World Cup fever all around....

It just seems like a few days back when India brought the elusive World Cup trophy home.The fact that it has been almost 4 years since that illustrious win seems quite unbelievable. All the madness,euphoria, and hoopla around the last World Cup victory seem surreal and sometimes even refuse to die down. And that should most certainly be the case, I say. After all, it's no joke that we got the trophy back home after 28 long years. The wait was quite long, but it was definitely worth it. And all of the hype and craziness around the victory was justified for this cricket - crazy nation where cricket is no less than a religion. As rightly said, cricket is more a feeling than just a sport. Indians eat, sleep, walk, and breathe cricket. So much is the love for the game, that we literally worship our cricketers and make them living Gods. And those Gods need no introduction.                           'It's a magnificent strike into the crowd. India lift the World Cup after 28 years....' These words still send shivers down our spines and keep coming back to our minds often, not letting the World Cup victory be a distant memory. But, with another World Cup series being just a few days away, the nostalgia about our previous victory is sure to increase manifold. So much has been written and predicted already about the upcoming World Cup event and the excitement only seems to keep increasing with every passing day. Unfortunately, this time around, World Cup will not take place on the Indian soil. This being the only downside, I'm pretty sure there are other factors which will make up for this happening. Of course, there are questions raising against the outster of some good-but-out-of-form-players, but that is another story altogether. But, the larger picture, which is that of winning, remains intact, irrespective.                                                                                                                                   Catering to people across all ages and overlooking the barriers of religion, cricket has succeeded in uniting the entire Indian population with its mass appeal. Till sometime back, I used to wonder, what the fuss around cricket was all about. I'm still not exactly clear in my analysis about cricket overshadowing the other sports. From all the sense that I have tried to make out of the passion and craziness for this game is :                                                             a) Cricket, for Indians, is a feeling that cannot be denied.                                                                      b) Non-cricket lovers will never be able to understand that feeling and affiliation of a cricket fan towards the sport.                                                                                                                             c) The resources required to play the game can be afforded by a common man and hence active participation in the sport doubles up the overall interest levels.                                                              d) You cannot overlook the crazy passion India holds about cricket, which gets you thinking if you are the only odd man out in your dislike for the sport. And when there is so much tom - tomming about the sport, how can one not follow suit and join in the chanting and cheering!                                                                                                                                                          Well, that was my analysis and I assume there are many others who may feel the same way.                                                                                                                                                 Whether you observe a watchman or a chai-wallah or go to any roadside food stalls or a market area or even a luxury shopping mall or whether you eaves-drop in on a conversation, cricket discussions seem to be dominating among other interests. Period. Every other person, nowadays, knows about the World Cup scenario, the players who made the team, the reason behind the dropping out of some, and the list goes on. And not to forget, they have the schedule of matches right there with themselves. It almost seems like the whole of India is gearing up to play the World Cup. So much is the curiosity, that during the World Cup, you will find many people making sincere efforts to get the latest score updates irrespective of where they are and what they are busy with. And you know, the best thing about this entire World Cup episode is that they don't care about anything as long as they are fulfilling their duties of being avid cricket lovers.

Ideal love!

It is very rare, absolutely very rare that you get to see or atleast even hear about a wedding that has survived 75 years and still counting. I came across this beautiful article recently which covered the fairytale story on marital bliss of a Japanese couple. And the least I could say is that I was beyond surprised. Never in my life have I stumbled upon a more touching piece of story. Truly, it was a treat to the soul. It is one thing to stay married for 25 years and only have hopes about completing another set of it to celebrate half a century of marriage. It is another thing to achieve the precious milestone of 50 years of togetherness and feel grateful about it and feel blissfully secure in the memory of the years that went by. And it is a very, very special blessing and rare feat to be able to see the platinum phase of one's marriage through.                                                                                                                         What amazed me about the coulple was the fact that how, even after 75 long years of marriage, after going through various stints of hardships and struggles, there has never been a dull moment as they said or even a fleeting thought of giving up on their respective roles in the relationship. After all these years, which seem no less than a roller coaster ride, in which they brought up three daughters, lived in extreme poverty at once and struggled to make ends meet, fought many a hurdle together and went through a multitude of emotions, they still feel they haven't had enough of each other. So much is the love and concern for each other that, their only wish remains to die together. They cannot see themselves without the other. Being the epitome of what ideal love stands for, one would expect them to have a secret to all these years of wedding bliss. And one could articulate the depth of this bond when they said the only thing they would do if they felt they had hurt or upset each other even subconsciously, was to leave each other alone for a while without any exchange of words. This time, apart from each other would make them realize how incomplete they seemed without each other. And it would also serve the purpose of giving each other enough space only to make their hearts grow fonder towards the other.                  Beautiful is the life where one can share his/her joy and sorrow with a shoulder to lean on. But, more beautiful is that life where you have someone to shoulder half of your sorrow and share in your joy. Beginnings may always seem perfect and utopian but, the real test lies in being together when things may not seem perfect. And it is this challenge that makes two individuals perfect for each other.  Having no definition or expression, love is yet a feeling which needs no description. All the successful people in this world are proof enough of the fact that it was love they set out to conquer. Having fame and power are equivalent to being accepted enough which forms the crux of any mission. The only takeaway from successful relationships like the one mentioned above would be to always stick around. This may not sound easy but, when one wants the definition of love, acceptance is the only thing that breeds love which usually comes in the form of staying togethee right through. Only real love being effortless, is able to withstand this test of time.                                                                          We all have that different facet to our personality which is not often demonstrated. This side could be a streak of madness, wild child needs or being totally oneself or letting loose. People often make comments such as 'love makes my world go round' or 'life has come a full circle after the cupid struck' or even statements like they have found a new perspective towards life and that they have a new reason to live after they have found love. It is when this streak of madness or an unknown facet  is touched upon that life becomes worth living. That side only blossoms with love. And also it is scientifically proven that, when a person is in love, the chemicals that the brain releases are the same as when a person is mad. No wonder, we say 'love is blind' or 'madly in love'.

New Year Resolutions!

This new year my goal is to get into shape. And I want to commit to healthy living and eating. And I also plan to commit more time to my family and friends and not think about work all the time. And ya, I am also going to try and be as good a person as possible and refrain from any kind of misdeeds. And the list goes on.... As clichéd as it may sound, we all love making resolutions and commitments, as should be the case, but the only question that keeps coming into my head is - Are these resolutions only meant for the new year or any special occasion in an individual's life? I do not think we need to wait to make any kind of a resolve or commitment, as one may call it. And I do not even think one even needs to be expected to make one. Why only should special moments mark a change? What about the new year or a special milestone makes one want to promise for a change? Why do we subscribe to norms of having to make time-associated resolutions? As far as a new beginning that these events mark is concerned according to the demarcation made by humans, I can do that the day I feel it's time for one, realising it's importance and necessity. A resolve can be instinctive or on a definite purpose . It can be heartfelt and it can also be to sincerely want a change.I am absolutely for the concept of resolutions and commitments, no two ways about that. I am only concerned with the timing associated with the commitment.                                                                                                                                        The air of excitement and frenzy as the new year approaches is contagious. Infact the moments when the realization that we shall soon be going into the next year dawns upon us followed by its countdown, give us an adrenaline rush. The insurmountable level of excitement for the coming year, reflection on the year that went by and how fast it did at that, million plans for the new year's, zillion resolutions to be made and a gazillion other things.... These moments are overwhelming for people all across. We all want to make the coming year the best in our lives and hence the resolutions. All said and done, only a few try implementing these resolutions and fewer end up making them work. Nonetheless, it is quite fruitful when we make resolutions that materialise and we collectively see a better outcome. All in all, it is always fulfilling to start the year on a good note, if that gives us any hope.                                                         Personally, i have treaded the same path in terms of having a bucket list when it came to making resolutions. And trust me i did not find anything wrong with it. I tried repeating this act a couple of times and met with disappointment almost always. I later realized, after some self-interrogation, that i do not need a special occasion, particularly something that expects a commitment to be made. I have come to realize,that the more you keep thinking and reminding yourself of having to accomplish a goal that is deliberately made, the more short-lived the goal tends to be. This is for the plain reason that we are seeking external validation for something that is internal. As a promise that one makes to self rather than to the world, he/she needs complete self assurance. This promise is more internal than external and it does not need any external motivation. Because when you truly set out to bring about a change, telling people about it only makes you liable to them of living upto their expectations. You'd rather not want to carry that extra baggage.                                         Taking another approach, resolutions certainly exist to remind people that there is always a scope for change. To constantly make resolves for a better future that awaits all of us even though we do not feel the need to. To commit ourselves to what needs attention.To make us think and delve deeper into constantly finding ways to bring about a change in the lives of people around us. No wonder, change is the only constant!