The aura of invincibility

It poured. It lashed. Drama unveiled! The beauty of the game was graced with the two great men on grass. U know what I am speaking about. True! Tennis it is. Wimbledon 2008 Men’s single - finals! A 4 hour, 48 minutes of ‘test of wills and calibre’. The longest and the greatest in the history of Tennis. What a match! The captivating five-set duel and the quality of tie-breakers. Nerve wrenching. Nail biting! Nothing short of spectacular.


Hailing from a family which religiously follows tennis, I have grown up with the game. Now, neva before had I witnessed a match of this sort (Will I eva?). The unbeatable Roger Federer (The ‘god of Tennis’ of the present era) on the one side and the new matador, Rafael Nadal, on the other side of the net. Eyes of the men were truly enigmatic. The energy they dissipated was colossal. Tough one it was. Both deserved to be the winners. It could be Fed’s hardest loss by far but what’s a game if there are no wins and losses? That’s called sportsmanship. The spirit has to stay! Its only but fair to have a winner and a loser. Wilma Rudolph quotes “Winning is great, sure, but if you are realy going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday”.


I could barely breathe during the third set. Lo and behold! I was tucked in my seat. But Yo! hold. I got back my breath. Fed was back in the game. He ought to stay! Though Fed is a genius, he is a human. And for a human it’s only but natural to err and falter. Nadal’s resistance was magnificent which was underlined by the fact that the world number one was able to convert only one out of his 13 breakpoints he generated over the course while sending down 52 unforced errors over Nadal's 27. This truely set the standards for the man. It’s after all a game. And it happens! I am not playing any favoritism here. Nadal has been the toughest contender to Fed. And he truly “deserved” to WIN. But yet, the supreme shall reign. Federer possesses the sublime skills that most players can only dream of. Nadal can neva be a threat to Federer. Nadal is to Federer as Agassi is to Sampras.

Never the less, the Swiss star shall always Shine bright. Undoubtedly, Federer is a champion. And time shall reveal this. As Jack Dempsey quotes “A champion is the one who gets up when he can’t”. Like the phoenix bird**, Fed too will have the time to prove, he is “The Invincible”!

**(It has a 500 year life-cycle, and near the end the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamom twigs or aromatic wood that it then ignites; both nest and bird is consumed by the fire and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises. The phoenix bird symbolizes immortality, resurrection and life after death)

A post...

No acknowledgement. No post. Am lost! So many memories, linger in my mind. I’ve travelled to a world of darkness. Guess I have gone blind. No acknowledgement. No post. But I am lost.

Entwined I am, signing the treaties of my heart. “Is it stagnation or a grinding halt? Questions my mind, with heights of fear. And then, I suddenly wake up. I realize, am here! Present in the present! I decide, to ‘treat’ my life than to retreat. Hoping the consequences to be sweet. Leaving behind the old rag, I move on, yet again! But now, with an acknowledgement. And a post!

Life is definitely a roller coaster ride and I seem to be enjoying it to the fullest! Losing in life and regaining what u have lost makes u the most confident person coz u r no more afraid of losing as u now realize your ability to regain.

Twist in the tale...

A novelist, an ex-politician, an artist, a teacher, an army man, a sportsperson. What an exuberant and a multi-faceted personality. Lord Jeffrey Archer! So simple, yet so rich like his works. He truly walks what he talks.

I have grown up with his “Kane and Abel” and “Not a penny less, not a penny more”. These are truly his best books. Certified page-turners. He has always captivated his audiences with his intriguing characters. He has never stopped enthralling his fans since then. He always gets a surreal, overwhelming response for all his works, which of course he deserves and about which the Lord is extremely delighted!
Happened to listen to this legendary writer on the ‘walk the talk show’ on NDTV the last Sunday. I was awe inspired by his art of dealing with details on the topics he was shooted. Colors of India came alive from Jeffrey Archer on this show. Be it the rock concert he recently attended, politics or IPL cricket. He says that he has always enjoyed watching India and England playing Test cricket at the Lords, minus the cheerleaders of course ;) (He is right. Why would you want these so called cheerleaders when there are 40,000 highly energised crowd cheering you. The essence and spirit of the game dies with this. This kinda cricket with the so called cheer leaders shall least be called 'bikini cricket'!). He was so much in appreciation for the Indian batting line up (need I say anything??)!
I realized that Jeffrey Archer and I do share somethings in common. He likes RK Narayan and so do I. He has the same opinion on Indian woman and traffic as I do. He says, “It’s high time they appoint some Indian woman as ministers. The next generation of women in India are going to the very top”. Watch for it!! ;) Wonder what changes Jeffrey could bring in if he is appointed as the Transport minister. I would definitely wanna look forward to that day though! Wish it could be a part of my probables list(Now, I know that’s too much to have said)[Wink].
Can’t wait to read his upcoming book which is in its draft version - 'Parts of glory'. “For the first time I am writing a story that is true. It has references to India as well”, he says. There are many “twists in the tale” he promises.

ಸ್ತಬ್ಧತೆ

ನಿಂತಿಹುದು ಅಚಲವಾಗಿ, ಅಲುಗಾಡದೆ ಭದ್ರವಾಗಿ. ಸಾವಿರಾರು ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ .... ಕಲ್ಲಾಗಿ! ಎತ್ತರದ ಬೆಟ್ಟ ಗುಡ್ಡಗಳ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಇಹುದು ಗಾಢ ಮೌನ, ಬಲಿತ ಮನ. ಅವುಗಳ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ ಅಡಿಯಲಿ ನೆಲಸಮವಾಗಿಹುದು ಸಾವಿರಾರು ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಹೆಪ್ಪುಗಟ್ಟಿದ ನೂರೆಂಟು ಮಾತು. ಆ ಸುಪ್ತ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನೊಳಗೆ ಏನು ಅಡಗಿಹುದು, ಬಲ್ಲವರು ಯಾರು? ಪ್ರಾಯಶಃ ಪ್ರತಿಧ್ವನಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ, ಮರುಗಿದ ಹಾಡು, ವೀಣೆಯ ತಂತಿ ಮೀಟಿದ ಹಾಗೆ. ಕೇಳಿಸಿದರು ಕೆಳದಂತಹ, ಕೇಳದಿದ್ದರೂ ಕೆಳಿಸಿದಂತಹ ತರಂಗಗಳನ್ನು ಕೇಳುವ ಕಿವಿ, ಆಲಿಸುವ ಮನ ಎಲ್ಲಾದರೂ ಇದೆಯೇ?

इंतज़ार....

tere bina saanjh dhalthi nahin
andheri raath kat thi nahi
tere intezaar mein main khadi rahi
mehsoos hota hai, tum aa gaye kahin

aankhon mein tere sapne suhane
yaad aathi hai tumhare nakhre bahane
gunguna dethi hoon aise hi kuch gaane
teri un yaadon ko barkharaar rakhne

teri yaadein jalathe hain in naram honton ko
tadpaathi hain in nasheeli aankhon ko
lagthi hai aag mere dil ke paron par
ro dethi hoon main, dho boondein tapkaakar

shyaam ki woh tandi hawa ka jhonka
bikharthi hai meri khaali ghata zulfon kaa
yaad dilaathi hai teri un shararathi baaton ka
aur meri sharmaane ki un tareekhon ka

chaand sitaarein sunaathi hain mujhe prem kahaniya
yaad dila deti hain mujhko teri woh jhooti vaadiya
dekar main tumhe main ek dho gaaliyan
chali jaathi hoon andhar savar ke baaliyan

aakhir thak gayin hoon raah dekhathe
meri aahat ko tum kyon nahi samajhthe?
khule hain darwaazein mere dil ke priyatam,
intezaar main khadi hai, teri sargam!

Sookhein hain yaadein teri...

Mark the Star

How wonderful it is,
To be what you are.
"I am what Iam"
Is the pitch to be a star.

Lets discover thee,
Within and without
So shall we grow,
Into a tree, spring sprout.

To evolve into a whole,
It takes pangs and pains.
Listen to your instincts,
To realize the mains.

Channelize the thought,
Yet, stay open. Stay broad.
Be kind. Be generous,
Make your way. And be glad.

Put up the best,
on the canvas of life
The tools you need -
are both brush and knife

Explore your potential.
Stand on the rainbow.
You shall be rendered,
a salutation and a bow

But, do care to declare,
how much to all, you Owe
That is when you stand out.
A shining star, hanging low!

L 'n' L

Life is a merry melody
Love is a haunting rhapsody

It is the unltimate remedy
For all world's greatest tragedy

We are now bound in a custody
In a wonderful net of spasmody