TsuNaMo sweeps India!

                                                                                                                                                  Pic Courtesy: http://www.ndtv.com

India has awakened! And finally we have a government that has a clear majority. We have waited long, 10 years to be exact for a powerful prime minister and our wait is over. 325/543 seats is impressive and to think that one man has made this possible is just mind boggling. Just goes to show that people have had enough of the political parties looting in the name of dynasty politics. A nail on the head for both Congress and DMK down south. Die-Nasty!

And down south AMMA has shown her power with an impeccable 37/39 seats and DMK turned with zilch. Amma na summa va!

Now waiting for NaMo to fulfill his initial promise. Hoping for a better India. Jai Ho!

When opportunity knocks…

It has been almost 4 months since my last post and there has been so much around me that has changed. From close to securing a job in India to taking up a position in a totally new country. Life has been nothing short of CRAZY!!!

Rewind!

Towards the end of January 2014. On a fateful Tuesday morning, I received a phone call to come an attend an interview. I was asked to confirm if I am “OK” with this interview since the job position would be in India. I was never really into this particular job, however, i just wanted to give it a try & if I were selected I could always say “NO”. So on that notion I attended the interview on Wednesday and I was interviewed by the general manager who told me that I was over-qualified, but was being interviewed since they were trying out something new. I was offered the position. And all that was left was my final decision. It was a luring offer since I would be paid in a foreign currency and would work in India (Bengaluru to be exact). A Dream job, some would say! I came back home and discussed it with friends and family, but inside I was skeptic about working in India. I was still at loggerheads with myself on making a final decision. Early morning on Thursday, I was half asleep still when I received yet another phone call from the company asking me to come in for a “Second Interview”. So many things were racing through my mind at that very moment the HR mentioned a “second interview” since for all I know the position was already offered to me and I had met all the top people in the company including the boss, who was part of my first interview.

I was on time for the “Second Interview” but had to wait for about an hour and half since there was a sudden client meet and the bosses were busy. When I was finally called in, it was into a meeting room with the boss, hr and the general managers. And what followed was life changing in certain aspects. They informed me that the position I had interviewed for was being kept on “HOLD” and asked me if I would be interested in a managerial position in the Philippines (mild KANNA LADDU THINNA AASAYA feel). So many things were racing in my mind that although I tried to concentrate on what was being said there, I just couldn’t. I still do not remember what was being said and discussed for a few moments after they announced about the new position. And to go with this, I would be offered accomodation & transport. All I had to take care was the food. The other conditions would remain the same as discussed. Yet again, the ball was in my court. I had to decide.

There were a lot of discussions and lots of phone calls made. Discussions with family and friends were 50-50. For some strange reason, for me while working in India gave me the creeps, going to an absolutely new country(where people advised me that my life would be in jeopardy) seemed challenging. I had already made up my mind. My reasoning: I lived(read as survived) in an alien land, where language was a main barrier for 3 years, why cant  I in a land where people speak English and are far more easy going. Opportunity was knocking hard at my door and I was in no mood to let it leave. i opened my door to the opportunity and embraced it wholly.

The mind is a palace of a thousand thoughts and most of them were what if? questions. Although I had accepted this “Challenge”, I was still a bit afraid if everything would work out. As I write this, it’s already been 2 months since I took up the job and I am very happy that I took it up. I could have chosen a safe way and declined the offer. Nobody would have said anything & I would have been safely cocooned in my comfort zone. But, that’s not what we live for. is it?

More in my next post. Till then stay classy!

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar- A Career of Greatness!

It was his last game. He had announced his retirement. His 200th Test match. India won. He was running around happily after the victory to congratulate his team mates when it occurred to him he will never be doing it again on a cricket field. As the team gave him a moving guard of honour, he left the field. He cried. A billion people cried. That was the impact one man had on cricket in India. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Season of “SPLITS”

Few days ago, we were treated to an awe inspiring video by M/s VOLVO feat. a 53 year old JCVD (Jean Claude Van Damme) performing an EPIC split standing on the side mirrors of 2 reversing Volvo trucks.

But wait, that’s not all. We got a few videos that will have us in splits spoofing what JCVD had done. See for yourself and enjoy!

Curtain Call-Goodbye to “The Wall”

This week marks the end of an illustrious career of a man who has shown us how you can reach great heights with focus and determination, will power & grit, passion and humbleness. Rahul Sharad Dravid, the greatest ambassador for the game of cricket and perhaps the best cricketer the world has seen. If ever the history books were willing to lend a page to jot down the achievements of someone it would be for Dravid. LEGEND in a true sense.

Goodbye, Sir!

Happy Diwali Folks!!!

It is here. The festivity of lights. Crackers going off. BOOM!!! (this particular word is here because i so wanted to use it on one of my posts ever since i saw the DON 2 trailer with SRK uttering the same. CLASS!!!, guilty pleasure). Jokes apart, i miss DIWALI. Celebrating it i mean. Diwali was my festival. I do not remember a Diwali not being celebrated at my cousins place. They used to get a lot of crackers and yours faithfully, the aan singam (translated as male lion for U, that reader who doesn’t understand the beauty of my language, yes U) was called upon to finish em all mainly because i was the eldest boy child in the family. Every year. The bijli, lakshmi vedi, atom bomb, changu chakra. oh, i just realised i miss the crackers too. I used to love the snake. it wasn’t much of a challenge, but just lighting up a black pellet and seeing it transform in the shape of a snake was fun. oh! i miss those days. Just got news that if we burst crackers here(in Kuwait), we end up in jail. Enna vaazhka da idhu!!!

Coming to the sweets, deepavali was a time for those delicious Gulab Jamuns. Mom was the architect of some of the best Gulab Jamuns on earth. Believe me, you’d wanna gobble up a whole lot of them at once. They were that delicious *mouth-watering*. then there was the murukku and om podi. Everything was made for the whole family. And then how could i forget the movies. First Day First Show of a big movie that releases on Diwali(always). Man, sucks to know these days will never come back.

And so coming to the present, it sucks to be here. A damned place where money keeps people going. Diwali has as less a meaning as the Indian Government. Nobody gives a sh*t.

Hopefully, things will get better next year. Hopefully!!!

Have a fun filled festive season. Happy Diwali folks!!!

AN OPEN LETTER TO TEAM INDIA IN ENGLAND

Time for Introspection

Dear Team INDIA,

I take the liberty to draft this letter on the behalf of millions of cricket fans across the globe.

First of all, let me begin by telling you that this is by far the worst experience for me as an ardent fan of your team. Ever since i started watching cricket way back in early 1990’s, never have i felt so apathetic & heart breaking while supporting my team on a tour.

Yes, i agree we are a demanding lot. But, that is because of you TEAM INDIA. You had made us accustomed to winning. It was OK if it was only winning, but you made us proud by showing us that you had the intensity and audacity to not go down without a fight. That is the TEAM INDIA we wanted to see.

You won us the WORLD CUP, no we haven’t forgotten that and will never forget that ever in our lives. You earned the title of #1 Test team in the world. We were a happy lot you know. But, these past 3 weeks gave us our reality check. Oh, yes it did!

These three weeks were most harrowing times for any fan, leave alone me. Although after each failure of yours, I tell myself not to follow the remaining matches anymore. I know from the inside, me and the millions of fans were watching each and every ball. That’s how we are.

We expected you to fight. We never even saw a glimpse of that in this series. Yes, there were exceptions. RAHUL DRAVID! We seriously do not know how much more humiliating it would have been to see the team go down without his 3 fighting and quality centuries. Each when the team needed them and each which gave us hope that there was at least  someone willing to put up a fight. RESPECT!!!

There were glimpses of fight in the final test match. Although we lost, you have raised our hopes again. Though the #1 test team tag is lost along with this series (and ENGLAND in every sense were the BETTER team in all departments), we still have our hopes high on you. We will consider this a blemish.

In the weeks proceeding this series, we will ponder on the future, we will back you during these hard times. Yes, after all you are still our beloved team.

Signing off, hoping the good old days of not going down without a fight is just round the corner.

Your’s faithfully,

An Ardent Fan

 

Chasing Independence!!!

What is Independence to us? During my teenage years, my idea of Independence day was the function at school. We were dressed at our best with a flag pinned to our chests. We held our heads high, sang the National Anthem and fought for the chocolates after the flag was hoisted…

Incredible India!

India is the place to be

Was on Facebook when one of my friends was tagged to this pic. Was very impressive and just showed how much better India was when compared to the so called “Foreign” countries. It finds a place here to blow away many more hearts…Cheers 😉

We Salute!!!