Rahul Dravid

Dear Sir Rahul S Dravid,

Only the mature and sensitive followers of Indian cricket, of the generation that grew up watching Sachin Tendulkar's Tons, Saurav Ganguly's bold straight drive sixes and your supportive presence in most of both such circumstances would understand why the true Gentleman of the Gentleman's game hung his boots today. 

Ask every Indian cricket fan or rather every Indian of the above quoted generation as to who is 1st in their favorite list. You know what many would say. You don't know what many others would say. But ask them who is 2nd  in their list. There can't be anyone but you.

 

I am sad yet proud just like my favorite player, you, on this momentous day for Indian cricket whose effect will be probably understood better in the next test series without you, Mr.Dependable.

Two days back when the insanely hyper reactive media flashed the rumors that you are going to announce the retirement on friday, though for one moment I prayed that you won't, I reminded myself of your stainless steel character. Then I woke up to the hard truth.

 

 Now, I have as many questions as yourself. I know you will figure out way too sooner. But I cannot. 

The only reason I have been watching Test matches patiently hiding the remote controller below my seat even when my family protested for other programs on TV was the spiritual presence of you on the field in those blue baggy cap and fully sweated jersey numbered 19.

The only reason I started watching IPL was to have a glimpse of you though I think neither of us was comfortable with that format.

I never kept any role models. I never fanatically followed a foreign football club. I never pasted any film star's photo in my room. But I still don't know how you managed to slip through all my checkpoints.

When I look back at my close peers' list, I am surprised to remember each one of them telling your name as their favorite, sometime or the other. May be somebody admiring you with full heart was an easy filter to pick my types. 

I must tell you, you were one good reason enough to make good friends.

I am sad that I cannot see you in the Indian blues on the field anymore. I am sad that I only have to watch those trigonometric square cuts, those text book foot works, those motivational pats on the younger player's back only on the archival videos; not live. 

 But I respect your decision as I know you are a very diligent decision maker.

I promise you one thing, I will tell about you to my kids in a much more passionate way than my dad told about Gavaskar to me.

Thank you for being an uninvited role model for me. Thank you for setting an example for selflessness in this era of corruption. Thank you for being as sweet as your nick name, 'Jammy'.

You will always be my favorite.

On Middle-Class Dreams

20 years ago in India, most of the middle-class people uttered and believed this, "If u wanna get rich, get in to politics or become a cricketer or a film star. Otherwise put your heads down and die poor. There is no way you can grow richer in clean ways". A gentleman from a humble town Mysore, Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy disproved it.

On longevity of relationships

Well, I am a patient tester of longevity of relationships; Not amused by the superficial loft... Only few could manage to cling on for long and they shall never be left to wither... besides, many have come and gone and many more yet to come, I know. Not many might like it. But I prefer to have a few chocolates in my pocket than to hold huge unopened Gift boxes.

Phoenix Artist - Alive, yet again.

Jai Ganesha (ಬಣ್ಣದ ಗಣಪ)

Fantastic Feathers (ಹಕ್ಕಿ- ರೆಕ್ಕೆ- ಪುಕ್ಕ)

"This time, he is definitely dead", I thought about the 'Artist Soul,' the 'Creative Spirit' in me, when I failed to complete the painting I had started very enthusiastically almost an year ago, even after desperate efforts for 20 days during the last vacation of my life. I had all the time in the world. but not the timely focus. On the last day of my vacation and also of my student age, while I was packing up for the new avenue of my life, for the Savvy Corporate world where Time is the costliest currency, I rolled up the incomplete Artwork and disappeared it somewhere in the attic. 

Cheer Boy (ಟೋಪಿ ಜೋಕಣ್ಣ)

It was an ocean, an ocean of Techies & Technology. There were Whales, Octopuses, Dolphins... tiny, small, medium, large, huge and gigantic fishes. I was just a tadpole. The emerging Professional overshadowed the Passionate part of me. I was not very happy, though my prediction was nearly true, "He was almost dead".

There was a soap carving contest as part of a fest at my company. Well, I gave the dying artist a chance for survival. Surprisingly, though it was my first attempt in soap Carving, I had carved a beautiful white Swan out of soap. As I was engrossed till it was finished, I could barely notice the awed crowd around me. The Artist was born yet again like a Phoenix bird, when I received the 1st prize out of some 20 to 30 contestants. But, the sad part is, he didn't get much chance, till the completion of my training in the company.

Mystic Swan(ಪರಮಹಂಸ)

After I got posted to a development center, and got a cubicle, the blank cubicle walls were intolerable. Thus, the Phoenix artist was alive yet again.

Phoenix(ವರ್ಣ ಮಯೂರಿ)

Nowadays, whenever the professional half needs rest for a while, the passionate half takes over and I draw some simple sketches out of available colors. Hope I get some time to search for the incomplete artwork in the attic, completing is a joke.

Wonder Reindeer(ಮಾಯಾಮೃಗ)

Good to see you Alive, yet again... oh my Creative spirit, who relives like a Phoenix.

"Vishwaasi" means wat?

Most of the people who look at my e-mail id i.e., vishwaasi@gmail.com , will have the usual question as to Wat vishwaasi means? and why on earth have I kept it as my id?irrelevant to my name!
So I thought,its better to share here the reason.

'vishwaasi', in Kannada, 'ವಿಶ್ವಾಸಿ ' is a person who is immensely faithful,One who always thinks that " when one door shuts, another opens" , also a person who is trustworthy, one who keeps his/her relations alive by displaying compassion and love to others.In short, an optimistic,compassionate,hopeful,trustworthy person.

So we now know Wat a vishwaasi means.But why have I used it in my id?
Do I think I m one such person,a 'ವಿಶ್ವಾಸಿ' ?
Not exactly.I don't think I am a 'ವಿಶ್ವಾಸಿ' by birth,but why not try to become one?that line of thinking itself has led me to the 1st step of optimism and one inch closer to becoming a 'ವಿಶ್ವಾಸಿ' !

I am not worried whether or not I ll become a 'ವಿಶ್ವಾಸಿ' in my lifespan , but I am sure ,in an effort to dig an ocean, I ll ve definitely dug a pond.

ಜೈ ಹಿಂದ್ !

Why did I begin a Blog?

Today, I m publishing my first blog.

Why did I feel I should have one of my own?

Well, there could be many reasons for that.

I believe memories whether sweet or bitter are valuable to everyone's life... it feels so good to relive them and it feels even better to share them with others.I found the blog as one simple tool to accomplish this.

Also,the things which matter the most for us are not really the big ones, but small , chota-chota matters.And the most interesting stories are not of great people,but of the lives of common men/women.... and I am one such common man with memories on my back,present in my fist and future in my eyes...

I wish to record my views, ideas, and any little knowledge that I feel cud be of any use to others over here...

U r Welcome to share Ur views...

Note: Some of the contents and information that are published on my blog may be sourced from Internet through various websites or some may have come through e-mails.I hereby wish to clarify that there is no attempt made to copy the contents from any private source and there is no intent for any commercial benefit.I thank all those sources and websites for sharing their knowledge.

"The secret to a rich life is to have more openings than endings..."