2023- The Year That Was!

I didn't realize until I opened this forgotten blog, that I have not been here since the end of 2020. So much has changed since then and life has definitely not been the same. It will not do justice to 2021 and 2020 to talk about them in two lines, so I will not try that. However, for the flow, I would say that second half of, 2021 brought us as a family to Luxembourg, which was a huge change for all of us, especially for Mummy and Kushagra. In 2022, our journey moved ahead with its ups & downs and lots of travel across Europe. Also, I lost my dadi ji on 02nd December'22 but could not attend her last rites. As we moved to 2023, like any other year we were positive and thankful to god as we are now, but the year started with some unexpected events. First Neha's new job offer was taken back by the company. Then Kushagra got burnt by hot water. In March we visited Portugal, which was an amazing trip. After coming back from there, Kushagra developed some allergy that led to him coughing a lot at sometimes and it was then addressed with doctor's visits. This summer while Neha was looking for a new job, she did get some support from Cognizant and got some time off. In June, Kimaya also visited us for a month and we travelled to Switzerland. She turned 7 in June and we celebrated her birthday in Luxembourg. She is getting smarter and is learning new things, which makes us proud. While Neha was still looking for a job, I found a new one myself. I left Amazon to join Vodafone in a totally new role. Neha was also able to clear her interviews and joined Amazon in September, juts before her mother came to visit us. We took her to Paris, Belgium, Switzerland and it was a good 2.5months we spent with her, while my mother has been in India. It is good that my mother took a break and has been able to relax in India. In September, Kushagra started his school and we love that he enjoys it a lot. In October, he turned 4 and he is growing up into a kind and loving human being. Neha has been working hard in her new job and we went to Prague in December first week for her official trip.
On this last day of the year, I can only say that the year started hard for us but has been very kind since then. The year gave us so much and we are thankful to god for it. We hope that this year brings more positive changes in us, more mental stability and peace for the world.

Thanks for going away 2020!

Woahhhh...What an year it has been! If I look back in 2020, I see that this year has been like a movie, wherein 2020 is a character who wanted to be famous but chose all the wrong means to achieve its goals. It achieved its goals, but the scars it has left behind will be etched in everyone's mind thoroughout the life. World will never be same again and BC probably will now become 'Before Covid' instead of 'Before Chirst'. While pandemic goes by the name COVID-19 as the virus was first detected in 2019, it was 2020 in which it brought the world to its knees. Lockdowns across nations, people losing lives to this invisible demon, economies getting hit severly, people facing all kinds of hardships have been few highlights of this year. Not many talked about Delhi NCR pollution or other recurring issues. Covid-19 was slowly cementing its place in the initial months, while India was busy in welcoming Trump, Delhi was busy controlling the communal riots, and we were busy planning trips. We visited Dwarka and Rajkot in March. That was Kushagra's first trip. I also took my mother to Vaishno Devi for the time. After going through the lockdown (period when migrant wrokers and their families had to walk thousands of kilometers to go back to their home while the Rest of India was enoying re-telecast of Ramayan, Mahabharat, Byomkesh Bakshi and other old serials), things started opening up in June. Our Kimaya turned 4 and we enjoyed every moment with her like always. However, June also brought lot of pain in our family as our Suneet (Kake) Chacha lost his life after losing his battle to Corona. This was very unexpected and tragic for all of us. The second half of the year was all about getting closer to normal. While professionally this year also wasn't great for me (i would say it has been challenging), on personal front we were able to spend a lot of time together. We still couldn't meet out Dadi (she had fractured her hip bone in March) or cousins or other relatives, because of the fear that Corona has brought in our lives. Our Kushagra turned 1 on 11th October and it was a very special day for all of us. He has started to walk and speaks some words. It is fun and an amazing feeling to watch him grow. Now that 2020 has ended, I would say we are learning to be more grateful to God for all that it has given to us. I am hopeful that 2021 will be kind to all the front line workers and to mankind in general. I hope we see an end to this pandemic soon. While I am really happy that 2020 is gone and more than ever I am hopeful about 20201, I pray for a stable and peaceful mind for everyone, a less violent world, better environment, stability and success in mine and Neha's carreer, great health for my parents and elders and family. Bye Bye 2020! I hope you won't be missed.

2019: The Year that Was

As a person grows older, it is said that he/she gets matured, his ability to distinguish right from wrong improves, he grows as a person, but probably his risk taking capacity reduces and his fears also grow with him. While every new year brings its own charm, it also brings in all these possibilities of changes. While we are saying bye to 2019 and are welcoming 2020, we also need to realize that we are welcoming a new decade altogether. This decade showed me different phases of life. It brought me smiles, prosperity, friends, happiness, but also took away someone very precious to me. I got married in this decade, very recently had a kid, worked with different organizations, completed my MBA and enjoyed life. Now that we have entered the new decade, hope is to have loads of happiness, great health and success in this new decade. The year 2019 brought Kushagra Kapila in our lives and myself & Neha thus have become proud parents of Kushagra. We also saw our Kimaya turn 3 years old. This year I changed my job again,but have been happy till now in this new organization. Some highlights of the year 2019 have been: extreme cold wave in North India & Delhi, protest & support rallies for CAA & NRC, England winning the cricket world cup for the first time, because of a very weird rule; very very poor pollution still haunting, among others. Just like we had high expectations from 2019, we now have huge expectations from 2020, with a hope that there will be less killings and less fights across the world, peace will prevail, we will find out ways to reduce plastic and reduce air pollution, settle in our professional lives, while giving enough time at home. With this hope we move ahead, welcoming 2020 and saying goodbye to 2019.

2018: The year that was

Well...normally this blog comes before the year ends, this time around i am writing this down at 3 am on 01st January of 2019. 2018 probably was a year of learning, making mistakes, taking decisions and travelling. While we learn and very often unlearn them, in 2019 I hope to keep learning and keep the learnings with me. The year started with working for one organization and has now ended with myself working with another organization. This year I took decision to resign from my Job without having any other offer, as I was not enjoying that job.I am grateful to god that I had the comfort and support from family to take this decision. I spent 5 months watching movies, swimming, travelling and doing theater. All these activities gave me immense joy. I was part of the play "Spartacus"where I played the role of "Flavious". The workshop was amazing and there were so many takeaways. We traveled to many places this year...Ambala, Udaipur, Nainital, Jim Corbett, Manali, Orccha, Khajuraho, Lonavala, Ahmedabad, Surat and Sariska. Each place has something different to order and thus it was an enjoyable experience. I hope that this run continues and we are able to explore many more places in 2019. The year saw our Kimaya turn 2 Years. She now understands a lot of things and even speaks much more. Off late she has become a bit cranky. Hopefully with herself joining the school after few months, her energy will get channelized. On the other side, 2018 saw pollution issues still being a concern, India winning two Test Matches in Australia, Trump & Kim Jong fighting and then coming close to some solutions and many high profile marriages. Year 2018 might not have been successful professionally but was rewarding. I hope 2019 brings in career related stability, great health, fit mind for all. I hope we are able to spread happiness and help more and more needy people and enjoy the moments as they pass by. Here's to 2019 with lot of positivity and high expectations and good bye to 2018 for all that it gave and did.

2017: The year that was

Happy to be back and to continue with this habit. Yet another year gone by...2017 you will also soon become history, actually in less than an hour. This year, process was on to hunt for a house and this went on till March. By my father's grace and god's blessings, we bought a house in Gurgaon. This was possible after our family sold our family home in Delhi, which was built by my grandfather. Although, it must have been tough for my mother to shift from Delhi to Gurgaon, leaving behind all her memories, she has now adapted to the new home and new surroundings. First half of the year was very hectic as we were busy in finalizing the home and then getting work done in it, so that we could move. We shifted to this home on 03rd June. On 14th June, our Kimaya turned one. She now speaks different words and even understands a lot of things. I really love it when she calls me 'mama'. 2017 was also special in a way because myself and Neha could take our mothers for an international trip. We visited Bali, Indonesia and Kuala Lumppur, Malaysia and both the mothers enjoyed the experience. I wish we can give them many such experiences in 2018 and beyond. On the job front, although this year has seen ups & downs, I hope it gets even better in 2018, for both of us. The year saw GST being implemented in India on 01st July and also saw Indian women's team losing out in cricket world cup final, after coming agonizingly close to the trophy. While SC had put a ban on selling crackers in NCR, the problem of poor pollution continued to haunt all of us. What lies ahead is not known but I hope that this new year 2018 we will hopefully make some significant improvements in controlling the pollution. My welcome for 2018 will be simple with hopes of seeing a better and safe world. We will also try to do more to make this a better place to live in. Once the euphoria of welcoming 2018 settles down, I am sure, from 2018, this world would ask for a more sensible Donald Trump, a controlled Kim Jong II, no terrorism, no killings over beef and lot n lots of smiles all around. Cheers to 2018 and goodbye 2017. Thanks for being there in our lives.

2016

I had almost forgotten about a small ritual I have been following since last few years. A blog on the last day of the year. Thankfully it came to my mind few hours before the year would have ended and here I am once again, after an year. I had ended last year's blog praying for cleaner air. However, it looks like quality has further degraded. Not everyone is sad though with this. At least air purifier making companies are happy :D This year has been eventful too. The company I was working with was shut down and I enjoyed at home for almost 2 months. Luckily, I did get a job after that. This year we saw our Kimaya arrive in this world. Every moment when we are with her, we realize how adorable she is. We (me, mom & Neha) had enjoyed amazing South Indian food at Carnatic Cafe, on the day she was born. While we didn't travel much this year (only a short trip to Lansdowne), I successfully did a theater performance, in the play Guru Ghantal, playing the role of Guru. It was a wonderful experience and opportunity. I hope and wish that I get many such opportunities in 2017 and further years. The year saw "DEMON-itization", election of TRUMP and rise of BABA Sehgal on social media :D This too has been an eventful year, but I haven't planned much about what to write. On this note, I wish to say goodbye 2016 and WELCOME 2017. May this new year more peace and prosperity for all.

2015: The Year that Was

Another year about to become ashes, for it won't rise again unlike a pheonix. However, 2015 you will never be forgotten for what you brought for me and what you took away from me. This year ending blog is unlike others; not with much of excitement or energy. This one is just a silent reflection of the past one year. Year which began with a high of myself travelling with friends to a beautiful place, is now about to end, with a sense of confusion, with some regrets, some pain and some happiness. I am not sure if all these can exist together but these blogs have always been genuine, which does give me a feeling that the regrets, pain, happiness; all these are currently existing within me. This year we left a house where I had grown up, seen my teenage and my enterance into adulthood, where we as a family had spent our previous 18 years. The year saw multiple trips to Bangalore for official work and multiple visits to hospital as my father had fallen ill. From March end to August, my father was admitted 4 times to the hospital. He was fighting these demons and his ill health, like he had always done. He fought till the end, never gave up and never let his family feel weak. On the Morning of 13th August he decided that it was time to move on. He moved on and moved out slowly, probably and hopefully in peace. It wasn't easy but we also moved on. We have enjoyed our food, new movies, plays, family functions, get togethers and everything else too. All this without the person we were with since last 3 decades. After 3 months,I got married, on 24thNov 2015. Married the girl for whom I was fighting with my parents. My father had fixed it all just few days before leaving for heaven. I am blessed that he fixed it and approved it. I am unfortunate that he was not there with me when it actually was conceptualized and implemented. Marriage was followed by a trip to Mauritius with my life partner Neha and life is now same and equally different. This year will always be unforgettable for me for the kind of events that happened. However, I will still welcome 2016 with open arms and still hope that tomorrow it will be a better world with less violence, more love and much better and clean air to breathe.

The Great Rann

It was a holiday next day. Everyone was partying and had plans to welcome New Year with crackers, booze, food, music, friends etc. while I quietly was off to bed and had set alarm to wake up at 5 next morning. It was dark in the room, with no one around but I heard a voice saying, “Are you an idiot, not partying on New Year’s Eve and setting alarm for early hours”. I happily ignored it, for the voice didn’t know that my welcome for 2015 will be grand. Early into 2015, I will be travelling to Jewel of the West, also known as Gujarat. With this feeling, I said goodbye to 2014 and went off to sleep. Next morning, journey began via train from New Delhi to Ahmedabad. While we were a group of four travelling, we could get only ticket confirmed. It was easy to manage during the day time but the period from 9pm to 2:30am (time we reached Ahmedabad) was taxing. All four of us had to adjust on a single seat and we somehow managed it. After reaching Ahmedabad, we met 5th member of the group and the only ‘gujju’, who had come along with the cab which had to be our companion for next 1800 kms. We boarded the cab and moved ahead. Our first pit stop was supposed to be ‘Bhachau’, a city 235kms from Ahmedabad. Here, we had to meet ‘Ramji Bhai’, a DD & AIR reporter, who also works passionately to arrange guided tours in Kutch region. We got his number from a blog as the person who had taken Ramji bhai’s services was really impressed and thus wanted that others experience it too. It indeed was of great help to us. I am sure we would have missed out on real beauty of Rann, had we not met Ramji bhai. Coming back to the trip, we had covered around 100kms and our cab started having some issues. Odometer stopped reflecting the kilometres and headlight went off and driver stopped the car, after which it was not even starting. Driver was freaked out. We convinced him that we will push the car and it might start and then we will take it to a place where there might be someone to help us out. We reached a nearby dhaba at around 3:45am where driver tried fixing the issue, but couldn’t. We then reached out to the concerned operator and another cab was arranged for us. We slept in the car till around 5:30am, while waiting for another cab to arrive. The incident actually was a blessing in disguise as the driver who came now (although a man of few words) was an amazing driver and efficiently reduced our travelling time. We moved forward and reached Bhachau to meet Ramji bhai. Bhachau was one of the cities which was severely impacted during 2001 Gujarat earthquake. 8-10kms from Bhachau was a guest house, where Ramji bhai had made arrangement for us to stay. After settling at the guest house, we went for lunch to a nearby mess. It was amazing Gujarati food, complimented by Chach (butter milk), gur (jaggery), green chillies and traditional Gujarati hospitality. Ekal ka Rann After a sumptuous meal, we moved to Ekal ka Rann, which was about 40kms from our guest house. It was dry barren land in most of the part, with some trees and bushes. The area is a wildlife sanctuary, where one can easily spot wild ass and even Neel Gai. As per one of the person accompanying us (Kaushik), tiger can be spotted if someone spends 2-3 days in that region. The area offered such a strong mirage that we thought there was sea few hundred meters ahead of us. After making our cab run for some time to capture a closer glimpse of Wild Ass, we decided to come back. On our way back, it had started getting dark and we thought it will be great go to the white rann now. Ramji bhai accompanied us and directed us. Till a point we took our cab and then got down, only to find mushy land. Ramji bhai informed us that it had a rained a day ago and thus land was mushy and it was better to walk from there, instead of taking the car further. We started walking and around 5oo meters inside, we could see a line glowing with some haze around it. From there was starting the white desert. As we were coming closer to the desert, I started getting Goosebumps. It was a different feeling and an amazing one. We felt like we were about to enter another world. Soon we were walking on the salt and the sound of walking on it was euphonic. We kept walking in till we reached a point where we could see only salt and white light all around us. With moon shining bright overhead, light reflecting off the surface, it looked like we were standing below an inverted bowl with a lamp at the centre of the top of the bowl. The beauty was surreal and none of us had ever witnessed such a sight. I tried capturing the beauty through the mechanical eye, but my digi cam couldn’t do justice to what we were actually witnessing. We sat down and tried to get ourselves immersed in the silence. After spending some time there and listening to some amazing stories about Kutch, from Ramji bhai, we came back to our room to end a tiring but splendid day. Out there in desert, amidst that peaceful bliss, we had left behind some eloquent beauty and the only sound, which was of Hyena crying out of fear after seeing its own shadow. Some History Lessons learnt Paul Prudhomme (American celebrity chef) once said, “You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food”, and this was easily proved right in Gujarat. We had four meals in village homes with people from humble background and the taste of each and every meal was equally outstanding, even though each meal was different either in the way it was prepared or what was offered or how. Beginning the morning of 03rd Jan’15 with mouth-watering ‘Methi Thepla’, a Gujarati flat bread made out of flour and fenugreek leaves; and ‘Poha’, flat and light rice flakes cooked with vegetables and garnished with pomegranate seeds, we knew that this day will also be offering us some great experiences. After the breakfast, we moved towards Dholavira, an archaeological site in Bhacahu district. Site which belongs to Harappan Civilization was discovered by Mr. JP Joshi in 1967-68. It boasted of probably world’s first signboard (which still has not been deciphered) and a water management system so efficient that reflects how much advanced was the science and technology and human’s thinking, even thousands of years ago. The site also had a museum which offers us to look at the utensils which were discovered, along with tools and even ornaments among other things. It is said that Dholavira was occupied seven times with each occupant community having something different about the way they spent time over there. It is also believed by Archaeologists that Dholavira served as an important centre of trade between Punjab, Sindh and Western Asia. After having lunch in a nearby village where we had ‘Bajre na rotla’ (flatbread prepared from Pearl Millet), Chaach (butter milk) and cooked vegetables, we moved towards the Fossil Park, maintained by Gujarat government. The park claims to have wooden fossils about 1.8 billion years old. Being adjacent to white Rann and on the foothill, view from the top offered an amazing site. Our guide ‘Kaushik’ asked us to search for mobile network manually. To our surprise, our phone could catch signal of Telenor Pakistan, as we were very close to the border area. We came back to Ramji bhai’s farm and by the time we reached, it was already dark and temperature had dipped. There was one couple who had come down from Delhi and were also with us throughout the day. After reaching the farm, the evening accompanied by music, was well spent around bonfire, eating corn and playing dumb-charade. Utsav & more Next morning, it was time to say goodbye to Ramji bhai and move ahead. After having typical Gujarati breakfast (Fafda, Jalebi, Dabheli & Tea), we started our journey to Rann Utsav, a festival organized by Gujarat government at the edge of the white Rann, spanning across 5 months and known for its mass display of rich Gujarati culture. En route to festival was city of Bhuj. A city founded in 1510 and severely impacted by massive earthquakes in 1956 and 2001, Bhuj used to be the capital of Kutch. While we didn’t explore the city, Bhuj known for its monuments & “havelis” stands tall proud of its history and culture. Bhuj is close to a village named as ‘’Bhujodi”. Village has many shops which are holding strong the culture and craftsmanship of the region. In one such shop, one of the owners (younger brother) who attended us, took us inside and showed us how shawls and saris are hand made with precision and sincerity. The family was given National Award twice for preparing some master pieces. We couldn’t stop ourselves from taking at least one souvenir of this wonderful art. By afternoon, we reached Dholivari, a village few kilometres before the place where Rann Utsav was being organized. One of the house in the village or Bunga (as they call it there) was our shelter for the night. After placing our stuff and having another delightful lunch, we made a move towards ‘The Rann Utsav’. In the Utsav, there were shops selling a variety of things from food to shawls to toys to decorative items. Local people as well as tourists had made the area lively and there was hustle bustle all around. It did give feeling of the Trade Fair which is organized in Delhi every year, though is at a much larger scale. We then moved to the white Rann once again. Dusk was approaching and thus the sky was filled with multiple colours. On one side one could see Sun slowly going down, and on the opposite side full moon was starting to appear brighter. While the sky was definitely gorgeous, the sand desert had become a victim of the commercialization. With so many people around, it looked like one was visiting Juhu beach in Mumbai. People had thrown plastic and other waste, thus ruining the beauty. We felt lucky that we had already witnessed the real beauty of Rann, couple of days back, in an area which had still not been touched by this commercialization. After spending some time, we said goodbye to Rann and came back to spend our night at Bunga. The next day morning we had to head back to Ahmedabad, from where we finally would get back to our destinations. Few hours left, were spent in Ahmedabad at Sabarmati Ashram, where M.K. Gandhi used to live and also in buying ‘Bhakar Waadi’ & ‘Khakra’, types of Gujarati snacks, which are now loved by all. We boarded the train in evening, but this time thankfully we had the comfort and luxury of having a seat each for all of us.

It was a holiday next day. Everyone was partying and had plans to welcome New Year with crackers, booze, food, music, friends etc. while I quietly was off to bed and had set alarm to wake up at 5 next morning. It was dark in the room, with no one around but I heard a voice saying, “Are you an idiot, not partying on New Year’s Eve and setting alarm for early hours”. I happily ignored it, for the voice didn’t know that my welcome for 2015 will be grand. Early into 2015, I will be travelling to Jewel of the West, also known as Gujarat. With this feeling, I said goodbye to 2014 and went off to sleep. Next morning, journey began via train from New Delhi to Ahmedabad. While we were a group of four travelling, we could get only ticket confirmed. It was easy to manage during the day time but the period from 9pm to 2:30am (time we reached Ahmedabad) was taxing. All four of us had to adjust on a single seat and we somehow managed it. After reaching Ahmedabad, we met 5th member of the group and the only ‘gujju’, who had come along with the cab which had to be our companion for next 1800 kms. We boarded the cab and moved ahead. Our first pit stop was supposed to be ‘Bhachau’, a city 235kms from Ahmedabad. Here, we had to meet ‘Ramji Bhai’, a DD & AIR reporter, who also works passionately to arrange guided tours in Kutch region. We got his number from a blog as the person who had taken Ramji bhai’s services was really impressed and thus wanted that others experience it too. It indeed was of great help to us. I am sure we would have missed out on real beauty of Rann, had we not met Ramji bhai. Anyone planning for the trip can reach out to him on Coming back to the trip, we had covered around 100kms and our cab started having some issues. Odometer stopped reflecting the kilometres and headlight went off and driver stopped the car, after which it was not even starting. Driver was freaked out. We convinced him that we will push the car and it might start and then we will take it to a place where there might be someone to help us out. We reached a nearby dhaba at around 3:45am where driver tried fixing the issue, but couldn’t. We then reached out to the concerned operator and another cab was arranged for us. We slept in the car till around 5:30am, while waiting for another cab to arrive. The incident actually was a blessing in disguise as the driver who came now (although a man of few words) was an amazing driver and efficiently reduced our travelling time. We moved forward and reached Bhachau to meet Ramji bhai. Bhachau was one of the cities which was severely impacted during 2001 Gujarat earthquake. 8-10kms from Bhachau was a guest house, where Ramji bhai had made arrangement for us to stay. After settling at the guest house, we went for lunch to a nearby mess. It was amazing Gujarati food, complimented by Chach (butter milk), gur (jaggery), green chillies and traditional Gujarati hospitality. Ekal ka Rann After a sumptuous meal, we moved to Ekal ka Rann, which was about 40kms from our guest house. It was dry barren land in most of the part, with some trees and bushes. The area is a wildlife sanctuary, where one can easily spot wild ass and even Neel Gai. As per one of the person accompanying us (Kaushik), tiger can be spotted if someone spends 2-3 days in that region. The area offered such a strong mirage that we thought there was sea few hundred meters ahead of us. After making our cab run for some time to capture a closer glimpse of Wild Ass, we decided to come back. On our way back, it had started getting dark and we thought it will be great go to the white rann now. Ramji bhai accompanied us and directed us. Till a point we took our cab and then got down, only to find mushy land. Ramji bhai informed us that it had a rained a day ago and thus land was mushy and it was better to walk from there, instead of taking the car further. We started walking and around 5oo meters inside, we could see a line glowing with some haze around it. From there was starting the white desert. As we were coming closer to the desert, I started getting Goosebumps. It was a different feeling and an amazing one. We felt like we were about to enter another world. Soon we were walking on the salt and the sound of walking on it was euphonic. We kept walking in till we reached a point where we could see only salt and white light all around us. With moon shining bright overhead, light reflecting off the surface, it looked like we were standing below an inverted bowl with a lamp at the centre of the top of the bowl. The beauty was surreal and none of us had ever witnessed such a sight. I tried capturing the beauty through the mechanical eye, but my digi cam couldn’t do justice to what we were actually witnessing. We sat down and tried to get ourselves immersed in the silence. After spending some time there and listening to some amazing stories about Kutch, from Ramji bhai, we came back to our room to end a tiring but splendid day. Out there in desert, amidst that peaceful bliss, we had left behind some eloquent beauty and the only sound, which was of Hyena crying out of fear after seeing its own shadow. Some History Lessons learnt Paul Prudhomme (American celebrity chef) once said, “You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food”, and this was easily proved right in Gujarat. We had four meals in village homes with people from humble background and the taste of each and every meal was equally outstanding, even though each meal was different either in the way it was prepared or what was offered or how. Beginning the morning of 03rd Jan’15 with mouth-watering ‘Methi Thepla’, a Gujarati flat bread made out of flour and fenugreek leaves; and ‘Poha’, flat and light rice flakes cooked with vegetables and garnished with pomegranate seeds, we knew that this day will also be offering us some great experiences. After the breakfast, we moved towards Dholavira, an archaeological site in Bhacahu district. Site which belongs to Harappan Civilization was discovered by Mr. JP Joshi in 1967-68. It boasted of probably world’s first signboard (which still has not been deciphered) and a water management system so efficient that reflects how much advanced was the science and technology and human’s thinking, even thousands of years ago. The site also had a museum which offers us to look at the utensils which were discovered, along with tools and even ornaments among other things. It is said that Dholavira was occupied seven times with each occupant community having something different about the way they spent time over there. It is also believed by Archaeologists that Dholavira served as an important centre of trade between Punjab, Sindh and Western Asia. After having lunch in a nearby village where we had ‘Bajre na rotla’ (flatbread prepared from Pearl Millet), Chaach (butter milk) and cooked vegetables, we moved towards the Fossil Park, maintained by Gujarat government. The park claims to have wooden fossils about 1.8 billion years old. Being adjacent to white Rann and on the foothill, view from the top offered an amazing site. Our guide ‘Kaushik’ asked us to search for mobile network manually. To our surprise, our phone could catch signal of Telenor Pakistan, as we were very close to the border area. We came back to Ramji bhai’s farm and by the time we reached, it was already dark and temperature had dipped. There was one couple who had come down from Delhi and were also with us throughout the day. After reaching the farm, the evening accompanied by music, was well spent around bonfire, eating corn and playing dumb-charade. Utsav & more Next morning, it was time to say goodbye to Ramji bhai and move ahead. After having typical Gujarati breakfast (Fafda, Jalebi, Dabheli & Tea), we started our journey to Rann Utsav, a festival organized by Gujarat government at the edge of the white Rann, spanning across 5 months and known for its mass display of rich Gujarati culture. En route to festival was city of Bhuj. A city founded in 1510 and severely impacted by massive earthquakes in 1956 and 2001, Bhuj used to be the capital of Kutch. While we didn’t explore the city, Bhuj known for its monuments & “havelis” stands tall proud of its history and culture. Bhuj is close to a village named as ‘’Bhujodi”. Village has many shops which are holding strong the culture and craftsmanship of the region. One such shop was . One of the owners (younger brother) who attended us, took us inside and showed us how shawls and saris are hand made with precision and sincerity. The family was given National Award twice for preparing some master pieces. We couldn’t stop ourselves from taking at least one souvenir of this wonderful art. By afternoon, we reached Dholivari, a village few kilometres before the place where Rann Utsav was being organized. One of the house in the village or Bunga (as they call it there) was our shelter for the night. After placing our stuff and having another delightful lunch, we made a move towards ‘The Rann Utsav’. In the Utsav, there were shops selling a variety of things from food to shawls to toys to decorative items. Local people as well as tourists had made the area lively and there was hustle bustle all around. It did give feeling of the Trade Fair which is organized in Delhi every year, though is at a much larger scale. We then moved to the white Rann once again. Dusk was approaching and thus the sky was filled with multiple colours. On one side one could see Sun slowly going down, and on the opposite side full moon was starting to appear brighter. While the sky was definitely gorgeous, the sand desert had become a victim of the commercialization. With so many people around, it looked like one was visiting Juhu beach in Mumbai. People had thrown plastic and other waste, thus ruining the beauty. We felt lucky that we had already witnessed the real beauty of Rann, couple of days back, in an area which had still not been touched by this commercialization. After spending some time, we said goodbye to Rann and came back to spend our night at Bunga. The next day morning we had to head back to Ahmedabad, from where we finally would get back to our destinations. Few hours left, were spent in Ahmedabad at Sabarmati Ashram, where M.K. Gandhi used to live and also in buying ‘Bhakar Waadi’ & ‘Khakra’, types of Gujarati snacks, which are now loved by all. We boarded the train in evening, but this time thankfully we had the comfort and luxury of having a seat each for all of us.

What should be the title?

Starting with a sheepish smile on my face. Yeah, it has been long since I was here last time. More than a year ago and thus with nothing being shared throughout 2014. Name of the blog is strange and I am not trying to sound cool; I am actually confused about what title should I give. I have come to revive this relation again and I have done this before too, so would just collate some thoughts and put them together over here and if anyone reads it, please do help me out with an apt title, by sharing it in the comments section. Less than an hour to go before 2015 is welcomed across all those club parties, house parties, Star Plus/Sony Tv/DD national parties. Some people will soak in the feeling by getting drenched in high spirits (literally), while some would just be able to manage a blanket for them & their family, which is under a new flyover this year. Well life is tough and let us be happy about those who are able to enjoy it but yes feel sorry and may be try to help out those who are not so lucky. 2014 has been an amazing year and surely unforgettable for both good and the not so good reasons. It was a tough year at times, challenging at times, scary at times but also had lot of fun moments too. Now everyone is welcoming 2015 with loads and loads of expectations. The thing common between a new year and Sachin Tendulkar can be that every time they arrive in their respective office, there are already millions of people expecting something or the other from them. Will new year give me job or a marriage is on the cards? Will Sachin score century or will he score century? Let us keep our hopes high and welcome 2015 with those optimistic attitudes and all the expectations. The extent to which all those expectations are satisfied will be known in next 365 days but we will remain positive. And while I am beginning my new year by travelling to an amazing place called Rann of Kutch and have a train to catch early morning, I like many others would let the clock take me to 2015 with hope that at least there will be no more flight missing cases, suicides by farmers and attacks on school children. Hope growth will not be just in terms of GDP but in terms of happiness and smiles which everyone spreads around :)

Bangkok Diaries

Introduction Latin philosopher Augustine of Hippo also known as St. Augustine once said, “The world is a book and those who don’t travel read only one page”. Going by this quote, I would say that I have surely moved on to second chapter and not just the second page. First overseas trip to Thailand: The Land of Smiles. While the name lived up to its mark as one was easily able to find smiling people all around, the fascinating culture and historical riches ensured that it captured your attention from the moment you took your first step in the country. Early hours of Sunday, 08th September’13 we landed at Swarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. While some members from our group already had at least one visa stamp on their passport, for me or some of my other friends excitement was more about getting the Visa on Arrival and then feeling free to get absorbed in the aura of Bangkok for next 15 days. I pinched myself and reassured that all this was real. The experience of going out on an international trip with 19 other friends, to work on a live project is something one needs to go through to understand and enjoy it. While coming out of the airport, we got free SIM-cards of a mobile network operator. What made us happier was that the Sim was already activated and it had a balance of 7 Bhat (currency of Thailand). Operational Research: The Real Savior After waiting for about half an hour, the vehicles from our hotel had arrived. Drivers greeted us with smile and soon we were on our way to the hotel, Krit Thai Mansion, which was a 45-minute drive from the airport. While I spent these 45minutes catching up on the sleep, the only reason to come out of the vehicle after reaching hotel premises at 3am was the imagination of an air conditioned room and a comfortable bed. Soon this imagination had to be left outside and realization of not having a room until 10am was to be accepted. We saw our plans to explore the city on Sunday being crushed. After some convincing, the lady at the hotel reception gave us one room. Even though we felt relaxed that we now had one room, the task of adjusting 19 people in one small room along with more than 20 bags (luggage) looked impossible. Then we all realized that all of us have studied operational research and this was the time to apply all the techniques to have ‘Most Optimum Space Utilization’. Finally, it worked out well and at least 15-16 of us were able to get some sound sleep while remaining 3-4 people had to adjust and recover their energies when they got more space in morning. Learning: No matter what the situation is, people somehow manage to adjust. Even though that day we were upset about not getting the rooms, when I think about it today or when I will think about it 10-20 years down the line, I will smile and savor the experience. Veggie Delight at its best Communicating with people in Thailand was an issue. People at shops do not understand English and at many places, things are also written in the local language only. While Thailand is considered as land of some amazing seafood and the cuisine is actually a delight for Non-Vegetarians, for a Vegetarian like me, Veggie Delight of Subway was there, whenever I needed food for thought. I had never loved Subway this much in my life. I also realized that ‘When in Rome, do as Romans’. Though I didn’t start eating Nov-Veg food, I tried their local street food including Noodles which did taste weird and also Salad which might not give lot of happiness to taste buds but were definitely very healthy. While in office, I skipped lunch on 5 days out of seven because it was difficult to find Vegetarian food. On one of the two days I had lunch, I tried eating packed noodles from a 7 Eleven, but could not appreciate the taste it offered and thus had to abandon them. While my search was on to try and explore various vegetarian options, in case of unavailability, a fruits, Sub, steamed rice and salad always came to my rescue. In this search, I also tried Lebanese cuisine, Italian (prepared as per Thai taste), and during all such experiments, food did taste good. Learning: One cannot really explore a city or a country until the time he/she has actually explored the local food. Rudyard Kilping once said, “The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” Travel Teaches Toleration These words are of Mr. Benjamin Disraeli (1804- 1881), a British Conservative politician, writer, aristocrat and dandy who twice served as Prime Minister. After visiting Thailand, I actually agree with these words. My trip to Thailand actually taught me toleration in many ways. I learnt from what I experienced over there. When you are a pedestrian, trying to cross the road in Bangkok, you would suddenly realize that traffic has stopped for you and the driver in car will give you a smile and ask you to cross the road. This is something one would rarely experience in India. This behavior creates a situation in which car driver is tolerant enough to stop and pedestrian is tolerant enough to wait and not run and cross the road. Another thing I observed was that even though Bangkok has lot of traffic on roads and roads are congested, one would still not hear people honking the horns of their vehicles unnecessarily. Everyone drives in lane and follow traffic rules even if that means one might have to spend few minutes extra on the road. This reflects a huge cultural difference between Indian & Thailand. People are lot more patient and tolerant and are ready to give space to others. This is also reflected when you would find even a senior official of an organization holding the door for you while you walk out of a room. My trip also taught me toleration in more ways. While searching for Vegetarian food, at times we had to walk a lot, ask many people and walk again. This all was done while we did not have lunch and were searching for a place to have dinner. In such situation, we had no option other than being tolerant, even when we would try asking a local person about a place and he or she will not be able to understand what we will be speaking. No Job is a small Job This is something we hear in India also and something we experienced a lot in Bangkok. AT our organization i.e. Thai Optical Group, there was an employee at the executive level. He used to be there for us whenever we needed any help. At times, he was the one who used to bring water and coffee for us while we sat in conference room and worked. He never felt this to be a small task. He would leave his work and go down with us to a 7 Eleven store to help us identify Vegetarian food. When we had gone out with the team at TOG for dinner, we saw even the Managing Director of the company wait and hold the gate while everyone else walked out of the restaurant. Apart from this, even the people we met at shops or at massage centres, they felt happy about the work they did. They looked confident and satisfied about their jobs. Language cannot be a Barrier in friendship Just like in India, if you sit beside a cab driver in Bangkok, more often than not you will get into a conversation with the driver. On one of the days, while I was sitting in cab in the front seat, I got into a conversation with the driver, even though he did not understand English and I did not understand Thai. We talked about traffic in the city and various tourist destinations. He even made me speak with his son (who knew English) on the phone, as he came to know that I might want to visit Pattaya and he could be the one to take me there. We showed him One Rupee coin and to our surprise, he had a collection of coins of various currencies, in the cab. He showed us a coin of Turkey and gave us two coins as gift. We also acknowledging his friendship gave him a coin of Indian rupee. Mr. Thawisak also accepted only 100 Bhat, when the meter read 103 Bhat. We had certainly made a friend and it felt good, as it was a different kind of an experience. Culture and more Thailand has a strong culture to work and create wealth. Anywhere we went, we could find women as a part of the workforce. Be it a restaurant, ticket counter at BTS Stations or Bus Stations, even Bus conductors, as street food vendors, operating road side shops etc. women were omnipresent. They held together the spirit of a city like Bangkok. There is strong inclination towards religion and one would find small temples outside office buildings and markets. Visit to Wat Pho, Old Bangkok was very refreshing and the calmness of the temple would soak in within no time. There was a historical city called Ayuthya, named after ‘Ayodhya’ in India. People in Thailand were humble and always ready to help and city in general was very safe. One would not fear to walk alone late at night and working women leaving for their homes could be spotted even late at night. T.I.T (This is Thailand) Term coined by Bernard Trink, former columnist of Bangkok Post Nightlife, it is often used by expats to share various bizarre and unforgettable events that one might encounter in Thailand. You are excited to see some great looking street food at a distance and you run towards it only to find that it is fried scorpions and frogs with some kind of sauce being served. This is Thailand You visit a famous shopping street, buy loads of stuff from it and feel proud of your bargaining power. Your friend meets you in evening and shows you the same T-Shirt you brought for 400 Bhat actually cost him only 200 Bhat and another friend actually got it for 180 Bhat. This is Thailand You visit a club, find a pool table & move on to play. You meet a Russian who is playing against you and you defeat him convincingly. He smiles, shakes hand and says, “You are Indian”. This is Thailand You visit a shop, trying to bargain the price while speaking slowly and making your English sound like Thai. The person replies in Hindi, “Iss sey kam nahi hoga”. You are left surprised. This is Thailand You come across various idles of Lord Vishnu & Lord Ganesha at temples & in shops. This is Thailand Mark Twain once said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” To open up your mind, to discover a culture which would remind you of yours at times but will still look different & to finally kill your narrow mindedness & have charitable views, travel to Thailand. It is a land of smiles, serenity and surprises. It will hook you to itself and make you feel guilty as you prepare to leave the place. Within a matter of days, you will start relating yourself to places and events. This is Thailand…

Papaji

From the day I met you, I always found you loving me. I don't remember a moment when you would have scolded me. You always had a special affection for all your grand children. All five of us were lucky enough to have you by our sides when we made small or big achievements. While during our initial years you would make us sit on your shoulders and would take us to either to have ice cream or buddhi mai (candy floss), when we grew up and passed the final exams of our respective standards, you would take all five of us along with dadi, for a treat. And yes I remember, these treats used to be exclusively for your grand children and parents were never allowed :) During my graduation period, you would ask me if I had a girl friend and would assure me that I could share it with you whenever I wanted to. When I got my first job, you gave me the title of 'Manager Sahab' and always blessed me to become a General Manager one day. You advised me not to take tension in work and do it with conviction. You motivated us by telling your stories and how you never allowed wrong things or corrupt practices come in your way. I remember when i used to sit besides you and you would ask me to lie next to you on bed. I remember when I used to hold your hand in mine and used to fear this day sometimes. I used to curse myself for thinking like this. I also remember all those fun moments you used to create, by complaining about Dadi. You used to ask us to find a new wife for you, preferably a foreigner and we used to enjoy the expressions on dadi's face and laugh about it. I remember when you used to call us 'Ullu da Pattha' or 'saala' and then we would blackmail you saying that we will complain to dadi. I have never seen such a caring man like you. You would say 'beta' to anyone...a rickshaw wala, a sabji wala, a carpenter. You would keep your hand on their head, blessing them. You would ask them to sit and relax and have lunch. You had the purest heart. I love you Papaji. I miss all those moments Papaji and I miss you a lot.

Bowled Over!

"Arey ball pakad thik sey " ( gather ball properly ),"Out ho gaya (that is out)"... These and few more are the lines which my sister used to tell me that i used to shout while sleeping. My subconcious mind followed and fulfiled my dream, in my dream, which i would have loved to make through in reality. I still remember those nights when a cricket match would be scheduled for next day and i would sleep with a hope that I will close my eyes and puff...it will be morning with blink of an eye, as i never liked waiting to watch Sachin Tendulkar bat. Reaching early home for a day night match, waking up early for matches in Australia and its Trans-Tasmania neighbours, burning mid night oil for ODIs in Toronto and West Indies and even leaving home early for Chemistry class with actual motive of watching an hour of Sachin's batting at a mechanic's shop ( my mother had sent television in hibernation as i had my board exams). I have done all these things and much more to see ' God of Cricket' bat. These are few things that each fan of Sachin has done. I remember praying for your century, i remember watching match at neighbour's hous when you had hit Caddick for a six over deep mid wicket, off a sizzling pull shot, i remember crying profusely when you were dismissed twice or thrice in nineties, within a month. I remember all the beautiful moments that you gave to millions of your followers. What I don't remember is whether I had ever imagined you taking retirement from Cricket. Such questions regarding retirement always seemed usless to me. But now it is one reality we all have to accept in 2013. The reality that there will be ODIs but there will be no Sachin Tendulkar. Even after waking up on 25th December, i was hoping that Santa will give me one gift and Sachin would confirm about continuing to play ODIs too. But that was something which didn't happen. Retirements are usually very emotional moments, for players as well as for their fans. Today morning, Mr Cricket a.k.a Mike Hussey retired from international cricket. He was lucky to have such a well scripted end for his career, as him team went on to win 3rd test while he was on crease, thus completing 3-0 white wash over Sri Lankans. However, this is something which Sachin's fans could not witness. He rightly judged that euphoria around his last ODI would have been too huge, which may be he did not want at this moment. Thus deciding to hang his boots without playing any more ODIs. Only hope that keeps all such fans going is that may be he will play lot many Test Matches for India and this decision of his would help prolong his career. Once again, his retirement from Test Cricket is something which cannot even be thought about and god willing, he will not take a decision which would leave all his fans ' bowled over'.

We blinked our eyes and poof,we were in Srinagar. It sounds like some magic, isn't it? I will explain in details. I am talking about our Amarnath yatra. As they say, "darshan unkey hi nasseb mein hotey hain, jinhey bulawa aata hai" and I guess we have had really good naseeb(luck).

Chapter One( And the adventure began): There were six of us(all of different & unique nature) who started this trip from Delhi, on 30th June,2011. On a lazy Thursday afternoon, we landed in Srinagar. As someone has beautiful said about Delhiites and I quote, " Everyone is something in Delhi & no one is alone", one of our friend too had his high profile contacts ready. He made a phone call, though importance of that call be revealed a bit later. We booked a cab for our next stop, that was Pahalgaon. There are two places from where yatra begins. One is Pahalgaon and the other one is called Baal Taal. Holy cave is 50kms from Pahalgaon. We boarded our cab and moved towards our next stop. Excitement could be sensed from our breath as we slowly moved towards some most panoramic views which we would be witnessing over next few days. On our way we crossed huge mountains, farms of world 's best and most expensive saffron, a silent Jhelum river and highly energetic Sindh river, whose water seamed as white as milk. We passed through villages and reached our first stop, Pahalgaon.
Another call was made by our friend and the voice on the other side asked us to reach Chandanwaari, 16kms ahead of Pahalgaon. After some confusion and discussion, we decided to follow that voice and reached Chandanwaari. We reached army base camp at Chandanwaari and met the body of that voice. He was Lieutenant Agnihotri. A young man of almost our age, Lieutenant welcomed us into the camp. Oh! Among all this excitement, I forgot to tell you that how dramatically weather had changed from Srinagar to Chandanwaari. Our jackets and pull overs were out and we were consistently rubbing our hands. We were offered hot coffee by our hosts, which would calm us down. We were shown our rooms( highly comfortable tents) where we could now relax. It was 07:30 in the evening. We were standing outside the camp and were hearing a constant noise(though it sounded sweet). We were told that at a distance of about 100 meters , there was a river flowing and above it was a small glacier.We couldn't control our excitement and immediately moved towards that river. We had seen
glacier for the first time in life and it was just so amazing. We touched the water of the river which was really cold. We enjoyed the view till around 8:15pm (as sun would not set before that time) and then we came back to our camp. We were served with some delicious food and also had conversation with soldiers who had been part of UNO's peace keeping team in Africa. Their description of the area in which they were sent made us realize that we were standing in front of real heroes.

The Untold Story

It is a fictitious discription of how women now feel in Delhi, after the tragic incident of 16th December,2012 . That day, after getting out from the movie theatre in Saket (a renowned area in South Delhi), I decided to take an autorikshaw up to my home. It was 10pm and I was accompanied by another friend who belongs to the same ‘sex’ as mine, one which is considered as the weaker section and is expected to accept anything and everything. Within few minutes of getting out, we encountered a car which passed us by, while seemingly educated men in that car passed lewd and demeaning comments on us. Yes they were so called ‘educated’ because those comments were in English. I and my friend ignored it, considering it as another normal day in the capital city and approached an auto wala. As expected from Delhi’s autowalas , they won’t help you in any situation and would prefer to stand instead of taking passengers with meter down. We then decided to wait for a bus. Luckily one friend was passing by, while we were waiting and he dropped us home. Next morning I heard news about Nirbhaya, girl who had been raped and brutally beaten up, along with his male friend. They both had also come out of the same theatre yesterday and had faced same issue of transportation. Though they must have felt lucky to get a bus at that time, they were oblivious of the fact that their lives would change completely within an hour. I was shocked to read the complete story. It was terrifying to know what that girl went through and my eyes couldn’t stop crying. She was a doctor in making. Another educated girl, whose life was now shattered. I thought if this education had any positives for us. I only had questions in my mind. What if my friend hadn’t come last night? Could it have been me and my friend? Could this incident be avoided had that auto wala at least taken her home? Were those educated men in car better than those in the bus who committed this heinous crime? Or were they the same, with some shame left in their eyes? These questions kept on revolving in my mind and I couldn’t concentrate on my work. In evening, I couldn’t walk out alone for the market. Actually I didn’t even want to go with someone. I had fear on my face. I was still wondering if I should feel happy about my luck or if I should feel for that brave girl. I decided not to go anywhere and instead involved myself in some work to avoid all thoughts. Thirteen days after this tragedy, ‘Nirbhaya’ has left the world, while all those questions are still unanswered. I still have that fear in me and I think it will take huge efforts from society and government to make this fear fade away. I wake up at night after having bad dreams. I feel I am being followed when I walk on the streets of Delhi and I am not able to travel after 6pm. I am confused if I should wear the western outfits I brought or if they are revealing clothes and men might think I am inviting them to rape me. I am a common girl who till now thought of being safe in her home city. I am that confident girl who fought with her parents to allow her to study and work in the capital, while they relax in the peaceful village. I am a sister, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a girl friend, who till now was the face of this growing nation and confidently competed everywhere but is now afraid to walk alone. I can be found in your college, your office, your locality or in a market and I am looking for your support. Support of not walking besides me, but support of confirmation which assures me that yes one day I will again be able to walk alone, with head held high and confidence of reaching home safely and respectfully.

Way of Life

When was the last time you had an open hearted laugh, which brought smile on faces of others and which took away all your worries? When was the last time you sat down to enjoy the serenity of silence? When was the last time you acted like a kid, showing ignorance to this complex world without being arrogant? Strange way to start a blog, isn’t it? Oh! another question. I leave the stage open for you to ponder on these questions. Today, only thing that can challenge Usain Bolt’s speed is the speed at which our lives are moving. There was a time when the only aspect we knew of life was enjoyment. Even without various comforts and no money in pocket, we could enjoy to the maximum. Getting wet in rain gave us happiness. Eating somebody else’s lunch in school gave us the devil’s pleasure. We fought with friends, with siblings but the next moment we used to be back, walking, eating and playing together. If all of it was possible at that time, then what is it that holds us now from being the same old ‘bravos’? Is it the time that has changed or is it us who have been molded into a different avatar? The answer to all these questions is with us. Yes, life has become fast and furious and we are now running towards goals, which even after achievement do not give us complete satisfaction. It is our unquenchable thirst for these achievements which has limited our vision of life and enjoyment. Let us sit back and remember all those beautiful moments. Let us give ourselves that time we need to dwell on and rediscover our priceless and unconditional smiles and laughter. Let us allow those thoughts and emotions to flow freely and we will realize that every moment is enjoyable and expressible. My wings, my flights, I discovered them today, Let me fly and find my own way… In the dark forests or around the sprinkling sun, Will live through my dreams and a new one would have just begun.

Walked on the road, walked through the sand... U taught me how to walk, while u held my hand. Walked through the darkness, walked through light... U always taught me, I need to keep up the fight U taught me about truth, u made me learn life... I followed ur foot steps and learned how to survive. Love is sacred, u told me some day...

GOODBYE DRAVID

As aptly said by the little master ,there will be no other Dravid.
I still remember the day when 16 years ago you scored a valuable 95 at
Lord's on your debut. Since then ,even though Indian Cricket was jolted
by many a tremors , you always stood tall and you actually always
stood, wall.
You donned gloves in ODIs for the team's sake , you opened the batting
when required and you batted for hours even if you were drained by the
energy sapping fielding sessions.
From you ,there have been innumerable marathon innings like 270 at
Rawalpindi , 148 at Headingly , match winning century at Adelaide and
many more. I cherished each and every one of them. Laxman's 281 at
Kolkata would not have happened without your equally precious 180.
You captained us through the Test Series wins in Windies and at the
English soil. Your willow was as eloquent as you and did most of the
talking during the tough tours of New Zealand and S Africa. Your 190 at
Hamilton in 1999 speaks volumes of your calibre.
Even best fielders in the game took notice of you and Wellington was
lucky enough to witness yourself breaking the record of maximum catches
in Test Cricket.
Many eyes might be wet 'coz they will not see you play again but they
take pride in what they have witnessed over the past decade and a half.
Dear Rahul Dravid, you will be missed.

The Year that was...

First day of the new year and I again have that sense of deja vu. Exactly one year back, mails were flowing in and out, messages of well being were being exchanged as everyone was getting ready to welcome 2011. Similar is the mood right now as we invite 2012 to enter our lives.

So I have decided to scratch my head and collate those moments and happenings that distinguished 2011 from 2010 or other years.

I asked the wall in front of me , "Has 2011 really been different ?" , and pat came the

reply"ofcourse yes". It is actually true because the number of events that took place this year

and their magnitude itself speak a lot about 2011.

It began with everyone flowing in the fashionable tide of making 'new year resolutions'. Few days into 2011 and we realized that this year also we will not be able to change our habits. Into

Feb, there started this buzz about the Cricket World Cup being held in India and the importance

it had for Sachin Tendulkar. Though we all know what happened on 02nd April, 2011 at Wankhade Stadium, it did no reputation loss to MSD too. On one side, World Cup Victory brought in more moolah for Cricketers , the gloomy condition of Indian Hockey remained the same even after India won the innaugral 'Asian Champions Trophy'.

While all this was going on, there were two things that kept on increasing consistantly. One was

the inflation and the other was interest rate hikes by Mr Subbarao. Though opposition parties

were protesting in the same old fashion against both these consistent ' Non Performing Assets',

India also saw a new way and wave of protests. ' Jan Lokpal movemement' was launched on a massive scale in which we all saw the rise of a new leader in the form of Anna Hazare. But if you think that it was only India which was affected by these rising prices and growing public rage, then you might be mistaken. While it was Jantar Mantar in India, places like Tahir Square in Egypt & Tripoli in Libya were also put on the world's map. 2011 saw the downfall of many dictators like Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi and 2011 also ensured that fears of 2008 like recession would haunt the world again through Euro zone crisis. PIGS ( Portugal, Itly, Greece & Spain ) were forced to take austerity measures while investors throughout the world seeked safe heaven in US Dollars. Markets kept bleeding and INR saw a record low level.

The year saw the birth of earth's 7th billion child, a $15 billion currency swap deal between

India & Japan , F1 racing coming to India , a massive and destructive earthquake hitting Japan,

double whammy by Sehwag in ODIs , USA taking the revenge of 9/11 by killing Osama, three

Pakistani cricketers being jailed for ' Spot Fixing', Ratan Tata handing over the baton to Cyrus

Mistry and among all those expensive Tablets being launched , 'Aakash ' also making its way in.

Another strange thing to have happened in 2011 was the number of celebrities that the world lost. We lost ghazal king 'Jagjit Singh', the very energetic 'Shammi Kapoor', Father of innovation

'Steve Jobs' , Mr evergreen 'Dev Anand' , the very talented UK pop star ' Amy Winehouse', the

powerful Korean 'Kim Jong II, Indy Car Driver 'Dan Whledon' ( car crash during a race ) ,

renowned cricket writer 'Peter Roebuck' (committed suicide ) , legendary singer ' Bhupen

Hazarika' and few more.

So 2011 was an year of eventful journeys. Some left good taste and some made world more strong through the challenges they posed. 2012 is now being wlecomed with expectations that the year will only bring good luck for the world and we will not be bogged down by any economic crisis or the fear of world walking on the edge. The positvity of achieveing something will keep us all going and as the new punch line of Coca Cola suggests, ' We will believe in a happier tomorrow'.

Similarities(Current Scenario) : Indian Cricket and The World Economy

Many people say that, combination of youth & experience is one the best combinations. While youth is responsible for taking the team forward with zeal and passion, experience lends stability to the team.

Currently, for Indian Cricket team and the world economy, this balance of youth and experience has been disturbed.

In cricket, with scars of the white wash of Indian cricket team from England still fresh,

everybody is excited to tell his opinion. While old foxes were out of color in this entire series, young guns could not show the temperament too.

Similarly,