A Dream come true and last few days of 2011

Life is all about living the moment in the best way possible.Last Sunday was a random day when few friends turned up at 7 a.m.Woke up,put on my shoes and rode for 16 hours.Sometimes all the dust, perspiration,smoke,cold is necessary to get out of our mundane lives.Some hazy memories of a day,was it me ,was it them,was it the day I don't know but I feel happy much like most of the days of this year.

Early Morning on a mountain top

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learnt at school---Einstien

I had always wanted to contribute to the society but as often is the case,something or the other turned up.So one morning I just woke up and walked in to a NGO.The two rounds of interview was inspiring because for the first time I did not think of the pros and cons of my answer and just spoke what I wanted to do.When at the end of the day I got selected I thanked God for bestowing the opportunity to work at KGVK. 

I have started with the Education department but plan to contribute in all the departments possible.Luckily there was a one week orientation going on for the teachers who teach in villages.I was asked to work on their communication and vocabulary.In my five days of presentations and demonstrations I was happy that at the end the whole 40 teacher class was motivated.I firmly believe that teachers are the ones who can change the sad picture of our education in villages.A common complaint was that there was building and resources but lack of quality education.Going through some papers I came to know about the absent ism of  teachers.I thought that bechmarking and quality would come automatically if they realized the purpose.The mere satisfaction of changing lives is enough flare for a revolution.Though these are early days for me I plan to stay here till May and you will definitely here more from me.

In 2011 I carried happiness in my bag:Football studs,Into the Wild(Book),Pink Floyd(i-pod), but the happiest times were evening football,tea with friends and bike rides with college mates.

But the conclusion of all this was that happiness is a matter of choice and I chose to be happy.

2011 A Year to remember...

"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."

Running close to 400 kms , biking around 5000 km,16 books,over 150 days of football,numerous cups of tea with friends may be mere statistics for some but for me this is life and this is what 2011 was for me.However the fact that makes this year so special was the realization of a power within.I have learnt how it is important in life to be mentally strong and not to give in easily to the earthly pleasures.I have found that the best way to live life is to make the present beautiful and to realize the purpose of things.

Sweating in the 10km runs on a chilly winter morning I see the awe in the eyes of the walkers reminiscing of past when I had the same admiration for long distance runners.Slowly I realized I had it in me and today at the end of those runs when I feel a splurge of energy I respect myself.I ran my maiden half marathon this year and I promise you there are plenty more to come.

I have written enough posts on Football and how it enchants.They say that no one could take away the things you live for,I have found it to be true.I have traveled 30km everyday for football and in spite of the distance I always reached the field on time.Sometimes it was frustrating to see people living close by coming late but then I thought I have to lead by example and these are the small things that defines oneself.The football high was achieved in May when I got the chance to play with a member of the Indian football team and the pilgrimage happened in Kolkata when I saw Messi play.

There are two things which I have carried in my bag for the past few years , they are the football studs and a book.I managed to read only 16 books mainly due to academic commitments.The mailbox was full with book review requests and had to say no to many authors.All these books were wonderful and the library is still growing.Financially i hit a low once when I did not have money for a book,I did not regret the fact that there was no money but I hated the fact that I did not have the book.To quote one of the lines from the book 127 hours which enjoyed a lot,"The invigoration of hiking alone,moving out at my own pace,clears out my thoughts.A sense of mindless happiness-not being happy because of something in particular but because i am happy is one of the reasons why I go to lengths I do to have some focused time for myself."   

Today sometimes when I look in the mirror I see a better me and the inner radiance reflects on the face.

Dear reader,Thank you for being in part of my journey and I feel that with time my writing skills are getting better.I would like a line from you on the year which is about to pass by.

Ruddy orange glow across the lunar surface and Vadodara reunion

"People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends,but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations with each passing moment.A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors.In my line of work I make it a point to notice them."   - Markus Zusak(The Book Thief.)

Don't know whether it is the nostalgia of a group picture or the beauty of the moment which lures me the most.At that moment with my shoulders around the neck of my friends, I felt that this is something I would like to do again and again.I have lately seen many sunsets and sunrises,interestingly today it seems more like a carnival than the usual calmness that it bestows.As a child I was taught that the sky was blue but later I learnt that you could see other colors if you were observant. Following the Sun until the last red disappeared and later a reddish tinge spread over the water of the dam I thought that sometimes life is as it should be.

A 40 hour train ride covering 8 states is not about the distance but is about an experience of knowing a few of the 1.21 Billion.Sitting on an Economic Times Newspaper along with many others I knew it was a different story for everyone.For some it was tickets not being confirmed while for most it was fate.I had read somewhere that the best way to pass a night is by telling stories and  by the end of the cold winter night I had some interesting stories to narrate.For me it was a weekend getaway but for most it was a ticket for more money.Sitting there I felt the discomfort of disparity rather than that of my situation.Sometimes life makes us find warmth in the most unusual of places,I would like to remember this as a night of warm memories.

People do so many different things in their pursuit of happiness ,for me it has always been a simple walk to a football ground or a mountain peak in a summer evening.Life for most of us has become mere shrinking square feets bounded by impenetrable walls.Experiencing a lunar eclipse with friends was not just 3 beautiful hours but was in fact a whole phase of the moon fast forwarded.Nature surprises us in mysterious ways and makes us conscious of the beauty of a moment.When the lights in the resort went out all of us were looking at the sky and suddenly we were aware of the beauty,enchanted,spell bound we all wanted the moment to last to eternity.

Hangover of a long journey and 4 hours of sleep could not subdue the spirit of running.We ran and we ran hard for those 7 kms relieving us of the solitary runs we have been used to in our new roles.In college it is easy to categorize your football,running,smoking, breakfast and  assignment friends but there are a few who rise above these labels.It is for these friends that one rises beyond all trepidation,anxiety and pain to relive a part of a life when we were happy.

In our lives, each day we strive hard for happiness,often forgetting the fact that happiness is a choice which does not comes from exotic food and costly cars but by putting a cap to our wants.We seek emotional solace from the society forgetting  that no one cares and selfishness thrives.On the bike ride with Doodh we shared the experiences of Anandwan  and Vrindavan  two names of which the essence was the same.He has been a partner on many of my treks and this time the connection was re installed on two wheels.Life is like strands of thread mixed with each other, it is by our choices that we separate the strands easily or keep mixing them further.

A reason to smile

Dear Blog,

I have always shared happy moments with you.Though i have not shared my desperate times much , i assure you that there weren't many and besides i have a bunch of great friends for all that.

I am happy today and an email has just made my day.I got the confirmation for participating in the Mumbai marathon.When i told you the reason of pursuing  an MBA, I was truthful.This marathon gives me an opportunity to meet my friends and note that I don't call it a reason because one does not need a reason to meet a friend.You know, the best part of college was  those evening runs with friends and in January i will be running with them again.

 I write this here because not all the emails I have received lately had the words like: delighted and congratulations.I have always held to fragments of hope and this hope has always carried me through the most adverse of situations.I think i can do with some hope at this juncture.

To quote from The Shawshank Redemption ,"There are places in this world that are not made out of stone.That there's something inside that they can't get to,that they can't touch.That's yours.......hope." 

Finding my soul on 2 wheels -5

Comes the morning

When I can feel

That there's nothing left to be concealed

Moving on a scene surreal

No, my heart will never

Will never be far from here 

(No Ceiling Lyrics -Eddie Vedder)

Chapter 5 : Falling in love with Arunachal

There are times in life when you get stuck in a moment and wish it lasted for ever.But moments are like bubbles,like waves, hitting the shore one after the other.It is this fleeting nature of moments that makes it so precious.Passing by the signboard which read,"VILLAGE KAMKI" filled me with an admiration of the friendship I shared with a special person.6 years of laughs and tears and a ephemeral moment.

Group pic @ Kamki

Whenever my mind takes a stroll down the memory lane it inadvertently reaches Arunachal and fills me with sweet feelings of freedom.A place where life is not piled upon life,where strangeness and wonder of existence is emphasized,where humans,flora and fauna co-exist in harmony.Nature has bestowed equal opportunity of growth to everyone and so every living organism stands out bold and tall overlooking a canopy of green.

Cricket pitch by the river

Arunachal is a paradise for the solitude lovers.Probably this is the reason why we find Mithuns in the valleys of Arunachal.It is fun to meet someone who is like minded but its a rarity to find your  resemblance in an animal.Mithuns are an integral part of the culture and hold paramount significance in rituals.But these animals are freedom lovers and live in the wild.They pay occasional visits to their owner's house.As they say that animals have an instinct and this one really had some.He also wanted to see a human counterpart and turned to the owner's house,the very day I was there. 

  Mithun @ Jini

I took this journey to swim away from the human responses of anger,fear and judgment.I wanted to swim to an unknown island hidden within myself.In this journey I met many new people,lived a new culture made awesome  friends and in the process found my soul.

Thanks for being with me in the journey.Would love to know the chapter you like the most.

Finding my soul on 2 wheels -4

Eisenheim: From the moment we enter this life we are in the flow of it. We measure it and We mock it, but we cannot defy it. We cannot even speed it up or slow it down. Or can we? Have we not each experienced the sensation that a beautiful moment seemed to pass too quickly, and wished that we could make it linger? Or felt time slow on a dull day, and wished that we could speed things up a bit?

(A Dialogue from the movie,The Illusionist.) 

Chapter 4 : Riding the Dream

The Sun has calmed down a bit and I am about to reach the day's rest point.It has been a flat course on the first day of the trip except for the last 5-10 minutes, when I have had the first tryst with the valley, marking the beginning of what would be a romantic date with nature.An unknown calm sets in, i feel resurrected and small at the same time.I see a clarity in my thoughts and understand that this is what we call as unbridled joy and freedom.Today at 4 a.m.in Itanagar I spent a minute or two in solitude, gazing at the cloud covered mountains.I could hear them call and at this moment I embrace them.

                                                   On our way to Likabali

A journey is like the course of a river, it is destined to flow into the sea, but the path it weaves forms its essence.A journey is like a game of football , it is about the sliding tackles,the penalty kicks , the 50-50 balls,it is about every second of the 90 minutes.Sometimes a journey is like swinging on birch trees,for a moment leaving the earth into a free space and then returning back to start all over again.I had a journey of stumbles,falls,jumps,skids,punchers,smokes,rivers,waterfalls,rainbows,mountains,clouds,grasses,winds,rubble,horses,rains,songs,teas,samosas,apong,maggi,rice,solitude,bliss,peace,clarity and on and on.I was fortunate that i had friends to share these with.Happiness is a way of travel and at some point in this journey I found my way.

The journey of a river

On my second day on bike I knew that I was doomed to move in circles.At every 50-60 meters was a blind turn and brakes,decelerate,change the gear,honk,bend,turn, accelerate was to become a never ending regime for 10 more days to come.On an emotional level i was getting entwined with nature.The sweet fragrance of wet grass welcomed me as i entered the valley, but as the trip progressed i became a part of the aroma.What began as singing songs in the dark bubble of my helmet  was soon replaced by a natural symphony.With the passage of time , the rain felt less harsher,the water less cooler and every passing turn on the road more familiar.I realized I was becoming a part of the eternity and this was not a dream.

 The Bikes

Biking on a Royal Enfield in Ladakh was a completely different experience from what I was having in Arunachal.The best thing about biking here was that the roads prepared you for the next day.What started with flat roads on first day soon turned to never ending circles.Slowly these circles became narrower and landslides became imminent.And when i thought this would be it , it started raining.In fact I rode for one whole day in rain on the most difficult of the tracks.There are somethings in life which come as expected and then there are those which are unexpected.It is this anticipation of the unexpected which makes biking so exciting.On a rainy day there were many instances when I had to just go into the puddle and leaving things to fate,i wrote of this earlier I had to take the plunge.

Love the bike.

The chilly wind will not stop and the incessant downpour  adds to the cold. The deluge has washed away the road at many places. In addition to the apprehension which every blind turn brings, there is a high probability of the tyres slipping in the boulevard. Slightest of error will bring me close to the river which I have been admiring from this high altitude and in rather precarious circumstances. But there is still too much to see and marvel at, the joy of riding in the rain, the delight of every morning. So I just  move on and on.

Moli Bhai and me in Menchukha

You are a bit tired from the ride and you enter a tea shop to have the whole place on your own,this feeling of space made me often feel at home.If you have someone like Moli as your riding partner there is no chance of being bored.Often correcting his lyrics and understanding the theory of Adiabatic Penis ,taking videos, time just flew by.In the process I learnt discipline and patience.Someone has rightly said,"Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears."

Lights,Camera,Action

Finding my soul on 2 wheels -3

For oft, when on my couch I lie 

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

-Daffodils by William Wordsworth 

Chapter 3-Into the Wild

Mountain top in Menchukha

"This is the most beautiful place in the world." Standing on the peak of a mountain in Menchukha I am spent and revived at the same time.I am standing in the mist while a fog has just lifted between me and myself. I stand, holding the waving flag ,surfing in the waves of independence and freedom.After a long time my conscience is at ease and i am in harmony with myself.It is in this wilderness I find a joy unknown to the concrete,corporeal and  material world.

Mesmerizing view from the mountain top

In the book,"Into the Wild." Jon Krakauer has reproduced some of the letters written by Chris.I quote here few lines from a letter which Chris writes to Ron,"The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure.The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon,for each day to have a new different sun." I have lately become a recluse not because i hate people but because i want to get away from emotions.We live in a society which holds comfort as the highest ideal , the everyday expansion of consumerism is a burning example of it.Khushwant Singh rightly says that reality shows are a waste of time and i totally agree with him.We are an emotional lot and people play with emotions.Into the wilderness i have often found peace of mind and clarity of emotions.I think detachment is an important thing to learn in life and living some days on your own teaches you this.In the journey to the mountain top in Arunachal I started living again.

Raft under construction

My professors at college would be happy to see that something made by their students did float.Far from the displacement calculations and resistance measurement this was made out of bamboo and ropes.The hollow structure of bamboo provides the buoyancy and horizontal wood sticks tied to the bamboo with ropes gives the strength.With a little practice of rowing in the shallow water,one could easily handle it in deep waters.Apart from the rowing the water was too good for swimming and a good part of a day was spent here.To talk of food , my friends who visited Arunachal last time would appreciate the taste of rice cooked in bamboo.I had rice , maggi while my non veg friends had chicken cooked in bamboo shells.I had one of the tastiest lunch of my life , cooked in the wild.

The Raft Experience

At my friends' village named Jini we had plans of lazing out and fishing but rains played spoil sport.But no rains could dampen our spirits and we explored nearby places in rain.This is how we landed to this river which was exactly like the sets of movie,"Into the Wild." It reminded me of the scene when Chris decides to return back and to his dismay finds the river to be invincible.I had always dreamt of being at such a  place just with my friends with no human intrusion whatsoever, of a place where the only noise was of the roaring river,a place where humans and animals lived in harmony,of ice cold waters as clear as a crystal.

  

It is in making my own trails that I have found so much joy.Come on friends pack your bags and head into the wild.

Finding my soul on 2 wheels -2

Mirrors on the ceiling,

The pink champagne on ice
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
-Hotel California(Eagles)

Chapter 2 - Taking the Plunge 

Appreciating small things in life keeps you moving , it fulfills the minimum joy requirements of a person on a daily basis.The joy of riding back home in rain after a game of football is immense. Rain not only pacifies the fury of the game but also brings some respite to the parched lips.The first drops of rain which reach the lips are salty but nonetheless triggers the subconscious.Under a more alert stage one opens his mouth to let in the raindrops.Only those who open their mouths understand the sweetness of rain.I have realized that biking is all about seeking these small pleasures. Enjoying the freedom to be on your own , drifting in unison with the clouds,dancing with the crops and riding on the wind.So with this attitude of not being the center of the universe but to become a part of the world, I sat on the bike to mark the beginning of an enchanting journey.

My friend Arpan always talked about living in the moment.I find sports are great for being in the moment,and the fear of losing the game keeps you driving forward.It was in this voyage that I found biking to have the same effect.A little trepidation is important to bring us out of our comfort zone.With no challenge , no fear, life becomes shallow.Lance Armstrong has an interesting way to test whether he is going to live.He goes to a high cliff in a secluded place and jumps from high altitudes into the cold water below.This plunge into the sublime  keeps him going.It is this fear,this apprehension that a plunge eliminates.The best part is there is no turning back , a dip , a gush of water through the nose and ears and then the upward movement to the open, to  victory and to a world where there is no fear.

Akashi Ganga

I got the first glimpse of the river near Akashi Ganga  at quite distance from the main spot.But the very first glimpse insured that in some time I would experience  a gift of mother nature alien to the human civilization.Greenish water flowing between greyish white rocks was so clean that there was no need of swimming glasses to find one's way inside water.No prose , no clicks can bring out the beauty of this place.I can boast of seeing so many waterfalls and rivers in my previous travels but this was an awe-inspiring spectacle.Ideally I would have just plunged into the river but a previous experience in one of the treks brought in that fear.

 The Plunge      

                                             

This was my first tryst with flowing water of the trip and I knew there would be plenty of these to come.To jump or not to jump was the question and risk and safety were the alternatives.Taking a plunge at that moment was one great lesson learnt in life.

Hanging Bridge over the Yongo River

I feel Arunachal is the best place for writers,artists and poets for such genius thrives only in solitude.A true testimony to this is a 350 meter hanging bridge standing alone over a misty river. Standing in the middle of the bridge when I look down , I know that if I fall I will have enough time for a thought or two.But fears apart this is an experience which will resonate in my mind for a long time to come.  Though nature can overpower anything such bridges speak of immense human endeavor to conquer the unconquered.

View from the hanging bridge

Every new experience in life is plunging into the unknown and coming out victorious.

Finding my soul on 2 wheels -1

Prologue

“The chilly wind will not stop and the incessant downpour  adds to the cold. The deluge has washed away the road at many places. In addition to the apprehension which every blind turn brings, there is a high probability of the tyres slipping in the boulevard. Slightest of error will bring me close to the river which I have been admiring from this high altitude and in rather precarious circumstances. But there is still too much to see and marvel at, the joy of riding in the rain, the delight of every morning. So I just  move on and on……..”

Chapter 1 (Reaching Arunachal)

“Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window.”

When I boarded the Garib Rath express to Guwahati I had one thing in mind ,I wanted to do a Dilli.But I guess this Chaiwala had betted a fortune on waking me up. It was not that disturbing feeling of a bug singing songs in your ears but a knock on the head to wake up. The tea smelt good, probably it had gathered some aroma from the passing tea fields. I would say aroma because it was devoid of milk and little less heated than what we call lukewarm. So in one word the tea only had aroma.

If you have seen the secret inspirational documentary you will understand how strong desire formulates into results. Ask me how this trip happened and the answer I have is strong desire. At least you will agree that there is frequency between two people and you keep on bumping into those with whom your frequency matches. This is the reason why I have named the blog as serendipity and serendipity it was when one of my close friends (In fact one of the very few from the fairer sex) was in Kolkata. I may forget the umpteen beverages we may have had together but a cup of coffee in a packed railway station is something I would cherish for a long time to come. Stepping on the train I was both happy and thankful that we met.

It feels like the sets of the movie, “Before Sunset” as my train speeds towards Guwahati. The only difference is that there is no beautiful lady on the other side, in fact there could have been one. When I boarded the train there was a lady and her daughter already sitting on my allotted berth. The lady to me,”beta aap agar akele ho to is seat pe chale jao please.” At that very moment another female walks in and the lady repeats the same sentence to her. I had no choice but to pick one seat while the other chose one. All I can say is,”Bhagwaan aakhir kab tak kaat te rahoge?”

The last 2 hours of your journey towards Guwahati is very scenic. It reminds me of one  post that Moli wrote while  traveling on the same route. Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are two states where one can see the tropical rain forests. I verified the fact later but at that moment in the train I knew this has to be an evergreen forest. As far as you can see it was all green and if you strained your eyes a little more you could see a brown outline of mountains covering this magnetic green. I went a step further and strained my ears to listen the mountains calling me. So it was how I reached Guwahati reading a book and occasionally admiring the reflections of the sky in the clean streams. 

Do you remember the temperature change we experienced on entering the main gate of our college? It is exactly the same feeling when one enters the Bandardewa check post towards Itanagar.The distance from this gate to Moli’s place was 30 km and I was overcome by an inexplicable excitement. The hug seemed so familiar, seemed we had met just yesterday. We slept for half of the day and then met the other 2 biker friends. Later in the evening we had a game of football reminiscing of the numerous evenings we had spent doing the same.

P.S. Much of this was scribbled on a national highway when Moli was busy taking some video shots.

Revisiting Arunachal

Last time when some of my friends and me visited Arunachal something great happened.We discovered FIKARNOT and soon it became a religion for us. This time I am planning to bike in the mystic beauty of Arunachal and then narrate the stories to my readers here.It's a long 14 day trip away from all the clutter.Was reading a book by Swami Vivekananda where he says that knowledge is the ultimate goal in life.In the land of the Buddha I hope to attain some more peace and understand the truth.

I have tried to simplify my life a lot in the past few years.I have got some groans and lost some contacts in the quest.Have also realized that after sometime we must try and give back to the society everything that we have taken from it.Our successes happened because someone guided us and things happened favorably for us but it does not imply that the rickshaw puller cannot achieve the same.I wavered again from the central theme.So it will be a break from emails, news and phone calls. A break from the horrible traffic and insane people.

Last summer i played soccer in Kargil and lazed around Ladakh. A half an hour nap by the Pangong lake was something I would always remember for it had the feel of that solitude which I am thriving for.Carrying my football studs and would catch up with some soccer at Itanagar(courtsey Moli Bhai.).

The B Day Post

Waking up on the B day was different this time as compared to the last 5 years. At college it was always a painful  affair and one was bound to wake up with the butts hurting. I had never celebrated my b day before coming to college and mostly it was a temple going affair then.But this time everyone at home was super excited.I knew I would be getting new clothes because everyone had seen my loose pants and hanging T-Shirts.

B days has always been a day to introspect and I realized two things worth mentioning about my life.

1) If you happen to see the video of the song,"Turn the Page." by Metallica, the lady says that,"If I could start my life all over again, I would make exactly the same choices as I have made."  I feel that I am lucky enough to confess that I would also make exactly the same choices that I have made.

 would 

2) Of all things one thing will always go right in my life.Not love,not career but friendship. 

On a new pair of Jeans : I have had experiences of my own which I seldom share but sometimes pen it down. There was a time when my favorite past time was jumping on haystacks in my village. Holding my pants in one hand and the baksa in the other, there was a routine run to the school in the dust.I wish I had a picture of mine then. When we moved to the city, life was a big fight both emotionally and financially. But the challenge was worth the effort and we learned a lot in the process. So every time I had new school clothes they were made of a size larger so that I could wear it for a long time. The haircut was always shorter than I would have liked. The cycle was too big for me.

I know many of you would never remember the first pair of jeans you wore or for that matter many other small things in life. We remember only those things in life which we desire the most. That was one phase when all I wanted was a jeans pant. My mom got me one which was one and half times longer than my height. I have had my laughs over that pant with my mom many times. But when she gifted me one this time, it was of the perfect size. Probably this symbolizes that how everyone in my family has moved to perfection. When I look back to this post some 10 years from now I would just like to have the smile which I am having now for this smile is life and I want to keep on living my life.

April 9 B day Astrology.

On Cricket and human behavior

Was reading an article in the ET today which made me write this post.The essence of this article was that we love ourself the most in the world and all our actions indirectly act towards satisfying this self-love.

I don't know who had this as a status message on the Shitbook,

"Loving someone who doesn't love you is like batting when you need 37 runs in 6 balls. You know it's impossible...but you still have a small hope that Ashish Nehra will bowl the last over." 

Dear cricket fan, if you say that you love cricket let it be unrequited love.This statement may give you a few likes and comments and make you feel good but remember it was you in 2003 World cup celebrating Nehra's wickets.You must have forgot that he vomited on the sidelines after every over but still against all the odds delivered.His one match defined him as a good committed person.So why you liked him then and not today? It's not your fault , it is how you are.Humans seldom remember your achievements but talk about a  failure and there you are.It's in your subconscious to seek pleasures in anything.For all those cartoons on Ponting , dear photoshop experts and cartoonists please spare him.Why portray this as a revenge against Australia? Remember that you just one a match against an invincible side lead by Ponting. It was not a sad demise of a hero but a display of rising above all expectation.It was by no means a joke but a profound display of heroics. I know that appreciation is a difficult thing in life because it is something which you do for others and does not come naturally to you but refrain from mocking someone.

I know how the real lovers of cricket are.I know the feeling of despair when my side looses.I have lived and breathed cricket in the non internet era.I have stood for 8 hours straight to watch cricket matches outside a TV shop.I did not eat on the black day of Indian cricket in Eden Gardens.Cricket is not all about Tendulkars but about Mooneys as well.

Kindly do not spoil cricket by useless micro blogging.