Ecstasy….

Yours truly holds the ball in his left hand...He looks at the opponent…He looks into the eyes of his opponent…He gets a piercing stare back…
“Advantage, Roshan” says the referee.
Drops of perspiration falls of Yours Truly’s forehead. It has been a gruelling fight.
10 deuces….
That’s quite a long battle…
Yours truly was on Match point 5 times…All five times he gave it away by indifferent strokes…
Will he be able to get it right this time around? He is afraid...tired...drained of all his energy….
But will power, he has loads of it...
He tosses the ball up and pulls back his arms...And then strikes the ball on its descent...
The ball spins away to his opponent’s court. His opponent flexes his arms to hit the ball….but the ball spins away to his right so much that he doesn’t get any contact with the ball..
An ace!!!!
Jubilation…..Yours truly has WON!!!!
That’s ecstasy …

Ouch...

More than quarter of a million people die in Africa every year simply because they cannot afford to see a Nurse or a Doctor.

Ouch!!!

Thousands in Asia die every year because they cannot get proper drinking water…And think about the amount of water we waste…

Ouch!!!

Thousands in Africa, Middle East, and Asia die because they cannot get away from the battle ground in time.. Cities are bombed to shreds...and so are the people who inhabit them...

Ouch!!!

Can we do something...That’s a sharp question…that hurts too…Ouch!!!!

Shadows in the dark!!!!

The light was dim…but it was not exactly dark…I steered clear of the line of cars and jeeps whose silhouettes gave me shivers….
There was nothing wrong with road…I tread on it every day and night…
But there was something about that night….
Was it the dead calm of the night, interspersed with the shrill cry of the cricket…I don’t know…

I tried to think about something beautiful to take my mind off those horrid thoughts that were creeping through my mind…
Will I ever reach my room? It would still take 10 minutes if I walk at a steady pace…
That was the first time I realized its presence…The thought itself gave me goose bumps…
I gasp…Should I turn around? What if that would be the last thing I ever see…

I walked faster…
I could still feel its presence…..To hell with it!!!! I look over my shoulder…

Nothing!!! Just void!!!!

Two more blocks and then I will be in the safety of my room….
I tread even faster…almost start running…

That’s when I saw it first…..It started out small and black…then into a looming, large entity…
Is someone or something really behind me??

I turn back once again … Nothing…
I run faster…

It follows…Sometimes it hides...and sometimes I can see its large presence…following me…
The faster I run … the faster it follows me…

Is it gaining on me? The though nearly scares me to death….

The entity never seemed to get tired….I kept following me tirelessly….

I close my eyes and ran……ran really hard…till I bumped into something huge….

“Hey Mate. You seem to be in a rush!!!” Was that Toby’s voice? Was I dreaming?

I opened my eyes and I realized that I was right in front of my house…..and that my landlord was staring at me astonished…

“Good Night Toby”, I said and hurried into my room….

The Apple (Family) Tree....

Before narrating to you the story of an aquaintance of mine, I would like to tell you something about the stunning picture you see alongside.

That's the Apple tree from which Newton saw the apple falling. And the rest, as they say is history.
Well, you would probably think I am insane. How long can an apple tree survive?
As you would probably have guessed by now, this is a clone!!!

There are only two trees cloned from the original apple tree. One, is planted in front of Newton's room (the one you can see in the picture), and the other I don't remember where!!!

As promised earlier, I am going to tell you about a friend of mine Henry Apple. Henry is different from most of us. He was born in a test tube. I am not joking!!!

Twenty four years back, his parents decided to take this step coz, Mrs Cynthia Wallace Apple was medically declared unfit to have a baby. So Mr and Mrs Apple decided to try out this new technique .

Isn't this going against nature? Isn't this going against God? I don't know. Maybe I am not the right person to answer this.
But if Mr and Mrs Apple (and thousands of people like them) are justified to take this step, then why is there so much hue and cry about cloning?

Isn't cloning also a new science?

Well I am not supporting or justifying cloning or anything, but I really feel that people are very biased. Why is it that "X" is right and "Y" is not right? "Y" is just the next step of "X"...

Confused??? Even I am confused!!! So let's stop... Well I know it has been a pointless read, but don't worry. I will write something useful next time.

Seeya.

The Road Not Taken....

This Robert Frost poem has left the deepest and the most profound imprint on my life.
Let me read it to you.
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,


And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black,Oh,
I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

Well, my life has been the same story. As a matter of fact, I feel that all our lives have a common story....Decisions.
Watched the long awaited movie Fanaa yesterday. I started watching this movie with very high expectation...Kajol, Aamir, Yash Raj Productions..What more reasons do you need? Even though this movie was a letdown, there was something that clung to me even after the it was over. It was small a dialogue by Rishi Kapoor.
" Hamara kal hamare aaj pe tika hai. Hum aaj jo faisla karte hain, woh hamare kal ka faisla karta hai.
Sahi aur galat ke beech faisla karna aasan hai. Lekin, do sahi raaston mein behtar chunna .. aur do
galat raaston mein munasib chunna... Yehi faisle hamare zindagi ke faisle karte hain."

Isn't this true? Every minute of our life we need to make decisions. It is the cumulitive effect of these decisions that decide our life. Every step in our journey is a decision.

According to my interpretation of "The Road Not Taken", I believe that Frost had made the right choice when he took the road "less travelled by". It is very easy to follow the crowd and arrive at your destination. But, to have the self belief and will power to find your own way.... That is what makes a man. Success does not come to all people. It does not depend on your destiny or your fate lines.
It is much more than that. Success comes to people who are not afraid to lead the way..people who are not afraid to make the first move..people who willing to stand up for themselves..people who have self-belief and moreover, belief in the "Supreme Authority of God".

These are sure to take you a long way!!!

So next time when you need to make a decision.....please look for the "Road Not Taken". Maybe, that's the right road!!!

Ciao

Of Men & Women..

Well they (read Wise Men) say, "Picture speaks a thousand words."

May be I do not need to write anything further.... But still, just for the records I would add a few lines of wisdom...

Most of these comments are a result of several interactions with various people.

In a single line, I would say " Women are the driving force behind all men".

According to another buddy of mine : " If it does not work your way, try it your wife's way !!!!". BTW he is married. Maybe its not him, its actually the stress that is speaking ;¬)

What makes girls so different from guys. Girls are supposed to be more sensitive, caring, motivated than guys. Is this actually true? I know guys who are really sensitive, who remember dates (even the time).....And they are not gay!!!!

Doesn't this remind you of Subodh from Dil Chahta Hai. Poor Chap!!! If any girl had those characteristics then she would have been considered as a dedicated, considerate and loving person....but a guy...No way!!!!!

Society would probably easily label him as an outcast.

Why is that these personality traits are not accepted as one that should be portrayed by guys? Did God actually intend this diiference when he created Adam and Eve?

I was speaking to a very wise friend of mine. She seems to be of the opinion that guys are always afraid to commit, whereas girls are ready for that. Why is it that guys are labelled like this? Does this hold true for all guys?

It's for all you gals out there to find out....

Until next time. Ciao.

Crocodile Dundee in Cambridge

Cambridge has a wonderful history of Nobel Prize winners. From 1904 , 81 affiliates have won this prestigious award.

Today, we will hear the story of Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear physics. Well aren't we all aware of the gold foil experiment?

One of his colleagues, Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa, gave Rutherford his nickname, "The Crocodile".
Not a friendly nickname, is it?

To commemorate this, Eric Gill, a notable British sculptor, engraved the figure of a crocodile on the one of the walls at the old Cavendish Lab site.

This is the official story. But, unofficially, I will tell you why and how Rutherford came to be known as "the crocodile".

He was a very strict lecturer. All his students hated him. But he was the wisest and the most knowledgeable researchers in the whole Cavendish site. People looked at him with awe. One of his colleagues, while passing by a group of students, overheard then speaking about a crocodile.

Surprised as he was, Pyotr strained his ears to listen completely what the students were wishpering. He then passed on this information to others. Everyone who came to learn about this, thought that it was Pyotr who gave Rutherford this nickname.

Pyotr did not challenge this because he knew that nome of the students would come forward to claim this. Every body was scared of the crocodile.

Probably someday or the other, I would like someone to engrave something on my office walls. A fox would be nice....At least he is wise ;¬)

Until nect time. Seeya.

RobinHood of the HighLands - Patriot or a Thief

On one of his frequent visits to the Blockbuster Video shop, yours truly stumbled across a fantastic DVD…."Rob Roy" with Liam Neeson playing the lead.
What caught my eye was the tagline :
"Honor made him a man. Courage made him a hero. History made him a Legend!"
The movie had so much impact on yours truly, that he packed his bags and left for Scotland to visit the grave of the greatest of all McGregors - Robert Roy McGregor.
Now lets talk about this guy Rob. Before further reading I would like to warn everyone that the fantastic tale that I am about to narrate is a real one. But, it was told to me with a Scottish flavour by Marty (the guy in the picture). And now, I am going to pass it on to you after adding my own variety of Indian Masala.
Lets fasten our seat belts. We are on our way to 18th Century Scotland...a time that Rob Roy was a part of. Robert was not a huge man. But, he had really long hands. This made him look even smaller. But, he was an expert swordsman and his long hands were a sure help!!
Whenever I play TT, i wish that i had longer hands. But, that is a different story that I will write about that some other day.
The McGregors were the most despised and persecuted clans in the entire highlands. Such was their notoriety that even to bear the name McGregor was illegal.
Rob was one of the most skillful cattle lifters. The legend has it that Rob and his men used to come from behind the clowds and just walk away with the cattle...no footprints...no signs of struggle...just deal calm!!!
There was a huge bounty on his head. A lot many kings and nobles tried to bring him down but none prevailed. Even though Rob was physically stronger than most of his opponents, his main strengh lay in his head... His mind was always thinking new ways to defeat his enemies.
Once he was pursued by a group of bounty hunters. He was all alone and they were 16, all armed to their teeth. Knowing that facing them there would mean death, Rob ran. He stormed into an inn. Now, ordinary people would think that this is a dead end...but not Roy.
He stood inside the inn waiting, knowing that only two could pass through the in door at any given moment. After 10 minutes, there was blood all over the inn floor. And Rob was the "Last Man Standing". It is another story, that Rob had to pay 23 copper coins as the cleaning charges!!!

After this incident and a score more like this, Rob decided that it was enough. He decided to reform. He was not educated, and the MNCs had not started mass recruitement drives yet. So, there was nothing that Rob could do. What he knew best was to steal cattle.

So he started a new company... "Rob Roy Anti-Cattle Lifting Pvt. Ltd."
The vision of the company was to see that nobody in Scotland ever lose their cattle.

The business was flourishing. Everyone knew that Rob was the best cattle thief ever...So he would be their best protector too. The people paid him 'hafta' so that he and his men protect their cattle from being stolen (read: do not steal their cattle).

Now as their business grew, they had competition. The police were claiming that they would do the same and at a much lower price than what Rob demanded. But, there was so much work that both the companies managed to earn a lot. The latter are doing it even as we speak!!! At least back home in India.

Rob Roy was also know for his honour, pride and patriotism. He was the bravest warrior who forgave even his worst enemies. He was the RobinHood of Scotland. He used to rob from the rich and pass it on to the needy. He borrowed a large sum, for the upliftment of their village, from a local landlord.... the money which he could not return back!!

He died in 1734, a sick man. He renounced all his sins and forgave all his enemies. But, even now his tombstome reads "McGregor despite them". Even death could not stop Rob from using the most feared and detested name of all - McGregor!!!!

You may now unfasten your seatbelts. Our journey for the day is over. Hope that your journey was a comfortable one.

Until next time! Your travel mate.