Ideology through Society, Culture, Family and Sports

A couple of days back a friend of mine asked, what's so special about Sachin and why people are going crazy over his retirement? She wasn’t looking to underwhelm the Master but was just filled with curiosity. For someone who hasn’t followed Tendulkar during his formative years, it isn’t too bad a question. Sachin isn't special for the number of runs & centuries he scored, for the dozens of years he played at the highest level, for the millions of fans he has been able to attract, for the bundles of games he had won for the country, for the insurmountable amount of respect he has acquired worldwide and so on! All these achievements can (miniscule chances do exist) be matched or bettered by someone in next 100 years or more. The most vital aspects that made Sachin so special, are all intangible - Discipline, drive, hunger for self-improvement, fearlessness, hard work, mental toughness, sacrifice, preparation, humility and most importantly his deep understanding on the m...

Dear fellow United fans:      As furious and frustrated I am with United’s stuttering start to the season, it’s imperative that we supporters stay calm and patient, while we look forward to a turnaround. No doubt, United are trying as hard as possible to place themselves in a precarious position. The margin of error left is getting reduced alarmingly after each match and we are in an urgent need for a few wins. What is truly infuriating is the paucity of chances we create in each game. It wouldn’t bother me much if we squander chance after chance due to poor finishing - But we don’t really get there and that’s worrying. But is it the first time we are in a spot of bother? Didn’t we go three seasons in a row between 2004 and 2006 without winning the title, when a Roman Abramovich- led Chelsea was threatening to run away with everything?  Didn't we compensate for that drought by becoming English Champions for the three years that followed? I have...

I was eleven years old when I first witnessed a new-born baby. She was crying mostly, had a hair-density of close to nothing and possessed sharp nails which were constantly tarnishing her pink face. We called her Divya almost straightaway as was universally agreed upon by everyone concerned. She first came to our house when she was around the 3-Month-Old mark. From then till now, she hasn't been away from our home for a substantial duration. As she left to join Infosys a week ago, I wanted to take a moment to thank Dhivya Rubha (name changed somewhere in the middle for reasons not known to me) for being the lovable sister she has been to many of my friends, my brother, her own and myself. She has been an extremely noble daughter to her parents while never overlooking the importance of the roles played by her Perippa and Perima in her life. Ever Since she repeatedly uttered our names (Gopi/Babu) in her first school, which enabled a old teacher of my brother and ...

With the IPL going through a state of turmoil, fans and followers around the world have been left enraged. For no fault of theirs, they have a feeling of being let down and made to look foolish. They have every reason to feel aggrieved. There are calls for the IPL to be cancelled altogether, which according to me is not a rational decision. Listen to what Rahul Dravid had to say , shortly after his team was eliminated from this year’s edition. We have all known Rahul Dravid to be the ultimate diplomat. Even in his commentary, he finds it hard to criticise any player with ease. In the post-match interview mentioned above, Rahul talks about how good the IPL has been and the positive attributes it has. On the flip side of it, he refused to use the word “Negatives” and chose to say, “The IPL does have its CHALLENGES as well”, which is truly remarkable. Did he feel that his side’s chances were affected by the ill-timed participation of three of his players in the spot-fixing ...

     As another fantastic gentleman signs off from the game, I write this short note as a testimony to the services Mike Hussey has offered Australian Cricket, rather Cricket in general. Michael Hussey had already accumulated over 15,000 first class runs without getting a look-in to the Test team, for obvious reasons related to the formidable nature of the Aussie line-up those days. The faint-hearted would have resigned to the fact that the opportunity will never come and could have hung up. Not Mr Cricket, as he is fondly known as. He continued to churn out runs at a staggering rate and made it almost impossible for the Aussie selectors to continue to ignore him, though he was aged 30 and a half by then. On his Test Debut against the Windies in November 2005 , Hussey had mustered just a single when he was dismissed playing his favorite hook shot. Having worked relentlessly hard to earn a test cap, Hussey would have been devastated on the outcome du...