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.

Sometimes I cry

Sometimes I cry when I am alone
I don't have anyone with me,I am on my own

The tears from my heart so torn
Flow with life but find no form
If I had an ear to confide in
I would sob my heart out in lights so dim
But who do I know who is there for me
And help me achieve what I want to be
Time flies by,people pass by
Without stopping to know why you cry
The pain is gulped with a glass of wine
The next morning I am all happy and fine
But it's true that sometimes I cry
But no one knows or cares about why

Best quotes about Sachin Tendulkar

"Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it."
Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight

Yaseer Hameed:
"Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job."

"To Sachin, the man we all want to be"
What Andrew Symonds wrote on an Aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin

BBC on Sachin:
"Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives "

"But the finest compliment must be that bookmakers would not fix the odds -or a game - until Tendulkar was out."

"Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?"
Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch.

Brian Charles Lara:
"Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal."

"We did not lose to a team called India...we lost to a man called Sachin"
Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1998)

M. L. Jaisimha:
"The more I see of him the more confused I'm getting to which is his best knock."

Glenn McGrath:
"The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility -all make for a one-in-a-billion individual"

Anjali:
"I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play"

Matthew Hayden:
"I have seen God, he bats at no. 4 for India"

Anil Kumble:
"I am fortunate that I've to bowl at him only in the nets!"

Shahrukh Khan(quoting Shahrukh from an interview)
"Q: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shahrukh: There was a big party where stars from Bollywood and cricket were invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching Amitabh Bachhan. Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a grab of the genius!!"

Navjot Singh Sidhu:
"India me aap PrimeMinister ko ek baar katghare me khada kar sakte hain,par Sachin Tendulkar par ungli nahi utha sakte.."

Waqar Younis:
"He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also."

A banner once said:
"I will see God when I die,till then I will see Sachin Tendulkar"

Allan Donald:
"Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world"

Allan Donald again:
"I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting i told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and i know a way to pin Sachin. And i delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delivery outside offstump. And i shouted catch. To my astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin.His reflex time is the best I have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec.To get his wicket better not prepare. Atleast you wont regret if he hits you for boundaries."

Peter Rebouck, Aussie journalist:
"On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations.The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century.This genius can stop time in India!!"

NKP Salve, former Union Minister (This was when he was accused of ball tempering):
"Sachin cannot cheat. He is to cricket what (Mahatma) Gandhiji was to politics. It's clear discrimination. "

Andy Flower:
"There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others."

A placard at the SCG when Sachin Tendulkar was on his way to a magnificent century
"Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching."

Hansie Cronje:
"I had to remind Gary Kristen often that he was in the covers to field against Sachin not to applaud him"

Shane Warne:
"You have to decide for yourself whether you're bowling well or not. He's going to hit you for fours and sixes anyway."

During the Bangalore Test, frustrated, Michael Kasprowicz went to Dennis Lillee and asked, "Mate, do you see any weaknesses?" Lillee replied, "No Michael, as long as you walk off with your pride that's all you can do."

"Cricket is my religion, Sachin is my God"

"What do you call a critic of Sachin Tendulkar?Atheist"

"Indian defeat was God's way of saying... 'I exist'. He was threatened that Sachin would take over"

Ravi Shastri:
"Sachin has been sent by God to play cricket and then go back."

Ajay Jadeja:
"I can't dream of an innings like that. He exists where we can't."

Shane Warne:
"I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player"

Adam Hollioke:
"In an over I can bowl six different balls. But then Sachin looks at me with a sort of gentle arrogance down the pitch as if to say 'Can you bowl me another one?'"

Paul Strang:
"What we (Zimbabwe) need is 10 Tendulkars."

Dennis Lillee:
"If I've to bowl to Sachin, I'll bowl with my helmet on. He hits the ball so hard."

Sir Donald Bradman:
"I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...his compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel !"

Desmond Haynes:
"In terms of technique and compactness, Tendulkar is the best."

Sir Viv Richards:
"I think he is marvellous. I think he will fit in whatever category of Cricket that has been played or will be played, from the first ball that has ever been bowled to the last ball that’s going to be. He can play in any era and at any level. I would say he’s 99.5% perfect."

Mohammad Azharuddin:
"The more I see him, the more I want to see him."

Steve Waugh:
"We won with ten, but lost to one"

Harsha Bhogle:
"For every ball Sachin has two shots in his mind. And he gets out when he plays the third one".

"People say they saw Christ walk water..People say they saw Gandhiji win us freedom..People say they walked alongside Buddha 'The Enlightened One'. I will always say ~~ I SAW SACHIN BAT ~~"

Greg Chappell:
"He is a perfectly ablanced batsman and knows perfely well when to attack and when to play defensive cricket.He has developed the ability to treat bowlers all over the world with contempt and can destroy any attack with utmost ease"

Mark Waugh:
"The pressure on me is nothing compared to Sachin Tendulkar.Sachin,like God,must never fail.The crowd always expects him to succeed and it is too much pressure on him.But,he rarely disappoints them"

Brett Lee:
"You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind midwicket.His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it's a toothpick"

Shane Warne:
"Don't sledge Sachin,rather befriend him"

Michael Kasprowicz:
"Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours."

Wasim Akram:
"Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime, and I am privileged he played in my time."

Mathew Hayden:
"When Tendulkar goes out to bat, it is beyond chaos - it's a frantic appeal by a nation to one man."

Shane Warne:
"You have to watch India in India truly to appreciate the pressure that Sachin Tendulkar is under every time he bats. Outside grounds, people wait until he goes in before paying to enter. They seem to want a wicket to fall even though it is their own side that will suffer"

Geoffrey Boycott:
"Technically, you can't fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow nothing is a problem."

Time magazine:
"We have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had another Sachin Tendulkar and we never will."

"To err is human,not to is Sachin"

"Sachin Tendulkar - Reducing the number of atheists since 1989"

David Shepherd:
"If he is not the best then I want to see the best"

Shane Warne, when asked about who he thought the greatest batsman in the world was:
"Sachin Tendulkar. Then daylight"

Mike Marqusee:
"Tendulkar is one of that narrow stratum of elite sports stars whom people will clamour and even make great sacrifices to watch, regardless of their national identity. If you care for cricket, you must love Sachin. In this regard, his peers are few - and mostly found in other sports, and certainly in other lands."

Shane Warne:
"You have to watch India in India truly to appreciate the pressure that Sachin Tendulkar is under every time he bats. Outside grounds, people wait until he goes in before paying to enter. They seem to want a wicket to fall even though it is their own side that will suffer. This is cricket as Sachin has known it since the age of 16. He grew up under incredible weight of expectation and never buckled once – not under poor umpiring decisions or anything else. I place him very slightly ahead of Lara because I found him slightly tougher mentally."

Daniel Vettori:
"He has been in form longer than some of our guys have been alive."

Some article:
"The silence in an Indian cricket stadium when he gets out is said to be the loudest in the world."

Adidas print commercial:
"When Sachin plays, big-city roads are easy and trains and buses ply empty at rush hour and the markets take a beating... When Sachin plays, grandmothers who know next to nothing about the game forget knitting and resting and medicines and pray to their gods as they sit frozen, staring nervously at their television screen... When Sachin plays , busy, ambitious executives ignore their calls and cancel their appointments and avoid their clients and miss their deadlines and put their careers on hold... When Sachin plays, college common rooms are dense and tense and hushed as an entire generation sits on pins and needles... When Sachin plays, school-yards are silent and playgrounds are deserted because those who normally make such a racket imitating their hero are all too busy watching him make batting look so ridiculously easy... When Sachin plays, fathers who want the news and daughters and mothers who always want soft stuff and brothers who fight for action, for once all agree on what to watch... When Sachin plays, bowlers and fielders and opposing captains feel their impotence and inadequacy like at no other time and curse themselves and wonder what they can do, if anything, to end the shame, the nightmare, the humiliation... When Sachin plays, commentators and experts run out of adjectives and expressions of wonder and comparisons... When Sachin plays, lay spectators have no need for words at all and just jump and scream and whistle and clap and hug each other and cry and wave their flags and banners and thank their lucky stars for being there... When Sachin plays, India forgets its differences and divisions and teeters between tensions and exhilaration and breaths and laughs and cries as one, as its heart fills with pride and joy and patriotism... WHEN SACHIN PLAYS, ALL ELSE IS IRRELEVANT"

US President Barack Obama:
"I don't know about cricket but still I watch cricket to see Sachin play..Not because I love his play, its because I want to know the reason why my country's production goes down by 5 percent when he is batting."

Virat Kohli after the Indian team carried him on their shoulders after winning the World Cup:
"He has carried the burden of the nation for the last 21 years, it is about time we carry him."

M.S.Dhoni:
"What can i say about him? He has scored more than 17000 odd runs. I have not even faced 17000 balls."

As long ago as 1998, the Bombay poet C. P. Surendran wrote:
"Batsmen walk out into the middle alone. Not Tendulkar. Every time Tendulkar walks to the crease, a whole nation, tatters and all, marches with him to the battle arena. A pauper people pleading for relief, remission from the lifelong anxiety of being Indian, by joining in spirit their visored saviour."

Martin Crowe:
"The shot played on this ball is possible only for the God of cricket."

Ravi Shastri:
"This is the stuff champions are made of. I have to repeat that word time and time again,because that's what he is."

Brian Lara:
"For me, the best batsman in the world is Sachin Tendulkar. I admire Jacques Kallis' consistency and Ricky Ponting, with the purple patch he's going though. Everybody gets 15 minutes of fame. But if there's one person I've admired over a 15-year period, it's definitely Sachin."

Wasim Akram:
"Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and I am privileged he played in my time."

Will keep adding as and when I find more :)

At the pearly gate

There I was,standing in front of a gate which seemed so different,yet seemed so familiar. Then,from the corner of my eye, I could see God walking right towards me.

Me: "God!!Is that you?"

God:"Yes, it's me.Here is my ID."

He showed me his ID. It read "God,CEO,Heaven Inc."

Me:"Oh My God!!!!!"

God:"Yes??"

Me:"Never mind,it was just an expression."

God:"Dude,completely missed you,good to see you here.How are you?"

Me:"I think dead that I am standing in front of you :"

God:"Happy realization."

Me:"Good thing,I was a bit tired of life anyways. By the way where is the nearest 24/7 located?Need to buy some beer before its 2 am."

God:"Its just round the corner,take first left after the entrance."

Me:"Cool, just the way it was in good old Rochester.Take a left and just round the corner..nice. Is NY state license a valid ID in heaven?"

God:"You left it on earth dude.But don't worry the guy in there knows you are above the legal age to drink."

Me:"Hey,is that 24/7 wala Sri Lankan guy dead too? He never checked my ID on earth too...nice. Will be fun to make fun of him here as well when Sri Lanka lose their next game against India."

God gives me a blank look.

God:"btw i have a few questions for you, care to answer? "

Me:"Shoot.Be quick please. Need to reach before 2"

And that is when the conversation got a little serious.

God:"Don't you get angry at me for all the pain you suffered?"

Me:"I was, at some point,terribly pissed off. But in that pain you taught me the meaning of life and gave me some valuable lessons. At some point of time, I wanted to give up. But you gave me the courage and the desire along with the pain to keep me going."

God:"Do you really think I am so bad to be hated by so many people?People blame me for all the bad in the world,but rarely thank me for whatever good happens."

Me:"No father.Its just that you were too kind that you allowed them the freedom to think that way. And people tend to think of you only when they are in the dust, and not when they are soaring in the skies. I have a question though. Why don't you meet people face-to-face? This will help them realize your existence every day of their life."

God:"I am present everywhere. You just need to see me. You can find me in a beautiful sunset, or when I go walking in the woods and see beautiful birds and hear them chirping. I also can be seen in innocent children's eyes, or someone doing something genuinely nice. I answer all your prayers. You just need to find the answer yourself. It is right there. All you need is the vision."

Me:"Ah!!So you ask me questions and then hand over the cheat sheet. All I need to do is find where the answer lies. You give an assignment but you give a sample code. I just need to modify it.Ah, why didn't I realize this when I was alive.You are smart!"

God gives me a disgusted look. I realized RIT had taken its toll on me. Maybe,it was the cause of my death.

God:"Have you sinned in your life young man?"

Me:"Uhh..yes. More times than I can count. But,I regret all the sins I have done. I tried to compensate for them as much I could. God, I am sorry. Sorry for hurting people with my senseless and unthoughtful acts."

God:"I appreciate your honesty son.Proceed.Hope you have a good time in here. You need to ring the bell there to get into heaven."

Me:"Thank you."

I took a few steps,paused and looked back at God.

Me:"You knew I answered all those in hurry.I was really thirsty.Don't you?"

God:"Ofcourse boy!"

I started ringing the bell. It kept ringing and ringing and kept growing irritatingly loud. I rubbed my eyes to see my cell phone ringing. Without my chasma,all I could see is "G....".G??God?What is happening?Am I alive or dead? Where am I? I picked up the cell hesitantly. The voice on the other side said,"Hi Amogh, this is Diana from Gracies. You had a 10:30 shift,you have not shown up yet. Are you coming or no?"

Me:"Yes, I am on my way. I had kinda an important meeting going on just before this :)"