Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar-The first to score 200 in ODIs

Bow down to the CHAMPION,bow down to the GOD.The first man to score 200 in ODIs-none other than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.Wait,he is no human being,he is GOD(strikes man out from earlier line).YET another record for the greatest batsman ever to have played this game.A friend suggested that I had a great topic to blog about. But I said no,it would be blasphemy for a mere ordinary mortal like me to even write about God. This post is out of respect and celebration of his 200.Having seen him in Gwalior today,I feel I can die in peace.No other batsman deserved to score 200 first than him.Here is THE moment.

Sachin Tendulkar-World Record 200 Runs

Superstitions

I must be about 10 years old.Like all kids of that age,I followed cricket as if my life depended on it(and I still do).I remember it was India vs Australia match. Watching the Indian bowling performance,I was pretty sure India would win this one comfortably.India started their innings quite well.I got up for a glass of water.When I came back,I saw,to my dismay,that India had lost an important wicket.Disappointed.This sequence continued a couple of times.Every time I left my seat, India lost a wicket.I got desperate and fear of losing started grappling my mind.I decided not to leave my seat until the match gets over.With more ups and downs, however without losing any wicket, India won the game.I was probably more happy than than the Indian captain.However,I became a victim of the most incomprehensible phenomenon in the world.Superstition.

dictionary.com defines 'superstition' as
su·per·sti·tion
–noun
1.a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance,occurrence, proceeding, or the like.
2.a system or collection of such beliefs.
3.a custom or act based on such a belief.
4.irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, esp. in connection with religion.
5.any blindly accepted belief or notion.

After this incident,I have always stayed put in a particular position while watching India play.Not based on reason or knowledge,but in significance of a particular occurrence.I always have my fingers and toes crossed when Sachin Tendulkar is batting in the 90s.An act based on my above belief.I am very superstitious about wearing my Arsenal jersey while watching the Gunners play.Blindly accepted belief in my case that Arsenal will play well if I wear the jersey.These are just a few examples.Its not just me or my neighbor who is superstitious.Great and famous people have been superstitious too.
Steve Waugh always carried a red handkerchief in his pocket when he went out to bat.It is well documented that Sourav Ganguly did not move from his position in the pavilion during that epic win against England at Lords,when he took off his shirt and waved it from the famous balcony.Not just that,it is said that he ordered fellow team mates not to move from their positions too.Michael Jordan(a graduate of North Carolina) always wore his blue North Carolina shorts under his Bulls uniform for good luck.John Terry and Tiger Woods have this superstition that cheating on their (own) wives gives them good luck during the next match or tournament.(OK,I made that one up,but can even be true,you never know :P).There also are the universal superstitions like Friday the 13th is unlucky,breaking a mirror brings 7 years of bad luck,black cat crossing your path is cursed,writing an exam with a lucky pen etc.

Indian traditions and rituals have a part in making the Indian society superstitious.Reliance on position and state of planets in doing some work is something I have never quite been able to come terms with.How can Mars affect what I am going to do on the face of planet Earth?Is there an alien monitoring my movement and affecting it remotely?Even agnostic guys do once in a while resort to weird practices like having a tablespoon of curd before going for an important exam.I won't even go into the hoards of people visiting temples right before an exam or the results.It is one thing to believe in God and having faith in the Almighty,and another thing to pray and give offerings just before the exam.There is a very fine line between faith and superstition,and that would be a separate discussion altogether.

Most superstitions are usually harmless,and that is the reason why people don't think about them.What difference does it make to wear my 'lucky' shirt or socks to the interview instead of any random one?
Right?So what exactly is the problem with being superstitious?It has forced people in believing in something which cannot be explained using normal equations of cause and effect.The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.Superstition is so powerful that it leads you to attribute your successes to something outside yourself.This essentially means that you are held back from unleashing your own inner strengths and abilities.After a period of time,your superstition turns into an habit and that can damage your outlook and outcome.Also,one never gets rid of old superstitions,but keeps piling new ones as times goes along.You should not let superstition rule your mind.Instead,you should try your best to overcome your fears by inspiring confidence in yourself,inspiring authority in your decisions and inspiring trust in your actions.

However,that all being said,it is still not going to stop me crossing my fingers and toes when Sachin is on 93 or sleeping in my Arsenal jersey for 8 am kickoff :)

P.S. I would really be interested in knowing what your superstitions are if you want to share them :)

25

Yesterday was my birthday.25th birthday.Makes me kinda feel old.25,quarter century,silver anniversary.About half my life has gone by(considering assuming I would be living not more than about 50 odd years).They say at 25,an average person are on their way-settled into a place of their own,having a job and maybe even think of starting a family.But in my case,none of the above is true.No home,no job and no thoughts of starting a family.It surprises me how people think about you differently when you are 25.My mom talked about me getting married after she wished me.Hello!!??As if I was not an eligible bachelor a day before,and became one the day i turned 25.Your uncles and aunties start reminding you of your responsibilities,whereas your younger cousins start taunting you about turning into an old man.The pesky aunties keep questioning you about your relationship status and how they should start looking for a suitable bride for you if you are single.Anyways, I think age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

This reminds me of the childhood days when birthday was the most anticipated day of the year. Today,its just another day. Back then,it was a pretext to buy new clothes and gifts.Today,there was no such feeling. Back then,I used to wear new clothes to school.Everyone in school wished you and made you feel special,albeit for that one single day. Today,I went to school in the same ragged pair of jeans. No one wished me "Happy Birthday". Back then, I used to distribute chocolates in the entire class.Today, I treated myself to a Snickers bar from the vending machine. Back then, mom used to make special food for me. Today, I was making food for others in the cafeteria. I went out for dinner with friends, but the food tasted nowhere as good as the home cooked food. Back then, friends and family came home to wish you. Today, except my few special friends (love you guys), all I got were the stereotypical one line wishes on facebook and orkut. Back then, dad used to bring cake from Merwans' bakery,careful not to spoil the cake in the train crowd. Today, there is no dad to bring it for me. Even the most exotic cake here does not taste as good as that simple cake which he got. Back then, at the end of the day, I used to think about the year to come ahead and go to sleep. Today, I am thinking about the years gone by and not getting any sleep.How I wish I could get my childhood back. As a child, I wanted to grow up and become an engineer. As an engineer, I want to be young and become a child again.

OK,I think I got a little too nostalgic there.I had a wonderful birthday and still suffering from the after effects(hangover,sore bum, bruised elbows and knees).I would like to thank everyone for their wonderful wishes(even those who forgot and might call/text/scrap after reading this).

PS:I am still accepting gifts.

And yes, I have decided to stop counting at 25. Cheers to another year of midlife crisis.

Here is what one looks like after a birthday bashing.Add the above mentioned after effects and clothes smelling of cake,eggs,juices,syrups,ketchup etc. and that sure makes it a night to remember.